Ketchikan or Bust (Tom's Adventures in Alaska)

by Matthew Green

  Tom thinks for a second and replies. “I think that’s my eagle…..but I’m not sure.”

  Swan looks up, “I don’t see anything, let’s hit the road. You were right. it’s probably for the best that we didn’t stop at The Bird House.”

  “Look,” Tom says, “it’s diving.”

  Swan looks up as the eagle swoops down and perches on the seat of the motorcycle. She stares in shock as it turns its head to look at her. The eagle squawks and flashes its tail at them like it wants them to see the missing feather. Tom takes Swan by the hand and inches toward the bike. The eagle watches them for a few seconds and then hops to the ground. It keeps an eye on them as it hops sideways over to a clump of grass. The eagle stops and sticks its head into the grass and plucks a lonely Fireweed flower. It hops a couple more times and takes off. It swoops around them and then flies over the motorcycle, dropping the flower. Swan watches the eagle soar into the sky. Tom watches the flower fall gently onto the motorcycle seat.

  “It looks like he likes you, Swan,” Tom says.

  Swan sees the flower on the seat and her jaw drops open. She stands staring at the flower for a second and gingerly picks it up. She rolls the stem between her fingers and inspects the flower. Her face sags with emotion and a tear forms at the corner of her eye.

  “How did it know that Fireweed’s my favorite flower?” Swan asks. “Fireweed means rebirth, it grows best after a wildfire destroys the land. It’s so beautiful when everything turns from black to red. I wonder if it’s trying to tell me that this is a rebirth for me.”

  “Maybe it’s a sign for both of us.” Tom ponders out loud.

  Tom looks at Swan and wipes a tear from her cheek. She looks up at him, forces a smile and then lays her head on his chest. She starts to cry again. Tom holds her close as she sobs into his jacket. She stands still except for her sobs and Tom feels helpless not knowing how to comfort her. Her sobs finally subside and she looks up at Tom.

  “Sorry, for the last few miles before we stopped here I was thinking about my mom and how she abandoned me when I was so young. I was thinking that I wished that she could see me now so she could see how happy I am and how much fun I’m having. When the eagle dropped that flower, I was hit by all of that emotion.” Swan says while wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I see it now, Tom, that eagle is telling me to let go of the pain of the past and enjoy the beauty that’s blossoming all around me.” She smiles warmly at Tom. “Do you want to know what’s funny? When you told me that story about the eagle dropping you the feather, I didn’t believe you. All this time I thought you were just telling fantastic stories trying to impress me. It made me think that I couldn’t trust everything you said because any of it might be some lie.” Swan confesses, “…..But, now I believe you.” A tear wells up in her eye. “That’s your eagle Tom, I know it….. but I hope you don’t mind if I call it our eagle. I’d really feel blessed if I thought that there was a free spirit watching over me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Keep your hands off my tits!” Swan screams at Tom, “It’s too distracting.”

  Tom smirks and leans in close to her ear. “They’re telling me to keep it up and you’re yelling at me to stop! Who should I believe?” he asks. “Do you know that the right one gets harder than the left one?”

  Swan tromps on the rear brake and skids the bike onto the shoulder of the highway. She stops and kicks her left foot over the windshield and leaves Tom scrambling to support the bike. She spins around and stands beside it with her nose just inches from Tom’s.

  “LOOK, I DIDN’T FUCK AROUND WITH YOU WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING,” Swan screams. “MY TITS ARE HARDWIRED TO MY BRAIN AND WHEN YOU PLAY WITH THEM LIKE THAT I CAN’T FOCUS ON ANYTHING ELSE!”

  Tom sees her nipples sticking out through the leather of her jacket and can’t resist giving them one more tweak. She slaps him across the face and walks away. Tom hops forward and grabs the handle bars so that the motorcycle doesn’t fall over while he puts down the kickstand. He hops off and follows Swan down the highway. She stops and turns around when Tom is about ten feet behind her. Tom stops. By the look on her face, he’s not sure whether she’s pissed off or not.

