It was 2020. The year that never was, the year that just wouldn't go away. Mike Kennedy and his friend David Lee, Kennedy and Dave to each other, had missed all their usual annual outings. They each were married, also to lifelong friends, and each had a son and daughter. Kennedy and Dave had been friends since the third grade, worked at the same plant since high school, even bought houses next door to each other when the development was built twenty years ago. Each year, they had a January hunting trip, then at least five NASCAR trips as families together in Dave's RV, every picnic, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, then deer season hunting trip, Halloween, and a December hunting trip. All of these were cancelled or otherwise dampened to the point they didn't go. So, for 2020, they did nothing more on these weekends and weeks than sit in one of their huge refinished basements and watch movies or football.
But, when the December trip came around, they were determined to go. Their sons were in endless limbo between in person school and online circus school, their daughters didn't have any of their fall or winter gymnastics, their wives were becoming household tyrants with the husbands being home more than usual. The virus and the lockdowns and all the event cancellations were stressing and testing their various familial bonds and relationships, and the men had to get away. The state hadn't yet banned bear season, so they were going to make this one count. Their cabin had been unused for almost a full calendar year, the last time this had happened was when both their families had a rash of chickenpox in 1983, so the guys expected a dusty cabin, but either way, they were going. None of their usual hunting pals could go; Jack Reynolds and Lothar Matthiasson were both scheduled on overtime at the plant, everyone who wasn't laid off was doing the work of three men and sacking away the overtime when they could, knowing that the layoffs would eventually claim them too, on the governor's whim.
So, Kennedy and Dave got packed up, and on the road by 6am, expecting to make it to the Central Pennsylvania wilderness by 10. As they pulled up the driveway to their cabin, they saw what was a very unpleasant sight. Both looked at each other, jaws open, then back at the cabin. The door was wide open! They parked, and went up to see what had happened. The jamb was cracked, someone had pried the door open. There was garage everywhere, furniture was trashed, glass was broken, the house was generally vandalized. Almost anything that had pawnable value was gone, even the bath fixtures. The guys were furious. In the initial lockdowns, looters must have pillaged the area knowing no one could legally enter the game lands to check on their cabins; it was like an order from the governor that they must give up their property, and a call to all of the state's half a million heroin addicts that it was a freebie hunting season.
The men got to the back deck, and saw that the cover was still on the hot tub. Well, maybe the place wasn't a total loss? As Dave lifted the cover, everything seemed normal.
"Well, my friend, at least we still have our hot tub," Kennedy patted Dave on the back.
"Yea, we could even sleep here," Dave sarcastically shot back, the beds of the cabin having been defiled completely.
"Look, Dave, let's get our stuff in here, we can set up our sleeping bags from the attic, if they're up there, and we can camp inside. We can deal with the mess here another time, this is our getaway from all the horseshit down home!"
"You're right dude, this is bullshit, but it's way worse down there, we're gonna still kick ass this week!"
They fetched their rucks and their rifles from the truck, and then ventured to the pull down staircase to the attic. Dave was first up, he shined the light around, and announced it was all clear. Well, at least this was a good thing. He tossed two sleeping bags down to Kennedy, who had gotten the fireplace going.
They rolled out the bags in the living room near the fireplace, and Kennedy went out to prime the well pump, hoping it hadn't frozen. That was fine too! Well, despite the mess, and the stolen items, maybe this wasn't so bad.
"Kennedy did you remember to pack trunks?" Dave yelled, finding he had forgotten to himself.
"Yessir, why, your wife forget to pack yours?" Kennedy came back in after having gotten the well pump going. He gave Dave a playful shove, "I hope she packed your dick and balls too, or did she keep them in her little safe?"
"Man fuck off," Dave pushed back. His wife had really taken offense to everyone being home so much. She loved having the home to herself from the time the kids left until the time Dave came home from the plant. Now with the virus, the kids were almost always home, and Dave worked crazy shifts and days. She literally never had a moment alone in the house since March. And the normally sweet Jenna was now a raging bitch, and all of Dave's friends teased him endlessly about it. He had taken to having sex with a rubber sleeve he bought off the internet, in their basement bathroom while pretending to be taking a shit. His kids starting teasing him about his pooping habits even. Life was off the rails, really.
"Well look Dave, let's get the hot tub clean, get it hot, and then have ourselves a relaxing soak."
"I'll clean out some of this trash while you get the hot tub ready," Dave held up a pizza box and tossed it into the fireplace.
An hour later, the hot tub was shocked and was heating up, and the two had tackled the living room and both of the other rooms, all the trash was outside or in the fireplace, and the bedsheets were stripped. They debated whether the mattresses themselves were ruined, but there was no stains and they didn't smell, so they left them be. One thing they couldn't bear was the TV and DVD and VCR were gone. The tapes and DVDs were up in the attic, but with nothing to play them on, they were useless. Half their time in this cabin over the years was spent watching these various porno tapes. Some were now as old as they were, their fathers and uncles having watched them together in the 80s. Even now with porn so common everywhere with the internet, there was something magical still about the men sneaking off to the woods to watch dirty movies. These guys had literally grown up sneaking these pornos, and now, this would be the first trip here without them.
"You want to drive down to the Walmart in State College and fetch a TV and VCR?" Kennedy finally broke the hour long silence.
"Nah, I was really looking forward to watching those fuck movies but I don't know if I'm even feeling it now," Dave lamented. "I did bring this," Dave held his fuck sleeve up.
"What do I get sloppy seconds on your rubber bitch?"
"Well, you can try it if you want, you can even have first," Dave all of his life deferred to Kennedy, letting him first even on his own dirt bike when he got it for his birthday.
