Always on My Mind

What day is it?" the man asked in passable Spanish.

"Sabado," the young boy cleaning his windshield said with a laugh.

Saturday. Lee had been on the road for 7 days if his hung over brain was working correctly. The week was a blur of driving and drinking himself into a stupor nightly. Lee had been traveling alone and well off the tourist path.

The whole self-destruction thing had started three years earlier. At a partners birthday party Lee announced to his friends and long-time girlfriend, he was retiring from the business for good this time. He was not getting any younger and had achieved his goals.

"Time to quit and enjoy the fruits of my labor," he had told them all.

His partners and friends took the news well and wished him well but he didn't get the reaction from Sandy, his girlfriend that he had hoped for. Their relationship was crumbling and Lee thought getting out of the business was what both of them needed to reconnect on the level they had been before. She became distant and began to drink heavily the remainder of the evening.

The next afternoon when she woke up she found Lee eating lunch in the kitchen. She sat down and told him everything...

Lee dismissed the memory as he walked into the little store to pay for his gas. It was 9:00 AM but the heat was stifling already with a hot humid breeze blowing off the Gulf of Mexico.

He walked to the coolers in the back and almost reached for a few bottles of beer before he saw his reflection in the dirty glass. He looked haggard and strung out. He chose a few cans of coke instead, holding the cold cans against his forehead as he went to the counter to pay.

"Buenos Dias Senor," the smiling man behind the counter said.

"Good morning," Lee replied.

As he paid he had a Q & A with the store owner. He learned he was about 800 miles from Yucatan his final destination, further than he remembered.

When he inquired about a decent hotel, he was told up the highway around twenty miles was a small village with a nice beach and a simple but clean hotel.

Lee thanked the man and walked out into the blazing heat to his old, but very reliable Pathfinder SUV.

He handed the small boy a dollar for cleaning his windows, he got in and got back on the empty highway.

Heading east, the sea to his left and scrub land to his right, he drove on auto pilot.

He felt terrible, the drinking was catching up on him. He should stop, pull himself together and start to feel again.

Lee was not on a time table and he decided to dry out, take a shower and sleep.

He slowed the SUV when he saw the sun bleached sign that said Madero.

It wasn't much of a village as far as he could tell, a gas station and a small church and some small shops. More a fishing village, he thought to himself, as he looked for the hotel the shop keeper had told him about.

Lee soon found the seaside hotel. It was a welcome sight.

Walking inside, the place seemed cool compared to outside. He patiently waited as the old woman behind the counter held up a finger as she watched a Venezuelan soap opera on the small TV on her desk. When the show finally went to a commercial break she turned and smiled.

"Buenos Dias senor! How can I help you?"

He checked in and he dropped his travel bags on the floor of his room. He went for the air conditioner and turned it on. It hummed to life and he felt cool air coming from the vents.

Next he examined the bed pushing on the mattress. "Not bad," he thought.

He stripped off his clothes and turned on the shower. The water was warm but not hot. He relished the shower as he washed the travel dust and sweat off his tired body.

Refreshed, he lay on the bed in a towel. Lee picked up his phone and looked at some photos. As the slide show ran, he reminded himself he was looking at his past life and nothing would change that.

Fatigue over took him so he closed the phone and drifted off into a deep long sleep.

The next afternoon, well rested and his batteries recharged, Lee decided to take a walk on the beach and get his bearings. He was lost in thought as he walked along the beach. The sound of loud music brought him back to earth.

He looked up, he could see what appeared to be a bar.

As he got closer he recognized the song playing, "Honey Hush" by Johnny Burnette.

The bar was a shabby old structure open to the air with a thatched roof and huge deck facing the sea. The smell of grilled steak made his stomach growl.

Taking off his shades, his eyes adjusted to the roomy bar. The place was empty save for two guys in baseball caps having an animated discussion with the stunning but mature looking blonde tending bar.

All three were Americans which pleasantly surprised Lee.

He sat down on a stool as the blonde approached and said "You're early."

"Excuse me?" Lee said puzzled.

"The buffet. We won't be ready for about another 20 minutes. Want a drink while you wait?" She grinned.

"Hmmmm, I think something none alcoholic till I get some food in me. A Pepsi, Coke, whatever," Lee answered.

