We all piled in, and headed over to Mary and Dave’s. Mary and Dave are the only married people we seem to be friends with, though they did used to live in the house with us, before the late night hook-ups turned to love and marriage and a baby on the way. They have gone on every climb, but can’t stand the actual climbing so they serve as our ground team. Mary is only four months along so isolation in the middle of a national park isn’t going to be detrimental to her or the tike, besides the rangers are always just a radio call away.
They climbed into the last two spots and we were off on the ten and a half to twelve hour drive from Houston to Big Bend. We’ve often debated about the sense in buying or renting an RV for these trips, but there just isn’t seating for twelve in those things, and we just don’t think it would be as much fun to take a bus or something as it is to drive ourselves. We stopped every two or three hours to change drivers, pee, get snacks, get gas, or eat a meal. It was just after seven that evening when we arrived at the first of four campsites, and the place we’d be leaving our vehicles. Luckily there was a swimming pond at this one and after we set up the tent and started a fire we invaded the cool crisp water. It was early May, the water was still cold because the temperatures were still in the eighties and would keep us from over heating on our climbs.
Mary hung back, never having been one for open water, and made us all some hot chocolate and set up for s’mores for before bedtime. We came back dripping, laughing and ready for a snack and bed. The morning came once, more bright and clear as we broke camp, doused the fire and Les and I drove our cars to the ranger’s station. He gave us claim tickets and we hoofed it back to camp. Loaded up, we started out on the first six hour hike of the trip. The coolers were passed back and forth between us, to keep any one person from carrying more than their share, and over taxing themself.
We made it just as the sun was starting to lower from it’s zenith to the first camp, hot, sweaty, and ready for a meal that wasn’t trail rations. Our designated site was next to a knee deep stream and we all took some time to rinse off in it’s chilling babble. Dinner was fish Jamal and Mike caught from the stream, (up-stream from where we’d bathed) apples and toasted bread. These kinds of meals would be welcome when we came down from the cliffs. We sat and talked about the days to come.
One more six hour hike would have us at the base of the cliff face and we could set up the base camp for Mary and Dave, the day after we would start phase one of the climb. Wendy was our strongest and most agile climber so she would be point for day one. Then we’d camp on a shelf that was mapped as a seven hour climb straight up. The next morning we would take on phase two with our next strongest climber, Antonio as point. The second shelf was only a five hour climb but we had to angle across to it. We’d camp there and take the last phase, a nine hour climb with Wendy as point again. We would then camp on the top of the cliff over looking the world.
After our triumphant climb up, we have to get back down. A six hour process all in itself. Repelling is actually my favorite part of the climb. I love the freedom of the free-fall feeling you get when you push off the rock and slide down your rope. The rush of not knowing if it really will hold or not. Of course you have to take your anchors our of the rock on the way down, which is why it takes so long. We slept soundly that night and were up and raring to go with first light. This hike was more difficult than the first, because we had to traverse large rocks and difficult barely marked trails to get to the base of the Expert cliff. Mary needed to rest much longer at mid-day than we planned so our trek was seven hours, but that wasn’t too big of a deal. It wasn’t like we were racing some other group to the camp site or anything.
The Climb
This is what came out when I started writing for the newest sentence in The Sentence Game It's crazy long, already 8 pages in Word and I'm not finished yet. I just wanted to share what I have so far and I will post more as I write it. Also I should mention there is sex and so this might not be work safe reading.
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The Climb
It was supposed to be an adventure. The kind of thing that changes your life forever, that makes you take stock and reevaluate everything you’ve done thus far in your short little speck of time on earth. It took us over three years to plan this thing, from funding to the time from work and school, to equipment, to the route we would take. It was supposed perfect, the time of our lives, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Something you tell your kids, and grandkids and great-grandkids about. Something you kept pictures of the wall on framed by the rope you used.
Julie Arnold, Mike Stanofski , Keysha Johnson, Antonio Scarduci, Jamal West , Wendy Ping, Les Sands, Horatio Jimenez, Beth Kelly, and me, Sabra Hall, have been friends since before we could remember. We went through all twelve grades together and one of the three area colleges. We share a house near the north end of town and some of us even work together. We’re all single, and for the most part intend to stay that way. Of course we all date and hook up and do the things that normal twenty-somethings do, but we’re pretty much happy just being the little UN we are. Don’t get me wrong we all do our fair share of sneaking into someone else’s room in the middle of the night, but it just seems to work for us.
