Ketchikan or Bust (Tom's Adventures in Alaska)

by Matthew Green

  “Oh, Honey,” Tom says as he takes out his wallet, “I didn’t even think about you not having much money with you.” He peels off a wad of bills and hands it to her. “I hope this will be enough to tide you over, just remember that we have limited space for the stuff you want to buy.”

  “I don’t need that much!” Swan says harshly. “I don’t want to owe you more than I think I can afford!”

  “Don’t worry. It’s not a loan, it’s a gift. There’s no reason you should feel like you need to pay me back. Besides, just think of it as payment for services rendered,” Tom says.

  Swan slaps him hard and leaves a welt on his cheek. “What the fuck does that mean?!”

  “Well,” Tom says calmly as he rubs his cheek, “you painted the saddlebags and helped me get them mounted. Hell, you helped me unload the bike and while I was studying you even put in the coil! Not only that, you did my laundry, folded my clothes and cooked for me. I feel like I’ve done absolutely nothing for you; except use you for sex. If you want to be offended and slap me because I appreciate you and what you do for me, then hit me again.”

  Swan kisses him tenderly around the welt. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! It’s just that whenever a man says that to a woman it makes me think she’s a whore.”

  “You go in and look around, I’ll be in as soon as the tank’s full and I check the oil.” Tom says.

  Tom finishes with the bike and pulls it around to the side of the trading post. He walks along the boardwalk in front and admires the rustic setting before he swings the door open. Bells jingle over his head as he enters. He looks around for Swan but she’s not in the store.

  “She paid for the gas and went into the lady’s room,” the woman behind the counter says. “She’s sure a looker; you’re a lucky boy. You shouldn’t upset her enough to make her slap you or she’ll just dump your ass. You must’ve said something pretty bad for her to hit you that hard, that’s quite a welt.”

  “Is there a men’s room in here or is it outside?” Tom asks.

  “Through that door, down the hall, on the left,” the woman says. “Turn the light off when you’re done if you don’t mind.”

  Tom heads into the bathroom. He splashes water on his face to rinse off the dust and crusty feel, his cheek burns. He looks in the mirror at his cheek. Her hand print is red and swollen out of the side of his face. He pats it dry with a paper towel and winces every time the paper hits it. He shakes his head to try to clear away the sting and then heads back into the store.

  “Ow! That looks like it hurts! I think I have to stop being so sensitive about the things you say,” Swan says apologetically.

  Tom nods. “Did you find anything you just can’t live without?”

  “Come look over here, there’s a couple of fishing rods. We should get them so that we can go fishing!” Swan says excitedly.

  Tom looks at the fishing rods and picks out two that haven’t been banged up too badly. He looks over the shelf beside them and picks up some new line, hooks and lures. Swan picks up some food and a few other supplies and makes a small pile in front of the cashier. Tom looks around the store once more and walks to the counter to pay. He stands and patiently waits for the woman to notice that he’s done shopping.

  “It’s getting to be the end of the season so I’ll give you a good deal on this stuff,” the woman says. “Where are you two adventurers heading?”

  “Ketchikan,” Swan says, “or bust.”

  “That’s a pretty long trip at this time of year,” the woman says dryly. “You do know that winter’s going to be setting in soon. Is that where you’re from or are you tourists? It’s hard to tell when you have Alaska plates.”

  “Both I guess,” Tom replies. “We’re over from Kodiak. We’re kind of taking a vacation.”

  “If you’re looking for a vacation, you could just stay here. The fishing’s good, the scenery is painted by God and we’ve got enough empty rooms that you’ll feel like you’ve got the place to yourself,” the woman says. “We’ll make sure that you have a good stay. Our off season rates are pretty attractive.”

  “Is there a coffee shop or someplace to grab a bite to eat?” Swan asks.

  “Head up the road a bit, there’s a small restaurant, good food, you can’t miss it. Well you can, but it’s pretty hard to because there’s a huge sign with arrows that point right at it,” the woman says. “Is this everything?”

  It takes a few minutes to stow their purchases in the trailer. Tom looks at the bike and tries to figure out where to put the fishing rods. They’re too long to fit anywhere. He stands, looks at the bike carefully and wonders if buying the rods was a mistake.

  “I’ll hold them,” Swan offers.

  “For three thousand miles?” Tom asks.

  “Oh, I guess I should have thought of that before I suggested that we buy them,” Swan says. “Do you want me to take them and try to return them? I know that the sign says all sales final but I’m sure she’ll make an exception since we just bought them.”

  Tom shakes his head, walks over to the garbage bin at the rear of the store and pulls out a piece of cardboard. He takes the reels off of the fishing rods and stows them in the trailer. He wraps the rods in the cardboard and tapes the package to the drawbar on the trailer. He stands back, looks at his handiwork and smiles at Swan.

  “Let’s go eat and hit the road. I’d like to get to Tok today, or at least close enough to have breakfast there in the morning,” Tom says.

