The Cougar of Cannon County

When I look back at that time of my life, I'm always amazed at how much things have changed but also at how some things are the same. True, we didn't have social media to spread new words for things in less time that it takes me to type this on my laptop, so some of the words of today didn't exist back then. What today's words mean was just as alive back then as it is today though. People just usually didn't talk as openly about those things as they do today. If I had known then what I know now...

I got involved in Scouting as a Cub Scout in grade school and loved every second of it. I ate up all the projects and earned every rank as soon as I could. After that came Boy Scouts, and I loved that too. I suppose it was every Scout's fantasy back then to be a rugged outdoorsman and live off the land because that's what we spent a lot of time trying to do.

The Cannon County State Park is where my Scout troop went camping every month. It was a little wilder back then, or at least that's how I remember it. We could hike for a couple miles back into the trees to our favorite campsite and set up our tents for the weekend, and we wouldn't see anybody else for the entire time.

Our campsite was beside a small river that ran through the park. That river wasn't very big as rivers go, but it had bream, catfish, and bass you could catch with the crawdads and minnows Mr. Reynolds seined for us. We spent our summer camping trips fishing and learning about nature. We spent our winter camping trips tracking animals if there was snow and trying to stay warm.

All that changed when I turned eighteen that spring and graduated from high school. That meant I put away my Scout uniform and stopped going to the weekly meetings. Part of the reason was I was a man now and Boy Scouts were sort of kid stuff. The other reason was I got a job working the eleven to seven shift in a factory.

I didn't miss the Scout meetings but I did miss the camping trips the troop took every month. I had other things to do though, so I worked all that first summer to save enough for the down payment on a used car. It was October when I rented my first apartment and moved out of Mom and Dad's house. It felt good to be on my own. I didn't think much about camping during the winter. Somehow, sleeping in a tent and freezing my ass off didn't hold the same thrill as it had a year before.

That old attraction of the outdoors came back as soon as the leaves started growing back on the trees that spring. Tennessee had it's usual spring, which meant lots of rain, but that rain made everything explode into canopies of green and the road shoulders started sprouting a myriad other colors as the wildflowers woke up from their winter nap.

I was driving to work through all that one afternoon and decided I wanted to be outside in those colors and breathing the slightly fishy smell of the air beside a river again. There was nothing to stop me. I'd have to go by myself, but in some ways that was better. The next weekend I stopped by the Army surplus store in town and bought a pup tent.

The first weekend in June promised to be sunny and not too hot. I stopped by Mom and Dad's house before I went to work on Friday to pick up my old sleeping bag and other camping gear, then bought some groceries that didn't need refrigeration.

I didn't go back to that old Scout campsite. It was sort of too high school I guess. Instead, I called the farmer who owns the land along the river next to the park. I'd been there before when Mr. Reynolds had taken us on a hike to find edible plants, and I'd worked tobacco and baled hay for the farmer a couple of summers during high school. The guy remembered me and said I could camp there any time I wanted as long as I cleaned up my trash. I parked my car on the lane that ran beside the trees, walked the hundred yards to the river and set up my pup tent, started a fire, and then went to catch a few crawdads for bait.

That weekend was fantastic. I caught a few fish, watched the ducks swim in the river, and let the croaking frogs sing me to sleep at night. In general, I just had a good time doing nothing. When I got back to my apartment, I'd decided I'd have to go back at least every other weekend unless I was working.

My job on the assembly line was putting two pieces of a valve together with three screws after Virginia, the woman up the line from my station had lubed and put an o-ring on the valve spool. Since her station was close to mine, Virginia and I talked on and off every day.

It was fun talking with Virginia for several reasons. One was that she had a real sense of humor and she didn't seem to have any modesty about what she said.

To put the o-ring on her part of the valve, she had to dip them in oil and then stretch them over the part. The o-rings were made of rubber and the grooves in the valve body where they went had sharp edges. To prevent the o-rings from being cut during the installation process, Virginia used a tool called a "bullet".

