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Sailing To Survive

By: TexasFarmBoy



This is a work of fiction and is entirely a product of my mind. Any failures of omission or commission are entirely my responsibility. 

***** 

I don't know why the Kenny Rogers song ran through my mind at that moment, but they did. "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em; know when to walk away and know when to run; you never count your money when you're sittin' at the table..."I couldn't remember the next line but it didn't matter really. I had folded and walked away and had never bothered to count my money; it had never mattered before. But here I was on a Tennessee Interstate waiting for the patrol officer to come back and shoot me, arrest me, or yell at me and I didn't really care which one he chose. I was done and done and I barely cared where I was going or what I was going to do. 

I heard him walk back to my open driver's side window as he was talking on a phone. "Yes, sir; I got that. I am sure that this is the guy. Yes, sir. He has his driver's license, federal ID, and his car has the White House parking sticker on it. If it ain't him, he stole the damn car and I'll arrest his ass. Here talk to him." He stuck the phone in front of me. 

"Who is it? Local or a fed?" 

"He's my fucking boss and if you don't cooperate, both of our asses are barbeque." 

"Don't worry about it. Those pricks can't do anything but scare you." I took the phone and said, "Why are you picking on this poor guy? All he is doing is his job just like you told him to do. If your ass is on the chopping block, grow balls and do what you should have done in the first place. Now what the fuck do you want?" 

"Listen here, mother fucker; you have half the country looking for your ass because the President wants to talk to you. So don't get in my shit or you will be worm food before morning." 

"Fuck you, asshole. Send your best guy out here and put me away. I don't care. Then you can explain to his Royal Highness why I am worm food." 

"Look prick, when the Feds call, I listen. I know which side of my toast the butter is on." 

"Make your own butter and bread, then you won't have to worry about kissing their asses." 

"Shut the fuck up. I'm sending someone out to meet you and you are going to talk on the phone whether you want to or not." 

"Fine. Take Officer Jenkins off duty for awhile. We are going down the road to the truck stop so I can get something to eat. Tell your toady that I will be there." 

"Do that, prick. Tell Jenkins to stay with you until he is replaced." 

"Have a nice night, jerk off." 

I pushed the off button and handed it back to Jenkins. "You heard me, lead me to the best truck stop on the highway and you are on break until your replacement shows up." 

"Yes sir." He seemed to be relieved that the pressure was off of him. I followed him down the highway to a smaller truck stop across the highway from a bigger one. As we got out, he said, "The food is better here than over there." 

"Thanks." Always trust a cop or a truck driver about food on the highway. They know. 

We sat down and placed our order. I ordered a full breakfast and he had their special. The nice thing about truck stops is that they make everything at all times of the day; trucker's stomachs never read an etiquette book or paid attention to the clock. I wanted breakfast even if it was nine o'clock at night. 

We sat and ate our meal and just shared small talk. He was a local boy who wanted to help the community. I empathized with him and didn't discourage him even if I was burned out. We were drinking coffee when we were approached by another uniform who told Jenkins that he should finish his shift. Jenkins thanked me for the dinner and left. The other uniform acted a little more civilly and asked me to come with him. I took a deep breath and let it out and followed him out after leaving the waitress a handsome tip. She had been nice and deserved it. He led me outside to a black limousine and stood quietly outside as the back door opened. Reluctantly, I got in. 

When my eyes got accustomed to the low light level I sat back and said, "Hi Sylvia. I'm surprised that they sent you." 

"Hi Stuart. They didn't send me; I was just closest. You made quite a stir up there today." 

"Well, I have been going downhill for some time now and I guess I just hit rock bottom." 

"That's what I thought. Do you want a drink before we make the phone call?" 

"Sure, a Scotch would be nice." She pulled out a bottle of decent but not great Scotch and poured me a drink. 

"Where are you going to go, Stuart?" 

"Hell, your guess is as good as mine. Washington is East Coast; how far can I go to the maximize the distance from there?" 

"Alaska or Hawaii but I can't see you fitting into either place. Try Washington or Oregon. If you want to be alone, try Montana." 

"I'm not high on being alone but being where there are no phones or internet seems like heaven." 

She grinned. "You left suddenly; do you have anything you want taken care of?" 

"There is a bar bill at the pub across the street from my apartment. It is probably less than an hundred bucks. Nothing else matters." 

"I'll take care of it for you." 

"Sylvia; why are you still in the game? I know that you were close to being burned out." 

"I was but the transfer to the Department of the Interior has helped me heal. All I have to do is make sure that the national parks in the region don't spend too much money. Basically, they have forgotten I exist." 

"I hope that they have short memories about me too." 

"They won't; you are too close to the truth." 

"Don't remind me. The truth doesn't set you free; it just puts chains around your neck. So what is the plan?" 

"Leave my name out of it but you need to call and you need to tell them what they want to hear." 

"I told them what they needed to hear; they rejected it and got greedy. I don't know what else I can tell them. That's why I left." 

"I don't know what to tell you then. I hate to say it but you are on your own." 

"How much of a head start can I get?" 

"I don't know for sure. I can stay out of it for a day or so but I don't know after that. I can give you a couple of names and addresses if you need them." 

"I'll take them. So let's get this over with; I want to be back on the road in an hour." 

"Gotcha." She picked up the phone that I recognized it as a secure satellite one and pushed a couple of buttons. Then she handed it to me. 

"You are on your own and I wasn't here." 

I nodded and took the phone. I knew the routine and waited for the first operator. 

"Name and Access Code?" I gave her the information and waited. "Please wait." The line went dead. A moment later, an anonymous voice asked, "Who do you wish to speak to?" 

"Mother." I replied. "One moment," was the reply. 

Another human asked, "Please confirm your Name and Access Code." I repeated my information and now the fun or lack thereof would begin. 

There was a click on the line and the world famous voice came on the line. I knew what to expect and I wasn't disappointed. He was cool, measured and in control. His voice never expressed emotions only power. There was no doubt that he was charismatic but I was one few who really understood that this was just a plastic façade that hid a clueless man. 

"Hello Stuart. I hear that we might be having a problem." 

"You don't have a problem; I do. So don't break out in a cold sweat about it." 

"That's good. Get over it; I want you back here in seventy two hours. I need you to prepare me for the appearance in Congress." 

"You have Mandy to do your makeup and Chet to get your hair right and I am sure that Felicity has a suit and tie to do exactly what you want and need. What do you need me for?" 

"Stuart, you know as well as I do that you are the best strategist and writer up here. I need you to write me a winning speech." 

"Sorry Mitchell, I am fresh out of lies and double talk. Why don't you try to tell the truth for once?" 

"Stuart, you know that I can't do that; certain people would not be pleased." 

"Mitchell, you need to ask Santa Claus for some balls for Christmas. You lost yours four years ago. Call me when you find some." 

"Stuart, that wasn't nice. I am a realist and do what I must to save this country from itself." 

"You do what you can to insure that the certain people never lose their money or their power. You are the ultimate sycophant or maybe puppet would be a better description." 

"Listen Stuart, I will forgive you that indiscreet remark but others might not. I suggest that you return to the fold and do what you do best and perhaps they will forgive you. People are...concerned." 

"Tell them to stuff it up their patrician asses. I no longer give a fuck about their concerns just like they don't care about my ass." 

"This sudden outburst of idealistic morality doesn't become you, Stuart. You were much better when you were practical." 

"And you were much better when you pretended to have balls. Now you can't even fuck your own wife. She is the head slut for one of your certain people and fucks whoever he tells her to. Once, even your wife respected you and you respected yourself." 

"That's enough Stuart. Jennifer has become a practical person now; so stop throwing stones at her. I am hanging up. You have forty eight hours to get over your snit and be back here." The line went dead. 

I handed the cumbersome phone back to Sylvia. She smiled and said, "That was quite a performance. I hope that you live long enough to do an encore." 

"I don't want an encore, Sylvia; I just want out." 

"Don't we all? I made a little stupid and survived it. You did a big stupid and I'm not sure that you will survive. So you aren't going back?" 

"Hell no." 

"Where are you going?" 

"Maybe Washington or Oregon or Montana. I'll figure it out when I get there." 

"You know that you are now a persona non grata in all official circles." 

"I know the routine. So I better get going. I need a drink, a place to sleep, and a good meal before I become their target." 

"Good luck, Stuart. I'll be thinking about you." As I opened the limo door, she took an envelope out of her purse and put it in my hand. I knew better than to say anything or acknowledge it. I simply folded it and put it in my back pocket. I would read it when I was alone and then destroy it to protect Sylvia. Even if everything else was a sham, those of us on the inside did try to protect each other because no one else would. We were pawns in a game that we had no control over. 

I stepped out and without even looking at the stiff uniform standing guard; I went to my truck and drove back onto the Interstate. It only took me ten minutes to work out a timeline. He said forty eight hours; that meant I needed to be pretty well lost in twenty four to be safe. It would take them a couple of hours to gather the troops they needed; so basically, I had until dawn to begin my disappearance. I estimated that I could do that unless something got in my way. The first stop was fifty miles down the road and that is where I was heading. 

At the next road side park, I pulled through long enough to toss my cell phone in the trash bin. I had no doubts that my signal could be traced wherever I was. I had made sure to leave all of the other traceable electronics behind. Everything else was on a series of flash drives and I had an anonymous laptop waiting for me at my destination. Unlike those overly optimistic people like Mitchell who think the train ride will never end, I had realized that I needed to be prepared for a partial or total derailment. Therefore, I had slowly put together an escape plan that I hoped would work. In two weeks, Stuart Michaels would be a memory and Roger Fender would make his appearance on the planet. 

An hour later, I turned off onto a Farm to Market road and drove fifteen miles before I turned into a dirt road leading to what appeared to be an empty barn. Once there, I parked my recognizable truck in the woods and walked back the hundred yards to the barn. The barn appeared to be abandoned and vacant and it appeared to be as I had left it a month ago. I opened the hidden door on the side and walked down the ramp to what used to be the manure dump for the dairy farm a long time ago. Inside was my very non-descript 90's model Ford pickup with door dings and a dent in the tail gate. In any road or city west of the Mississippi, it would look like a dozen other vehicles on the road and attract no attention at all. 

It was registered to a man who did not exist, paid for with cash, and parked along with a few important things I would need on my journey. The truck itself only needed to run for a few thousandmiles and I had made sure that the mechanic would take care of that. I gave it about a week before it was discovered. That was the first week I needed to get on my way to my disappearance. 

I quickly changed out of my suit and left it in a pile of junk in the corner except for the envelope from Sylvia and put on a pair of jeans and western shirt that I had bought at a thrift store in Missouri on my last trip there. The other bags appeared to be intact as I expected them to be. Then I fired up the engine and drove the truck up the ramp before stopping to lock the door behind me. As I drove back down the dirt road, I now had nothing on or with me that could be bugged or traced to Stuart Michaels. Roger Fender would begin to appear in person in shortly. Until then, I was nobody. 

Sylvia had said Washington, Oregon and Montana. That told me that I needed to stay away from there. It was sort of an insider's code to tell someone where they should stay away from. It didn't matter because I already knew where I was going for the next couple of weeks. I didn't get back on the Interstate but stayed on the Farm to Market road for thirty miles and picked up a State Highway that went into Mississippi. So far, I was on schedule and should make it to my next stop for breakfast. 

As dawn was breaking over my shoulder, I pulled into the small river town that was my destination. I drove around and looked for any signs of people looking for me but found only early morning people walking or heading for work. Satisfied that I was safe so far, I parked in the diner parking lot and put on my thrift store cowboy hat and entered. A cheerful waitress greeted me and offered me my choice of tables. I chose a table next to the window to keep my eyes on the road. 

I ordered my second breakfast in eight hours and enjoyed this one more than I had the previous one. When I left, I was full and ready to go on to stage two of my disappearance. I drove to the marina shop and saw my forty foot boat sitting by the dock. The boat was registered to Roger Fender and had been overhauled and refitted inside. The outside showed the usual signs of a river work boat. The external appearance was of little concern to me as long as the inside was comfortable. I had bought this boat six month ago very cheaply as it had been hit hard by one of the vicious storms that hit the area periodically and it ended up partially swamped on a sand bar. It cost quite a bit to put a new diesel engine and drive train in it but between that and the modifications I had specified, I had paid about as much as a new thirty foot boat would cost but I had a more solid and roomier boat than I would have had otherwise. Since I planned to live on it for at least six months, I wanted the room and comfort. The fact that it was a common design on the rivers and would hardly raise any eyebrows was what I wanted. I had paid the shop in cash in several installments. The biggest payment was for the engine and transmission and for that, I got a cashier's check from a small bank in Virginia that I had set up for Roger Fender. After the check was drawn, I closed the account. 

I smiled as I walked in to greet the owner of the shop, a good natured man named Marquet. He remembered me and proudly walked me out to the boat to show off his work. He had indeed done a really good job and I was satisfied. He had run the boat himself up and down the river several times and found it solid and ready for me to go off shore which was the story I had given him about what I was looking for. As he handed me the keys, I told him that I was going to shop for provisions and would load things that night and shove off at first light the next morning. He thought that was a good plan. The gate would be unlocked until eight at night and would open at six in the morning. I shook his hand and drove to the local ship store and bought a few things that I had not already purchased. 

After that, I went to the storage yard and hooked up the covered trailed I had rented and towed it to the grocery store. An hour later, I put eight bags of groceries in the bed of the truck along with three cases of beer, a case of wine and a case of scotch. Then I parked at the dock and began unloading the trailer and truck. The shore power made sure that the refrigerator was cold and the freezer ready for the meat I had bought. Everything else stowed as I had planned. When I finished, I returned the trailer to the place I had rented it from and paid the outstanding balance in cash. They appreciated my business. 

