Elanna, in the Park Pt. 07

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***

*Crack* Elanna sank another pool ball. We were just taking turns rather than playing a proper game of pool, so I was up next.

"Your turn, Minnesota Mike." She paused a moment before asking, "why didn't you stay by my side at the party?" Elanna's tone seemed more curious than accusatory.

*Crack* I missed. My skills might be more suitable for pinball. Or perhaps I was distracted by a cute butt in the vicinity.

"I didn't want to cramp your style. Besides, I figured you would come to find me if you needed anything. Was that alright?"

*Crack* Elanna missed, but did she miss on purpose?

"After my last boyfriend, that was more than alright. He liked to hover and scowl at everyone."

"That would put a damper on the social aspect of a good party."

"It certainly put a damper on anyone checking me out or hitting on me. You're up, Sarasota Slim."

*Crack* I made my shot and figured that Elanna must have set it up for me.

"Oh? Do I need to worry about competing suitors?"

*Crack* She sank two balls this time.

I continued, "Should I hasten to speak to your father and ask his permission for your hand in marriage?"

"Michael! What?!"

"I'm so sorry, Elanna. It was playful banter, I didn't think it through. I shouldn't have said..."

She walked up to face me. "Stop it. Don't you dare spoil that sweet thought by just blowing it off." She gave me a tip-toe kiss. "You darn well better ask my dad for his blessing. Mom too."

"Yes, my love." I smiled. My heart fluttered at the thought. Is this what a heart palpitation feels like?

"Back to the topic at hand. No, you don't need to worry about competing suitors. But I do like feeling desirable when I'm dressed up."

"You are very desirable when you're dressed up, and also when you're undressed."

She saw right through me. "And you are very biased, I think. Plus, you're up, Honest Harry." Another quick tip-toe kiss and she stepped back to let me take my shot.

*Crack* I accidentally sank both the 8-ball and the cue ball. Whatever made-up rules we were playing by, that was a loss for me.

I admitted my defeat. "Looks like this was your game... um... Janestown Jane." Yes. That was the best I could come up with. "We should see how the tent is doing."

I remembered enough about camping to know you needed to air out the tent in advance. Since Elanna and I both live in apartments, we borrowed Ed and Helen's backyard for the task while they are traveling. The rented pool table in their garage helped pass the time.

"Hey Michael, how long has it been since you used any of this stuff?"

"Lisa and I went camping one weekend, I suppose it was about six and a half years ago." My eyes went misty. "It was fall and the leaves started to turn, but there was a warm weekend. She had a teacher workday, I only had classes Friday morning, so we left at lunch and spent a couple of nights in the woods."

Elanna came up beside me and leaned in for a side-hug. "That sounds beautiful."

"Happy memories." I returned to the present. "But yes. It's been a while. We have to remember to replace the first aid kit. We need fuel for the stove and lantern. We should also bring a pen and paper to write down everything we forgot."

"We're still leaving first thing Sunday morning?"

"That's the plan. That puts us in town about lunchtime, so we can visit your friend at the diner. Then we should have camp set up in plenty of time for supper."

She squeezed me before releasing her hug. "I can't wait."

***

Sunday morning dawned, the car was filled with gas and loaded with camping gear, and the trip was underway. As predicted, we rolled into the parking lot of Mel's Diner around lunchtime. It seemed busy, but we found a booth and were served by a waitress named Alice.

"Alice, is Jolene working today?"

"No, she's not. But I can tell her you asked for her. Do you know her from school?"

"Yes. I'm Elanna. Jolene and I were in the same art program before I graduated."

"Oh, honey, that's so great. I'll let her know you stopped by. Will you two be camping up at the park?"

"We sure will."

"You should stop by during the week. Our breakfast menu has everything you could ever want before a long day of hiking, and you can visit with Jolene before the lunch rush."

"Thanks, Alice we'll do that."

"Anytime, Honey. A father-daughter camping trip after graduation is such a sweet idea. I'll go put in your order. Let me know if you need anything else."

A father-daughter camping trip? I chuckled to myself.

"Well, I guess that was inevitable." Elanna was put off by the faux-pa but didn't correct Alice. "Why can't people just keep their assumptions to themselves."

"Am I missing something?" I grew a bit concerned.

"No, don't worry about it." Elanna's mood had shifted.