  “I’ve got about another hour in me and then I’m going to need a nap. I might I’ll feel better after I eat,” Swan says, “but I’m not sure that I can make it that far.”

  The restaurant is right where the lady said and she was right about the sign. Two flashing arrows point at the building that’s less than fifty feet from the highway. They fill up on greasy cheese burgers and hit the road with full bellies, and a full tank. Swan snuggles close to Tom and holds him tight. He feels her nod off a few times and has to brake hard to wake her. He gets frustrated and pulls off the highway.

  “Your turn!” Tom says. “You’re scaring me! Maybe if you put the hammer down and get the wind in your face you’ll stay awake. I’m warning you, if you start to nod off up front, your tits are fair game!”

  Swan jumps on as Tom scoots back on the seat. She guns the throttle and swings onto the pavement. They fly along the empty stretch of highway toward Tok and make good time. She rides aggressively. Tom doesn’t mind and hangs onto her tightly. Tom watches the mile markers tick by as she passes everything in their way. The air becomes crisp and chilly the farther they venture from the coast. Tom enjoys looking at the mountains and sees the reflections in the lakes that Swan had mentioned. It’s so refreshing to ride through the inland forest during the fall. She slows down and pulls off the highway onto a gravel path that leads into the Eagle Trail State Recreation Site. She rides past the entrance sign and skids to a stop in front of the outhouses. Swan hops off and runs in, Tom walks over to the billboard by the sign and looks at the map of the park. She comes out after a few minutes and stands beside him.

  “Whatya looking at?” Swan asks playfully. “I hope you’re thinking about pitching a tent, I could really use some sleep.”

  “It’s not too far to Tok if we need to run into town and get something. We might as well pitch here and get rested up. Let’s find a site close to the creek,” Tom says. “Someplace secluded, so that we don’t disturb the neighbors.”

  “What neighbors? The place looks deserted!” Swan says as she looks around.

  Chapter Sixteen

  They set up camp and crawl into the tent for a nap. They’d had a very late night last night and riding several hundred miles has worn them both out. Tom wakes up before Swan and crawls out of the tent trying not to wake her. He looks around at the campsite and wonders how many thousands of travelers had rested here through the years. He sits on a log by the creek and looks into the water. It swirls around rocks and sticks then tumbles over a small led
ge that looks like a miniature waterfall. He gets up and looks straight down into the pool of water at the bottom of the ledge. The gravel sparkles even in the low light of the evening. A fish darts through the pool. Tom watches it for a few minutes before deciding to fetch a fishing rod. He pulls one rod out from the cardboard tube and puts the two halves together. He slips a reel on and hand tightens the nuts. It takes a few minutes to spool new line onto it and thread the line up through the eyes. He whips it around a few times like a sword to get a feel for the flimsy rod. He fetches a small bumblebee spinner and ties it on using the knot that Bible Don taught him.

  Tom tosses the lure into the pool of water and watches the fish dart out to bite it. He reels in the scrappy little fish and wonders if the fishing rod will be strong enough to bring it in. He holds it up and measures it with the ruler on the back of a package of hooks. He’s surprised at how fat it is and proud that it’s long enough to keep. It’ll need to be cut in half to fit in the frying pan but it will taste good fried in butter. Tom casts the lure on top of the ledge and tugs gently to get the lure to fall into the pool. He feels a tug as soon as it hits the water and snaps the rod to set the hook. The fish fights hard and arcs as it leaps from the water and runs downstream. The tender little fishing rod bends over from the action as the fish struggles for freedom. Tom plays with it for a minute before reeling it in. He lays it next first to see if it’s legal. He’s impressed with the bounty of the small creek. Tom puts down the fishing rod. He’d like to keep fishing but he knows that they can’t catch more than they can eat.

  Swan begins to stir in the tent. Tom listens intently and hopes that she’s waking up. There was a time when he’d have been content to sit bathed in nature all alone but he finds it difficult to drag his thoughts away from her. The wind rustling the leaves and the birds’ chirps mask her sounds. Tom strains to focus on her. She starts to hum. Tom enjoys the cheerful little tune because he knows that she hums when she’s happy. Tom hears the zipper and watches her crawl from the tent. She’s only wearing a pair of panties and one of his t-shirts. She stands up, stretches and looks around for Tom. She smiles when their eyes meet.

  “What time is it?”

  “I don’t know, I’m not even sure if it’s morning or evening,” Tom says as he walks toward her. “Are you hungry? I caught a couple of fish in the creek.”

  Swan smiles. “So the great hunter has been waiting for his wench to get up, clean his bounty and make him some grub? Nice welcome buddy!”

  “No, great hunter went without sleep and caught grub to give wench much needed beauty sleep!” Tom immediately realizes that his statement didn’t come out right.

  Swan lunges at him. Tom braces for a slap. She bounces up on her toes and gives him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks Honey!”

  Tom digs the frying pan out of the trunk and hands it to Swan. “Can you wash this out in that pool under the waterfall? I’m going to start a fire and make us something to eat. Toss me some tin foil to wrap the fish in.”

