The Girls Next Door

This is my first story I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know, and special thanks to my editor. Originally written as A Thorny Rose and the Orchid

My name is Brian Travis; I am 24 years old and still living at home.

Since I was ten I wanted to be a mechanic and engine builder.

I went to work cleaning up my dad's auto shop after school and at eleven I was cleaning up the machine shop down the block. I worked my way into cleaning engines and disassembling them by the age of thirteen.

Andy Andrews was the head machinist he took me under his wing and taught me everything there was about the machine shop. With my vocational training in high school and my apprenticeship at that shop and other shops I have my ASE master machinist.

When I was fifteen I bought my 64 El Camino and started to rebuild it, the work was done at Andy's home garage, with his help we rebuilt it from the ground up with all new suspension, disc brakes all around, 12 bolt 3.73 posi-traction rear end, 436 small block Chevy engine, 450 hp, 500 foot-pounds of torque coupled to a 6L 80E transmission. 4-inch header equipped with electric cutouts and three-inch pipes all the way back. With 150 hp Nitrous Oxide boost.

Beatrice or Bee 24, the girl next door. I guess you could say she was my girlfriend at least we go together a lot, most of the time her kid sister Di 23 tags along with us. They were on the swim and softball teams. I haul them to a lot of meets and games. Bee majored to be a dietitian working at a hospital.

Diana or Di majored in music and business administration and has a bachelor's degree in both of them.

Bee and I have not messed around much, she said she was saving herself for her husband. It was okay with me because I put a lot of work and time in to be where I am now.

It was the middle of June; Bee said she wanted to go to a party at a lodge in the town sixty miles away. I said okay. Di asked to come along it was okay with me. About an hour after we were there I figured out this was not a party for me. The booze and drugs were starting to come out and I wanted no part of it. I had worked way too hard to throw it away on things like this.

Di was talking to her girlfriends Tracy, Gina and Kaylee and their boyfriends. I went over and asked them where Bee was. One of the guys said he saw her going down the hall with a couple of guys. That got a reaction from Di and from the look she gave me she didn't know what was going on.

I started down the hall to the last room there. Di and the gang followed me. There were some muffled cries and noises coming from the room.

I tried the door, it was unlocked I opened it and went in, to my surprise Bee was with three guys all nude and getting it on. She was sucking one and screwing the other two. That's when I lost it. I grabbed one guy and threw him halfway through the wall. The one that was getting sucked, came at me and swinging with this right, I blocked it with my left and caught him squarely in the nose with my right knocking him down, he hit his head on the corner of the end table. The guy on the bed jumped up grabbed a bottle and swung at me I ducked and came up from the floor with my right hitting him square in the chin I heard some cracking noise he fell back on the bed and was out.

I looked at Bee. She looked terrified, Di was hollering at her, how could you.

I looked at the mess that I just caused and figured I was in trouble because nobody was being forced. I think I just blew it.

I slowly walked by everybody in the room and some in the hall and went outside to get some fresh air.

I'm not sure what I did next, the next thing I remember is a red light staring me in the eyes and someone screaming at me to stop.

The red light was the tack, red line at 8000. It was Di screaming at me to stop, I took my foot off the gas petal and the engine went from a roar to popping with big yellow flames coming out of the headers.

I pulled over to the side of the road and stopped, Di was still hollering and hitting me, she really looks scared. I shut the motor off.

"You scared the shit out of me." She was almost white. I have never heard her say a swear word before, she must have really been scared.

I asked her what was she was doing here. She said, "You block head I've been in love with you since I was fifteen. I've waited eight years for you to figure it out. It time for me to tell you so. I didn't want to come between you and Bee but I figure that's over with."

"You got that right." I don't know how I could have been so blind.

This thing with Di was certainly something new to think about.

I just sat there looking at her; staring into her blue eyes. When She leaned over and gave me a little kiss and a smile and asking if it was okay.

I thought for a moment leaned over and gave her one long passionate kiss and she gave me her prettiest smile.

I just sat there and was looking at her wondering why I had been so stupid.

