trip to sequoia - ch. 38. hot time in the old road warrior tonight.

Ch.38(cont.)

 

  “Well what do you think we should do Darla?” I asked her. As we looked at the smoke, we could see down the road and it was also smoky but it appeared to be clear enough to continue driving. Although we saw no traffic coming in the opposite direction.

    Darla says to me.  “I don’t know the whole thing kind of scares me. Maybe we should turn around and head back north and try to find another way around.”

      “The problem is I have the jeep on the rear of this thing and turning around on this road is not as easy as it sounds. I think we should just go ahead, we can always unhook the jeep and turn around later if we have to” I said.

    “I don’t know about this guy but you have more experience than me in these matters so I will leave it up to you.”

    I slipped the Road Warrior into gear and eased forward into the smoke, and it wasn’t too bad at first. We drove for almost fifteen minutes in a slight haze, still not seeing any other vehicles except us on the road. Then the haze became more dense and seeing was getting harder and it appeared to have sparks mixed into the foggy smoke as it began to make its way into the air conditioning and was now filling up the inside of the Road Warrior with smoke also, and was making breathing in the Road Warrior harder all the time.

     I said to Darla. “You had better go grab a towel and put it over you face to try and avoid breathing so much of this smoke.”

    Darla asked. “Can we go back?”

    I said. “I don’t know how long I would last out there in that pea soup if I were to get out and cut the jeep free so we can turn around.  Sorry Darla but I believe the best way now is straight ahead.” I looked in the rear view mirror and the monitor and could see the ragtop of the jeep smoking as embers had landed on the ragtop and started burning. I could also see the plastic trim on the side of the Road Warrior starting to smoke and burn as the heat from the smoke and embers was causing things to burn up.

     Then all of a sudden a tongue of orange flame flashed across the road as I looked out from the side window of the road warrior and could see the pavement was actually on fire and burning and then  when I looked at the rear of the Road Warrior again I could see the tires smoking on the rear of the beast. I didn’t want to tell Darla as she was sitting there with this towel wrapped around her face not knowing whether to shit or go blind, and I figured the extra news was not going to help anything. So I just pressed on looking for clues as to where the road was at this point as the smoke and embers became worse by the second. Another blast of orange fire streaked across the front of the Road Warrior and I was blinded as I drove through  a wall of flames. I came out finally on the other side of the road left of center and heading for a turn in the road as the visibility increased. I straightened the Road Warrior out and I could now see we were through the worse or were we?

       As I looked in the rear view and I could see the rear tires were on fire on the Road Warrior and a quick glance at the rear view monitor showed the jeep to be on fire also as the ragtop was burning pretty good at this point. I sped up hoping it would put out the flames and to get us away from that area where it was burning.

     “Darla there is a fire extinguisher in the closet grab it for me please.”

     Darla asked. “Why?” as she was unaware of the fire in the rear of the Road Warrior.

    “I think we have a fire on the jeep for sure and not quite sure but the Road Warrior might be on fire also.”

    “What?” Darla screamed and then said. “Oh my god.” Then she ran to the back of the Road Warrior and screamed again and yelled from the rear. “ It is on fire. What are we going to do? Stop Guy! Right now.”

      I said to Darla. “Calm down if I stop, the flames will get larger. I need that fire extinguisher so I can jump out and hit as quick as I stop, and I want you to grab what you can and make sure you have your phone. I will try and put out the fire and you call 911 and we will go from there.”

    Darla rushed to the closet and grabbed the fire extinguisher and sat it beside me and then ran and grabbed her cell and Ann’s laptop and my cell also, as I slowed the burning Road Warrior to a stop and I immediately jumped out the door with the fire extinguisher and ran around the side of the RV. I grabbed the pin on the fire extinguisher and pointed it at the base of the fire as I read the directions and pulled the trigger and in no time enveloped myself with the white spray of fire extinguisher fluid as I had it turned in the wrong direction, and had the nozzle pointed towards me. I looked like a frigging keystone cop standing there.  I couldn’t see and spit fire extinguisher fluid out of my mouth and eyes as it coated me good, and then I caught sight of Darla on the other side of the road almost doubled over laughing, and then I turned it around and then hit the trigger again and started putting the flames leaping up the side of the Road Warrior out, as the burning tires finally went to a deep choking smoke . I looked at the rear of the Road Warrior and something was burning underneath there, and fluid was pouring out from beneath the vehicle as I sought out the source of trouble, flames leapt out from underneath the Road Warrior . I emptied the fire extinguisher on this fire and then tried to put the jeep out but was out of fire extinguisher fluid by this time. I ran back inside and was looking for something to smother the flames and remembered Darla’s flannel pajamas with footies and then grabbed them out the hamper and threw them in the sink to wet them down. There was no water. I looked out the rear window and the jeep top was burning pretty good , so I looked around to find another water source and thought of the toilet and dunked Darla’s flannel pajamas with footies  in the toilet bowl and wet them with a toilet flush. They were soaked as I drug the wet mess of slinging toilet water across the inside of the Road Warrior and out the door to the burning jeep in the rear and started wailing at the burning ragtop of the jeep finally beating the flames down with the pajamas ripe with toilet water, and soon it was just a smoldering mess along with the Road Warrior sitting there alongside the road.  

        I looked at Darla and she was still standing at the side of the road and realizing that most of the danger had passed, headed in my direction when the two rear tires on the rear of the Road Warrior on the same side blew out at the same time, creating a large blast sending hunks of smoldering rubber in all directions from the fire damage and the Road Warrior kind of slunk to one side.

     Smoke was still pouring off the side of the Road Warrior as its burnt carcass revealed scorch marks as high as the roof, and plastic trim dangling from here and there. A hundred and seventy five thousand dollar RV suddenly turned to a pile of shit.

    I yelled at Darla and asked if she was able to get ahold of the fire department or anyone. She shook her head no and shrugged her shoulders and waved her phone into the air indicating no service.

    I went around the Road Warrior and the jeep surveying the damage and checking to see if any more fires existed, and finally I was convinced it was all out. I motioned to Darla it was safe to come over closer to the Road Warrior and she refused to so I went to her. . She buried her head in my chest as she said she was so scared. I said it will be all right.

   I asked her again. “No luck getting anyone?”

   She said no, neither my phone nor hers was picking up any signal at all.

   I asked if she was all right and she said she was and asked about me as I lifted my hand up with her flannel pajamas in them with a footie still smoking and the plastic burned half way off and said I think I have a small burn on this hand. She asked if those were her pajamas. And I said they were.

     “ I needed something to put out the fire.”

    Then she came unglued on me . Saying those were her favorite pajamas and were symbolic of her freedom from her last marriage as it was the last thing Dave had bought her before he took to cavorting with the wild women . It became her security blanket as she would wrap herself in them when he came home at night from drinking and running around. They offered her protection from his advances as I thought to myself, wow is she ever getting emotional over these damn things.

       I told her sorry, but I needed something to put the fire out but that didn’t satisfy her as again she went on about those damn pajamas. I said I was sorry again and I would replace them.

       She says.  “You can’t replace memories, Guy damn it. How in the hell did I end up in this damn place with you.” It was at that point I was wondering the very same thing. Wishing I would have found anything else but her damn pajamas to put out that fire.

