Detour to Otherwhen ©
by K Pelle
Chapter 3
We'd actually caught up to Anna and Ellen about the time we passed Elk Lake, so we were following right behind them as we drove into the ferry terminal's loading area. We were there in lots of time, in fact we were the ninth and tenth vehicles to be loaded on board the ferry and were both parked in the same lane, one behind the other.
Once we boarded the ferry it wasn't much of a surprise that we were near the head of the line for breakfast, especially since we went directly to the cafeteria. When we got our breakfasts though, Mimi and I were the only ones who ate much. Anna and Ellen had some fruit and more coffee, but little else, claiming that after the cinnamon toast they'd eaten earlier, they just weren't hungry. After we'd eaten, we went in search of a comfortable seat with an outside view, but once we'd found a place to sit, Mimi and Ellen decided they wanted to walk around the ferry deck. Anna and I agreed to hold two seats for them, and I expected we'd talk after they walked away, at least I wanted to talk to Anna when I didn't have to worry about being overheard.
"You look as if you have something important on your mind," Anna smiled as the girls walked away.
"You could say that, a couple of things come to mind," I grumbled. "First off, when we go through intersections and traffic stops, the lead truck is going to have to keep an eye on the trailing one in the rear view mirror. I thought of it at the first traffic light we came to this morning. You hit the light just as it changed to orange, so I couldn't make it and had to stop, then you just drove away instead of either slowing down or pulling over and waiting. That was fine today, because we both knew where we were going and what route we were using, but we can't really do that once we're on the highway."
"I'd already realized that," Anna frowned. "I wouldn't have done it then, except Ellen and I were having a discussion. I was concentrating on answering her, so I was slightly distracted."
"I see, anything I should know about?"
"Well, maybe," her face flushed slightly, but she grinned. "It turns out that Ellen has a crush on you."
"Unh huh, and your offhand comment this morning about having a prior claim on me, but implying that you might be amenable to lending me out to one of them, set her off, didn't it?"
"Yes, but how did you know that was how she interpreted what I'd said?" Anna sat up straight and stared at me in surprise.
"Mimi and I were having a similar discussion on that subject at about the same time. At least Mimi is adult enough to think things through and suggested that both she and I should talk to you about what you meant."
"Oh shit!" Anna looked at me and shook her head. "That's why Mimi hauled Ellen off to walk the deck, isn't it?"
"How would I know?" I shook my head. "I'm glad she did, because I agree with her. So to put it plainly, just what the hell were you talking about?"
"Sex of course, and don't pretend you don't know how I feel about casual sex either. Look, we're not married and not even engaged, so I don't consider that we're an exclusive item. We live in a society that tries to impose rules and regulations on our actions, but our natural tendencies still creep through. I love you, but you're human, and no matter what anyone says, humans are still animals. The animal portion of our psyche isn't naturally monogamous even though our present society tries to force that rule upon us. I've studied a lot of different societies and there are always rebels who don't follow the rules," Anna sighed softly. "What drew me to you in the first place was the attitude you had toward society. You are a rebel, even if you don't admit it to yourself, and a perfect example of that is your boarding house. You looked at the residences available to the students, then since you had the ability and the funds to do it, you built something that is far better for them than what our society provides. You gave them a place to live which is halfway between a family home and a normal apartment, so they could ease through the transition from childhood to adulthood."
"Is that what you think I did?" I stared at her, wanting more of an explanation, but knowing that she was right.
"That's not what I think, instead I know that's what you did, and don't try to snow me with your song and dance about taking advantage of an opportunity to make an easy buck either. My father was involved in construction, so I have a very good idea just how much it cost you to set up those two houses the way they are. It would take a hundred years of student rentals to earn back your investment on the improvements you made to the residence house alone, and that's just the student's house. That doesn't include the house you live in, which is really a home for you, as well as a home for two widows who were having financial problems before you rescued them. You've given them a home and a job that allows them to act as surrogate mothers to those students and you chose women who needed both factors in their lives. Then by living in the duplex above them, you can supply support for either the widows or the students, if it's ever needed, so you have all the bases covered. You give both the students and the cooks their independence, but you're right there to help them if they need assistance."
"Well, perhaps that's how you see it, but it certainly wasn't my main intention."
"Oh, bullshit!" she snapped. "Are you trying to tell me that you've made yourself a surrogate father figure to all of those kids and a devoted brother figure to those widows by accident? I find that impossible to believe."
"Well, no. I knew they were all going to need some help and advice, but I knew they needed their independence at this time of their lives too. I just saw an alternate way of investing my time and money, which would also give me some satisfaction. Besides, no matter what you think, I'm actually making money on the enterprise and I make a few friends along the way, so I come out ahead all the way around," I shrugged my shoulders. "But, what the hell does this have to do with what you said earlier today?"