I figured we should probably explore this in a less public venue later. For now, I changed the subject. "Do you know if that grocery store across the street is the only one?"

"I'm pretty sure it is. Jo mentioned some roadside stands outside of town, by the turnoffs for the local farms. But I don't know where any of those would be." She was trying to return to her cheerful self.

"Sounds like we should go looking for one later. I wonder what they grow around here."

"Apple orchards are popular. Johnny Appleseed came through this area, I think."

We made small talk while we waited. The food was hot and flavorful, and there was plenty of it.

We skipped out on pie for dessert, which is probably as close as you can get to committing high treason around here. The selection was tempting, but we needed to be able to move to set up camp.

It was a good thing that the grocery store was just across the street. Our full bellies wouldn't have taken kindly to bumpy rural roads for very long. The store was small, and we weren't buying more than a couple of days worth of food, but we spent a good hour walking around before we dared to hit the road to the park.

***

As promised, our campsite didn't have much more than a post with the site number, a gravel parking spot, and a fire pit. We put on sunscreen, pitched the tent, and set off to find the restroom facilities. We were pleased to find there were showers available in addition to toilets. We were a little less pleased that they were nearly a mile from our tent. All told, it seemed like a great secluded area, well shaded by the nearby trees in the morning and evening.

"There's not enough time for a good hike before we need to start supper," I observed, thinking that sitting around and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells would make for a pretty good time.

"What you would like to do in the meantime?"

"I'm feeling kind of partial to doing absolutely nothing. It would be a nice change of pace. How about you?"

"That's a pity. I was thinking about offering you a snack."

"A snack?"

She propped one foot up on a log, spreading her legs apart. One hand reached up to pull her hair back, then reached down to cup a breast through her t-shirt. Her other hand slipped into the waistband of her shorts. Every piece of clothing she has highlights her curves, and when necessary, her fingertips exploring her pussy. "I'm sure I have something you would enjoy eating."

"I'm certain you do. Shall we retire to the tent in case anyone saunters by?"

"That will be fine for now. But we're taking a hike this week and you're going to... take me outside. Agreed?"

"Only once?"

She smirked. "Let's see how it goes before committing to more."

"That sounds reasonable." I stepped up, slid her hand from inside her shorts, and tasted the moisture on her fingertips. "Mmmm. Such a tasty treat."

She lead me to the tent. "Do we need to be quiet?"

"As long as we don't scream bloody murder, folks should leave us alone." We slipped off our shoes and crawled inside. It's not a large tent, there's not enough room to stand, but it's big enough to sleep two comfortably.

We kissed, I fondled her, and her cotton shorts slid off. She positioned herself sitting in a corner on her sleeping bag. Her knees were up and her legs were spread, putting her pussy on full display.

I knelt and fed my arms under her knees so I could hold onto her thighs. Then I went to work driving her crazy. I would kiss her here, lick her there, then pause for a moment before repeating the process. At first, I ignored her pussy and kept my attention on the outskirts. Soon I was "accidentally" brushing against her slit as I found different areas to explore.

"Are you going to eat my pussy or tease me to death?"

I took the tip of my tongue up the length of her slit. "Just savoring my snack, my love."

She shuddered. "Don't take so long!"

"Are you saying I should eat it before it melts?" I kissed the hood of her clit.

She twitched. "Eat me now, dang it!"

I brought one hand in to finger her as I began licking around her clit. She moaned with pleasure. So did I. Who knew pussy tasted so good?

Her breathing grew a bit ragged after a few minutes. "Yes!" She said to the universe at large. Not another minute after that, her orgasm started. She sounded like she was enjoying her orgasm, and I enjoyed the sight of her as her pussy clenched my fingers in waves.

A few moments after her orgasm subsided, we heard someone go "Ahem," just outside the tent. Elanna scrambled to cover herself, and I opened the tent flap once she had done so. I saw a park ranger about 15 feet away through the opening.

I scrambled out and stood up to speak with him and his partner who was a couple of yards to his side. "Good afternoon, Ranger."

"Good afternoon."

"We were just, uh..."

"Yes, you were."

Elanna had pulled her shorts on and scrambled out of the tent to stand beside me. "We're so sorry officer! We didn't think we were doing anything wrong!"