The bullet was a nylon cylinder with a rounded point on one end and a hole as big as the valve in the other. The hole in the bullet was just a little bigger than the valve bullet was just deep enough to stretch the o-ring enough to fit past the sharp edge of the groove in the valve. Then the o-ring would slide off the bullet and into the groove. The bullet did sort of look like a real bullet except it was a little over an inch in diameter, and where the end of the bullet would have a rim, that's where it was hollow. Virginia thought her bullet looked like something else.

I guess I'd led a pretty sheltered life up until then. My first day at work, Virginia grinned at me and introduced herself. The buzzer for the start of the shift went off then. and Virginia said, "Well off I go to play with my dildo again."

I must have looked at her funny, because she chuckled.

"What?"

"What's a dildo?"

I felt like a fool when she started laughing, but I'd never heard the term before. When she finally stopped, she held up her bullet.

"It's one of these. They call them bullets, but they look like dildos to me."

"What do you use them for?"

Virginia grinned again.

"You mean these or a regular dildo?"

"Well, both, I guess."

Virgina dipped an o-ring in the little cup of lube at her station and then slid it down over the rounded end of the bullet.

"See, this is what I use them for here. They stretch out the ring so it's easier to put on and doesn't get cut. The lube is so they slide on easier."

Virginia grinned even bigger then.

"A dildo does the same thing except you don't put a ring on it. You put it in something. I'll give you a couple hints about what you put it in. That something doesn't usually need to be lubed and the more it gets stretched, the better if feels."

Virginia stood there chuckling until I realized what she was talking about.

"Oh."

She giggled.

"You never heard of that before?"

"No, I guess not."

"Well, now you have. I wonder what else you've never heard about. I'll have to find out one of these days. Right now, Harold is watching us so we better get to work."

The other reason talking to Virginia was fun is what she wore to work. Most of the women tried to look nice and they could because the work was relatively clean. They wore pants and blouses or sweaters mostly, and while it was obvious they were women, none of their clothes fit tight enough to show much. Virginia was just as modest about how she dressed as she was about how she talked.

She always wore pants and blouses or sweaters too, but her pants fit her round ass pretty tight, and if the blouse had buttons, the top ones would be open almost down to her bra. I knew that because when she bent over to push the bullet down over the valve body, I'd see the top of her bra cup where the strap hooked on and some of her breast. Her sweaters were the same way if they had buttons. Even if they didn't they always fit her like a second skin. Virginia's breasts weren't as big as some, but they were big enough to make me dream about her at night.

I'd probably have tried to get to know her better if we'd been closer in age, but I figured Virginia for about fifty and I was still just eighteen. She didn't act or talk like fifty, so I was still tempted, but thought she'd probably just laugh at me again.

I also wondered if she was really into men. Virginia wasn't married, and she was pretty enough and sexy enough several men from other departments talked to her at breaks and lunch. She never seemed to do any more with them, or at least she never said anything to me about it if she did.

She also had her blonde hair cut short, and she was always telling me about how she thought Dixie or Madeline or Barbara looked really sexy for their age. After having her tell me about dildos and spending a couple weeks talking with her, I figured Virginia was probably a lesbian. That made her a lot more interesting because I didn't know any other lesbians, but it also put her on my "forget about it" list.

When I got back to work after that first camping trip, Virginia slid her valve body to my station and then asked if I'd had a good weekend. I told her about camping out and said it was great to do that again. She asked where I'd gone, and when I said out by the river, she smiled.

"I used to go out there once in a while when I was in high school. There was this little open place back in the trees, and it was a favorite place for us to go."

I said if she liked camping then, she should try it again like I did.

Virginia grinned.

"Well...we weren't really camping, but maybe I will try it one of these days. It'd probably be fun."

For some reason we never heard, we ended up working Saturdays and Sundays all through the rest of June. I liked the extra pay in my check every week, but all I was doing was working, eating and sleeping. By the Fourth of July, I was tired of screwing valves together every day of the week and hoping for a break. Thankfully, the holiday was on a Friday, so we got Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. On Thursday afternoon, I packed everything up and bought my camping groceries so all I had to do when I got off work at seven Friday morning was drive to my spot, hike in, and set up.