"Everything, and nothing - I was just using that as an illustration of your character and your thought processes. You are a very vigorous man and although you may not have meant to, you've impressed my two protégées very favourably. On top of everything else, you've made my wild idea of going off to Alberta to an archaeological dig possible, even after I threw you a curve by wanting to take along two students," she leaned over and kissed my cheek, then snuggled against me. "Then on top of that, you rescued the trip when those assholes in Calgary yanked the rug from under me. In fact I've been given an even greater opportunity, just because of the strings you pulled."
"I'm still in the dark about that comment you made this morning though," I sighed then, realizing that she was trying to distract me.
"Do I have to illustrate the whole process in regard to the mating habits of humans?" she chuckled. "I know I did that before, but I'll do it again if you want me to."
"Huh? Where the hell are you going with this conversation now?"
"Mmmm, I guess I'm going to have to go back to describing the human animal," her voice was a soft sigh as she snuggled tightly against me. "A human's basic instincts are animal in nature and the strongest instinct is procreation. Each of us wants to produce progeny and each of us wants that progeny to have the best possible chance of survival. It's programmed into our genes. Agreed, so far?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, once a woman passes puberty, she begins to search for the strongest, smartest and most able man she can find in order to mate and have children. It's part of the biological imperative to improve the race," she paused again.
"And?" I asked as her pause lengthened.
"And I found you. Then I staked my claim by moving in and sleeping with you," she chuckled. "However, I've recently complicated things by bringing two more very desirable women into our lives, even though I knew that all men have a roving eye. Every man has an inborn need to spread his genes as widely as possible, even you, and don't try to deny it. I've seen you appraise other women with a glance or two and I know you like intelligent women who keep themselves in shape, so both Ellen and Mimi are enticing young women to you."
"Yeah, they're nice to look at, but they're both too damn young for me. I'm not really interested in either of them, at least not as much as you seem to think I should be. Besides, you're my lover, not them."
"Ah, you may not be interested in them, but the important thing is that they're both interested in you and they're female. When it comes to a female animal's search for the right male to sire her progeny, her hormones take over and she fights dirty. For some reason society tries to force us into a role that mimics a Canada Goose, who mates for life. Unfortunately most humans are not like geese. We are descendants of apes, who act more like wolves, so the females of our society would usually be much more comfortable if they lived in a pack with a dominant male leader," Anna snarled softly, but the snarl changed into a chuckle. "All I did this morning was to let them know that I knew they would try to seduce you, but that I was the prime bitch in this pack, so I get the last say in whether either one of them gets satisfied."
"What?"
"You heard me I've made myself top bitch in this pack," she snorted. "I've thought it over and you're my choice for a man, so while you may be the leader of the pack, I want to protect the pack and be certain you don't bring home any diseases or anything. When I knew you were going to be travelling with me on this trip, I chose the two students in my class I knew would be most attractive to you and asked them to come with us. I even took my two choices to my gynaecologist last month, but didn't let them know my main reason for them being there, other than telling them that I didn't want them to take any chances of getting pregnant on the trip. Now they both have enough birth control pills to last for three months. Of course my gynaecologist also checked to see if either of them have any communicable diseases and they don't, so that's two less worries on my mind. As well as that . . ."
"Now just a minute!" I interrupted. "You may think your idea about men is natural, or genetically programmed, or anything else you like, but I consider myself to be a one woman man."
"We'll see," Anna laughed quite loudly. "Just remember, all I have to do is to tell them it's okay and you'll be constantly teased and tantalized by both of them."
"Well, thanks for the warning," I snapped. "If I'd had any idea about this beforehand, I'm not sure I'd have even been here."
"Hey, you're angry about this, aren't you?" she sat up and turned to stare into my eyes.
"Well, yeah!" I growled. "I'm not going to argue with you about your scientific theories, but what I am pissed right off with is your assumption that you could say something like that to them and not expect any repercussions. I really don't like to be ambushed, not when you're just trying to prove a pet theory, and especially not without discussing anything like this with me first - especially when your actions directly affect me."
"Now just a minute, Joe," Anna's voice was quiet and she seemed to be trying to calm me. "In the first place, the theory isn't mine, and it's soundly based on proven facts that have been amassed from thousands of years of human history. In the second place, I was actually trying to limit the amount of teasing and temptation that the girls are bound to throw at you. Their natural instincts will guarantee how they will act toward you as they see further illustrations of your character. By saying what I did, I was warning them to keep their hands off, but allowing you to be involved in any choices that are made, because we can discuss whatever happens openly."
"Well, that isn't the impression that Mimi seems to have gotten out of your little speech and when I think about it, I don't feel any differently than she does. To both of us, it seemed as if you unlocked the door for them to get involved with me, so I'm just stating flat out that I'm not interested in whatever game you're up to. I simply don't like it."
"Okay, I can understand your feelings. After all, you were raised in a society that placed strict limits on your sexuality. What church did your parents go too when you were younger, because I don't think I know? Since I don't remember you ever asking me to go to church with you, I don't think you have a very strong commitment to religion, do you?"