    I told her to get ahold of herself at that point, and things instead of quieting down escalated as she called me a dumbass for even driving into the smoke and that I needed to have my head examined as well her for allowing us to get into that situation in the first part. I reminded her I didn’t start the fire, but I did put out the flames and she should be thankful she was standing here with the ability to keep bitching at me.

      Never tell a woman she is bitching. Might as well poke her with a red hot poker.

     She asked me. “Are you calling me a bitch?”

     Having enough of her shit. “I said if the shoe fits, where it.” (To be cont.)

    

    

        

   

trip to sequoia -ch.38 fire and damnation

Ch.38

Fire and Damnation

   Darla awoke the next morning before in a flannel whatever it was that had footies. I thought to myself so goes that wet dream and chuckled. It will teach me to not let my imagination run wild as she breezed past my couch bed, trying to be quiet . I lay there on my couch bed and wishing I had the engineer’s neck who designed this bed, and at the same time wondering what she was doing up so early when she had such a nice bed to sleep in till at least eight anyhow. She was being quiet trying to make coffee and breakfast without making any noise and she wasn’t doing a very good job. Sometimes muttering ‘now where are the pans?’  Loud enough for me to hear, as she would open this door and then the next.  Ann was responsible for loading the kitchen cabinets and stocking the road warrior as that was her forte , organizing. Sure wasn’t me I am kind of let’s see if it fits here. I always admired those perfect pantries but when in my house you better watch for avalanches when opening cabinet doors. But this was still Lee and Ann’s Road Warrior and so I would put everything back as I should.  Now it seems as if Darla can’t find anything or she was trying her best to wake me up. I could think of better ways she could wake me up, I thought to myself and chuckled. I heard her cuss under her breath as again she couldn’t find something so I said. “Morning Darla. Need something?”

    “I can’t find the coffee, an essential for me this morning. Could hardly sleep last night. I just tossed and turned.” Darla remarked.

     “Top shelf above the coffee pot. Ann laid it out,” I said wiping the sleep from my eyes and still laying in the couch bed and watching her bounce around in the flannel whatever and scooting her footies against the carpet in swooshing noises?

     “Figures, I never let her organize anything when I was at Gunnite. Told her it was my job and that she had more important things to do. Sorry I woke you up, besides you are wasting the day. I guess I should have said good morning Guy, I figured I would get up and cook us something to eat. How about some French toast and an egg?”

      “So you can’t sleep and coffee may help.” I asked sarcastically already knowing the answer.

     “Well I don’t think it will help me with that but thought I could get moving and then take a nap this afternoon, imagine we will need a break if possible. We are our own bosses aren’t we?” She inquired.

      I laughed at that thought. I wish we were. You are always answering to someone on some level. I was going to get up but was confined to the bed as I slept with boxers and  just a sheet over me and only since Darla or someone else was in the Road Warrior. When at home and alone  I would  usually sleep naked . I secretly hope that if I should happen to die in the middle of the night then I can at least make people wonder what I was up to that I ended up this way. I think about that and smile before going to sleep so that I can add to that effect if found. Better than being found naked is dying naked man with a smile on my face to really get them going.

    I finally said to Darla as she was doing the coffee. “I need to get up and I only have my boxers on. Could you step in the bedroom please for a minute?”

      She says “ Oh sorry , sure in just a minute.” I waited for her to finish the coffee.

      She then steps into the bedroom and I grab my shorts and slip them on and find my shirt and say to her OK as I head to the bathroom after switching on the news on the TV.

     And I hear: “The fire appears to be contained about six miles from Fortuna but you need to stay tuned to Ch. 5 News updates for more information. Again the forest fire north as it appears on the map and east of Lincoln appears to be under control. Further advisories will be posted to this station if other warnings are issued. It appears to have burned 2 houses and has scorched over six square miles of forest. Conditions in Southern California are very dry and fire warnings are being issued. Make sure all campfires are thoroughly quenched and under control. You are responsible for the damage.” The TV announcer stated as he read the news cast.

      I told Darla I was in bathroom, and she reappeared in shorts and a t-shirt from the bedroom and returned to what she was preparing our breakfast.  I washed my face and looked at myself in the mirror and hoping the coffee eliminates some of those lines in my face otherwise I may have to get a job as a raisin.  I look young for my age but it is the eyes that tells the tales and maps the road to your life. And right now my eyes look like a road well-traveled. Oh well what would she expect when I am sleep deprived. I washed my face and reentered the kitchen, slash my bedroom with that couch bed and that damn prodding bar. It was then I realized I needed to change my attitude as I was just hurting. Hurting from nerves’ frazzled. I figured I needed to take a couple of Tylenol and my prescriptions and smoke a joint and drink a couple of cups of coffee and it will all be better. Trying to spark a conversation I asked Darla if she heard the news report about the fire being so close to us.

     She returned with. “I thought I saw smoke over the hill behind the camper.  It was out the back window.”

      I went to the back of the Road Warrior and looked myself and sure enough there was smoke coming up over the hill.

     I said. “Wow you’re right; I bet we may be close to that. I am going outside and see if I can find out anymore, you listen to the TV and see if you can find out more. We can also Google forest fire alerts – California, and see what comes up. We may have to get out of here.”

       Darla says to me, “Yes you go ahead and see what you can and I will check it out on the internet and see what I can find. You may check with the office at the campsite. They should be the first t know if there was an alert and we have to move.”

      I said I will and I hurried out the door after taking a swig of coffee and swallowing a couple of Tylenol . I went around to the back compartment where I hid my pot and grabbed me a joint and a  lighter and started walking in the direction on of the office and took a couple of quick hits off the joint and quickly put it out as I approached the office and saw the sheriff cruiser with its lights on. A crowd had gathered at the park office and was waiting to hear an officer speak as I walked up to the crowd. He was in the process of asking us to move out of the park and evacuate. He said : Although the fire was under control now it could flare up anytime and that we need to be vigilant in watching for changing conditions but asked as a precaution we evacuate further south . Driving south or north along highway 101 would be acceptable but we need to avoid north and east of where we were now.

      I had been north and we need to go to Sequoia National Park and that is southwest, so I figured Darla and I better pack it up and get out of the park as soon as possible.

    I walked back to the Road Warrior and told her that we needed to get out of there as soon as we can.  That there was an alert and evacuation notice and we may be in trouble. She said breakfast was ready and asked if there was time for a shower and I said sure they are asking us to move out not requiring us to go. Should have plenty of time as I could use a shower also.

    We hurried with our breakfast and while Darla was in the shower I again hooked the jeep to the rear of the Road Warrior and rolled up the awning and stored all our stuff. Checked the fluids on the Road Warrior and then went inside to shower. Darla was finishing the dishes and cleaning and storing everything as I came out of the shower. I went outside and unhooked the water, sewer, and electric and was soon seated in the front of the Road Warrior not having really planned on much as to where we were going, but to just get the hell out of there as fast as we could.

