Loading...Gerri killed the engine on her bass boat and glided into a cove sighing with contentment. Looking around at the morning mist rising from the lake she couldn’t think of anywhere she would rather be or anything else she would rather be doing. As the boat slowed to a near stop she rose from the helm and slid into her bass seat taking up her rod and engaging the foot controlled trolling motor.
Popping her ear buds into her ears and starting her fishing play list she checked to make sure the hooks on her tiny torpedo plug were sharp and undamaged then flipped it out near an old, half submerged tree stump. It landed with a splash just as her favorite top water fishing song by the Doobie Brothers sprang to life in her ears.
Twitch twitch… twitch twitch… twitch-ta- twitch-ta- twitch… ta-twitch twitch, and the water exploded around her plug. A young bass leaped from the water, plug clenched in its wide jaws and danced across the surface on its tail. The fight was exhilarating though brief and she released him with a kiss on the snout and the admonition to “go back, grow up and tell Grandpa that I’ve been picking on you!”
Several hours and many such small battles later Gerri decided that she couldn’t ignore the grumbling in her belly much longer, besides, it was getting hot. Visions of the double cheese burger and cold brew that she knew would be waiting at the marina grill and pub made her mouth water. Just one more cove and she would head in for the afternoon. Food, rest, a little work and she would be back to it when the evening brought cool breezes and hungry bass.
As she began fishing that last cove she realized she was not alone. Her second favorite thing about summer was the outstanding views found on the shores of the lake. On a pier sticking out behind one of the cabins arrayed around the cove was a blonde in a bikini stretched out and sunning in a reclining deck chair. Not wanting to disturb the beauty, she fished up near the pier then cruised around it with the trolling motor, glad for the mirrored shades she was wearing.
The fishing had slowed considerably due to the rising heat of the day and it didn’t take long to get mostly to the end of the cove. Suddenly Gerri was shocked by the sound of screaming and squealing, it had to be the blonde but she was out of sight around a bend. Gerri fired up the big engine and sped around the bend to see a comical sight. While the blonde stretched out sunning a large black snake had decided to soak up a few rays too and had slithered to a spot on the pier near the bank. The blonde was obviously terrified of snakes and afraid to go near it. She was cut off and doing a screaming snake dance mid pier.
Gerri quickly pulled the boat up to the pier intending to offer rescue. The blonde was so panicked that as soon as the boat was alongside the pier she flat-out leaped at Gerri, who caught her and staggered under the weight and force, nearly going over backwards and finally collapsing onto the live well behind her. Looking down she found herself starring into the brightest green eyes and lushest lips she had ever seen. She just could not resist, she swooped in and captured those lush lips in a searing kiss. The kiss was long, hot and passionate, just as it was coming to an end Gerri’s play list cycled and both of them burst into giggles. One of her ear buds had fallen out and both could hear Sam and Dave belt out “Hold on I’m Coming'” as Gerri placed the woman on her feet in the boat.
The blonde looked Gerri up and down and her eyes widened. She hadn’t realized until then that Gerri was a woman. Gerri, embarrassed, was quick to apologize. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s alright, though Katy Perry would have been more appropriate accompaniment, I’ve never been kissed by a woman before and I did like it.”
Gerri did the only thing she could think of to end the embarrassment quickly. She grabbed a small bucket out of the boat, scooped it full of lake water and hopped up on the pier. She walked slowly toward the big black snake, stopped when she thought she had a good range and tossed the bucket of water at it. The snake did not like the rude awakening at all and slithered off into some bushes along the bank as fast as it could.
Gerri hopped back in the boat and handed the blonde the bucket with a flourish. “There you go, black snakes are land snakes and don’t like cold water. Keep the bucket and next time you get cut off you can send it packing with no trouble at all.”
“Thank you, thank you very much, I will remember that!” The blonde climbed back on the pier and it wasn’t until Gerri had fired the engine and sped off toward the marina that she realized she hadn’t even gotten her name.
*************
Even though Gerri knew that another messy relationship with a questioning straight woman was the last thing she needed, she couldn’t resist going back to that same cove fishing every afternoon for a week. No sign of the blonde but the fishing was great there at least. She had to wonder if the blonde had just been visiting someone at the cabin and had since left town. It was over a week later when fate stepped in and unceremoniously dumped them together again.
Gerri was happily fishing along enjoying her latest fishing gear purchase. Someone had finally come up with a life vest that was cooler and more comfortable. This new vest had all the flotation bulk around the lower ribs and gut leaving the upper chest and shoulders encased only in a fine breathable mesh. Which was great, until it happened that Gerri hooked the biggest bass she had ever seen. The huge bass took her plug and stripped off line at an alarming rate. Gerri frantically tightened her drag just as he broke the surface to dance on his tail and spit the plug back at her. The plug hit her in the left breast with an audible slap and two of the three points of the treble hook on it buried themselves in past the barbs.
Gerri quickly pulled out her pocket knife and cut the fishing line free of the plug, rolled the line up to her reel and then surveyed the damage. Two of the three points on the treble hook had went through the mesh of her life vest, through her polo shirt, through her sports bra and buried as deep as they could go into her breast. Normally if she got a hook in her, she gritted her teeth, and used a pair of pliers to push the barb on through the skin and then clip it off enabling easy removal. You ended up with two small holes but that was the easiest thing to do. Unfortunately this time with two points buried so deeply she couldn’t do that. Since she knew for a fact that the town doctor and her sometimes fishing partner had left this very morning on vacation it was going to mean a trip to County Hospital.
********
Gerri being the flirt that she was just had to stop at the grocery on the way through town to pick up a dozen donuts and a bouquet of flowers for the ER nurses. In a town this small everyone knew everyone else and in the case of the ER staff, well hell, she had dated a couple of them at one time or another through the years. She was hoping the donuts and flowers would score her a few brownie points and maybe a little special treatment in case she didn’t know any of the ones on duty today. Of course Celia Brown the grocery clerk just had to notice the plug hanging off her chest as she stood waiting for her to ring it up and before she knew it she was surrounded by local women. Tales of husbands and sons hooked with this or that lure flew like a cloud of mosquitoes among them, until finally Gerri had to excuse herself saying she wanted to get to the ER before infection set in.
As Gerri walked through the doors of the ER she looked around thankful to find it mostly empty on a weekday afternoon. The first nurse to spot her squealed and ran to her about to wrap her in a big hug only to have Gerri stick her left arm out to stop her and then offer up the donuts and flowers.
“Whoa there Penny! I can’t hug you or we may end up permanently joined, but I did bring these to brighten the nurses day.”
“Oh my gosh! Honey is that thing sticking where I think it is? Here let me take those to the desk and I’ll get you back so the Doc can get a look at that!”
