Thunder In Her Body

by C. B. Stanton

  “Why here?” Blaze inquired.

  “I started coming up here about nine or ten years ago, or something like that, and I fell in love with Sierra Asombroso. I fell in love with the tall pines, the clean fresh air, the way the sun dances on her peaks as it changes its mood. I like being able to come up from the high desert floor to a mountain environment in less than an hour. I love the fact that rush hour traffic, on a normal day, consists of about 10 pick up trucks, not thousands of cars creeping along on that three-lane parking lot that masquerades as the interstate in Austin. I love the openness, the freedom, the spaciousness of the surrounding area. I really enjoy the slow pace and the laid back attitude of the village life, and I never tire of the colors on that mountain, or the gurgling of the Rio Crystal as it runs through town,” Lynette finished with an infectious exuberance.

  “Wow,” Aaron replied, “you’re really hooked aren’t you?”

  “You bet,” she replied with a contented smile. “I don’t know if I can articulate it, but do you know when you’re somewhere and it just feels right – like you’re supposed to be there? Like you should have been there a long time ago. Or, maybe you’d been there before but you hadn’t,” she finished, showing the confusion of her statement on her face.

  Blaze’s eyes narrowed. A frown wrinkled his otherwise smooth forehead. If the others didn’t, he understood what she was saying.

  “Until she brought me up here the first time, I couldn’t imagine what she was raving about,” Clare confessed.

  “You’ve heard of tree-huggers. Well, I’ve got a picture of Clare hugging a hundred foot tall, Ponderosa Pine tree,” Lynette snickered. “She was just so happy to be up here on that October day.”

  “What brought you here in the first place?,” Aaron queried looking over at Lynette.

  The waitress appeared and handed each of them a menu.

  “And what would y’all like to drink?” she asked, “a cocktail or the like maybe?” in a syrupy sweet, deep Georgia drawl.

  “Ladies, what would you like?” Aaron asked politely.

  “I’ll just have ice tea,” Lynette replied.

  “And I’ll have water with lemon, please,” Clare added.

  “Now y’all just order anything you want. This dinner is on us. It’s a pleasure to have such lovely ladies as company for dinner,” Aaron said, and there was earnestness in his voice.

  “I’ll take a Coors Light,” Aaron informed the waitress.

  “I’ll have the same,” Blaze added.

  “Of all the places in New Mexico, how’d you find Crystal Bend?” Blaze asked, reviving Aaron’s question.

  “I was dating a guy who lived in Odessa at the time. We were looking for something different to do one spring weekend,” Lynette began to explain. “I dug out my trusty atlas and noticed the mountains in the area. A woman I used to work with and her family had a vacation cabin somewhere up here and they came up during the racing season. She used to say how nice it was to get away from the Texas heat and into the tall pines. So, we made a reservation over at Chandler’s Canyon and drove up. It’s only about a four hour drive from Odessa. We drove all around the area. Besides, when we drove over here to the village, I knew that I liked it better than the Canyon. There’s more to see and do in Crystal Bend. The 7000 feet or so village elevation doesn’t bother me in the least, and, I can see mountains in every direction from right here, especially my mountain,” she finished.

  “I’m curious,” Aaron spoke up. “What is it about this mountain?”

  Lynette took a long, slow breath as though she were about to disclose a secret before she began to described Sierra Asombroso and its beauty from her perspective.

  “I’m sure you all already know that she’s 38 million years old,” she said in an effort not to sound like a school teacher. She shook her head in amazement.

  “You know there’re lots of people who believe that the world has only been here for about five-thousand years. But here is proof, scientifically documented, that this mountain has been here for over 38 million years!”

  “Oh, oh. Here we go,” Clare chided.

  “No, go on,” Blaze insisted, clearly wanting to hear what she had to say.