Then I drove the truck back to the storage yard and parked it in back. Ten minutes later, I had the Tennessee plates removed and the new Louisiana plates were screwed on. I disconnected the battery and locked it up before covering it with a tarp and tied it down. With luck, it would be ready for me in three months when I came back to get it. I walked the mile and a half back to the marina after stopping at the diner again for a late lunch. As I went inside the cabin of my new home, I reflected on everything I had done. I realized that there would be unlimited resources available to look for me. Hopefully, I had covered my tracks well enough for people's memories to fade. I wasn't that important as an individual but I did know a lot that could embarrass or stop a career in its tracks. That scares people regardless of what my intentions were. My intentions were simply to disappear. 

I poured myself a scotch and went to sit on the deck of my boat and turned on the satellite radio to a good music station. I was about to pour my second scotch when Marquet walked up to the boat and said, "Roger, can I bother you for a moment." I almost didn't respond since this was the first time anyone had called me Roger. 

'OH hi, sure; come on aboard. I was day dreaming a little, I guess." 

He stepped down into the deck and stood by the steps. It was then that I noticed a young woman wearing a pair of shorts and a crop top standing where he had been. She looked nervous. He looked back at her and said, "Come on Miss; this is the guy I told you about. Roger, this is Emily and she has a problem that maybe you can help her with." 

"Come on down, Emily; I don't bite." She stepped down the step and into the cockpit. 

"Roger, Emily here is kind of stuck. She was taking a trip down the Waterway with her boy friend and some others and he got pissed and dumped her off here. Her bag and purse and everything are still on his boat. They were going down to Mobile so she is stuck here. Since you were going that way, I wondered if she could catch a lift. She thinks that she can get her things back when she catches up to them. If not, she can call her father from there and he can send her some money to get back to St. Louis. Are you up for a passenger for a couple of days?" 

My mind went into overdrive as I ran several scenarios through my head. On one hand, people would be looking for me alone, not with a girl who was at least ten years younger than I was. But I actually intended to go north in the morning to St. Louis and come back down the Mississippi rather than go to Mobile. My other concern was if I could maintain my new identity for that long without screwing up. But it would also be good practice. On the whole, I felt that it was a low risk opportunity. 


Sailing To Survive



"I think that we can work something out. Emily, why don't you sit down and we can talk about it for awhile and see how we can work this out." 

"Thanks, Roger. This happens once in a while especially with college students. We really don't have access to any other transportation except by highway or the Waterway. I'll let you two talk and check back after awhile." He climbed back on the dock and I looked at Emily as she looked me over. 

"Have a seat Emily. Would you like a glass of wine or scotch or something to help settle your nerves down? I imagine that this is pretty scary for you to be stuck." 

"Thank you. A glass of wine would be nice." 

I opened a bottle and poured her a glass of white wine that was now cool and brought it to the cockpit for her. 

She took a long sip of the cool drink and seemed to calm down a little. "Thank you. I have never been stuck like this before. My dad and uncle and aunt are out of town until next week so I can't reach them. I thought that I would be safe with this guy but when he got drunk, he tried to make me do some things that I didn't want to do. That made him mad and he just pulled up here and told me to get off the boat. He wouldn't even let me get my purse or bag." 

"How old are you Emily and are you a student?" 

"Yes. I'm twenty and I just finished my sophomore year at Washington University in St. Louis. My home is in Columbia, Missouri." 

"Sounds good to me. Let me tell you a little about myself. I owned a business and sold it. I decided to take some time off and travel. I bought this boat and really don't have much of a plan except to go somewhere new and explore. I am not a rapist or a dirty old man or anything like that. You can hear the kind of music I like to listen to and I try to live a pretty simple life. Any questions?" 

"Do you have a wife or girl friend who might get upset if you took me along?" 

"No; I was so busy running my business that I didn't have much time for a social life." 

She smiled for the first time. "What can I do to help? I can cook pretty well. I don't know much about boats but I will do anything you want me to do." 

"If you can cook, I will gladly hand that job over to you. I am mostly a bachelor cook. You know, open a can and put it in the microwave. But I don't have a microwave on board." 

"I would like to do that. I feel like I need to earn my keep along the way. When are you planning to leave?" 

"Tomorrow at first light. I have some experience with boats but they were smaller than this one. I wanted to take it out for the first time and have all day to get used to it. I expect that we will dock each night or anchor along the way. Is that ok with you?" 

"Yes, perfect." 

"Oops, if he left you high and dry, that means that you don't have anything but what you are wearing, right?" She blushed and nodded her head. "Finish your wine and we will walk over to the ship's store and get you a couple of things to wear and I need to get a couple of other things too." 

"I can't ask you to..." 

"You aren't asking; I am offering. And if you want, you can pay me back when you get back home. I'm not going to worry about it. So no arguments; let's go get what we need." 

She finished her wine and stood up. I climbed on the dock and held out a hand to help her up. It was then that I realized that she was about eight inches shorter than my six foot tall and she had a really cute figure. I knew that I needed to put that thought out of my head and play it really straight with her while we traveled. I didn't need to add to my potential troubles with new ones. 

We walked across the street to the store and spent an hour picking things out. She chose four pairs of shorts and blouses but opted to not buy any underwear. At my suggestion, she picked up a large straw hat to shield her from the sun. We also got several tubes of sun screen, sunglasses, a couple pair of gloves that fit her hands, a pair of sandals and sneakers to wear. I got three more towels and another blanket. I dawned on me that sleeping arrangements would be awkward as I only had one decent sleeping berth and a fold down cot near the steering station. 

When we got back, I said, "Let me show you around and see what you think." I opened the cabin and led her inside. 

"Oh this is really nice in here. Did you do all of this work?" 

"No, I had it done. I expect to live here for several months and wanted it to be livable. I'll work on the outside as I go along. This is the galley and living area. The head and shower are in here. This is the sleeping cabin. You can sleep in here and I will sleep on the cot in back." 

"I'm not going to take your bed away from you; I'll sleep on the cot." 

"I don't think it is very comfortable." 

"Then we will sleep together here on the bed. We can put a pillow between us if you want." 

"We'll try but I'm not sure that is a good idea." 

"We'll see. Now, are you ready for me to start dinner?" 

"Let's see what I have. I bought a bunch of stuff. If you see anything missing, I'll go get some more things." 

She rummaged through the refrigerator and muttered to herself. "Do you have a grill or do I need to cook everything indoors?" 

"I have a grill; I just have to hook it up." 

"Then let's do these steaks with a salad and baked potatoes. How does that sound? 

"It sounds better than anything I would come up with." 

"Then you hook up the grill while I start the potatoes. They will take a little over an hour. Do you want a scotch or a glass of wine?" 

"A scotch would be great and pour yourself what you want. Feel free to make yourself at home. It looks like we will be roommates for awhile." 

"Ok roomie, get out of my kitchen and go play with your toys." 

"Ah the roommate from hell, I can tell." 

We both laughed. I went outside and took the new stainless steel grill from the bunker where it was stored and mounted it to the flange that had been installed for it. Once the grill was in place, I hooked up the propane tank and then lit it so that it could warm up and burn in. It worked just like I had hoped. I would keep it stowed until we needed it while we were going down river. When I finished, Emily was waiting with a scotch in her hand along with a smile. She had a glass of wine and we sat down in the two captain's chairs in the cockpit and toasted each other as we were beginning a hopefully pleasant sailing adventure. 

I was admiring how nice she looked when she said, "I guess you wonder how I got myself in this fix, don't you?" 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't need to know. I think I can trust you." 

"I think I can trust you too and that's why I want you to know. I don't want you to think badly of me. I said that this guy was my boy friend; that isn't really true. I have been dating him for a couple of months but I didn't consider him my boy friend. He was dating a couple of other girls too. Anyway, he treated me well. I guess his family has money and he took me to a lot of nice places. Anyway as the semester came to an end, he asked if I wanted to take a river trip with him and his roommate and his girl friend. The four of us were going to Mobile and stay on the beach for a couple of days and then I was going to fly back in time to register for summer school. I thought that it would be a nice break. I told my dad and he thought that it would be all right if I trusted the guy. I had no reason to not trust him so I said yes." 

"That sounds reasonable. I take it that things changed pretty quickly." 

"Yes, they did. When I got to the dock, he told me that his roommate's girl friend had broken up with him, so he brought a couple of other friends instead. They were all guys of course. I thought about backing out but he assured me that everything would be fine. So I gave in and went. I think that this was the first time he took this boat out on his own. It was his father's boat and he had permission to use it but he had never really captained it alone for a long distance. The first and second day were fine and I got to know the other guys. They seemed all right but they drank beer all day long and pretty well stayed drunk. Then this morning, he told me that I was going to be sleeping with all of them for the rest of the trip. I told him that I wouldn't. He said, 'What did you think I brought you along for?' I slapped him and told him to let me off at the next drop off. That is what he did. I was stupid, I guess." 

"No; I think you were misled and used. There is a big difference between being stupid and lied to. I learned that the hard way myself. You are safe now and everything is going to be all right." 

"Thank you; I am really fortunate that you were here and willing to take me along." 

"I think that I might be getting the best end of the deal since I don't have to eat my own cooking. But let's back up a step or two. When do you need to be back in St. Louis for summer school? We might have a time problem." 

"I need to be back in St. Louis on Wednesday to register and classes start on Thursday." 

"I was figuring four full days to get to Mobile. That would mean that you would have to fly back late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. If we catch any weather or delay, you might get back late. Originally, I had thought about going back to St. Louis and then going down the Mississippi River. That should put us back there on Monday night or Tuesday morning. What do you think?" 

"I think that I would like to try to go to Mobile if you don't mind. I guess I hope that I can catch up to them on the ride down or once we get there and get my stuff back. I won't die if I don't but it would be a lot simpler if I could at least get my purse back. It has all of my ID and phone and stuff in it." 

"Then we will go down river and see if we can't get it back for you. So when do we need to put the steaks on?" 

"About ten minutes. Do you want another scotch?" 

"I think I will wait and have wine with dinner." 

"You got it." She went back inside and I finished my drink. 

"Hey Roger, did you and Emily work something out?" Marquet was standing on the dock carrying a number of lines. 

"Yes we did; she cooks and I drive the boat. I can't think of a better arrangement." 

"Good; I thought that you might be able to help her. Most of the other boats, I'm not sure I would trust. Listen, I don't know if you have listened to the weather but we are going to get one of those fast and furious storms blow through here tonight. It should hit around nine o'clock and be through here by midnight. I'm adding a couple of spring lines to some of the other boats just to be sure. Here are a couple of lines for you. You might want to redo the port side ones and add these on the starboard side. That way you should be able to ride it out comfortably." 

"Thanks. I'll redo them now. And unless there are problems, we will be gone at dawn in the morning." 

"Just be careful of any floating crap that might be in the river. There is no telling what might be out there in the morning." 

"We'll keep our eyes open. Thanks." I redid the lines and we now floated in the center of the slip with give on both sides to absorb any movement. When I finished, Emily was standing there with a platter of meat. 

"What's going on?" 

"The owner came by and said that we will be getting a storm tonight. I retied the boat so that it will be stable enough to ride it out." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Trust me; have I ever lied to you before?" 

"Not in the last eight hours." She grinned. "It is time to burn the meat, Mr. Grillmaster." 

"I'll have you know that it has been at least eight and a half hours since I lied to you. And I like that Mister thing." 

"Good grief. Come on little boy. Momma needs to have the steaks cooked." 

"Momma might need her little bottom spanked." 

"We'll talk about that after you burn the steaks. Get busy; the potatoes will be ready when these are. Do we eat out here or in there?" 

"Unless it starts to rain, I like it out here just fine." 

"Good idea." She went back inside and I put the steaks on the grill. As if someone hit a wall switch, all of a sudden the mosquitoes descended on me and the grill in droves. I made a quick trip inside and sprayed my arms and neck. 

"Change of plans. We eat in here or we will be eaten by the mosquitoes." 

"Gotcha. Holler when you are ready for the platter." 

I went back outside and managed to get the steaks done without too many bites. I called for the platter and Emily passed it out to me and I got the steaks on it and inside with only a couple of mosquitoes getting inside. 

We sat at the table and enjoyed our first meal together and toasted ourselves. We also decided to have dinner inside or before dusk started settling in. The mosquitoes didn't seem to be too bad early; we would go with a heavier lunch and a lighter dinner. As we finished, I flipped on the television on to watch the weather. We caught the tail end of the national news before the local broadcast began. They were talking a late breaking story that one of the President's most trusted advisors was missing on a trip west. He was last heard from in Tennessee and more information would be forth coming. I had been right; twenty four hours was about the maximum I had. Fortunately, everything had worked out well and my plans seemed to be holding. 

After dinner, Emily washed the dishes with the suggestion that I get a dishwasher. I replied that I had a very good one. She threw a sponge at me. I checked that all of the hatches were tight and rechecked the lines. When I was satisfied, I returned to the lounge and found that Emily had a cup of coffee for each of us. I sat on one of the captain's seats and heard the first rumble of thunder in the distance. I knew that we would lose the television signal and probably a lot of the local broadcast radio stations, so I loaded a couple of cd's into the player and turned on some music. That appeared to be the right thing to do as well as suggesting that we go to bed early to ride out the storm. She thought that was also an excellent idea. I went to the cabin and took out a long football jersey and left it on the bunk for her to wear. She went to the back and came out a few minutes later wearing it. It hung almost to her knees and two of her could have fit inside of it. But she smiled and said that this would be perfect. 

The thunder got closer and we went into the cabin and got into bed. I left a small light on in the passageway in case we needed it. I was lying on my back looking up when Emily rolled over on her side to face me. "Roger, I'm not real fond of storms. They scare me a little. If this one gets bad, can I snuggle up against you for awhile?" 

I simply stretched my arm out to the side and pulled her close to me with my arm around her shoulders. She nestled comfortably against my side with her head on my chest and said, "Thank you." The thunder got louder and the winds rose, but we lay comfortably in bed and fell asleep as if nothing special was going on. I was dead tired and I imagine that she was too. 

