Traveler

Graduation was only a week away. What about his things? If his room wasn't cleared the college would probably toss his stuff out. She hadn't talked to his parents in a while. Maybe it was a good time.

Dawn held her breath in hopes Mrs. McCain would answer instead of Al's dad.

"Hello." Every time the phone rung, Darlene McCain prayed it was her son. She was disappointed but hopeful when she heard Dawn's voice.

"Hi, Mrs. McCain, how are you doing?"

"Dawn, have you heard anything?"

"No, I'm sorry, not a word." She could literally hear the hope escape the mother's soul. "I...I was wondering if you were going to come down and get the stuff from his room. I'm sure he'll want it when he comes back and I'm afraid the college will throw it out when they clean the dorms for next year."

"Oh...I...I hadn't even thought of it. Yes, we should go down there and get it for him. I'll have to talk to Ralph. When would we have to be there?"

"Well, the semester is over a week from Friday. My parents will be down that Saturday for graduation. I don't know how long before the college starts cleaning things out. You should probably call them."

"Yes, that's a good idea, I will."

Dawn could hear the woman starting to cry again. She couldn't imagine how hard it was going to be for them to pick up Al's stuff and take it home without him.

"Don't cry, Mrs. McCain, he'll be back, I know it."

"I pray you're right, Dawn."

She thought the same thing as she hung up.

On the last day of school she went into the police station again. She told everyone who would listen that she was going home and wanted to make sure they had her cell number and her home number in case they heard anything. She got the impression they were happy to see her go.

Commencement was bitter sweet. She had worked hard for her teaching degree but during the ceremony all she could think about were all the plans she and Al had made. They had decided to wait another year before getting married. They wanted some time to get jobs and put some money aside. They were going to wait a couple more years before having kids...three of them...two girls and boy...she had it all planned out.

After the service everyone went back to the changing rooms.

"Dawn—Dawn, please talk to me. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I thought I was doing you a favor, honest," implored Shannon.

The two former best friends had been seated only four spaces apart during the graduation ceremony. Shannon had been trying to catch her eye the whole time but Dawn completely ignored her. Now that Dawn was somewhat of a captive audience she was going to make another plea.

"Doing me a favor? Yeah, right; the money had nothing to do with it, right?"

"I admit I didn't turn it down but..."

"Shannon, you robbed me of my happiness and a future with the man I love. I told you before I don't ever want to see you or talk to you again. Now leave me alone," were her last words as she pushed by and headed out into the hall to find her family. She heard Shannon start to cry as she was leaving.

The following day Dawn was busy at her graduation party. The house was full of well-wishers consisting of family, friends, and neighbors. She tried to have a good time but as useless as she knew it was, Dawn found herself scanning the crowd in a hopeful daydream that her Al would surprise her. Of course it wasn't to be.

Her folks, of course, knew of the situation. She had confessed the whole thing once she learned the truth. They both expressed shock that Shannon would do such a thing. They also supported their daughter. They told her it wasn't her fault and they were confident that Al was just fine. Of course Dawn was never completely convinced of that. Even if he came back and told her to go to hell, it would be better than not knowing if he was alright.

She had already started her job search during her last few months in school. She sent out tons of résumés to local authorities and had several interviews lined up over the following month. It helped to keep her mind off Al and focused on starting her career.

Three weeks after coming home she was feeling pretty good about her chances for a second grade teacher's position that was opening. She was leaving the interview with a smile when she realized she was only a couple miles from Al's parents. She hadn't talked to his mother since that call the week before graduation and wondered if she'd be home. Hopefully his dad would be at work.

A smile stretched across Dawn's face when Mrs. McCain came to the door. "Hi, Dawn," she said with genuine appreciation, "it's so good to see you," she said and she hugged her. "Come on in."

As she stepped inside, Dawn lost her smile.

"Look, honey, it's Dawn."

Without even looking up from the newspaper he was reading, Ralph McCain acknowledged her presence with a grunt before taking a swig of his beer.

Darlene saw Dawn's smile disappear. "Ralph is working nights this month. He doesn't do it often but the night shift pays better so he works it whenever he can," she explained.