  Swan sets the pan down and digs for her toothbrush. “I hope you don’t mind if I freshen up while I’m at it.”

  “Knock yourself out! It’s going to take a half an hour or so for the coals to be hot enough to cook on,” Tom replies.

  Tom watches Swan wander off to the pool. He smiles every time the t-shirt rides up and reveals her panties. She bends down to brush her teeth, spits out the tooth paste and splashes water on her face. She turns around and finds Tom staring at her.

  “I thought you were going to get a fire going?” Swan says in a curt tone.

  “Watching you has my fire going strong!” Tom says with a chuckle.

  Swan smiles. “Get busy, I’m pretty sure that you can start a fire and watch my ass at the same time!”

  She picks up the frying pan and dips it into the water to rinse out the dust. Tom knows that she’s seen the glint he’d seen earlier in the bottom of the pool because she dips the frying pan into the gravel to scoop some up. She swirls the pan in the water and giggles as she picks nuggets from the pan. She runs over to Tom and holds out her hand to show them off.

  “There’s a pile of gold in there!” Swan exclaims. “I need something to put this in.”

  “Tuck it in your panties. Remember, gold makes you hot!” Tom says with a laugh.

  Swan digs in the trailer, finds a condom and tears it open. “I’ll use this! After that comment, I don’t think we’ll need it,” she says with a smirk as she walks away.

  Tom kneels beside the fire pit and piles up moss and twigs in its center. He strikes a match to the moss and the fire comes to life. He feeds the fire with more twigs and moss to get it going strong enough to light larger sticks. He keeps adding fuel until it crackles and burns without constant attention. The smoke curls up through the trees and the breeze wisps it away. Tom turns and watches Swan. She intently tries to clean the creek of its bounty of gold. He wanders over and nudges her with his toe. She turns, looks up at him with a smile and holds up the condom.

  “I think there’s about a quarter ounce already!” She says excitedly. “I’m surprised that with as many people that camp here that it hasn’t been cleaned out!”

  “Most people think that all of the gold in this country was cleaned out during the gold rush. The rest couldn’t be bothered to look. There are just a few people that will actually stop, look around and check things out. It probably doesn’t hurt that this is a State Park and prospecting isn’t allowed,” Tom notes. “I think there must be a pretty good seam of gold around here judging from what’s in that pool. I bet it gets a fresh batch every year during the spring runoff.”

  “What if I get caught panning gold?” Swan asks. “Is it worth taking a chance?”

  “You’re just washing a frying pan, right?” Tom suggests. “Stashing your gold in that condom is probably a good idea. It’s got enough dirt on it that anyone that questions what you’re doing might see it and leave it alone because it looks like a nasty used condom. Besides, there’s no one here so I wouldn’t worry about it”

  Swan digs deep into the gravel and scoops out another load. She rinses the dirt from the pan. Tom kneels in beside her and they both pick rocks and toss them back into the creek away from the pool. Swan squeals every time she finds a nugget. She dips in for another pan and her eyes open wide as the water clears. There’s a nugget as big as a quarter. Tom reaches for it at the same time as Swan so she slaps his hand. She holds it up and they laugh as they dance at the water’s edge. Swan jumps into Tom’s arms and kisses him repeatedly. She wraps her legs around his waist and he swings her around while they kiss.

  “Your fire’s going out!” Swan says after a couple of minutes.

  “No it’s not! You’ve got it burning hotter than ever!” Tom replies in between kisses.

  “Not that fire, I don’t think that’ll ever go out! Your campfire,” Swan says. “Put me down and let me clean out this glory hole while you cook me supper! Then I’ll put out your fire,” she adds.

  Tom sets her down gently. He holds her as she tries to pull away. “You can’t put out the fire that burns for you! Especially with you prancing around in those panties and my shirt!”

  Swan pushes away from Tom and pulls the shirt up over her head. She drops it to the ground and steps out of her panties. “Is this better?” She asks smugly with her hands on her hips.

  “Yeah! That’ll do!” Tom replies. He turns and walks to the camp fire.

  “You bastard!” Swan calls after him. “So you’re just going to let me stand here like this?” Swan gives him a pouty look.

  Tom turns to her and grins. “You told me to make you something to eat didn’t you? I thought you were more interested in your glory hole and food than you are in me.”

  Swan turns around and bends over to pick up the clothes, slips on her panties and pulls the T-shirt over her head. She walks to Tom and looks into his eyes. Her eyes sparkle as she touches his cheek.

  “I guess I did get caught up in a little
gold fever. It’s just that everything’s so new and exciting when you’re around. I haven’t been bored since we met and sometimes I forget that it’s being with you that has me so excited for life. I forget that I’m so turned on with everything because it’s you turning me on.”

  Tom takes her hands and pulls her close. She stands before him, looking into his eyes for a reply. Tom squeezes her hands gently and lets go.

  “I think its evening but I’m not sure. I’m going to stoke up the fire so that we can fry up these fish. I’ll throw a couple of potatoes in the coals. Is there anything else in the trailer?”