Requiem for a Rec Council President

Therefore, she didn't hesitate when he called and suggested a hike through Gunpowder State Park. It was late October, a time when the leaves were just past their peak. The hilly Gunpowder, crisscrossed by ancient streambeds, had lots of thick old trees, maple and oak, beach and pine. The park was ideal for hiking and getting better acquainted. Perfect for a first or second date if you enjoyed hiking and she did.

Brad had the kids for the weekend the Saturday they picked for their date. She lived in Riverside Forge, a post-World War Two row home community just blocks from Colby Middle School. The neighborhood was more upscale than the modest brick homes would indicate. Like Janine, many of the residents were college educated professionals. Colby Middle was a top-notch public school as was nearby Riverside High.

Janine was stuffing her backpack when she heard the doorbell. "Hi, come on in," she said, feeling a rush of excitement upon seeing Mark standing on her porch in jeans, flannel shirt and black, high-top cross-trainers. "Be ready in a sec." She returned to the kitchen to finish packing. Then, after tying the red laces of her dedicated hiking shoes, she joined Mark in the living room.

"A great day for hiking," Mark said when they walked outside.

Janine nodded. "Perfect. Beautiful weather in a beautiful season. You'd never know we were in the middle of a pandemic." Just then, a man and woman walked by wearing masks. "Well, except for that."

Moments later, they were headed to the Gunpowder in Mark's green Honda CRV. "This is my second CRV," Mark said, when Janine asked about the car. "The first one went two-hundred-thousand-miles before I traded it in."

"Toyotas and Hondas hold up well, I know," Janine said, "but I still miss that Mini Cooper I had. Hardly practical with two kids."

She sat back, shifting her eyes from the passing scenery to Mark's handsome profile, his nose and strong jawline covered with a day-old growth of whiskers. In his jeans and checked flannel, he was the image of a Western cattle rancher or lumberjack, she thought. Her mind drifted back to those spring socials, when she tried to imagine what his fine-tuned, athletic body looked and felt like beneath his clothes.

Mark turned to ask what she was thinking. "Just remembering those spring socials," she said, "conversing with you over wine during the schmooze hour." She felt it prudent to leave out the rest.

"Good times," he replied. "One of the perks of being a Riverside rec leader. The other perk, perhaps the best one of all, was having a key to the weight room."

She knew that he still had one, even though he was no longer a rec leader. "Mark, I didn't want to talk about the weight room today, but let me say this. I empathize with your frustration over having a key and not being able to use it based on the board's decision to keep the room closed during this pandemic."

He nodded while keeping his eyes on the road. "We'll have to agree to disagree about the weight room. Had Jeff not been caught, he, Dan and myself would still be training there. Look, I know you're doing it out of concern and not nastiness." He left out the fact that Dan still trained there in the wee hours of the morning. He also didn't voice his thoughts on perhaps joining Dan. He hadn't done that since Jeff got caught for two main reasons. One, he didn't like to train that early. And two, he didn't want to get on the bad side of Janine should he get caught also. He liked her and respected her position, even though he disagreed. He'd rather do it the "right" way; that is, persuade her that one size doesn't fit all, and that allowing three or four people to train there didn't pose a health risk.

Janine harbored thoughts of her own; namely, making an exception for Mark, so long as he was discreet about it. She knew it wasn't fair, yet she liked him enough to at least consider it. She also knew that it could land her in deep shit with the Riverside Rec board if they ever found out. No doubt, the stuffed shirts among them would make a motion to vote her out of office.

She tucked those thoughts away when they pulled into the parking area and then began hiking. Late October was her favorite time of year. When things were good in her marriage, she and Brad would also hike the Gunpowder at around this time. Since her divorce, she had hoped to meet a guy who shared her passion. Perhaps she shouldn't count her chickens before they hatched, as the cliché went, but maybe she had found that guy in Mark Melbourne. She was beginning to feel the endorphin high that comes with exercise. It infused the high that she already felt from being with Mark.

Over an hour into their hike, she suggested they take a lunch break, and Mark led her over to an outcropping where they could sit and eat. It was a few yards from the trail where they could see other hikers, some wearing masks, others not. They pulled out their sandwiches and water bottles from their backpacks. Then Janine said, "If we encounter the big bad wolf, I'm counting on you to protect me."

