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-DurtyRiter
The Man with the Jeep
Chapter 40
Andrew took some very slow deep breaths and willed himself to relax, and after a few minutes, the hiccups began to subside. He hated hiccups. Luckily, they didn't happen often because they literally hurt every time. And those idiots who felt compelled to say "bless you" after each and every oneÉ He knew they meant well, but he just wanted to punch them in the throat after the second one. One blessing was enough, thank you!
Luckily, neither John nor Bill were the persistent blesser-type.
"You good?" Bill enquired.
"Yeah, thanks," he replied.
"'Kay," said Bill as he withdrew his hand. He looked at Andrew for a moment longer as if to be sure he wasn't being lied to. "So, what are you boys up to for the rest of the day? Going to the shindig this evening?"
"No," chuckled John. "Not tonight. Not that we have any other plans at the moment, but that might be a little much for us right now."
"Oh!" exclaimed Bill, oddly disappointedÑand equally pleased.
"It's not that we are opposed with the whole thing," John assured him. "I mean obviously, right? It's held here and everything. I used to go all the time, but I don't know if I'm outgrowing it or if I've just been spoiled with my new boyfriend.
Andrew, still fixated on relaxing to keep the hiccups at bay, suddenly perked up, but before he could say anything, Bill had jumped back in and turned the conversation a little bit.
"How long have you guys been together?"
"We've only been official for three weeks now."
"No kidding! Well, congratulations!"
"Thanks!"
Had it really only been three weeks? Andrew wondered to himself. It felt like...well, not forever exactly, but much longer. He knew he had changed so much in that short timeÑ
His reverie was shattered upon Mabel's return.
"I see all the food met with your approval! Why, it didn't take you much time to down all that, did it? Probably forgot to breathe, I shouldn't wonder. That's always the problem when the food is good: it's hard to slow down and chew, much less savor it. But I'm glad you liked it. If that ever changes, you let me know, because you know I will make it right, you can count on that! Now, what can I get you boys for dessert? Chocolate cake? Banana split? Malt? Another special? If you ate all the rest that fast, there's no way you're full yet, so don't even try to pull the wool over my eyes." "Actually," Andrew started. "Now that you've mentioned all that, the malt sounds really good, please."
"Oh, it is, honey! We have a lot of flavors, but chocolate is our most popular one. Would you like that, or a different flavor?"
"Chocolate would hit the spot, thank you."
"How about you," she asked, looking at Bill. "What would you like to top everything off with?"
"I'd like the same, please."
"No problem, dear! And how about for you, Johnny boy?"
"You know, I think I will follow their lead and get a malt too, but can I get a strawberry one instead of the chocolate?"
"Of course, lovey," she said while stacking all the empty plates and silverware improbably onto one hand. "I'll be back in a flash, dearies," she promised as she dashed off again.
"So only three weeks?" prompted Bill.
"Officially, yes, though we had some dates before that too."
"Of course."
"How did you guys meet?"
"We met at a ChrisÑI mean holiday party, actually," said John. "One of the loan originators Andrew works for invited a bunch of co-workers and business associates like the insurance agent I work for. She couldn't make it, but wanted to make sure we were represented, so I went on her behalf. I was expecting it to be a total bore, but about twenty minutes in, I bumped into this cute guy at the punch bowlÑ"
"ÑLiterally," interjected Andrew. "He knocked my cup out of my hand and into the punch bowl!"
"True," admitted John. "But it's the best clumsy moment of my life, because it got this guy to talk to me."
"Hey!" protested Andrew.
"What?" asked John. "Can you really say you would have talked to me if I hadn't jarred your elbow."
"IÑ" Andrew paused. "I might have..."
"Ha! You weren't even talking to your co-workers!"
Bill chuckled.
"How do you know that?" inquired Andrew.
"I've got eyes," declared John. "Don't I? I immediately noticed you sitting in that quiet little corner just watching everyone else while you nibbled on a little plate of nuts like a squirrel."
"Hey!" Andrew said again.
"A cute squirrel, I assure you, but come on: they were nuts! Cut me a little slack here!"
Andrew quickly realized John was just teasing him.
"In fact, I couldn't even tell if we were on the same page, so to speak, until much later. I just knew he was handsome and quiet. After the first twenty minutes, he was still tucked in there and I didn't think there was any way to get him to chat until he went for a drink. A little elbow jostling was the only thing I could come up with to get his attention."
"Wait, you did that on purpose?"
"Of course! I had to do SOMEthing!"
Bill was laughing by this time.
"I see you haven't worked out all the mysteries yet," he chuckled.
"Definitely not!" confirmed John. "We have many discoveries yet to make."
Andrew wasn't sure why he felt that was a statement of portent, but it stuck in his mind from the moment John said it.
"I'm guessing the butterflies are still swarming then," Bill asked. "At least if gay relationships are like straight ones."
"I don't know about butterflies, but I feel like I'm glowing and I'm having a hard time believing it's even real yet," John admitted.
