(Once again my editor 'larryinseattle' tok a good story and made it great. Thanks)
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I was devastated as I drove out of town. For a few brief hours I had held the woman of my dreams in my arms as a lover. We touched and kissed and made love in ways I had never imagined. We talked of our love for each other and made plans for our future; yet I was leaving alone.
When I saw her walking down the sidewalk with her self-proclaimed boyfriend, Jack, I had slowed the car down trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Her left eye was swollen and the bruise underneath was barely hidden by her make-up. The word "NO" formed on her lips before she looked back down at the pavement in front of her. This while Jack glared at me, daring me to get out of my car. He had beaten me up years before and I knew he could, and would, do it again.
When I got home, I dove into my studies and finished my Senior year in the top 10% of the class as I tried to forget Jessie. Afterwards, I struggled with what to do with my life, so much of it had included Jess, until, on the spur of the moment, I joined the US Coast Guard.
For the next 16 years I was stationed at bases scattered across the US, never returning to my grandparent's cabin. Then, just after I reenlisted for my final tour, I got a call from home saying that my grandmother had died. My grandfather had died years before.
I requested bereavement leave and returned home for her funeral. When her 'Will' was read several days later, I was surprised to find that she had left the cabin and surrounding property to me.
"Why?" I asked my mother, who simply looked at my father as I waited for an answer.
"Your grandpa and grandma loved that cabin and the land up-north. They also knew that you loved it before ... well ... you know," he finally answered. "Maybe they hoped you'd want it as a place to go after you retire from the Coast Guard."
Looking back and forth between them, I knew he was right and that I needed to take a trip back up the property. The next morning I threw my bags into my SUV and headed for the cabin. What I found wasn't anything like what I expected.
The once quiet, quaint town was now advertised as "The Vacation Spot of the North". The General Store was gone and in its place stood a huge grocery store. Jessie's father's auto dealership had been replaced by one almost four times bigger. Everywhere I looked things had changed.
When I drove out of town I followed the roads that I had known so well as a kid and was instantly rewarded by the sight of the forests that I had loved. The scent of pine soon filled the inside of the SUV as the deep green of the trees and underbrush quieted my nerves. Occasionally, I saw someone outside cutting their grass or heard the distant sound of a chainsaw which seemed to calm me even more until I pulled into my grandparent's driveway.
The cabin looked exactly as I remembered it. The logs were a deep brownish-red and the front door was made of solid oak that had been harvested from the land. A bay-window allowed those inside to see anyone entering the property and a huge rock fireplace covered the whole wall on the right side. A wrap-around porch added to it and was only made more beautiful by the flower boxes that hung from the railings, where my grandmother had grown wild flowers and some herbs for cooking.
When I entered, it felt like I had stepped back in time. The scent of my grandfather's occasional pipe was mixed with the aroma of my grandmother's cooking. The checkered tablecloth was over the kitchen table with its four wooden chairs surrounding it. Cast iron pots and pans hung from the wall hooks behind the stove. Without opening them, I knew what was inside each and every cabinet and drawer.
When I looked into the living room, I saw my grandfather's recliner and my grandmother's rocking chair. An old tube-style radio and record player stood between them and against the far wall there was the futon. As if drawn by a magnet, I found myself standing in front of it, images of Jessie laying there as she had been that night so long ago. Hesitantly, I reached out but withdrew without touching it. The memories were still too painful.
After checking the rest of the cabin, I got my bags from the SUV and threw them into my old room. I wasn't ready to move into the Master Bedroom where my grandparents had spent so many happy years.
A soft, gentle fog rolled in under the trees as I made dinner and the sound of nighthawks swooping down through the branches filled the evening air. When I was done, I sat on the porch and listened to the sounds of the night.
In the distance, I could hear the faint sounds of music coming from the only bar in the area. The idea of a cold beer seemed like the perfect way to end the day so I hopped into the SUV and headed out.
As I pulled in, I immediately noticed that this place, like the town, had changed. Gone was the quaint 'Sportsman's Bar' and in its place stood 'Mr. T's Exotic Bar and Lounge'. Sighing, I thought of going back to the cabin but decided "
What the fuck?"
as I climbed out and went inside.
The place was like dozens of other strip joints I'd been to over the years. The bar stretched across the whole of the rear wall and off to one side was a small stage with the usual 'stripper pole'. I ordered a beer and took a seat against a wall, not expecting to stay long. The woman on the stage had short brown hair, big tits, long legs and an expression on her face that said she wanted to be anywhere, doing anything but what she was doing at that moment. When she was finished, she walked around the bar talking and teasing the other men as she collected her tips. Several of the guys grabbed at her and she gave the standard giggle before moving on. As she approached the table I was sitting at, I finished my beer and began to get up to leave, only to stop when she called out.
"Hey, I know you. You're the guy who used to come up here and stay at his grandparent's place."
I stopped and looked at her more closely. It had been years but slowly I began to see Sarah, Jessie's friend. "Yeah, that's me."
"Long time," she continued as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug. Her body was firm and her breasts barely flattened as she pressed against me. "Don't tell me you're leaving already," she said teasingly.
"I just came in for a beer," I muttered as I stepped from her grasp.
"Nahhhh, you can't do that. Not now. An old friend of yours is about to start."
I looked at her quizzically as I sat back down. The lights suddenly dimmed except for a spotlight targeted at the center of the stage as the bartender pulled out a microphone from behind the bar. "And now gentlemen, you favorite hometown girl 'J'," he shouted. The glittering lights of a 'Disco Ball' filled the bar as the new dancer took the stage.
The dancer was a tall, statuesque blonde. Her hair was long with curled ends that cascaded down over her breasts which were barely hidden by the sheer red lace gown she was wearing. Her breasts were large with only the slightest bit of sag. Her areolas were darker than the flesh surrounding them and even at this distance, I could tell her nipples were hard from the way they pushed on the material. I didn't even realize I was staring at them until I heard Sarah whisper, "They're 34DD, not like these," she continued as she cupped her breasts and lifted them for my inspection. "Mine are only 34C," she pouted.