Let me tell you a tiny bit about what we do and how we got to this point in our lives. I’m a marine biologist, and I work down at the local aquarium in an entry level-peon position, but I’ve already had one promotion and a raise and it’s my goal to be head of aquatic mammals in five years. Julie’s a make-up artist at the local amusement park. Mike’s a photographer and our token gay guy. Keysha’s a junior member of a large prestigious law firm. Antonio’s a sous chef at some french place I can’t pronounce and have no hope of being able to afford to eat at. Jamal is an assistant coach for the highschool basketball team.
Wendy is a second grade teacher while she works on her masters and doctorate so that she can be a professor of some obscure subject at the university. Les is a full back on our city’s NFL team, well he’s like third string or something, but he loves the team and the opportunity so we support him. Horatio is a cop, he has big plans for being a detective so he keeps his nose clean and our’s. That leaves Beth, she’s kind of the odd man out in our group. At this point in time she’s a waitress down at the Denny’s. Before that she tried modeling, before that it was pet grooming, before that it was cleaning up vomit at the hospital, before that it was oh hell, I’ve forgotten. She has never had an ambitious bone in her pretty little body, but she always manages to have her tenth of the mortgage, utilities and grocery money.
We started climbing the spring break of our junior year as a means of trying something new, and we all collectively fell in love. We’ve gone every year to the same place in Big Bend working our way up the certification tiers and having the times of our lives. Three years ago the park opened up a new cliff face that was mark “expert only” and has tons of restrictions and qualifications. We started working on those, along with the rest of the logistics that would make this trip happen.
I’m the crazy anal details person and so one wall of our living room is covered with charts and check lists that are updated every time something else falls into place. We knew that this trip was meant to be, just by the ease with which everything was coming together. Three weeks before the trip equipment began arriving. We’d scrimped and saved and worked hard to purchase all new stuff so that we didn’t take any chances. I began sorting and testing everything as it came in, everyone in the house helping out when they had a chance. Then our rations arrived, then our packs, then three days before the new clothes arrived. Beth and I spent hours getting it all washed, folded and packed, after everyone had tried their stuff on for fit. Then we all portioned out the equipment and packed up the night before. Two weeks down in the Big Bend was just what the doctor ordered for all of us. Saturday morning dawned bright and clear as we loaded my Tahoe and Les’ Escalade with packs, coolers and the ground team’s tent and other gear.
Sarah
18 years ago
Sarah
18 years ago
We found the marked site, next to a much smaller stream than the first, so our rinsing and cooling off was not of the immersion kind. Fresh fish was also not on the menu so we made due with fire burned hot dogs. There is something to be said about the amazing taste of camp hot dogs. In general I hate hot dogs, most of our little tribe does, and these trips are really the only time we even buy them, but they are some of the best tasting food you can burn on the end of a stick.
After our meal we set up base camp. This is a much more involved process than pitching a tent for the transient sites. We do pitch the tent but it is set up to hopefully withstand five nights of the elements. We generally find scrub brush to cover the top so that it is shaded and cool. We did that this time as well. A hole was dug for a longer lasting, less open fire, and with the help of an Ove-glove we move the bigger still lit logs into the bottom of the pit and build it from there. Before we obtained this nifty little helper, we usually used a big stick and just shoved the fire into the pit or rebuilt a new fire. This way we kept the proper ventilation below the fire and we didn’t create a burn hazard with the sparks from the shoving method, or waste a lot of wood with the do-over.
The stream gurgled at a lovely forty-two degrees, which meant the things from the coolers could be placed into a shaded part of the stream, in their plastic cooler linings and kept fresh and cold for the entire time. That was taken care of, and we all settled in for a night of anticipatory sleep.
We woke with mumbles, grumbles and stiff muscles, to the smell of brewing coffee. I’d slept in a sleeping bag with Mike and had had one of the best non-intercourse orgasms of my life. I gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek and he told me I gave better head than most of his partners ever had. I smiled into his big blue eyes and thanked him. I didn’t care that he was gay, never had. I was the first person he told and I think we were twelve or thirteen. I also didn’t think it was my mission to fix him or change his mind. I’d needed comfort and so had he. I’ve learned over the last twenty-seven years that comfort comes in many forms and that sex is not always about love and intimacy, but can be about giving and taking release and comfort.
There had been many sounds of release and comfort in the tent that night, and none of us needed to say anything about it or even cared who had comforted whom. My mom had once said our life was like living in some free love hippie commune. I sort of agreed, except if one of us were dating no one snuck into their room at night or were anything more than the plutonic friends the boyfriend/girlfriend thought we were.