"Wise choice you two could learn something from?" she smiled and directed her comment to the other patrons. She paused and looked questioningly at Lee again. He knew she was asking his name.

"Lee," he offered his hand, "How did you know I'm hungry?" He added.

"All the Gringos eat here, I'm Charlene but call me Charlie and these two vagabonds of the western world are Tim and Wes," she said her southern accent showing a bit. They all shook hands and Tim handed Lee a card that said "SIRENS FISHING CHARTERS."

"Lee, see if you can settle the argument for us, who is better Elvis Presley or Johnny Burnette?" Tim asked sipping his Carta Blanca Beer.

Lee pondered for a moment then spoke "Well for pure stage presence you have to say Elvis but Johnny had the songs, Train kept a rollin, Rockabilly Boogie, Honey Hush."

As he was speaking he noticed the wall behind the bar was covered with Elvis Photos and memorabilia including two large velvet Elvis paintings.

"So I'm gonna have to say Johnny," Lee concluded

Tim nodded in satisfaction, Wes sighed and said, "He should have never made those movies, he lost his edge."

Charlie glared at Lee in comic anger hands on hips head cocked, "You are on dangerous ground Mr Lee. I am an Elvis Devotee and will toss your sorry ass out of here, hungry or not, if you say unkind things about The King."

Lee held up his bottle of coke in a toast, "To the King"

"To the King," the others repeated clinking bottles.

Lee liked these people immediately.

An hour later, enjoying his first hearty meal in over a week, he got to know his new friends. They exchanged life stories. Wes and Tim were retired Navy Officers who had done their 20 years and pensioned out and living out here made sense.

It went without saying, U.S. money went a long way in Mexico and you could live quite well on a limited income.

When it was his turn, Lee was brief. Lee and his two partners had ran a very successful company who designed software for the telecommunication industry, then his planned retirement, then that afternoon 3 years ago.

THREE YEARS EARLIER

Sandy sat down across from Lee, her eyes full of tears. He knew something bad was coming but had not expected this.

"Lee I am sick, and I am not going to get better," Sandy blurted it out.

The next 3 months had been a wide awake nightmare as Sandy faded fast, and all Lee could do was try and make her last days on earth as pleasant as possible. On the night she passed, in her last lucid moment she spoke to him.

"Lee, you remember Yucatan?" Sandy said softly with closed eyes and a faint, weak smile.

"How could I forget? That's where I met you baby," Lee squeezed her hand gently.

"Well, that's where I want to be, counting shooting stars." Sandy sighed.

After her passing, Lee tried to maintain and carry on in life but he felt cheated. He had worked hard and was financially set up for the rest of his life, and still young enough to really enjoy it. But now he was alone and grew bitter and cynical. He missed Sandy. She was everything to him. He loved her so much. It was unfair life was cut so short for her.

His friends grew alarmed at his behavior. Lee was drinking heavily, and hanging out with unsavory people. After a failed intervention Lee's old friends and family wrote him off as a lost cause.

The next two years were an endless cycle of binging on drugs and booze. Then he would sober up and stay clean for a month, then the demons and self-pity would return.

It was in one of these sober moments that he remembered something. He opened the closet and looked at the urn, Sandy's ashes. It was time to do what he had promised her.

"So that is why I am here and where I am going," Lee said sipping his second beer of the evening.

Charlie listened to Lee's story and she could almost feel his grief and anger. Charlie had heard many stories at her bar and was good at sorting fact from fiction. Lee was telling them the truth.

The four of them sat in silence for a moment then Lee spoke again.

"Hey, I'm sorry, didn't mean to bum you all out," he apologized.

Lee's new acquaintances assured him it was ok

"Life can be a real mean bitch." Wes said with a sigh

"Amen to that. Charlie, shots of your finest tequila!" Tim added

"Cut me off after one shot. For once in a long time, I want to remember this evening," Lee said to Charlie with an apologetic smile.

They chatted and laughed, all completely comfortable in each other's company. Lee liked his new friends. Then he excused himself to pop to the men's room.

Lee stood in front of the sink in the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. Something was happening to him. He just didn't realize what. Then it slowly dawned on him, he was actually feeling happy for the first time in years.

