Mary and Alvin Ch. 35

"You want another one?" he asked.

"Yes Granpa!" Joey shouted.

After the second marshmallow, Hannah got up and took Joey from his grandfather.

"Let me clean you up, little man," she said, wiping his face with a damp cloth. She kissed Alvin on the forehead, and thought about their earlier conversation. Fill his little head with good memories, Papa, she thought to herself.

Charlotte and Alvy played a few more songs, and as the fire burned down, the circle of family drew closer.

Jennifer made a second pitcher of daiquiri. Alvin took a refill but didn't drink it.

"You are awful quiet, Daddy," Charlotte said, "Is everything okay?"

Alvin nodded. "I'm alright. I am so happy to have everyone here, but all day I've been thinking about those that aren't. I been coming up to camp since I wasn't much bigger than little Jeannie there. I have so many memories about this place and my sister Diana is in damn near all of them. Every time I look at the lodge I expect to see her come out carrying a big pitcher of tea or a pot of baked beans."

"She made some wicked good beans," Tim said.

"I miss her," Charlotte said, "And Uncle Bob. Whenever I think of him I picture him over there by the grill, flipping burgers."

Rachel reached over and squeezed Charlotte's hand.

"Anyway," Alvin said, "It got me thinking about her and Bob and everyone else that's gone."

"Grandma Jean," Hannah said in a quiet voice.

"Grandpa Stanley," Jennifer added.

Mary chuckled. "Uncle Harry."

"I don't remember him," Bonita said, "But I remember Fang."

"You were a tiny baby when Harry died," Alvin said. "You missed a real character there."

"Goddamn cocksuckin' son a bitch," Tim grumbled in imitation of his late uncle.

"All my family is gone," Omar said, staring into the fire, "But for Eedo Jamilla, and she will be soon."

Hannah took his hand. "You have us now," she said softly.

"I miss my mom," Charlotte said, wiping away a tear.

Bonita looked at Jamie. He had not spoken about his parents in years. He met her eyes and shook his head. She nodded and put her arm around his waist.

Alvin raised his glass. "To all who have gone before us," he said.

Everyone joined in the toast and then sat and stared into the fire.

"Well, Papa," Bonita said, "You sure know how to light up a friggin' party."

The ripple of laughter broke the somber mood. Alvy and Charlotte strummed another song. Jessica whispered in Andy's ear. He smiled sheepishly, then stood. "I guess we'll call it a night," he said, helping her up for her seat.

"Yeah, sleep well," Charlotte snickered.

Tim and Molly went inside a short while later, and soon Omar picked up Jeannie's baby carrier and said his good nights, then took Hannah's hand in his and walked with her and Joey into the house.

"Good thing someone around here is making more kids," Tim said, looking pointedly at Theo.

"Don't look at me," Theo scoffed, "Look at Nita."

"Don't look at me," Bonita shot back, "Look at Rachel."

"Well, fine," Rachel laughed, "Let the buck stop with me. I'm too old, and besides my children are all in my books."

"Guess you guys are going to have to step up," Bonita said, slapping Alvy on the knee.

"You never know," Jasmin muttered, looking into the fire.

Mary took Alvin's hand. "You're looking tired, sweetie, you ready to turn in?"

"I suppose so," he said, hesitantly.

"We have all day tomorrow with everyone," she said.

"It's not that..."

"What's wrong, baby?"

He leaned close to her and whispered. "I'm going to need my cane."

"Alright," she said. She stood, kissed his cheek, then went to the car and retrieved the cane. He looked up at her sheepishly when she returned, but she merely handed it to him and held out her arm. He took it, and started to rise, and in an instance, both Danni and Omar were at his side to help him up.

"It's alright," he said, "My knees are just a touch sore."

"You sure?" Danni asked.

"I'll be fine." he said, but Danni never moved more than a few feet away as he and Mary said their good nights and went into the lodge.

It was stuffy in the bedroom, so Alvin opened the window while Mary was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. A cool breeze swept in, bringing with it the smell of the camp fire and the soft murmur of voices.

He undressed down to his boxers and laid down on top of the covers, enjoying the feeling of the cool air on his body. He felt a deep contentment after spending the day with his family.

Mary came into the room, dressed in a light cotton nightgown. She sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over his thigh.

"How you feeling, love? Your knees hurting bad?"

"No, not bad. Just getting up and down is the problem."