Gerri found herself whisked to a small room with a gurney and told to sit, the Doc would be there in just a minute. She was glad to be sitting on the gurney a few minutes later when none other than the blonde beauty walked through the door and introduced herself as Dr. Hortin. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes and a shy smile and then she was all business.
“Hi, ah, Gerri I see here Penny has pulled your records. Hmm how long since you have had a Tetanus injection?”
“Well, I’m not sure Doc maybe years ago when I was in a car accident if they give them for that.”
They were joined by Penny and the other nurse on duty Mary, who both began fussing about as the doctor barked orders at them.
“Mary let’s get her shirt and bra cut off and get her hooked up to a monitor. I want to make sure nothing is going on with her blood pressure or heart rate. She may have a reaction to that galvanized metal hook. Penny, I’m going to need a Tetanus injection as well as some Lidocaine and a scalpel and suture kit. Gerri I have a couple of other patients to see and I will be back to get those hooks out.”
With that she was out the door leaving Gerri with Penny and Mary to get her ready.
Mary looked over and said “Well we can’t just cut the clothes off her. Oh, the vest and shirt would work but if we cut that sports bra the elastic is going to snap back and it’s only going to dig the hooks in deeper.”
Gerri spoke up. “Have you got a pair of wire cutters? If you do I can cut the hook off the plug and then you can just cut a hole in the fabric around the hook and I should be able to get out of my clothes on my own.”
“Good idea sweetie! How are you doing pain wise? Do you need anything for it? I remember just how sensitive those girls are. I know you have to be hurting.” Penny said with a wink.
“No, I’m alright for now. I don’t like that stuff anyway. I’d have to have a hell of a lot worse to take anything. So how long has the new Doc been in town? I didn’t know about her, it has been a while since I have had to come to the ER.”
Both Penny and Mary could remember exactly what a traumatic experience Gerri’s last ER visit had been and began trying to steer the conversation away from that one as fast as possible.
Penny blurted out “Oh a couple of months. She moved down here from up North when old Doctor Harvey retired.”
Mary added “I guess our little ER isn’t much compared to the trauma center she used to work in but she seems to like it here.”
It took a few minutes but they eventually got her naked to the waist and hooked to a monitor. Penny was just rolling a small tray table up with various instruments on it when the doctor returned.
“Well, now I get my chance to rescue my rescuer! How in the world did this happen?”
Penny and Mary headed out to care for the other patients of the ER leaving them alone but not before Penny looked to Gerri and raised an eyebrow about the rescuer remark.
“Oh, man! I mean Doctor, I hooked the biggest bass I have ever seen. It made a run for it and was stripping line like crazy so I looked down to adjust the drag on my reel and just as I looked down it broke water and threw the plug. I didn’t have time to duck or dodge and well, there it is.”
Dr Hortin realized that Gerri must really love fishing. During her tale her heart rate had shot up and her blood pressure was rising.
“Alright just calm down there, I am sure you will cross paths again and I bet you will get it next time. Now, do you have any itching going on like hives? How about your breathing? No breathlessness or tightness in your throat? There seems to be a bit of swelling but it’s not too bad.”
“No Doc I am not allergic to hooks, I’ve had plenty of them in me before. I would have gotten this out myself but with it being two barbs and uh, where it is, I didn’t think I could handle it on my own this time.”
“You are in luck I’ve done several of these before though never one in that exact place. I’ve done backs, shoulders, hands even ears but never a breast. I guess if you work emergency long enough you will see everything eventually. I will just give you a couple of small injections to numb the area then use a scalpel to slightly enlarge the holes so that I can get the barbs out without tearing any tissue. I’ll then put a single stitch in each hole, not because of the size but just to aid in healing and reduce the chance of scarring.”
Gerri held her breath as the doctor approached her and took up a syringe. She wasn’t so much concerned about the pain as she was her reaction. Try as she might she just could not stop her nipples from hardening the moment the doctor grasped her breast to hold it still and she knew the monitor would give her racing heart away as well. She tried closing her eyes only to be met with images of wild and passionate lovemaking and if she just stared straight ahead she was looking at those lush lips and sorely tempted to steal another kiss.
“Breathe Gerri your O2 stats are dropping.”
“Uh, sorry Doc I was just trying to…”
“I am remembering that kiss too. Just bear with me. We will be through this in a few minutes and then I think we need to talk about that.”
Gerri did her best to stay very still and let the doctor do her work. She did notice that there was a slight tremble in the doctors hands and her nipples were making themselves seen through the white lab coat she wore as well. It seemed Gerri was not the only one affected by the close contact and she wasn’t sure if she should be elated by that or wary of it. The last thing she wanted was to be another straight girls experiment with bi-sexuality, she had been burned very badly by that one more than once. It was the eternal problem of the single butch. You are recognizable to everyone by your manner and dress and if you are also attracted to the more feminine of the female population you are susceptible to straight girl games be they intended or not.
Dr. Hortin tied off the last stitch, applied a topical antibiotic ointment and placed a small bandage to cover both of the small wounds.
“OK, now first of all my name is Lisa you don’t have to call me doctor. Secondly, doctors normally don’t treat friends and family, I wouldn’t have seen you today except that I know the town doctor is on vacation and I’m the only one on duty at the moment. I am glad you came in today though because I’ve thought about you ever since you rescued me from that snake and I had no idea who you were or how to reach you. I would really like to get to know you better. You know where I live. I have one more day on this rotation and then maybe we could get together for dinner at my place?”
Gerri was a bit taken aback by that. She wasn’t used to being asked out she was usually the one doing the pursuing but it excited her to think she had been in Lisa’s thoughts so much in the past week.
“What is a rotation? And I would love to get together when you are free. I have thought about you too and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve fished your cove every afternoon in hopes of catching you out sunning again.”
“Here in the ER the doctors work regular shift times but are on call during our off hours for the rest of the 24 in two week rotations. Because it is easier and faster to be on site when we are on call we have small rooms here where we stay when we aren’t working during our on call rotations. We can leave the hospital but it is just easier to stick close when on call. If it is busy or we have a major event we can just run downstairs and start working immediately.”
“Oh, I see, that is why I haven’t seen you out then. Well like I said I would love to get together just let me know when and where. Here is my cell number.”
Gerri handed Lisa a card from her wallet and then looked around intending to get dressed as Penny re-entered the room and they both went back to business.
“I’ll release you to go home now. I’ve written you a prescription for some antibiotics and you need to keep those stitches dry for a week or so then they can be removed. It’s not necessary to come back to have them removed you can probably manage that on your own or have a friend do it just make sure to watch for signs of infection. Penny here can probably fix you up with a scrub top if your shirt is too messed up to wear in public.”
