The Sammie Effect Pt. 01

By the third week I was even more comfortable. It felt like people were used to me and I was confident no one recognized me. It wasn't that I needed to hide from some past misdeeds. If that were the case, I wouldn't have come back. I came back because I'd just been wanting to visit for a few years. The place, not the people. I just really got uncomfortable being around people. Except for one apparently. I smiled at the thought.

It was at the end of June she surprised me.

"So how long ago did you move away?"

I almost choked on my soda but tried to act nonchalantly.

"Move away from home? I guess about..."

"No. Here. You're from here. I know it."

"Oh, you do now, do you?"

I said it with a smile, but I knew it was a weak attempt to cover up.

"Yup. You know the area too well to be a visitor. You know local names for places, not just the ones on the maps. You know the inland route back to the city. And when I mentioned the parties we used to have at the old gravel pit, you asked me if it was the one out back of the old, abandoned Jalbert farm."

"I did?"

I asked the simple question in a low voice. She just put her chin up proudly and nodded.

"Sammie. Please don't..."

"I won't tell anyone. I promise."

I exhaled strongly; unaware I had been holding my breath. Busted! I said she was sharp!

"But I want to know...how come nobody knows you?"

I sighed and looked at her for a while. If I thought she might get uncomfortable under my gaze, I was wrong. She just waited. It was the longest I'd seen her go without talking. It was so quiet the cook poked his head out of the kitchen. It went right back in when he saw everything was all right. Must be the quietest the place had been since she started.

I leaned forward, elbows on the table. Finally, I spoke.

"OK. You got me. I tell you what, we can both learn more about each other. But I'm going to hold you to your word."

She smiled and rapidly nodded her head. So, I took a breath and began my story.

"As you've probably guessed, it's not just my hair that helps hide who I am..."

Off I went to college, and back I came with my tail between my legs. I had a good time...too good a time. I realized quickly that I had no study skills. High school had always been easy for me, so I just didn't have to try that hard. That wasn't the case there.

Oh, I could have asked for help, but instead I turned to partying. Soon, I was skipping more classes than I was attending and doing a poor job of hiding things from my parents. I came clean during Christmas break, and they agreed I should go back for the second semester and give it my all. I did. At partying.

I came back in late spring. My parents were gone, but I had known they were moving. I'll say one thing, they'd always been clear with me. They would help pay for school, but if I screwed up, I would be on my own. Well, I screwed up. I was disappointed in myself and not at all upset with them.

I had already contacted an old buddy and slept on his couch while I worked on finding a job and a place to live. The look for both was short. He got me an entry level job in a warehouse and his roommate announced he was getting married and moving out in a month. So, I stayed on the couch until the bedroom freed up and then moved into that.

The next few years were not good for me, though it took a long time for me to admit it to myself. I gained weight, a lot of it. We partied constantly, living paycheck to paycheck. There were actually times where we had to choose between buying beer and food and we always chose the beer. People streamed in and out because of the parties. Increasingly, they were people I didn't know.

I couldn't seem to get any girls to look at me and I knew it was because of my weight and low self-esteem. Add in the fact that my buddy was charismatic, and the girls were all over him. I couldn't even seem to attract the attention of his throw-aways.

To his credit, he did try to hook me up at parties. But most of the time, they'd wander away after a few minutes and try to find someone they were attracted to. I took mercy on the ones that were too nice to be that blunt and let them off the hook.

After a couple of years, I started realizing I wasn't happy. Work was dead end. To top it off, my foreman would come to me anytime there was an issue he couldn't figure out. I'd solve it and he'd get the credit...not to mention the bigger paycheck. I think the only reason I kept helping him was because it was at least a minor challenge. My normal job was mind-numbingly boring.

To add to the decline in my social life, my roomie finally latched on to one woman and started to get serious. She was at our place as much as we were. The parties started to decline in frequency and size and soon I was relegated to the role of third wheel, or fifth wheel depending on how many couples were doing something together.