The thought gave him hope, another feeling that had been rare, these last couple of years.

Lee returned and pushed open the door to the sounds of the friendly bar.

"Lee! Get your sorry Texan ass over here!" Wes yelled signalling Lee to come to the Juke box. This was Lee's kind of place. A laid back crowd of "retired" Americans, living cheap and enjoying life away from the rat race.

And the juke box was the best he had encountered outside his home town of Austin, Texas.

Charlie was breath of fresh air for Lee. He had spent a lot of the evening talking with her. She was friendly, good company and made him feel welcome, introducing Lee to everybody who stopped in. She even pulled him onto the dance floor to dance to a few rockabilly classics.

"Hey Lee do me a favor?" Wes asked, after they returned from one dance and Charlie went back behind the bar. "We have an early charter. Could you make sure Charlie gets home ok?"

"She lives up the hill, walking distance." Tim added.

"No Problem," Lee smiled. He liked that the two men looked out for her and that they trusted him enough to take care of her.

They shook hands and man hugged each other like old friends. The men made Lee promise to come back to Modero on his return trip to do some fishing.

A few hours later, after helping Charlie close the bar, Lee found himself walking side by side with this charming woman up a pebbled trail that lead to her small home overlooking the Gulf.

"You never told me your story Charlie," Lee said in conversation.

"Huh?" she replied

"You know, what are you doing down here?" Lee asked.

"Well," she stopped walking and took Lee's cigarette from his hand and took a deep drag and explained.

Charlene grew up in a small Florida Farm town. A free spirit with a penchant for trouble, Charlie had left home and school at 17 and went to Miami. In a matter of weeks she was dancing with fake ID'S and making money she could only dream of. A few years later her manager introduced her to another client of his, an Adult film producer.

One thing lead to another and Charlie made the move to California and became a rising star in the porno movie business. But the porn trade was fickle and stars fell faster than they rose. Luckily, Charlie was aware of this and saved her money and left the business still on top of her game.

Charlie tried opening a restaurant in southern California but that failed as did a few relationships. When she hit 30 years old she gave up on the rat race and on a road trip with friends she found Madero.

"I bought the Bar and have been here ever since." Charlie said, finishing her story.

As they approached her small home, Charlie did something she had not done in a long time; she invited Lee in for a drink.

The couple ended up on Charlie's back terrace, sitting on a Porch Swing with a blue and white checked overthrow. It looked out at the Gulf.

The terrace had a small wall with a matching crazy paving floor with large terracotta pots holding pretty red and pink flowing plants which contrasted with the green leaves and stems. Other plants grew and overflowed on the walls. Big stone pillars supported wooden beams overhead. The beams were uncovered to the elements but vines grew along them giving some shade from the strong Mexican sun in the day.

It was a beautiful setting. The sky was clear and full of stars and the night warm. They chatted for a while and sipped their drinks but Charlie was puzzled at Lee's behavior.

Either he was a gentleman or he was not interested in her. She would not accept the latter so she leaned over and kissed him. She was pleased when he responded and eagerly kissed her back.

Lee held her head, put his forehead to hers and whispered, "It's been a while for me."

"Same here," Charlie responded.

"No, I mean... Hell Charlie, I might go Caveman on you," Lee voiced his worries.

Charlie smiled, "I'm not made of glass Tex."

Lee chuckled. Then he pinned her under his body and kissed her soundly, leaving her in no doubt that he was very interested in her and in the morning she may well be tender and bare the marks of their time together.

He tugged her blouse open when he felt her respond to him, neither of them caring when the buttons popped to the floor, nor when he undid the fastening of the bra and pushed it up to her neck to get to her luscious big boobs.

His hands groped and squeezed them. She groaned at his rough handling especially when he bought them up to his mouth. He sucked hard on each nipple as he urgently forced her shorts and panties down and when free of her ankles, flung them to the floor. He spread her legs and heard her gasp as he moved down her body. He wedged his head between her thighs and kissed her beautifully shaved pussy.

Using one hand, he felt her tits, the other move down to finger fuck her while his tongue teased her clitoris mercilessly. It had been awhile since he had drank from a woman and he was a thirsty man.

