Mary and Alvin Ch. 35

"Do you think the people who lived here two hundred years ago could imagine lesbians having sex on their porch?" Jennifer asked between kisses.

"I don't think they imagined lesbians at all," Danni replied. She sank to her knees, reached under Jennifer shirt to caress her breasts, and kissed her on her belly.

"If the house is haunted," Jennifer said, tangling her fingers in Danni's hair, "the ghosts may learn a few things."

Dani tugged Jennifer's shorts down to her ankles, and lowered her face between her legs. If there were ghosts in the house, they learned quite a bit.

***

Alvin and Tim sat on the porch in a pair of Adirondack chairs, listening to the Red Sox game.

"Might rain later," Tim said.

"Nope," Alvin replied.

"Might."

"Won't."

Lopez hit a ground rule double, and then Yang slapped a single to deep right, and it looked like the Sox would rally, but Lopez was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

"Break your frickin' heart. Every year," Tim muttered.

"Speaking of which, when was the last time you talked to Anna?"

"She didn't break my heart."

"You married her twice."

"Married Molly twice too, that one stuck."

"Molly is a patient woman."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening while Houston put another run on the board.

"Anyway, I spoke with Anna's daughter a while back. They moved her into assisted living down to South Portland."

"That's a pisser. Hope it ain't that dump that Stanley was in," Alvin said.

"Hard tellin' not knowin'. But jeezum, Alvin, its like she's an old woman."

"She is an old woman. We're old men."

"I ain't that old."

"Who was president when you were born?"

Tim thought for a minute. "Nixon."

"Nixon's been dead a good fifty years."

"Some will say that ain't long enough."

"Well, there's that."

Alvy and Jasmin came out of the lodge.

"What are you two up to?" Alvin asked.

"We are going to take the canoe out," Alvy said.

"You're like to see moose if you go by the sunkhaze at the Passagaugus," Tim said. "Theo and I were out that way a few weeks ago and saw quite a few."

"That would be amazing," Jasmin smiled. As they stepped off the porch, she turned and asked, "What's the score?"

"Frickin' Astros are up four nothing," Tim grumbled.

"Didn't Gonzalez start today for Houston? He's got no stamina. And their bullpen sucks. The middle of the Red Sox order ought to be able to break through against them in the late innings. See you later."

They watched her go. After a moment, Alvin said, "I like that girl."

"Yep," Tim said.

Alvy helped Jasmin into the canoe, and then got in and pushed off from the shore. They glided forward and he began to paddle.

Jasmin looked over her shoulder at him. "Am I supposed to be doing something here?"

"No, you can just be a passenger. I've got it."

"What was that word your uncle said? Where he saw the mooses?"

"The sunkhaze."

"What's that?"

"It's an old Indian name, it means a hidden entrance to a river."

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, I canoed here a lot with my grandpa. Sometime we ought to come up here and canoe down the river."

"I'd like that," Jasmin said. She had grown up in a big city, the woods and waters of northern Maine were a new world to her. She had never had any desire for camping or canoeing, but Alvy's enthusiasm was contagious, and she was eager to share new experiences with him.

As they glided away from shore, they saw Hannah climbing on to the swimming raft. They waved and hollered to her, and she waved back.

"I really ought to talk to her later," Jasmin said.

"Oh yeah, about what?"

"Well, for one thing, to find out what you said to her about me."

"You could ask me."

"Oh, I'll do that, too." She looked back at him. "I might see what little secrets I can learn about you as well."

Alvy blushed. "I don't have any secrets. Anyway, who you really ought to be talking to is Rachel."

It was Jasmin's turn to blush. "I feel awkward around her. Kind of intimidated."

"Because you read her books. That doesn't make sense. I mean, she's not that famous."

"You asked her to give me those autographed books, didn't you?"

Alvy smiled. "I knew you'd like that."

"Oh my god," Jasmin said, "I thought I'd die. Alvy, I've been reading her books since I was a kid."

"Yeah, but you haven't said three words to her."

"I'm a little intimidated."