  “Let me explain it to you,” Swan says in a calm voice. “That bike has a certain rumble in the seat that I like. I can ignore it and focus as long as there’s nothing else stimulating me. You were driving me fucking nuts playing with my tits. Between you and the rumble, I thought I was going to pop one off about every mile. It was either pull off the road or lose control and hit a fucking truck.”

  “Do you still want me as a passenger?” Tom asks.

  “Well, I’m not sitting on the back through Anchorage and I’m not leaving you here!” Swan says. “We had a deal that since I know Anchorage better than you that I’d run this section and you’re going to have to leave me alone so that I can do it without killing both of us.”

  “Can I put my hands in your pants like you do to me?” Tom asks.

  “It wasn’t my hands, it was my thumbs!” Swan replies.

  “That’s what I meant,” Tom says.

  “Pretty much anything is ok as long as you don’t constantly play with my tits,” Swan says. “There’s a time and a place for everything. That was just too much!”

  “So copping an occasional feel is ok then,” Tom says smirking.

  “Be careful buddy. Remember that I’m going to have lots of miles to get even. You’ve already got things coming to you from this little incident. Get on and shut up!”

  Swan hops on the bike and slips up on the tank to let Tom get on. He saddles in behind her as she gets comfortable. He helps her right the bike and she kicks the stand back. She lets out the clutch and accelerates onto the highway. If she hadn’t proved to be such a capable rider, Tom would have been too scared to touch her but she rides so well that he wanted to see how far he could push her before she broke. He found out that she could be pushed further than he thought and he enjoyed every bit of it, including the lecture. Swan cruises through Anchorage and heads toward the airport. They had decided to find a hotel close to it so they can go shopping and enjoy some nightlife before heading toward Tok.

  They register at a small mom and pop hotel along the strip. Tom hangs his jacket up and sits on the bed to take off his boots. Swan tosses her jacket in the corner and struts in front of him. She bends over at the waist and unzips her boots. She leans against the dresser and holds out one foot.

  “Pull my boot off,” she says.

  Tom tugs on the boot. He jerks on it a bit and knocks her off balance. She teeters on her other heel and falls forward toward Tom. She laughs as he catches her and they roll onto the floor.

  “I think these stupid boots are glued to my feet, and these leather pants make it almost impossible to sit down to take them off,” Swan says as she looks into Tom’s eyes. “How about I lie on my back and see if you can pull them off?”

  Tom stands up and pulls on her left boot. She wiggles her foot and the boot slowly comes off. He does the same to the right boot. Swan holds up both feet and wiggles her toes. She hops onto the bed and bounces for a second. She unbuttons her pants and slowly unzips them. Tom smiles at her.

  “Well, come on Tom, you’ve wanted to get me out of my pants all day, now’s your chance. Grab hold of my pant leg and pull!” she chides.

  Tom pulls on the pant leg held out for him as she bounces on the bed fighting to get the pants down. He struggles with the other and finally pulls them free. She rolls over and pulls her panties back on. She looks over her shoulder at him, blows him a kiss, jumps off the bed and runs to the bathroom.

  “Thanks, I need a shower!” she laughs.

  Tom sits on the bed and turns the TV on. He surfs a few channels, turns it off and tosses the remote on the dresser. He hears the water come on in the shower as he starts taking his boots off again. He drops them on the floor in the corner and turns around to sit down.

  “Are you going to join me?” Swan asks as she poke
s her head from the bathroom.

  Tom gives her a lusty grin and says, “As long as you promise not to waste a good hard on!”

  “Get in here boy, I ain’t going to wait very long before I start without you!” Swan says seductively.

  Tom strips off his clothes and runs into the bathroom. As he turns to go through the door, Swan tosses an ice bucket of cold water in his face. She leans against the sink laughing. Tom grabs her around the waist and lifts her up to his eyelevel. She stops laughing and wraps her arms around him. Tom chuckles at her.