     I started the Road Warrior and pulled onto the access road to the office was soon stuck in a convoy of pickups with travel trailers, motorhomes and cars, all headed for the front gate. A sheriff was sitting at the front gate as I could see the smoke over the hill growing in intensity. And here we were in a forested RV park and sitting in a metal coffin waiting to get out of here. I tried to be calm but drummed my fingers on the steering wheel and Darla sat there in the other captain seat silent knowing my silence meant we were in danger. Finally we get to the gate and I turn on my turn signal and signal turning left and the sheriff stopped me and warned me there were reports of smoke across the road and maybe I should go north. I felt we would be alright as long as we were not sitting in the path of a fire. He said be careful and drive slowly in the smoke if visibility is reduced. I pushed on the accelerator and gunned the engine and soon we were headed down the highway to the south and hopefully away from this danger. As I rounded the corner away from the park entrance, I looked ahead and smoke was making its way across the road. (To be cont.)

    

    

        

   

trip to sequoia -ch. 37 cont.

Ch. 37 (cont.) 

      The Eureka Inn featured a lounge dining area and has been a feature of that area for some time. A native wood interior trimmed out and polished over the years created a charm that would intrigue presidents and dignitaries as they visit the United States and sample its offerings of food and hospitality. Some of its world charm is thanks to the old world craftsman who work in exquisite detail to fine tune all the different aspects of construction to make this place a museum piece as well as a working restaurant  and inn.

    As Darla and me were ushered into the lobby and then pointed to the restaurant, one could see the massive beams from local forests used to construct the large dining area featuring a large fireplace in the main room of the restaurant where we were seated. It is my understanding that he fireplace was rebuilt after a 2010 earthquake requiring the removal of almost 75 tons of debris and complete reconstruction of the chimney. The Eureka Inn is registered as a national historical building of significance. One could easily see why, as this  grandiose place must have been the center of activity as travelers making their way north or south along the coast would seek out the Eureka in for its unbridled comfort.

    Darla and I were seated in a wood booth providing us with some privacy as we dined. A choice of seafood obtained locally or beef was available. I ordered seafood as well did Darla, and we settled into small talk leading up to Darla asking what upset me so when we started out from Crescent City to Eureka. She had sensed I was deeply troubled by something I saw but decided to let it be till now and it was time for me to come clean. She felt she needed an explanation to see what it was that was bothering me so. Also to know if she was interfering in something that may have an impact on her.

     I assured it was nothing and that I could handle it. I explained to her that the Road Warrior had been broken into a couple of times and we were at a loss to figure it out as it seems as if someone was looking for something, having stolen Ann’s computer both times. We didn’t know if it was robbery or what. We kind of thought it had to do with Dealing Dan the car salesman and owner of Dealing Dan’s, that was causing the trouble or Tom, Ann’s husband as he had an ax to grind with Ann for being left out of her fortune. Then again it could have been a couple acts of random violence, one maybe but two is more than coincidental. It seemed as if someone is after us. Then outside Oklahoma City after having the door fixed, I saw Leann or what I thought was her on a motorcycle and then again outside Crescent City, she showed up behind us. It was just way too weird that she would appear all the way across the country as if she was following us.

     Darla asked what it was I did to her and I said I don’t know except try and care for her , and she all she did was push me away. I told Darla I was clueless as to what she wanted as she made it clear to me she wanted no part of me when she wanted her things back in her classic text breakup. Meaning she choose to break up with me over a text message as she undoubtedly didn’t want me to talk to her personally. This all hurt me as well not being with her during her operation and recovery process. I had no choice as Leann wanted me to leave her alone, and now she is following me as I try to move on with my life, if it is her. Maybe it is my imagination and I am sure there are thousands of white motorcycles out there with women on them. So finding one following me down the road should be no strange occurrence.

      I told Darla of my plans though of adding even more security to the Road Warrior by adding security motion lights and that I have a closed circuit surveillance system that monitors the Road Warrior on a 24 hr. basis. As our food was served, Darla suggested I had better take her with me everywhere I go as she didn’t want anything to do with trouble from a crazy ex, or a disgruntled burglar. I assured her that I thought only the best of Leann and felt it really wasn’t her that was up to the burgling of the Road Warrior but I would gladly appreciate Darla’s company all the time, until I figured this all out. We ate and walked around the inn and up and down the main street of Eureka enjoying all the Victorian construction of houses in the area lending its charm to this seaside city.

       We returned to the Road Warrior and I showed Darla where I had the security system which she was aware of but didn’t know how to use. I hooked the Jeep back onto the rear of the Road Warrior and set off for our destination of Fortuna, California and the Fortuna RV Park along the Eel River basin outside of Fortuna. Our trip was quiet as Darla sat in the captain seat beside me in the front of the Road Warrior in shorts and a t-shirt, having changed into more comfortable clothes after returning to the Road Warrior. She reclined her chair and was almost flat as she looked out the window and soon fell fast asleep having ate and getting sleepy. She slept till I turned into the Fortuna RV Park and had to stop and talk to the park guide as to where my lot was. I had prearranged payment and my spot was being held as a reservation, and it was just minutes till I was there and set up. Having leveled the Road Warrior and unhooked the Jeep, and extended the awning. I returned inside to see Darla putting on a pair of tennis shoes asking me if I wanted to go for a walk.. I just drove over 150 miles and really just wanted to relax but relented and went for a walk with her around the RV Park. The towering redwoods were ever present as we ventured around. We talked of my carving and experience in trees as we walked along. The trees were humongous as their trunks in most cases were as wide as the Road Warrior was long.

     Seeing these huge trees made me long to carve, not live trees but possibly some dead stuff if I could find it. I couldn’t imagine why people would want to cut these massive giants in the first place. Most having lived at least 2000 years and being sown naturally when humankind was still in its infancy as California was there but not discovered by the white men but instead a closely guarded secret of local natives who had no interest in changing nature, instead relishing it. taking only what they needed to survive and leaving these huge beauties to live until white man invaded their Eden and chased them to the hinterlands while they plundered the resources. So goes the neighborhood in most of the U.S., as resources are transformed into tools of societal improvement as we provide houses and buildings made of wood and brick into the communities we have today.  

      We returned to the Road Warrior after our walk and settled into watching some TV and some local news and was made aware of the fact that due to dry conditions there was an active forest fire just north east of San Francisco and it was burning out of control. It was still over 60 miles away, but was going to impede our travel as it was crossing Highway 101 and the road was temporarily closed. We had planned to spend a couple of days here so by the time we were ready to move then the fire will have moved out of the area leaving behind a path of destruction but the road should be passable.

      Darla fell asleep on the couch beside me having cuddled up next to me while watching an old black and white movie on PBS. I was getting sleepy myself as I sat there and hated to, but woke Darla and asked if I could lie down on my lumpy couch bed with the bar in the middle of my back. I didn’t mention the lumpy part or the bar, but in reality I wasn’t too eager to sleep in this thing another night. Sitting in the couch was one thing and sleeping was another.

     Darla said she was sorry and asked if I would join her in the bedroom as she felt I was safe and we were both adults and she kinda liked snuggling up to a bear like me . Well a man can be pushed only so far and yet I could not let myself join her in the bedroom as I didn’t trust myself to just sleep beside her. I had Roman hands and I was a man. I felt that until I was sure of what she wanted as well me, maybe we had better continue with the arrangement we had. I was not to be trusted in bed alone with her and it was not because I was not an adult, but instead because I was one, a male one with feelings and desires and wants. And touching and caressing a pretty woman was not out of the realm of these wants. She told me it was my loss and that it required her acceptance to make anything happen. I told her it would drive me crazy as it is doing already. And that I just needed to take things slow as everything was happening to fast. Cuddling on the couch was ok and I never really minded as it is kind of a friend thing to do. But then again I always thought cuddling to be a pre cursor to sex also. I just never could get close to a woman I liked without wanting more. It is just a male thing I guess. Women must be wired different as it seems that they are content to just be close and not want more. Anyhow I told Darla that cuddling would be ok for now. She suggested just sitting there wrapped in my arms all night long.