We kissed a little bit more and decided we better get.

I cranked up the Chevy and it came to life making lots of noise I hit the switch for the electric cutouts, and the switch for the nitrous. I hit the bleed off switch for the nitrous it was empty. I guess I really wound it out and I don't even remember it.

I pulled back out on the highway set the cruise control at 60 and the RPMs dropped to 1300 and headed home.

Di's phone started ringing; it was her mother Carrie wanting to know what was going on. Tracy had called her, Di's dad Jim got on the phone because her mother was hysterical. Di told him the best she could and we'd be home in a half an hour. About that time my mom Helen called me and I told her we'd tell them when we got home.

Our parents were in the driveway when I pulled in, we got out and Di ran over to her mother they were both crying. I went over to my parents I looked at dad and told him I blew it. We went to our house and sat around the table; we were trying to tell them what went on.

My dad Bill wanted to know what I was going to do. I told him I had to think for a while and I might go up to the claim my grandfather left me. No electric, no phones, and no radio it's very quiet there. Dad said okay and he knew where he could find me if he needed me.

Holding Di's hand coming into the house didn't go unnoticed by my mother. Di had gone to her house to be with her mother. Mom asked me if I had something going with Di. I said, "Yeah I think so." Mom said, "It's about time, you know how long she's waited for you."

"Yes she told me."

"You don't know the times she's come over and cried on my shoulder. She said never to say anything to you that you would have to find it out for yourself."

I put the El Camino in the garage and started loading my Chevy pickup. My extra clothing, some bedding and food and the gear I didn't have at claim. Di was helping me load the things in between some serious kissing.

I finally decided it was time to go to bed. I would be up before five and on the road. I said good night to Di a few more times then she went home. I started up to my room Mom gave me a nice smile and said good night.

I had a lot to think about when I went to bed mostly about Di, as I think back over the years I never did see her go out on a date, have never seen a boy come over to the house when she goes out she's always gone out with Bee and myself. She was always over at our house so I could help her with her "homework" thinking back on it now the only thing is I was going vocational and she was going after her bachelor and besides that she's a straight A student. She was always helping me around the garage and even over at Andy's when I was building the El Camino. Sleep didn't come easy, but five o'clock came awful early.

I left the house at five minutes to five. Loaded Sam my black lab and we were off. About 6:30 Di called me and we talked for about a half an hour.

I pulled into Placerville around seven and stopped at the grocery store and stocked up. Filled up the Chevy and my six diesel cans for the tractor. Headed up to the claim, after twenty miles there is a private road with a locked gate, after ten miles the road actually is in the creek most of the time, my claim is another five miles up and the last one on the road. I have a cable and lock on it so that when you're up there you're very much alone.

I pulled up to the old trailer and unloaded most of my gear. We have a cargo container there that we keep all of the tools and the tractor in. Next to it, I wanted to level out some more ground for new parking places.

The way the land is laid out, there's a cliff at the end of the canyon. A waterfall, and the creek are on the south side of the valley. The trailer and the container are on the north side of the valley. At the top of the waterfall there is a spring that runs year-round we have tapped into it and have running water. Plenty of water for the sluice box and camp with no pumps running. On the north side fifty feet from where I want to put the camp parking, is an old volcanic flow, which goes all the way to the head of the canyon and up the cliff. It covers about fifty feet of the north side of the canyon.

The creek on the south side is where the 49ers panned for gold and this section produced more than five millions dollars in 1849. They're still a lot of gold in this part of the creek.

I fired up the tractor started moving dirt by the container going into the hillside about twenty-five feet to make a level spot. I dug down about a foot deeper than we had gone before. I started digging up gravel. I got off the tractor and looked at what I had been digging. The only way gravel could be there is that it's an old streambed that been covered up by the lava flow and the mudslides coming down off the hill. If this turns out to be an old streambed it would have to be much earlier than when the 49ers were here, and from the looks of things they didn't find it. I'm thinking I may have found a hot spot at least I hope so.

