Putting The Past Where It Belongs

An entry in theSummer Lovin' Story Contest 2022.

Bernie Taupin; Elton John: "For unless they see the sky, but they can't and that is why, they know not if it's dark outside or light."

= = = =

It's been a very tough couple of months for me. My name's Danny. The manufacturing company I work for closed, laying off over two hundred. My former company was one of the big contracts for the company my wife Darcy works for. As such, her hours have been cut back. Our pocketbook has taken a serious hit.

Our best friends are originally Darcy's friends from college. Darcy signed on with Acrid Solutions right out of college. Her best friend Ginger partied a little too much and it took her an extra year to graduate. Darcy recruited her to join Acrid. A few years later Trent joined Acrid. He attended the same college and they ran around in the same clique. A year after Trent joined Acrid he married Ginger. That was about eighteen months ago. Darcy and I married five years ago.

As a result of my company folding Trent, Ginger, and Darcy have reduced hours and I'm unemployed. Darcy has been very supportive as I search for a job. We've really cut back and are making do with my unemployment and her reduced paycheck.

The four of us had originally planned for a big vacation to California wine country but now our budget only allows for weekend getaways to the mountains. Trent had Friday off as did Darcy. Ginger was working the Thursday night shift so she would be joining us around noon on Friday. We'd done this two weeks ago and it was a lot of fun. I like to fish. Darcy likes to hike. Ginger does photography and Trent hunts birds and small animals.

Last trip the ladies didn't trust that Trent and I could provide enough food to survive the weekend, but they turned out to be wrong. There aren't any six packs or wine bottles in the wild, so we brought our own.

( * ) ( * )

Darcy and I arrived on Thursday evening. We awaited Trent's arrival by fooling around. I got a blow job and Darcy got off guiding my fingers to just the right spot. Trent showed an hour before dusk.

Once Trent arrived we took our first load down to the area we'd found two weeks ago. It's about a twenty minute climb from the parking area. Our coolers have big wheels so we use them as mules to transport most everything.

Once Trent and I had two tents erected we headed back to the cars to get everything else. We left Darcy alone with Trent's shotgun. That shotgun is kind of fancy. A Beretta A400 something or other. Trent says he got a great deal at some pawn shop. I know shit about guns so I stay quiet when he's gushing about them.

Trent and I share a lot of common pastimes so we spent our walking time catching up on our victories and losses. Loaded up with some small backpacks Trent and I hauled the rest of our crap down to the campsite. Darcy had a fire going and was frying some burgers and franks. The mosquito candles were barely adequate this time as there had been a few days of rain since our last visit.

Our campsite is remote enough that we rarely hear anyone passing nearby.

With no cell phone signal internet browsing wasn't viable. So, we passed my guitar around and took turns picking and grinning. None of the three of us are very good but it raised the moon. Dousing the fire, we called it a night around eleven.

For those of you who've never enjoyed camping in the mountains, it gets damn cold in the wee hours of the morning. Darcy and I snuggled until it became apparent that she wanted more. With her groans muffled I licked her to a mild orgasm. As wet as she was I entered easily and had no problem quietly getting my rocks off.

After getting a fire going in the morning, I shaved while the coffee pot percolated. Darcy, her hair pulled back into a pony tail, emerged when the smell of fresh coffee overcame her. She was wearing jeans and her favorite sweatshirt. Trent, always content to let others get things going in the morning, emerged shortly thereafter.

After downing a few energy drinks Trent grabbed his shotgun and headed to parts unknown to go bird hunting. After he was gone Darcy cupped my crotch and promised me a repeat of last night. I slipped my hand under her sweatshirt and tweaked her untethered nipples.

We'd agreed to meet back around noon to greet Ginger when she arrived. I headed off to the lake to go fishing. After finding a nice rock to sit on I cast my hook into the calm waters of the lake. A guy without any fishing gear approached. Turns out he was a game warden and wanted to see my fishing license. I didn't have one and fortunately I hadn't caught anything yet so he let me off with a warning. My day and possibly the whole weekend of fishing was abruptly halted.

It took about fifteen minutes for my world to crumble. As I approached our campsite, it was evident that Darcy was getting fucked in our tent.