"We can sit in the Kitchen, Dawn. Would you like some coffee?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thank you."

As Darlene started to pour the coffee they both started to speak at the same time.

"I don't..."

Both women stopped talking and smile at each other. "I'm sorry. Go ahead, Dawn, what were you going to say?"

"I was just going to ask if you've heard anything?"

"Yeah, that's what I was going to ask you. No, I haven't heard a word." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I called the police down there yesterday but they said there was nothing new."

"Did you get down there to pick up Al's stuff?"

"No, Ralph wouldn't make the drive."

Now Dawn lowered her voice. "Why is he like that? Al thinks his dad hates him. Why is he such a hard-ass?"

"It's just the way he is," she sadly stated.

Dawn didn't stay long, about twenty minutes. It was nice to spend time with someone she knew, loved Al as well. Al told her he knew his mother loved him; it was just that she was scared of his dad so whenever Ralph would start in on him, she'd just back off and let it happen. He told Dawn it would have been nice if she'd taken his side just once and stood up for him, but he couldn't think of a single time when she did.

Two weeks later, Dawn got the call she was hoping for—she got the job as the second grade teacher at Jefferson grade school. It was the happiest she'd been in a very long time but she missed being able to share the good news with the man she loved. A week before school started, she had to go to teacher's orientation. There she met the other teachers she'd be working with. Bradley Stone was also a new teacher. He was about the same age as Dawn and had wavy black hair and blue eyes. As soon as he saw her he made it a point to introduce himself. She knew instantly that he was interested but her conscience still prevented her from socializing with the male population...not as long as there was still a chance that Al would come back to her.

***

Al, or Traveler, as everyone was now calling him, learned quickly. For the first few months he did nothing but clean fish below deck but eventually Jack let him start working the wench. It was a tough life, not to mention dangerous, but Traveler liked it. He was getting stronger and more confident within himself. He packed on twenty pounds of muscle and grew a beard.

Jack was becoming more of a father figure than a boss...the father he never had. After a full day's catch, they'd sit for hours in Joe's Galley and talk. He loved listening to Jack regale him with stories of the high seas and growing up in a small fishing village. At that time Jack's dad was the king of the fisherman, sometimes pulling in twice the catch of the other boats. "Ah, but that was a long time ago," he'd say with a downhearted demeanor.

In as much as Al had accepted his new life he couldn't keep his mind from sometimes drifting back to the girl he left behind in Illinois. Time, he thought, would eventually heal the wound in his heart-but that time was slow in coming.

Sometimes, after being out on the water for two or three days straight, he'd come home to his tiny apartment so beat he wouldn't even get undressed before flopping down on the bed. Thing was—that's when he'd close his eyes and see her face smiling down on him. The fatigue made him vulnerable to the loneliness and he'd remember how their love for one another filled every day with joy and a sense of purpose. His new life offered neither.

As the months passed the skies turned gray and the cold, damp air wrapped itself around the village proclaiming the imminent arrival of old man winter. Being from Chicago where life goes on twelve months a year, Al was shocked to see people boarding up their businesses.

Jack clued him in. "Things get pretty rough around here in the winter. Sometimes ice in the bay gets so thick we have to wait for the Coast Guard to break it up for us before we can go out. Some of the fish hibernate to warmer climates. That pretty much limits our catch to flounder and cod.

"This is a fishing village, Traveler. It thrives when the fishing is good and suffers when it's not. The fishing is never good in the winter so a lot of the businesses close up and head for warmer pastures. They'll be back along about mid-March."

When winter did hit, Al was embarrassed. The Midwest was known for its harsh winters but never in all his born days had he experience that kind of cold. It cut like a knife right through the warmest of coats and penetrated everything down to the bone.

One night he came home after two cold days and nights on the water. He was shivering so bad he couldn't stop. Coral, who was reorganizing some things in the gallery, heard him come in and knocked to see if he could give her a hand moving a couple of the bigger items into the back room. As soon as she saw him she forgot about the items. She had seen enough cases of hypothermia to recognize the symptoms.

"Get those clothes off and get into bed," she ordered. "I'll make you some hot chocolate."