She tilted her head back, listening. "I hear laughter," she said with a smile. "I can't tell if it's Jen or Nita, they sound so much alike."

"There were many nights that we sat around the fire until all hours, laughing, telling tales, passing around a bottle."

"Smells like they might be passing around something else."

Alvin laughed. "You always had a good sniffer, sweetheart."

She stood up and turned off the light.

"We are going to want to be underneath that blanket before morning," she said.

"That's alright, just come lay with me for now, I'm too comfy to move."

She snuggled beside him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a kiss.

"Let me ask you something," he said.

"What, my love?"

"Do you ever wish we had tried again after Hannah?"

Mary sighed and thought for a minute. "It might have been nice, but we knew it was risky, you know...after the first time."

"Do you think about that very much? The first time?"

"Not really. Once in a while. And when I do, it isn't losing the baby that I think about."

"What then?"

"I think about afterwards, when I felt like I could not go on, but that I found a way forward, because I had you."

Alvin squeezed her and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much, Mary."

"I love you too, sweetheart. We got one beautiful child, and now two beautiful grandchildren. Maybe another one would have been good. Maybe a boy. But it's too late now."

"You sure?"

"Alvin, I am almost sixty years old, it's definitely too late."

He slid his hand down and squeezed her buttocks. "We ought to try anyway."

Mary raised up on one elbow. "You think so? It's been a while."

"It's been a while because I was laid up with these frickin' knees."

"You feel up to it?"

"Unless you mean to make me chase you, yes."

"You caught me years ago, baby." She leaned down and they kissed.

"You know what's nice?" she asked.

"I know a lot of things that are nice," he replied, inching up the hem of her nightgown.

"It's nice just holding each other and kissing and not worrying where it leads. Maybe we make love, maybe we just make out for awhile." She squeezed the front of his shorts. "I'd say we are about halfway to the make love part."

"It may take some time."

"Do you have an urgent appointment?"

"Nope."

"Then we'll take the time."

She freed his penis from his shorts and slowly stroked it. Alvin tried not to think about getting an erection, he had found that it tended to be counterproductive. Instead, he concentrated on Mary, sliding her nightgown over her hips and fondling her ass with one hand while slipping the other into her underpants. It did not take long before she was wet enough for him to insert two fingers into her vagina. He slowly finger fucked her, while pressing the heel of his hand against her clitoris.

"Oh, baby," she moaned, "You know that feels so good."

"I learned a thing or two over the years."

"So have I, love." She shifted on the bed and lowered her head over his groin. He did not usually have trouble getting an erection, it just took longer than it once did. He always responded well to the sensation of her mouth on his cock. She pursed her lips around the head and sucked softly, swirling her tongue around the rim.

He responded with a long, low moan.

"I'm ready if you are," Mary said after several minutes of steady sucking, "And it looks like you are. Want me to climb on, baby?"

"No," Alvin said, lifting himself from the bed, "It's better if I am on top."

"Okay." She rolled on to her back, slipping her underpants off and casting them aside.

Alvin lowered himself onto her, being careful not to put too much weight on his knees. Mary guided his cock as he slid it inside her. They moved together, slowly at first, but their passion grew and their tempo increased. Mary raised her legs and hooked her heels in the small of Alvin's back.

"You're doing good, baby," she panted into his ear. He drove in harder, and the headboard banged against the wall. He stopped suddenly, and Mary began to giggle.

"Who's in the room next to us?" Alvin asked.

"Hannah and Omar."

"Oh shit, I hope we didn't wake the kids."

"I hope she don't come running in here, thinking you fell out of bed or something."

They both laughed, but Alvin had softened a little.

"Do you want to stop, baby?" Mary asked.

"I would guess not," Alvin said. He slowly rocked back and forth, and in a few strokes, his erection grew back to it's full size. In a few more, he came.

"That was quicker than I expected," he said.

"It's okay, sweetie."

"You're sure?"

"Oh, Alvin," Mary said, turning to face him as he rolled off of her, "It was fine, honey."

They crawled under the blankets and snuggled together.

"I still do pretty good for an old man, huh?" Alvin asked.

"Sweetie, that's what I thought the first time."

They laughed, and kissed and fell asleep in each others arms .