     I laughed and shooed her to bed, again she told me it was my loss, and disappeared behind the bedroom door after saying goodnight and sweet dreams.  Instead as she disappeared behind that door and she stepped into my imagination as I slowly watched her undress in my mind and slip into an oversize t-shirt with her nipples hard and pushing against the fabric. Then in my mind I watched as she stretched out in the bed and rolled on to her side and curled her legs up and pushed her hands between her legs. It was then I had to shut my mind down , instead I imagined her putting curlers in her hair and spreading cream all over face and soon I fell asleep with that damn bar prodding me in my back and reminding why it isn’t such a good thing to be so good all the time.

   

     

trip to sequoia ch. 37 cont.

Ch. 37 (cont.) 

Darla saw the look in my face and immediately asked “What’s wrong/”

     I looked again in the rear view monitor as it was hidden from Darla’s view due to its orientation to the driver and it sure looked like Leann and her bike but I had never in all my time with Leann had ever saw her on her bike . So again how should I know for sure if it was her? But it sure looked like it could be. I tried to act as if it was nothing and said to Darla.

     “Oh thought I saw something dragging behind the Jeep.” I touched the screen on the monitor of the rear view video feed and what appeared to be nothing became a lot larger as the camera on the rear of the road warrior suddenly enlarged what appeared to be Leann.  The closer view gave me a great look at her and it had to be her I thought to myself. But why? She didn’t want anything to do with me last time I was texted by her all she wanted was her stuff back. So why is she dogging me across the country, and why now when I am finally getting my stuff together. It all didn’t make sense, but the break-ins kind of made sense. Taking Ann’s computer would allow her access to her browser and then she could figure out where we were going. Maybe she hasn’t broke in for a while because she already figured out I am headed for Sequoia National Park and is now just messing with my mind.

     The whole thing seemed so absurd that a woman would travel across the country and break into the Road Warrior twice risking a felony breaking and entering to what just want to be with me on this trip. She wouldn’t even come and see me hardly when she was with me. At times pushing me away. Some people say because she wanted me to chase her. I have no idea; I just wanted to be with her. And now that it is over, what she follows me across the country and is going to do what?

       I need to step up the security on the Road Warrior though and try to protect both Darla and myself. I will stop at the first Harbor Freight I can find and mount me four motion detector lights  to each corner of the Road Warrior so that anyone approaching on foot will trigger a light and a camera , and also alert anyone inside the Road Warrior to unwanted visitors. I was to quiet thinking about this thing to long and again Darla asked.

   “Is everything ok?”

   “Oh yeah, I was just checking everything out and it all appears ok. Sorry I was so quiet.”

    “Well I was beginning to worry you had a look on your face like you had seen a ghost.”

       I thought to myself I imagine I did look like that, it just shocked me to see her there and I am not totally convinced it was her. You think you get to know people when you are in a relationship with them but sometimes there are sides to some that you never see. And maybe the operation changed her.  But if anything I would think it was before the operation was the hardest time. That was when I screwed up. I should have just let her go do whatever and never said a word. Oh well I am not a man to quietly sit by and let anything happen. But I needed to forget this episode and concentrate on my driving and on Darla and the rest will work itself out.

    So to change the subject I said to Darla as I switched off the rear view monitor, and looked straight ahead.  “ So Darla tell me about your ex. Couldn’t imagine anyone divorcing such a pretty woman, or you being the one divorcing as you seem a bit conservative at times.”

    Darla laughed nervously and said to me “Guy, it isn’t something I wanted to do. I tried to make it work and we were in love for about the first 6 years till I went to work for Ann and even though it was part time as the kids were still in school, I became Ann’s personal secretary and Ann would allow me flexibility in my work schedule so that I could be a mom and a wife and a personal assistant to Ann from the beginning of when I started working at Gunnite Corporation. Dave my ex was friends with Tom, and Ann was my friend and we would have get togethers.  Dave and Tom began running around doing drugs and drinking together and when Tom began womanizing, Dave felt it was his right to do it also. Soon we became distant, and finally I caught him cheating on me and I have been single since. I never looked back because every time I did I would hurt. He asked for a million second chances, and I would ask him. So what makes me think you are going to do anything different with a second chance when you blew the first one?”

     I said. “Wow you re tough, I knew a lot of women who would just allow that abuse to go on and on. Must have been hard on you?”

    “It was hard but Ann would give me more and more work and then she sent me to college and I had a brief fling with a professor there but that is all in the past.  Anyhow Ann paid me well for my increased work load and the kids of whom I have two,  are both in college and now it is time for me. That is why I agreed to come along. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am glad to have you along. I think we make a good team and we will have a chance to see and do a lot.”

     “Well I am glad to have finally met you and Ann has nothing but praise for you over the years, and I think we talked before when you were trying to get ahold of Ann for company business you called down to my place looking for her and Lee . Do you remember we talked on the phone?”

   She laughed a little laugh and said. “Yes you were cute explaining they had left and we chit chatted a little. I found you interesting and then I saw your blog and was drawn to your words and visions of what direction humans should take to avoid an apocalypse in the future. You kind of have a dim view of humans and their ability to do anything worthwhile to save the world. Don’t you?”

      On the defensive I said, as I was  now nervously was put on the spot “Well I believe humankind is capable of good versus evil, but feel the good we do is nothing in comparison to what needs to be done.  We have blindly listened to the greed mongers of this world as they go about empowering themselves through the rest of us less fortunate.”

        Darla says. “Well put, but then again it is the greed mongers such as the Gunnite Corporation are responsible for us being here now, Guy. If it wasn’t for them a lot of private money would not be available for charity projects and such.” She said in a contradictory tone. He had never heard in her voice anything like that.

    In return I said. “They spend their  money on pet projects like supporting the arts through a philharmonic, or they want their name placed on a building at their alma mater. How many people donate to soup kitchens or even work in them. Thinking it is the government’s responsibility to provide food stamps and such to poor lazy people. Instead they see themselves as models for the lower class saying look at what I did with my father’s money I started a business and made money as you should do. Not realizing life is a game of chances. It just happened by chance his dad or mom was married into money and they were able to provide a lifestyle conducive to them making money. Given the same circumstances as a poor person without the chance, would that rich person whop snobs the poor do the same in life? Chances are no, as he would still be subject to society’s pressures.”

     “Yes I see that.” Said Darla as she was attempting to defuse me as now I was started on a rant. Instead of continuing I just let it go, and again looked in my rear view mirror and there was no Leann if it was her. Apparently she turned off somewhere, but anyhow she was gone and   Darla and I settled into a calm place, driving and pointing out features of the land to each other as headed down Highway 101 to Eureka.

