It's funny how sexual people manage to find each other. You can know a person for years, but (without fail) the adventurous types manage to find each other. It's like a gravity of sorts, I guess. This is the story of just such an occasion.
I'd known Amber for years. She was like family, in a way. She was a friend of the family while we grew up, and she later rented a room in my house. She was a bit of a "late-bloomer" (her "awkward phase" lasted into college) so despite her very obvious charms, I'd never taken to thinking of her in a sexual way. I'd be lying if I said I liked her boyfriend, Jerry. It was one of those on-again/off-again relationships that drove me mad. They'd break up temporarily, but he'd string her along as he "dated" as many women as he could during their hiatus. Unfortunately, our story begins during an "on-again" stint.
Having known each other for years, Amber and I knew many of the same people. Our circles of friends overlapped considerably. When Amber and I heard that our friend Joe was getting married, we decided to make a weekend vacation out of it. I'd just begun dating Cassie at the time, and Amber and Jerry knew of a cabin about 25 minutes from the wedding site. We made arrangements, and planned a weekend for the four of us.
Friday rolled around, and being early December the weather was taking a turn for the worse. As the forecast called for freezing rain and sleet, Amber and I decided to leave town early for the cabin. Jerry and Cassie worked until late, and would be up (weather permitting) later that night.
As we drove, the rain began falling. Gentle at first, then increasingly heavier. In the big picture, a little rain isn't so bad...but as the temperature plummeted, things began to get slick on the roads. As traffic had slowed to a crawl, the trip took much longer than anticipated. Fortunately, the office stayed open until we arrived (the 2 bedroom cabin was part of a resort complex...a "tourist trap" if I'd ever seen one), and the manager wasted no time closing down as he handed us the keys.
"I hope you two are ready for the storm...it's only getting worse, from what I hear".
The cabin was just down a private road, and we were relieved as we pulled in. Amber had just received word that Jerry and Cassie weren't going to chance the roads until Saturday morning, at earliest.
I brought out the keys, and fumbled with the door. Try as I might, I couldn't get any of them to work.
"This is cabin 3, isn't it Amber?"
"Yes! Please hurry! The rain is really coming down...I'm gonna freeze to death!"
It took probably a good 5 minutes, but eventually I was able to unlock the door. The cabin would be a welcome reprieve from the struggles of our trip. I reached for the light switch.
Click.
Click.
Click.
"That's not good, Chris."
"Ice must have weighed down the tree branches, and knocked out a power line. You said they supply firewood?"
"Yeah. There should be a rack filled with it on the far wall. We should get a fire going...they use electric heat in these cabins. No power, no heat."
I've never had such a hard time starting a fire. My fingers and hands shook and shivered as I tried to crumble up newspaper and strategically place kindling. Both of us were absolutely soaked. Then, our bad luck continued.