“It’s OK we just cut a hole in it and the bandage covers me under the hole so no problem there. Thank you doctor and I look forward to seeing you again just under better circumstances next time.”
As soon as the doctor left the room Penny just had to poke her nose in and find out what was going on between the two.
“Alright Gerri fess up what is up with Dr. Hortin. Have you been chasing blondes again?”
“No Ma’am! I ran into her when I was out fishing last week and we plan on having dinner soon. I’ll let her tell you about it if she wants you to know.”
With that Gerri pulled her polo over her head, snatched up her life vest and sports bra and scrambled out the door before she could be questioned further.
*************
Penny made sure to run into Dr. Hortin in the cafeteria at shifts end and sat down next to her at a table. Both women started talking at the same time.
“So you know Gerri personally?”
“You have to tell me how you ran into Gerri she wasn’t …. ” Penny stopped mid question and said “No, you go ahead Doctor sorry to interrupt you.”
“Well you two seemed to know each other and I was just wondering about her. Have you known her long?”
“I’ve known her since we were kids. We’ve dated on and off here and there through the years. The question is how do you know her? Are you dating? I didn’t know you dated women. I tried to ask her about it but she wouldn’t say anything she told me to ask you.”
“I don’t, I mean, I haven’t dated women but, ugh, let me start at the beginning. I was out sun bathing on my pier the other day and she went fishing by in her boat. I didn’t realize it was a woman. I didn’t really pay that much attention to her as she went by. When I got up to go in the house and get a drink there was this huge snake laying on the pier between me and land. I freaked out. I was screaming and she just suddenly appeared in her boat. I jumped off the pier and she caught me. The next thing I knew we were kissing and I didn’t realize till we were kissing that she was a woman. I have to say it was the best kiss I’ve had and well, I’d like to get to know her better. I don’t know if that makes me gay or what but I am really interested in her and it doesn’t bother me in the least if it does.”
Penny let out a sigh of frustration and then started in with her own story. She had seen Gerri go through absolute hell these past few years and she wasn’t about to let it happen to her friend again. Truth be known she was surprised Gerri had come through it in one piece and mentally stable. She was sure that another disaster would send her clear over the edge.
“Look Gerri has been through a lot and I don’t want to see her hurt again. You see Gerri grew up here, her family has owned the local feed and seed for generations. Everything was great up until three years ago. Gerri flirts with every woman she meets and everybody knows she is just being nice and kidding around so no one takes offense from the local preachers wife on down to the grocery clerks. Straight, married, Bi, Gay she doesn’t differentiate, she is just a natural flirt. She’ll call you Ma’am, kiss your hand and bow to you just being Gerri, then the bimbo got a hold of her and nearly got her killed.
“Bimbo?”
Gerri had been flirting with this waitress who I call the bimbo for years. It was all in fun, at least Gerri thought it was. Until one day bimbo comes out with she is getting a divorce because her husband is abusive and she wants Gerri. What she really wanted was a decoy for her nut-job ex to chase while she was off having a ball with the man she had been sneaking around to date for months.”
“Oh god, what happened then?”
“Bimbo let it be known all over town that she was leaving her husband for Gerri. She made sure plenty of folks knew when she was going over to Gerri’s house once and you know how the rumor mill is. Well, crazy ex decided he wasn’t gong to let Gerri steal his wife so he and two of his buddies ran Gerri off the road one night and nearly beat her to death.”
“That is the car accident report I saw in her medical records.”
“What isn’t in those records is that Gerri’s Mom and Dad came across the accident site when the wrecker was pulling her truck out of the ditch. Gerri was already in the ambulance on the way here. Her Dad took off driving like a madman headed here to the hospital and then they were hit head on by a drunk driver over on highway 43 and both of them died in the accident.”
“Oh, No!”
“Gerri has done a lot better than I thought she would. She hasn’t dated in the three years since and she couldn’t stand to go back to working the feed and seed. She hired a manager and set everything up on computer where she can work from home. She felt too alone and there were too many memories at the old farmhouse so she had it boarded up and moved down to the family house boat at the marina. She fishes all morning, comes in at lunch for a couple of beers and a burger at the marina grill, does the books for the store till early evening and then she is back out and fishing again. She seems happy and I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“I want you to know I would never hurt her. I’m not that kind of person. I will always be honest with her and I don’t play games.”
“Thank you Doctor. I know it is really none of my business what she does with her love life but she is a friend and I’d hate to see anything else happen to her. Don’t be surprised that if you two are seen together much around town you have other mother hens on your tail. Just about everyone in the town gathered around her when her folks were killed. She is a much loved member of our community.”
***************
Gerri idly chewed on her cigarillo, knocked back a shot of fine Tennessee whiskey and looked around to see what everyone else had showing. She had some confidence in her two pair but in seven card stud you never really knew till all bets were in and the cards hit the table. She called and threw in her five jellybeans. Earl, the tractor mechanic that worked for the feed and seed, made a snorting grunt and folded. Rick, the local auto body man, called as well. Junior, the local heat and air repair man, sat there staring at his cards for what seemed like an eternity and finally called too. Bill, manager of the bank, dealt the final cards all around and immediately bet ten jelly beans. Gerri was just about to fold when she heard someone tentatively ringing the antique dinner bell that served as her door bell.
“Hang on guys I’ll be right back, that can’t be your women coming to pick you up yet it’s too early.”
Gerri walked up to the fly bridge and looked over at the dock in front of the lower deck to see Lisa standing there holding what looked to be a covered pie plate and a grocery bag.
“Hi Lisa we are all up on the top deck. Come on aboard the stairs are to port.”
Lisa made her way to the top deck wondering just who the we was. She was surprised to see an array of local guys around the table all smoking cigars and drinking whiskey while playing poker.
“Hey Gerri, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company. I guess I should have called first.”
“It’s OK Lisa I think you know just about everyone here. We all get together Thursday nights to play a little poker. The girls drop the guys off so we can smoke our stinky cigars, drink our whiskey and play cards while they are off for a lady’s night out. Their only rule is we have to play for jellybeans.”
Lisa looked at the mounds of jellybeans around the table and noticed that Gerri’s pile was significantly smaller than the others.
“Hmm rough night Gerri? Maybe your luck will improve now. Is there a fridge around I can put these in?”
Gerri had to pause and ponder just what her luck improving might entail, that seemed to be a loaded statement.
“Uh, yeah , uh, sure! It is down stairs in the galley. Just down the steps and through the sliding glass doors you can’t miss it. Make yourself at home.”
Gerri returned to the table and looked over her cards again deciding to fold and hope the next hand brought better prospects. Rick just had to speak up and voice the question all of them wanted to ask.
“Hey Gerri, you got a girl now?”
