Do You Have a Match?

Camping has always been a passion of mine. As a kid, sleeping on the ground inside a canvas tent was nothing short of heaven. As a young adult, I bought a tent trailer and towed it behind my old Toyota pickup.

It's the summer of 2000, and I'm now 40 years old and that thrill is still there for me. I'm now the owner of a 24 ft. travel trailer, and I keep it parked at the Rolling Hills Campground for a nominal yearly fee.

Each time I visit, they set it up for me at one of the available campsites. The owners, Jill and Joseph Vickers, have been friends with my parents for many years.

The campground is 50 miles east of my home in Southern California and about 3000 feet above the elevation of my home. My parents also frequently went there until they retired 5 years ago and moved to Idaho.

I, Vic Compton, remained since I'm a high school history teacher and football referee on Fridays between late September to Mid-November each year for the past 15 years in Orange County, California.

The rest of the weekends each year are almost always at Rolling Hills.

It's not an obsession with camping that motivates me. It's the quiet time. Time to reflect. A time to clear my head.

I stay busy during the week. I dedicate my time for my students. When I leave to camp, I do my best to wipe out any thoughts of work, students, grades, etc.

I live a modest lifestyle. I live in a simple two bedroom condo that I bought 10 years ago. 5 more years and I own it outright.

My truck is also 10 years old and runs great. There's no need to trade up.

Even while camping, I keep things as simple as possible. Although I'm capable of making nice meals, I usually eat cold breakfasts and lunches then cook something uncomplicated like hamburger, hot dogs, or chicken on my portable grill for dinner. I will, on occasion, throw a nice steak or two on the grill and as well as some grilled corn on the cob.

I'm divorced with no children. Although I love children, I'm glad that I didn't have any with my wife, Abigail. Her serial philandering and lying left me with no choice but to leave. I tolerated too much of her nonsense and that's my fault.

She never had a desire to divorce and even offered me the unobstructed opportunity to do the same. In fact, she had a friend that was very willing to make that happen for me.

I took her up on that offer. Her friend, Vivian, was a moderately attractive blonde that enjoyed sex. I enjoyed her a few times before realizing that this wasn't what I wanted in a marriage. When I chose to leave Abigail, Vivian also decided that I wasn't the lover for her anymore. I'm sure Abigail had some influence on her since my times with Vivian were always pleasant and drama-free.

I'd had a couple other girlfriends before the summer of 2000. Neither lasted long, although I did enjoy the sex with them during our brief times together.

Both girlfriends seemed too quick to want to settle down and get married. I've never had a problem being exclusive to one girl, but to make such a commitment such as marriage after less than two months scared me. One divorce was one too many.

My campsite was ready on that second Friday afternoon in June. I would spend the next two weekends there while going back to the empty school to finish out my contracted time with the district.

After that, I'd return to my camp and spend the next six weeks there.

There was a small mom and pop grocery store about 30 minutes down the road from the campsite. They had a great meat section and summer was the one time of the year when I'd buy some fancier cuts of steak for dinner as well as some top-quality bacon and sausages for breakfast. I needed about two trips per week since the refrigerator in the trailer was limited for space.

One of my favorite things to do was to sit under my canopy and read. Often, I'd slump and take a short nap in the middle of my reading. I also had a 19 inch TV that plugged into the available cable that the campsite offered. Hooking up a VHS player and watching movies or catching some over-the-air programming was another way for me to relax.

Although I knew some of my fellow campers, I wasn't close friends with any of them. In fact, I only knew some by their faces. This campground, in particular, wasn't too well-known by most people. I had attended a couple of karaoke nights and Bingo nights at the clubhouse, but usually stayed at my trailer and enjoyed that time alone.

Rolling Hills didn't advertise at all. Every weekend they were either full or near full capacity based on word-of-mouth advertising.

Mr. and Mrs. Vickers always knew my schedule and would make sure a spot was reserved for me. They would charge my credit card in advance, set up my trailer, and all I had to do was pull up to my assigned spot and spend about 10 minutes unloading a small amount of goods from my truck.