"My folks were Catholic, and I know I told you that when we first met, probably the first night or two. You told me you were raised Catholic as well, but that you were like me and seldom went to church."
"Oh, now that you remind me of it, I do remember that, and I think you agreed with me that many of the Catholic churches doctrines were unreasonable, didn't you?"
"Unh huh. Actually I think many of them are outdated and simply silly in the modern world," I nodded. "Why are you asking though, since it has little or nothing to do with the subject we were discussing?"
"Well, I'm afraid I go a little further than you. The longer I went to school and the more I learned about humanity, the less I could believe in most of the doctrines the Catholic church promotes. In all honesty, I'm actually a former Catholic, and possibly even a former Christian. The more educated I became, the less I found myself believing any Christian doctrine. It's not that I don't believe in a supreme power, but more that I think humans are trying to limit that power to their own understanding. In other words, Christianity is too . . . well, too small, I guess," she sighed. "As I see it, we've created a god in our image, not the other way around. We've limited our concept of a supreme being to what we can comprehend and that just seems far too egotistical on humanity's part to suit me."
"Hmph," I grunted and frowned as I thought for a second. "I suppose I can understand that viewpoint in a way, but what does that have to do with our discussion about the girls and the comments that you made this morning?"
"Well, the main religion of a country, any country, is influenced heavily by its major religions and that religious influence governs the morality and the laws of that country. As an example, a country whose major population base is Muslim will have a far stricter moral and legal basis to its laws than those of a Christian country. Of course the phenomenon is more plainly seen in democratic countries than in dictatorships, or other autocratic countries of any kind."
"So what are you saying? What are you getting at?"
"Well, as an anthropologist, I've noticed that as the literacy rate climbed in any country, the moral and legal codes became more permissive. In other words the greater the education of the people of the country, the less they need to lean on religion and so the less restrictive their moral code becomes," she sighed heavily, then looked at me and smiled tentatively. "In general, Canada has a fairly high education level amongst its population, so our laws and morality are easing, even amongst older people. However, the better educated and the younger that the people in any country are, the more freedoms they demand. I'll bet that your parents were strong church members, but you found the rules and restrictions of the Catholic church to be too restrictive, so you stepped away from attending services. I did too, but I think I went a step further, and so did Mimi. She and I happen to be studying anthropology, so we've been able to research the subject of sexual morality in our society. What we've found is that each generation is less bound by society's sexual morals, yet the overall ethical standards of the average student haven't decreased in proportion to the decline in sexual morality.
"As an example, Ellen is seventeen, so her parents aren't that much older than you are, but I happen to know that they had to get married and it was something of a scandal. Now the fact that Ellen's mother is coloured and quite dark, while her father is white, did have some bearing on that scandal, but much less than one might expect. In fact Ellen's grandparents on both sides are quite racially tolerant. However, her grandparents were strong church going people, so the fact that their son had gotten a coloured girl pregnant was an embarrassment, but he insisted on marrying her and she agreed. So Ellen's parents stuck to their guns and they were married in a large church wedding, but as soon as they could afford to, they broke away from both families and moved away. Now I know them and from what they've said, they act much freer about sexual morality than their parents did, and of course Ellen acts freer still. In fact I'll warn you about her; there are times when she has the morality of an alley cat. Yet even after saying that, I can still say that she's a very ethical person."
"Ellen supposedly acts like a brazen hussy? I'd have expected that of Mimi, but not her."
"Actually, both Ellen's mother and Mimi warned me about Ellen's blatant activities, and I must say that I've noticed some of her seductive schemes in the classes she attends. For several days each month, Ellen becomes almost predatory in her desire for sexual gratification. Her mother, Sarah, believes that it's a genetic trait. You see Sarah was only fourteen when she first seduced Ellen's father and only sixteen when Ellen was conceived."
"Holy cow!" I looked at Anna in surprise. "Is it genetically possible for something like that to be passed on from mother to daughter?"
"To put it bluntly, yes, it is possible, but I suspect that it is quite uncommon. Theoretically every woman who is fully in tune with her body could very well sense that her body is primed to be impregnated. I'm not sure how much you know about the female menses cycle, but let's just say that there are four or five days in each twenty-eight-day period when a woman is most likely to become pregnant. Of course as a former Catholic, you might already know that, because the 'rhythm method' of birth control, which the Catholic Church sanctifies, is based on that fact. So theoretically, she might subconsciously sense that her body is ready, which might trigger her actions. Now the surprising thing concerning that is something Mimi mentioned, it seems that the longer she spends in Ellen's company, the more she's seems to be developing the same tendencies."
"Oh cripes!" I sighed. "Are you saying that I'm going to be spending months with two virtual, sexual predators?"
"Oh, don't make a mountain out of a molehill." Anna snorted. "They might try their best to seduce you, but they aren't about to rape you or anything like that."
"Well, thank goodness for that! Like I told you before, you're all the woman I need."
