Maddy Was Different - Part 2 - A Journey to the Redwoods
Chapter 4 - A Date with Chris
Returning from the Yosemite climbing trip, we were across the central valley and on the last lap to school when she stirred and looked out.
"Hmm. You let me sleep too long. I'll drive."
"I'm fine. Relax. Another hour will do it."
She gnawed at the knuckles of my hand. "You know that business about being different persons on the rock?"
"Yes."
"While I was asleep, I got unplugged from climber girl. I'm replugged to pre-med girl and thinking about midterms."
"That's probably good. Pre-med girl went on a date with me once."
Now she had my fingers in her mouth. "Are you ever just an engineer guy?"
"All the time, until I met you."
"It bothers me that engineer guy and pre-med girl are not going to sleep together tonight."
"I had an idea about that while you were asleep. Have I ever told you about my aunt Christina?"
"Don't think so. No."
"Christina lives in her family home in Arcata. Fortyish. Husband was killed in a logging accident years ago. Doesn't have any kids of her own and is very nice to her nieces and nephews. Even now she puts a hundred dollar bill in my birthday card."
"You are taking me to meet Christina so that?"
"If we are lucky, she might provide a housing subsidy."
It was a hard week of booking midterms, but early Saturday morning found us headed north on a five hour drive to redwood country. Maddy was in her hoody and jeans, sipping on a latte and saying, "Aunt Christina is sure nice to put us up on no notice whatever."
"That conversation you had with her put us over the top."
Maddy grinned at me, "She sounded very nice and she sure has you pegged."
"I'm a sucker for tough, beautiful women."
"What about this ascender business?"
"Biologists have been going into the tree canopies to study the microbiota and finding all kinds of interesting things. Maybe Christina wants to try it. Have you ever done a full rope length on those things? It's hard work."
"Climber girls are not supposed to take direct aid." She reached over and pinched my ear.
"Be careful. I've kept my hands off you all week."
"Do you think she'll allow some loving in her house?"
"If there is a problem, I am just taking you out in the woods."
I pulled her hood up and told her to get some catchup sleep. We switched in Willits, and I was gone until she nudged me at Eureka. "Twelve miles to go."
I rang Christina and she answered right away. "You are close?"
"Yes, maybe twenty minutes. Need anything at the store?"
"No, I've got lunch ready. Did you remember to bring your climbing gear? And your sleeping bags?"
"Yes, we are dying to see what you have in mind."
"It will be fun."
I knew the two of them would hit it off, and they did, starting with a big warm hug.
"Matthew, I can tell already you don't deserve this fabulous woman."
Maddy stuck out her tongue, and I hung my head. "You are absolutely right. She tricked me into taking her climbing, and now she is doing the leading."
"I am glad to hear that, because taking instruction from her is a lot better than from you, I'm sure."
The two of them had me sandwiched and applied kisses. I was bold and got an arm around each of them with a good grip on a fine round boob.
"Look at this, we haven't even got the gear out and he is demanding favors. Please call me Chris, that aunt stuff gets old."
After a marvelous lunch of club sandwiches and local craft beer, Chris sent me to transfer the stuff in our car to the Land Rover, saying she and Maddy would deal with the food. Her SUV had all the offroad 4WD features and looked like it would go anywhere.
"Matthew, you drive and I will provide directions." After half an hour of following narrower and narrower roads, she said, "I don't tell many people about this, so you have a secret to keep. My grandfather and I were close, and to my total surprise, he left me the deed to a forty acre parcel of old growth trees that is landlocked back in here by the timber people on one side, and the national park on the other side. Both of them keep trying to find out who owns it, but I have it in a double blind trust that they haven't penetrated so far. When I go to the property like this, I always have a letter of permission from the trustee, who is a lawyer friend of mine and keeps his mouth shut."
All of the land we were passing had been cut, but the second growth was over a hundred feet tall and we were in deep shade. Chris got us through two gates, and then a final one that she said marked her boundary. The track was faint but in a few more minutes we came out of a wet creek bottom to see a mossy cabin nestled in the trees. "This is my hidden home. Inhabited by hobbits and goblins and all kinds of wildlife."
I was put to work making a fire with split dry logs from a shed. Two big coolers from the car were the refrigerator. The cookstove used wood too, and I made a fire there to take the chill off the kitchen. The tea kettle blew its whistle and we sat down to regroup.
"You probably know that the owners try to keep secret the locations of the tallest redwoods to avoid vandalism. There is one here, hemmed in so you can't get a decent sighting on it. I have been fussing over it in my mind for years, and then I read an article about the tree climbing biologists and thought of you, Matthew. I asked Maddy, and she says you are one of the best climbers in the country. When you suggested a visit, I almost fell on the floor. I hope you will agree to teach me how to get up the rope into the tree. I have been stockpiling things here slowly so as not to attract attention."
She led us in the other room and there were several chests full of brand new top of the line climbing ropes, a dozen Jumar ascenders, and other things. "The reason I asked you to bring your gear was because I didn't know what I was doing buying all this."
She was standing next to a sofa, so with a tough glint in my eye, I grabbed her around the waist and sat down with her across my knees. "Auntie, this is quite an idea you have. But you are supposed to involve the expert at the beginning of the project, not halfway through." I was checking out all the muscles in her back and legs. As bad as Maddy. She squeaked, "Matt, older women aren't supposed to be attacked in their own cabins."
"Maddy, come here and feel that. Is this an older woman?"