  “Well, she’s ancient, venerable, almost like the beginning of the earth. She’s stood against everything Mother Nature has thrown at her, and she stands proudly, dominating the landscape, drawing us to her. New Mexico has almost every form of volcanism known to scientists and she comprises most types. 38 million years ago she was born from fissures and vents, viscous lava, pyroclastic flows and God only knows how long it took her to rise to about 3000 feet above the ground. Can you imagine the sound? The growling, the rumbling, the roaring as she gave birth to herself? The earth shaking and convulsing? Then about 26 million – 26 million years ago! – it’s mind-boggling - huge blocks of earth pushed and squeezed up from beneath the earth raising her to above or near her present height of over 12,000 feet. She’s not a cinder cone like many of the volcanoes. She’s a stratovolcano. Some people call her a composite-type because she and the surrounding mountains are made up of a variety of volcanic actions – flows, upthrusts, fissures, vents,” Lynette finished enthusiastically and a bit breathlessly. She hesitated for a second, looking a little embarrassed.

  “Forgive me, I’m sure you already know this,” she said, looking from one man to the other. “You live in her shadow. I didn’t mean to sound like a PBS narrative,” she said apologetically, visibly chagrined.

  Blaze looked at her again with an intense frown on his brow. He was studying her. Taking her words, her expressions, her sound, and even the slightest scent of her perfume into his consciousness, into himself. He was both moved and aroused by her intellect and intensity.

  “Damn, Lynette, you didn’t look like a scientist standing out there in the lobby,” Aaron laughed. “No horned rim glasses, pith helmet or chunky brown shoes,” he chuckled.

  “Oh, I’m not,” she replied. “I just love mountains and I love this mountain,” she said with emphasis. “The most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen were the Tetons in Wyoming, and I did get to climb a volcano when I lived in Japan. In fact, the Air Force base at which we were stationed sat near a range with eight dormant volcanoes – the Hakkoda Range. I could sit on our outside steps and see the perfect cone rims of each of those craters. They were mesmerizing,” she opined, with a far-away look in her eyes.

  Blaze’s frown softened to a tender smile, as though a window had opened to her psyche and he alone was permitted to climb in through that secret entrance.

  “I’ve always wanted a cabin in the woods – even since childhood,” Lynette explained. “When I decided to try to find a place up here, it was at about the time that this area got discovered! There was an article in the Wall Street Journal back in 2009 or 10 about the last undiscovered mountain hideaway in the southern Rockies, and when that came out, I knew I’d better find something then, or I’d never be able to have anything up here, ever.”

  “I remember that article,” Blaze admitted. “It caused quite a stir here.”

  “Me too,” Aaron agreed. “Things started hopping right after that.”

  “I heard that people all over the country were contacting realtors, buying places on their recommendation, or at best, looking at properties on the internet and buying them based on the photos,” Blaze said. “There were a number of lots and a good deal of acreage that almost immediately disappeared from the market,” he added, casting a knowing glance over at Aaron.

  “My realtor took me to what we could call cabins. I was thinking of a fixer upper that I might turn into my own special place - put my own special touch on it, paint it red, or have log siding put on it…you know, have that little log cabin in the woods, where the glow of the sun turns the log walls inside a gleaming golden color,” Lynette shared. “You know what I mean?”

  “I do,” Blaze answered, with a clear knowledge of the picture she was painting.

  “She told me that the
price she had in mind wouldn’t even buy a ramshackled hovel by the time she made the decision to buy,” Clare offered.

  “What did you finally do?” Blaze asked out of curiosity.

  “I settled on a large two bedroom, two bath condo over in the high valley section. It isn’t the cabin in the woods, but it has mountain views on all sides, it’s easy to get to when it’s snowing during the winter, and it was what I could afford. Best of all, it came fully furnished, even with all the linens and stuff. I got a deal! You know sometimes, when you’re older, you come to realize that compromise becomes more and more important for sanity’s sake. I’m not sad that I don’t have my cabin in the woods. I accept the fact that the Universe may have provided me with better than what I wanted personally. So I’m pretty content,” Lynette finally wound down.

  “Are y’all ready to order?” the waitress asked kindly. Lynette glanced up briefly to see what this woman must have in her mouth to form thick, slow words as she did.