The Vickers took great care of their guests. There weren't too many amenities other than three individual unisex showers and separate bathrooms for men and women. They had added cable 3 years ago. They had a small store for the most basic items like milk, bread, matches, charcoal, propane, etc. The larger store down the road would be for any other grocery items.

My stay began like any other weekend. Unpack and unwind. Then a fellow camper across from my trailer walked toward me.

I was stretched on my chaise lounger with a book in my hand, but I wasn't reading. I had closed my eyes for a short nap when I heard a female voice come behind me.

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you by chance have some matches or a lighter I could borrow?"

I looked up to see a tall, dark-haired girl in her early to mid-30s, so I guessed, with a sweet smile and a voice to match.

"I forgot to bring some with me, and the campground store ran out until tomorrow."

She was trying to light her charcoal grill and my small outdoor grill was propane powered. Fortunately, I always kept a portable long-stemmed lighter in my drawer. Sometimes I felt like building a fire in the cooler weather and enjoying its warmth rather than the heater inside my trailer.

"Sure, let me go inside. I think I can help," I replied quickly.

A few seconds later I had retrieved the lighter and handed it to her.

"How long are you staying?" I asked.

"Until Sunday afternoon. I have to work Monday."

"Well, keep it until you leave. I don't anticipate needing it and if I do, I'm sure I can get it back. By the way, where are you camping?"

"Right across the way from you. That little tent trailer that needs some attention," she said smiling. "I don't care what it looks like, It has a table and a bed and that's all I need."

"Same here," I answered. "Got this thing of mine used, but it serves its purpose. I get away and it has a bed, a sink, and a table. I never use its shower. I just use the bigger one provided by the park. Or..."

I stopped myself from saying more. I knew the park so well and I also knew of a trail along the lake that had a narrow inlet into a private cove. Only a few knew of its existence. I could always go there and take a quick bath with no need to wear anything.

"Or what?" she asked.

"Or nothing at all," I replied, avoiding the truth. "But usually the park showers."

"Oh, by the way, I didn't properly introduce myself. I'm Mallory Kent, but everyone that knows me calls me Mallie. I appreciate you being so kind."

"Well, my name is Vic Compton. I'm kind of a regular here. At least two weekends a month during the nicer weather, plus six weeks straight beginning two weeks from now."

"Hardcore camper?" she asked while stating the obvious.

I agreed that it was my favorite pastime. I briefly explained my job and my side job as a football referee. The side job allowed me the luxury of doing my extensive camping.

She was a court reporter for the County of Orange. She had taken classes to learn the trade after graduating from high school.

I offered to help her start her fire, but I was immediately rebuked.

"Listen, you are a nice guy, but other than being absent-minded, I can easily get a fire going. I'm not a young damsel in distress. I can fend for myself."

I backed off and apologized for the supposed assumption, although my attempt was more the gesture of a gentleman, not a presumed weakness on her part.

"I'm a tomboy, Vic. Look at me. Baggy shirt, no bra, baggy gym shorts that I've owned since high school many years ago.

No makeup, my hair's straight. Never had it styled before in my life. I'm about as much of a no-frills woman you'll ever meet.

My ex-husband kept trying to change that about me and when he couldn't, he found someone else that met his expectations. So, there's that.

I'm just letting you know. I think I'm a great person, but I'm not the typical girl you'd meet. I have a 5 year-old daughter, Missy, that's staying with my parents this weekend. I'm a mother, a daughter, and a court reporter. I'm hoping to use some weekends to get away and clear my head.

I must have cleared that damn head before I came up here because I forgot the damn matches, "she said with a slight chuckle. "I was supposed to wait until I got up here to do that."

I began to see her differently after that exchange. I paid closer attention to what she was wearing and noticed how her face was all natural. No makeup or lipstick of any sort. I wouldn't have known she wasn't wearing a bra if she hadn't told me, but it didn't appear that she was large up top at all. Of course, an oversized t-shirt could disguise some of that.

"Well, if you need something, let me know," I offered. "I'm going to get my grill going soon and throw some hot dogs on there. I'll heat the chili up as well."

She chuckled. "Hot dogs, huh? That's what I'm fixing. Keeping it simple. Simplicity is important to me. I'm here to enjoy my time, not get bogged down with meals that take forever to fix."