“Well Rick, I don’t rightly know about that but it seems like I might if my nosy, card playing, friends don’t muck it up for me that is. The last time a woman brought me a pie it was a good sign.”
Of course old Bill had to chime in on that one and Lisa topped the steps just in time to hear him.
“That would probably be according to what was in that grocery sack. If she brought you pie and ice cream it’s a maybe kind of thing but if she brought you pie and whipped cream, well now, that could get very serious indeed.”
Everyone burst out laughing and Lisa moved to Gerri’s side blushing profusely.
“Lisa let me get you a chair. Would you like a drink? Do you play? I don’t have many but I’ll spot you enough jellybeans for a hand or two. The girls should be back soon.”
“Sure I’ll play a hand or two and I wouldn’t mind a double on the rocks but no cigar for me thank you. I think I remember playing this with my brothers when I was little but we played for gold fish crackers.”
Gerri jumped up, grabbed another deck chair, and went to the wet bar to pour Lisa a double on the rocks. Once everyone got settled in the other guys folded except for Rick and Bill won the hand with three aces over Rick’s two pair.
It was Junior’s turn to deal and everyone pitched in the five bean ante. Gerri was happy to see she had two queens up but disappointed by her six of clubs hole card. She looked over to Lisa who had a jack and ten of diamonds showing and was chewing on her lower lip. Gerri shifted in her chair and stared for a moment, totally distracted. It wasn’t until Bill cleared his throat loudly that she realized it was her turn to bet. She raised five beans over the five bean bet Bill had made and Junior dealt out another round of cards. Gerri wasn’t much impressed with her five of hearts up but she decided to call the bet in hopes she would get at least another pair to go with her queens. When she looked over to Lisa she wondered if maybe she was in serious trouble. She had a look on her face that brought to mind that old cliche about a cat and a canary. She upped the bid by ten beans and Gerri had to worry she wouldn’t have enough left to see the hand through but called it anyway.
Two of the others had already folded so it was just her, Lisa, Earl and Bill. Gerri seemed to have the best hand showing but you never know what everyone has in the hole. Next round Gerri got another six which gave her two pair but Lisa all but squealed when she saw her third diamond pop up, this time a nine and Bill and Earl both folded leaving just Lisa and Gerri to see it out. Lisa bet ten beans and Gerri called it. Junior dealt the last up card Lisa got an eight of spades and Gerri a seven of clubs. Again Lisa bet ten beans and Gerri called it. Junior dealt the last hole card. Gerri got another queen which gave her a full house queens over sixes. Lisa seemed to still be happy as could be with her hand and bet the ten bean max yet again. Gerri not only called but upped it by eight beans because she didn’t have ten left to bet. It was finally time to lay the cards on the table and Gerri was happy to see her full house beat Lisa’s flush. Now she had a huge pile of jellybeans and felt much better.
Lisa said “See I told you that you were going to get lucky.” with a totally innocent look on her face and everyone around the table hooted with laughter at her. She had to think about it for a moment and then blushed mightily when she realized what she had said.
There was a commotion from downstairs and Gerri realized the girls were back. Everyone gathered their jellybeans as the girls came up the stairs. Of course there were a few more questions. Bills wife Shelby was first off with.
“Why isn’t it Dr. Hortin from the ER? Honey, I want to thank you again for taking such good care of my grandson his ear infection is better now and he is right as rain again.”
Closely followed by Junior’s wife Celia the grocery clerk.
“Hey there Dr. Hortin were you the one to cut those hooks out of Gerri the other day? She came by the grocery to get flowers and that plug just looked awful hanging there like it was.”
Lisa spoke up. “I’m not Dr. Hortin when I am sitting round the table drinking whiskey and playing poker. You can all call me Lisa. I am only Dr. Hortin when I am in my lab coat treating patients.”
Bill just naturally seemed to take charge of everyone and it wasn’t long till he had everyone except Lisa herded together and off the dock, headed to their homes. Gerri was thankful for the privacy. She was wondering just what kind of pie Lisa had brought her and what was going to top it.
Lisa helped Gerri clear away the rest of the poker game mess and then followed her downstairs. Gerri busied herself with loading all the glasses in the dishwasher and then turned to Lisa.
“Would you like a little boat tour?”
“Yes! I’d love that.”
“Well you see, my Dad used his life savings to have this boat built for Mom. It was to be their retirement home. Everything is custom on it. Back here where there would normally be bunks in the hallway to the aft cabin he had it left clear and put in a treadmill on one side and a weight machine on the other. The cuddy up front has a washer and dryer instead of sleeping accommodations too. They didn’t plan on having many guests. The aft cabin is the master and there is only the one other stateroom aboard. Mom had knee replacement the year before he had the boat built and he wanted her to have a place to do her rehab work. There is also a small hot tub up on the sun deck as well as a grill and wet bar. I like to sit in the tub and watch the stars. I feel closer to my parents here then I did in the old family home because it was built just for them.”
By now they had made it back to the galley and main living area of the boat and Lisa spoke up.
“Hey, I forgot about the pie! Have a slice of pie with me?”
“Yes Ma’am! And I could use that to make more than one dirty joke but I will behave myself I promise. What kind of pie are we having?”
“I made a cherry pie just for you, I brought whipped cream to top it off and you can take that any way you want.” Lisa said with a wink.
“Hmm one would think you were flirting with me Lady. I am not sure though maybe I am mistaken. How about some coffee to go with our pie?”
“That sounds perfect, it’s getting late and that whiskey was a little stronger than I am used to. It’s a long drive back to the cabin.”
“Well, if you don’t want to make that drive you are welcome to stay here… in the spare stateroom. I’d like to talk to you about your plans for the holiday weekend coming up. Do you get time off or are you stuck slaving away in the ER all weekend?”
Lisa was busy getting their pie ready and swiped her finger through the whipped cream on one of the slices offering it up to Gerri.
“I got lucky! I drew the short straw and I am off until Tuesday AM shift. The other three doctors are either on duty or on call all weekend to deal with those ‘Hey buddy hold my beer and watch this’ moments and I do not feel guilty one little bit about it.”
“Well I was wondering if you had plans because up river at Knoxville they have the Boomsday celebration on Labor day weekend. I thought I could call ahead and get a slip rented and just take the big boat up for the weekend.”
“What is Boomsday?”
“Knoxville has the largest fireworks display in the nation for Labor Day on Saturday at the Gay street bridge over the river. There are boat races and ski competitions during the day and live concerts in the evening then it all culminates in the fireworks show. Down town Knoxville is right on the river as well as the University of Tennessee and the Vols first football game of the season is on the day after. I am not much for football but I thought it would be less crowded on the water to slip back down river during the game because most of the boat traffic will be the Vol Navy.”