       We passed through Mc Kinleyville and Arcata where we would begin to see some seashore having drove inland for a while seeing plenty of redwood trees. At times we would see a brown patch of soil indicating a lack of moisture to an extent that even along the coast here we were still in somewhat of an arid region. When we were closer to the coast it would start greening up well and in the forests they seemed to be hearty as the dense growth would protect the forest floor from the effects of over drying of the soils by providing much needed shade as the sun shined down here in California.

   We passed a couple of seaside bays and saw plenty of wildlife associated with the fresh water and soon we were pulling into Eureka. I found a public parking area where they didn’t charge for parking and pulled the Road Warrior in along with the CJ-7 jeep and parked the Road Warrior.

Darla went to the bedroom and said she was going to change for dinner. It was in the afternoon now and we figured to eat a full course meal at the Eureka Inn.

      I headed into the bathroom and finally changed out of my standard dress of shorts and t-shirt and put some dockers on and found a nice fish shirt as I call them that has some kind of fishing motif on it that says ‘hey I am a tourist. I like spending money. Ignore me and expect a large tip.’ Sometimes I think they have hidden words only wait staff can read that says sucker and such on it. I don’t know, but I like the shirts and love wearing them. I found some fancier dress sandals in the closet and still Darla didn’t come out as I was ready to go. So I went outside and unhooked the Jeep and stretched a while waiting on her looking around the area and checking out the Road Warrior.  Finally I went back inside to see what was going on and she appeared at the bedroom door in a really nice short black cocktail dress and looked stunning with her tan legs and slim body emphasizing her overall appeal.  

     I said. “Wow, you sure look nice, you sure you want to go with me ?”

     She said. “Silly who else am I going with? We are kinda stuck with each other for a while. I just felt like dressing up and from the sounds of the Eureka Inn,  I felt we had better be dressed appropriately.”

     “And you think I am?” I asked.

     She said. “Guy you look great any time. I wouldn’t be afraid to go anywhere with you. Silly that is why I am here.”  I laughed and helped her down and out of the Road Warrior offering her my hand,  and then helped her as she had a pair of short pumps on, into the Jeep and I hurried to the other side and said to myself Eureka!!  What a woman. Here we come.   (to be cont.)

   

     

trip to sequoia -ch. 37 eureka!

Ch. 37

Eureka!

    The next morning I was awake before dawn and sat in the Road Warrior and was wondering what I had agreed to. I felt like hell as my bones ached and I had to use the bathroom and after that couldn’t get back to sleep, tossing and turning knowing Darla would probably be up soon. The door to the bedroom was slid shut and I never heard her use the bathroom or in fact anything from in there. It’s as she somehow slipped out through the closet and outside the back access door and stole my Jeep and headed into town and is now sleeping away in a comfortable bed in the Sheraton. While I get the fold out couch bed with that god awful bar in the middle of my back that is supposed to provide support but instead is like a spear of pain. It just isn’t fair I thought as I started coffee since I couldn’t sleep, I was here first.  It’s my chivalry that gave her the good bed to sleep in. The least she could have done was refuse, but instead greedily accepted the bedroom as hers. Damn women I thought as they are always taking. Guess I will learn some day and quit being so giving.

    As soon as the coffee started brewing it was no time before Darla finally slid open the door to the bedroom and appeared to in fact have spent the night in the Road Warrior as her hair was standing straight up on her head in an almost laughingly manner . I smiled and said ‘good morning’ assuming she never looked in a mirror before coming out into the day. She looked at me and said.

      “Please don’t look at me till I have had some coffee.”

     I said to her. “Kinda touchy this morning?” and chuckled a little at what I said.

     Darla says.  “ I don’t do well till I have coffee, in fact I don’t do nothing till I have had my first cup.”

   “Let me get you a cup,” I said as I rose to grab her a cup and continued.  “How do you take it?”

   “Usually intravenously,” she said,” but since you lack the tools, then how about 2 creams and about 3 sugars.”

     I grabbed a good look at her and they say you judge a woman’s beauty by how well she looks in the morning and Darla passed the test excepting the hair thing. Her raw beauty was only detracted by a few age lines at the corner of her eyes and even though she slept all night had no bags below her eyes. I still couldn’t figure out her age and would try my best through conversation today to find out just that one piece of information. Not that it mattered to me but at same time had no desire to go too far out of my age range if I was going to date a woman, again if she was even emotionally capable of even wanting anything to do with me beyond a professional basis. It is kind of an unusual arrangement we have starting here for working purposes and don’t know really what to think. But if she is at least twenty years younger I don’t think I could date her. Nineteen, maybe, I say to myself and chuckle.

      I served her coffee as she sat down in the captain’s seat and tucked her legs under her. She had on a long night shirt that barely covered her legs as they were folded beneath her.  A small amount of cleavage was exposed causing me to avert my eyes from hers as I offered up a fresh cup coffee syrup to her. It was slightly viscous and reminded one of cream colored maple syrup after adding the condiments per her orders. I watched her reaction as I was adding her sugar and she made sure she was given the full allotment of sugar as if it was gold I was pouring into her cup.

     She sipped gently at the coffee and a wide smile came across her pretty lips indicating I had done my job well and said ‘thank you’ as she eagerly supped her coffee. Becoming more alive by the minute as if the sugary mess stimulated something in her inner psyche and soon she was beginning to come around and asked what the plans were for today.

    I returned with. “Well we had discussed moving on down the coast and exploring some more. Isn’t this great we get paid to travel the country in a motorhome and visit all the places I always wanted to. Don’t know how you feel, but I am kind of looking forward to this more each day. So you think you can drive this thing?”

    Darla quickly comes back with a, “Hell no. don’t think I am even going to try.” I laughed never expecting her to come back with that response.

      I said “Well I was first on board and I should have dibs as to who gets to ride in passenger seat and since I drove this thing all across the country I feel it is your turn now.” I teasingly laughed at the thought.

    She looked at me and said “Guy it’s too early, are you serious?”

     I said. “Not really but would suggest you do learn sometime as you never know when you may have to.”

    She returns with.  “I have Enterprise Rental cars 24 hr. hotline number and they will deliver me a car anywhere I want, and I have plenty of money to pay for it. So there!”

    I laughed and continued ribbing her saying, “Well I would hardly believe you would back down from a challenge I guess I misjudged you.”

    She laughed at that thought heartily exaggerating how misinformed I was and came back with. “Well I accept the challenge and think I have handled it pretty well. You really don’t want me to drive, we will never get anywhere. I hate driving a car. I lived 10 minutes away from Gunnite and it would take me a half hour to get to work and most of the time I walked. Everyone thought it was for my health. It wasn’t I just hate driving. I am too cautious and take forever. I have been pulled over ten times because I was taking too much time at a four way stop near my house. Police thought I was drunk or high because I sat there terrified. One even suggested I just take a taxi he was getting tired of pulling me over. I hate driving. Now do you want me to drive?”

    I laughed and said. “Guess not but maybe we can work on all those fear issues you have about driving.” I said. “So have you been like this all these years?”