I offered to have her use my grill, rather than running both. She made a counteroffer.

"How about your dogs on my grill and share some of that chili?"

"Deal!" I quickly agreed. "I just put the pot on the grill with the meat, or I can turn on the stove inside of my trailer."

She insisted on using her grill and my outdoor table as a place to eat. I had never met a girl while camping before that I wanted to know so well. I never came up here to meet girls. In fact, I had almost become resolved to be a bachelor the rest of my life. My marriage left me bitter for awhile and then determined to not let it happen again. I liked Mallie but wasn't sure about her overall intentions. I wasn't looking for anything more than friendship. Also, I seldom engaged in conversation with anyone else at the campsite for more than a few minutes. To me, solitude meant exactly that.

Although not on the level of a hermit, I did as little interacting as possible. For whatever reason, she was intriguing. I did admire her self-confidence in her appearance, and she seemed quite like me as far as her lifestyle went.

I tried to think of a good reason to not take her up on the offer, but I failed. Despite my interest in her, my plans were for peace, quiet, and reading. At least for the next hour or two, that would be put on hold.

During dinner, we began by discussing our jobs. She was careful about being too detailed about some court happenings because of confidentiality issues, but she shared some funny as well as sad stories of cases she witnessed. As she stated, she had heard some of the worst in human behavior.

I did learn that she was 35, five years my junior.

She seemed impressed by the balance in my life. My love for teaching, my dedication to providing good officiating at local high schools on Fridays during football seasons as well as some Junior College games on Saturdays, and my desire for time alone.

"Vic, I know you expected more time alone and I promise not to bother you all weekend. It was nice to enjoy a meal with you, though. It's not the same as my regular hangout, but it's very nice here."

"Your regular hangout?" I asked.

She smiled. "Well, there's a place near Corona..." she then hesitated. "Oh what the hell, it's a nudist resort. Glad Tidings Resort. Yes, I'm a nudist. I hope you don't interpret that to mean anything else."

"Anything else?" I asked, not sure what she was inferring.

"I like being naked. I'm not loose, though. Look!"

She looked on each side of her to make sure no one was looking and lifted her shirt enough to give me about a three second view of her breasts.

They were larger than I had expected, although not large.

"What I mean is that although I'm comfortable showing off what I have, that isn't to be interpreted as an invitation to do more."

She stopped to gauge my reaction, then continued.

"I'm no angel, Vic, but I'm also not here to get laid."

"That makes two of us," I agreed. "I've never come up here with the intention of hooking up. I did like the view I got though."

She smiled. "Well, I wasn't looking for your approval...but thanks for the compliment."

She continued to explain her interest in the nudist lifestyle. She usually felt safe around other nudists because they understood that she simply enjoyed the feeling of being nude.

The club was heavy on social activities and the reason she came to this campground was to enjoy non-social time; very similar to my purpose.

"It's not the same, obviously," she added, "but with a baggy t-shirt, baggy shorts, and no undies, I am comfortable.

"That's right, no undies either," she said as she pulled back her shorts enough to reveal nothing but a heavy patch of hair covering her pussy.

That time, she forgot to look around her to see if anyone was watching. Fortunately, there was nobody close enough to see her, unless they had binoculars.

I decided to share with her about the somewhat secret area where I could skinny dip. Her interest in the spot wasn't a surprise at all.

"Can you show me where it is? Are a lot of people there?"

"It's usually quiet. If you looked down the road, there's that large brown motor home. The couple there, Naomi and Chuck go there. They're nice people. Yes, we've all seen each other naked. We don't socialize much, other than the cursory greetings when we meet."

I shared with her the occasion of meeting them.

The owners had told me about the area. It didn't belong to them, but the owners of the property had no problems with nude bathing as long as there was no illicit behavior.

I found my way to the spot and saw a couple, both in their late 40s to early 50s in the water.

Although I couldn't distinguish any of their body parts, it looked as though she was at least topless. I apologized and tried to excuse myself.

"Nonsense," the lady replied. At that point, they both emerged from the water, and as I expected, completely naked. They both extended their hands and introduced themselves as Naomi and Chuck.

