by Joe Woods
“I’m so glad to hear you call Olga Mama. It is wonderful that she came into your life.”
“Aunt Willow, I didn’t know my real mother very long, but Olga takes very good care of me and Daddy.”
“I can see that. And the two of you take very good care of her.”
“You know, I wish they would have a baby brother or sister for me.”
“Have you told them that?”
“Well, I mentioned it once. Daddy and Mama turned all red and changed the subject.”
“Maybe I should ask them. What do you think about that?”
“Aunt Willow, would you? That would be so much fun for me.”
“Well, maybe if I have an opportunity. I’ll ask them.”
“Aunt Willow, did you know Mama taught me to speak Russian?”
“No, I didn’t know that. But I think it is wonderful. You know, I’ve traveled the world over and to be successful in business, it is important to be bilingual.”
“That’s what Mama told me. We’re both learning Spanish together.”
Willow looked toward the western sky as the sun’s rays danced across the rippling water.
“Anne, this is a beautiful time of day. I hope you recognize that. It is a good place to grow up.”
“I know. I want to have children one of these days and raise them here as Mama and Daddy are doing for me. Daddy kids me ever so often, telling me he’s going to sell, but I let out such a scream, he just laughs. I know he is kidding and he knows what reaction he’ll get from me.”
As the sun sank below the horizon, Willow closed her eyes as her thoughts drifted back in time to a night when she and Conner had to be rescued by another couple.
It was a beautiful clear, moonlit night. The water was as smooth as silk and a slight southwesterly breeze cooled the otherwise hot, humid night air. Connor carefully backed the barge away from the dock and out into the open lake.
“How far are we going?”
“Let’s go up the lake and around the bend.”
“That’s good. I’ve got another idea. When we get away from the dock, I want to go skinny dipping.”
“Oh my God, Willow,” Connor said. “Don’t you ever think about setting on a course and sticking to it for at least thirty minutes?”
As Connor carefully backed the barge away from the dock and out into the open lake, Willow watched with interest.
“How far are we going?”
“Oh I would guess about four miles as the crow flies.”
“Now, Connor. How long has it been since you went skinny dipping?”
“I’ll have to say it has been many years. The last time was with you in the swimming pool at Redwood.”
“Really? Are you telling me that you, Woody, and your friends never stripped over here during some of your beer parties?”
“Let me put it this way. I haven’t, but some of Woody’s friends get a little bit tanked up and can’t seem to stay in their clothes.”
“And you aren’t party to any of that?”
“Willow, I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I said I didn’t go skinny dipping. I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy watching some of the others strip, especially the girls.”
“That’s more like it, Connor. I believe when you’re in a crowd, you’re a little prudish.”
“Look at it this way. I’ve saved myself for you.”
“ I like that.”
By now, the party barge was a mile off shore headed down the lake.
“I want us to strip and jump in.”
“Do you see those boats over there? What if one decides to come by?”
“It won’t bother me. If I had to guess, I would say they’re having the same thoughts as me. Stop the engine and drop anchor.”
“Drop anchor? Do you not realize that this lake is 80 feet deep? That anchor line is probably no more than twenty feet long.”
“That’s all right. Unhook the anchor and tie the rope to this inner tube. We can hold onto it while we’re swimming.”
Before Connor could say anything, Willow stripped her clothes off and did a black flip over the rail into the water.
“Hurry up. The water feels wonderful,” she said once she had surfaced.
Being as meticulous as ever, Connor stripped, carefully folded his clothes and with a loud ‘Geronimo’ hit the water. When he surfaced Willow was all over him.
“Ever make love in the water?”
“Yes, once at the Redwood pool. Don’t you remember?”
“Sure, I remember. I was just testing your memory. Isn’t this wonderful? I haven’t felt this good in many years. It’s me and you together, no stress, no strain, and no pain.”
“I must admit, it is wonderful but I wish you could slow down a bit. Let’s take it slow and easy. I want it to last.”
“Connor, are you telling me you’re caught up after our interlude earlier today? I’m ready for a repeat. I wonder if Woody has the ‘AFTERNOON DELIGHT’ CD at his house.”
“Oh yes, he does. He sings that song all the time. Frequently he will burst out with lyrics like:
Thinking of you’s workin’ up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbing sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite
And the thought of rubbin’ you is getting so exciting
Sky rockets in flight
“Connor, that’s good. You and Woody both have very good voices. I remember him going to karaoke and singing some of Elvis, too.”
“Woody is quite a character. I don’t know how he keeps all of his activities going. He had a rough time with that Lawrence Wilson affair and I’m amazed he isn’t scarred for life. If it were not for his optimistic view of life, he would have gone off the deep end by now. Do you remember that picture of two old vultures sitting in a tree snag with the caption under it that read, ‘Patience hell? Let’s kill someone’?”
“Yes, I remember that one. Seems like it surfaced about the time Lawrance Wilson was Woody’s main focus.”
“That’s right and do you remember the inscription on the backside of his desk name plate?”
“I can’t remember. What did it say?”