With the backhoe I made a few test holes. Took some samples down to the creek to pan out. This gravel was hot, more gold in the one pan than I've seen in a long time.

I moved the old sluice box from down by the creek to where I was digging, and moved the water lines over to run the sluice.

For the next three weeks I moved rocks and shoveled gravel. Moving the bigger rocks with the backhoe. I bought a gas-powered vacuum to clean up the bedrock, cracks and crevices.

Between the nuggets and the dust I had about twenty pounds of gold and seven buckets of concentrate.

It was about four in the afternoon, Sam started barking and looking down the road the hair was up on his neck. He stopped barking and was wagging his tail he recognized who was coming. Dad's truck came into view, the sun was on the windshield and I could not see who was driving. Sam went running over to the truck and Di got out. She gave Sam some love and stood looking at me. I smiled and held my hands out and she came flying, jumping into my arms. We kissed long and hard and explored a little with our tongues.

I asked her why she was here, she then look sad and said Andy died, "I asked your dad if I could come and tell you and he gave me his truck."

I asked when the funeral was going to be, "Day after tomorrow."

I said, "It was too late to go home today," It got a shy smile out of her.

She asked what I had been doing and I showed her where I was digging.

She asked if I was doing any good. I took her over to my pickup and showed her my two bottles. I showed her the three, quart's specimen rocks with gold that I had found.

We clean the sluice box out and the nugget trap and check the tailing piles with the metal detector.

Di was real good at picking the gold out of the riffles.

She said she was getting hungry and asked me what I had to eat. I gave her a little smile and said, " Beans." I had been eating them for two days. She looked at the trailer, and asks if I was sleeping in there. I said," Yes but I keep the windows open."

I made a pan of cornbread and warmed up the beans, and had tomatoes with cottage cheese.

We set out in camp chairs, ate and talked for about an hour. Then I said we better get some sleep we have a lot to do in the morning before heading home.

I asked her where she wanted to sleep at table or the bunk. She pointed at my bed; I said, "Okay I'd take a bunk." She looked at me and shook her head no and gave me her shy smile.

I smile back. Pulled off T-shirt and put on clean pair of gym shorts and climbed into bed. She stripped down to her bra and panties climbed in. For the longest time we just looked at each other. Those blue eyes will get to you after a while. I put my arm around her and was running my hand up and down her back.

It was at about this time that the beans started to work. I knew that I would have to let one go any minute. The moonlight was coming through the window I could see Di real plain. I ripped off a real big one. Di hollered PU and punched me in the ribs; She was smiling.

We lay there a little more and I felt her starting to squirm. She wiggled a little more and then she let one go. I poked her in the ribs and she jumped, I said. "Are you ticklish?" And she said, "No." I started to tickle her, she is very ticklish and I let her have it. She was hollering, Stop stop stop!" I did and just held her tight looking deep into her eyes. I leaned over to kiss her. I don't know what happened I never felt anything like that before it felt like an electric shock. Something definitely did happen. I asked her if she felt anything, she was breathing a little hard and said, "Yes." We did some very passionate kissing. We lay there looking at each other again I told her we had a busy day tomorrow and we better go to sleep she looked a little disappointed but said okay. She rolled over and put her back next to me and put my arm around her. My hand was inching up toward her breast she grabbed my hand and put it on her right breast. Lying there I could smell her hair and her perfume. Boy, I could really get used to this. We finally drifted off to sleep.

I was up at five and started to make breakfast. Di looked at me and asked me you sure you want to get up. "No but do it anyway." We still have a lot to do today. We had everything squared away by noon and started home. The only thing I hated about going home was Di was in the other truck.

Forty-five minutes later we were down to where the telephones worked, we both called home. Mom asked me if everything was okay I told her, nothing could be better. We arrived home about 4:30. I started unloading my truck. Put the dirty clothes in the washer and stacked the bedding for the next load. I unloaded my concentrates and started to run them across the shaker table. Di was there, I showed her how to load the trammel and work the table.