Staring at her, he appeared to be frozen in place.

"Go!" she demanded.

Al's extremities were stiff and he was having a hard time of it. He had only managed to strip down to his waist and was sitting on the bed trying to get his shoes off when she came in with his hot chocolate. She handed it to him.

"Here, drink this," she ordered while kneeling at his feet. She gently removed his shoes and socks then moved upward, unzipped his pants and unbuckled his belt. "Lift up your butt," she commanded. He was wearing long underwear so he wasn't too worried until she started pulling them off too.

He was still shivering and couldn't talk without stuttering. "Ah, C...C...Coral, I d...d...don't have anything o...on under there."

"I'm not a virgin, Traveler. I don't think you have anything I haven't seen before," she said as she pulled his long-johns down to his ankles. "Sit down," she told him.

He sat down on the bed while she pulled the thermal underwear off and threw it in the corner. At least he was spared the embarrassment of getting an erection; he was too cold for that.

"Okay, get under the covers," she told him while pulling the covers up and over him. "I'll make you another cup of hot chocolate."

He still hadn't completely stopped quivering, even after the second cup.

"Move over," Coral said. She turned out the lights, stripped nude, and crawled in bed with him. Al had no idea what she was doing. He was too damn cold to have sex. "Turn and face the wall," she quietly told him. When he had his back to her she snuggled up and spooned him. "You need body heat," she said.

It was the first time in many months he'd felt the warmth of a soft feminine body. The pressure of her silky smooth breasts against his frozen flesh was like heaven. Within minutes they were both sound asleep.

It was light out the next time Al opened his eyes. The first thing he realized was that he was no longer shivering. That's when he remembered the night before. He quietly looked over his shoulder to see if she was still in bed with him and was disappointed to see he was all alone. He rolled over on his back with a sigh. That's when he smelled the coffee. He scooted over so he could sit on the mattress and peak around the corner.

"Well, good morning, sleepy head."

Coral was sitting at the kitchen counter sipping from her cup. "After last night, I wasn't about to wake you up at four in the morning so I let you sleep. Dad will just have to do without you today," she said.

Al looked over at his thermal underwear. They were in the corner and he'd have to cross by the doorway to get them, giving Coral an eyeful. Ah, his pants were right next to the bed. I guess I go commando for a little bit he thought. With the trousers as his only means of protecting his modesty, he wandered out and poured himself a cup of java.

"I don't think your dad went anywhere without me today. We had engine trouble yesterday. We barely got her back into port. We thought we were going to need the Coast Guard to tow us in for a while," he told Coral.

"Again? Damn it, if it's not one thing it's another with that old rust bucket. I swear that boat is going to be the death of him."

"Hey, don't talk about Abby like that. She a fine old girl," Al said, defending his home away from home.

"Oh no, not you too. You're starting to sound just like dad."

Al just grinned and took another sip of coffee. Coral looked like she had something on her mind. She studied his face for a minute or so before speaking.

"How come you don't have a girlfriend yet, Traveler? You've been here what-eight, nine months and I've never seen you with anyone. I know for a fact that there are girls your age in this town. A few of them are very pretty. I'd say you were gay but I haven't seen you with any guys either, what's the deal?"

"I'm not gay," he told her. "I'm just not in the market right now."

"I see; sounds more to me like you've had your heart stomped on. Evidently, it's still painful to talk about, so I'm guessing that's why you're still here and not back in Chicago by now."

"Trying to get rid of me, Coral?"

She chuckled. "No, not at all, in fact, I'm thinking of making you a proposal."

"A proposal? Like what?"

"Ever hear the term, friends with benefits?"

"Of course." He looked at her expecting her to continue but she just stared back at him. He finally caught on. "You mean you... you and me?"

"Does that scare you?"

"No, it doesn't scare me, it's...well, I..."

"I know-I'm too old for you. I'm thirty-three and you're what...twenty-one?"

"Actually, I was twenty-two last month, but..."

"You were? Why didn't you say something? I would have made you a cake or something. Did dad know?"

"No...listen, Coral, you're not too old, but I always kind of figured someone who looks like you could have her pick of the guys around here, why me?"