"Well, tonight, you should talk to her more. Because I know that after we leave you're going to think of all this stuff you wished you talked to her about."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

It was about a mile to the marshes at the mouth of the river, and it didn't take long to get there across the mirror smooth water. Alvy found the main channel among the stands of cattails, and paddled into it, weaving along its twisting course. The approach of the canoe startled a heron into flight and they saw red wing blackbirds and a great many dragonflies skittering among the reeds, but there were no moose to be seen. As the channel narrowed and the current increased, Alvy instructed Jasmin in how to paddle, and with her help they managed to emerge from the tangle of reeds into the clear channel of the river.

Alvy steered toward the bank, and they came to a stop in the shelter of a fallen pine tree that blocked the current.

The only sounds were the trickle of water around the pine, and the soft buzzing of insects. "It's so peaceful here," Jasmin whispered.

Alvy fetched a bottle of water from between his feet and took a long drink. Jasmin turned on her seat to face him, and he handed the bottle to her.

"I like your family," she said after taking a sip.

"If you like my mom and dad after riding all the way up here with them, that's a good sign."

"I think your mom and dad are a riot," she said with a laugh.

"Well, they are on their good behavior. Lately every time I talk to them, I get the feeling like they are mad at each other or something."

"Oh, I hope not."

"I mean, they used to be all the time laughing and giggling at each other, like they were in on some joke only they got. They aren't like that anymore."

"Well, at least they aren't screaming at each other all the time like mine were before their divorce."

"That must have really sucked."

She nodded, then asked, "Do you think your family likes me?"

"Of course they do, why wouldn't they?"

She shrugged. "It's just really important to me."

"Why?"

She reached over the side of the canoe and splashed a handful of water at him. "Because I really love you, doofus."

Alvy laughed and wiped his face.

Jasmin got on her knees and crawled toward the back of the canoe. She draped her arms around Alvy's neck and kissed him.

"I love you too, Jassy," he said. They continued to kiss as the canoe slipped into the channel and began to float back toward the lake. Neither of them saw the bull moose that watched them from the brush as they drifted by.

***

Hannah stretched out on the raft and yawned. The whole world seemed quiet and at peace. Such moments had become rare. With two little ones at home, and twenty five more in her classroom, sometimes it felt like her head would explode. A few minutes lying in the sun, hearing nothing but the breeze and the birds, was heavenly.

She touched her breasts. They were perpetually sore from breastfeeding. She ran her hands over her belly and frowned, frustrated that she still had not lost as much of her pregnant paunch as she had hoped.She should be more active, she told herself. Maybe start riding her bike to school each morning again. Omar or her father might be able to rig some sort of wagon for Jeannie to ride in. She was nervous about riding with her in the baby wrap.

She sat up and took a drink from her water bottle. Stop fretting about things, she admonished herself. You should be using this time to relax.

She reclined on her side, resting her head on her elbow. The raft was moored about sixty yards from shore, close enough to swim to easily, far enough to feel secluded. Looking toward the shore, she could see Omar, standing near one of the picnic tables. She shaded her eyes to see who else was there. Seth, she thought, Jamie or maybe Theo. Omar stood out, taller and darker than anyone else in the family. I like that, she thought, I like that my man that stands out.

He must have seen her looking at him, because he waved his arm in the air, then walked toward the shore, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it on the grass. She waved back as he waded into the lake. When the water was above his waist, he dived forward and began to swim. He reached the raft in what seemed like only a few strokes and pulled himself halfway out of the water, leaning his elbows on the raft.

"I hope you do not mind I came to see you."

"Never, baby." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "Did I just see you eating?"

"I ate a little bit. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm not. Do you know you are not supposed to swim for a half hour after eating?"

"What? Why not?"

"I don't really know. I guess it's supposed to weigh you down or give you cramps or something."

"That makes no sense. I ate a few grapes and a slice of cantaloupe. I do not think I will drown. Do you teach this idea to children?"

"It has not come up in the curriculum."

"Good. I think it is nonsense." He climbed out of the water and sat on the edge of the raft, dangling his legs over the side.

"I am guessing that my mom has the kids?" Hannah asked.

"She does, of course."

"She loves being a grandma. And it's good for her, now that she has retired from her consulting business. It gives her something to do."

Omar laughed. "She is a member of the gardening club, the library friends..."