People I had gone to school with grew up. I didn't. They started looking at me with either pity or disgust at my size and actions. Eventually they didn't look at all. For some reason, that was even worse. I had been the guy that had it all, the great girlfriend and bright future. But I had thrown it away.

I think if there was one thing I could be thankful for was that I never tried drugs. How's that for an accomplishment? I didn't do drugs!

I realize now that my experiences had caused me to lose all of my self-confidence. I was afraid to try anything challenging, convinced I'd screw it up. I also began to withdraw into myself. I talked less and started declining the rare invitations I got to socialize. No one asked me twice or tried to change my mind.

I'd even taken to ignoring calls from my increasingly concerned parents. I did keep in contact with my little brother, we'd always gotten along. I didn't tell him much though.

One day, I heard my roomie talking to his girl about marriage and finding a house. It suddenly hit me that I had to do something...anything other than stay in the state I was. It was hard, and I was constantly doubting myself, but I started by losing weight.

It wasn't easy, but after six months I'd lost quite a bit. Unfortunately, I didn't regain my self-respect. I thought about the military but was convinced I couldn't hack it. I remembered one of my friend's fathers talking about going out with the Merchant Marine when times got lean. Long story short, I looked into it and, after going through the process, joined.

"I left, and until this trip, never looked back."

"Wow! So, what..."

The bells at the door jingled and a couple walked in.

"You've got customers, and I don't need to get you fired. Save up your questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. See you tomorrow."

That afternoon, I got my first work request since arriving here. They need me to troubleshoot an issue. I can't do it remotely due to their firewall policies. It means going on location. I thought about it and decided to do it. I didn't want to start this new phase of my life by declining requests.

Then I had a thought. I need to tell Sammie. This is new for me. Normally I don't have anyone to answer to. I guess I technically still didn't, but realized I now considered her a friend and wouldn't want her to worry. And like I'd already realized; she was also my therapist! I decided to stop in and tell her on my way to the airport tomorrow.

When I walked in, she wasn't there. They agreed to hand her the note I'd written but I stayed and had a cup of coffee hoping she might see my bike out front. After a half hour, I got up and left.

My customer took care of all the arrangements. All I had to do was show up at the airport with my bag. It made me realize that having a car would have been more convenient. I ended up using a backpack, which was okay for a short trip, but I'm not thrilled with leaving my bike in the parking lot.

"Pops! You're back!"

I grinned at her as she beamed at me. It was good to be back. I was only gone for six days, but honestly, I'd missed her. I took my usual corner seat and she set down my glass of soda before I managed to scoot my chair in. She immediately pulled out a chair and sat.

"Where'd you go? What's in the bag? Is it for me?"

Laughing, I handed her the bag.

"Yes. It's for you."

I watched her as she opened it up, reached in and pulled out a colorful leather purse. Her eyes went wide as she turned it over, looking at the designs.

"It's beautiful! Thank you! But you didn't have to get me anything!"

"I know. But I felt I owed you for keeping me company and putting up with me almost every day. Look in the bag."

She opened it up and pulled out a little box. She gasped when she opened it.

"Earrings! OMG they're so nice! And it's my birthstone!"

She immediately put them in and asked how they looked. I assured her they looked very nice. It was the truth. But then again, they'd better. The diamonds were real. I didn't tell her that though. I hadn't even considered she may be an April baby but was glad it made her happy. She got up, came around the table, leaned over and gave me a warm hug and whispered another thank you.

I was glad there was no awkwardness. One thing I should make clear; I wasn't attracted to her in that way. I like women my own age. And her reaction had just confirmed what I suspected; she wasn't attracted to me that way either. We were friends. And that felt pretty damn special to me.

"So where were you?"

"South Africa."

"WHAT!? Really?"

"Yes."

"Was it for work?"

"It was."

"I thought you were a systems analyst."

"I am."

"What were you doing there?"

"Analyzing systems."

I answered with a straight face, and without missing the cadence.