Gerri reached out and licked the offered finger slowly then sucked it in her mouth and did a tongue swirl around it for good measure. She watched Lisa tremble as if she was chilled and then fire come to life in her eyes as goose bumps raised on her arms. Not wanting to get too involved too fast Gerri picked up the desert plates with their pie on them and went to the small dining table motioning for Lisa to get the coffees.
“Whew! I’ve never.”
“That is one very important thing I want to discuss with you Darlin’. I like you, I am super attracted to you but while there are many things I would love to be in your life a regret is not one of them. Before we go breaking those I’ve nevers I want you to be absolutely sure it is what you want. There is only one first time for everything.”
“No, I mean, I understand and I thank you but it is more than just that.”
Gerri had to stop and think about that. More? What could be more? Then it hit her, dear god please don’t let her tell me she is a 35 year old virgin. Surely she hasn’t got to this point in life with no sex at all.
“More?”
“Well, um, how do I say this? There is more than just the I have never had sex with a woman. There is also the, um, you see I’ve dated men. I’ve even slept with a few but it was never any good really. When you kissed me last week I very nearly had an orgasm and I’ve never had an orgasm that I didn’t cause myself. I’ve also never had oral sex of any kind so I don’t really know what to expect from sex with a woman but I can tell you my imagination has been driving me wild ever since that kiss.”
Gerri was absolutely flabbergasted by Lisa’s revelations. That was definitely more, a lot more and she worried about how she was going to live up to dealing with that much more.
“All the more reason for you to be very sure I am what you want. Let’s enjoy our coffee and pie then you can sleep over in the spare stateroom. In the morning you can run home to pack and when you get back we will take our little Boomsday trip. Lets just take it as it goes and see what happens. I will tell you one thing though, there is more to lesbian sex than just oral. I am a butch, that means being with me is like being with both a woman and a man in some respects.”
After they had their pie and coffee Gerri excused herself. She had something particular in mind. She wanted to give Lisa a good night kiss and fuel for her imagination. She slipped into the master stateroom and searched through the drawers of her dresser.
She returned to the galley just in time to see Lisa close the dishwasher and start it up. While Gerri was determined not to take Lisa to bed tonight a little taste wouldn’t be bad surely. She came up behind Lisa and wrapped her arms around her. Nibbling the side of her neck, she slowly ran her hands up under Lisa’s shirt front and cupped her breasts. Lisa moaned loudly and Gerri slowly began to grind against her backside.
Lisa was so surprised to feel what seemed to be a hard on she gasped. Oh, so that was what Gerri had meant when she said is would be like being with both a woman and a man. That was interesting, very interesting indeed.
Gerri’s passions were wildly inflamed now too and she spun Lisa around and backed her up against the refrigerator. Her hands went back up under Lisa’s shirt squeezing her breasts firmly and thumbing her nipples as she leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss. Their tongues tangled and Gerri’s seemed to be everywhere at once.
Lisa was gasping for air at every breath now and she felt every brush of Gerri’s thumbs on her nipples all the way to her toes. The pleasure was building almost painfully and she knew when the orgasm hit it was going to be huge, probably bigger than any one she had ever had and she struggled to bring it closer. She reached around and grabbed Gerri by the ass and pulled her body in close grinding against the hardness she had felt against her backside.
Gerri felt like a wild ravening beast. Lisa was grinding on her strap on and it was grinding against her clit and it wasn’t going to take much of that to send Gerri over the edge into orgasm herself. She slowed her kiss for a moment and grabbed Lisa’s shirt front to pull it up nearly to her chin, leaning down and taking Lisa’s right nipple in her mouth. Lisa squealed loudly and her whole body stiffened. The extra friction was too much for Gerri, she groaned against Lisa’s nipple and exploded in orgasm just as Lisa’s eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp.
Gerri held Lisa up against the fridge for a few moments as her own breathing slowed.
“Lisa?” It was no use. She was out cold. Gerri gently lifted her into her arms and carried her to the stateroom, kicked open the door, laid her on the bed and slowly removed her clothes as Lisa roused up at last and grinned at her.
“Whew! Just, Whew! If that is anything near what sex is like with a woman I can tell you right now I damn sure want it and lots of it!”
Gerri couldn’t repress a wide grin. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far but I think you would slap me if I said I’m sorry so I won’t.” She pulled the covers up over a now naked Lisa trying not to stare at the beauty she covered as she did and said. “Sleep Darlin’ and we will talk more in the morning.”
****************
Gerri woke early as she always did and crept into the galley to make breakfast. She loaded a tray with waffles and bacon for two along with fresh strawberries and cream. Approaching the door to Lisa’s stateroom she paused to try to figure out just how to open the door without losing the tray only to have Lisa open the door in front of her.
“Good morning Darlin’ breakfast is served.”
“Ooo waffles and bacon!”
“Yes Ma’am now scoot back to the bed and lets eat!”
They both piled into the queen bed and shared the tray between them. Not much was said in the beginning as both were starving and the food was excellent.
“Mmm strawberries and cream too. You couldn’t have made anything better for breakfast. Thank you.”
“It is the house rules. When a Lady spends the night she gets breakfast in bed, always.”
“I may just have to do this often then! You didn’t have to give up your bed though you could have put me in the spare like you had planned.”
“This is the spare Darlin’ the master has a king sized bed in it as well as an attached head with a full shower and tub. I told you Dad spared no expense to make the boat comfortable.”
“OK, so I am supposed to go pack this morning but I am not sure what I am going to be packing for so could you give me some hints on that?”
“I can do better than that let me take these dishes to the galley and I’ll grab my tablet and be right back. Oh, and there is a head down the hallway port side if you need it.”
Gerri took care of the breakfast dishes and grabbed her tablet on the way back to the stateroom. She was already mentally making a shopping list for the things she would need to pick up while Lisa was packing but a lot of it would depend on their plans for tonight and Saturday. She hadn’t counted on the temptation she was faced with when she returned to find Lisa clad only in her underwear and a t-shirt, stretched out on the bed. It would be so good to just climb in bed and spend the day playing.
“OK, here is the website for Boomsday. It will take us all afternoon and part of this evening just to cruise up river to the dock. I’ll manage the driving if you can handle lunch and snacks on the way. Once we get to Knoxville there are tons of restaurants nearby or we can just throw something on the grill and stay aboard for dinner. What do you think?”
“I’ve been to Knoxville and I know what traffic is like on football weekends why don’t we just stay aboard?”
“Sounds good to me! Now for Saturday, they have several concerts, street vendors and all kinds of family oriented things to do. It looks here like most of the music is country and I am not a big fan but I’d go to one of the concerts if you wanted me to. Again there are other options to fighting the crowds. The boat races, stunt skiing show and several other things are happening on the water. We can watch all of that from the sundeck in comfort and semi-privacy if we want.”