"Well, over the next while you'll get to see what I mean, but since you seem quite adamant in your views, I'll try to curb any displays as much as I can. When I'm not around though, you're on your own and you've been warned - the girls are going to act like young women who want a man's attention and you'll probably be the only man around," Anna looked at me intently. "If you want, I'll talk to them now and try to calm down their actions while we're on the trip, but I'll warm you, they're bound to tease you anyway."
"Teasing, is something I think I can handle, but I think your comment this morning is going to bring on more than simple teases. Anyway, there they are, just walking past the window. I'll go catch up to them and send them in here to talk to you, then I'm heading down to the Jeep to try to doze off for a bit. I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm still tired and you know that makes me grouchy."
After giving Anna a quick hug, I left and caught up with the girls, telling them that Anna wanted to talk to them. After that I went down to the car deck of the ferry, climbed into the driver's seat of the Jeep and tried to relax, just hoping that Anna could get my point across to her two students. I did manage to doze off, but was awakened by the announcement that we were approaching Tsawwassen terminal.
In moments Mimi was climbing into the Jeep and greeting me with a weak smile, "Hi, Joe. Just so you know, Anna gave us a lecture about your feelings and I have to say that I think she's a darn lucky woman."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, I guess I should explain . . ."
"Oops, we're unloading already and I'd like to concentrate on driving, so can we chat once we're out of this mess?" I interrupted.
"Sure," she acknowledged, then fell silent.
It was ten minutes or so later before I finally was in less congested traffic on Highway 99 and heading for Langley.
"There, now I can listen and I won't have to worry quite so much about idiotic drivers who seem to think they own the whole road," I heaved a sigh. "Now what were you starting to tell me, back on the ferry?"
"Oh, Anna had a long chat with Ellen and me about how you felt. I think she believes that she misjudged you and feels upset about it."
"I'm quite certain she misjudged me, but I think I misjudged her too," I sighed heavily. "She and I need to have a long chat fairly soon."
"Good, you need to clear the air."
Mimi sounded happy about my statement, but just then we ran into heavy traffic again, so since I was busy concentrating on traffic once more, both Mimi and I fell silent. To be honest, I was quite uptight about the traffic. Even though we'd landed at Tsawwassen just after nine in the morning, it was well over an hour before we were far enough out of the Greater Vancouver area that we ran into lighter traffic. Of course it was a Saturday morning in the early summer, and we were travelling toward the mountains, so we were probably driving amidst hundreds of others who were going camping for the weekend.
When the traffic thinned and I didn't have to concentrate on idiotic drivers as much, we decided to carry on with the mutual language lessons. I found it rather enjoyable, but I noticed that Mimi was nowhere near as quick at picking up new words as I was, of course languages were my hobby, not hers. Still, she was doing quite well and it really helped to pass the time.
Once we were on the Trans-Canada Highway we made good time. Other than a quick coffee and potty break at a service centre just off the highway near Chilliwack, we drove through to Hope before stopping for lunch. When we left Hope, we also left the Trans-Canada Highway and took Highway 5, paid the toll, then drove straight through to reconnect with the Trans-Canada again at Kamloops. We paused there to fuel up and eat another meal, then after we'd had a short break, we drove on to Salmon Arm and set up camp at a spot I'd reserved for the next two nights.
We were at a government campsite called Herald Park and it's a good thing that I'd reserved a double site, because the campsite was full. Since we had a double site though, we were able to park both rigs on site and still have room for me to set up my tent. I hadn't meant to cause a rumpus, but as I set up the tent I discovered that Anna and the others had assumed that we were all going to sleep in the camper. However to me, camping was hardly any fun if I was stuck in a camper since I enjoyed sleeping in a tent, or better still sleeping outdoors under the stars. Thankfully, the discussion petered out quickly since we all needed sleep. It was late enough and everyone was tired enough that after we'd made and drunk a cup of cocoa we were just too darn tired to argue. In the end though, I got my way. The three women slept in the camper and I slept outside in my tent.
Surprisingly when I awoke and rolled out of my sleeping bag, Ellen was already up and had coffee made. I made a quick trip to the campground can, then joined her at the massive picnic table provided on the campsite. I'd hardly had a sip of my coffee before Anna and Mimi came out of the camper and took Curly off for a walk. They only paused long enough to suggest we empty the back seat of the Jeep so we could all go to town and have breakfast at a restaurant. Ellen not only offered to give me a hand to shift things around, but also insisted that she'd buy us breakfast.
I decided that rearranging the way the Jeep was packed was a good idea anyway, so Ellen and I tackled that. It was while we were working on the job that she astounded me by telling me her parents had given her a credit card which was meant to cover most of our expenses on the trip. But, when I frowned at that idea, the grin on her face faded and her expression showed concern.
"Please, Joe, you have to understand, this is my first summer holiday away from my parents and they want me to have fun," she grew very serious. "I'm sure Anna has told you that my folks are well off, hasn't she?"
"Well, in a way. She did mention that your parents had money."
"Joe, if I wanted to act up, I could be a spoiled brat, but to be honest, my Dad has always insisted that I help around the farm and I've learned to enjoy working for my money."
