Mary is a gal who lives in the condo next to mine and when I answered the knock at my front door that Wednesday night there she was.
"Bill, I've got a problem that I am hoping you can help me with."
"Sure Mary, what is it?"
"I just got a call from my manager and she wants me to get my butt out to Chicago for a huge corporate meeting that just came up and I'll be gone for three days. I hate to leave Sally alone for that length of time and I am hoping you will be able to sort of look after her while I am gone."
Mary has some kind of job in direct marketing and has always been a great neighbor. She's in her late thirties, which is about five years older than I am. Her husband ran off with a young bimbo a half dozen years ago leaving Mary to fend for herself and raise Sally. Sally is a gal that I think has stayed out of trouble but I can see why Mary is concerned. Sally isn't the prettiest thing around but she's about twenty without much of a shape but she's certainly pleasant enough but of the age when trouble comes knocking.
"No problem Mary but there is a situation I have to present to you and let you make your decision after hearing it. I am leaving tomorrow morning to my cabin up in the far reaches of Maine. It is a two-bedroom place and while it is certainly more than big enough for Sally and I she might find it a bit boring. I was planning to do some fishing on the lake my cabin is on and then some good old fashion hiking. So, if you think Sally could handle that kind of weekend I'll be happy for the company." I'm a writer so I am able to control my work schedule pretty well and going off for a week or so is almost a routine of mine.
"Well, that will certainly be different than any other weekend she has ever experienced. How about I bring her over and the three of us can discuss it? Hold on and let me go get her."
Sally sounded as if she would be happy to join me and that was it. Mary left it that she would go the local food store that night and stock up on things we could enjoy on our mini- camping trip.
The car ride up to the cabin is about six hours and with the two of us jabbering away it seemed to go fast. It turned out that Sally had celebrated her twentieth birthday a few days earlier so when we stopped for lunch I had the waitress bring over a couple of pieces of chocolate cake I had spotted in the bakery rack. The waitress was a great sport and led the diner in singing "Happy Birthday" to Sally. The whole place joined in and applauded when the song was over. Sally could have died with embarrassment but laughed good naturally.
We arrived at the cabin around three and had our stuff unloaded a half-hour later. I have a local woman come by to dust and just do general clean up whenever I call and tell her I'll be up so the place was presentable and Sally wouldn't get the idea I was a total slob.
I really like the place but I have been here in late November thru early March and it does get a mite chilly. My first time up in the winter I thought I would freeze to death. I had the propane heaters and the wood fireplace going 24/7. I had to call a guy who lives here year round and sells firewood to deliver three extra large loads during that period. That summer I had a local contractor come in and do a much better job in weatherproofing the place. He showed me some gaps in the insulation I could put my fist through. The guy I had build the place had moved out of the area after he did a shitty job building my place and a few others in the area.
There are a couple of pieces of all weather kind of furniture out on the porch facing the lake and I came through the living room and saw Sally on the sofa out on the porch just looking at the water. There is a huge roof over the porch so the furniture stays in decent shape even though it is exposed to the weather year round.
"So what do you think? Like it so far?" I asked.
"Oh heck yes. It is serene and the view is terrific."
I went over and sat beside her on the sofa and she looked up at me and said,
"Bill, would you mind if I asked you some personal questions?"
I had no idea where this was going but I knew the situation with her wandering father and she didn't have a man to chat with about things that prey on the mind of teenagers.
"Not at all, ask away."
She stood up and got in front of me and just turned herself in a complete circle and then sat back down along side of me.
"My question is why don't any guys ever ask me out on dates? I know I am no beauty queen but I don't think I am ugly."
"Are you saying you have never been on a date?"
"Yep, that's exactly what I am saying."
"Geez. I don't know if I can answer that. I know if I were a bit younger I would be knocking on your door. Let me give it some thought and I'll get back to you."
"I have fired up the charcoal grill so how about if we go for a walk while it is heating up? Who knows maybe we'll see a deer or two and I promise to think more about how to answer your question while we are walking."
Our walk took us about a mile around one part of the lake before we turned back. She kept at me about did I have any ideas as to what the problem was with her lack of men friends and I didn't have any answers that satisfied either of us. I'll give it some more thought later.
The coals were white hot when we got back and I threw on a couple of the steaks Mary supplied us with. I heated some water and put a handful of asparagus on the screening that fits the pot so we were going to have steamed asparagus and steak for dinner. I always have the place stocked with wine and booze so I cracked open a nice Merlot and we sipped that while enjoying our meal.
The longer I chatted with Sally the more confused I got. As I said, she certainly isn't a beauty queen but she is one interesting gal and a great conversationalist. What the hell is keeping the guys away from her?
When we were almost finished eating I announced that I was going for a swim. It was only six thirty and I was going to love the feel of the tingling cool lake water. Knowing that I would feel a little more than just cool when I got out of the water I threw some logs in the outdoor fireplace and lit the kindling. It would burn for hours.
"Bill. I didn't bring a bathing suit but I can go in with the shorts I have on and a T-top I have in my suitcase as long as I can use your dryer later."
"No problem, I'll be also using an old pair of shorts I keep up here for just this. Last one in is a rotten egg."
It was nearly a tie but I do think she beat me by a few seconds.
She is a fantastic swimmer. God, her strokes aren't only powerful but are as graceful as imaginable. Damn, she would clean my clock in a swimming race.
It was about another half-hour before dusk so we swam back and forth and then out a hundred yards or so and then back into shore.
"Sally, I'm going in now. You can join me or stay in the water as long as you would like."
"No, I think I'll join you. I do hope you have a few towels we can use."
"That I have. There is a locker by the door into the cabin from the porch that holds a half dozen fluffy white towels. We can spread a few beneath us while sitting on the sofa in front of the fire and use a few more to hurry our drying."