    Darla took a long sip of coffee slurping a little as she did and said. “Yes for 32 years since I first had my license I have been a passenger for the most part. It was hard after my ex and I separated as I then had to do all my driving. Needless to say I was confined to my house for a long time until I finally decided I needed to get out more and started venturing away on little trips. That is why I would get up so early at the hotel because I take forever to get anywhere and figured I wanted to impress you with an early show up, so would bust my butt to get out of the hotel and be able to meet up with you before noon. I was only so glad when Ann mentioned me pairing up with you. I think if I had to drive everywhere and stay in hotels then I would have went back to Ohio and gave Ann back her money or seen if there was some other way to work with you. So thank you again Guy for allowing me to come with you and if you think I am going to drive the Road Warrior , it may be only because we took a wrong turn and are on a trip to hell or at least we will be.”

      “Wow two cuss words from you this morning. You are tarnishing my image of you. I think your halo slipped a little.” I jokingly said. Now knowing that she was roughly fifty, I felt we were within that 10 year age limit as I was 60 and we really were not that far apart in age. And she does have a sense of humor. It seems she awoke with a feisty side to her. She smiled as I made the little comment about her swearing and said.

    “Well you know what I have to say about that don’t you. Nothing but I do have something to show you.”  She slowly puts up three fingers on one hand with her little finger folded across her palm along with her thumb then with the other hand, peels down the index finger on one side, and by now I knew what she was doing as again she peels down the ring finger and folds it into her palm along with the index and little finger and thumb leaving the middle finger fully exposed and staring at me. I laughed as she did.

      “Wow you do know how to hurt a Guy, so to speak. Don’t you?’ I said.

     She laughed.  “Why Guy I would never hurt you. She said teasingly. So what’s up for today I want to take a shower and have some breakfast? Let’s get this show on the road. God I feel like a gypsy. Need one of those flowing paisley skirts and a crystal ball so we can travel around the country telling fortunes and reading palms,  are  you game?  Must be the road life I guess and I only spent one night in this thing.”

   I was having a good time talking to her and asked if she wanted another cup and she heartily said yes and a little more sugar please. I laughed at that thought. Knowing that if it was me  I would look like the  Pillsbury Doughboy in no time if I drank coffee like that. I offered her another cup of syrup and told her of my plans as apparently it was up to me to determine where we were going as she wasn’t going to be much help in that department.

   “We are heading down to Fortuna and stopping there for a few days at the River Walk RV Park in Fortuna, California. We are going to stop first in Eureka and have dinner at the Eureka Inn where President Reagan, of who I’m not that fond of, and Sir Winston Churchill, whom both had ties to this place, as both frequented and stayed at the inn and hotel in diplomatic trips. They say it has a unique interior that is grandiose at the least and should be enjoyable to see. Then we will head to the River Walk RV park as it is in the heart of one of the best stands of California Redwoods and is along the Eel River. Also there is gambling casino close to their if you like that.”

    Darla says, “Never really was much of a gambler and prefer to keep my money but like to see different things.”

    “They also have a lot of coastal features and old Victorian mansions to visit. So we can probably spend a couple days, to a week seeing all there is to see and checking out property. Does this sound like a plan to you?”I asked of Darla as she uncrossed her legs and was nurturing her second cup of coffee as she stood up and asked if it was ok if she showered first. I said no problem and she disappeared into the bedroom and returned with clothes and a shower kit and a makeup bag and soon I heard the shower going.

       Oh the sounds of a naked woman showering in my presence had not been heard for some time and I just sat there and imagined too much. I had to shake myself loose from my thoughts and think about some breakfast and was soon peeling a couple of potatoes and was  frying some eggs. I buttered some toast and she stuck her head out the bathroom door and asked what I was cooking and I said breakfast and she needed to hurry. She dropped what she was doing and sat down and eagerly ate. Then returned to the bathroom to pick up where she left off vowing to wash the dishes.  

     I went outside and hooked the tow bar on the Jeep to the rear of the Road Warrior and hit the button for the awning to retract and then made sure all the compartments were locked and placed our trash in approved receptacles sorting out the recyclables. I returned to the inside of the Road Warrior and Darla was out the bathroom and had finished doing the dishes and was looking great with shorts showing off tan athletic looking legs. She had a loose open top barely showing any cleavage and I deemed her safe to be with me in my mind. It is one thing when I can see cleavage but another if I have to imagine. When I see cleavage, that is all I think about and I’m always trying to sneak a peek. It is bad I know, but a male thing I am sure. And women play you for it knowing how to get your attention, but Darla was playing it safe and I liked that considering our situation.  I just didn’t want to give her a wrong impression of what a dirty old man I really I am.

     I grabbed my stuff and headed into the shower after showing Darla how to access the computer and satellite to check her message’s in her email. I also showed her internet sites I bookmarked of places to visit around Fortuna I discovered, and that she also may want to see. I showered and stepped out of the bathroom as she was finishing on the internet, I asked if she was ready to go.  She said ‘Onward wagon master’. I went outside and unhooked the umbilical’s providing power to the Road Warrior and giving us sewer and water and soon was stepping into the cab again as the footstep retracted automatically as I closed the door. The Road Warrior was ready to go, and I guess  both Darla and I was too. She sat in the front passenger captain seat and looked like a little girl going for her first bike ride as I pulled the Road Warrior out of the campground lot onto the access road and was soon heading towards the gate of the RV Park and past the towering redwoods guarding the entrance to the RV Park and soon was on the Redwood Highway heading south. Life couldn’t be better for me at that point. A beautiful day, a beautiful woman to share it with and good company to boot also as we engaged in chit chat as we looked at the scenery unfolding before us. I don’t recall ever feeling like this before and tried to burn this image into my mind.

       That was until I saw that white Vulcan motorcycle in my rear view creeping up on the road behind me. The rider was a woman with long brown hair as it stuck out from under the white helmet. It sure looked like Leann was back there tailing me I thought. My heart sank .(to be cont.)

   

     

trip to sequoia- ch. 36 cont.

Ch. 36 (cont.) 

       So the buzz I said I needed so bad was just burned up as I hurried around, soon I had to take another shower as I waited on Darla to call having worked up a sweat cleaning everything up for her. The two hours dragged on into three then four and finally after I laid down to take a nap because I was so exhausted after cleaning and all, then she calls just as I am nodding off to sleep. Typical woman I thought. Just about the time I am ready to give up they finally come around.

     I answered my cell and Darla says, “Hi Guy, bet you were ready to give up on me. Weren’t you?”

     I told a little white lie and said. “No not yet. I figured you would call, just didn’t know when.” I know I am kind of a captive audience as she doesn’t really know anyone else out here in California or at least I don’t think she does so.  It was just a matter of time before she called.

      I asked. “So are you ready and is the Jeep going to be big enough for all your things?”

      Darla said. “I only brought three suitcases but I did go shopping and bought some more clothes as well, and some groceries for us to cook a meal tonight if you like. I would just kinda like to eat our own cooking for a while. You do know how to burn a steak?”

     I laughed but didn’t have the heart to tell her I gave up red meat a while ago in an effort to stay slim. I thought to myself I can just lay out a chicken breast and I will tell her when I get back to the Road Warrior. Besides I doubt if we are going anywhere today. By the time I pick her up our day will be pretty well shot anyhow. Maybe we could just move the Road Warrior and the Jeep and all right on down the road closer to Sequoia National park and check out properties as we go.

   I told her. “I can burn steak pretty good so is that the way you like your steak well past the m-o-o-o I take it?” Emphasizing the moo of course.