“It read, ‘Tomorrow will be a better day’. That is something his Mother taught him.”
“Oh, gosh. Do I ever remember his mother? She was a tough cookie.”
Willow and Connor were so engrossed in the conversation that neither one realized the other wasn’t holding onto the tube. That southerly breeze they enjoyed earlier had pushed the party barge about ten yards out of their reach.
“Oh, God! We’re in trouble now.”
And at that moment Connor, saw a boat approaching from the north.
“Come on. Swim. We’ve got to catch the barge.”
Although Connor was a strong swimmer, it seemed like with each stroke, the barge moved farther and farther away. Looking over his right shoulder he yelled, “Willow, swim. Swim.”
She wasn’t as good a swimmer and fell behind even more.
The boat he saw earlier was moving closer, now less than fifty yards away and closing slowly. Connor thought, this is one hell of a mess. Here we are out in the middle of the lake at night, naked as two jay birds, and about to be exposed to total strangers.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to catch the barge, Connor yelled to the people in the boat nearby, “Over here.”
The boat was driven by a female and a man seated beside her.
“Honey, did you hear somebody?”the man asked, standing.
“I did. Get the Q-beam and search out to our left.”
Connor, hearing the conversation, yelled again saying, "Hey, I’m over here. There is a girl in the water behind me. Don’t run over her.”
The man in the boat immediately spotted Connor. “Hey man, what’s going on?”
“Our boat drifted away from us. Will you give us a hand?”
“Sure man. I’m going to toss this life line out. Grab hold and I’l
l pull you in.”
“I don’t have any clothes on and neither does my girlfriend.”
The female laughed, saying, “Look man, as long as we’re all adults here everything is okay. We’ve got towels you can cover with.”
“Good –thank you.”
In a couple of minutes, Connor and Willow were onboard safely, wrapped in beach towels. The man went through the formalities. “I’m Ray and this is my girlfriend, Lora. What are y’all doing out here? Oh well, forget I asked that question, I know the answer. Lora and I cruise around and skinny dip a couple of times a year. But we’ve never lost our boat.”
“It’s her fault,” Connor said, pointing to Willow.
Ray laughed. “Say man, don’t knock it. We really enjoy our outings like this. It adds excitement to our love life.”
“I’ve had about all the excitement I can handle for one day. Will you please take us to our barge?”
Making a 180 degree turn, Lora pulled her boat alongside the barge.
"Thank you,” Willow said as she stepped onto the party barge and tossed the towel to Ray. Connor was too modest to do that and sat down on the seat, as he pulled his briefs up under the towel. He very carefully folded the towel and tossed it to Ray asking, “May I pay you for your help?”
“Absolutely not. I’m just glad we were able to help. Where are you guys headed now?”
“Woods’ Station.”
“Woods’ Station? Do you own that place? It is so neat.”
“No. Woody McKenzie owns it and has done a great job turning an old unfinished railroad depot into a nice vacation spot.”
Ray looked at Lora. “Do you want to stop by Woods’ Station for a while? I’ve never seen the inside and have often wondered how it was finished.”
“That’s a good idea if our two new friends can find enough clothes to cover themselves.”
“We’ll put our shorts on. Follow us.”
Sitting in the Captain’s chair, Connor guided the barge toward Woods’ Station.
“Do you think it is a good idea to invite these people to Woody’s?” Willow asked. “We don’t know them. For all we know, they could be a couple of Louisiana rednecks.”
“Willow, they helped us and as far as I’m concerned, they’re okay. Have you lost your ability to trust a stranger?”
“Connor, I would never trust a stranger on the streets or subway of New York.”
Laughing, Connor reminded Willow, “This isn’t New York. I think they’re just a couple of common people having a good time, just like us.”
“All right then. But I’m going to keep an eye on them.”
“Relax, Willow. It’ll be fine. Besides, they have seen you naked. What else is there to talk about? You surely didn’t seem intimidated when you uncovered yourself and tossed the towel to Ray.”
“Oh, hell, Connor. Don’t think for a minute I’m intimidated. I’ve learned to be cautious and not trust strangers, especially ones that I meet at night. Most decent folks are home and in bed at this time of night.”
“That’s interesting. Are you saying we’re not decent folks?”
“No, you know what I mean. Circumstances have kept us up this late. I have no idea what has kept that pair up this late.”
“Willow, I bet I know and it isn’t too far from the reasons you’re up and skinny dipping.”
* * *
Willow was awakened from her day dreaming by the sound of Woody calling, “Anne and Willow, are you okay?”
“We’re fine. Just sitting here and enjoying the sunset.”
“Anne, why don’t you come up and let Aunt Willow have a few minutes alone?”
“Okay, Daddy. Here I come.”
Willow sat at the edge of the pier with her feet dangling in the warm water. She called Connor on her cell phone.
“Hello.”
“Connor, are you coming to the lake?”
“No, Willow. I’ve decided to stay in Vicksburg and go to ‘Hit the Brick’s Festivities.’”
“Well, I’m really disappointed. I wanted to swim with you tonight.”
“You can have fun with your cousin and I’ll see you when you return to town.”
