I headed south from Crystal River, back towards Tampa and the keys. Not having Marta with me was depressing at first, but I gradually got in touch with my inner solitude and started to enjoy myself again. I kept in touch with Marta and Johnny on the phone, and things were going beautifully for them. I could tell from their voices their relationship was growing deeper, and Marta was giddy with excitement when she told me about her experiences on stage with Johnny.
My own life at the moment was considerably less exciting, but that was fine. I was re-charging my batteries, enjoying the natural world, and even practicing my guitar, although it was less fun than when Marta gave me lessons.
I got in touch with a cousin in Naples and had a wonderful reunion. He and his wife insisted I stay a few days, and it felt nice to be with family even if I hadn't seen him in many years.
I bypassed Key West βthinking it would make me think too much about Marta and Lisa and Lindsey β and island hopped my way toward Miami and the east coast. When I was in the Miami area I got a call that made me very happy β Becka was flying down for spring break with some friends, and would spend a long weekend with me in Fort Lauderdale. I didn't want to miss out on any time with her, so I made a bee-line for a marina I'd heard about and lucked out with an available mooring. It was way off to the side, in a shallow part of the harbor, but I was happy with it because it was somewhat private.
By the time I got there and replenished my supplies it was time for Becka to arrive. She showed up at the marina in a cab with her two college girlfriends, looking radiant with a new haircut β her beautiful blonde hair was shorter, quite curly, and sexy as hell. We had already decided on the phone that she would stay with me on the boat, and her friends seemed disappointed at first that she wouldn't be at the hotel with them, but it didn't take long for them to see the depth of our relationship, and they understood.
Hanna and Megan were typical college girls. Everyday girl-next-door types who looked like they were ready to party. The streets of Fort Lauderdale anywhere near the water were thick with partying kids, so I was pretty sure they would get what they were after. Becka, on the other hand, had told me she wanted quiet time alone with me, but whatever she wanted to do was fine with me. I was just glad to have her near me again.
Hanna and Megan left us and went to their hotel to check in. It was about two miles away, and not far from the beach. Becka and I rowed the dinghy out to the boat with her single bag of luggage. It was the first time Becka had seen Connie, and I had her ship-shape and gleaming for her inspection.
"Is this your boat?" Becka asked with a look of amazement on her face as we approached the boarding ladder.
"Yup, this is Connie. Welcome to my home."
"Oh my God! I saw the pictures on my phone, but in person it's . . . wow!" she said.
We climbed aboard and Becka felt right at home even though it was all new to her. After the tour we sat on the back deck and sipped iced tea.
"I love it Steve. And you seem so relaxed . . . I can tell you're happy," she said. "I've been worried about you all winter. It seemed so crazy . . . giving up the life you were used to and living on a boat, but I think I'm starting to understand better now."
"Just wait'll you've spent a few days on board, then you'll know," I said, and we both let the peace and quiet sink in for a few moments.
"Mom wants me to call," she said. "You want to say hi?"
"Absolutely," I said.
"Hi mom," she said into her cell phone. "Yeah, it was good. No problems . . . They went to the hotel . . . Yeah, I'm sitting on it right now. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It's all wood, and totally different than all the rest of the boats around here . . . Yeah, he looks great. He's tan, and his hair's lighter, from all the sun I guess . . . Okay . . . Yeah, I will . . . hang on a second," she said, and she handed me the phone.
"How's my favorite sexy nurse," I said.
"Hi Steve," Lee said. "It's good to hear your voice again. We miss you."
"I miss you guys too," I said. "How's my little camp holding up since we last talked."
"Fine, no problems."
"The job goin' okay?" I asked.
"Still the same," she said. "I've been seeing a guy from radiology. Nothing serious, but we've been having some fun."
"That's great," I said. "You deserve some fun."
"Steve, keep an eye on the three of them, all right? Spring Break's pretty insane these days," she said.
"Yeah, I will," I said, smiling at Becka.
"I'm glad she's with you," Lee said.