Everything was still in the morning when I woke up. It took a moment for me to remember where I was and why but I didn't have trouble remembering who the soft body lying next to me belonged to. She was still snuggled in my arm and was breathing peaceably. I hated to wake her but the call of nature was strong and I slipped off to one side and went to the head where I also slipped on a pair of shorts and a shirt. The late spring mornings after a storm were still a little cool. Then I stepped into the galley and set up the coffee maker. 

As I was beginning to put the coffee in the basket, Emily's voice came from the passageway. "What are you doing?" 

"I'm trying to remember if I put five scoops of coffee in here for each cup of water or is it was the other way around." 

"You are hopeless. Get out of my kitchen. I'll take care of it. Why didn't you wake me up?" 

"Why do people always ask that when the answer is obvious? You were a sleep, that's why." 

"You are such a guy. Go out on the deck and drive off a sea monster or save us from invading body snatchers or something." 

"I don't do that stuff until after coffee." 

She replied with a soft quiet voice. "Thank you for holding me last night. I didn't even worry about the storm. You made me feel safe." 

"You are welcome. I kind of liked having you next to me too; but I won't tell you that because you will think I am a dirty old man." 

"You mean you're not?" 

"Well, I'm not old...yet." 

"Go check for damage; I'll bring you coffee in a minute." 

"Yes, boss." 

"Now that, I could get used to; dishwasher, my ass." 

"Is there something wrong with your ass? I thought it looked just fine." 

"You can't even see my ass with this full length overcoat on." 

"I have a vivid imagination." 

"I'll just bet you do. Go." 

I did as I was told. I went out on the deck and found that everything survived just fine. I turned on the deck radio and heard that the worst of the storm had been about ten miles south of us but that there were no reports of any boats being damaged or blocking the waterway. The sky was getting light but the sun was still below the horizon and it looked like it was going to be a great day to start my new adventure. I was looking out over the stern at some branches floating down river when a cup of coffee miraculously appeared in front of me. The arm that held it was attached to the body that pressed against my back. Except that I knew that this was only going to be a couple of days, I couldn't imagine a better way to wake up than with a beautiful woman next to me and to share a cup of coffee with her on a beautiful morning like this. This is the way I wanted my life to be; not waking up at all hours of the day and night to figure out some palatable reason why the current administration was caught with their pants down. 

"What are you thinking about?" 

"I can't tell you; it would embarrass you." 

"You were still thinking about my ass, weren't you?" 

"Was I?" 

"Just admit it. I'm a big girl and can take it." 

I let out a fake sigh and then said, "You asked for it. Do you really have an ass? I didn't notice." 

The swat on my ass was firm and unexpected. "Yes, I do and you did notice it last night. I saw you peeking. Now turn around and you can look at it all you want." 

I turned around to discover that she had changed into a pair of the new shorts we had bought and they indeed did highlight her youthful, firm bottom. She also had put on one of the new blouses but had left about half of the buttons undone. She had amazingly beautiful skin on her chest especially the skin that began to curve out to complete her well rounded mounds. "Do you like?" 

"If I answer that honestly, I will probably be arrested in five states for indecent thoughts." 

"That isn't much of a compliment but I'll take it. At least I know that you aren't dead." 

"Honey, you don't want to know how undead I am. Now do you want to leave and do breakfast on the way or do you want to eat first?" 

"I want to go back to the part about you being undead but obviously, you are going to hide the truth from me. So how about some toast and fruit now and something more substantial later?" 

"Do you read my mind? That is exactly the way I would like to start the day but have never been able to." 

"You just need a beautiful and wonderful woman like me to clutter up your life. That's all." 

"Don't tempt me." 

She laughed as she went back into the galley. I wasn't sure if she was serious or not but I knew that as desirable as her images were, the clutter could cost me and her a lot of unnecessary grief. 

She came back out with a plate of toast and jelly along with some grapes and sliced apples. We ate that quickly and then I started to go through my check off list. The first thing was to disconnect the shore power and fire up the generator. With that running and power back to the boat, I fired up the engine and found that it purred like a kitten. The spring lines were thrown onto the dock and I put the transmission in reverse for the first time and backed the boat out carefully. Most of my earlier power boat experience had been with special, high powered thirty footers. I just needed to get used to the power level of this girl and the extra ten feet of length and I felt that I would be home free. The big difference was that the primary steering station was on top of the cabin and I had a much better view of the surroundings than I was used to from deck level controls. 




Sailing To Survive



I put the transmission into forward and slowly increased the throttle and felt the boat move easily through the water. Marquet had told me that these boats were designed to be stable in all sorts of work conditions. They were powerful but that top speed wasn't what they were designed to do. He suggested that I keep it at a constant rpm for fuel efficiency and to let the boat do the work and not try to apply too much finesse in handling it. By the time we left the bayou and entered the waterway, I understood what he meant. The boat held course beautifully but didn't react well to sudden, quick turns. I needed to know what I was going to do and plan ahead for it. For the first part of the journey, it was fairly straight forward with mostly longer sweeping turns in the man-made waterway. Later when we got to the natural river, I would need to be more observant about sand bars and sharper turns. I felt that I would have a much better feel for those by the time we got to that part of the trip. 

Emily came up with two coffees in travel mugs that sat on the console nicely. She looked at the chart and figured out where we were and began marking our progress with an erasable marker. She may not have had much experience on boats, but she understood maps and how to use them. "What are you majoring in Emily? You seem to be really comfortable with maps." 

She ginned. "I started out to major in Geology to work in the oil business. But my first year I took a geography class and got fascinated with that. Then this year I took a cartography class and that just blew me away. So now, I am thinking about making those my majors. I never realized that map making was still a vital career program. I thought maps were just there and that they got updated every once in awhile but then I discovered that there is huge need for all kinds of maps and that things change all of the time. So I think that I will change this semester to that. Not many people get fascinated in geography and maps anymore." 

"I can tell you from experience that maps and up-to-date information on places is critical. I almost got stuck because of a bad map once." 

"That's what I mean. So I learned last year that the best way to use a map is to mark way points and make notes as you go. The next time you pass this way, things might have changed but you can still find out where you are and what conditions you can expect." 

"You are now the official navigator as well as cook and dish washer." 

"How about we trade off on the dishwashing duties, Mr. Captain, Sir?" 

"Do you know about walking the plank if you displease the Captain?" 

"Yes, but that is for pirates. You might be a rogue but you aren't a pirate." 

"Arggh, matey. But I have been thinking about becoming one; a swashbuckling one eyed, black beard with a wench on each arm." 

"Nice try, Bozo. You have two eyes and your hair is sandy colored; besides you only have one wench, not two." 

"I'll steal another one along the way." 

"Nope; that isn't going to happen." 

"Are you arguing with the Captain again?" 

"There isn't going to be a argument, Captain; the boss has spoken." 

"Crap; foiled by my own petard." 

"You don't even know what a petard is much less have one. And it is 'hoisted by one's own petard.'" 

"Whatever. Now wench, coffee refill will make the Captain happy." 

"Ooo, we must keep the Captain happy, must we?" 

"Arggh." Damn she is fun. 

She went back down to the galley and I took a long look through the binoculars and saw something that seemed strange but I couldn't tell what it what from this distance. I checked the map and decided that it was about at the ten mile point from where we left and was in a turn in the waterway. I decided to cut power as we approached the turn in case it was a blockage. 

Emily came back up five minutes later with our refills. "Take a look straight ahead with the binoculars and tell me what you see." 

She looked down river for several minutes and then said, "Shit!" 

"What's the matter?" 

"That looks like dip shit's boat and like he is stuck on a sand bar or an island or something." 

"Well then, let's see about getting your things back and then see if there is anything we can do for them." 

"How about blowing that fucking boat up?" 

"We could do that but I don't think you would look nearly as cute in prison garb as you do like you are now." 

"Another cheap compliment; I'll take it. Listen, he can be charming but he can also be an asshole. Be prepared for either or both." 

"I am well aware of the type. Hold the wheel while I put the fenders out." She took the wheel and I told her to just hold the present course since I had cut the engine back. I put three fenders out and when I looked up, there were four guys standing in the back of the boat waving at us. They all seemed to have a beer can in their hand. I let the boat coast up next to them and reversed the engine for a moment to stop or forward moment. I purposely stopped us about two feet away from them. I took a boat gaffe and held us still next to them 

Emily was standing with her hands on her hips glaring at the leader of the four. 

"Hey guys, look what the rescue boat brought back to us. I guess she decided to play along. Em, are you ready to ask us for forgiveness?" 

"Not in this lifetime, asshole." 

"Fuck you, cunt. Hey man, hook us up and get us off this bar. We anchored here yesterday and the storm killed our engine. My old man will pay you a lot to get us off this damn bar." 

I stared at him and replied in the coldest voice I could muster. "I'm not a rescue boat and I don't want your daddy's money. I just want Emily's purse and bag back." 

"Fuck you asshole; you tow us to the marina or I'll throw her shit in the fucking river." 

"You throw her things in the river and I'll throw you in after them." 

"You and who else?" 

"Just me, prick. Now I am going to give you a choice and we can see just how smart you really are." 

He snickered, "I'd like to see that, wimp. I played football and could smash you like a bug." 

"And I was a SEAL, and l saw Taliban that would gut you in five minutes or less. Now shut your fucking face and listen." He froze in indecision for a moment. "First, you can get Emily's things and hand them over here nicely and I will go back to the marina and send a rescue boat to save your worthless ass and your daddy's money." 

"You're bluffing. There weren't any SEALs in Afghanistan." 

"There weren't any SEALs in Pakistan either, asshole. 

"So what's the other choice?" 

"I will push off and go back to the marina and tell the river patrol that you are marooned here and that I heard a woman scream. Then you can explain to them about Emily's things on your daddy's boat with no Emily. I am sure your daddy can afford to get you off the hook in a month or two but I suspect that this isn't the first time he has had to bail your arrogant ass out and he is probably getting tired of you. So what's it going to be?" 

He thought for a minute and then turned to one of the guys and said, "Jimbo, get her things and give them to him." Jimbo started to say something but he said, "Just do it, damn it. He's crazy enough to send the river patrol and we don't need them sniffing around the boat." 

Jimbo ran below and the guy looked back at me and said, "This isn't over. What's your name asshole?" 

"Farley Parkenfarker. Make sure you tell your daddy the whole story because I damn sure will and I suspect that Emily will back me up. I suggest that you just cut your losses and forget about me and Emily." 

Jimbo came back and handed Emily her purse and small suitcase. I asked, "Is it all there, Emily?" 

"Yes, all of the important things are." 

"It will take us about an hour to get back to the marina and probably an hour for so or them to get back down here. Drink your beer but make sure that your credit card is available. Otherwise, your daddy might have to buy his own boat back." 

"Fuck you, prick." 

I pushed us away and back into the currant and we started drifting down river. I climbed back up and engaged the throttle and made a U-turn to head back up river. I could feel the current slow us down so I moved closer to the shore line where we could move more easily. 

Emily had disappeared below and when she returned, she brought me a soda and a sandwich and stood quietly next to me. The tension was slowly ebbing and I could tell that she wanted to say or ask something. "What's on your mind, Emily? I can feel that you are about to split a lip." 

She put her arms around me and kissed my cheek. "Thank you; I can't find any word more than that to tell you how much I appreciate what you did. I just hope that Jeff listened to you and leaves you alone. His daddy is a pretty powerful man and can cause you some trouble." 

"Out curiosity, what is Jeff's name and who is his father?" 

"He is Jefferson Martin the Third and his father is ..." 

"Senator Jefferson Martin the Second, one of the most worthless men in Congress." 

With surprise in her voice, she said, "You know him? I mean, around here he is a pretty powerful man." 

"I met him once at a fundraiser. If there was ever someone who could talk out of both sides of his mouth at the same time, he would be the role model. It also proves the point that the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree." Actually, I didn't lie about the Senator but the truth was he could cause me some trouble if his son knew who I was. The Senator himself couldn't do much but the heavies who worked for the companies that owned him were not known to be nice people. "Don't worry; I suspect that the Senator has bigger problems to worry about that a guy who cussed out his idiot son." 

Emily paused and then asked, "Were you really a SEAL based in Afghanistan?" 

"Yes and no. I was a SEAL but no, I was not based in Afghanistan. I dropped in for a visit a couple of times and before you ask any more about that, I wish you wouldn't. I have some bad memories from there that I prefer to keep locked away in a deep hole." 

"All right; I won't ask any more. What are we going to do now?" 

"We have your things back. How about we just take the trip back to St. Louis and get you to registration on time?" 

"You're the Captain; you lead and I follow." She rested her head on my shoulder. 

"But you are the boss." 

"Not any more; well not anywhere but in the galley." 

"Emily, what we developed in the short time before this was fun and I enjoyed it. You don't have to change anything for my sake. I liked that you teased me and stuff. I haven't had much of that kind of lightness and fun especially from a woman. Whatever is in my past makes no difference about my present or future; just be yourself and tease me all you want. If you cross a line, I'll tell you." 

"It's just that I see you in a different light now." 

"It is the same me; you just saw a part of what I used to be. Yesterday and this morning, you saw what I am today. There is more to me that what you have seen but then I am twelve years older than you and have had more experiences. I see in you a very bright and wonderful woman. I suspect that you have a few dark secrets too but they don't bother me unless you are an axe murderess who butchers men in their sleep." 

She giggled, "I'll never tell." 

"Good. Surprise me. So after we tell Marquet to send a boat back for your boy friend, what do you want to do on the rest of the trip back to St. Louis?" 

She punched me in the arm. "He wasn't my boy friend before and he damn sure isn't even a friend now. I'll put him in my cache of bad memories and leave him there." 

"He'd probably be better off in the toilet of your mind and just flush him away." 