"Aw!" said a smiling Bill. "You really are fresh! That's sweet. How about you?" he asked, turning to Andrew.
"I'm good," Andrew said.
"'Good'?" questioned Bill. "That's it?"
"Yeah," Andrew answered a little meekly.
"Andrew has a pretty traditional background," John interjected. "He isn't used to being forward yet." He looked at Andrew. "Correct me if I'm wrong, sexy."
Andrew looked clearly uncomfortable but admitted that was pretty much true. "I guess I'm a bit too cynical. I have a hard time thinking of it as real too."
Bill nodded. "Sorry, Andrew: I didn't mean to put you on the spot."
"It's all good. I need to get out of my comfort zone anyway. I'm just afraid to wake up and find this a dream."
"That's natural, bud," said Bill. "I remember I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd either ruin it or my fiancŽ would suddenly turn into a dragon on me. I felt sure I was missing something."
"That's it," admitted Andrew.
"It'll work out, buddy. You'll be fine."
"Thanks," mumbled Andrew. "I just..."
Mabel drew up just then and Andrew let it drop.
"Here you are, dearies! Three malts: one strawberry for Johnny here, and a chocolate each for Androo and Bill. I know you boys will like them. Malts are forgotten art in most places these days, but sometimes a shake is a little too sweet, if you know what I mean. Even dessert can use a good kick in the behind every now and then. I will never know why they've fallen out of favor, but we keep the faith alive here, yes, we do! Traditions are abandoned at our own peril, I say. Mark my words: the more we thoughtlessly let things fall by the wayside, the more what is left will fall apart. But listen to me rambling at you poor pets while your malts melt. Let me leave you in peace to enjoy those while you still can." Again, she whisked away to wait on her other customers.
They dove into their desserts with gusto and enjoyed them greatly. It wasn't until they were all eaten that Bill spoke up again.
"I have to tell you, the entire time we were dating, I kept waiting for my wife to transform into something awful, but she never did. Eventually, the infatuation stuff faded away and there were some aspects of her I hadn't noticed before, but nothing we couldn't work through. I knew it would happen, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I think it's that way for most people: after the honeymoon phase is over, it's a simple matter of deciding the other person is worth adjusting your own habits to make it better for them. If you both do that, you will be better than fine." Bill paused. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I've gone all Doctor Phil on you guys. Let me just say you guys seem to be a good team."
"Thanks," John said. "I feel that way too."
"As for me, this is all still a beautiful dream," Andrew said. "I just hope I never wake up."
At that, Bill raised his empty malt glass. Andrew and John did the same.
"Here's to living life in a dream," he said. "May we never wake up from it!"
"Hear, hear" they said as they clinked their empty glasses together.
Mabel was there in an instant.
"Yes, boys? What can I do for you? I heard clinking. Need another round? You know I don't mind doing that one little bit. I'll be right back in a jiffy with those malts, one strawberry and two chocolate. As you might guess, I am rather good at remembering people's orders. Not usually for long, mind you, but at least as long as you are here. I've learned to do that so it's easier to break up tickets between folks, not that I even need to worry about you boys, but you know a habit is a habit after all. You can't just turn them on and off at whim. You either have them or you don't. But anyway, sit tight and I'll beÑ"
"Mabel!" John interrupted. "We don't need refills, thanks. We were just toasting."
She paused for a second, which seemed like forever given her normal speaking speed. "Oh! Well then! Is there anything else I can get you then?"
"No thank you, we are finished."
"No problem at all, dearie, but of course you are welcome to stay as long as you like."
"Thank you, Mabel, you're the best!"
She seemed to perk up a bit at that and her full spirits were restored before she headed off to attend other customers.
"We should probably head out," began John, "but it was great talking with you, MistÑer, Bill."
"Likewise," he replied. "Thanks for joining me!"
He traded handshakes with each as they got up.
John and Andrew made their way out and crossed the driveway to the office.
Once again, the little bell jingled as the opened the door and walked in.
"Hey, Johnny," called Amanda. "Hi, Andrew!"
"Hey, Amanda," Andrew responded.
"Hey, Amanda," John echoed. "How are we doing?"
"Oh, fine," she said. "There are still three more cabins to be had."
"How about the RVs?"
"Not so much action on those this weekend. Half of them are still empty."
"Well, I'd rather rent out cabins than RVs anyway."
"For sure!" Amanda agreed. "Did you want to grab one while you still can?"
"Actually no. Why don't we just take one of the bigger RVs. Who knows, maybe we can sell out all the cabins. That would be nice."
"Absolutely. Did you have a particular one in mind?"
"How about number 59?"
"Sure, that one's still free."
"And the adjacent spots?"
"Ron is in 57, but the others are still empty. Of course, I do have 60 set aside."
"Let me guess," John interrupted. "That one is for Carl."
"Got it in one," Amanda confirmed. "The day he makes a reservation before he gets here is the day I buy a lottery ticket."