"You live on a farm? I thought your folks owned a nursery."
"Oh we do, but we have a big organic farm as well as the garden and nursery business, so I help out on the farm all the time. In fact I love the farm, which means that I seldom work at the nursery. Instead of selling shrubs and flowers, I like to grow things that people eat and I like to hear how much people love the taste of what I grow, which is really why I'm here," her face was glowing as she talked, and her voice registered her enthusiasm. "When I was only about ten or so, Daddy hired a new worker who was an expert on native plants. She's a Lakota Sioux, born on the prairies in Saskatchewan, and she got me interested in the study of the plants that First Nations people used as food and medicine. The only trouble came when I didn't understand some of the names she used or her descriptions of the reasons for using them. That's why I came to the University and it's why I'm taking the course Anna teaches, because I thought it would help me in the long run. That's also why Mom and Daddy both think that they should help pay for the fuel and meals on this trip, since it is part of my education. Didn't Anna mention that to you?"
"Not really, I thought we were doing this trip as cheaply as we could."
"That's Anna's idea, or maybe yours, but it's not my parent's or mine," Ellen giggled. "Daddy talked to Anna about it, so she knows I'm carrying a credit card with a huge limit. Maybe she doesn't understand, but if I get close to the limit, Daddy will just top it up. He told me to cover all of our fuel bills and all of our food bills, but I am supposed to limit what I spend on frivolous stuff for myself, like fancy clothes or tourist junk. It's a good thing I like camping, because he was even willing to pay for motel bills for all of us, if we found that we needed them. Anna had to say no to that idea or the university would have chopped her grant and she has to have that grant to get insurance coverage."
"I wonder why Anna never mentioned all of that to me before?"
"That's easy, Daddy and I asked her not to say anything because I wanted to tell you once we were underway," she winked at me. "Daddy, being a protective father, checked out everyone who was going on this trip and for some reason he really liked what he found out about all of you. The thing is, he also found out that you hate to owe anyone anything, even a favour, so he told me to tell you that his accountant is going to list our fuel and food expenses as educational."
"Ha, he'll have a hard time making that fly!" I snorted.
"Wanna bet?" she laughed. "One of my hobbies is competitive skeet shooting. Daddy's accountant managed to convince the government that the shotguns I use for skeet shooting were actually used to hunt varmints on the farm as well and got them accepted as taxable deductions. If he can do that, then covering food and fuel for this trip will certainly be a snap for him. After all, I am furthering my education which will eventually be a benefit to the family farm."
"Well, if you want to pay for part of our fuel costs and buy some of our food, I won't argue, but this whole trip is getting to be a lot more complicated than I thought it would," I grunted.
I didn't have a chance to say anything more because Anna and Mimi came back from their walk. Since Ellen and I had been steadily working on shifting a few items from the Jeep to the trailer and packing other items into better positions while we were talking, we were able to go out for breakfast. After that they planned to spend the whole day on and around Shuswap Lake, just playing, resting and relaxing. I really wanted to take the time to check the load in the trailer, but Anna, Mimi and Ellen had decided that I was on holiday, so I was darn well going to enjoy myself. They made it plain that they wouldn't stand for me spending my day just unpacking and repacking any darn trailer.
Ellen bought us breakfast at one of the local places near the beach, and while we were at the café, Anna asked the waitress about the various beaches on the lake. Luckily it seemed that the beach the waitress preferred to spend time at was within walking distance of our campsite. So after we'd eaten and had wandered around a few local stores in order to buy a few picnic supplies, we headed back to the campsite.
While I took the dog for a walk, the gals said they were going to put on their swimsuits to go to the beach, but when I got back I couldn't see much difference. They were still wearing jeans and T-shirts, but when I asked about it, Anna told me they had their suits on under their normal clothes, then said I should get my swimsuit on as well. So I went with the flow, climbing into the camper and changing into my swimsuit, then I did the same as the others had done, I pulled on jeans and a T-shirt.
Once I was outside again, we all headed off toward the beach with Anna walking at my side and the two girls leading the way. I couldn't help but watch the figures of the two young women ahead of us and sighed, while shaking my head at the sight of the two wiggling bubble butts before me. To my surprise, Anna chuckled.
"Oh, are the guys on the beach in for a rough time today," she said very quietly.
"Pardon me? You mean those two?"
"Who else?" she snorted. "They were talking as they changed and - well to be honest, they intend to tease all the guys on the beach, but I'll warn you now, I think you might be the real object of their attentions."
"Oh great, and you didn't try to calm them down?"
"Nope, not today. Today is a holiday, so I'm relaxing," she laughed aloud. "Actually I intend to tease a bit too."
She wasn't stretching the truth either. Once we got to the beach we set up a blanket near the edge of the trees so that we'd have some shade when we needed it, then it was time for the gals to do a semi-striptease and show off. All three of them were wearing two piece suits, but only Anna's was semi-tame and even that did an outstanding job of showing off her fuller figure. In fact I don't think there was a larger set of surgically unassisted boobs on the beach, and her bright red swimsuit was meant to display her assets to the world.