"All right, consider him flushed. As for the rest of the trip back, I want to cook for you and see you smile. I want to get some sun but then you will probably ogle my body and I'll have to fight you off. And I want you to teach me how to run this boat. Can you do that?" 

"The smile and the boat part will be easy; the hard part will be ogling your body." 

"You don't like my body?" 

"No, I didn't say that at all; I said that it will be hard to ogle your body without embarrassing myself in front of you." 

"That might be what I want you to do." 

"You're a tease." 

"You said that you like my teasing." 

"Trapped by my own stupid words; Arggh." She giggled and kissed my cheek and ear before she whispered, "Don't pull that pirate shit on me or I'll spank your little ass, Mister." 

"I'll have you know that there is nothing little about my ass." 

"I noticed but it would still be cute bent over my knee while I spanked you." 

"Paybacks are hell." 

"Oh, the Captain threatens his crew. I am so scared." 

We were approaching the marina so I called Marquet on the radio. 

"Ah, Roger; I thought that you would be fifty miles downriver by now. Are you having a problem?" 

"No problems; I thought that I would send you some business." 

"I always like more business, my friend." 

"The guys who dumped Emily on you are stuck on a sand bar about ten miles downriver with a dead engine. They were too drunk to listen to the weather before the storm hit. I told them that we would send a rescue boat after them." 

"Ah yes; I try to forget the days when I was young and stupid. I will send the boat." 

"Charge them double. The bad boy is very proud of spending his daddy's money and I am sure that daddy won't even blink at the charge." 

I could hear his Cajun smile come over the radio. "I know these kind of men and am very gracious to them when I cash their checks. Did you get all of Emily's things back?" 

"Yes, we did but you might be careful during the tow. I think that there are other things on that boat that they would prefer to not become known." 

"Ah yes, my cousin with the river patrol said that there was a rumor about a load of funny cigarettes going down river this week. Perhaps he needs to check the papers of this boat to insure that they are in order." 

"That might be fun but it also might create some problems for you and him. His daddy is a well known person." 

"All the better; papas like to keep their stupid children's noses clean and will often pay nicely to maintain their reputation." 

"I think that you understand the situation perfectly." 

"Have a good sail to the future, my friend. Come by when you are in the area again." 

"I will do just that." 

I put the radio down and turned to see that Emily had changed into her swim suit although I'm not sure that it could stand up to the rigors of being in water. There really wasn't much to it but it showed an awful lot of what was in it. She grinned at me and said, "Do you like it? This is the first time I have worn it. Do you think that it will make your ogling easier or harder?" 

"I cannot answer that question because...because you would probably punish me for what I would say." 

"I can think of several ways to punish a bad boy like you. I'm going to get a little sun and then you can show me more about driving this boat." 

"I don't know about the boat but you will be driving me crazy." 

"That is my plan. Now don't hit that barge heading for us." She climbed back down to the cockpit and stretched out on a towel. I looked up to see a barge coming downriver on about the same track that we were on. There was plenty of room to turn and give him the right of way so I made the adjustment. As we passed, I gave the pilot a toot of acknowledgement. He gave me two toots. I looked up and saw the pilot smiling and pointing to the cockpit. When I checked, Emily was lying on her stomach with the top undone and the thong had disappeared between her cheeks so that she appeared to be naked. I gave the pilot my best wolf whistle sound that a ship's horn can make. He waved and I returned the wave. 

I hollered down to her after we were safely past each other, "Congratulations, you have driven two men crazy this morning." 

She rolled over on her back and smiled. "I only care about one of them." 

"Put something on and come up for your first lesson." 

When she arrived, I found that she had put her blouse on but hadn't bothered to button it preferring to tie it loosely below her breasts. She was really going to drive me crazy before we got to St Louis. I went over the controls with her and talked about not trying to make sharp moves but slow ones in anticipation of what was coming ahead. Then I got down and stretched and checked all of the operating equipment and found everything was running properly. 

It was now shortly after noon and I went into the galley and heated up a can of beef stew embellished with some fresh bell peppers and onions and some additional seasoning. When it was ready, I took two bowls up to the steering station and set one of them in front of Emily. She looked at me and smiled. "I thought that you couldn't cook." 

"I didn't cook this; I just warmed it up and added a few things to make it less bland. How are things going?" 

"Fine; it works just like you said it would." 

"Good. The harder parts come when we come to a dock or in to anchor. We will do that later. I'll take over so you can eat your lunch." We switched places and she ate quietly before she said, "Am I teasing you too much?" 

"No, not really. It's just that I am not used to seeing a beautiful young woman that close to me." 

"Haven't you had a girl friend or something recently?" 

"Not really. I have dated a few women but mostly that is all. I haven't taken the time to get involved with anyone." 

"What kind of woman do you want to find?" 

I had to stop and think about that for a moment because I had never really thought about what my perfect woman would be like. "I guess I don't really know. I know that I like smart women and those who support me and allow me to support them. I like someone who likes to explore the world around them and not live in a fantasy land of fashions and fads. I guess that I like a woman who is fun to play with and serious to work with. That's kind of vague, I guess but that it about the best I can come up with." 

"So she doesn't have to be blonde with big tits and drive an expensive car?" She grinned at me as she asked. 

"No, actually I like a woman who has breasts of any size, hair of any color and a car that runs most of the time. What is more important is if the woman is not what she seems to be. I am tired of plastic people. I don't expect a woman to be perfect because I damn sure aren't offering her a perfect man. If she accepts me as I am, I will accept her as she is. So what do you want in a man?" 

"I think that I want the same thing in a man that you want in a woman. I grew up in a nice home but I think we were fairly normal and that is what I feel comfortable with. We bought things because we needed them and bought things to last. My dad drives five year old car and isn't flashy at all. As for me, I have had several boyfriends but nothing very serious. Most guys snicker when I told them I wanted to be a geologist and now that I am interested in maps and stuff, they just laugh at me. I guess I want a man who is strong when he needs to be and normal the rest of the time. I don't want a super hero or super star. I just want a man who will love me and support me in what I want to do because that is what I want to do for him." 

"Sounds like we would make a nice couple." 

"That is what I was thinking when you said what you wanted. Could you be interested in someone younger than you?" 

"I am thirty two; I'm not sure that I could relate to a sixteen year old and probably wouldn't be very good with a woman over fifty. Other than that, age is about as important to me as hair color is. It is part of the attraction process but on a scale of one to ten, it is about a two in importance." 




Sailing To Survive



"So I would have a chance with you?" I could hear a certain eagerness in her voice. 

"Let me put it this way; of all of the women I have met since I got out of the Navy, you would rank in the top five." 

"What happened to the other four?" 

"Three were married and one got screwed over and moved far away." 

"So you dated married women?" 

"No; at least I have not knowingly dated a married woman. I said that I have known three women who I got to know well enough to decide that they would fit with me but they were already married. I don't know if I fit their image because we never talked about it." 

"And the other one?" 

"She was special. We didn't work together directly but did work together on several projects and were very compatible. We had dinner a couple of times. But then, she got caught in an odd situation and got burned. When she complained, she got run out of town. She landed on her feet but she still has a problem trusting people." 

"When was the last time you talked to her?" 

"I saw her four days ago for about twenty minutes." 

"Do you still have feelings for her?" 

"Feelings of friendship and support, yes; we never got beyond that point and I doubt that we ever will." 

"That is a shame. It sounds like you and she might have had a chance." 

"Maybe; maybe not. It is really hard to look at some one and predict what the future might bring. All you can really see is what today will bring; tomorrow is always a leap of faith. I learned that in the military." 

"So where are you going and what are you going to do now?" 

"You ask a lot of questions for a snoopy little girl." 

"I'm not a little girl; I am a young woman who is curious. That's all." She blushed lightly as she defended herself. 

"I can't give you a firm answer. I decided to take some time off and figure that out. That is why I bought this boat. I want to see the Mississippi River and maybe go down the Texas coast. Somewhere along the way, I hope I can figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe I'll be a country western singer or a town drunk somewhere. That's about the best answer I can give you." I couldn't tell her that most of that was basically to just let people forget that I exist since I could be a problem to them. 

"You wouldn't make a good town drunk and I don't know how well you can sing but I can't see you dressed up in a loud shirt strumming a guitar and wailing about lost love or cheating girlfriends." 

"You are probably right. Now Miss Navigator, do you want to look at the map and find a place for us to park for the night? I don't recall a town or marina along this stretch of the river." 

"You are right. There is a place about fifteen miles ahead about here I think. We anchored there on the way down and it is a protected bay and has a nice beach." 

"That sounds perfect. I'll let you know when we get close and show you how to anchor this dude for the night." 

She leaned over and kissed me before she went back down and into the galley. As I sat there alone, I reflected on the events of today and our talk. I felt a funny, mixed set of feelings that I didn't understand. On the one hand, I was with a woman who made me feel really good about myself and showed me that a future like I had described was possible. She was untainted by some of dark things in life like sliding down a rope at dawn in a strange land and not knowing if the meal you had eaten two hours before was going to be your last one. She didn't yet know that some people in powerful places could become so sterile that the only thing important was to keep a non-human entity alive and throbbing through constant infusions of other people's sweat and money. She didn't realize that the man she was teasing wasn't who he said he was and was running to find a place to hide. 

When I put it that way, I felt the dark feelings creep over me again. I needed to take her back to her safe life and not expose her to these dark things. She would find her own terrors in time. But she would hopefully never know the eyes. They never left me alone for long. I could see them as clearly today and I did ten years ago. Those smirking and laughing eyes that dared me to challenge his power and authority. Today, those eyes had been transformed onto a young white face rather than on a darkly tanned and bearded one. I realized that I had seen the same look just this morning on the face of a young idiot who didn't even know how to wipe his ass yet. But the eyes were the same and showed the same mocking and disdain for me and everyone else. The face changed but the eyes didn't. They belonged to a soulless man with too much power and too much control and he would wreak just as much havoc and destruction in his own way as the bearded one in Afghanistan had. I shuddered at the thought and just hoped that Emily would find a safe refuge from the likes of the Jefferson Martin the Thirds of the future. 

I began shaking and knew that it would take more than a couple of scotches to calm me down tonight and that thought kept me unsettled. An hour later, I had calmed a little when Emily came back up and handed me a scotch. "It is about time for us to get to the place. So tell me, my Captain, how to park this beast." 

I couldn't help but grin. She had the ability to make me forget the dark things for awhile. "We have about a mile before we get there. I don't know what we will be coming into but we need to end up facing the wind for the night. If the water is deeper than two or three feet, we can get as close to shore as we want and maybe tie off to a tree or something. If not, then we need to stay farther away from shore and drop the front anchor and let it catch and hold us. Then I will drop the stern anchor and maybe a mid-ship anchor if the wind is up. So which way is the wind blowing from?" 

"It is coming from the west. So, we need to enter the bay and turn to the west. How can we tell how deep the water is?" 

I looked at the map and it didn't say. "We will enter the bay very slowly and I will see what the color of the water is. If it is light, it is probably too shallow; if it is darker, then we are probably deep enough. We can try it if we are slow. That way, if we hit the sand or mud, we won't get stuck and can back our way out. If we go faster, we could get stuck too hard to back out. A lot of this is just getting comfortable with the different local environment. You just learn over time." 

"Here is the entrance; are we going too fast?" 

"No; this is about right. Where did you anchor the other night?" 

"He just pulled into the center of the bay and dropped anchor." 

"That figures. It is probably lucky that he got stuck on the bar. If he had kept going, he would probably have wrecked his daddy's boat. Make for the far shore there and make a loop around the bay while I check it out." She turned the boat in an arc around the bay while I surveyed the shore and the water. It appeared that the central part with the beach was shallow but both sides were deeper and were somewhat protected by the sand bars that created the small bay. I pointed out a spot for her to go to on the south side and told her to reverse the engine to stop our forward motion. Then I went forward to drop the anchor. It held quickly and I threw out the stern anchor and it took hold quickly too. 

I yelled for her to shut off the engine and we were surrounded by silence which felt terribly good at the moment. I took a line and waded to the shore and tied it off on a large tree of shore. She stood at the side gunwale and watched what I was doing. "Why did you do that? I thought that you were going to use a side anchor." 

"This is just a safety line. Right now we are pointed into the wind and as long as it hold steady, the anchors will hold and we will be stable. But if the wind shifts to the southwest which it often does down here in the spring and summer, we could be pushed towards the center of the bay if one or both of the anchors aren't set really firmly. This line will keep us pretty close to this spot regardless of what the wind does. But we need to watch or listen to the weather to see what the forecast is going to be." 

"That seems to be a lot to remember and think about." 

"It's not really. Once you learn about sailing on a river, you can do it almost anywhere in the world. Rivers are very similar. They all go downhill towards the ocean. Almost everywhere, the prevailing winds are generally the same during each season. So what you are trying to do is to keep the lowest profile of the boat into the wind and minimize the wind hitting the side or the big areas. Then you are trying to put the anchors where they are most likely to hold and then add a protective line like this in case things change. All of the other major problems on a river are usually marked like rapids and waterfalls and stuff. The Mississippi is notorious because it keeps changing and creating and moving sand bars around. You have to keep a close eye while sailing on it. Some of this applies to ocean sailing but it is different because of variable currents and changing weather and tides. The main thing is to check the weather frequently and know when to expect problems to blow through." 

"You make it seem so simple." 

"Basically, it is. Well, it's not simple but it is common sense and a little knowledge. You will learn." 

"I hope so." 

"Do you want to come ashore and walk the beach?" 

"Let me get my shoes and..." 

"No, come on. I'll carry you. You aren't that heavy." 

She grinned, "For that compliment, I'll let you but if you drop me in the water, your ass is grass and I am the weed whacker." 

"I am so scared of you, I am shaking." Actually, I was shaking a little but it was at the thought of holding her firm body in my arms even if it was for little more than five feet. She stepped onto the rear platform and I carefully scooped her into my arms. Her arms went around my neck and for the next three steps, I felt like she belonged right where she was, nestled into my arms. I didn't want to put her down but felt that I should so I let her feet down. She touched the ground but didn't let go of my neck. 