"Convenience, I don't even have to leave the gallery," she chuckled.

"Oh..."

"I'm kidding, Traveler...about the convenience thing, not about the benefits part. Look, I've lived here all my life. Believe me when I say the number of potential mates is very limited. Even though it'd be just sex with no strings, I like you, you're a nice person. That makes it all the better. That and from what I saw last night, you're adequately equipped," she teased.

"What about your dad? He's liable to wait until we're a couple miles out then throw me overboard."

"Traveler, first, I'm a big girl. Dad's known that for a long time. Who I do or don't have sex with is none of his business and he would never presume that it is. Also, he likes you. I'm sure if he did have a say-so in my sex life, he'd rather I slept with someone he liked than someone he didn't," she said with a smile.

For a fleeting moment, Al felt he'd be cheating on Dawn if he took Coral up on her offer, but that thought didn't last long. He chastised himself for even having such a thought. She not only dumped him but she did it with a lie that could negatively affect his whole life. Screw her.

"Ah, well, if you're sure I won't be hanging from the yardarm of your dad's boat," he said.

"Traveler, dad's boat doesn't have a yardarm."

"Figure of speech," he chuckled. "So, ah...when would you want to start...you know..."

"Having sex?"

"Yeah, that."

"Do you think you can wait until tonight?" she replied. "You really should rest up from last night."

In the meantime Al helped her with moving things around in the gallery. For supper they went out to celebrate their new friendship.

When they came back, both Al and Coral were surprised with how nervous they were. It had been almost two years since she'd had a boyfriend. Al, of course, hadn't been with anyone but Dawn for about the same length of time.

Al was going to start out with a nice kiss. He put his hand behind her head and gently pulled while he moved closer. Coral pulled her head back and put her hand against his chest, putting a halt to his approach.

She looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "What are you doing?"

"I...I was going to kiss you."

"No kissing."

"No kissing?"

"No. We're not going to be lovers. We're not going to make love or have some romantic relationship. This is sex, Traveler; pure and simple. To put it crudely, we're going to fuck each other into oblivion, but that's it. I'm not looking for a boyfriend, I'm looking to get laid-got it?"

"Ah, yeah, I guess."

"Good, now get those clothes off because I'm getting horny as hell standing here."

They both started removing their clothes. They were both almost naked when Coral had a question. "Have you ever gone down on a woman before?"

"Yeah, all the time," he answered enthusiastically.

"Hot damn," Coral cheered.

Being more interested with watching her undress than actually getting his own clothes off, Coral was already naked and watching as Al fumbled with the button on his trousers. "Oh for crying out loud," she commented with exasperation, "here," she said, dropping to her knees and deftly undoing the stubborn fastener. She continued on to the zipper then pulled pants and underpants down to his ankles in one rhythmic motion.

Al's cock nearly leaped from the cotton fabric. "Oh," Coral cooed, "it looks a lot bigger than the last time I saw it."

Anxious to get started, she jumped on the bed, spread her legs wide apart and bent her knees while Al kicked out of the last remnants of his own clothing. From the smile across her face there was no mistaking what she was waiting for.

Al nestled down between her legs and felt both hands on his head, encouraging him. He really didn't need it. He never had a problem savoring those womanly charms. As if it was a lollypop, he licked from her moist hole to her clit. Upon its discovery, he coaxed the little love bead out from its protective hood and sucked it into his mouth where he rolled it around with his tongue. She almost scared him with her response.

"Oh, God," she screamed. "Oh, my God, yes...damn that feels fantastic. Oh, God!"

Her body was already writhing in ecstasy. "Oh fuck!" she cried. Al hadn't even gotten started and she was already telling him to put it in. Of course he obliged and it wasn't long before Coral had her second orgasm, this time while digging her nails into his skin.

He backed off a little to allow her to catch her breath. "Damn," she said between gasps, "I...I'm not usually this quick on the trigger but I've been anticipating this for a while now and you've already surpassed my expectations."

Al's smile couldn't possibly have been any broader. "You don't hear me complaining, do you."

"I know, but I'd like to hold off long enough for you to get yours."