Virginia asked what I planned to do since we had three days off, and I told her I was going camping again. She shook her head.

"Won't it be too hot? Just driving home from work makes me so hot I feel like I'm gonna melt."

"Nah. My campsite is under a bunch of trees so it's in the shade until evening, and there's a river right beside it. There's no beach, but there are some big rocks that go down into the water so you can swim without getting all muddy getting in and getting out. If I get too hot, I'll just go for a swim."

"Won't you get all hot hiking there."

"No, not really. It's only about a hundred yards off a farm lane on Old Nashville Road just before it turns away from the river. I just drive my car until the lane ends and then walk the rest of the way. There is a little brush, but I cut a trail through that the last time I was there."

"I see. Well, you have fun."

Friday morning, I punched out, got in my car, and an hour later I was setting up my tent. Since I'd just gotten off work, a nap seemed to be in order so I crawled into my pup tent and stretched out.

I woke up thinking somebody else had found my campsite because I heard water splashing. I crawled out of my tent and got ready to tell them to leave, but when I looked at the river, I saw Virginia sitting on one of the rocks and dangling her feet in the water. Beside her was a small gym bag and one of those little coolers.

She heard me walk up and turned.

"You were right, Jack, this does cool me off."

"Virginia, how did you find this place?"

"Well, you said where the lane was. I got there and drove down the lane until I saw your car. Then, I just followed your trail to the river until I got here."

She giggled.

"I did peek into your tent to make sure I had the right place. Then I took off my shoes and came down here. This is really nice."

Well, the place wasn't the only thing that was nice. Virginia had apparently decided it was too hot for long pants. She was wearing shorts. They weren't really short-shorts like some more daring girls wore back then, but they were short enough I was looking at some very sensuous thighs.

She'd changed her top too. Instead of the cotton blouse she'd worn to work, she had on what looked like a man's undershirt, the kind that used to be known as a "wife beater" because of that movie. I'd never seen a woman in one before. I don't think it was really a woman's shirt either because it was stretched out really tight around her breasts. I could see her bra straps beside the straps over her shoulders and where the arm holes were in the sides, a lot of her bra cups stuck out. She noticed me staring.

"You're staring at me Jack."

"Well...I...I just never saw you dressed like this before."

Virginia looked down at the ample cleavage she was showing, and then looked back up at me.

"Don't you like what I'm wearing?"

"No, it's not that. It's just... well, it's really different."

"Well...I brought some other clothes. If it bothers you that much, I'll just go change. Don't peek now."

Virginia picked up her gym bag and went into my tent and closed the flap. I saw the sides push out once in a while before she opened the flap again. When she came out, I was thinking what she'd changed into wasn't going to make me feel any more comfortable. It was going to make me a whole lot more uncomfortable.

She'd changed into a bikini swimsuit. Outside of one of my mother's magazines, I'd never seen a woman in one. It wasn't skimpy like the ones today, but it was still pretty bold for then. The bra pretty much covered all of Virginia's breasts though she had more cleavage showing than she had in the shirt. The bottoms came up over her belly button, but the legs were really short and I could see how her mound pushed out a little right where her thighs met.

I was already having a problem with my cock when she just stood there in front of my tent for a few seconds. When Virginia walked toward me, her hips swayed from side to side, and the bikini bottoms kept highlighting her mound. Her breasts were swaying from side to side too, and with each step, the soft mounds that showed above the bra part jiggled.

I couldn't stop looking at her and as a result...well, when you're eighteen, your cock seems to have a life all it's own. Mine was stiffening rapidly and since it was pointed down the leg of my jeans, it was starting to show. I was sure Virginia saw it because she was grinning. She didn't say anything though. She just stopped in front of me, turned slowly all the way around, and then grinned again.

"Well?"

I really didn't know what to say. I couldn't very well tell her she was so hot she was making my cock stiff as a poker, but I thought I should say something nice.

"It's uh...you look very nice."

Virginia stuck out he lower lip.