Earlier in the spring I had built a power winch, by the way Di help me build it to pull rocks out of the creek I needed it now to move the big rocks where I was working. I loaded up the winch and my pulley system and a chain saddle for going around the rocks.

We ran the shaker table to about ten o'clock. And put another five pounds of gold in the bottle and stored it in the pickup.

Diana asked me what my plans were. I told her I'd be going back up to the claim the morning after the funeral.

She asked me if I would miss her. I took her in my arms gave her a real long kiss, "What do you think."

It was getting late, Di went home and I went up to bed. I called Di and we talked for about a half an hour before we went to sleep.

I called my boss Steve, told him what was going on. He said he would see me at the funeral he was one of the pallbearers to. I called four of my friends and talk to them for a while. We had a little band going since we were in high school, mostly gospel and country. We had not been together for a long time.

The funeral was real nice dad and Jim, Steve my boss, Joe from the shop and Sydney from our church and myself were the pallbearers. The funeral was at our church and a follow-up at the cemetery.

Mom and Carrie planned that evening for a potluck dinner at our house. We sat around till about six just talking and remembering.

Troy, Carl, Jimmy and Eric came over that evening and brought their guitars. I brought my banjo out and Di set down at the piano. Di has a beautiful alto voice that can go to soprano with perfect pitch. This was a real good break from all the things that had been going on. The guys left about nine. Carrie and Jim left a little later. I walked Di over to her door and said, "Good night". It was getting harder and harder to say good night.

I was up and dressed by fifteen to five. Grabbed some toast on the way out, called Sam and started to back to the claim.

About 6:30 the phone rang. The trouble was, it was not my phone and it was ringing from the backseat. I pulled over and stopped. Di pulled the blanket back and set up, answered her phone. It was her mother calling, wanting to know where she was.

"Hang on a minute Mom," as she handed me her phone and climbed over the seat, giving me her prettiest, I'm innocent smile.

"What are you doing here?"

Back on her phone, "Mom, you know what I'm doing here. I'm where I want to be, I'll be okay." Carrie put Jim on the phone and he asks her if that's what she wanted?

"Yes, dad, you know, this is what I want." He said okay and to put me on the phone.

He asked me if we had worked this out, "No it is a surprise to me to." He asked me if I loved her.

Looking at Di, I told him yes I love her very much and would take care of her.

Jim said okay and to take good care of her.

I said, "How long have you been there?"

"Since about two. I didn't want to miss you and I didn't think you would have taken me if I'd asked."

I looked at Di, put the truck back in gear and headed down the highway.

Carrie came over, to cry on mom's shoulder. Mom finally filled her in on what was going on. Carrie said she could live with that.

Mom called me about that time and asked me how things were going, "I don't think it can get any better. Looks like you'll may be getting a daughter one of these days," mom said she would be getting the best. "Just what I always wanted."

We stopped at the restaurant that I eat at most of the time and had omelets.

We then went to the grocery store stocked up. Filled the truck up and the diesel cans, and headed up the old road.

I was thinking on the way up and asked Di about birth control. She said she had been on them for a month.

We arrived, at Camp. Di was doing housekeeping and putting things away. I started the tractor and unloaded the truck. We worked about three hours getting the winch set up to pull rocks. The first rock was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, maybe 3 foot tall. I hooked it up and started the motor, put it in gear and started to pull. Everything moaned as it tightened up on the cables and the motor started to stall. I took it out of gear. The old winch had 100 to one reduction gear on the side of it. I slipped that in and put it back in gear. This time, cable tightened up and the rock started to move. It was a slow process; it was about a half an hour to move it.

Di started kicking around in the gravel and hollered for me to, "Come over here." She had a nugget about the size of a silver dollar. I told her, that is what we are looking for; I put that one in my pocket.

Di picked up a couple of buckets and started shoveling gravel. I hooked the cable and pulleys too another rock and started to move it. Under the rocks was another four pounds of gold.

We finished up about eight. Di looked very tired. I started rubbing her neck and shoulders. She wasn't used to all of this manual labor, but she never stopped, or complaint.