The sun had set but it was still blue in the western sky, stars shone in the east as Ralph and Rose approached their cabin on Blue Lake. The humming of their little Evinrude made them both feel a little drowsy. They were also worn out from running errands and shopping all day, but a bit elevated by the beer they'd had with their supper. The light on the front porch had been turned on to guide them to the dock.
"Well it looks as if at least ONE of the kids must have survived to turn the light on. How do you think they managed today?" said Ralph as he cut the engine back to the lowest speed.
"Oh... they're good kids, I think Lucy just resents having Kevin here, I think she's still mad that he bullied her 10 years ago when they were just children." Rose said, "He won't be here that long anyway. I wish they could get along better."
At that very moment, the two kids in question were pulling on their clothes then sharing a deep, if hasty kiss before they rushed to the screen porch. They paused one more time before opening the front door for a quick embrace and a greedy last kiss.
"Mmmm... tastes like chicken." Lucy said tasting the flavor of the meal they had just shared. Kevin laughed, but stopped before his aunt and uncle could hear him.
As they approached the dock his tone changed to one of annoyance. He said loudly, "Lucy! I'm telling you! I can handle the groceries!"
"Sure you can, but then who's gonna help Dad with the oars and the gas can. You let Mom and me handle the groceries, we know where they go!" Lucy said as they moved onto the dock just as the boat pulled alongside.
"So you're BOTH alive, thank heavens. Have you two been going at it all day?" Aunt Rose said, not noticing the kids quickly stifling laughter to the point where it hurt.
She might have phrased her comment a little differently if she'd known that the two had spent most of the day naked in the cabin "exploring nature" one might say. Kevin picked up the oars, gas can, and the life preservers as Ralph made the boat fast to the dock. Rose handed a bag of groceries to Lucy. Taking the other, everyone headed back to the cabin.
"Lucy, we brought you two some turtle sundaes from 'The Tavern'. You best get to them before they start to melt. So how was the day really? Did you fight the whole time?" Rose asked.
"Well... it wasn't too bad. He was pretty helpful with the chores, he got the fridge and the dishes, I did the living room and the kitchen floor. We had the chicken for supper..." the two women headed to the kitchen. The two men to the boathouse, which was attached to Ralph's little office, where he did most of his work in the summer.
Both parents prattled on about things of little consequence, the alcohol fueling their increased chattiness. The weren't drunk by any means, just feelin' good. As Kevin and Ralph entered the kitchen by the back door, Rose began to rave about Kevin's work in the kitchen. She praised him for not cleaning "like a MAN" which was a terrible sin to her. She spoke of one of her great fears, which was that she would be laid up in the hospital, then to have to come home to a kitchen that looked "like a GARAGE".
Kevin and Lucy set to consuming a glorious concoction of chocolate, caramel, candied pecans and ice cream. Lucy picked out her pecans and fed them to Kevin who was feeding her his caramel. Nobody seemed to notice that they were eating from each other's silverware. It wasn't long before the parents, complaining of exhaustion, retired for the night, much to the kids' relief.
Less than a minute after the folks had gone the two were lip-locked again and groping beneath each other's clothes. After a little while they pulled back from each other, panting. They sat down to finish their melted ice cream.
"God! I love that! You have the most perfect mouth, LucyLips."
"I always thought my lips were too fat and... flubbery." she said, putting her finger between them and wiggling it to make a ridiculous noise.
"Ahh... but you've never kissed you. I've kissed a few girls before, and you are something special."
Eager to change the subject, embarrassed to BE the subject, she asked, "So how in the world has someone as attractive as you stayed a virgin for all these years?"
"Who said I was a virgin!" he demanded with artificial anger, "I'll deck the bastard! I'll... okay you caught me. What gave me away?"
"Wasn't it you who told me just last night that you'd NEVER kissed a girl, wasn't that why you STOLE a kiss from me this morning? I ain't complaining, mind you, but I figured that if you'd never been kissed that you'd probably never been laid either. Am I right?"
"Yes... I can find no flaw in your logic. It must be true. The truth is that the girls I liked, or thought I would like, I was sorta scared of. Rejection is something I don't want to experience. "The girls who liked ME I've never had anything in common with. They mostly wanted to show me off at parties anyway and I hate that! "You're different though, you don't WANT anything from me, you don't expect me to play a part for others to see, you have yourself together so you don't hafta cling to me, or remake me. You're just right. I haven't even THOUGHT about heading out to the swamp since I got here."
Lucy chuckled and blushed, then got a deliciously wicked idea. "Hey! It's been a hot and sweaty day, I feel like I've been SOAKING in a swamp. I wanta take a bath! See those buckets over there? Go out in the back, just on the other side of the hill there's a pump, you know the kind with a handle? Fill'em up and bring'em back okay?"
Tempted by the thought of Lucy bathing, Kevin grabbed the pails and ran to the pump. It was pretty dark by now so he had to watch his footing. When he got to the tub room in the house Lucy was already there. She had clean towels, soap and shampoo ready.
"Dump them in the tub, then we'll need one more to heat up on the stove." Lucy said. Kevin poured the two buckets into the old-fashioned tub, then headed back to the kitchen.
When Lucy came out to the living room, Kevin was standing there in silence. She came up beside him and gave him a quizzical look.