“If that is the way you want it, then that’s the way it will be. Just remember, I’m terribly disappointed!”
Willow was perplexed and wondered if Connor had a girlfriend that she didn’t know about.
Chapter 9
Willow didn’t sleep particularly well and was up before day break. She carefully opened the door leading to the patio, trying to be as quiet as possible and not awaken anybody else. As she stepped onto the patio, the security light flashed on, startling her momentarily. The light illuminated the path to the stairs which led to the pier below.
She made her way to the end of the pier and sat facing the east. The orange glow cast on the horizon by the rising sun could have been a scene from a Hollywood movie. The sun’s rays pierced the Spanish moss hanging from the cypress trees and the moisture that had collected overnight created a kaleidoscope of color like jewels swinging in the soft morning breeze. This is the life I’ve missed for so many years. I know Woody wouldn’t mind me coming here often but I should buy my own lake house. If I could break Connor away from the towing business, we could spend many days just cruising the lake, swimming, sun bathing and cooking out.
Willow was shaken from out of her daydream as Woody walked down the pier toward her.
“Nice here at this time of day, isn’t it?”
“Woody, I hope you aren’t upset that Connor didn’t show last night.”
“I’m glad you’re here. You know you’re always welcome at any time. I consider you more of a sister than a cousin. No apology necessary. Are you ready for some breakfast?”
“No, but a big cup of coffee would be wonderful.”
“Then you stay here and enjoy the peace and quiet. I’ll make the coffee. I’ll try not to wake anyone else. I want some one-on-one time with you.”
“Woody, that would be great.”
Woody quietly entered the lake house and carefully filled the coffee maker with coffee and water. Maybe I should take this operation down on the pier. I know when the coffee aroma fills the house, the sleeping beauties will wake up.
Woody placed the coffee maker, two cups, cream and sugar, and a couple of spoons on a large serving tray. He quietly opened the door, stepped out, placed the tray on the patio table, and then closed the door. He was as quiet as a mouse. When Woody stepped on the pier, Willow turned and quickly walked toward him, laughing.
“What are you doing?”
“I didn’t want to wake anybody else, so we’ll make coffee in the boat house.”
“This is real funny. After we make the coffee, let’s take our cups, board the party barge, and disappear for a while. That way we could have some private time.”
“Great idea.”
In five minutes, Woody and Willow boarded the party barge, cups in hand, and headed up the lake. About a mile away from the pier, Woody pointed to a two-story house for sale.
“This house has been on the market for about two years. The builder’s timing was terrible. He finished the house just as the housing market bottomed out. You, with a bit of negotiating, can get a good buy if you’re interested.”
“Yes I’m interested if a deal is to be had. But you know I’m going to buy a house in Vicksburg. Being here today has really sparked my interest in a lake house. I’ll keep this in mind. By the way, what is the asking price?”
“It is listed for $1 million, but as I said, you can negotiate with the builder. I know he wants to sell it.”
“That’s okay, but I would prefer buying closer to you. What are the chances of buying the house next to you? I could tear it down and build one to my specifications.”
“I’m sure you could buy it. The lady who owned it when I bought my house has died and her grandchildren haven’t taken care of it, and really use it infrequently.”
“Do you know the kids?”
“Yes. We have had some disagreements in the past, but I can contact them.”
“Don’t do that just yet. I want to get settled in Vicksburg first.”
“Then Willow, that brings me to this question. What are your plans as far as Connor is concerned?”
“Interesting you should ask. When I visited Daddy, he asked if we were going to get married. We were caught completely off guard and consequently didn’t have a good answer. Now that I’ve thought about it, I have asked Connor to marry me.”
“You what? You proposed marriage to Connor?”
“Yes. Although I was interested in a couple of people in New York, my heart was always in Vicksburg. I had plans to quietly coerce Conner into asking me, but he never got around to the question. Or he didn’t have the nerve to ask me.”
“I can’t believe that, Cuz. You need to give this situation more time. Take some brotherly advice. Don’t do this on the spur of the moment.”
“But, honestly it isn’t on the spur of the moment. You know we’ve been close friends since high school.”
“I know, but you’ve been gone for many years. Did the guys in New York not interest you? What about on your world travels? Surely you have run into some interesting people. Why don’t you play the field?”
“Oh, yes. There are a couple of men, John and Tony, who could fit the bill. But, I never let my feelings for them become romantic.”
“What about their feelings for you?”
“They wanted to romance me and we had a few interludes, but I was focused more on my professional career than on my personal life.”
“You know what I’m concerned about Willow? You may be looking through those adolescent, teenage, rose-colored glasses and remembering how it was 30 years ago. I can tell you Connor isn’t the same person you seem to think he was back then. How many times have you seen him since you left to begin your career?”
“I don’t know exactly. Maybe three or four times. Maybe more.”
“Then again, I’m offering some brotherly advice, give it some time. There is no need to rush. If it is right, it will be right a year from now. And tell me something else, how do you plan on fitting into McKenzie Towing. You know Connor has been running it his way for at least the last ten years.”