"Relax, ma'am. No one is in any trouble here. We're informing campers that there is a risk of stormy weather tonight."

I was a little surprised. "Really? We checked the weather before we left and the forecast looked fine."

"As I said, it's a risk and not a guarantee. A weather report came through about an hour ago saying the edge of those tropical storm remnants could reach this area."

"Dang. I didn't expect it to get within 50 miles of here."

"Yes, sir. We're less than a mile from the showers and restrooms. If you need sturdy shelter, that might be an option."

"Thanks for the heads up. We'll keep an eye on things and stay safe."

"Very good, sir. Ma'am. Enjoy the rest of your visit." He smiled politely. His partner had a less subtle smirk. They turned to walk away.

After a few steps, he turned back to say one last thing. "By the way, sir, you have a little something on your face." He turned and the two rangers left, laughing quietly between themselves.

Elanna was looking at me and blushing furiously. I ran a finger across my face and tasted the residue. "Delicious. Shall I get supper started?"

***

I warmed some canned soup for supper, and we paired it with crackers, fresh fruit, and Tang. Growing up, nothing said camping like that orange juice substitute.

After supper, we cleaned up camp and then strolled down the road to wash up. When we returned, the breeze was just a bit stronger than it had been, but there wasn't any indication of bad weather that I could see. We had most of the gear in the car. If things did get bad, it would just be a matter of tossing the bedrolls in the car, breaking down the tent, and chucking it in the back seat.

The plan looked much better on paper. When the storm hit at 1:30 am, the wind nearly pinned the tent down flat. Elanna stayed to weigh down the tent so that it didn't blow away. I managed to get a car door open on the side opposite the wind and tossed our sopping wet sleeping bags in the back seat.

I rescued Elanna from the tent, and we tried taking it down without letting it blow away. We pulled the stakes from the ground with a lot of help from the storm, and I quickly extracted the poles, wadded the tent up, and threw it in the back seat too.

I ran into Elanna halfway back to the tent site. The ground cover had blown away, and we needed to get ourselves into the car. We climbed into the front seats through a single door, Elanna climbing over the console into the driver's seat.

She got the car started and turned the heater on, but it was going to take a while to warm up and we were both shivering in wet clothes.

"Take off your clothes, Elanna."

"You too, Michael."

It was awkward in the confined space, but our sopping wet clothes joined all of the other wet stuff in the back seat soon enough. The car hadn't warmed up yet, so we were still shivering.

"Hey, hot stuff. I'm coming over." Elanna climbed across the console to sit in my lap. If you ever have to share body heat to avoid hypothermia, Elanna is a fantastic partner. Just don't expect it to turn into a romantic escapade.

***

We must have dozed off for a while. I didn't know what time it was, but it was still dark out. The storm had subsided, so that was good. However, my legs were asleep. I jostled Elanna to wake her and get her to move back to the driver's seat.

When I woke again, the sun was just beginning to shine through the treetops. The car wasn't running, so I figured that Elanna had gotten warm enough and shut it off. Realizing our state of undress, I grabbed the keys and fetched dry clothes from the trunk. In the nick of time, Elanna pulled on a t-shirt and shorts. My trousers were on and I was pulling a shirt over my head when the rangers pulled up.

"That was quite a storm. Is everyone okay here?"

"We're fine." I looked at the site in daylight for the first time. A gray tarp about 8 feet up in a pine tree caught everyone's attention. "Our ground cover on the other hand..."

The ranger spoke with his partner briefly before he stepped out of the truck, opened the back, and handed us a grappling hook with a loop of rope tied to it. "You can try using this to get your tarp. We have to go check on other campers. If you decide to leave before we return, drop it off at the gatehouse."

"Thank you, Ranger."

"Stay safe, sir. Ma'am."

I spent a solid 15 minutes getting the tarp out of the tree. Between getting tangled in sharp branches by high wind and my wild attempts at snagging it using a steel grappling hook, the tarp was pretty well ruined. The tent poles made it through the storm alright, but we could only find three stakes.

"Let's just grab breakfast at the diner and figure things out there." I felt deflated and exhausted.

Elanna hugged me and made her way to the passenger side door. We dropped the hook off at the gatehouse on our way out of the park and asked the Ranger there to pass along our thanks.