She kissed my cheek and said, "Thank you kind sir" and released my neck but took my hand as we started to walk along the narrow beach. The difference between a river beach and an ocean beach is that the river shore usually only has washed up trash on it rather than the potential for exotic flotsam from the ocean's depth and this beach was no different. It appeared that his little bay had been carved out of the bank for boaters to enjoy. We walked past several burned out campfire sites and several garbage piles that featured mostly empty beer cans. In spite of the litter, I felt very comfortable walking beside Emily as we talked about her school and her ambitions. They all sounded so basically uncomplicated yet profoundly important. The optimist inside me hoped that she would fulfill her dreams as she perceived them. The cynic inside me wondered when the pulsing drama of the economically driven world would rear its head and turn her dreams into tedium and boredom. But right now, I preferred to bathe in the warm glow of her youthful enthusiasm. 

As we returned to the boat, I asked "So are you going to carry me to the boat this time?" 

"I liked it better when you swept me off my feet and carried me off into the sunset." 

"Oh, so this time I should throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the boat so you can cook dinner." 

"I just love the romantic inside you. When are you going to let it out?" 

"It is just a scared little puppy hiding in a box." 

"Bull shit. Carry me like you mean it." 

I swept her up into my arms and planted the biggest kiss I could come up with directly on her lips and then took the three steps to the boat and set her on the platform again. She got her balance with her arms still around my neck and looked at me and said, "Yes, just like that." She pulled me to her so she could return the kiss. Then she stepped back into the cockpit and walked towards the cabin. As I pulled myself up onto the platform, I admired her cute ass swaying as she walked away from me and in spite of what I felt, I knew that this was the way it needed to be. She needed to walk away from me and I needed to turn the boat south and motor away. I could feel the eyes searching already. 

By the time I got to the cabin, she had a scotch waiting for me as she turned to the galley to make dinner. I wanted to just look at her as she worked but knew better and turned on the television to see if I could catch the weather reports. I was satisfied because there was little likelihood of a major change for at least a week. That would give me time to get her back to St. Louis and start heading south. 

Soon after that, she brought is each a plate of chicken with rice and green olives that tasted wonderful. She said that she had tasted something similar to this in a Moroccan restaurant once and had loved it. She played around with ingredients until she had found something similar. I was glad she had as I could stand this on a regular basis. After we ate, we watched the movie of the evening which was the Harrison Ford version of "The Fugitive." She chose to sit in my lap cuddled in my arms to watch it which felt tremendously good. But in spite of those feelings the content of the movie brought back the chill inside me as the "good guys' were relentlessly pursued the "bad guy." I had two more scotches and knew that tonight was going to be a restless night for sleep. 

When the movie was over, she kissed me lightly on the lips and said, "It is time to go to bed, Captain. Turn on some gentle music and I'll get the bed ready." 

"Emily, I...I have a feeling that I am not going to sleep very well tonight. Perhaps it would be better if I just slept out here and not bother you all night." 

"Nonsense! You will sleep in your bed tonight. You protected me from the storm last night; I will protect you from the boogie man tonight. Come on. Don't argue with me." She stood up and pulled me up. There was something about her that I couldn't refuse; so I followed her to the sleeping berth. In spite of my concerns, she cajoled me into taking off my clothes except my underpants and getting into bed. I couldn't let myself watch her undress, so I just closed my eyes. As soon as I did, I saw the eyes again and started shaking. I barely felt her body slide in next to mine and her arm moved under my neck and her other arm slid around my chest as she spooned behind me. 

I spent I don't know how long that night sweating and moaning and perhaps even crying out. I saw the eyes, the smirk. I saw the line of young girls. I heard the explosions and the gunfire but I always came back to the eyes. They haunted me and they taunted me. They searched for me and wouldn't stop until they found me again. At some point, I must have finally just fallen asleep. 

The next sensation I was aware of was when the sun came through the porthole and caught my eye. I started to roll away from it when I became aware that I was caught in Emily's arms. "You aren't going anywhere, baby; I'm protecting you." Her hand caressed my chest and she pulled me onto my side and closer to her where her lips gently touched mine. 

"Emily, I...I'm sorry. I should have slept on the cot or someplace else." 

"No; you were right where you needed to be. I don't know what you were reliving but it must have been terrible. I guess it was something from Afghanistan the way you were talking and screaming. It's all right now. I was with you and kept you safe." 

"I'm not sure that I will ever be truly safe again." 

"You haven't had someone to cover your back before; but you do now." 

"Emily, I..." 

"Shut up. We have things to do." I felt her hand slip down my chest and into my underpants. Her hand found my cock and it quickly became aroused. I started to say something but her mouth covered mine and her lips made sure that I wouldn't talk. A moment later, her lips were replaced by her breast and I sought nourishment and new life from her as she gasped and pulled me tighter against her. I don't know how long we stayed that way but then I found myself on my back and I was inside her and she was slowly riding me, coaxing me to release the stress that was filling my body. I wasn't the one in control of what we were doing; she was and she seemed to know exactly what she was doing and what I needed. I felt the eyes trying to find me but they couldn't because a greater power controlled me and protected me. With a scream, I exploded inside her warm and protective body and then I cried. Tears rolled down my face and she was kissing them away as they ran. Finally, we were still. 

"Em...Emily, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used you that way." 

She lifted her head and looked me in the eyes, "Just how do you think you used me, Captain?" 

"I...I guess I lost control and...hell, I don't know." 

"Well, I damn sure do. You didn't use me; I took things in my own hands and made love to you since you have been fighting yourself to keep from touching me. As for using me; I rode you hard and it was wonderful. I came three times and the most any other man has been able to get me off has been once. I may be young and not as experienced as you are but I think I understand you better than you understand me. Later when you make love to me again, I want your full attention on me this time. I know that you were distracted by your demons but from now on, I am your demon when we are in bed and don't you forget that." Then she kissed me passionately. "Now, what were you saying?" 

"I think you understand more of what is going on than I do. You explain." 

"I don't know anything more about you than what you have told me. All I know is that you have a past and I am not part of it. I am your present and want to be part of that until you don't want me anymore. You said that I was one of the top five women you felt really good about. For now, I want you to know that I am the best piece of ass you have ever had. It is that simple." I swatted her ass firmly. "What was that for, asshole?" 

"You are not now or ever will be a piece of ass to me. If you want me as your lover until whenever, I will accept you for what you are which is a wonderful woman who I enjoy being with immensely. Take it or leave it." 

"I'll take it. Now, we need to get going but I expect you to make love to me every night and every morning and any other time you want me until we get to St. Louis. We will work out after that when we get there. How does that sound?" 

"It sounds like a dream come true for me but I don't know what you will be getting out of it." 

"You men really don't have a clue, do you? Besides fantastic sex, I will get to know a fascinating man who can teach me a lot in a hurry. Besides that, he makes me feel good about myself and makes me feel safe. There are only two other men who I feel as safe as I do with you and those are my father and uncle. Now are you going to make love to me again or get this boat on the river?" 

"Choices, choices; always a decision to make." I rolled her onto her back and we made love for another hour. She screamed out three times in passion and I wasn't bothered by the eyes at all. All I cared about was this woman in my arms who what writhing in passion. Making her happy and fulfilled was all I wanted to do. 

As she lay there glowing when we finished, she whispered something that I didn't understand. "Repeat." 

She pulled me down so that my ear was next to her mouth and she said loudly, "Don't you dare repeat this to anyone. I love you. Did you hear that, Captain?" 

"Yes ma'am, I did; very clearly." 

"Good. Now don't you dare repeat that back to me until you are damn sure that you mean it. Go get us out of this swamp; I'll bring you breakfast." 




Sailing To Survive



"You drive a hard bargain." 

"And you drive a hard something else." 

I pulled off of her after I kissed her tenderly. "I need help with the anchors. Can you help before you start breakfast?" 

"Just like a man; he needs a woman and won't admit it until the work needs to be done. Get this thing started and I'll be right up." 

I pulled on a pair of shorts and got the engine and generator started. Then I climbed out and untied the side line and brought it back on board. When I was back at the steering station, a pair of hands went around my chest. "What should I do?" 

I turned around and Emily was stark naked. "You're not dressed." 

"So, the only person around to look is you and I like it when you look, you dirty old man." 

"I'm..." 

"I know, you're not old. Stuff it. What do I do?" 

"When I am at the stern, put it in reverse but don't rev the engine. It will be enough to let the line go slack and I can pull it up by hand. Then I'll go to the bow; put it in gear and idle slowly forward. I'll winch the big anchor up as you move us forward. By the time we are over it, it should be loose and will come on up. Then just turn towards the center and out into the waterway." She nodded and I went to the stern. 

Five minutes later, the anchors were up and I climbed back to the helm and took over. As she started walking towards the steps to go down, I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me and kissed her. "You have the sexiest body and ass that I have ever seen and you are by far the best lover I have ever experienced." 

"Finally, I get a good compliment. Thank you lover; you make the few other guys I have been with look like amateurs. Just hold onto that thought for a long, long time." She kissed me and went below as I turned us towards the slower moving side to stay clear of the current. Five minutes later, we passed a pleasure boat and a heavily loaded barge heading down river. 

Twenty minutes later, Emily came back up wearing one of my long, sleeveless shirts. It was buttoned to her mid breast and I doubted that she wore anything below that. She carried me a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage with two biscuits and jelly. "Thank you. By the way, are you wearing anything under that shirt?" 

"No. I told you that I was yours whenever you wanted me and I want to be ready for you when that happens." She grinned. 

"If you wear that, it will probably happen sooner than later. It looks a lot better on you than it does on me." 

"I thought that it might. It feels good on me too. As long as you don't mind, I will wear it when we pass through towns or by other boats." 

"Consider it yours. Where is your breakfast?" 

"I nibbled while I cooked yours. I'll eat when you are finished." 

I ate while everything was still hot. Emily stood next to me and kept a hand on the helm while I ate. When I finished, she leaned over and kissed me deeply as she unzipped my shorts and fished me out. "What are you doing?" 

"I'm going to have my breakfast now. Keep your eyes on the river." Then she went to her knees and went to work on my sausage. It took awhile but she never seemed to get tired as she kissed, sucked and licked every part of me. When she finally got her mouthful, she rolled it around in her mouth for a moment and swallowed. She stood up and said, "That was better than I thought it would be. Expect that frequently." 

"Are you trying to tell me that this was the first time you have done that?" 

"Yes, it was. I promised myself that I wouldn't go down on a guy until I found the one I love. Then I would do everything and let him do anything he wanted. So, we now know one more thing that we can love to do. Was I good enough?" 

"You were better than good. That might be the best I have ever had. Has a guy ever gone down on you before?" 

"No, never. Do you want to do that with me?" 

"Let's put it this way, don't make any plans for tonight; you will be busy for a long time." 

"I can't wait. Where are we now?" 

"We are along here right now. We should be here before dusk. Are you up for staying at the dock there and going into town for dinner?" 

"You mean I won't have to slave over a hot stove tonight before you ravish me? Let me go check my wardrobe." 

"Don't check too hard, I only brought one other decent shirt and a couple pairs of jeans." 

"That's ok; I only brought one skirt and one blouse. I expected to be on the beach all week. So mostly, you will see me in swim suits, this or nothing until I get home." 

"You will not get any complaints from me over that." 

"You say the sweetest things." 

At five o'clock we were setting the fenders and lines to the dock just below the town. A sign indicated that overnight boats were welcome but that there was no power available at the dock. A water hookup was available about twenty five feet from the boat. At that moment, there were only two other boats tied up but there was room for perhaps another dozen boats. Emily changed into her skirt and blouse and I put on jeans and my shirt and we walked up the hill hand in hand to see what this cute little village had to offer. 

It didn't offer much but there was a choice between a steak house and a barbeque place. We chose the steak house and were glad we did. They also had a dance floor and a well stocked juke box. We ordered a bottle of red wine and danced several times before we ordered dinner. After we ate, we danced for another hour and enjoyed the time holding and teasing each other. We walked back hand in hand at nine o'clock to find that three other boats had tied up to the dock. I double checked our lines and went inside. Emily had coffee brewed and we began a tradition of having coffee with her sitting in my lap while we waited for the ten o'clock news and weather. During the time before the news started, we enjoyed our coffee but also a lot of kisses and caresses. When the news came on, we were deep in a soulful kiss when I heard the name Stuart and listened as the reporter said that the mystery deepened in my disappearance as my truck had been found in rural Tennessee. We broke our kiss after the next story came on and Emily didn't seem to be aware of my slight nervousness. The weather showed no significant change for several days, so I shut it off and turned on the stereo and we went back to our passionate kissing. 

Finally, I took her in my arms, lifted her and carried her to our bed. Undressing her took only moments because her blouse was already unbuttoned and her skirt came off easily. As I slipped her panties off, she said a little nervously, "Are you still going to, you know?" 

"Hush and focus on me and how you feel." 

"I am totally focused on you and you make me feel so loved, I almost can't stand it." As I stripped off my jeans, I leaned over and kissed her. Then I kissed my way from her lips to her belly button. Her hand was resting on my head the whole trip. Then I slowly moved my head lower and spread her legs. At the first touch of my lips, she came and I paused for her to complete her orgasm. When she settled down, I led with my tongue and she began a long succession of orgasms, one right after the other until she finally held my head against her and coarsely said, "No more right now. Come here. Come up here and fuck me." 

"I told you that I wouldn't fuck you; I'll make love with you anytime you want." 

"Then get your dick up here in my mouth or put it in my pussy; I don't care which." I chose the latter and slipped inside her well lubricated vagina because I was on the verge of exploding too. As soon as I was inside her, her legs wrapped around my legs and trapped me inside her. "Come inside me; I want you so badly. Lover, love me with all you have to give." She had her arms around my back and held me tightly as I felt her come again. I had no choice now and began pumping in and out of her until I erupted again inside her wonderful body." Her last words before she fell asleep were, "I can't believe how wonderful you make me feel. I love you so much." Then she was out. 