“Hmm well I think I would like to go out for lunch and maybe roam around trying some of the street vendors but I’d much rather spend the rest of the time watching the water shows and races from the top deck.”
“Again, I agree. Now for dinner and the fireworks show tomorrow night I have something special in mind that is a surprise.”
“Mmm I like surprises.”
With that Lisa leaned over and kissed Gerri and the passion from last night sparked again immediately. Gerri instinctively rolled atop Lisa and her hands roamed wild and free as the kiss deepened. Lisa’s hands ran up under Gerri’s shirt this time and Gerri gasped as her breasts were treated to a firm grip and swirling thumbs. Gerri shifted slightly to the side and wedged her thigh between Lisa’s. Lisa caught on to that trick quickly and returned the favor as both women began to slowly grind against each others thighs and the heat rose between them.
Lisa broke the kiss gasping for air and bit down on Gerri’s shoulder. It was happening again. She could feel the pleasure building to a crescendo inside her and she ground harder against Gerri’s thigh. She vaguely heard whimpering and mewling sounds only to realize they were coming from her.
Gerri was fighting a mighty internal battle. She wanted oh so badly to rip the clothes from Lisa and make love to her properly but she had promised herself she would wait. She felt a small amount of guilt for doing what they were doing now but the overwhelming pleasure of it rapidly snuffed that out as her orgasm loomed ever nearer. Lisa was making mewling sounds in her ear while biting her neck and shoulder and it was nearly too much to bear.
Lisa began to tremble and made one last loud whimper as the damn burst within her and she called out to Gerri.
“Oh, Gerri, Gerri, its, its too good!”
Gerri let out a savage roar. Hearing Lisa call her name overloaded her senses and she collapsed onto her spasming and panting.
“Sh, Sh, baby it’s OK just relax and breathe it’s OK.”
Gerri grabbed around Lisa’s waist and rolled bringing Lisa to the top and smoothing her hair gently as she tried to comfort her. She felt so much tenderness for this woman it was scaring her.
They laid there in the afterglow for a few minutes and then Gerri stirred.
“Damn woman I just cannot keep my hands off of you.”
“Hey, now how do you think I feel? I’ve had the two biggest, most intense orgasms of my life in two days and I’ve not even taken my clothes off for either. I am wondering if I need to pick up a portable defibrillator for when you actually take me to bed.”
“Patience Darlin’, just have patience. In the words of Rod Stewart ‘Tonight’s the Night’ I promise. Now go pack up all your girly stuff that I know you think you will need for a weekend and hurry back. I am going shopping!”
***********
Gerri was driving down Main Street on the way to the hardware store when she looked in the rear view to see blue lights. She knew she wasn’t speeding so she was puzzled as to why the Sheriff was pulling her over. She coasted to a halt in the nearest parking lot and waited for him to approach the side of her SUV.
“Hey Gerri I hate to be a bearer of bad news but I thought you should know.”
“Oh, No what now?”
“Well you know that Jamison got five years in prison for assaulting you, but with time off for good behavior and the fact that most only serve partial sentences now, they let the bastard out on parole two days ago.”
“Damn! Is my restraining order still good? Where did they release him to?”
“It gets worse. They released him in Nashville but no one has seen his ex-wife or her new boyfriend since last night. They are both listed as a missing persons and one of your boys down at the feed store just called in saying he thought he saw Jamison at the edge of the woods up there with a rifle. I’ve got all my boys out searching the woods but so far no luck. Is there somewhere you can go for a few days until we find him?”
“I’m just headed to the hardware and the grocery then I am taking the big boat up river for Boomsday. I don’t plan on being back to the marina until Sunday night or maybe Monday morning.”
“If you don’t mind I’ll just cruise along with you till you get back to the boat and on your way. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Thank you Sheriff!”
Gerri hurried on through her errands and tried not to think about the implications of the news. She wanted this weekend to be perfect. It didn’t help that at least three people had to stop her in the grocery store and repeat it. Everyone in town knew to be on the look out for Jamison and felt the need to warn Gerri.
Lisa parked at the marina and was surprised to see the sheriff standing at the dock talking to Gerri. Both of them scrambled to help her with her bags. Gerri giggled at her but didn’t make too much of a fuss over her two duffle bags and a make up case. What did she expect? It was cool in the evenings so she not only needed shorts and tanks for the days but also jeans and t-shirts for the nights, at least three bikinis for three days and then if they did decide to go out to eat somewhere she would need something dressy. Add in shoes to go with each and she was lucky she didn’t have more bags to carry than she did.
“Thanks guys! Hey Sheriff I haven’t seen you in a while what’s up?”
Gerri cleared her throat and decided to answer that one.
“Lisa the man who ran me off the road in that bad accident I had several years ago has been paroled. His ex-wife and her boyfriend have gone missing and now they think he may be after me.”
“But we are leaving for the weekend so they can get him while we are out of town right?”
The sheriff spoke up then “That is the idea Dr. Hortin. You Ladies just go off and have a good time and let me and my men round up this bastard. Gerri I’ll give you a call as soon as I know anything and definitely by Sunday morning so you know what kind of situation you are coming back to.”
“Thanks again sheriff and good hunting.”
Gerri picked up both the duffles which were rather heavy and led Lisa to the back of the boat. Lisa had not yet been to this stateroom and looked around curiously. There was a king sized bed decked out in golden satin that looked huge in the small quarters, a small dresser on each side of it and a big flat screen on the wall opposite the foot of the bed with a vanity and stool below it. In the corner was a large octagonal shower tub combo with several shower heads gleaming in gold accents. Floor to ceiling blinds gave the room privacy but it was obvious that when they were opened you would have a panoramic view on three sides of the room.
“It’s beautiful!”
“Thank you. The dresser on that side of the bed is empty and I have yet to find much of a use for the vanity so make yourself at home. I have to prepare to shove off and I have a dock hand coming to help me get her clear of the slip. You can join me at the fly bridge when you are settled.”
Lisa climbed the stairs to the top deck and stopped to admire Gerri. She looked the part of the glorious sea captain leaned back in the plush pilots seat with a bottle of water in one hand and a cigarillo clenched in her teeth. She hadn’t realized they were underway yet but they were cruising along at a good speed headed up the river.
“Ah, there you are! Come sit in the co-pilot seat and I will show you how this baby runs.”
Gerri spent the better part of an hour explaining all the switches and gauges arrayed around the fly birdge. Lisa had no idea it took so much to run a big boat like this. There were controls and indicators for the generator that kept all of the electrical running now that they weren’t tied into shore power. Gauges for fresh water tanks, fuel tanks, waste tanks, hydrolic pressure for thrusters and it all seemed endless.
Lisa asked “When should I think about making some lunch for us? Are you hungry yet?”