We ate bacon and eggs, toasted bread and orange juice for breakfast. Mary was an incredibly good campfire cook and had almost always done all of the cooking for our trips. She never seemed to mind and once had told me that since she couldn’t climb with us, then she could make darn sure we were well nourished. She and Dave were sort of the “mom and dad†of us all. They made sure we kept our physicals up to date and that we feed ourselves and stocked the fridge with good food. Most of us though were very health conscious anyway, but it was nice to have someone looking out for you.
We cleaned up from breakfast and started checking our equipment and getting everything set up. The start point was a ten minute walk from the camp, so we had to do everything here. We checked radios and sent a test over the waves to the ranger’s station letting them know we were heading up.
After our meal we set up base camp. This is a much more involved process than pitching a tent for the transient sites. We do pitch the tent but it is set up to hopefully withstand five nights of the elements. We generally find scrub brush to cover the top so that it is shaded and cool. We did that this time as well. A hole was dug for a longer lasting, less open fire, and with the help of an Ove-glove we move the bigger still lit logs into the bottom of the pit and build it from there. Before we obtained this nifty little helper, we usually used a big stick and just shoved the fire into the pit or rebuilt a new fire. This way we kept the proper ventilation below the fire and we didn’t create a burn hazard with the sparks from the shoving method, or waste a lot of wood with the do-over.
The stream gurgled at a lovely forty-two degrees, which meant the things from the coolers could be placed into a shaded part of the stream, in their plastic cooler linings and kept fresh and cold for the entire time. That was taken care of, and we all settled in for a night of anticipatory sleep.
We woke with mumbles, grumbles and stiff muscles, to the smell of brewing coffee. I’d slept in a sleeping bag with Mike and had had one of the best non-intercourse orgasms of my life. I gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek and he told me I gave better head than most of his partners ever had. I smiled into his big blue eyes and thanked him. I didn’t care that he was gay, never had. I was the first person he told and I think we were twelve or thirteen. I also didn’t think it was my mission to fix him or change his mind. I’d needed comfort and so had he. I’ve learned over the last twenty-seven years that comfort comes in many forms and that sex is not always about love and intimacy, but can be about giving and taking release and comfort.
There had been many sounds of release and comfort in the tent that night, and none of us needed to say anything about it or even cared who had comforted whom. My mom had once said our life was like living in some free love hippie commune. I sort of agreed, except if one of us were dating no one snuck into their room at night or were anything more than the plutonic friends the boyfriend/girlfriend thought we were.
We ate bacon and eggs, toasted bread and orange juice for breakfast. Mary was an incredibly good campfire cook and had almost always done all of the cooking for our trips. She never seemed to mind and once had told me that since she couldn’t climb with us, then she could make darn sure we were well nourished. She and Dave were sort of the “mom and dad†of us all. They made sure we kept our physicals up to date and that we feed ourselves and stocked the fridge with good food. Most of us though were very health conscious anyway, but it was nice to have someone looking out for you.
We cleaned up from breakfast and started checking our equipment and getting everything set up. The start point was a ten minute walk from the camp, so we had to do everything here. We checked radios and sent a test over the waves to the ranger’s station letting them know we were heading up.
Sarah
18 years ago
This climb began just like any other and after the first hour talk stopped and we were all lost in our own worlds of putting a hand into the next hold and going that much further up. Radio calls were made every hour by Mary or Dave, checking on our progress. We called back and forth to each other about hand holds and falling rubble. But other wise all that could be heard was labored breath, scraping rock, and bird song. We paused three hours in, letting the anchors take our weight as we ate protein bars and dried fruit stored in shorts pockets.
At the shelf we called down to Mary and Dave and rested and stretched with panting breath while they made the hike to the cliff base. Jamal screwed a pulled into the rock, and threaded a rope through it and we passed empty water bottles to him. He tied them on and began to lower the rope. Dave called that he saw it and the process of switching empty for full and hauling up food began. Keysha made a small fire for keeping the animals away and we enjoyed a dinner of ham sandwiches, apples, roasted almonds, and fruit juice. We exchanged the remnants of dinner for sleeping bags, and snuggled in groups of two or three for ten hours of sleep, each of us taking a one hour watch. I liked first or last watch, because it meant my sleep was uninterrupted. I drew the last watch straw and curled up in my sleeping bag to fall instantly asleep.
