Part One: Young and Impetuous Krissi
It happens to all of us—we see that person at the store who looks just like an old friend, teammate, or lost chance at love. As we get older, it seems less important to bother approaching them to ask if they are who we think. It's just easier to let go of the past.
But we are impetuous in youth. We are sure of ourselves, and our immediate future is a matter of urgency. We take risks, not even seeing them as such. That recklessness leads us to live up to the old clichés like learning from experience.
Many of us fear the past may come back to haunt us, but once in a great while the chips fall in our favor. The past simmers and stews for years, waiting for the spark of revelation that changes us forever—just hope it's for the better.
My revelation stemmed from a traumatic incident. It started on the first day of middle school when a buffoon twice my size named Jimmy Gibson mistook me for some guy named Tommy Halverson. I remember it sounding something like, "I'm...
thump
...not...
smack
...Halverson!" It wasn't pretty. In fact it was embarrassing. It got so bad the kids gathered around us all begged him to stop. Even Tommy Halverson showed up to advocate for me.
Jimmie Gibson didn't seem to care much. He was a goon with itchy fists he wanted to scratch. I took a sound beating that day, but I always knew that the scales would someday balance. Twenty-five years later, Jimmie was convicted of armed robbery and sent to prison. Tommy Halverson had gone on to be a talent scout for reality television shows. My reward was coming. It just needed to simmer for about three decades.
It happened just after my "bio-dad" passed away. We weren't that close, but I was his only kid, so his nest egg and accumulation of toys were mine to do with as I saw fit. Once the will cleared the probate system, the lawyer handed me the keys to his weekend cabin. It was nestled in a wooded lot on the shores of, oddly enough, Karma Lake.
I wasn't the woodsy type. My intention was to spend a few days sizing the place up—maybe keep a few things of value and sell the property to someone who would appreciate it. It was a little after noon when I rumbled down the long dirt driveway in my old truck. The place was as I imagined—a quaint little cabin hidden in a disheveled mess. Rather than go right inside, I kicked around the cluttered yard looking through bits and pieces of my old man's life.
Making my way around back, I caught a breathtaking view of the mountains surrounding Karma Lake. Gazing over the water, I realized what my dad must have seen in the little place. But my attention was drawn to a playful squeal and a splash. As I walked forty feet or so toward the shore, the hedges to the right gave way to a view of the plush green lawn of the property next door, where a modern chalet with mirrored windows and a wrap-around deck overlooked the lake.
But the most delightful sight was knee-deep in the mountain lake water. Two young beauties, a golden blonde and a jet-black brunette, stood in bikinis no more concealing than band aids and dental floss. From fifty feet or so away, I could only guess their ages, but the University of Maine sweatshirt on the clothesline put them at college age in my estimation.
The blonde stood only about five-foot two—a fit, solid specimen with firm curves and cambers. Her tanned skin glistened against her yellow bikini, enhancing the cut shape of her arms, thighs and torso. The jewel in her tummy shimmered in the midday sun as she squeaked, "The water's freezing!"
"It's always cold until August," replied the brunette—a taller, thin beauty with lanky legs and a thigh gap wide enough to throw a baseball through. As thin as she was, there was something about the way her nimble frame filled her turquoise bottoms. Her hips, tummy and round ass cheeks were fashioned to a cock-stiffening eyedropper appeal. She had tiny breasts, but it somehow didn't detract from her nubile beauty.
Don't get me wrong—I did well by women in my hay day, but a brutal divorce had left me reeling, and a few extra pounds had caught up to me as well. In my early forties I lacked the confidence to just step out and start chatting, so I stood gawking like a dork through the hedges as they splashed each other and rubbed water over their youthful skin.
My cover was blown when the brunette arched back and raised her elbows to untie her pony tail. As her lean body bent, the tiny curves defining her tummy accentuated, and the shape of her pubis stamped through the front of her bikini. I let out a sound like an opera singer being punched in the gut. It didn't go unnoticed. Both their heads turned as I made an idiot of myself by pretending to inspect the leaves of the hedges. The blonde offered a quick wave, but said nothing. She leaned toward the brunette, speaking in a hush tone.
I felt my cheeks going blush as they murmured back and forth. Unable to muster two words to string together, I turned and made cowardly haste for the cabin. As low as their voices were, I could hear emphasis in their words. Peeking over my shoulder, I saw they were still staring as I made my way up the back steps. "Mako!" one of them called—I wasn't sure which one.
"Great," I complained, fumbling through my keys. "They have a goofball nickname for me already."
Their tone sounded argumentative as they made their way onto the lawn and began dressing. Once inside, I headed straight to the window, unable to shed the thought that a protective father would be knocking on the door any moment to accuse me of peeping.
But I couldn't stop looking. The blonde pulled up a pair of cutoff jean shorts as the brunette pulled a stretched t-shirt over her long torso. Oddly enough, their heads kept turning toward the back yard as they spoke and waved their arms. The brunette pointed to the bare spot in the bushes as she kicked into flip-flops and flung a towel around her neck. I shook my head and tried to turn my attention back to what I came for—surveying the cabin.
Just before dark, I decided to sit on the back deck and watch the sun set over Karma Lake. As I unfolded a plastic chair and checked it for stability, I heard footsteps on the deck stairs behind me. A gasp escaped me as I turned to see the nubile blonde standing in a skimpy blue top and the denim shorts I saw her putting on a few hours previous. Her long hair hung straight behind her shoulders, framing her blowtorch blue eyes.
I was relieved to see she wasn't accompanied by a seven-foot good ol' boy pounding his fist into his palm, but I still figured she was there to bawl me out. "Hi," I offered. "I uh, didn't mean to—"
"It's alright!" she replied in a cheery whisper. "My name's Krissi. I know who you are."
"Y-You do? I-I mean—"
"It's the perfect cover!" she squeaked, bouncing on her bare toes. "Staying at Ol'Man Shepard's place while you cool off. I promise to keep it secret...except from my friend Victoria. She saw you too. I was next door at her house earlier. We were in the water and—"
"Wait! I-I'm afraid you're—"
"You think I'm too young...but I'm not! I'm eighteen, and I'm like...a may-jor fan. So is Victoria, but she doesn't think you're you. I mean...she doesn't believe you're Mako."
"But you do?"
A cunning grin arced across her glossy lips. "I saw the computer model of what you'd look like without makeup," she replied in a playful tone.
"Where?"
"On the Slag Shark website, silly. Ever since you and Hammerhead had that big fight on stage, everyone's been trying to find where you went. You were right. He was changing keys and screwing you up." Grabbing the hem of my t-shirt, she lifted it. "You were smart not to get any tattoos," she acknowledged, tapping my tummy. "So you could always blend in with average guys." She suddenly looked stunned. "Omigawd!" she blurted. "I touched you...do you mind?"
"N-no," I squeaked like prepubescent boy, pushing my shirt back down.
Her blue eyes sparkled with tantalizing promise as she swayed side to side. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asked, tilting her head. "I know you're older than me...but I've followed you since I was, like...sixteen."
Looking up the driveway, then side to side, I fumbled, "Do...do your p-parents know you're here?"
"I told you, I turned eighteen like, a month ago."
"That's not what I asked...tried to ask, anyway."