"Jerk!"

She smiled and punched me in the arm as she said it.

"Well. I was." I said simply as I rubbed my arm.

"Wow. That's so cool. I've never been out of the state. Jeez, I haven't really been out of town that much. So, can you explain a little more about your job?"

"Sure."

The Merchant Marine was demanding work. I started as an Ordinary Seaman, also known as a deckhand, and got a lot of on-the-job training. The career field was broad. We maintained and operated the ship and its deck equipment. Well, everything except the engines. I worked hard and in less than a year I was promoted to Able Seaman. As an added bonus I lost more weight and developed a good amount of lean muscle.

I was lucky enough to be on a newer cargo ship and we had a specialized crane for loading and unloading cargo containers. For some reason it fascinated me, and I worked with it every chance I got. We were pretty much just going between the east coast of the US and Europe.

Our ship was large, but I saw some positively huge ones in port. Those were serviced by gigantic, quay cranes. I worked with what I had though and got pretty proficient. One day, something was glitching and they couldn't get it to work. In my spare time, I'd studied the software that ran it and figured out the issue pretty quickly.

To me it was fun, but to the Captain, it turned out to be a big deal. I had saved him and the company a lot of time and money. I was assigned to the crane every time I was on duty and actually got calls from other ships in our fleet, trying to walk them through minor issues. I was content.

Then I found myself the beneficiary of a random chance. We'd put into a smaller dock in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. They had a large, ship-to-shore crane that was going to unload the front half of the containers while ours did the rest. Theirs broke down with a container dangling in midair.

One of our men was on the dock and mentioned I may be able to help. I was brought ashore, and they led me up to the operator's booth, high above the docks. I was in heaven. As much as I wanted to take it all in, I started to try and figure out the problem. It ended up being a small thing, but they acted like I'd parted the seas when the crane began to move again.

I didn't realize it at the time, but that was when my life changed. I'd seen a tall, gray-haired man in a suit talking to someone when I came down out of the crane to head back to my ship. He was the owner of VTI, one of the largest shipping companies in the world. Someone told him what I'd done.

Ultimately, they contacted me and asked me a ton of questions. I must have answered right, because they offered me not just a job, but an education. It was a lot more money than I was expecting, and the benefits were great. On top of that, I'd see the world, and be treated like an executive. I of course accepted. I was twenty-five years old.

Within three years, I was their number one for all things related to their crane systems and software. I did ship and shore based. VTI was under contract to run many container ports across the globe, and I think I'd seen them all at least once within five years. In six, I had my master's degree. The pay and benefits grew rapidly. It was a great company to work for.

"Wow! That's pretty cool. Are you still with them? Is that why you had to leave last week? Can't you do any of it remotely?"

As usual, she blurted out more than one question. Her last one was astute. I smiled as I answered.

"No. I'm not with them. There is no VTI anymore. The owner retired and sold the company off to competitors. One of the competitors bought up the rights to the container loading and unloading systems and even though I was ready to retire, they convinced me to stay on as a consultant. And I actually can do quite a bit of the work from my laptop. But some companies and countries have different rules about security. So sometimes I will still have to travel."

"Well, what about..."

"Hey! My turn!"

She actually blushed and looked a little embarrassed. But she nodded in acceptance.

What I hadn't told her was that due to my solitary lifestyle, which included high pay and hardly any chance to spend it, I had invested heavily in stock options and had a great financial advisor. Once the company was split up and sold, I cashed out. I was very wealthy now, worth millions. More than I knew what to do with.

So, I asked her about her life. I already knew bits and pieces. In between serving customers she filled in some blanks. Her father left when Sammie was nine months old. Seems her mother was cheating on him despite being married less than a year.

That turned out to be a trend. Each time she got caught, she'd move in with the latest lover. Each time it was a trade down as eventually her reputation preceded her and the only men that would have anything to do with her were looking for a piece of ass. Somewhere in there they moved here.