She wasn't screaming but it was easy to hear her "Do it Trent! I'm on fire. Oh gawd I'm cumming. Fuck me! Fuck me Trent!"

"Oh gawd! I'm gonna cum" was grunted by Trent.

"Fill me up baby!" from my cheating wife.

My first thought was to kill both of them. It almost came true. I poked my head inside of Trent's tent and grabbed his shotgun. Chambering shells with my shaking hands was a lot harder than it should have been.

As I stood outside of my tent I heard Trent "I'll go grab a six pack. Be ready to suck me back to life for round two."

Backing away from my tent's entrance, I awaited the emergence of Trent. Before he made it to the cooler I hammered the back of his head with the butt of the shotgun. He was out cold before he hit the ground.

Now what? I stood silently staring down at someone who I thought was my friend. Pointing the gun at Trent I just couldn't pull the trigger. Fucking asshole deserved to die, but my trigger finger wouldn't budge.

My rage boiled over when I heard Darcy yell out "What's taking so long Trent. My tonsils needs tickled."

I fired both shotgun shells into the air. Darcy couldn't contain her scream when she peeked out and saw me with a shotgun and Trent laying prone on the ground.

"OH NO! ON NO! OH MY GAWD! WHAT HAVE I DONE? YOU KILLED HIM!"

Darcy froze kneeling in the opening to the tent. Her eyes flew open wide as I pointed the shotgun at her knees.

"So your throat needs tickled does it? Open wide or I'll blow your head off. You better not scream."

Darcy's mouth opened wide enough to stick a fist in.

"Do you think a shotgun blast would tickle your tonsils slut?"

Tears streamed down her terrified face.

I continued "Killing you wouldn't be nearly enough suffering. Now lay face down until I tell you to come out. If I hear one damn thing I'll do to you what I did to Trent. Nod yes if you understand. Not one fucking word, got it?"

It was more like fifty short and rapid nods in the affirmative before she rolled over and buried her head in the pillow. I grabbed her cell phone from the tent and then zipped the opening closed.

As I stood there looking at Trent's body, an appropriate course of action occurred to me. I yanked up the four corner anchors to his tent. Each was secured by a loop of rope about four feet long. I used my gutting knife to cut those off. Tying one of the ropes to Trent's left ankle, I trudged to the open field dragging his naked and unconscious ass across rocks and thorny bushes. After about two hundred paces I reached my target.

When we set up camp late yesterday we'd spotted and steered clear of a large fire ant hill. My only decision now was face up or face down? Sun burned buns lost out to roasted wiener and nuts.

One by one I pounded each of the tent stakes into the ground and secured an arm or a leg to each. Trent, looking like a naked letter X, was getting restless as the ants started trying to convince him to move. Damn little buggers had already nipped me a half dozen times. Shit! Those bites sting. I put a nice sized rock in Trent's mouth. He'd need a finger to dislodge it and his were an arm's length away covered with fire ants.

Before I finished staking him my ant bite count was well past a few dozen. Trent, now fully awake, turned his pleading eyes towards me as he twitched with each bite.

"Listen motherfucker. I should kill you but that's not nearly enough pain and suffering for you. Even if you have me arrested, there's no way in hell that I won't get out on bail. You turn me into the cops and I'll turn you into a smoldering pile of shit. They won't find your body. I thought we were friends but friends don't fuck other's wives."

I could hear his whimpers and yelps as I returned to the tents. Not wanting Darcy to call for help using Trent's cell phone, I grabbed it from his tent. I had to brush away ants that had infiltrated my pants and shirt.

Without opening my tent, I bitched at Darcy "Well slut, I hope it was worth it. Trust me. If cops get involved, I'll make sure your bodies are never found. You wanted hot as fire sex, now you get my revenge. Darcy, I'm not going to divorce you. I plan on draining our savings and checking accounts. I'm also going to cash in the CD we were going to use for remodeling the house. Since I'm not divorcing you, I can spend the money any way I want. Catch up with you later bitch. Ginger should be here soon enough. Good luck explaining things to her. Oh, by the way, I've got the shotgun pointing at the tent. Don't mess with the zipper or you might set it off."

"Danny! Don't leave me. I screwed up badly I know. Please don't leave me. I'm SORRY!"