"You can count on me, Little Red Riding Hood," he said, then took a bite out of his peanut butter sandwich on toasted whole wheat.

Janine believed it, too—Mark had always impressed her as the protective type, as someone who would take care of business if he had to. "Suppose we ran into a

PACK of wolves?" she asked playfully.

"No problem with that either, I came prepared." He lifted his shirttail to reveal a .45 semi-automatic pistol holstered on his hip. "I mean, you never know."

Raising her thin eyebrows, Janine stopped short of taking a bite out of her tuna salad sandwich. "Do you have a carry permit for that thing?"

"I do. I had to jump through hoops to get one, but yeah. So, no need to worry about a pack of big bad wolves." He caught her look of uncertainty. "Are you afraid of guns?"

"No, it's just that I've never been with someone who carried one." She took a swig from her water bottle. Then: "Well, with so much violence and anger around these days, I guess it makes sense to carry one."

"Absolutely, I mean, you never know when and where groups like Black Lives Matter will show up."

Was he being facetious or serious? She soon figured it was the former when she saw an impish grin break through his straight face. "I'm glad you're kidding."

He widened his grin. "Maybe."

She drew a guarded, slack-jawed stare, still not sure how to take it. Either way, she decided not to press the issue, for the last thing she wanted was to get into a political argument when she was out to have fun. Still, she couldn't resist just this one question. "Not that it matters to me, I'm just curious. Are you a Trump supporter?"

He chuckled. "From the way you asked that, I can tell that you're definitely not."

"Okay, so what about you?"

"No, I'm not a Trump supporter. But I'm not crazy about the alternative either. I'll probably vote a write-in, though for whom, I haven't yet decided. Maybe the Easter Bunny."

She didn't laugh. "A vote for the Easter Bunny is a vote for Trump."

He looked away for a few moments. Then: "I think that you take politics a lot more seriously than me."

"Maybe. Does that bother you?"

"No, so long as it doesn't bother you that I'm a confirmed cynic when it comes to politics and politicians."

"Healthy cynicism can be a good thing. Anyway, I've never let politics come between a friendship."

"That's nice to know. Which begs the question, do you now consider me a friend? I mean, before all this, we saw each other a few times a year. We never really socialized except at those socials, but that included everyone else in the rec council."

"I consider you..." She drew a shy smile, wondering if she should tell him the answer that popped into her head. An honest answer. Maybe too honest. Oh, what the hell. "I consider you a...prospect." Still grinning, she dropped her head. Then she looked up and said, "Okay, a friend and a prospect."

He laughed along as he grabbed a napkin and wiped crumbs from his mouth.

Then: "I guess I should ask what sort of prospect you mean."

"Except I think you know."

"I do. A prospect for the next president of the Riverside Rec Council." He watched as she held her stomach and laughed. She laughed harder as he threw out more lines: "Maybe I'll ascend to that lofty post in a coup d' etat...I'll have the weight room open twenty-four hours a day...invite all my friends...including Jeff...he'll never see the need to call you again."

"You're a funny guy, Mark. I know, funny how?" she asked, thinking she'd quote that classic line from Goodfellas before he did.

"Well, you know what they say? A couple that laughs together, stays together. Of course, we're not yet a couple, but I see potential here."

"I do as well. But we haven't even kissed yet."

He stood up and put his arms out. "Well then, we need to remedy that right away."

She met him halfway between the two boulders each of them had been sitting on. Then he said, "We've known each other for years, yet this is the first time we've ever touched, much less kissed."

"Yes, I know." She gripped her hands around his arms. "Nice biceps."

"Thanks." He brushed his fingers over her face. "Nice skin. Now let's see what your lips feel like." Slowly, almost cautiously, he moved in and pressed his lips against hers.

She responded in the same way, tentative, as if she wasn't sure she should be doing this. She certainly didn't expect it, not on a hike in the woods. But no complaints, because the more they got into it, the more she liked it. She liked the way he held her, liked the way he felt, his lips and the contours of his body, or what she could feel of it over his clothes. "That was nice, quite nice," she said. "I'm looking forward to more."