"Friends of the Library."

"...the festival committee..."

"I get your point. Still, it is good for her."

"And good for us that she is eager to take the children off our hands when we need her to."

"I won't deny that." She ran her hand up and down the taut muscles of his back. "Farm work agrees with you," she said.

"I enjoy the farming. And I like working with Jennifer. She treats me as an equal."

"You know, you can be anything you like. You could go to college, get a degree..."

"I like to make things grow," he said, reaching back and rubbing her belly. "Like the babies we made grow in here."

He laid back, resting his head on Hannah's thighs.

"You aren't thinking about another one already are you?" she asked.

"No," he chuckled, "But maybe someday."

"Maybe."

"I like this, floating on the water. I like places that are so peaceful."

Hannah almost shed a tear, thinking about how terrible it must have been for him, growing up in overcrowded refugee camps. And she thought about her conversation with her father the night before, and the importance of memories, both good and ill.

"When we were, I think, eight or nine," she said, "we came up here in the middle of the summer, and it was wicked hot. So Nita and I decided it would be a good idea to come out here and sleep on the raft. Papa brought us out in the rowboat. We had our sleeping bags and a cooler full of drinks and snacks. I don't think it was dark for more than an hour when we started hearing splashing in the water, and got so scared we started yelling for him to come get us and bring us back."

Omar laughed. "What was in the water that scared you?"

"I don't know. Probably just a loon diving for fish. Beavers maybe."

"Beavers are a bit frightening."

"You were born in a country that has lions and you are scared of beavers."

"I said a bit frightening."

"Right, but you have an irrational fear of bears."

"I do not believe it is irrational to fear large carnivores."

"Fair point."

Hannah sat up. "It's getting hot laying here in the sun."

She rolled over to the side of the raft, then slid off into the water. Omar clambered in beside her. They locked hands and treaded water. For a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes. Then, spontaneously, they each pulled the other closer, and kissed. Omar lost his balance and tilted backwards, pulling Hannah underwater with him. They resurfaced a few seconds later, laughing and coughing out water.

"Are you okay?" Omar asked as Hannah swam back to the raft.

"I'm fine," she said, climbing back on the raft. He swam to her and took hold of her ankles. He raised her foot above the water and kissed it.

Hannah giggled. "Come sit by me, sweetheart," she said.

As Omar lifted himself on to the ramp, his baggy shorts sagged down over his hips.

"Are you showing off that cute ass?" Hannah asked, laughing.

He sat down on the edge of the raft and lifted one hip to pull the shorts back up. Hannah reached over and grabbed the waistband and tugged in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking around nervously.

"No one can see," she said, yanking the shorts down until his cock sprung free and lay against his thigh.

"Hannah, someone will see."

Hannah made an exaggerated show of looking around in every direction. "I don't think so." She took hold of his cock and squeezed. It swelled quickly at her touch and she began to slowly stroke it with a slow twisting motion.

Omar leaned back on his hands and let out a loud sigh. "You do that so well," he said.

"Oh, thank you, baby." She watched his face as she stroked. She had noticed a habit, when he was aroused, of twitching the corners of his mouth. She watched for that now, and when she saw it, she increased the tempo of her motion. He moaned and shifted his weight on his hips.

"I want to see you come," she whispered, "I want to see it, right out here in the bright daylight."

His breath grew shallow. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His mouth was twitching furiously.

Hannah stroked so hard her wrist began to ache, but she kept at it. In a few minutes, Omar's whole body seemed to clench. He stiffened and groaned as a long spray of semen erupted from his cock, arching through the air and landing on the surface of the lake with a soft plunking sound.

Hannah burst out laughing.

"Why is it funny?" Omar asked between deep breathes.

"Just the sound of it hitting the water. That little bloopy noise."

Omar leaned forward and looked between his feet. "Do you think fish will eat it?" he asked.

"Oh, gosh, that's gross!"

He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You have done so yourself."

"Yeah, that's true, but still..." She made a little shuddering motion, then reached down and rinsed her hand in the water.

Omar draped his arm over her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he bend down and kissed her.

"Never did I think I would find a wife such as you," he said.