John chuckled. "Me too."
"Notorious, is he?" asked Andrew.
"That makes him sound bad," said John. "He's a great guy and super nice most of the time, but he never ever calls ahead and then gets bent out of shape if he can't have trailer 60. One time, we couldn't rent it to him because someone had put a deposit down on that trailer specifically. He begrudgingly accepted a different one, but when he found out the people with the reservation never showed up (due to car trouble, apparently), he was upset and never lets us live that down. He would talk about it every time he visitedÑand still will, given the opportunity. Ever after, we just make sure 30 is set aside for him on these event days."
"Wow, some kind of drama," commented Andrew.
"Meh," John acknowledged nonchalantly. "Easily avoidable and he's great besides that. Between you and me, I think he has a little OCD going on, but it's all good. We just want to make sure he enjoys his stays with us."
"I hope he appreciates who you accommodate him."
"Oh, he does. He apologized profusely for his attitude when he returned for the next party. And I'm glad to say he always includes the fact that we have made it right by him since then when he tells his tale anymore."
"Yeah, he's alright," Amanda added. "He only had that breakdown the one time, so as long as there is no repeat of that episode, we are good."
She held a key out to John. "Here you go! It should be all ready to go, but call me if you need anything."
"Will do," he assured her. "Thanks, Amanda."
"You got it, Johnny!"
They left and clambered into the Jeep once again.
"Want to see our new digs for the night?"
"Sure, I'm game for that."
John backed out of his parking spot and wheeled them back to the Jack in Spades sign, where he turned left.
Andrew looked at all the "glamp sites" as John called them while they rambled down the lane. About a third were empty, and all the ones he had seen so far had bugs guts splattered across the front of the accompanying vehicles, so they had to be normal travelers. It wasn't until they hit spot 40 that he saw cleaner trailers all neatly parked in a row without gaps.
"Let me guess," he said aloud.
"Yep, these are ours. We gradually built this up as circumstances permitted. Whenever we had some extra funds to invest, I'd just start monitoring what was up for sale. If I saw a good deal on a decent trailer that didn't need much work, I'd go for it. I lost a lot from not being quick enough about it, but it was no big deal. This wasn't a high priority, so I didn't stress about it. I just waited for the next one to pop up. I look every now and then still, but I don't think I'll get many more. They have been more popular than I expected though. The weekend wanderers don't need to rent one or worry about having to drive it around with them on iffy roads.
"Makes sense to me. I wouldn't want to go through all that. And the cost of RVs has kind of made it a pie-in-the-sky affair for me."
"But now you can have your affair here just fine!" John said with a grin.
"No points for that one," Andrew stated with a completely straight face.
"Oh well, not all my jokes can be funny." John acknowledged.
They finally pulled up to space 29, where a big black fifth wheel trailer was parked gleaming in the late afternoon sun.
"That one looks sinister," observed Andrew.
"I know, right?" smiled John. "All very dramatic. I thought you'd approve."
"I do!"
"Great! Then grab your gear."
They hopped out, snagged their bags from the back of the Jeep, and walked up to the front door. John pulled out the key and unlocked it before turning back to Andrew.
"Hold on a sec before you come in."
"Okay..."
John stepped inside and a moment later two sections began sliding out of the camper.
After they stopped moving, John popped his head out. "Okay, come on in!"
Andrew stepped in and couldn't help but be impressed.
It looked much more like a small high-end living room than it did a trailer. To the left was a pop-out section that included a couple inviting chairs that looked like recliners. On the far wall was a large flat screen TV with two comfy-looking chairs below and a small table between. Facing the TV was a leather sofa, and behind that were two barstools at a kitchen counter that curved around and ended in a peninsula. The kitchen itself was just a little small, but it wouldn't be at all out of place in a high-end New York condo. Just to the right of the entry was a very short hall with a door on the inside wall leading to a pleasant bathroom and a few steps at the end leading up to another door. John led Andrew right up those steps and through the door to find a surprisingly large bedroom. Both sides were extended out, giving the room a very wide feeling, offsetting the slightly short headroom and managing to make the room feel larger than it probably was. In the middle, against all odds, was clearly a king-sized bed.
John stopped Andrew right inside the door.
"Hey!" Andrew protested.
John dropped his bag to the floor, then took Andrew's and tossed it away too.
"'Hey' nothing," John replied in a quiet voice.
He looked intensely into Andrew's eyes. They were so close their noses nearly touched. Andrew could hear his heart thumping in his chest, smell John's slightly strawberry breath, and found more colors in John's eyes than he had noticed before. John held Andrew firmly by the shoulders.
Andrew wasn't frightened by the sudden change in John this time, but what did it mean? What was going to happen now?
I'd love to hear from you if you have any questions or any suggestions for where this story should go :)
Also, I have had trouble posting consistently lately, so if you'd like me to let you know when a new chapter goes up, just send me a message and I will keep you posted. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have great day!
DurtyRiter@protonmail.com