I’d opted to sleep next to Mike again, mostly because he’s drawn first watch and so wouldn’t be disturbing me in the middle of the night, and because I’d enjoyed his company the night before. It felt like I’d just gone to sleep when we was climbing in next to me. He wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand resting between my breasts, the other arm under my neck and his legs lined up with mine. Mike was just a little taller than my five-seven and so he fit perfectly against me. I sighed and went back to sleep. I can’t say how everyone else faired, but I was entirely too sleep needy when Beth woke me up for my watch.
Yawning I stirred up the fire, added some wood, and filled the coffee pot from the gallon jug and put it on to boil. Then I radioed Mary and Dave to let them know we had an hour until everyone was getting up, and stared out over the park, watching the sun rise. The watch on my wrist sounded it’s alarm and I went about waking every one up, starting with Mike and ending with Beth. I squealed when Antonio pulled me into the puppy pile of him, Julie, and Horatio, and kissed me senseless. When he finally let me go, the caramel skin of Horatio’s hand was disappearing up my shorts and Julie was nibbling my ear. Laughing I kissed them all soundly, and climbed out of the pile, telling them to get up.
We drank coffee, ate protein bars, almonds and apples for breakfast and sent everything down the line to Mary and Dave. After a short radio into the Rangers, Antonio started us up the cliff face. The first hour was full of joking, laughing and talking, just like any other climb, and like the day before fell away to rock chatter, and bird song. At the three hour mark we stopped for a quick lunch or protein bars and dried fruit again. I don’t think I’ll ever associate the taste of apricots with anything good ever again.
I was seventh in line, Antonio on point, then Julie, Beth, Keysha, Jamal, Mike, me, Wendy, Horatio, and Les as anchor. I was putting my left hand into the hand hold above my last clip move and below me I heard a scream, a female scream, the line jerked, and someone screamed, “Oh my God.†I was afraid to look down. I didn’t think I could handle the sight I would find. In that slow motion way tragedy brings, I looked under me. Wendy’s purple helmet was missing and so was Horatio’s red one. Les was hanging by the rope scrambling for a foot hold. I pushed out a little and looked past him. I wish I hadn’t. Oh God, I wish I hadn’t.
At the shelf we called down to Mary and Dave and rested and stretched with panting breath while they made the hike to the cliff base. Jamal screwed a pulled into the rock, and threaded a rope through it and we passed empty water bottles to him. He tied them on and began to lower the rope. Dave called that he saw it and the process of switching empty for full and hauling up food began. Keysha made a small fire for keeping the animals away and we enjoyed a dinner of ham sandwiches, apples, roasted almonds, and fruit juice. We exchanged the remnants of dinner for sleeping bags, and snuggled in groups of two or three for ten hours of sleep, each of us taking a one hour watch. I liked first or last watch, because it meant my sleep was uninterrupted. I drew the last watch straw and curled up in my sleeping bag to fall instantly asleep.
I’d opted to sleep next to Mike again, mostly because he’s drawn first watch and so wouldn’t be disturbing me in the middle of the night, and because I’d enjoyed his company the night before. It felt like I’d just gone to sleep when we was climbing in next to me. He wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand resting between my breasts, the other arm under my neck and his legs lined up with mine. Mike was just a little taller than my five-seven and so he fit perfectly against me. I sighed and went back to sleep. I can’t say how everyone else faired, but I was entirely too sleep needy when Beth woke me up for my watch.
Yawning I stirred up the fire, added some wood, and filled the coffee pot from the gallon jug and put it on to boil. Then I radioed Mary and Dave to let them know we had an hour until everyone was getting up, and stared out over the park, watching the sun rise. The watch on my wrist sounded it’s alarm and I went about waking every one up, starting with Mike and ending with Beth. I squealed when Antonio pulled me into the puppy pile of him, Julie, and Horatio, and kissed me senseless. When he finally let me go, the caramel skin of Horatio’s hand was disappearing up my shorts and Julie was nibbling my ear. Laughing I kissed them all soundly, and climbed out of the pile, telling them to get up.
We drank coffee, ate protein bars, almonds and apples for breakfast and sent everything down the line to Mary and Dave. After a short radio into the Rangers, Antonio started us up the cliff face. The first hour was full of joking, laughing and talking, just like any other climb, and like the day before fell away to rock chatter, and bird song. At the three hour mark we stopped for a quick lunch or protein bars and dried fruit again. I don’t think I’ll ever associate the taste of apricots with anything good ever again.