"I'm glad she's with me too," I said, and Becka smiled sweetly.
βββββββ
After a few texts to Hanna and Megan telling them they were on their own that night, Becka and I settled in for a quiet evening. Of course the first order of business was exploring each others naked bodies on the bed in the forward cabin. I'll never get tired of the feeling of the boat moving gently under me while a woman moves gently on top of me. It's heavenly, and Becka liked it too.
"It's so cool, being with you like this on a boat," she said, sitting up on me, grinding slowly with me deep inside her as the boat rocked slightly from a passing wake. "It's like . . . magical."
"The magic started when you came aboard," I said, lost in the feeling of being with the most sensuous young woman I've known. So lost were we that afternoon became evening, and evening faded to darkness before we got up off the bed and made our way to the galley to whip up some nourishment.
"How did I survive four months without you?" Becka said, sitting at the dinette table in her cute underwear, twirling a cold beer bottle between her fingers.
"After the last few hours I'm not sure how I survived either," I said as I put together some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.
We sat and ate, gazing into each others eyes and smiling like teenagers in love. I had to keep reminding myself Becka
was
a teenager just eighteen months ago.
"Gotta see what my girls are up to," she said, picking up her phone and firing off a text.
A minute later one came back:
HANNA GOT SOME ALREADY...
IN THE MEN'S ROOM!! I KNOW U DID 2
I'M CLOSE, WITH CUTE GUY @ BAR!!
WISH U WERE WITH US
"Well they're off and running," Becka said with a laugh, shaking her head a little. "Gonna be a wild week for them."
"You don't want to miss it all do you?" I asked.
"I'm beyond happy right here," she said. "If we don't move from this spot all weekend it'll be heaven."
We sat on the back deck sipping our beers in the humid night air, and Becka caught me up to date on her winter at school, her mom, her sister Emma, and their friends that I knew.
"Lacy wanted to come with us, but it was a stretch money-wise for her, and she would have wanted to be here with you," she said. "I finally told her I needed to be alone with you. I don't think she gets it yet . . . you and me. I hope I didn't hurt her feelings. I like her a lot, but she's really Emma's friend. You know, it sounds weird, but I feel so much more than one year older than them. I feel like I've grown so much in the last year."
"Maturity happens fast at your age," I said. "They'll catch up before you know it."
"Lacy's mom and my mom have been hanging out a little," she said, watching my face to see my reaction.
"Really? Your mom hasn't mentioned it to me," I said.
"I think she's afraid to. Worried you'll think she's getting too wild or something."
"Gettin' wild's okay . . . Lord knows I do my share," I said. "I wouldn't want her getting involved with the kind of guys Denise hangs with though."
"Guy's like you?" Becka said with a little smile.
"Touche," I said. " No, I mean she's been in some abusive relationships, and she hangs with a rough crowd."
"Yeah, I know. Mom's too smart to fall into that crap I hope. She met a guy at work."
"She mentioned that on the phone. Have you met him?" I asked.
"No. She said he's nice though. Young like you."
Some kayakers paddled by in the darkness, but other than that it was very peaceful in our far corner of the mooring field. All the boats near to us appeared to be local β they were all buttoned up and unused.
"How's my little Katie doing," I asked.
"Emma said she got a little wild," Becka said. "I think you β what's that old saying, opened the floodgates? β when you, you know . . ."
"Popped her cherry?" I said with a smile.
"That sounds a little crude, but yeah," she said. "But I guess Emma talked to her about it, and now she's got a boyfriend."
"That's nice. She's a sweet girl," I said.
"I'm sure she's good in the sack with all that you taught her. Sometimes I think about you and . . . I just don't know what to think," she said.
"I don't want to sound too flippant, but you kind of knew what you were gettin' into when you fell for me. I mean your first exposure to me was a wild orgy that you watched."
"I'm well aware of that mister," she said with a little smile. "Is it normal though? Are you normal? Are we normal?"
"Probably not," I said. "But normal's overrated. Nobody's getting hurt β at least not at the ratio that
normal