***

"Elanna! It's so good to see you!" A waitress ran to Elanna and hugged her within five seconds of stepping back into Mel's Diner.

"You must be Jolene," I concluded. I had a feeling that I recognized her from somewhere.

"Yes, but call me Jo." The waitress considered me for a moment and grinned. "You're not Elanna's father."

"This is Michael, my boyfriend," Elanna explained. "Alice got the wrong impression, but it was busy so we let it slide."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You two look like you've had a rough morning. Let's get you seated and I'll get your bottomless coffee started."

We were seated, fed, and provided with plenty of fresh coffee. Well, as fresh as diner coffee ever gets. The breakfast rush was over and the lunch rush was a couple of hours away, so Jo came over to talk to us for a few minutes. We told her all about the storm and how we got through the night.

"That's crazy! So what are you guys going to do now?"

"We don't know," I confided. "Unless there's a sporting goods store nearby, or maybe a hardware store, our camping trip is pretty much done." I couldn't hide my disappointment.

Elanna added grimly, "plus we have a bunch of stuff in the car that needs to be dried before it mildews. It might be best just to go home." She couldn't hide her disappointment either.

"How long did you guys plan on staying?"

Elanna responded, "we were trying to stay flexible. So one week for sure, but maybe two weeks if we were enjoying ourselves."

"Is that so. Can you two hang around a bit? I've got some things to take care of in the back, but I want to chat some more before you leave."

"Sure, we can hang around a little bit." I offered. "We'll be fine as long as we can get on the road shortly after lunch."

"Good. Let's lift those spirits before you hit the road, shall we? I'll be back to top up your coffee in a sec."

This is a charming little diner. It almost looks like something out of a 1950's coming-of-age movie. Mel working in the kitchen. The metal carousel hanging in the window between the kitchen and dining room that paper tickets are clipped to. Waitresses taking orders on paper tickets, with carbon paper for making duplicates. Spinning stools at the counter for folks who want to be in and out in a hurry.

A display case for some truly remarkable pies. Mel is a short-order cook, so I don't see him having time to bake pies like that. A community this size probably doesn't have a bakery. It would be sacrilegious to sell factory-made pies in an establishment like this, and they looked too good to come from a factory.

"I see you can't take your eyes off the pies. What'll you have?" Jo, showing her true skill as a waitress, surprised us.

"I'll take a slice of the lemon meringue. Elanna?"

"A slice of the cherry pie."

"Would you like the cherry pie warmed up? Maybe add a scoop of vanilla ice cream?"

"Warm it up, but no ice cream. Thanks."

"I'll have those here in a jiff."

Truth be told, I wasn't sure I could eat a single bite of pie without exploding. But once that meringue melted on my tongue and I tasted the lemon filling, the whole piece was gone before I knew it. I looked over and saw Elanna's saucer was spotless too.

I was feeling remarkably content, and only a bit too full. "Good pie."

"Mmm." She purred in agreement.

Jo checked in on us. "I see you couldn't stand the sight of your pies. Wiped them clean out of existence."

I met her eyes, trying to give my most satisfied look. "They were delicious. Don't tell me Mel bakes these."

"Oh no, of course not. Four ladies from the area bake them for a little extra income. Three of them have won first place at the county fair at one time or another. The fourth one placed second at the fair for three years running."

I was impressed. "Good food, good service, award-winning pie. Is there anything this diner doesn't have?"

"Sushi," Jo quipped. We all had a good laugh. After everything that had happened, she lifted our spirits and made us forget our troubles.

The door opened and a man walked in. Jo waved him over to our table.

"Tommy, this is Elanna and her boyfriend Michael." She introduced us. "And this is Tommy."

We all exchanged pleasantries.

"So, Jo tells me you two are in a bit of a predicament. I'm in a bit of a spot myself, and I think we can help each other out."

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

"I understand you two have some time set aside for camping, but your camping gear is ruined."

"What isn't ruined is dripping wet in the back seat," I added.

"I see. Well, I have a small cabin that I usually rent out over the summer. However, I haven't had time to clean it out and get it ready this year and I won't have the time for a few weeks at least."

"So we just need to clean the cabin, and we can stay there?" I conjectured.

"Yes. The last time anyone was in there was last September. I can send clean linens, and there should be plenty of wood for the fireplace if you even need it this time of year."