Charlie writhed on the swing, spreading her legs for him in her turned on state.

She was a sight, naked from the waist down, blouse torn open, bra up and around her neck, her breasts free to the open air with this fully clothed man doing the most intimate things to her. She was moaning and writhing like the porn star she was.

Lee knew exactly what he was doing and was experienced enough to make sure, the woman under him knew it too. He sank his fingers inside her, going deep, making her ready for his throbbing cock, then curled them up to massage her G spot. She groaned and pushed onto his fingers.

He growled into her clitoris as he felt her hands pulling on his hair to guide him to the way she liked it. She was as wanton and needy as him and this pleased him and confirmed, he hadn't lost his touch in pleasuring a woman. He teased her awhile, gaining confidence as she reacted so positively.

Then he used both hands to spread her labia and looked at her sex. It was delightfully wet. He looked up at her and was pleased to see her eyes were shut. She was even kneading her own titties!

The woman was no doubt in need of a good fucking. He unfastened his jeans and took out his erection and stroked himself over her while he felt her pussy and watched her play with her own tits. He was so turned on.

Then he turned her over so her bottom was facing him. He deliberately placed her hands on the back of the swing so her tits hung down.

He placed his dick at her vagina entrance and drove into her depths. His possession was hard and forceful and she groaned as his big cock spread her tight walls to accept him right up to the narrow neck of her womb.

Then he used the swing to fuck her. She kept her balance holding the back of the seat. It was hot, urgent and what they both needed. Pure, unadulterated lust.

His cock pistoned in and out of her as his fingers dug into her hips pulling her back and forth. She held on to the swing so the rhythm and her balance wasn't lost. It was fast and gloriously furious.

He watched as her tits swayed and his cock claimed her tight channel. The sight and feelings built his desire till he felt his balls tighten. His orgasm neared. He didn't hold back, it had been far too long since he was sober enough to enjoy a good woman.

Charlie felt him inside her, pushing in to her body. It was exhilarating to find a man she was so attracted to who wanted her as much as she wanted him. She liked he had positioned her the way he wanted her and wasn't afraid to let his lust for her show. She naturally liked to please her partner.

She moaned at his deep penetration and again when his cock slid against her G spot. She liked how he fucked in abandon.

He banged into her, watching his cock move in and out and how her cheeks rippled on each impact. He felt and spread her cheeks, letting his eyes devour her luscious intimate parts, felt her tight body sliding on his cock coating it with her womanly sheen. He could smell and feel her lust. He liked how she groaned, how she sounded. It was hot as hell.

Lee let out a deep growl, withdrew from her and shot his semen over her bottom and back. The thick creamy liquid speckled her body. His legs shook with the strength of his orgasm as the copious amount of fluid scented and marked her as his.

Charlie moaned in delight and felt him massage his cum into her skin. Then he picked her up and carried her inside. She told him where the bedroom was as he bent and let her close and bolt the blue wooden back door.

He placed her on the bed and immediately opened her legs to kiss her pussy again. His goal was simple. He wanted her to orgasm over and over until she was exhausted and he would fuck her again in her semi-conscious state.

His tongue and fingers worked in unison, teasing her clitoris and G spot and as she hit the crest of her orgasmic waves, he delved his finger into her anus to prolong her joyous gasps. She grasped and fisted the bedclothes while she thrashed and spasmed.

He drank her creamy nectar and repeated the process all over again. She whimpered as he hit her over sensitized spots and treated her gently before tantalizing her elsewhere. He was going to make sure, she didn't forget their night together. He wanted to make sure, he too enjoyed the night to it's fullest.

It was on her third orgasm, he mounted her in the missionary position and pushed his cock into her again. It turned him on, he had almost made her too exhausted to respond to him. She was helpless, his to fuck at will. He fucked her tired body over and over until he too was spent.

Both fell into an exhausted sleep, content, happy and knackered in each other's arms.

Lee awoke to the sound of sea birds greeting the new day. He rubbed his eyes and remembered Charlie was still sound asleep at his side.

Slipping out of her bed quietly he put on his pants, found his shirt and sandals and crept into Charlie's kitchen. He peeked into her fridge, took a bottle of water and drank half of it and wandered out to the terrace.