Went Fishing, Got Hooked

Not Joyce, I saved her life. But why not? I had no alibi, no family. Or maybe this wasn’t about Joyce and her ex. Maybe this was about my research. I could see the headlines now. ‘Renowned entrepreneur caught in love triangle’, this was a blackmailer’s wet dream. I’m such an easy target. For an educated man, I still thought with my dick first and asked questions later. Right then I wished I had another gun. One pull on the trigger and my problems would be over. What’s the point of living if there’s no one to share it with and no one you can trust?

“Hey, Phil, give me a hand, please.”

Joyce was coming in the door, with groceries.

My anxiety level was so high, I shouted, “How could you leave without telling me! Did you take my gun?”

Worry visible on her face, she said, “I just went for some groceries. I bought some more beer, too. Did you think I’d leave without saying goodbye?”

Ignoring her question, I said, “I was worried about you. What about your ex?”

Joyce looked away, uneasy, and began, “Well, to be honest, Phil, the troopers picked him up this afternoon.” She put down the bags and came close. “I didn’t want to tell you until I had a chance to thank you. I was afraid you’d kick me out if you didn’t think I needed your protection anymore. I felt attracted to you from the first moment we spoke and I didn’t want anything to ruin it. Don’t be mad.”

How could I be mad? Instead I kissed her and she kissed back. We stood pressed together until I felt her stomach growl. I put my hand there and said, “It said feed me.”

Joyce’s fingernails raked down my back, into my pants, onto my ass, and she squeezed it. “You must be hungry too. I brought enough groceries to last a week.” She went back to the table and began unpacking the bags. “Can I stay here, with you?”

Geesh, what a dumb question. “I think I’d like that.” We grinned knowingly at each other.

After putting a fresh six pack in the fridge, Joyce opened a kitchen drawer, pulled out my pistol and laid it on the counter. “I put it out of sight when I left. These things make me nervous.”

I’ll never forget the week we spent together. The earth was renewing itself and so were we. Spring fever turned into mating season for us. We became animals in heat. Both of us catching up for lost time.

Now, both of us are back to work, in different counties, hundreds of miles apart. We’ve had time to reflect on events. Joyce agreed that when the legal system finishes its sluggish deliberations, and maybe puts her ex behind bars, and my summer vacation rolls around, we’ll meet again at my cabin to discuss her moving closer. I’m sure there are schools nearby that could use a gifted teacher. But I’ll settle for some naked Fourth of July fireworks in the meantime.