Although tempted, I didn't respond. It is normally a twenty minute hike back out to the parking area. I made it in ten. Those damn ants were still biting me. I can't even imagine how Trent is feeling. Our cars were still the only ones there.

The shotgun was still in my possession and not pointed at the tent as I'd told Darcy. Placing Darcy and Trent's cell phones on the ground, I used the butt of the shotgun to reduce then into tiny scraps of junk. They would never again have service bars. Not wanting a littering fine, I scooped up the pieces and stuffed them into a fast food bag from the trash can. How I wished I'd grabbed a pocket full of shells. Trent's car would have taken the brunt of my rage. Instead, I used a few rocks to severely damage his windshield and then knocked out headlights, side mirrors, and tail lights. Taking the fast food sack and the shotgun I resisted the temptation to dump them into the 'Keep America Beautiful' park system's trash can.

At a scenic overpass I tossed the shotgun into a serene lake. When I stopped for gas, the phone remnants ended up in the dumpster.

( * ) ( * )

Arriving at the bank by noon I took inventory of our money. The CD was tied to our savings account and they were glad to charge an early termination fee. Next was converting most of the checking and savings into dozens of Visa gift cards. That drew down the bank balances. My pocket was bulging with the gift cards as I headed home to pack what I felt was worth making the journey with me.

Now what? I'm probably in deep shit for doing that to Trent. At least I didn't physically hurt Darcy but my heart hurts so bad that I have to escape. Leaving my phone on the kitchen table I headed to Walmart to buy a GPS blocker. That would prevent my car from leaving an electronic trail. A burner phone went into my shopping cart as well. Several six pack bottles of diet soda joined the bread, sliced meats, and fruit before hitting the checkout line. Might as well try to eat healthy while there's still meat on my bones.

The quickest way out state was heading south and I was quite relieved when I crossed into the adjoining state. After refueling, I used my new phone to send my parents an email informing them that I'd not only left Darcy but the state as well. To dispel rumors I disclosed Darcy's cheating. I assured them that I would touch base when I could.

I'm not going to sugar coat it. The first week was hell. Seven days and nights of my own little pity party. I'd reached Brownsville, the toenail of Texas, where you can walk across into Mexico. The border town of Matamoros greeted me with open arms. I'd parked my car in a long term parking garage in Brownsville and only taken a duffle bag and two thousand in Visa cards. The remaining thousands I left in an envelope stuffed inside the back seat of my car. If someone stripped my car while I was gone, they'd only be missing my custom pin number to use those cards. I wasn't worried as none of the other cars in the carpark were stripped. Then again maybe they tow away the stripped vehicles. Now I was a little concerned.

Taking tour busses, I made my way across Mexico enjoying the sights and the working women. Guilt dampened my first encounter with the friendly ladies, but not so much ever since. I haven't a clue what a hooker costs back home but they were quite reasonably priced here.

My money was stretching a lot farther down here than up in the states, but I was starting to long for life in the states.

If emails could cause your ears to burn, the ones sent by Darcy came close. Darcy very much wanted me to know that it was Ginger who called for an ambulance and I was lucky that she had. Trent was on life support for a few touch and go days. Apparently fire ants can kill you. I'd been bitten about thirty times and they hurt like hell for a few days. Trent had bites over ninety percent of his body. Poor baby. Net effect, I could be expected to be charged with attempted murder. What proof did they have that I did it? Circumstantial at best. Okay, maybe my finger prints were all over the tent stakes and the hammer but I could argue that was when I set up the tents.

My parent's emails were tempered. Disappointed in me with an understanding of the stress I'd been under and the shock of finding Darcy cheating. I guess parents always see the silver lining.

I calculated that I could probably live for at least a year if the Visa cards were still in my car in Brownsville. My passport might be flagged so rather than walk back across the bridge into Brownsville, I paid for a middle of the night canoe ride to a deserted beach. Sleeping on the beach wasn't as romantic as portrayed on television. I froze my ass off and donated generously to the mosquito population.

Once dawn arrived I made my way back to the parking structure. That walk took all morning as the beach I slept on was miles away from Brownsville. My untouched car awaited me. I drove west stopping at a Casino at Sunland Park just outside of El Paso but really in New Mexico. Grabbing a room for the night at nearby motel, the hot shower felt damn good. After mauling a delivered pizza I dozed off for a good twelve hours.