  “You sure are full of surprises,” Tom says, still chuckling, “but you better watch out because I’m not going to forget that little stunt!”

  “I’ll tell you what, since you’re already naked and wet, I’ll let you shower first,” Swan says, still laughing.

  Tom sets her down gently so that she has a chance to get her footing and steps back. “Are you sure you don’t want to join me?”

  “I might,” Swan says. She bats her eyes, splashes through the water on the floor and leaves Tom to have his shower.

  Tom is toweling off when Swan reenters the bathroom.

  “You were too quick, I’d just found my clothes when the water turned off,” she says, “I’d decided to jump in with you.”

  “I don’t mind having another shower,” Tom says with a wry smile.

  “How about I leave the curtain open and you can watch me,” Swan offers as she steps into the shower and turns on the water.

  Tom continues to dry off but takes his time while Swan showers. She finishes and tosses her hair up in a towel, twists it and tucks the loose end in to hold it in place. She leans over and gives Tom a kiss.

  “That’s enough of a show, you go get dressed and let me get dressed. Put on something decent, we’re going dancing.”

  Tom sits on the bed watching the weather channel after he gets dressed. His decent clothes aren’t much different from any of his other clothes. He gets bored with the weather channel and flips through the channels some more. He hasn’t watched TV for so long that he’s really lost interest. He looks over as the bathroom door opens. Swan walks out wearing a short black skirt and a sheer white cotton shirt. Her hair is brushed back from her face and frames her head and shoulders. Tom is stunned at how beautiful and sexy she looks. She spins up on her toes and pirouettes in front of Tom.

  “So how do I look?” Swan asks. “Good enough to take out or should I see if I’ve got something nice to put on?”

  Tom stands up and stares at her before holding out his arms. She runs to him and jumps into them.

  “I’ve been holding out on you! I wanted to make sure that you’d want me when I look plain and normal before I showed you why they call me Swan,” she whispers in his ear. “You look great, I can’t wait to be seen hanging on your arm!”

  “Honey, I think I’ll always pale in comparison to you! Even the girls looking in our direction will be looking at you and not me!” Tom says softly, “I can’t believe how ravishing you are!”

  “When I was little, I was an ugly little chunk. I hit puberty and pow, that simple looking fat girl changed into this. After putting up with so many years of teasing and name calling, I didn’t know how to handle all of the positive attention, but I knew that I wasn’t going to accept anything phony. All of the boys who teased me over the years were crossed off my list. In a town as small as Kodiak, that didn’t leave anyone on the list. The first time I saw you, you were real to me. You didn’t know my past and I could tell that you were intimidated by how pretty I am. I knew that if I didn’t make the first move and make it fast that you’d walk out of that library and I’d never see you again. When we sat in the DQ and talked, you treated me like you really were interested in me, not just a horny guy who wanted to get into my pants. You’ve seen me at my worst and you’ve just seen me at my best. Your reaction has always been the same; I see the love in your eyes and the lust in your pants. Right from that first moment I’ve hoped that you’d fall in love with me, the person inside and not the hot Swan that everyone else sees. When I tease you, you don’t get overheated and try to take advantage of me. When I’m mean to you, you patiently wait for me to stop. And when we make love, I can tell that you’re making love to me, not just my body. Tom, I told you that I was falling in love with you the first time we met and you didn’t react, now I think that I’m so far gone that there’s no return. I tried to resist but this last few days have been too much for me. Tonight, I decided to give you my best and I hope you accept me like this and fall as head over heels in love with me as I am with you! Are you ready to go out?”

  “So, Swan, is not your real name?” Tom asks.

  She wiggles from his grip and sits on the bed to put on her shoes. “I hope it’s ok if I wear my flats tonight. I’d look better in those boots but I don’t think my feet could take it. Do you have any other shoes?”

  Tom looks at his boots, ashamed. “No, those are all I have. I’ve had to travel light because everything I have has to fit in a backpack.”