   Darla laughed and said. “If you hear that steak moo then we have problems Houston.”

     I said. “Well they have California cows that sing, take showers, and give you the low down on all your friends. Lying on a grill taking a little heat shouldn’t be a problem for them.” We laughed at the thought of those commercials of the California cows.

     Darla then says. “Why don’t you come pick me up Guy I am ready to get out of here? I am at the hotel and the rental car company just asked if I would leave the keys at the desk and you can just pick me up here if you like. They will come and get the car and take it from here. Makes it simpler for us.”

      “I will be right there.”  I said as I hung up my cell phone and grabbed the keys to the CJ-7 and was soon tooling down the Redwood Highway enjoying the breeze as it was waking me back up from my interrupted nap.  Damn women never know when to leave a Guy alone, I thought to myself as I drove along . Soon I was pulling into the Sheraton parking lot and I grabbed my cell and told Darla I was there. She said she would be down shortly.

     I walked into the lobby and waited around till someone from the hotel asked if they could help and about that time Darla steps out of the elevator dragging a luggage cart full of suitcases and bags and I looked at the male hotel employee and I said.

    “Well maybe not me, but for sure you can help her.” as she was struggling to get it all out of the elevator and the employee and me both rushed to help her.

    Darla said. “Thanks Guy.” and also she said it to the employee who asked if she was checking out. I thought to myself that is a no brainer. I mean how often do you see someone carrying around all their possession to say, go for a walk, or maybe to get ice. I chuckled at the absurdity of the question and Darla replied to him politely.

    “Why yes I am checking out if you will help me, maybe Guy can run and bring the Jeep along.”

     I said. “I don’t know about the running part but will gladly fetch the jeep.”  I said as I headed out the lobby doors. We soon had it all piled in the Jeep and soon we were heading back down the Redwood Highway with plastic bags flapping in the backseat from the wind of the open cab of the Jeep as we drove down the road. Darla touched my arm and asked if we could stop and pick up a bottle of wine and I said sure if she liked.  Soon we stopped at a drive thru that featured California wines in a back room sampling area. That was actually quite nice and comfy. Darla tasted a few samples and asked if I was going to partake and I refused saying I had given up drinking almost thirty years ago. She said she didn’t know or wouldn’t have asked me to stop.

    I assured her that whatever problems I had with alcohol were long ago gone, and it was a non -issue now. I just don’t drink .But have no problems with her drinking. Besides I thought to myself maybe she will get drunk and I can take advantage of her, and in the same moment reconsidered my thoughts knowing as much as I would like to I would never do that, and besides I have to maintain this business relationship between us, as things could get messy if I allowed myself to take advantage of her  and we couldn’t work together. I have to think of what we’re trying to do here and the good that can come out of it all.  And then again, it is if she even wanted anyone or me for that matter.  

      We arrived back at the camp and Darla stashed the two bottles of wine she had bought in the refrigerator to chill and unloaded and stored the food in the Road Warrior and set about putting her stuff in the bedroom of the Road Warrior, moving some of Ann and Lee’s stuff into her suitcases and then having me store their stuff in the compartments in the belly of the Road Warrior, and soon Darla exhausted from the day’s events flopped down on the couch, and asked if I noticed her hair.

    I thought what a dumbass, I was too busy to look, and though I noticed she had a new outfit on that kinda showed off her curves, by the time we were in the Jeep driving back,her hair was giving me its best impression of Albert Einstein blowing in the wind. I did notice her eyes and they also were as pretty a blue as mine were, and sparkled like diamonds. When we arrived here we were busy storing everything, so I had little time but to figure out where to put everything. Let alone worry about her hair.

     I looked and now I could see she had cut it short and it was layered in one of those finger cuts allowing her to finger comb and her hair and look fabulous it also emphasized the beauty of her face to shine through, highlighting her eyes. She must have colored it a little as it now had shades of blond highlights, besides I thought to myself I am not really supposed to notice all this any way I am no one to her. I just couldn’t let myself believe that someone so startling would want anything to do with me. I complimented her hair but reserved my other thoughts about her in general, trying always despite the tempting,  to venture much beyond the friendship thing. She said she cut it shorter as the Jeep was making it impossible to keep it under control.

     I said I could put the doors back on and use the AC  if she liked and she said no she enjoyed the openness of the Jeep and besides we wouldn’t be going all the time in the Jeep.

     I said exactly, and in fact I had planned on moving out of his area further south and setting up camp again,  say another hundred  miles  down the road with the Road Warrior , if she was ready to get started on our mission to find property for Ann’s charity work.

   Darla said yes, but asked if we could go in the morning as she had planned on us just enjoying a home cooked meal. The best that the Road Warrior and we could provide, along with  a walk in the RV park and just sit around the fire and talk tonight. I readily agreed.

    I went outside the Road Warrior and pulled the under counter grill out from its storage compartment in the belly of the beast, locked it in the upright position while Darla fixed some broccoli on the flat surface stove inside. After it was tender she added a cheesy cream sauce with a dash of red wine from the bottle she had opened and was drinking from. She also had a pan of  corn on the cob boiling on the stove top . She had her steak and mine also out, seasoning it with Ann’s spices when I came back in and I explained to her I quit eating red meat and she asked why and I said I needed to watch my weight and I didn’t need the extra cholesterol. I mentioned I had a chicken breast thawed and that I still knew how to cook a steak and would be more than happy to cook hers while I have the chicken breast.

    She said sorry, she didn’t know. And she would have it for breakfast soon. I sighed . at times like this I miss the red meat but I said no problem. She sautéed some mushrooms in butter and again a dash of wine while ll the time having  quite a mess going on and asked if I was going to be able to eat any of the mushrooms . I assured her no problem s I am always looking for some way to dress up a chicken. She suggested a tutu and a stogie might work. I smiled and headed out the door to grill. She also sent with me, the corn on the cob salted and buttered and wanted me to lay on the grill for a few minutes till a slight golden brown. I did and our dinners were great as we sat outside at the table under the awning and ate and enjoyed the evening hours sitting around a small fire in the pit ring provided. She drank a couple of glasses of wine, and we talked of our lives back home, and then she asked if I would like to take a walk with her. I said yes, and then doused the fire with water till there were no coals left.  We walked around the RV Park and soon we were back at the Road Warrior. I couldn’t help but notice how nice she smelled as I followed close behind her into the cabin of the Road Warrior. Also I noticed her thin frame and cute butt as she climbed the stairs, and thought of clyde talking about his sister in law’s butt and tried to get that thought out of my mind as I figured I am no better than clyde when all I can do is judge a woman by her assets, so to speak, rather than her intellectual capacity. But still I figure even at our age women still do the same with men. But if Darla was doing it I couldn’t tell, but until I saw something from her to indicate we had more than a casual friendship I needed to clear my mind of sexual thoughts.