I was glad she was because I was ready to join her. I had never been so aroused or as ready to come as I was with her. I rolled onto my side pulling her with me and held her close. Even with her out, I whispered in her ear, "I love you" and kissed her limp lips and fell asleep holding her to my body. 

In the morning, I woke early before the sun came up. The reason was the smell of coffee and the appearance of a naked girl standing next to my bed holding it in her hands. "Why are you standing there, holding coffee and not being in bed next to me with your cup too?" 

She smiled. "I feel so wonderful this morning, I just don't know what to do with myself. I had to do something, so I made coffee." 

"Then get your cup and get in bed next to me. I can think of a lot of things we can do together." 

"Yes sir." She set my cup down and went to get hers. I moved to the center and made room for her inside my arm. She nestled in closely and put her head on my shoulder. 

"I take it that you enjoyed last night?" 

She kissed my chest and caressed my stomach. "My aunt told me about it but even then I wasn't prepared for that. I have never been so aroused and turned on as I was. I guess you do like to do that, don't you?" 

"Yes, it is one of the most special things a man can do for a woman, if she likes it." 

"You mean some women don't?" She replied in surprise. 

"Sure. A lot of men won't do it and some women are afraid to have it done to them. I will say that I have never been with anyone who got into as much as you did." 

"Really. Um... do you like to do that often?" 

I smiled. "With you; I like that and almost everything else anytime you want." 

"Is it all right if I ask you for that sometimes?" 

"Yes and if you don't ask, just do it. You can move up and just lower yourself onto my mouth if you want. Or you can do me while I am doing you. And if you want to, just tell me to go down on you. You don't have to call it 'that.'" 

"I know, it's just...Roger, I haven't been with a lot of guys really. One in high school and three in college and two of those were less than exciting. My aunt has told me about everything but told me to not get crazy about things until the right guy came along. She says that when that happens, everything will be easy and natural and it will be perfect. And boy, was she right." 

"You mentioned your dad, uncle and aunt. What about your mother?" 

"She died when I was seven. My dad raised me during the school year and then he usually had to travel so I stayed with my uncle and aunt. So my aunt is mostly like my mother. She is cool but then so is my dad and uncle." 

"Tell me about them." 

"Daddy and Uncle Tom are fraternal twins. They were both in the Navy too. Uncle Tom was a SEAL but daddy was in intelligence. My mom and aunt were in the Navy too. Mom was a nurse and Aunt Carla was in their justice department. The Navy put her through law school. Mom and Dad met and married in Virginia and Uncle Tom and Carla met and married in California. Momma and Daddy got out after they got married and they came back to Missouri. Momma went to work as a nurse and daddy went to graduate school. Carla and Uncle Tom stayed in Virginia after they got out of the service but they all got together three or four times a year. Then when momma died, they arranged to move to St. Louis to be close to daddy and I. So I sort of grew up for the school year in Columbia and spent the summers in St. Louis unless all four of us went on a trip together." 

"So what do they all do?" 

"Daddy is a History professor at the University. He teaches Military History but specializes in Naval History. That why he travels during the summers. He goes places that I can't go. He has written three or four books on Naval History. Aunt Carla is still a lawyer and does a lot of work with government contracts and things like that. Uncle Tom is a cop. What about your family?" 

"There's not much to tell. I grew up in East Texas and my parents were school teachers. They were killed in a car wreck when I was sixteen. I didn't have any brothers or sisters. I think I have one or two aunts somewhere but I'm not sure. My high school coach and his wife took me in until I graduated and I joined the Navy and then the SEALs. I was pretty certain that I was going to make it my career but it didn't work out that way. When I got out, I went to college on the Navy's nickel in Virginia and then started my business up there. So now I am just kind of homeless and looking around for some place to light and start doing something else." 

"Do you know what you want to do next?" 

"Yes, I do. I want to make love with you." 

"And what is stopping you?" 

"You know how it is. I have to seduce you and convince you that I am serious and then I have to spend an hour or longer caressing you and kissing you. It is so much work." 

That earned me a punch in the arm. "Asshole. I'll take care of the first part and you won't have to lift a finger." She did a wonderful job of the first part but I did lift a finger or two or ten and made sure that they stayed busy all over her body while she did the same to me. This morning, I tasted her pussy while she was busy inflating my cock. When we were both right on the edge, she said, "Do my doggy style; I have never done it that way either." She got on her hands and knees and I slid into her welcoming warmth. She quickly began moaning as I held her hips and increased and decreased my rhythm and speed in and out of her. Twice, I reached around and lightly pinched her clit and she came hard both times. When I reached for it a third time, she sputtered, "Come with me. Come inside me. Oh crap you are wonderful." I muttered, "So are you" as I once again filled up with my seed. 

When we both regained out breath, she said, "I like that too. We can do it that way anytime you want." 

"Is there anything you don't like?" 

"I don't like being groped and pawed and then treated like a cheap whore that's for sure. With you, I can't imagine not liking anything you want. You just make me feel special." 

"That's because you are." 

"Thank you. Now why don't you go play Captain again while I fix your breakfast. We should be back in St. Louis tomorrow afternoon; or early the next morning." 

She said it and it hit me; these couple of idyllic days were about to come to an end. I knew that I didn't want them to end but I didn't know how they could continue. I felt a heavy heart as I dressed and climbed up to the helm after starting the engine and casting off the lines. The river which had started to feel like a road to heaven suddenly became just a wet road to nowhere. As if an omen appeared, a cloud passed overhead and blocked out the sun. 

The cloud went away and the sun came back out when Emily reappeared with my plate of breakfast. "What was that frown on your face, my Captain?" 

"The bullshit answer is nothing important; the truth is that you reminded me that we are just about to get you home and our trip is almost over." 

"So you will miss me?" 

"I have never felt about anyone like I do for you and just the idea of not having you near makes me very sad." 

"Good. Hold onto that thought until after we get back. I need to make some arrangements and then we will talk about the rest of the summer." 

"Are you teasing me?" 

"You deserve it but no, I'm not. I just need to take care of some things when I get back. You can stay a couple of days can't you?" 

"I don't have any place in particular to go right away but I don't want to hang around too long. I can do some work on the boat for a couple of days, I guess." 

"Good. I'll show you a marina where you can tie up and stay." 

"Is it the same place where your former boy friend keeps his boat?" 

"No and he wasn't my boy friend. I didn't even let him touch me much less fuck me. I might have if he hadn't shown his true colors as soon as we left. Aunt Carla told me to take things slow and I'm glad I listened." 

"You didn't go slow with me." 

"You are different. You are a man and proved yourself first." 

"And you are a woman and are driving me crazy." 

"Good. Aunt Carla said to keep your man guessing." 

"I need to have a talk with your Aunt Carla." 

"You will and also with daddy and Uncle Tom." 

"I'm in deep trouble. They are going to gang up on me." 

"I hope so. Now Captain, I have some things to do below. Don't bother me unless you want to fuck me." 

"I told you..." 

"I know, I know. You can fuck me or make love to me whichever way you want to think of it." She took my plate and went back down below. 

All I could do was shake my head and try to figure out how I was going to get away without feeling like a stupid shit. An hour later, I had decided that I would sail down river for a couple of weeks and then come back up and stay for several days and then go up river and repeat it again until school started in the fall. Then I would just fade away and perhaps we could meet during breaks or something. The main thing was that I couldn't sit still and stay in one place for long. Maybe in a year, I would be of little interest to the powers that be and I could think about settling down to one place, my place. And maybe I could afford the luxury of thinking about a wife and maybe a child. As soon as I thought of that, I wrapped it back up and put it away with the rest of my dreams for "someday." 

The rest of the day went smoothly and we had fun and made love that night and again the next morning. As we came up river to St. Louis, she told me to pull into a channel that was on the south side of the city. That led to a marina about a half a mile inland. It wasn't overly fancy but had solid docks and a ship's store. I paid for two nights of dockage and power and said that I might be there an additional night or two and that made Emily smile. Then we went back to the boat and she made dinner. She was going to leave in the morning to go home, change and then go to the University for Registration. She planned to be back after that but wasn't sure of what time it would be. I promised to be a good boy and not chase any young girls while she was gone. To insure that I wasn't in the mood to chase skirts, she fucked my lights out that night and again in the morning before she left. 

After she left, I checked all of the fluid levels and found them to be good. Then I cleaned up some of the lines and storage lockers. That took me an hour. By 9:30, I was looking for something else to do and decided that now would be a good time to paint the outside of the cabin. I went to the ship's store and bought a gallon of paint, a large brush and some exterior caulk in case I found some developing cracks. I also bought the gold plastic letters to christen the boat with a name. By noon, I had one side of the cabin painted a grey green and was beginning on the front when I stopped for lunch. A self-made sandwich and a beer tasted pretty flat after eating Emily's cooking. I thought that maybe I should just kidnap her for the summer. On second thought, I doubted that I would have to kidnap her; all I probably had to do was ask her. 

I finished the front and other side by four o'clock when I heard footsteps on the dock and looked up to see Emily smiling and leading two men and a woman down to the boat. At first I felt glad that she was back but then I got cautious as I suspected but didn't know for sure who the others were. Emily stepped down into the cockpit and kissed me. The others stood on the dock waiting. "Why are you just standing there? Come on in." 

I replied, "In the Navy, you don't board a boat without permission. Please, come aboard." 

I held out my hard to help the woman down. She smiled at me as Emily said, "This is my Aunt Carla. Carla, this is Roger or Stuart or whatever he is calling himself today." 




Sailing To Survive



My heart froze and Carla could feel it. "At ease Stuart, no one knows you are here but us." She gave me a cheek kiss and hug. 

The second man down was slightly taller than I was and I knew from the way he walked that he was an ex-SEAL. They may not be in uniform anymore but they always wear the invisible signs of the training. Emily said, "This is my Uncle Tom and behind him is my daddy." 

I shook hands with Tom and then turned to Emily's father. He smiled a warm smile and said, "You don't have to call me daddy; my name is Ray and I want to thank you for taking care of my rather impetuous daughter." 

"It was my pleasure sir." I also felt that all three had been officers and I naturally responded to them with the respect they deserved. Emily had gone below and brought out five glasses, a bottle of wine and a bottle of scotch with a bucket of ice and put them on the table. "She has helped me out far more than I helped her I am certain." 

"Good. Now, first things first; relax, we aren't here to barbeque you. Well we do need to check out the guy who has swept Emily off her feet but not for any other reason. She says that you can walk on water. I doubt that but as a former SEAL, I can understand why she feels that way." 

"Thank you. I can't walk on water but if the enemy is nipping at my heels, I can probably run on top of it very nicely." Both Tom and Ray laughed in agreement. "Please have a drink and sit down. I guess I have some explaining to do." 

Carla replied, "You don't have to explain anything you don't want to; there is no hint that you have done anything wrong except ruffle some feathers in high places. Mainly, we need to find out what you want to do about it." 

Emily sat on my lap and said, "Your picture and name are all over the newspapers and television. What did you do? Did you shoot someone or something?" 

"It was the 'or something'. I quit my job and that didn't sit well with some people. Well, they also probably didn't like the way I turned in my resignation either." 

"But that someone was the President of the United States!" she said as if that made much difference. 

"Hey, people get pissed at their boss at all levels. He was just a boss who used his employee wrong. I had enough and left." 

Ray said, "Emily, he's right; the only difference is that he wasn't just an employee; he was an insider and probably knows a lot of things that they would rather not like getting spread around. People in high places get paranoid that their carefully crafted images might get tarnished." 

"That just about sums it all up. I wanted out and I felt that the only way to do it was to disappear. I'm not going to talk to the press or write a book or anything. I just want out and to find a place where I am not important and can get on with my life." 

Carla took over the conversation. "That's what we figured but now the question is how to put the cork back into the bottle. It has been a slow week for the news people. They have beat up all of the old scandals and they are hungry for a new conspiracy to keep their ratings up. A presidential aide disappearing makes good headlines. So far there has only been one report of you being abducted by Martians but there are three reports that say you were drugged and flown to Moscow. Others report you dead at the hands of terrorists, the Mafia, Mexican drug cartels, and one that says you were run out of town by an irate husband." 

"Oh I like that one." 

Emily snorted and said, "You do not. Why don't you just tell them the truth?" 

I looked at her and said, "Emily, in Washington the truth does not exist. The only thing that matters is if the story fits the party line that they want to tell. It is bad practice to be consistently wrong and inconveniently right. It is best to just go with the flow and make the man you work for look good. The truth will usually make him look less than good." 

All three of the adults nodded at her in agreement. "So what can you do?" She asked. 

Carla replied, "Probably the best thing would be to just contact the FBI and tell them that you are alive and well and are just traveling for personal reasons." 

Tom finally entered the conversation, "That will help some but not much. By the way Stuart, the official word is that we are to identify you and see that you are unharmed and report your location. That's all. We aren't supposed to detain you at all." 

"I thought you were a cop; this sounds like you are more than just a cop." 

"I'm FBI; the regional intelligence officer for the Midwest." 

"Oh. Emily said that you were a cop." 

Carla replied, "That is my fault. I told her to tell people that because if she said her uncle was FBI, three quarters of the male population would wet their pants while running away from her. We are here today as Emily's family, not in an official capacity." 

I just nodded but my mind was working overtime. "I think I have a better idea. Talking directly to the FBI could get messy. Let me try this on for a moment. Carla, you are a private attorney, so I retain you to represent me in this matter. You report to the FBI that I am safe and well and just traveling. The reason is that my PTSD was getting the best of me and I just wanted to get away. That way, you don't have to tell anyone anything else because of lawyer-client privacy and Tom isn't put on the spot." 