I suppose my adulation of Anna's display must have set off Mimi and Ellen, because they made certain I noticed their figures as well. Actually, I'm not sure if Canada has any laws about how much skin a bikini has to cover, but what each of the pair was wearing was certainly minimal and neither of them had any reason to be very jealous of Anna. Not only that, but Mimi and Ellen were wearing matching white bikinis that hid absolutely none of the physical features beneath the tiny patches of cloth meant to cover their erogenous zones. Within seconds of seeing those two young women preening and posing, I was blushing and trying my best to disguise my body's natural reaction.
All three of the women seemed to be delighted by my reaction, and even when I flopped down on the blanket to try to act nonchalant, Anna lay down my side and teased me with her comments.
"Now are you going to try to tell me that you don't think Ellen and Mimi are sexy?" she snickered quietly.
"I never said they weren't," I grumbled. "I just said that I don't really want to be involved with anyone else. I'm quite happy with you. Besides, those two are far too young for me."
"Well, I'll admit that they are young and impressionable, but that's half their charm," she chuckled, then whispered, "Just think of how much fun you could have training them to . . ."
"Anna quit it!" I said shortly, rolling over onto my belly.
She broke into laughter then, knowing that her teasing had gotten to me, but seconds later she was offering to put sunscreen on my back. Of course once I was slathered with sun screen, she wanted me to do her back, which she used as an excuse to offer 'my excellent services' to Mimi and Ellen. Then she teased me about the way I was touching them while I was trying my best not to do anything that could be construed as an attempt at arousing their interest in any way.
Needless to say, the girls decided that Anna had effectively opened the doorway for them to tease, and tease they did. One of the problems I had with the two girls concerned the swimsuits they were wearing. Actually, being white and quite thin, the suits were meant for sunbathing, not swimming. When those suits got wet, they clung close to the skin and turned translucent. I and everyone else on the beach got an eyeful that day while I was being teased mercilessly by the whole group. In fact they were still teasing me late that night, but by then I'd learned to ignore most of their antics, or at least I'd learned to act as if I was ignoring them even though their capers had left me quite frustrated.
Anna joined me in the tent that night, which surprised me, but I was more surprised when she brought the dog along with her. Anna tied the dog's chain to a stake driven into the ground next to the tent, then left the bottom of the door unzipped a few inches so Curly could get in and out if she wanted to be with us. She did, coming inside and snuggling near our feet for most of the night.
Since Ellen's comments about money were still on my mind, I brought up the subject, but Anna's explanation of her talk with Ellen's parents calmed me. The arrangement she'd made would allow us to pay them back for our share of their investment in the trip, but at the same time it would allow Ellen to feel that she was contributing. As Anna described it, Ellen was feeling that she was a fifth wheel and simply along for the ride, so allowing her to pay for food and fuel gave her a feeling of self-importance that she needed. Anna's hope was that we could gradually wean her of that idea.
After she had calmed my mind over that issue, she started to excite me in a totally different manner and since I had spent much of the day being teased, her success was guaranteed. I have to comment and mention that I find there is something extremely special about making love in a tent. Yes, you do try to be a little quieter than normal, but at the same time there is the knowledge that even then others may hear you. Somehow that adds spice to the whole erotic activity, a certain spiciness which undeniably affected Anna and me that night.
I slept very well after that, but I still awoke early the next day. I slipped out of the sleeping bag, put the coffee on and took the dog for a short walk while the pot was perking. By the time I was back at the campsite, everyone else was wide awake and raring to get moving. While I was walking the dog, they had hooked my trailer to the back of the camper, because Anna had noticed that her truck easily pulled away from mine on the hills. I argued about that, since I wondered about Anna's ability to drive safely pulling a trailer, especially on the Roger's Pass section of the highway, because her pickup had no connection for the trailer's electrical brakes. Needless to say, she insisted she'd be fine.
By eight o'clock that morning we were on our way, but we did stop at the first restaurant we came to for breakfast. By the time we reached it, Anna had encountered a short, steep grade with a curve at the bottom, and she admitted the trailer was harder to handle than she'd expected. I did not say I told you so, but I did mention the hills and valleys we'd be encountering that day, so after breakfast we shifted the trailer, so when we left town it was behind the Jeep again. After that we tackled the highway and made good time on our trip through the high mountains. That day we drove through the Roger's Pass, stopping at Field for lunch, but we easily made it to Banff early that afternoon. Once more we pulled into a camp ground and were able to take a large campsite that I'd reserved by phone. Since we were in Banff, Anna and the girls wanted to do some sight seeing, so as soon as we had the camper and trailer parked on the site, we set out to explore the town in the Jeep.