  “Lord, we’ve been so busy talking, we haven’t even looked at the menu,” Aaron apologized with a big, blustery laugh. “Give us a few more minutes, L’il Lady,” he asked politely.

  So the four very relaxed, but hungry people, perused the extensive menu. The guys ordered huge steaks, Clare got the 10 ounce sirloin, and Lynette who had suggested they eat at the steakhouse, ordered the 12 ounce ribeye. She wanted plenty meat.

  The enormous, colorful salad bar came with the steak dinner. Lynette slipped out of the booth and Blaze followed closely behind as they made the few steps to the brightly lit serving center. He reached around her just as she leaned forward to pick up a large salad plate, and gently placed the plate in her hand. In doing so, his chest pressed warmly against her left shoulder. She wondered if it was just the close proximity, or if it was deliberate. She turned to him, smiling, and in her fake, fun Texas accent said “Why-y thank ya’ kind stranger.”

  “Not for long,” he said quietly over her shoulder, the breath from his mouth blowing across her ear. She didn’t turn around, but there was a rush of something warm that coursed all over her. His advance was not sleazy or inappropriate; it simply felt like the move of a confident, fun-loving man who enjoyed teasing, and maybe pleasing, a woman he liked. Aaron had not lied about his appetite. He piled his plate six inches deep with salads of all types. Clare was careful not to choose anything that would upset her sometimes delicate stomach. More interested in the steak and country fries to come than much salad, Blaze watched to see what Lynette chose. When she had a bit of difficulty reaching across for the big serving spoons, he anticipated her need, turning the handles so they almost fit into her hand. She liked his attentiveness. She looked back at him and smiled in a very appreciative way.

  The steaks arrived noisily, brazier hot, with a small hot loaf of bread, double cups of sour cream, piles of potatoes and all the accoutrements.

  “Tell us a little bit about you all,” Clare asked, as the men began to eat with relish.

  “I’m a rancher and a semi-retired lawyer,” Aaron said putting a sizzling, juicy piece of pink steak into his mouth after he spoke. Lynette laughed and shook her head.

  “What’s funny?” Blaze asked.

  “You wanna tell them what you do for a living,” Lynette smiled at Clare.

  “Now don’t tell me you’re a lawyer, too,” Aaron half shouted. “Where’d you go to law school?

  “University of Nebraska,” Clare replied.

  “University of Arizona,” Aaron responded.

  “You still practicin’?” Aaron quickly inquired.

  “Yes,” Clare said, “I’m with a State agency, and a part-time adjunct professor at the University of Texas.

  “I’m winding my practice down to just about nothing now,” Aaron advised. “Been in the business almost 27 years. Done pretty well for myself, but I think I wanna finish out the rest of my life as a gentleman rancher,” he offered, with a sound of contentment in his voice.

  Both Lynette and Clare did the math in their heads though neither looked up from her steak. Graduated from lawschool at about 24 - 27 years in practice – about 51 or 52 years old. Clare noticed that he looked younger than 50 despite the silvery white hair. And, he was well taken care of. No big belly. Just a few small love handles. Maybe it was the color of his hair that made his face look more weather-worn than it really was. It really didn’t matter much. He was a good looking man, obviously well-educated, didn’t seem to take himself too seriously, and he certainly was a gentleman. Clare liked his manner and secretly wondered what he’d be like in bed.

  “And you, Blaze,” Lynette asked, “what about you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Spent a little more than twenty years in the Navy,” he started.

  Aaron interjected that Blaze had been a decorated Navy Seal. Blaze shook off the obvious accolade as if it meant nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Retired sometime back and moved back up here where I was born and raised.” He paused to put a country fry in his mouth, chewed it well and then added, “I ranch up here also. I’ve got some cattle, a few horses, a little bit of land, and I, too, love this mountain,” he said almost solemnly, connecting directly with Lynette. “Got my degrees in Biology while in the service. Sometimes I contract to help the forest service with surveys of wildlife, sometimes with the bugs and pests that threaten the forest.”