"There aren't any others like me," she said, "Now let's go collect our children."

***

Seth concentrated, raised his arm behind him, then went into his motion, tossing the horseshoe toward the stake. Too hard, he thought as soon as it left his hand. He was right, it hit the metal stake with a loud clang, then bounced off into the grass.

Andy and Theo raised their arms in the air and shouted in triumph.

"I guess I wasn't a very good partner," he told Molly, "Sorry about that."

She patted his shoulder. "You did better than I did," she said.

"Set em up for another game," Theo shouted.

Seth waved him off. "No, I think I'll go find my wife and see what she's up to."

"I can tell you," Andy said, "She's probably got her nose in a book."

Seth nodded. "You're probably right."

He had seen Charlotte going into the RV an hour earlier, and assumed she was still there. She was reclining on the bench seat in the dining area when he entered the vehicle. As he had expected, she was engrossed in a book.

"Hey babes," she said, without looking up.

Seth sat down across the table from her. When she got to the bottom of her page, she shut the book, holding her place with her index finger.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I think we ought to talk."

Charlotte sighed, placed the book on the table and sat up straight. "Okay yeah, let's talk." After a moment of silence, she said, "You go first."

Seth started to speak, paused, took a moment to form his thoughts into words, then began.

"When we talked about making this trip into a big thing, taking extra time, renting the RV, it was because we both knew that we needed to do something. To reconnect." He looked down at his hands. "To decide on our future."

"And we are."

"No, we aren't. I mean, you've spent more time with your book than with me."

"Well, you know I'm not crazy about camp. I don't get into all the outdoor stuff."

"That a cop out, Char. It's been the same since we left home."

"I think having Alvy and Jasmin come with us was a mistake if the purpose of the trip was for you and I to spend the time together."

"Well, that may be true, but it's still an excuse."

Charlotte sighed. "Okay, I know when not to pursue a losing argument."

"This doesn't have to be about winning and losing. It's about analyzing the situation, identifying the problem and finding a solution."

Charlotte laughed. "See, that's engineer thinking. It's not that simple. You can't do an objective analysis when you are an interested party."

"That's lawyer thinking."

"Okay, well, let's just try to talk like husband and wife."

"Sure. So first of all, I still love you very much."

"And I love you, Seth."

"But I don't feel like you have any interest in me."

"I seem to remember sucking your dick last night."

Seth let out a snorting laugh. "That's true. The sex is still good, it always has been. But that's just one part of our relationship."

"Alright. But to be fair I often see you zoning out when I talk to you."

"That's a fair comment. But our jobs are pretty much all either of us talk about anymore."

"We used to sit up half the night talking some times. Movies. Music. Politics."

"Yeah, but now, I don't think there's a subject that we don't already know what the other one thinks."

Charlotte sat back and closed her eyes. "I'm scared, Seth," she said. "I told you that I have had night terrors in the past, haven't I?"

"Yes, when your mom died and when we almost broke up. Are you having them again?"

"No. But every night, before I go to sleep, I wonder if that is the night they will start again."

"Why do you think they will come back?"

"Because I think I'm going to lose you."

"Charlotte," he said softly, "look at me."

Charlotte opened her eyes. Seth reached his hands across the little table. She sat forward and took them.

"You're not going to lose me."

She started to sniffle.

"You told me once that you thought you'd never find a man who could live up to your image of your father."

"You've done pretty good, babes."

"Thanks, but all I have done since we left home is think about this. And I thought, what does your father do when there's a problem?"

"He fixes it. Somehow, he always fixes it."

"He fixes it by listening to his heart. So if I'm worthy to be his daughter's husband, I ought to be able to do that."

"And what does your heart tell you, Seth?"

"That it's going to take some work, and some time, and we are going to have to do it together. But I am committed. I hope you are too."

"I am Seth, I love you."

"Well, we can love each other with all our hearts and still be bored with each other. Or we can change that. And I have a plan."

"What's your plan?"

"First of all, we dump the kids."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think Alvy and Jasmin really like traveling around with us old folks? I don't."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am. So, tomorrow, we drive to Bangor, and rent a car for the two of them, give them enough cash to get by, and let them go off on their own."