She got more when they hiked back and then climbed into Mark's CRV. "I had a wonderful time," Janine said. She leaned over the center console for what she expected to be an end of date kiss. In fact, it was a long smooch that became even longer when Mark suggested they continue on the back seat where they'd be less compromised. "Boy, I haven't done this since high school," she said.

"And then it was at night, I bet. Parked on some lover's lane."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Yes. Now kiss me again."

He did, and not just on the lips. He kissed her neck and licked her earlobe. When she laid down, he slid his tongue over her stomach, unsnapped her bra and licked her nipples. He dry-umped her to the point where he got her panties soaking wet. He got her so hot that had they been in his place or hers, she had little doubt where it would all lead. First date or no first date.

Which is why, when they returned to her house, she invited him up to her bedroom. She wasn't in high school anymore, she was a mom in her forties, now horny as all get out, and with a guy she liked, a guy she sensed she'd be seeing a lot more of.

"I hope you'll excuse the way this looks," she said, referring to the queen-sized bed, half-made with a yellow print bedspread piled in a heap with the blankets and sheets. "When I'm in a hurry, making my bed gets low priority."

"It wouldn't pass bootcamp inspection, but I'll excuse it," he joked.

She kicked off her hiking shoes, then sat on the edge of the bed, watching him peruse the volumes of old encyclopedias tucked into the oak bookshelf that stood on an opposite wall. "Those belonged to my grandfather," she said. "They're a family heirloom. Published in the nineteen-forties, I believe."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure, help yourself." Only don't take too long, I'm burning up inside, she thought.

He took one out and flipped through the pages. "Interesting. I guess the internet spelled the doom of stuff like this."

She nodded in agreement. "I just hope my kids will appreciate that sort of history when they're older."

He placed the book back, then sat beside her. "Janine, this is kind of surreal, being up in your bedroom like this." He placed his hand on her thigh.

She placed her hand over his. "The last place I ever expected to see you. But I must confess, it is something that crossed my mind. Surprised?"

"Kind of. I mean, you never gave me a clue, not even a subtle hint."

"Speaking of subtle hints—or, in this case, not so subtle hints—how 'bout we get naked."

He reached for the buttons on her vest. "I hope you don't mind, but in these kinds of situations, I'm used to undressing my intended. If that's okay with you."

Cute, she thought. "Okay, though I feel I should be wearing something sexy. I mean, hiking clothes aren't the most seductive of outfits."

"It's the lady, not the clothes," he countered, and then began to undo the buttons. Once he had that off, he did the same with her shirt, then began kissing her upper chest. He knew she wasn't what you'd call well-endowed. No matter, he liked the way she smelled, a touch of Patchouli mixed with the subtle sweetness of smooth, feminine skin. He paused to reach behind to unsnap her bra, then began to tongue her nipples.

She let him do this for a few moments. Then: "That feels, great, Mark, but let's have some quid pro quo here. Off with your shirt, guy." She helped him sling off his flannel shirt and dark blue undershirt. "That's better," she said, staring at his middle-age abdominals which looked like the abs of a much younger man. "You must tell me your ab routine."

He looked down at her waist, small and taught, even after two kids. "Sure you need it? You look in beautiful shape."

"At least my legs are," she said, and then proceeded to kick out of her pants.

They were firm and shapely—it was obvious that she kept up with her exercise.

"You're not lying," he said, running his hands and down her thighs and calves.

She watched as he gave her this impromptu leg massage. "Brad got out of shape. That was a point of contention between us because it did bother me, as superficial as that sounds. Of course, there were other issues." She didn't have much interest in talking about those other issues. She did have plenty of interest in getting it on with Mark Melbourne. "Mark, I think it's time you peel off the rest of your clothes and join me. I've got the proclivity for some post-hike activity. Oh, and be careful with that gun."

"The gun on my hip, you mean."

His corny joke drew a sour smile. "Right, that one."