Although none of the men were ever abusive in any way to Sammie, most didn't want much to do with her. The last one, John, was nice to her, but other than being friendly, didn't interact with her too much. He'd still say hi or wave if he saw her around town.

After her mother cheated on him, she left with yet another man, this time out of state. Luckily, one of Sammie's friend's moms took pity on her and let her stay with them until she finished school and found a place of her own. She had been one month away from graduating. Her mother didn't show up for the ceremony.

She'd been on her own for over two years now and hadn't seen or had any contact with her mother. Then, as she turned to the coffee maker on the back wall behind the counter, she said something I didn't see coming.

"You're from around here, Pops. Maybe you heard of her; Jill Bevins. Oh wait. Her maiden name was Prescott."

It's a good thing she was facing away from me. I'm sure she'd have seen my surprised expression. Wow, did that bring back memories. Again, something was tickling my mind.

"You OK Pops? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She was standing right next to me. I'd been lost in thought and hadn't even noticed her come over.

"Just jet lagged. A good night's sleep and I'll be fine. Speaking of that, look at the time!"

"Yeah, my shift is almost over. I'll be here tomorrow though."

I nodded and told her I was heading home and that, as usual, I'd see her the next day. She thanked me for the gifts one more time and I left. Soon I was back at my rental cottage, sitting on the deck enjoying the cooling sea breeze on what would have otherwise been a hot July evening. I took a sip of bourbon and thought back.

It was mid-July, and I would be leaving to start with the Merchant Marine in a couple of weeks. What was left of the gang that weren't married, decided to throw me a going away party. I think they meant well, but I think we would all be happy when we didn't have to go through the motions anymore.

Two of the guys, Jud and Timmy, shared an apartment and hosted the event. Besides me, they were the only two single guys left in our group. Both had been making a big deal that they were going to get me laid as part of the sendoff. I had lost a lot of the weight I'd gained in the last few years, but my self-esteem and confidence were still pretty low. Add to that the fact that I was nervous about my looming departure into the unknown, and I wasn't exactly in the mood.

Despite that, I eventually mellowed and tried to enjoy myself. Many people only popped in for a bit to wish me luck and say goodbye...mostly the couples. The guys had invited a bunch of single girls and made a big production of introducing me to the ones I didn't know. The girls weren't stupid and between seeing the male female ratio being against them, and seeing me looking distracted, most didn't stay long.

It was clear that Timmy was getting lucky. I saw two different girls go into his bedroom with him at different times. Jud had gone in with a girl and not come out. I sat on the couch, watching people and beginning to wish it would be over. At some point I'd lost track of who was where and believe it or not, fell asleep.

I woke up to a wonderful sensation, a hot wet mouth around my cock. I was receiving a blowjob, a nice one too. All I can say is thank God I'd had a few beers, otherwise I would have exploded. It had been a long time.

Although the lights in the living room were out, the light trickling in from the kitchen allowed me to see. I was sitting at one end of the couch, and she was sitting next to me, leaned over, head slowly bobbing. Whoever she was, she had brown hair, and from what I could tell, a nice rack.

My arms had been on the back of the couch, and I lowered my left and began to rub her tit through her shirt. She moaned, which translated to a wonderful vibration on my cock. She lifted her head and looked at me, smiling.

It was Jill Prescott.

We flirted once back in high school. My sophomore year she had heard about me breaking up with my girlfriend and showed up at my locker. She was a hottie, and even though she was a freshman, getting a lot of attention from guys regardless of age. Even though I was more confident then, it was still a little too soon for me. After a couple of conversations didn't get her the date she was hinting at, she had plenty of interested guys and turned her attention to the next one on her list.

She developed a reputation for being 'easy' and went through quite a few guys. In addition to being beautiful, she was smart, and I heard she'd gone off to college. I'd quite frankly forgotten about her until I saw her in town a few weeks ago. Someone said she had taken a job in a different part of the State after getting her degree and was home visiting family for the first time in years.