“Not terribly so and we have only about another hours run before we have to lock through the dam. That would be a good time to eat since I won’t have to watch the water and drive while we go through the lock.”
“Lock?”
“Yes it is like a big water elevator. The water below the dam is a lot lower than the water above it. They have a huge concrete room, they open the doors on the lower side and we drive the boat in, then they close them and begin to fill the room with water making the boat rise. When we get to the level of the water above the dam they open the doors on that side and we drive out. Like I said, it is one huge elevator, only this one usually takes an hour or so to get you from one level to the other.”
“Wow I look forward to seeing that!”
“Truthfully there isn’t much to see, just four concrete walls surrounding your boat making you feel small and insignificant for an hour and then you get to be a big boat free on the river again.”
Gerri was constantly pointing out interesting sights on the shores of the river and explaining how to read the buoys so that you stayed in the main channel and didn’t run aground, making the time seem to fly. By the time they got to the lock Lisa felt like she had been on a world tour when in fact they had only run about 30 miles up stream. When Gerri pulled the big boat into the lock and tied it off making sure all their bumpers were out they both headed to the galley for lunch. Lisa fixed sandwiches as Gerri gathered chips, iced tea and cookies to go with it and they returned to the top deck to eat.
Now that they were on the lake there was a lot more small boat traffic and it took all of Gerris attention to make sure they didn’t mow down a skier or swamp a fishing boat with their wake. In general the big boat had the right of way but when you have a swarm of teenagers on jets skis all around you it can be a little overwhelming. By the time they got to Knoxville and ready to dock at Volunteer Landing it was 7 PM and Gerri was exhausted. It took almost an hour to get docked and all the shore hookups squared away.
“I think I’ll take a quick shower and recharge, I can throw the steaks on the grill when I get out.”
Lisa was sorely tempted to suggest joining her but knew they would never get dinner if she did.
“I’ll just go ahead and get the salad ready and make some baked potatoes.”
“Thanks Darlin’ I’ll be right back.”
***********
Gerri hadn’t taken into account the fact that the marina was packed to overflowing with the football fans of the Vol Navy, plus all the boats here for Boomsday and that the college year had just started so for many young people this was one of their first big weekends away from home. It didn’t take long before they decided instead of eating on deck they would take their meal down to the galley where they could shut out some of the raucous noise surrounding them on all sides.
“Do you mind if I get some news on the flat screen while we eat?”
“You get TV on a boat too?”
Gerri chuckled and turned on the TV then fiddled with the mobile satellite receiver controls till she had a strong signal and tuned to CNN.
“With modern technology we have everything on this boat you have in a house on land. Most marinas offer not only water and electric hook ups but also cable, land line telephone and WiFi. When we are not docked the generators run everything we need as far as electric goes, there’s the mobile satellite TV dish and I have a mobile hot spot through my cell carrier that I can use for internet. As long as I stop to fill the fuel tanks regularly there is really no need to dock at all if I don’t want to.”
They shared the rest of their meal in companionable silence as they took in the news of the day. The cease fire in the middle east had collapsed again, Terrorists were abducting, killing and generally well, terrorizing people all over the world, a big volcano in Iceland was about to blow its top and for some unknown reason there had been an inordinate number of earthquakes in the state of Oklahoma recently.
They rose together to put everything away and clean up in the galley. Gerri was beginning to feel like she had some energy back. Watching Lisa in her cute little cutoffs standing at the sink brought back images of the night before and she couldn’t resist but to walk up behind her, brush the tendrils of her pinned up hair aside and nibble the back of her neck.
Lisa immediately turned off the water and turned into her arms tilting her head up and leaning in for a kiss. Gerri wrapped her arms around Lisa and lifted her, sitting her up on the edge of the counter as the kiss became more intense. Lisa lifted Gerri’s polo over her head and began running her hands up and down Gerris sides and back making goose bumps rise. Gerri ran her hands up under Lisa”s shirt and tried to get past her bikini top only to be thwarted by it.
“Mmmm How about I lock up and make sure everything is secure then meet you in the stateroom? I want to make sure some drunken party goer doesn’t board the wrong boat and interrupt us.”
“Yessss and I have something special just for you. Be sure to give me a few minutes to get into something more comfortable.”
With that Lisa hopped down from the counter and disappeared down the companionway into the back of the boat, leaving Gerri to wonder exactly what that something special would be as she checked all the locks and set the on board alarm system. She then started the stereo picking a special play list, and routing it to the speakers in the stateroom. She stopped off in the head to get into a little something more comfortable herself.
What she saw when she walked into the stateroom took her breath away. Lisa had dimmed the lights and was spread out on the bed in nothing but a brilliant green bra and thong set that exactly matched her sparkling eyes. Gerri pulled her sports bra over her head and flung it as she approached the bed.
Wanting Lisa closer to the foot of the bed she reached down and grasped her by the ankles, slowly ever so slowly pulling her downward. When she had her down to where her ass was at the edge of the bed she hit her knees taking one long slim leg in her hands she began nibbling at her ankle and moved steadily upward, stopping to swirl her tongue playfully in the bend of Lisa’s knee making her giggle.
“Ooo that tickles!”
Gerri let out a wicked chuckle “I am about to tickle your fancy my Dear.”
She began to plant slow tongue swirling kisses up the inside of Lisa’s thigh crossing her lower stomach and then back down the other leg. Lisa was gasping and thrusting her hips in search of something though she knew not exactly what. Gerri slowly removed the bright green thong, settled down between Lisa’s thighs and looked into her eyes as she reached up to her.
“Take my hands Darlin'”
Lisa clasped hands with her and their fingers intertwined.
“Are you ready for this? There is no turning back from here. First times happen only once in your life.”
“Yes, please, Oh God just do it!”
Gerri leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Lisa’s mound then leisurely ran her tongue up and down her slit. Lisa’s legs began to tremble and Gerri knew this first one wasn’t going to take very long at all. She delved deeper and plunged her tongue in fast and deep feeling Lisa’s muscles clench and try to grasp the slippery invader. Stretching to reach deeper still brought the tip of Gerri’s nose into contact with Lisa’s clit and she turned her head slightly back and forth to stroke it. That was all it took and Lisa arched, whimpering as the first orgasm of the night overtook her.
Gerri laid her head on Lisa’s stomach to let her catch her breath for a minute. She knew she would be extra sensitive now. Releasing Lisa’s hands she pushed her legs up so they rested on her shoulders and gently kissed her slit.
“Oh, I don’t know if..”
“Yes, you can. You can many more times. Just relax and enjoy.”