The three of them looked at each other and nodded. Ray added, "Maybe we can take a picture of the two of you with today's newspaper to document that you are telling the truth." 

I replied, "Fine but not on or near the boat or anywhere recognizable. I really don't want a horde of news people or others trying to track me down." Ray nodded as did Carla. Tom on the other hand, pursed his lips and looked hard at me but didn't say anything. 

I could feel Emily getting impatient in my lap and she said, "Now that this is settled, can we go on to what is next?" 

The other three smiled and nodded. I looked at her and said, "What do you mean by 'next'?" 

"Next as in what we are going to do for the rest of the summer." 

"You are going to summer school and I am going to sail down the river to the Gulf. That is the next that I know about." 

"Yes, that is right with one teeny modification." 

"I am afraid to hear this." I replied 

Ray added, "With good reason. Go on Emily ask him; don't tell him." 

"Yes daddy. Stuart, I have enrolled in a summer class but it is a field project class and I need to ride down the river to take some measurements because the river changed some this spring. I was thinking that if you wanted, I could ride with you and cook for you and stuff." She was toying with the hair on my neck and I was getting hard with her in my lap. 

"You mean that you really want to ride down the river with me on this stinky boat and cook for me and pretend that you are doing something for a class?" 

"No, I mean I want to ride down the river on this beautiful yacht, cook meals for us, do my school work and have you make love to me every morning and night all summer long." 

I looked at Ray and then at Tom and finally at Carla. All three of them were ginning at my discomfort. "I can't believe that you said that in front of your father and uncle. One or both of them could shoot me." 

"They won't. Daddy wants to get rid of me for the summer. I think he has a new girl friend or something. Uncle Tom and Carla want to get away from me for a couple of weeks and go fuck on a beach somewhere. So either I stay here and pine away from missing you or we spend the summer fucking. I also need to work on you to get you to admit that you love me like I love you." 

"I already admitted that." 

She sat up straight and said, "When did you do that?" 

"The other night when you were asleep." 

"You did not." Then she turned to Carla, "Is it legal if he tells me when I am asleep?" 

"It depends. Were you asleep before he fucked you or after?" 

"It was after the best loving I have ever had." 

"Then it probably counts. If a guy tells you that he loves you before he fucks you, he is just trying to get in your panties. If he tells you afterwards, he probably meant it." 

"But I didn't hear it." 

"So fuck him again and ask him. It is perfectly all right to ask a man if he loves you." 

I said, "I am not believing this conversation. I didn't know that there were rules and stuff." 

Tom replied, "Believe it. I got down on my knee with a ring and all that and asked her to marry me. She then wanted to negotiate for four days before she would say yes." Carla slugged him in the shoulder. 

"Asshole. It was only three days and we fucked for more than half the time so it was only a day and a half. I just wanted to make sure that you were serious." 

I muttered, "That is where she gets those love taps." 

Tom grinned and replied, "Yes, Carla has taught her a lot of things including the love taps. It got so bad that I thought the bruises would be permanent so I had my shoulder tattooed so that the real bruises wouldn't show. And if you think that is bad, wait until you hear the way they define the difference between fucking and making love. You will love that one." 

I looked at Ray expecting to see a concerned father. Instead, he was laughing his head off. Finally he looked at me and said, "Forgive our family. With three of us ex-Navy and Carla and Tom and me in history, we don't mince many words around each other. I am afraid that Emily has picked up a couple of bad habits." 

"I have not. Now shut the fuck up. He hasn't said 'yes' yet. So what do you think Stuart? Can I come along for the summer?" 

"I have just one question to ask your father first. Ray, if I agree to take her along, one of two things is going to happen this summer. Either I am going to feed her to the sharks in the Gulf or I am going to marry her. If I decide to marry her, do I need to call and ask for permission first?" 

"No, just call and tell us where and when so we can be there to celebrate." 

"I can do that." 

"Hey you, you haven't even told me you love me much less asked me about marriage." She slugged my shoulder. 

"Hush, this is man talk." Both Carla and Emily laughed out loud. 

Ray said, "I guess I ought to ask you how big of a dowry do you want to take her off my hands?" 

"Daddy! Stop that." 

"Oh maybe a cow. If that is too much, maybe a chicken or something." 

"I am worth a lot more than a damn cow." 

Tom interrupted, "Carla and I will throw in a cow each too. So that would get you started with a herd of three." 

Emily whined, "Carla, can you divorce your own family?" 

"Not really, but if you can convince Stuart to marry you, you can just ignore the others in your family." 

She stood up and looked at me. "Stuart, will you marry me?" 

"I'll have to think about it. I still have to decide if I love you." 

"Fuck all of you. Am I going down river with you or not?" 

"Come here." She came to me and I pulled her across my lap. "Carla, is it all right to spank the woman you love and want to marry before the ceremony?" 

"Sure; Tom spanked me a number of times before we got married. Of course, I spanked him too." 

I gave Emily a swat. "Yes, you can go down river with me. Yes, I love you. And yes, I want to marry you." Then I gave her four more. When I finished she jumped up and into my lap and kissed me passionately. When she finished, I said, "It is getting late. Why don't you fix dinner for all of us?" 

"I already have it ready. Put the grill up. Daddy, let's go get my things from the truck." Ray stood and said that they would be back in a few minutes. 

When they were gone Tom looked at me and said, "Stuart, you had a look in your eye that said that you are worried about something else besides the press chasing you down. What else is going on?" 

"I can't say for sure but I have a feeling that there are invisible people who might be more bothered by my disappearance than the visible ones. When you said that I wasn't to be apprehended but to only provide a location, I got the feeling that unofficial people will be hunting me for a while. That's why I don't want to be identified with this or any other boat. I think that this is the best way to keep moving and stay anonymous." 

"You might be right. Do you have any idea of who might be coming after you?" 

"It could be from one or more of his serious but quiet backers. I saw some papers that I wasn't supposed to see. That is what triggered me to get out." 

"What did you do with the papers?" 

"I attached them to my resignation letter. In hind sight, I should have just shredded them and left." 

"So he knows that you saw them but doesn't know what you will do with the information." 

"That sums it up. The people involved want to keep their reputations clean even if they are manipulating things behind the scenes. That is what pissed me off most. One of the companies is based here and the others are around the Midwest. I don't know which one wrote the papers I saw but it wasn't pretty." 

"Do you think they could get violent?" 

"That is the one concern about Emily going along. They might. One the other hand, they are looking for one guy on the run; not a couple in love on a leisurely sail down the river." 

"Do you have a place to hole up for awhile if you need to?" 

"Yes, but one of them can be traced to me; the other one can't be traced." 

"That's good." 

Carla spoke, "Stuart, don't worry too much about Emily. She looks innocent and in some things she is, but overall, she is tough. Both Ray and Tom have worked with her on self defense, shooting, and taking care of herself. The other thing that comes to mind is that I assume that you don't have anything that can be traced to you. She has her phone and can call or take calls from us and they won't arouse any suspicion. If you need to talk to us or we need to get some information to you, that will be the cleanest way to do it until they figure out that she is with you." 

Tom nodded his agreement. "Do you have weapon on you?" 

"I have three in a locker I had built into the cabin. I haven't told Emily about them yet." 

"Better show her how to use them, just in case. I hear a lot of things. Most of them are just useless information but sometimes something crosses my desk that means something. I'll let you know if anything comes up." 

"Thanks." I got the grill out and put it in place and hooked up the propane. I would start it when Emily got back. From the top of the hill above the dock, I heard my name being called. It was Emily of course calling for me and Tom to help them carry things down to the boat. Carla excused herself to the bathroom and Tom and I made our way up to where Emily was waiting with a stack of boxes. 

"Good grief, Emily; did you move out?" 

"No, I just brought a few more clothes. These are the equipment I need for my class." 

"Where are we going to put them?" 

"Don't worry, lover. They can stay in the cockpit until I get them installed. We can trash the boxes before we leave. They won't take up too much room." We each carried two boxes down to the boat while Ray brought up the last two after he parked his truck. 

When everything was on the deck, I asked, "What is all of this stuff?" 

"A GPS, radar, sonar, and a laptop and plotter and some hand tools. Don't worry, I have you covered." 

"You have me overwhelmed and that doesn't include the equipment." 

"Keep thinking that lover. After we are married, I'll let it all hang out for you." 

"You mean there is more?" 

Carla returned and said, "Sure. We always keep a few surprises for our men. One of these days, I might run out of surprises to spring on Tom. By the way, Stuart, the inside of the cabin looks great. Maybe after you two get back I can get my lazy ass husband to borrow it and take me for a romantic sail up river. Come on Em, I'll help you with dinner. I think the sailor boys need some bonding time." 

I offered and Ray and Tom accepted a glass of Scotch. We sat in the back of the cockpit and talked quietly. Ray began, "Don't get too bent about Emily and some of the things she says. She has been around us a long time and we are pretty open. Look at what she does and not what she says." 

"I think I figured that out. I guess that my biggest problems about her have to do with our age difference and that I don't know what I am going to run into for a while." 

Tom replied, "Emily has never shown much interest in guys her age. The few guys that I know she has dated at least the past couple of years have been older than she is. I think that she feeds off of their experience more than anything. As for what is coming up, facing it alone is just as hard on you as facing it with your back covered. As Carla said, she has been around us for a lot of things. We stay in shape and keep a lot of our skills sharp. She can hold her own if you are there to tell her what to do. She just hasn't had those leadership experiences that we had in the service." 

"I'll remember that." 

Ray added, "As for her school, I would like to see her finish college. She has an academic scholarship right now that pays the tuition and books. After that, I think she will want to go to graduate school especially if she continues her interest in Cartography. There isn't a school around here that she can get what she needs. She might have to go to the west coast for that or up in the northeast." 

"I don't have a problem with any of that. I guess I would like the northwest better but that is because I don't know much about the northeast. I haven't been there." 

Ray then asked quietly, "Stuart, I was on my way to look you up last week when I heard that you were missing; so I came back. I'm doing some research on the SEALs for the Navy and found some things that seem to be missing about your last mission. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" 

I looked hard at him for a moment and could tell that he was serious and not just asking idle questions. I also found myself at a crossroads. Do I trust the man who is going to be my father or do I continue to hide behind my insecurities. On the whole, I felt very comfortable with all three of these people. The issue wasn't them; it was me and I knew it. 

"Ray, there is a lot about the mission that I don't know. Even after the official inquiry and the roasting we took, I still don't understand a lot of things. I guess that I don't mind talking to you personally about it. The main thing is that the Navy got the official report that they wanted. Twelve of us got shafted and nothing that I can say is going to change anything. I guess that I'm not willing to officially rock the boat." 

"I think that both Tom and I understand what you are feeling. We all have a few bad missions behind us that we would like to forget about. I'm not about making waves either; but believe it or not, there are people in the Navy who do care about the true story. They understand that you can't learn from official stories. They need to hear the reality even if it isn't pretty and clean." 

I took a deep breath and let it out. "What do you want to know?" 

"For now, I just want a little background. I have talked to several of the other members of your team and they all said that you knew more than anyone else alive. You were the senior enlisted man on the team that day, right?" 

"Yes. The CO came to us from another team six months before the mission and he seemed to be pretty sharp. I liked him and we worked well together." 

"You weren't with the team when the fireworks started, were you?" 

"No, the CO wanted me on a hilltop nearby with the sniper rifle. I was about a hundred yards away from everyone else and about seventy five feet above them." 

"Was the sniper rifle standard issue?" 

"Basically yes. It was a fifty caliber, clip fed with five rounds active. The main difference was that someone came up with a light weight vide scope to mount under the barrel. Its field of view was wider than the firing scope but when the weapon was hot, it was recording what was going on at the aiming point." 




Sailing To Survive



"Did it work ok that day?" 

"I guess it did; I never saw the raw video from it. All I saw was the edited one they showed at the inquiry." 

"So it was edited?" 

"Yes, there were a couple of things out of sequence and other things missing." 

"Would the raw video have changed the outcome of the hearing?" 

Tears began pouring from my eyes and I felt a hand on my shoulder. All I could say was, "Possibly; I don't know." 

Emily's voice asked, "Is this about the boogie man, honey?" I nodded. 

She kissed my cheek and said, "Honey, the boogie man is gone; I am here and I have your back." 

I mumbled, "The boogie man is dead but his image is still there; that and the others out there who are just like him." 

Ray asked in a very quiet voice, "Stuart, do you know what happened to the video when you came out?" 

"Not for sure. A guy named Baker or Baxter or something took the whole scope and disappeared with it. I never saw him again. He wasn't military; I assumed that he was a spook. Then two weeks later the video was on the screen; I assumed that they put together what was important and showed it." 

"One last question, Stuart. In the file, there are no debriefing reports from anyone on the team. Do you know what might have happened to them?" 

"There weren't any." 

"What? You mean there were no reports taken?" 

"Yes. When we got back to base, they told us to stand down and not talk about the mission to anyone including between ourselves. I went to my bunk and crashed. Two days later, they flew us out and back to the States. We were sent to Bethesda and kept separate for physical and mental evaluation. The shrink said that I had PTSD and to try not to think about the mission. I didn't see any of the others until the hearing two weeks later. Two months later, we were all given our discharge on medical grounds and told to never discuss the mission with anyone because of National Security. No one ever asked for a report on the mission." I just hung my head and felt Emily's fingers massage my neck. 

I could hear Ray ask Tom, "What do you think?" 

"I think that there is a lot that he doesn't know and some things he is confused about but he didn't tell you any lies." 

"That's what I thought too. Without the tape, we will never know." 

Tom said, "Emily, I think this has been hard on Stuart. Why don't you take him for a walk? I'll help Carla with dinner." 

Emily lifted my hand and led me to the dock and up the hill. We walked for half an hour. She talked idly about what she needed to find on the trip down river. Finally, I stopped and looked at her, "Emily, what is going on? I'm confused." 

