This is partially based on real events. All names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.
Jack Dunborough sat back in his camp chair and sipped the cold IPA in his hand. It had been a fun week with the kids. They liked nothing better than camping at the lake, wakeboarding behind the boat and hanging out with cousins. In years past they had always spent 2 weeks or more doing nothing but boating and camping, but this year's trip had been cut in half for the kids.
Jack regretted the changes to his kids' lives since his divorce, but the break had been necessary. He and his ex had just grown slowly apart. The divorce hadn't been nasty, their assets were amicably divided, but his ex wasn't making his life easy either. The latest example was her insisting that she pick up the kids when his week was done. At least she hadn't insisted that he bring them home himself. Taking another swig, he looked around his quiet campsite, for one reason or another all the regulars had gone home.
It sure as hell is going to be quiet without the kids.
Lake Naciemento was a family campground. During the weekends the spaces filled up with large families from California's central valley and coast, but it was quiet during the week with lots of empty spots. He had his favorite spot, separated from the main camping area, it shared edges with just one other space. With his motor home facing the lake, turned away from the main area, it was like he was alone in the world. He looked forward to the next four days of quiet and planned on packing up before the weekend crush hit.
Jack cracked open another bottle of Stone and lit his barbeque. He was planning on making pizza and had prepped the dough hours earlier. He had learned long ago, you can make just about anything on a barbeque. He let the grill heat up and began to roll out the dough for a few custom pizzas when he heard a large truck pull into the only adjoining space. The F-250 had huge custom wheels and at least a 5 inch lift.
Great, just what I need. A bunch of drunk bros making noise and ruining the rest of my trip.
He was surprised when a pair of cute girls got out of the truck. Neither was very tall, the blonde only 5'4" and her brunette companion a couple inches shorter, almost a full foot shorter than his 6'3". They were dressed similarly, short shorts and cropped shirts. The brunette had her hair pulled back into a long ponytail tucked under a San Francisco Giants hat. The blonde's hair was cut short, almost punky.
Jack continued to pound and roll the dough keeping one eye on the girls. They grabbed a Walmart special tent, a small cooler and a couple of chairs out of the cavernous bed of the Ford. The tent was one of those pieces of crap with nothing more than a handkerchief as a rain-fly. As Jack started to top the pizza he watched the girls struggling to set it up. They were quietly arguing with each other on how the poles were supposed to work, nothing loud but the snippets he caught were priceless. The pizza was already on the grill and he had cracked his third IPA by the time the girls finished.
Jack sat back in his camp chair, turning it a little to the side so he could continue to watch the girls set up their camp. They were extremely easy on the eyes , neither could weigh more than 115 pounds, toned and fit they filled every inch of their tight clothing with beautiful curves. After the tent was set up the blonde girl grabbed a couple small backpacks from the truck and tossed them inside.
The brunette took a bundle of wood, one of those small stacks you could get at any grocery store, and started making a fire. Jack could tell she had no idea what she was doing. His own fire pit was cleaned and ready to go, small kindling stacked carefully over tinder, small pieces ready to keep the flames going until it was ready to add bigger logs. He had a large pile of mixed pine and oak, more than enough to last the next four or five days. His axe was sunk into one of the bigger pieces of pine to be near at hand.
The girls were sweating a little after struggling with the tent, more a glow than anything. It was hot up at the lake during the day, often breaking a hundred, and today was no exception. The nights cooled down into the fifties. He was surprised they were lighting a fire so early but, to each their own, he thought.
Jack checked his pizza: pepperoni, bell peppers, red onions and artichoke hearts, and found the crust perfectly browned. Pulling it off the grill he went inside the motor home to cut it and let it cool for a few minutes. While inside he could hear the girls arguing with each other and decided to eat outside and continue to enjoy the entertainment.
"C'mon Kell, I'm starving get that fire going so we can eat."
"I'm trying dammit. Instead of just sitting there bitching get me something to drink, I'm dying over here."
The blonde girl went to the small cooler and pulled out a bottle of lemonade and another that was obviously vodka and mixed it in a red cup. The brunette took a big swig when it was handed to her.
"Holy shit Kell, trying to take advantage of me? That stuff is strong."
The blonde just laughed and took a drink from her own cup. "Maybe some more lighter fluid, Fawn. "
The brunette sprayed a huge amount of fluid on the wood and then flicked a match at their failure of a fire. Jack wasn't surprised when it flared up and quickly died away. He finally thought he should lend a helping hand.
It wasn't too far between spots, the girls were only 20-30 feet away. Walking toward their space he called out.
"You need a hand?"
"Could you? We don't know what we're doing."
"No problem." Jack went and got his axe and grabbed a handful of tinder from the bag by his own fire and walked over to the girls. "I'm Jack."
He immediately pulled apart their abortive fire, taking all of the logs out of the pit. With a few quick blows he split one of their logs into small kindling. He grabbed each piece competently and assuredly, his sharp axe whacking the soft pine into something usable.
The two girls set back, the brunette spoke up. "I'm Fawn and this is Kelly. It's our first time camping and obviously we're clueless." Both girls were drinking from their large red cups while they watched him work
"No problems, it's what neighbors are for." Jack quickly placed the tinder under some stacked kindling and began to split some larger pieces for feeding the flames.
"You might want to move your truck into the middle of your space. The girls had parked it to the side off of the paved part. "If you don't block the pavement the big 5
th
wheels and motor homes tend to drive right through here instead of using the road. It's a straight shot into the overflow." Jack nodded over one shoulder to the large dirt area that many people used instead of the established campsites.
"We will," said Kelly.
Within minutes Jack got their fire going and stood up to leave. "There you go girls, have a good night." He had split the rest of their wood into slightly smaller chunks so it would last a little longer. "Don't put too much wood in the fire, it will get cold later and you'll probably want it.
"Thanks Jack. I don't know if I'd ever get the fire going on my own." When Fawn smiled her face lit up and her eyes sparkled, Jack was stunned by how beautiful she was. "We'll have to repay you later."
"It was no trouble at all. You need anything else just ask."