"Nice? I had to drive all the way to Knoxville to find this. I was hoping it was better than nice. If I see what I think I'm seeing, you think it is too."

"Well, yes, it's better than nice, but you're...well..."

"You're going to tell me I'm too old for you, aren't you?"

"Well, you are older than I am."

Virginia smiled.

"Yes, but I know a lot more than girls your age. That oughta count for something."

She smiled then.

"I think I'll just go down by the river again for a while. What are you cooking for dinnner? I brought some hot dogs and buns for me, but I brought enough for you to if you want. Oh, and I brought a bag of marshmallows too."

Thinking back, I probably should have just told Virginia to leave. She was driving me nuts. I was sure what she was doing was just having some fun. I didn't think it would be right to just send her on her way even though I'd have to get my cock rearranged somehow if she stayed.

"I was going to have a can of beans and some eggs, but hot dogs would be fine with me."

"Well great. Why don't you see if you can find us some wienie sticks."

I cut two small branches from a maple tree and after I rearranged my cock, brought them back to camp and then started a fire. By the time the sun was just at the edges of the trees, the fire was just coals and ready. I went to get Virginia.

She was lying on the rock on her back and she was asleep. I couldn't help but just stand there and look at her for a while. I mean, in that bikini, Virginia was almost naked, and I decided if she ever got all the way naked, she'd be way hotter. Her breasts looked so soft and touchable I had to stop myself from doing just that. I could just see the look on her face if she woke up with my hand inside her bra. She'd probably tell everybody at work that I tried to molest her.

Instead, I bent down and touched her shoulder hoping that would wake her up. It did, but not with the results I expected. I touched her bare shoulder and Virginia put her hand on my arm and murmured, "lower".

Well, I jerked my hand back just as she opened her eyes. She looked at me for a second, and then blushed all the way down to her bikini top.

"Sorry, Jack. I was having a dream and must have thought you were part of it. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You didn't scare me. I think the fire's ready if you are."

We roasted our wienies and ate them, then toasted some marshmallows. She hadn't said anything about leaving, and I was wondering about that. It was getting dark fast, but she kept on talking.

"It's so calm out here, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That's one of the reasons I like it out here. There's no noise except the frogs and when a fish splashes."

Virginia chuckled.

"I'd have to have a bathroom with a tub if I was going to stay here very long. What do you do when you have to...you know?"

"Well, I just walk out into the trees a ways and do it."

"So you sit on a log or what?"

"No, I stand up unless...well, then I sorta squat."

"Well, I need to pee. You wouldn't happen to have a flashlight with you, would you? Some toilet paper would be nice too."

Virginia came back a few minutes later and handed me the roll of toilet paper and my flashlight.

"Well, that was interesting. I had to completely take off my bottoms and the grass kept tickling me. You do it that way all the time?"

"If I was staying longer, I'd build a latrine with a seat, but usually, yes."

She chuckled.

"I hope I don't have to do that again for a while. It's a little scary out there too. I didn't realize how fast it got dark out here in the woods. I don't know if I can find my way back to my car or not."

"I don't think it would be a good idea to try. There's a couple of places where if you slip you'll fall in the river. I don't want to have to fish you out in the dark."

I saw her grin in the light of the fire.

"So, are you going to invite me into your tent or do I have to sleep out here."

I couldn't let her do that. I mean, after all, she was a woman.

"You can stay in the tent. I'll sleep out here."

Virginia yawned.

"I think I need to go to bed then. I took a short nap when I got home from work and another on that rock, but I'm about to fall asleep sitting here."

I'd brought two blankets with me instead of my sleeping bag because it wasn't cool enough for the bag. I got one of my blankets out of the tent, gave Virginia my flashlight, and went back to the fire. Virginia crawled into the tent and closed the flap. I heard her rustling around for a while, and then she shrieked.

"Jack, there's a spider in here. Come kill it."

I shook my head. Spiders are just something you live with when you camp out. They won't hurt you if you leave them alone. If it was a black widow, it might pose some danger, but even black widows would rather get away than bite you. I flipped off my blanket, walked over to the tent, and said I was coming in.