***

Bonita stuck her head out of the tent. The sky above was a rich blue, but the camp was still shrouded in the dark shadows of the trees. She heard a rustling nearby and spotted a groundhog, sitting on its haunches near the picnic table, nibbling on some dropped bit of last night's supper. They stared at each other for a moment, then the groundhog dropped down and began rooting in the grass for another snack, and Bonita ducked back into the tent and wiggled into her jeans.

Moving quietly as to not wake Jamie, she slipped out of the tent. Lola trotted behind her. The groundhog was gone, but the dog caught its scent and began wandering the yard looking for it.

"He's down his hole by now," Bonita told her.

She went into the lodge. Everyone was still asleep. She used the bathroom, then went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. As she looked through the contents, she heard the lodge door creak open.

Theo came in. "Hey, Nita," he said softly.

"Man, you're up wicked early," she replied.

"Yeah, I'm going to take the rowboat out and do some fishing."

He reached over her shoulder and picked up a half gallon of milk. Bonita looked in the meat drawer and found several bags of cold cuts. She sorted through them until she found salami. Sliding open the bag, she peeled off a half dozen slices.

Theo sat at the table and prepared a bowl of raisin bran. Bonita closed the refrigerator and leaned against it. She folded a slice of salami and shoved it in her mouth. Still chewing, she asked Theo, "So what happened with that Audrey?"

Theo shrugged. "You didn't even like her."

"It ain't up to me. But dude, what the fuck, even Alvy's doing better than you."

"I'm doing fine. I just ain't the settling down type."

"No, you're the find 'em, fuck 'em, forget 'em type."

"Look who's talking. I remember what you were like before Jamie. And besides, that isn't true anyway."

"Why isn't it true?"

"Because I never forget them."

"See, you're a romantic after all. Catch you later."

The sun had broken over the treetops and a soft golden glow had filled the yard. In the distance, the water of the lake sparkled. Lola trotted over, took one of the slices of salami, then laid down on the porch. Bonita crossed the yard and slipped back into the tent. Jamie was lying on his back on the air mattress, wearing only his boxer shorts. Bonita unfastened her jeans and kicked them off. She stuffed another piece of salami into her mouth, then straddled him and sat down on his thighs.

Jamie looked up with bleary eyes. It was still dark in the tent and he could not see what she was doing, but he could hear her chewing.

"What are you eating?" he asked.

"Salami. You want some?"

"Who eats salami in bed?"

"I've had your salami in bed a time or two," she laughed. She reached into his shorts and took hold of his semi-erect cock.

"Bonita, your hand is all greasy!"

"That probably feels good, though, doesn't it?"

"Actually, yeah it does. Hey, why don't you give me a piece?

"Piece of salami or piece of ass?"

"Can I have both?"

"You're lucky I love you so much," Bonita said. She dangled a slice of salami over his face.

He took it in his teeth and, as he chewed it, said, "I tell myself that all the time."


Bonita slid forward, put the last piece of salami in her mouth and mounted his cock. She rode him hard and it was over quickly, but left them both satisfied.

They laid together and Bonita dozed a while, then Jamie stirred and woke her.

"So, what are we going to do all day?" he asked.

"Only plan I had was to fuck, so my schedule is open."

Jamie sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

Bonita jumped up and grabbed her jeans. "I don't know, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Jessica."

They hurried into their clothes and climbed out of the tent, just as Jennifer and Danni were coming from theirs. They were wearing matching khaki shorts and white t-shirts.

"Look at you two," Bonita laughed, "A couple of bookends."

Jennifer draped her arm around her shoulder. "We're cute though ain't we?"

"You're turning into crazy old ladies," Bonita muttered.

When they entered the lodge they discovered the source of the enticing aroma. Jessica was at the stove, pulling out a tray of freshly baked cinnamon buns. Mary sat at the table, drinking a cup of tea. Hannah was beside her, nursing Jeannie.

"There is fresh coffee on the counter," Jessica said, "And these just need to cool down a bit."

They all gathered round the table and had their coffee and buns. Joey came running into the kitchen and climbed into Mary's lap. Omar was close behind him, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"Is Daddy still sleeping?" Jennifer asked, "He's usually one of the first ones up."

Mary smiled. "Well, he was awake kind of late."

Danni playfully punched Bonita's thigh under the table. Bonita scowled at her, then rolled her eyes.

Jennifer finished her coffee. "Well, we are hiking up to the old farm," she said, "We'll see you guys around lunchtime."