Of course we had to go for a swim in the famous Banff Hot Springs pool. Thankfully the girls had alternate swimsuits which were less revealing that those they'd worn the day before, so they didn't cause a near riot at the pool, at least not the way they had at the beach. We had our swim, even checking out the grotto where the water came bubbling up from deep in the mountain, then changed into street clothes to see the rest of the town. Actually none of us were very impressed, other than finding the mountain scenery to be pretty, but most of the town was just not our style. We decided quite quickly that the inflated prices and tourist filled atmosphere simply didn't suit us, so we headed back to the campsite to eat our evening meal.
Normally we put the dog on a short leash or else on her chain when we were out, but this time we'd left her loose in the camper. As Ellen opened the camper door, Curly whipped past her and ran off, something she'd never done before. I grabbed her leash and took off after her, but soon lost the dog amongst all the trailers and tents she raced past. Eventually I walked back to the camper to get the women to help me to hunt for her. Anna was quite adamant that the dog would come back, and insisted that we all eat before going out again, so it was nearing sunset before we went out again and finally found the dog. Anna saw her first and screamed for my help, so I came running.
It seemed that Curly had found herself a mate, a huge German Shepard cross of some sort. They were still involved when we first found them, but soon separated. Of course they were surrounded by several other dogs, but we managed to scare those off. Even the huge mutt left soon after we arrived on the scene, then we were able to catch Curly to take her back to the camper for the night. None of us were happy with the situation as we headed back toward the campsite though.
Ellen was upset because she was the one who had opened the door to the camper and hadn't grabbed the dog as she scooted out.
Mimi was uptight because she'd even managed to pet the dog as it burst out, but hadn't been able to grab Curly's collar before she raced off.
Anna was riled because when I bought her the dog, I had been told Curly had been neutered and now it turned out she wasn't.
I was annoyed because I hadn't been in favour of bringing the dog along with us, but Anna hadn't wanted to leave her at home for any length of time, so she'd planned on it all along.
Even that would have been all right if the dog had been neutered like I'd been told before I bought her, but it was apparent that wasn't the case. Now we had a dog with us who was in season and might remain that way for three or four weeks, which meant we now had one more problem on our hands.
In the long-run Anna decided we should take the dog to see a veterinarian in the morning. Unfortunately we'd have to find one first, so I went looking for a phone book that covered the local area. The first place I tried was a small local store and as soon as the proprietor heard what I wanted, he recommended a veterinarian in Canmore, just a few miles outside of Banff. When I explained why I wanted to talk to a vet, he was even more helpful. First he mentioned that I might call right away instead of early the next morning, explaining that I could probably get an early morning appointment to see his vet and even dialled the number for me. After I explained our situation to the vet, she was happy to set up an appointment to see us early the next day. Then thanking the store proprietor, I hurried back to camp and let everyone know how early we had to be in Canmore the next morning.
Since I hadn't had time to set up my tent that afternoon, I started to set it up, but just then a neighbouring camper warned me that bears often prowled around the camping area. The three women were sitting outside and heard him, so they immediately wanted me to sleep in the camper that night. I wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, so I suggested that we all step into the camper and I'd show them how crowded it would be with four of us in there.
The upper bunk, which cantilevered above the truck cab, didn't take up any floor space and was barely long enough for me to sleep comfortably, but the other bunk was a different story. It was opened up by dropping the table top to seat level, then used the cushions as a mattress and even though it was only slightly narrower than a double bed, it was uncomfortably short. In fact when Anna and I tried lying down on it to test it for comfort, Mimi said we looked like "a pair of six inch sardines, jammed into a four-inch can." Actually, Ellen had slept on it and felt that it was even too short for her comfort unless she lay on an angle, so Mimi was the only person in our group who could stretch out fully while sleeping there.
The dog was still restless and I expected to have to get up at least once or twice during the night to take her outside, so sleeping on the upper bunk really didn't make sense to me. Every time I got up I'd be disturbing everyone else in the camper, so an argument ensued. Everyone else wanted me to sleep in the camper, but I held my ground about sleeping in the tent. The fact that no one else would be disturbed during the night if I and the dog slept out in the tent was the main reason that I was so adamant about it. I won out in the long run, but the only way the women would agree to the idea was if I took along a canister of bear spray in case I needed it.
So, late at night I set up my tent and threw down my sleeping bag, Then, with only Curly for company, I crawled in and lay back, hoping for a good night's rest. However, I was rudely awakened very early the next morning by the dog, who was barking furiously and jerking on the chain which allowed her to get outside the tent. I slipped out of the sleeping bag and stuck my nose outside to try to calm Curly and call her back, then instantly changed my mind. There was a black bear facing me, only a few feet away from the tent. Curly was between me and the bear, snarling, yapping, barking and otherwise raising a major fuss. I grabbed the canister of bear spray and was trying to make up my mind whether to use it or not when I heard a voice call out.
"Sir? The man in the tent? I'm a Park Ranger and I'm here about the bear. Stay in the tent please! Don't come out and don't make any noise. Don't even answer me. We'll do our best to protect both you and your dog."