With that Gerri began to leisurely explore with her tongue. She did her best to find every single sensitive nerve ending Lisa had and when her legs started to tremble again she sped up the pace rapidly circling Lisa’s clit with her tongue and reaching down to plunge two fingers deep inside her. As she curved them upward searching for that special spot Lisa arched again this time squealing. Instead of stopping she sucked Lisa’s clit between her lips flipping her tongue up and down over it rapidly and plunged her fingers faster curving them more. She was immediately rewarded with another squeal and this time she was soaked in Lisa’s juices as well.
Gerri raised her head and look up at Lisa. She was so beautiful like this with such a sublime look of pleasure and passion on her face she wanted to imprint the image in her mind forever. Reaching across the bed she grabbed a pillow and reared up raising Lisa and stuffing the pillow under her. She then stood dropping her boxers and grasping Lisa by the ankles again.
“Are you ready for this?”
“Oh, Yesssss! Do it!”
Gerri placed Lisa’s ankles on her shoulders and positioned the strap on at her entrance, then slowly began to sink it into her. The constant pressure on Gerri’s clit was exquisite and when Lisa tightened her inner muscles around it she could literally feel her pulse throbbing through the silicone cock to her clit. She knew with the first few slow powerful thrusts that she would not last long before she too would be squealing in passion. Lisa was panting now and egging her on but Gerri wanted to hold off. She knew once she had her first orgasm she would be too sensitive to move much for a couple of minutes and she didn’t want Lisa to be stranded waiting for her to recover. Lisa started talking and the battle was lost.
“Oh, Oh, faster, harder, yes! Fuck me baby!”
Lisa arched again and Gerri slammed into her over and over until she exploded in pleasure too, then slowed gradually to come to a stop, gasping for air, sweat running down her face.
“Damn Darlin’, talk dirty to me!”
Lisa giggled.
“Well I got what I wanted didn’t I?
“Oh, the night is far from over. On your knees please.”
Lisa gave her a look like, what? You have got to be kidding me, but rose and moved to the center of the big bed on hands and knees.
Gerri wadded into the bed behind her and pushed her legs a bit further apart before positioning herself and plunging the strap on to the hilt in one mighty thrust. She grabbed Lisa by the hips and pounded her fast and hard, pacing herself and giving it the best she had. Lisa had her head buried in the bed now and was emitting short, squeaky, mewling sounds timed with each thrust. Gerri’s whole body felt like it was on fire and each thrust made the pressure on her clit tingle all the way to the bottoms of her feet. Lisa screamed and her whole body tightened in one giant spasm. She was so tight the strap on was held fast with in her for a moment and that sent Gerri tumbling over the edge into ecstasy right along with her.
Gerri collapsed onto Lisa’s back trying to catch her breath for a moment. She was getting tired but she was not done just yet. Keeping her silicone cock buried deep inside she wrapped her arms around Lisa and gently guided her to rise up where she was kneeling. She kept her arms wrapped around her as she slowly started thrusting upward into Lisa from behind, nibbling the back of her neck she whispered.
“Mmm this is for long, slow, gentle lovin’ Darlin’ and I can do wonderful things with my hands from here.”
Gerri reached up to cup Lisa’s breasts then gently pinched her nipples in time with her thrusts making Lisa moan. Dropping one hand she lazily circled Lisa’s clit with a finger making her squeal and begin to arch again. Finally she bit down firmly on the side of her neck as she sped up the pace with thrusts and fingers and they both yelled out their passion together.
“Oh. Gerri, please, rest.”
“Yes Darlin’, rest.” was all she could get out before they fell sideways on the bed together.
***********
Gerri woke before dawn as usual and the minute she was conscious she couldn’t stop grinning. She looked over to see Lisa half wrapped in the comforter that one of them must have pulled up over them during the night. She had to lay there for a few minutes lost in the beauty. Slowly sneaking out of bed she made her way to the head out in the companionway not wanting to wake Lisa.
This morning it was pancakes and sausage but she didn’t get the chance to deliver it in bed. Lisa, also used to waking early and at odd hours for work, came shuffling into the galley while she was cooking. Gerri poured her a cup of coffee handed it to her and then chuckled when Lisa groaned loudly.
“Got any Advil to go with that? I think I pulled a muscle or twenty.”
“Yes Ma’am! I will be right back.”
When she returned with the bottle and set it down on the table Lisa giggled.
“And the official diagnosis is fucked senseless.”
Gerri burst into laughter.
“I’d say I’m sorry but..”
“No, don’t you dare! And I would like a repeat of that performance just as soon as I can walk straight again thank you very much!”
“Well, I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on television, but I would prescribe a good hearty breakfast to regain some strength, followed by a nice hot shower to get clean enough that we don’t funk up the hot tub too badly while we enjoy the boat races soon to be held.”
“I think I love you!”
************
Hearty breakfast or not it didn’t last long and they were both starving by lunch time. They climbed from the hot tub, crinkled skin and all, dressed and wandered out from the dock to find food. The street vendors varied widely and Lisa seemed to want a sample of each one. Greek here, Texas Barbecue there, and on she went. Gerri had to wonder if the woman’s stomach was made of cast iron. She had settled on the grilled bratwurst at one place and then picked up some baklava at the Greek stand and that was it for her.
They returned to the boat just in time to see the stunt skiing and sat happily on the top deck watching and drinking beer as it neared evening. Gerri needed to discuss dinner plans because what she had intended to do just wasn’t going to work out now.
“So, I planned on cooking dinner and serving you a romantic feast while we sat in the hot tub to watch the fireworks show but we have already soaked so much I fear we would both molt our hides if we spend any more time in it today.”
“Dinner on the top deck sounds great to me and I can help you with the cooking.”
Neither of them noticed the small blue ski boat across the river or the man hunched down in the back of it peering through a scope.
Gerri stood at the grill keeping a close eye on their shrimp as Lisa ferried up the salads and rolls, then popped the cork on a bottle of wine as they sat down to eat. One of the local classic rock radio stations was set up to provide music along with the fireworks and was just beginning to play.
The fire works were spectacular and Gerri waited until the short intermission to gather the plates and return them to the galley, telling Lisa to stay put she would be right back and asking if she wanted anything else while she was down there.
Upon returning to the top deck she stood at the rail for a moment then turned back to Lisa as if to say something just as another volley of fireworks went off but something was wrong. She felt her body jerk forward twice and she looked down to see two crimson circles appear on her chest.
She didn’t hear Lisa scream. She didn’t hear the medevac chopper land near the dock. She was floating on a golden lake. She looked back and her mother was in the middle boat seat, her father was in the back one. She searched around looking for her fishing rod, found it and made a long arching cast. A green eyed angel appeared before her screaming that she had to go back, it wasn’t her time yet but she wanted to catch just one more bass.
Twitch twitch… twitch twitch… twitch ta twitch ta twitch… ta twitch twitch.