"It's all right, honey. I don't know for sure. Daddy is doing some research and this has him stumped. There isn't much information available. He said that he just wanted to see if you could shed some light on things so he could look in different places. He often has Tom with him when he interviews veterans because Tom was also in combat and understands some of the things that you feel. He also can read people well during questioning. Honey, I know for a fact that the last thing they want to do is hurt you. They trust you or they would never have agreed for me to go with you. All I care about is being with you. Do you really want to marry me?" 

I sighed and my mind left the shit behind. "Emily, all I know is that I don't ever want to lose you. I want to be with you; I want to have babies with you; I want to die in your arms. I guess that means that I want to marry you, doesn't it?" 

"Yes, I guess it does. Can we wait to start having babies until I finish school?" 

"You are going to finish school and then your graduate degree or I will paddle your ass for a month." 

"We'll see about that; I owe you for the ten swats you gave me earlier." 

"It was only five and they didn't hurt you at all." 

"It was five but in front of my father and uncle; that doubles their impact. So you get ten." 

"You can give me a hundred if you want; just don't ever leave me." 

"Count on that sailor. You are stuck with me for life. Are you ready to go back for dinner?" 

"Yes, let's go. By the way, I really like your family." 

"That's good because they really like you too. If they didn't, they wouldn't have carried on like that with you. And Carla told me in the galley that you were a good man for me and that I would be a good woman for you once I figured things out." 

"You are good for me right now without figuring things out. I love you more than I have words for." 

"What you said is all that matters. I feel all of the rest. I'm staying here with you tonight. They want you to come to their house for dinner before we leave. Is that ok?" 

"Yes, of course it is." 

As we started back over the hill, Tom at the grill said, "They are back." 

I felt much better after just talking to Emily and shedding the last of the bad emotions. I hope that they didn't think less of me because of my emotional letdown earlier. They had some shish kebobs on the grill along with a vegetable medley and flavorful rice and we ate a merry meal. They showed no signs of being bothered by my let down and I relaxed. 

As we were finishing our wine, Ray looked at me and said, "Tell me about Sylvia?" 

I looked up in shock and asked, "How do you know Sylvia?" 

"I went with Tom when he went to interview her the other day. We kind of hit it off and I am going to see her again this weekend." 

Emily said, "She's number four, isn't she?" 

"Yes." She punched me in the shoulder. 

To her dad, she said, "Tell her that he is off the market but you are available." 

It was Ray's turn to look shocked and looked at me with questions on his face. I sheepishly answered, "I haven't had much of a social life since I got out of the service. Emily asked about the women I was most attracted to. I told her that there were three married women and one single woman that I would have considered having a relationship with. I never dated any of them but I got to know them through work. Sylvia was the single one. We were good friends until she kind of shot herself in the foot at work when she told her boss to keep his dick in his pants or she would tell his wife that he was coming onto her. That didn't go over very well with an undersecretary of the Commerce Department. Before they could figure out a way to fire her, she managed a transfer to the regional office of the Interior Department. I hadn't seen or talked to her for three years before last week. She was the one they sent to interview me on my way out of town." 

Tom responded. "Yes, I heard the tapes; both the one in the car and the telephone tape. I assumed you knew that they were both recorded." I nodded. "They sent me to talk to her before they let out the story about you disappearing. Ray was staying near where her office was, so he went with me. She is a lot like you. She got close but didn't like the way the game was played. I could tell that she knew or suspected more about you than just a casual acquaintance but she really didn't know anymore than she said." 

"That is Sylvia. We covered each other's asses a number of times. I trust her pretty well. I mean I know that she has to play things straight up so I didn't tell her anything that would cause her to lie or get caught in a crossfire." 

"That's the way I read it too." 

"Anyway Ray, she is a wonderful woman who is a lot of fun and is also very smart. I can see the two of you getting along just fine. For the record, she is thirty five and she has never been married. She loves classical music, good food, and likes to hunt, fish and go sailing. As far as I know, she likes a man who is smart and can carry on a good conversation and who treats her like a lady. Although I don't know from personal experience, she gives a world class blow job if she likes a guy." 

I knew that punch was coming and it did. "How the hell do you know that?" 

"She told me so. She said that when she meets a guy who she really likes, she likes nothing better than to give him a world class blowjob before they start sleeping together." 

"And she told you that when you were ready for her, she was ready for you, didn't she?" 

"No comment. Besides, I have someone who gives a world class blow job in her own right." 

Carla spoke up, "You did it! You finally did it. Was it good?" 

"It was better than good. And when he went down on me, it was even better than that." 

"You two are perfect for each other. Just remember, he is a guy and can only get it up three or four times a day. Learn to let him recover and then you can have all of the great sex you want." 

Ray replied, "See where she gets it. It doesn't make much difference though; her mother was just like Carla. The four of us would get together and before anything else, they were telling each other about our respective sex lives. There were no secrets." 

I grinned and said, "I guess that I will learn the truth about Sylvia in time then, huh?" 

Tom replied, "It won't be until after Carla gets it all out of her. She is getting desperate for a female friend again. Her last one moved to Seattle." 

Emily whispered sweetly in my ear but loud enough for everyone to hear, "That is my daddy you are talking about. You don't need to know about the women he is fucking. She might become your mother, prick." 

"Someone needs to give her an anatomy lesson. I am a pain in the ass and an asshole but I am not a prick." That brought the others to laughter and earned me another shot in the arm. 

Shortly after that, the evening began breaking up. We agreed to let them know when we would be leaving and plan on dinner in town with them the night before we left. When they were over the hill, Emily was plastered all over the front of me and said, "Take me to bed now and fuck me. It has been over twelve hours since I had you and I want you now." 

"I think that you are horny all the time." 

"So? Sue me." 

As I undressed her impatient body, I asked, "Are you going to explain to me the difference in making love and fucking?" 

"Yes, but not tonight." She pushed me back on the bed and was on me before I could move. Then I was inside her and neither of could stop moving for quite some time. That happened two more times before we fell into a restful sleep. 

When I woke in the morning, I was alone and I heard sounds coming from the back of the boat. Fear struck as awareness came over me as I jumped up and ran to the cabin door. There was Emily happily opening the boxes that still sat where we set them. I waited a moment for my heart to start beating normally again. She looked up and saw me and said, "Why don't you put some clothes on and bring us each a cup of coffee. I want to get this installed today. I thought about waking you with a blow job but you looked so peaceful, I decided to let you sleep." 

"Do you know what you are doing with that stuff?" 

"Honey, I don't know much about boats and sailing but there are a lot of things I do know about. Now go get us coffee or bring that beautiful cock over here for me to suck on." 

"I'll get coffee; you can have the cock for breakfast." I stumbled back inside and found the coffee ready and hot. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt before I poured the coffee and walked back to the cockpit and kissed my lover good morning. 

"I need to mount the radar antenna and GPS receiver up high. Can I put some holes in the roof of the steering station?" 

"Mmmm. If I can get some rubber bushings to keep rain out, I don't see a problem. I'll go up to the store in a while and see if they have any." 

"Thank you, lover. I'll put the units themselves inside the cabin on the desk. Is that all right?" 

"Why not put them on the dining table inside. We don't use it and you will have more room. There is also a way to run the wires up to the steering station over there." 

"Damn, you are smart and I love you so much. Do you love me this morning?" 

"I told you on our walk last night that I have never met anyone like you before and I can't imagine not being with you always. Yes, I love you and more than that, I want and need you." 

"You sure know how to make a girl tingle. Will you carry the plotter inside for me? I'll bring the lap top in and see how to set them up. The plotter is the biggest piece. The others can be mounted on the wall or the floor." 

I carried the plotter inside and found that it wasn't heavy but it was somewhat bulky. After looking at the table area, I thought that it might be better to have it higher and the other monitors below it. I set it down and grabbed my wallet as I said, "Hold on for a few minutes. I'm going to the store; I saw something there yesterday that might work out really well." 

I kissed her and went out and up to the store. The salesman asked what I was looking for and I told him that I had seen an equipment mount and rack there yesterday and wanted to see how it was installed and how big it was. He nodded and led me to the back of the store where it was leaning against the wall. He indicated that it could be wall, shelf or ceiling mounted and could be extended from twenty to thirty inches wide. From all appearances, it appeared to be exactly what we needed. He also had some rubber grommets that would seal penetrations through the ceiling. With these in hand, I went back down to the boat and found Emily making breakfast for us. 

I watched her work and then went and put my arms around her and cupped her breasts. "I love watching you work. You look so intent on what you are working on but then you change so quickly into your fun self. I never get tired of looking at you." 

"That's something I have never heard before. Usually, a guy tells me to quit working and be a girl. That usually pisses me off. But with you, I feel like I can concentrate and have fun. I really like that feeling." 

"Don't change on my account for anything. I love the way you are." 

"I'm glad that you love my tits too. You make them tingle but if you don't stop, you will have burned eggs for breakfast." 

"I don't want to stop but I will because I am hungry but after breakfast, I am going to spend more time with your wonderful breasts." 

"I am going to hold you to that." 

Reluctantly, I let her go and put the rack on the table to look at it in different configurations. Finally, I decided the best thing would be to mount it against the bulkhead and the cabinet. That would leave a little shelf space on top, room for the plotter on the shelf and the monitors could sit below it on the table. The rest of the table would be free for the laptop and any other material she needed to work with. 

She set our plates on the table and we ate while I explained the set up. I could see in her eyes that she was visualizing the setup and how she could best use the equipment. As I explained and she visualized, a slow smile broke out on her face. She turned to look at me and said, "You are brilliant. That will work very efficiently and still leave work or eating space. I love it. How long will it take to mount the rack?" 

"It will be up in about an hour." 

"That long?" 

"It will take five minutes to hang the cabinet but about forty five minutes of us preparing each other to work before I can hang it." 

She grinned, "Your mind works perfectly in tune with mine." We finished breakfast and moved to the bedroom. This morning I wanted to savor the taste of her womanhood and she wanted a mouthful of me. We teased and taunted each other for almost an hour before we released our morning tension and were able to go back to work. 

With the rack in place, the equipment was quickly set and the wires bundled and run up the bulkhead into the steering station. By three in the afternoon, the GPS and radar heads were mounted on the roof and were connected to the wiring harness. It was time to turn the power on and see if things would work. It was obvious to me that she knew exactly how the equipment works as she powered each piece up individually and set the calibration mode. At four o'clock, she asked if we could take a run out to the river and see how it worked on the water. When we returned at six, she was smiling from ear to ear as everything appeared to be working properly. We had radar eyes for up to twelve miles or could set it back to the five mile range. The GPS signal corresponded with the both the paper chart and the one stored in the lap top. The only thing left to hook up was the sonar and that would have to wait until morning since it involved setting the transducer on the bottom of the hull. 

Instead of fixing dinner, we walked hand in hand up to the diner at the entrance to the marina and had a simple but nice meal together. Later, we walked back to the boat and had a glass of wine and then went to bed and attacked each other again. 

The next morning after we made love, we shared coffee while I read the installation book on the sonar unit. When we finished, I took the sonar transducer and mounted it where the book had indicated. It hooked directly into the laptop. While I was doing this, Emily was taking inventory of our food and supplies. A number of things had proved to be impractical or not very good. These she bagged up and set aside to take to a food bank. She also decided to add a couple of things to her wardrobe as well as mine. In short, when I finished working, she had planned a shopping trip for us. Before we left, we discussed when we would leave and decided that we would spend one more day in St. Louis before we would depart early the following morning. Emily called Carla and told her of our decision. Carla told her to plan on coming for dinner the following night as we had discussed. 

With that, we took Emily's car and went on our shopping spree which included lunch at a small deli she knew of and the last stop at the grocery store. We spent the evening unpacking and stowing our newly purchased food, clothing and a couple of other items for our journey. Just before dark, I took the boat to the fueling station and filled the fuel tanks and checked the fluid levels. Then we settled down for our next to last night in St. Louis. We made slow and tender love for several hours that night and fell asleep in each other's arms. 

We slept late and had coffee and sex in bed before we finally got up and dressed. With each passing day, I became more and more comfortable with Emily and her abilities. I no longer thought of her as a damsel in distress but as a very competent woman who got caught in a strange situation. I could see that her openness and freedom were not an affectation but the product of two strong ex-Navy men and an equally strong woman. Her upbringing might have been unusual but she was in fact both a demure and elegant lady but also a tough and realistic partner. I could not imagine anyone more suited to be my life partner. In spite of some slight lingering concerns, I planned on a special event for that night at dinner. 

The plan was for us to drive Emily's car to Tom and Carla's house where she would leave it. Ray would drive us back to the boat that night. He was leaving the next morning to drive to Memphis to meet Sylvia for their date. We arrived at 6:00 and were warmly greeted by Carla and Ray. Tom was going to be late as something had come up at work. Emily showed me the house and her room that was next to the one her father stayed in when he was in town which was frequently during the summer. 

We opened a bottle of wine and sat and talked. Carla was waiting to hear from Tom that he was on the way home before she put the dinner in the oven. It would only take a half hour to cook. Ray was nervously excited about going to Memphis and hoped that he would make a good impression on Sylvia. I reminded him to just treat her like a lady and everything would be fine. Carla said that she had made her official call to the FBI about me contacting her and assuring them that I was simply taking time to clear my head from the pressure of Washington. She had no knowledge of my destination but that I would contact her periodically to let her know that I was safe. That had been reported through the official channels and it did appear that the publicity about me was on the wane. Most probably, the drop in interest was due to the increase in interest in the President's botched meeting with Congress. He had an opportunity to get a bi-partisan bill passed but had held out for more than the other side was willing to give. Then things fell apart. The fact that I had warned him repeatedly that he couldn't get what he pushed for seemed to have totally drawn a blank in his mind. Actually, I could also picture the fat lobbyist who was pushing him to get that particular concession. He and his handlers would be royally pissed at this feeble attempt to get them their prize.