  “My. It seems like both of you have found your niche,” Lynette observed. She wondered how they had come to know each other. Maybe they became friends due to proximity. This was a very small town which lay adjacent to an Indian reservation. Maybe Blaze had gone to Aaron for some legal advice. She was curious, but decided not to be too nosey. Blaze reached across to the wooden cutting board, and sawed off a piece of the hot loaf of bread they shared. The softened butter turned into a yellow liquid as he spread it deliberately, and slowly. There was a sensualness in the way he moved the knife across the bread. He looked up at Lynette, searching her face, following her throat down to where her olive skin disappeared beneath her turquoise shell before he spoke. His eyes penetrated her garment, her flesh, her bones, and went deep inside her. She felt like he was seeing into her heart, watching each chamber begin to beat faster under his gaze. He knew, that she knew, he was examining her, in some mysterious way, listening to the blood rushing through her arteries; tuning in to the rhythm of her heart, monitoring her controlled breathing. She allowed it; she sat still, looking back at him. She was both titillated and calmed by his attention.

  “And what about you? You still with that fella you came here with some years ago?,” he asked, before he bit into the bread. He never blinked. He just looked through the portals of her eyes, into her mind.

  “Oh, heavens no. That’s been over for a long while,” she replied quickly, struggling to pull her eyes away from his. Reaching for her glass of iced tea, she could hear Clare saying something to Aaron, but she was so connected to Blaze that Clare seemed a long way away. “I’m divorced from my children’s father. That guy, Robert, and I lived together for a couple of years. It just wasn’t destined to be a permanent relationship. But, that’s another story,” she said, anxious not to get further into that part of her life. She knew why he asked. She was glad she could answer “No.”

  “I’m a trainer and training consultant by profession now. I retired from State government just last year. I particularly like what I do and I conduct training sessions off and on throughout the year. Some seasons are extremely busy. At other times, I’m at my leisure. I like having large blocks of time off and I love traveling. I hope to spend a lot more time up here in Crystal Bend,” she said, and wondered if she needed to say that. Was she trying to tell this beautiful man across from her something? Sure she was.

  Both Aaron and Blaze frowned, question marks written all over their faces. Aaron put his fork down on his plate and looked hard at Lynette.

  “You’re either an experiment from one of those labs over at Los Alamos, or you’ve found something i
n the waters at Jemez Springs that nobody else knows about. There ain’t no way you’re old enough to be retired from anywhere. Hell, I’m gonna be 52 my next birthday, and I’m trying as hard as I can to get there. What’s your secret Li’l lady?” Aaron asked unabashedly.

  “It’s called 25 years in cubicle hell,” Lynette responded jokingly, brushing bread crumbs off her breasts. When we lived overseas I worked for the federal government while I was married. My husband was career military. Combining the federal service and state service, I’ve done 25 years in harness so to speak,” Lynette added. She could see the computers running in both men’s minds.

  “Well somehow, right now, these nice gentlemen must think that my birth certificate was printed on papyrus, and Moses was the county clerk” she joked, a little chagrined. “I’ll be 46 in June,” she admitted quietly.

  Lynette was proud that the unhappiness in her life and the years didn’t show harshly on her face. She had good genes; her mother was living proof of that, and with her racial mixture, she figured she’d gotten some of the best from all of her ancestors. She often declared (among her confidants) that she’d come from the really deep end of the gene pool! However, she was also aware that, at her age, she was at a tricky point in a woman’s life. No longer the young, nubile, barely-touched flower, now she was a mature, self-actualized woman and was proud that still no petals had fallen off her yet!

  “And while she was working like a dog, living all over the world with her husband, and raising two children, she completed her undergraduate degree and now she’s got her Master’s,” Clare chimed in, obviously very proud of her best friend.

  “Some of the most beautiful things in this world are old and tested,” Blaze said in an almost sultry voice, his eyes boring again into Lynette’s. “Look at our mountain.” There was something very, very personal when he used the term our - he’d even paused for an instant before he said our.