That was followed a few seconds later by the sound of an air-rifle of some sort and the bear let out a sound that seemed to be a combination of a squawk and a growl. Then he spun around and tried to bite the dart stuck in his rump, but he couldn't quite reach it. When the bear had made its weird noise, Curly had leaped away, but I could see she was getting ready to attack the bear, so I reached out and grabbed her chain, calling her name as I pulled her back. I could see she didn't want to come, but at the same time, she was obedient to the pull on the chain. Meanwhile, the bear had seen fit to head for the trees on the opposite side of the road from our campsite. About the time that he was half way across the road I heard that funny air-rifle sound again and the bear tried to spin and bite at his other flank. Then he seemed to slow down and stagger over to the edge of the road, but as he tried to cross a little ditch to get into the trees he slowed and then collapsed.
I got Curly inside the tent, then dragged on my pants and shoes. I'd hardly gotten outside when a Park Ranger came walking up to me.
"Is your dog all right, Sir?" he asked.
"Yeah, as far as I can see," I snorted. "How the hell did you get here so fast?"
"Actually we were following the bear. He's one of the bears that raid the local dump, but last night he came right downtown and was causing trouble, getting into garbage cans and so on," he sighed heavily and pointed to the bear being loaded into the back of a pickup truck. "Do you see that stripe of paint on his shoulders?"
"Yeah, I suppose that means you've caught him before, doesn't it?"
"Yes it does. Actually from the two different colours of paint I can tell you that he's been caught in town at least twice and taken a long way off into the bush before being released," he frowned. "A repeat offender like him will have to be put down since he won't stay away. I hate having to do that, but we don't have any alternative."
"Well, don't do it just because he scared me."
"Don't worry about that, his previous actions brought on his fate," he snorted. "We've been chasing this bear for a while because he's become a nuisance. He was only running through this area, trying to escape us and happened to pick your campsite as a short cut, but ran into your little dog, who slowed him down. Except for the fact that your dog was so feisty, we'd probably have lost him again and that would have been a waste of our time."
"Darn, I almost wish the dog hadn't been so diligent about protecting the campsite. I hate to hear about another bear being shot for scavenging people's garbage."
"Don't worry about it. It's my headache," he shrugged. "Unfortunately, we needed to catch him since he's become a major nuisance. Now, are you certain your dog wasn't hurt?"
"No sign of any damage that I've noticed, but we already have an appointment with the vet in Canmore in the morning, so I'll have Curly checked to be certain she's okay."
"Is something wrong with the dog?"
"She came into heat last night and got away from us, then found an extremely large male dog for a friend - a monster dog that looked like an oversized German Shepard crossbreed," I sighed. "The problem is the difference in size between her and the other dog. While I'm not exactly enthusiastic about her having pups, I'm more worried that she might have trouble if the pups she might be carrying were too large, so I want to ask the vet about it. Actually, she isn't my dog. She belongs to my girlfriend. Anna's upset with herself now, because she's the one who insisted on bringing the dog along. Heck, we were both told that Curly had been spayed, so this is a real pain in the butt."
"You say the other dog looked like an oversized German Shepard?"
"Yeah, it did. It was huge, why? Is there something I should know about that dog?"
"Well, if it was one of the dogs that I suspect it of being, it belongs to an old guy who works in the mountains around here as a guide. He raises dogs that match that description and calls them bear-dogs. As far as I know he's been breeding them for both size and obedience for about fifteen or twenty years. What you probably saw was one of the results of his breeding program which somehow managed to escape his kennel," the ranger heaved a heavy sigh. "I'd better go see if I can track that mutt down too. If the damn thing gets into the downtown area, I'll be getting dozens of reports about wolves running around town."
"There shouldn't be much danger of people saying that, the colour of the dog wasn't right for it to be a wolf."
"Try telling that to a Japanese tourist who has never seen either a German Shepard or a wolf before, especially something as big as the brutes that old guide raises," he snorted. "Best of luck with your dog and while I'm glad she backed the bear off, I'm even more happy that she doesn't seem to have been hurt. Now, although you've had a rough wake up this morning, I hope you have a good day, but I'd better get a move on."
Then he took off, leaving me wondering just what sort of animal a bear-dog was and why a guide would spend a lifetime breeding for size and obedience, then hang that name on the result. I didn't get much chance to think about that for long though. Instead I was suddenly dealing with three very riled women, who were soon loudly telling me and the world, that they had watched the earlier excitement from the window of the camper. As I was trying my best to calm and quieten them before they woke everyone around us, the neighbouring camper, who'd warned me about bears came over to say 'I told you so.'
It was barely 5:30 AM, it was cold and I was surrounded by yammering people, but right about then I was wishing I had slept longer, or at least had been awakened more civilly. I was dressed, but only in my jeans, and it was cold at that time of day, so I just wanted a little peace and quiet in order to get dressed and calm down, but it didn't look as if I'd get my wish.
The morning was definitely not developing into what I'd recommend as a start for anyone's day, especially mine.