"Hey, get your ass naked as well," Naomi encouraged me. "It's just a naked body. We enjoy it here. We don't mind anyone that can behave themselves."

"Was she attractive?" Mallie asked.

"Well, not too bad, I guess," I tried to answer honestly. "She's moderately attractive, I guess. Slightly overweight, but not too much. Huge boobs, though. I'm sure that is probably the first thing guys would notice about her even with her clothes on."

Mallie laughed. "Yeah, something about guys and boobs."

I noticed her large boobs, but it wasn't the most important thing to me. It never has been. I shared that with her.

"Well, I had guys complain about my bush, but I don't care. I like it and don't plan on shaving or trimming it."

"Looked good to me," I said before realizing that it might be inappropriate to say to her. I immediately tried to apologize for my comment.

"Apologize for what?" she asked. "I like your honestly. You liked my tits, and you liked my bush. I'm flattered. When can I see where this secret spot is?"

I had two high-powered, battery-operated lanterns. I had planned on going there when it got dark. I offered to take her with me. Her enthusiasm was obvious. Besides, I did want a better and longer view of her entire naked body.

I looked forward to the walk. I knew that sex wasn't going to happen, but I could still enjoy the waters in the nude with her. In some ways, that was good. With no expectation of sex, our conversations would continue like normal with no innuendos or flirting.

By 8:15 pm, it was beginning to get dark. The trail was about 200 yards of twists and turns. The path was well-worn and as long as there was illumination, it wasn't hard to see.

I was able to get us there before the lanterns were needed, but we would need them going back to our campsite.

As we made the final turn to the nearly empty beach area, Naomi and Chuck were drying off. I had heard some water rustling as we were walking, but I didn't know it was them until I saw them, completely nude as usual, finishing their dip.

I introduced them to Mallie. They remained nude as they made small talk with her. While talking, Mallie casually removed her shirt and shorts and was enjoying their conversation just as nude as they were.

I've never been too self-conscious about my body. I'd been in enough locker rooms to know that I was adequately endowed, although nothing special. The same could be said of Chuck. Other than Naomi's huge boobs, they were just average looking people.

What I didn't expect was that I'd be semi-erect. There was something about watching Mallie and the older couple being so casual and comfortable with their nudity and the feeling of being nude in front of Mallie, I had become somewhat aroused.

I immediately went into the cooler water before anyone noticed...at least I hope they didn't notice. The cooler water did its job. I waved goodbye to Naomi and Chuck as Mallie joined me in the water.

"So, you actually take baths out here?" she asked.

"Not a real bath. I don't bring soap or anything like that. However, I always come out feeling refreshed and feel like I've bathed. I'll take a real shower tomorrow after lunch and probably come back here after dinner...just like today."

"Come and get me if you don't mind," she pleaded. "I never knew I'd be able to skinny dip when I got here. And it's just the two of us."

"Well, others could join us," I reminded her. "I usually enjoy it for about a half hour. I can't imagine someone like you would be bothered if others showed up."

"Not from a modesty perspective," she explained. "I do like the quaint setting here though. Glad Tidings Resort is very strong on group activities like Bingo, concerts, dances, and Karaoke. They also have trivia nights once a month.

Since I know so many people there and they are my friends, I feel compelled to join them. It's not that I don't enjoy some of it, but sometimes I prefer to sit in my trailer and be alone. That's my reason for being here...and then I meet you."

She was smiling. "And I'm not complaining at all. It's been a real delight getting to know you."

I sensed that there was a bond beginning to form that was stronger than just a couple of friends. Although we were both naked in the water, I still knew that sex was not an option.

If I thought sex was a possibility, I may have been more physically aggressive, instead I took advantage of the opportunity to continue talking and knowing her better.

She was of the same mind that I was when it came to permanent relationships. What I learned, though, was that her parents were engaged in an open relationship marriage. Mallie had no intent on doing that.

She wasn't opposed to the idea of an open relationship, but it would be without being married. She insisted that during her marriage, she never cheated on her husband. She never even let another guy touch her breasts, butt, or genitalia.