From the north side of the Faulkner camp, a well worn trail led along the edge of the lake. It was in good shape. Every spring Tim and Theo made sure it was cleared. In the fall, they used it when they came up to hunt, and in winter, Theo would snowmobile along it.

Danni and Jennifer set out on the path, following it as it skirted the lakeshore and then turned uphill, deeper into the woods. The air was filled with the sound of birdsong as they hiked in the dappled light of the late summer sun through the trees.

"Theo said he heard coyotes when he was up here a few weeks ago," Jennifer said.

"Good thing you left your chickens at home," Danni replied.

They stepped over the fallen stone wall that marked the edge of the family's land and kept moving, deeper into the woods. Danni had to temper her stride to allow Jennifer to keep up as the ground became rougher. At one point, a small tree had fallen across the path. Danni hopped easily over it, then helped Jennifer across.

"We still do pretty good for a couple of middle age chicks, don't we?" Jennifer asked.

"You mean crazy old ladies?"

"I don't feel like an old lady," Jennifer said with a shrug. She reached forward and squeezed Danni's butt. "And you don't look like one."

Danni stopped and kissed Jennifer, then began walking again. "Still, we have to accept that we aren't young anymore."

"Girl, we could go up to Orono tomorrow and you could still take these young players up and down the court."

Danni smiled. "I was pretty good, wasn't I?"

"If you'd gone to a class A school, you'd have gotten to the WNBA."

"No, I wasn't that good."

"You were, and you looked damn good doing it, too."

"Aw, thank you, honey," Danni said.

The forest grew thinner and the trail widened. Danni took Jennifer's hand and they walked together side by side. They saw bright sky ahead of them and stepped out into a broad, sloping meadow of witch grass, goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace.

An old farmstead sat at the top of the hill. As they climbed toward it, a flock of turkeys scattered before them.

"Look at that lilac," Jennifer said, "It's huge. And no one to appreciate it."

"But think about the people who planted it," Danni said, "Generations later, it's still here to mark their presence. It will still be here when the buildings have all fallen down and disappeared."

"Yeah," Jen said, "I wonder how long that will be." The barn had almost completely collapsed. She remembered walking up here with Charlotte and her father when she was young, and it was still largely intact. She thought about her own farm, and felt grateful that it had survived for generations. Like it was waiting for me, she thought.

They walked around to the front of the abandoned house and stood in the dooryard. From their elevated position, they could see across the lake and the woods beyond. The mountains along the New Hampshire line loomed over the horizon.

"Look," Jen said, pointing to a small grove of apple trees about fifty yards down the slope. A pair of deer stood frozen under the trees. Although she spoke quietly, the sound of her voice send them bounding toward the woods.

"Don't come back!" she called.

"Why'd you do that?" Danni asked.

"Because Tim and Theo use the house as a deer blind when they come up here hunting."

"That's not legal, shooting game from inside a building."

"You should write them up."

Danni shrugged. "I'm not a game warden."

Jennifer laced her arm through Danni's and laid her head on her shoulder. "When you were a little girl," she asked, "Would you ever have imagined coming to a place like this?"

Dani shook her head. "Nothing in my life has been what I would have imagined."

"I hope you mean that in a good way."

Danni turned and took Jennifer into her arms and kissed her.

"Jen, honey, when I was a teenager, and I was struggling to understand myself, do you know what my greatest fear was?"

"Your family rejecting you?"

"No, that was bad, but that wasn't it. The thing I feared most was that someday I would be old and all alone."

"Oh sweetheart." Jennifer hugged her tight. "Never, you'll never be alone."

"I know honey, I have you, and Bonita and the whole family. I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams."

They walked over to the house and stepped on to the porch. Danni peered in through one of the empty windows. "Have you ever gone inside?" she asked.

"Once, when we were kids. It was pretty creepy. Charlotte found an empty soup can. We thought it was some valuable antique or something. Showed my mom and she laughed. Said it was about ten years old."

"Why was it creepy? Did you think it was haunted?"

"No. But, it was somebody's home. Probably generations of a family. Born here, died here. What happened to them? Where did they go? An abandoned house just seems like a lost dream or something."

Dani hugged her from behind and kissed the side of her neck. "You know, you're awfully romantic for a farmer."

"You're wicked sweet for a cop."

Jennifer turned around and they kissed. Danni ran her hands down Jennifer's back and cupped her ass. Jennifer leaned back against the wall of the house as Danni leaned forward, pressing her leg between her thighs.