Watching the live horseracing at Sunland Park killed the afternoon. Getting a sensual massage at a nearby parlor left me drowsy so I spent another night near the casino before heading for the west coast.

( * ) ( * )

With no particular agenda I drove around southern California. They're a little out there at times. I was shopping at a Fry's grocery store. A cute young lady scanned my cart. I'd bought a gallon of milk in a plastic jug. A pound of ham wrapped in plastic. A loaf of bread in a plastic bag. A salad in a plastic container. Finally a bottle of mustard in a plastic squeeze bottle.

This little darling then tells me "Unless you have your own, we will sell you a paper bag. We no longer offer plastic bags because they are bad for the environment."

I chuckled to myself as I ponied up for a paper bag and put my plastic items into it.

I tried working a few day jobs but hard labor just wasn't doing it for me. Although I have to admit, it was better than wandering through antique malls and sitting around on the beach. Everything seemed overpriced so I tried Nevada for a few weeks as I pondered my future.

Reality was sinking in. I didn't like being 'on-the-run' and I missed my parents. Darcy not so much. An email from Darcy said she missed me and wondered if I was coming back. No apology or explanation. Reconcile? Why would I even consider that? I didn't reply.

After two months I pointed my car towards home. My temporary insanity would cause me grief, but after the storm clouds passed I'd have a life again. Two days later I pulled up to my parents' house. I wondered if Darcy had made the mortgage payments on our 'dream home'. Even though it used to be my home I had little desire to even drive by.

My parents leave their front door open when the weather is nice, and today was, so I walked in announcing my arrival.

"Danny! You're back!" from my mother.

"Hey mom. How ya doing?" as we embraced.

"Are you just passing through? Did anyone see you?"

"No, I'm tired of running. I need you and dad to put this envelope in a safe place for me. I converted all the money I could get my hands on into Visa gift cards before I disappeared. These are the remaining cards."

"Your father is out golfing. He'll be pleased. Have you been in touch with Darcy?"

"Um, NO! Why would I?"

"Well she is your wife. She calls about once a week to see if we've heard from you. Even after all that went down, she still loves you."

"That may well be, but even though I still have feelings for her, I can't and won't live with her again. What would be the point? For me it would be like sitting in a stalled car on railroad tracks. Just a matter of time before the next train wreck."

Mom looked sad and didn't speak for a while.

"Have you eaten? I could warm up some leftovers or maybe soup and a BLT."

"That would be great, whatever's easiest. Thank you."

"Why don't you take a shower? Smells like you've been on the road for a few days."

"I will because I have."

After showering, eating, and napping it was late afternoon and my dad had returned from the links.

"Hey pops, how'd ya shoot today?"

"Like a pop-bottle fireworks launcher. Never knew where the damn thing was going. Did win a skin on that par three lake hole. Skipped it across the water then chipped in for the only birdie on that hole today. Pretty cool huh?"

"It's a small box on the scorecard. They don't ask how, just how many. Next time you have an open slot mind if I join? I'll warn you now that I haven't played in a long time."

"So you're staying?"

"Yeah, until they come looking for me. I imagine they may hesitate offering bail as I just did a runner on them."

"But you came back. That should count for something."

"Maybe. I just don't know how much they want to make an example out of me."

( * ) ( * )

Not sure how Darcy found out I was back but she sent me an email warning that Trent had a score to settle with me. Hadn't thought about that. Guess he recovered from his encounter with nature's little red devils.

Dad and I golfed the next morning and when we returned the sheriff was waiting for me. The charge was aggravated assault. Bail was set at fifty thousand. My parents dipped into their savings and I was back at home by noon the following day. I would never cause my parents to lose their fifty grand so I was in this for the long haul. My attorney told me he thought they couldn't prove intent, under the circumstances, so attempted murder went away.

Mom greeted me with "Darcy called. She's coming over to talk with you."

"Lovely. Thanks for bailing me out."

It was about an hour later when Darcy pulled up. Rather than subject my parents to this discussion, I met Darcy's car before she could get out. She rolled her window down before shutting the car off.

"Hey" as I broke the ice. Darcy looked dejected.

"Hey yourself" was her subdued response.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, we need to decide some things. My guess is that we're through."