She was actually understating her need to get intimate with Mark—not a good idea to sound desperate. Her actions gave her away when he joined her, naked except for his digital sports watch. She got on top, pressing her lips and body against his. She lay close enough for him to perform oral on her nipples, while she rocked back and forth on his organ, rising quickly for the occasion. Longish foreplay had its place but not at this moment, not when she ached with such desire. She was ready and, from what she felt, so was he. She let out a whispered gasp when she slipped him inside her. Breathing heavily though her open mouth, she pile-drove her loins into his with the sort of wanton abandon that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Mark was seeing a very different side of Janine than he'd been used to. This seemingly straitlaced, conservative, somewhat nerdy looking teacher/rec president/divorced soccer mom had stepped outside her normal persona and become someone he might see on XNXX. She sure didn't look like your average porn star. In fact, she was the antithesis of those tit-heavy, long-legged, big blond-haired starlets that had compelled millions of men to spill their seed into the ether. But if she didn't have the looks, at this moment, she certainly had the va-voom. He found the incongruity between Janine's conservative image and what she was doing now incredibly erotic. All the women he had slept with took longer to climax than she; Janine came within minutes into it. With her, he didn't have to hold out—his climax followed closely on the heels of hers. Janine in the throes of orgasm was a sight to see and hear—eyes closed, head thrown back, voicing her pleasure in loud and piercing cries of joy. Then she collapsed on top of him.

"Sorry, Janine, I'm sorry you didn't like it," he said after things calmed down.

He was teasing, of course, and she knew it. "Right, terrible sex," she said. She was lying on her side, rubbing his chest. "So terrible that I insist you stay for another round before going home. Pardon the pun, but are you up for more?"

He turned on his side and faced her. "I will be." He brushed strands of her hair away from her eyes, then leaned in and kissed her. "You're quite the lover."

"Thanks, so are you."

Mark made good on that second round, a slower paced affair than the first, replete with more kissing and foreplay. Janine was happy to lay back, spread her pretty legs and let Mark take top. Afterward, she found it endearing the way he cuddled and napped next to her before he left. She saw him as a prospect indeed. She also thought he might deserve special consideration when it came to the weight room. She had to concede, to herself if no one else, that he'd probably be safe working out alone, or even with one or two other people, though she wasn't inclined to grant anyone else permission, even though she knew it was big enough to where three people or even a few more could stay at least six feet apart. After all, it had been big enough to hold two temporary classrooms during the school renovation.

Janine considered giving Mark the okay, even as the virus resurged with a vengeance.

By early November, cases, hospitalizations and deaths had soared. She and Mark confined their dates to outdoor activities (hiking and cycling); that is, when they weren't humping away at his place or hers.

Mark could sense that Janine was softening on her position. Sure enough, on the weekend following Super Tuesday, while Janine was over Mark's place, she agreed to let him train in the weight room. She even revealed that she thought about joining him for a few "free-weight workouts." When he asked about the other two key holders, Jeff and Dan, she said this: "Absolutely not. Just you. Let's keep this as simple as we can, at least until the weight room opens officially. And please be discreet. Don't wander in there during Dave Baker's office hours, ten to three. Knowing him, he'd do what he threatened to do, take your key away. I could tell him to let you work out, but then he'd want to know why I'm making an exception in your case, and I really don't feel like explaining."

"Just tell him that I'm giving you the best sex you've had in years, and therefore I deserve it. Simple as that." Mark began to plant soft kisses on her naked, sweating body.

Janine propped her head up on her elbow. "You know, if Dave kept it to himself, I just might say something like that. But he'd tattle on me to those stuffed shirts on the board."

"So? You've been president of Riverside Rec for over six years. Time to step down, maybe?"

"I'm not ready to. But even if I was, I wouldn't want to be forced out because of what they'd consider scandalous." She swiped her fingers over her wet pussy, then reached down and wrapped a hand around Mark's budding erection. "And speaking of scandalous, it would be scandalous if you didn't make love to me again before I leave. I mean, I can see that you're up for it."

*****

Mark didn't say a word to Jeff or Dan. Jeff, he knew, had given in to wearing a mask at La Fitness. He assumed that Dan was still sneaking into the Riverside weight room at the crack of dawn. That meant he'd confine his training to the late afternoon. Janine had assured him that Dave rarely worked late. "Catching Jeff that time had been a fluke," she said.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving at just past five, she met Mark at the weight room for a workout. Mark wore his Large-sized, blue, Riverside Barbell Club T-shirt over his knee-covering shorts, while Janine had on her long black spandex pants and low-cut, white sleeveless top. "It's been a while since I've been in here," she said, looking around at all the equipment.