    Darla said she was tired and headed to bed as the wine and the walk  had relaxed her and she was getting sleepy. I told her good night and that I may go outside and sit after checking the internet for messages. She said she needed to do that in the morning and leaned over and kissed my forehead and I looked at her and our eyes met, as she nonchalantly headed into the Road warrior’s bedroom and closed the door as she said good night. I needed a joint bad and soon I was walking around the RV Park again with a joint hanging out of my mouth this time taking deep tokes and trying to forget about all that was happening in the Road Warrior when I returned. In essence nothing but frustration is all I felt. Damn Ann for putting me in this position. Wow a pretty woman and a desperate man makes for a very trying time on my patience. Good thing I have pot to forget about it all. I laughed at the hilarity of the situation as I once again was back at the Road Warrior and surfing the internet planning tomorrows move. I am better than all this I told myself; I can control myself I thought, as I went to sleep. I heard nothing from Darla behind the closed door although I intently listened to hear her sleep, or anything from her. I slept well when I finally fell asleep.

   

     

trip to sequoia - ch. 36 cont.

Ch. 36 (cont.)

    Well since the federal government decided to not prosecute marijuana related offenses back in Aug. of 2013, life has been much simpler for pot users. ‘ I mean like wow man –you jus keep messin wi my head’, as  I say sarcastically. Thomas Jefferson our president grew it at the estate that is on the back of a nickel, Monticello. Yet in society it is slowly growing acceptance and is slowly regaining the popularity it had back in the 70’s and 80’s when a lot of the baby boomers were experimenting in casual drugs of all kinds. Pot or marijuana is and has always been a mainstay. I personally believe it is something better enjoyed in privacy. And I usually use alone or with some close friends. Clyde and I smoked regularly as I would sit on my dock alongside the Muskingum river drowning worms. Nothing as relaxing as sitting there watching the river and just seeing thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw power speedin its way to the Gulf of Mexico, while at the same time I am just focusing on the river while listening to ‘Elvira” on a country western station and trying to drown out clyde in my mind. As he is   droning on in his slow talking mode about how much he likes his sister in laws butt. I never thought life could get better than that. I still had Leann on my mind and was doing pretty much what I wanted, but I was immune in a way to everything going on around me.  I didn’t stress anymore, I was relaxed and looked for work to do as I felt great in my singularity. I wouldn’t go anywhere all summer if I didn’t take the boat to go. I even carried the gas I needed along with groceries back to the pontoon and would mix oil and gas for the engine. At the same time I sat carvings along the road and advertised on the internet some of  my carvings for sale.

     And I sold well. Once in a while Ann and Lee would pop in for a weekend but besides being lonely, I was in my Shangri La . Could have cared less for anything more as the bills were paid , some money in the bank and a boat  to go to  town with , who could ask for anything more?

     Money changes everything as now I am driven by two factors. One a woman I have been paired with , with which I have to be on the top of my game for all the time in a business sense, yet in some ways desire more. And the other is the money. Money to finally make a few dreams come true and  to be able to leave a legacy behind  where you can prove that you left the world a little better and  also to have enough money to know that I will be comfortable if I don’t live beyond my means. The money put in trust by Ann will in part bolster a lot of my theories of which I can say in most instances say they were not mine but from a collection of people I have mentored over the years and just brought together in a hopefully uniform manner to be enjoyed by those that feel the same way I do. But along with all that comes responsibility.

     I rose early as if Darla was about to call any minute and today I wanted to at least I have my shorts on when she arrived. But instead there was nothing until at least eight thirty, and then there was a cell phone call . it was Darla and by now I had showered, shaved, and had 2 cups of coffee and was running my mouse all over southern California on my Google Earth App. looking for unusual places to show Darla as we went along. I withheld on that joint last night and  when I arrove at the Road Warrior last night, I just crashed on the couch and woke up long enough to make it to bed and slept again till I arose this morning. I was beat from all we did and all the walking  yesterday , and was kind of glad when she took longer to call this morning , I needed that time to recuperate and apparently she did also.

    After greetings Darla says to me over the phone. “Guy , sorry I am late , started early but received a call from Ann and Lee and they said I could just tell you what they were up to and how to get ahold of them. They said they are still going to meet us in Sequoia National Park , on Labor Day at twelve noon , at the General Sherman tree , and I guess you know where that is Guy, and that they will be taking an Alaskan cruise for the next two weeks and that I am supposed to go along with you in the Road Warrior and turn in my rental car and  I said I should ask you first if that is ok, is it?”

     “Wow that was a mouthful; you get straight to the point. So let me get this straight. I who have lived alone without a woman, for two years and longer on a permanent basis, is supposed to take you currently homeless millionaire into not my home, but my so called employers rolling abode , and what, give up their bed and go back to sleeping on a couch bed, so that you can be more efficiently available to me on a business basis? Sounds like a plan to me. “ I laughed at the thought of how Ann seemed to have this all worked out , and that Darla may easily be a willing participant.

     “Well guy when you put it that way it kinda sounds like I am imposing?”

    “ I am sorry just , having a hard time grasping it all but in a way it does make sense So ditch your car and I will come pick you up.”

       “ I can’t right now I am shopping at the mall and need to pick up some stuff then I will call you.”

     “No problem , how long are you going to be? Have a few things I can do till you re ready. ” I asked

     Darla asked. “Do you think you could pick me up in a couple of hours ?”

       “ Sure sounded good to me , call and tell me where, and I will come get you , you poor homeless thing.” I laughed as I was saying that. Darla couldn’t help laughing either at the thought . Then I said to her after a pause of uncomfortable silence.   

   “ Later darla.”

    “ Later  guy.”

     I pocketed my smart phone and set about heading outside and lighting up that bad boy joint  I had from last night . A two hour reprieve, enough time to relax a little. I started smoking and thinking about things as I usually as I am getting high. I design stuff in my mind, write songs, crazy ones, but I still write them and todays subject seemed to be whether Darla was weed tolerant or not. Heck I still haven’t figured out her age hoping mentioning songs while we were driving along hoping it  would trigger a response like ‘that came out when I was 16’, giving me a rough approximation to her age, and io am good at guessing ages usully,  but she almost looked thirty five. And then she has raised two kids and is putting them through college. I would ask but I was always told never ask a woman her age. But I am sure she has all my personal information and surprised she doesn’t have a copy of my fingerprint on file. In fact, I think I gave all that to Ann when she was replacing my credit and debit cards after the first break-in of the Road Warrior. Ann  just faxed all of my information including a picture and a thumbprint of my right hand to Darla who did all the work for Ann, while Darla was still at the Gunnite Corp.. so Darla knew everything about me and I know little of Darla except that Ann paid for Darla to go to college and become a CPA, and this also helped the Gunnite Corporation as the IRS has a tendency to question more items on taxes when the main accountant has a vested interest in controlling the operation. So Darla has had some major experience in marketing and controlling an operation the size of Gunnite.

    Thinking about having Darla in the Road Warrior all the time made me realize I needed to get off my ass and get that thing cleaned up. The nice thing about the Road Warrior is that it has an in the wall vacuum. All you have to do is pull the electric wand out of the closet and plug in the wall adapter then  the beater bar suction will make quick work of the carpet. Then it was a matter of picking up my stuff around the inside the cabin of the Road Warrior. I placed my pot outside in a back storage compartment, so that if at some time I needed to slip away and not be noticed while we were travelling together, I could just grab it out of there and just head out . For the next month we will together running around the country together tenty four hours  day as business associates. This could be maddening and frustrating also. But still maybe this is what I need. Already I am starting to worry about this and that, and my appearances more. It isn’t all bad I told myself. At least not yet.  (To be cont.)