  “I packed these flats because they don’t take up much room, they’re nothing special. Let’s walk to the mall across the street and do some shopping, maybe we’ll find something,” Swan suggests.

  Its late evening when they walk back to the hotel. Tom looks at the motorcycle as they pass and wonders where everything they bought will fit. They enter the room and Swan tosses the shopping bags onto the second bed.

  “Let’s freshen up and walk down the street to Chilkoot Charlie’s.” Swan says. She looks at Tom sprawled on the bed and crawls to him. She hovers over him to kiss and tease him. “Come on Lover, let’s go out and rock the town.”

  “They got food?” Tom asks. “I’m starved.”

  “They’ve got food, music and all of the eye candy you can look at. It’s a meat market! You know, where people go looking for a good time and a one night stand!” Swan says. She smiles at Tom and runs her hand up his thigh.

  Tom laughs, “So that’s why we’re going there, to look for a one night stand?”

  Swan brushes against Tom and passionately kisses him. Her hair drapes around his head and her breathing becomes heavy. She presses against him, and then rolls over to look him in the eye.

  “I don’t think you’ll look at anyone but me, and I’ll make sure that I’m the focus of your attention,” Swan says as she runs her hand up his leg. “And I hope you’re up to going all night because we won’t be staying there that late!”

  Chapter Fifteen

  As soon as they get into an open stretch of the highway to Tok, Tom weaves back and forth to get a feel for the trailer they got for the motorcycle. It was pretty much luck that the bike dealer had a cheap used trailer and everything they needed to put on a hitch to hook it up. Now they have room for the gas can they’ll need to get them between gas stations. It was either get a trailer or buy another motorcycle for Swan to ride. It didn’t take long for either of them to figure out that they were going to run out of room within a day or so and that their trip would get uncomfortable fast. There’s a bit less power but the trailer tracks well.

  They cruise through the Mat-Su valley as the fog lifts, it’s a glorious morning. Tom looks out over the fields of potatoes, corn and cabbage being harvested and he’s reminded that it’s fall. He’ll have to keep in mind that it could snow at anytime and be ready to plan accordingly. Swan’s snuggled in behind him with her thumbs down the front of his pants. She occasionally nods off so he has to either weave around or brake hard to wake her up. He knew she’d be tired after the night they had but she insisted that they hit the road and not spend another night in Anchorage. The highway is stretched out before them, fields on the left and mountains on the right. They pass through Palmer and start to head east toward Tok. Tom remembers this stretch of highway as he’d spent a few weeks in the Mat-Su valley earlier in the summer. He’d stayed in Wasilla for part of the summer bumming around on a bicycle before heading to Kodiak. Every chance he got he rode that rickety
old bike to Palmer to look for adventure.

  Tom tries to keep their speed up to try to shorten the trip but traffic keeps slowing him down. He finally decides that it’s not worth fighting the traffic and pulls in behind a minivan loaded with boxes. They follow it for a couple of hours when the engine starts to sputter. Tom checks the gas gauge, switches the petcock over to reserve and the engine smoothes out. He pulls into the next gas station so that they don’t run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. They have the gas can in case they need it but he hopes not to use it at all. He stands beside the bike and looks up at the sign as he stretches- Gakona Lodge and Trading post. Swan slips her arm around his waist and leans on his shoulder.

  “Pretty place. I’m glad you pulled in. This is the first time I’ve been this far inland, I’ve been looking at the scenery. It was amazing around Palmer but this is almost miraculous. I never thought that living in the heart of the mountains away from the ocean could be so beautiful. Riding along those lakes back there, I could see the clouds reflected all the way to the bottom and the snowcaps on the mountains frame the sky beautifully,” Swan says while yawning. “Sorry about nodding off back there. I know how dangerous it is to fall asleep on a motorcycle. Why don’t you fill up with gas and pull around the side. I’m going to go in, look around and see if I can shake this groggy feeling. Tom, I’ve run out of cash, do you think I could borrow a few bucks?”