I was seventh in line, Antonio on point, then Julie, Beth, Keysha, Jamal, Mike, me, Wendy, Horatio, and Les as anchor. I was putting my left hand into the hand hold above my last clip move and below me I heard a scream, a female scream, the line jerked, and someone screamed, “Oh my God.†I was afraid to look down. I didn’t think I could handle the sight I would find. In that slow motion way tragedy brings, I looked under me. Wendy’s purple helmet was missing and so was Horatio’s red one. Les was hanging by the rope scrambling for a foot hold. I pushed out a little and looked past him. I wish I hadn’t. Oh God, I wish I hadn’t.
Sarah
18 years ago
Three hours’ worth of climb below lay a heap of limbs, blood and purple and red helmets. I heard another scream and realized it was coming from me, but I couldn’t make it stop, above me Antonio kept asking what had happened, he was over a lip of rock and couldn’t see anything.
“They fell, oh God, oh God. Wendy and Horatio fell.â€Â
“Shit†came from somewhere above me, and I heard the static of the radio come to life. Antonio hadn’t seen it and so he still had the presence of mind to call for help. I felt a tap on my hand and looked away from the pile of my friends to Mike. He was talking, but I have no idea what he said. I never asked him to repeat it.
After a ten minutes of gripping the rock, and not knowing if we should repel down to them or stay put, we heard the helicopter. Les had found his footing fairly quickly and now called up to us to start the descent. He had managed to keep his head. Me...I wept and wept, my only hold on reality was my fingers gripping rock.
Mike tapped my hand again so that I would start down the rock. Antonio came last, pulling the anchors as he climbed down, instead of repelling. I made it to the bottom, just as the chopper came into view. I didn’t look, I couldn’t. Les said he went over as soon as he’d touched bottom, and felt for pulses, there had been none.
The chopper came and everyone but Antonio and Les huddled against the rock wall. The two guys, helped the rescue workers, untangle our friends and put them in body bags and then into the floating spinning basket things. The chopper left, they’s be back in a few hours to get us from base camp, but we had to get off the cliff on our own.
I couldn’t move, no one but me had actually looked, and so I was strapped to Mike’s back and piggy-backed down the cliff face. I don’t remember that. All I remember was crying, lots and lots of crying. We made the hike back to base camp after securing our equipment, and I was wrapped in a sleeping bag while the rest broke the camp. There was silence as the remaining nine of us left the land better than we’d found it.
I remember the helicopter ride out, because it was loud and smelled like jet fuel. Someone was constantly holding me, and as I looked about me, everyone was clutching someone. They moved around, needing one persons arms over another in that moment. It was a strange crouched dance around the chopper’s interior. I looked over my shoulder and found Mike there. Tears stained his perfect school-boy’s face. He was one of the most beautiful people I know. Light hair, bright blue eyes, round cheeks, straight nose, pouty mouth. I liked to tell him he would have been Hitler’s perfect Arian except for the gay part. That made me give him a watery smile, he had no idea why I smiled, but he later said he was glad for it, and smiled back.
“They fell, oh God, oh God. Wendy and Horatio fell.â€Â
“Shit†came from somewhere above me, and I heard the static of the radio come to life. Antonio hadn’t seen it and so he still had the presence of mind to call for help. I felt a tap on my hand and looked away from the pile of my friends to Mike. He was talking, but I have no idea what he said. I never asked him to repeat it.
After a ten minutes of gripping the rock, and not knowing if we should repel down to them or stay put, we heard the helicopter. Les had found his footing fairly quickly and now called up to us to start the descent. He had managed to keep his head. Me...I wept and wept, my only hold on reality was my fingers gripping rock.
Mike tapped my hand again so that I would start down the rock. Antonio came last, pulling the anchors as he climbed down, instead of repelling. I made it to the bottom, just as the chopper came into view. I didn’t look, I couldn’t. Les said he went over as soon as he’d touched bottom, and felt for pulses, there had been none.
The chopper came and everyone but Antonio and Les huddled against the rock wall. The two guys, helped the rescue workers, untangle our friends and put them in body bags and then into the floating spinning basket things. The chopper left, they’s be back in a few hours to get us from base camp, but we had to get off the cliff on our own.
I couldn’t move, no one but me had actually looked, and so I was strapped to Mike’s back and piggy-backed down the cliff face. I don’t remember that. All I remember was crying, lots and lots of crying. We made the hike back to base camp after securing our equipment, and I was wrapped in a sleeping bag while the rest broke the camp. There was silence as the remaining nine of us left the land better than we’d found it.
I remember the helicopter ride out, because it was loud and smelled like jet fuel. Someone was constantly holding me, and as I looked about me, everyone was clutching someone. They moved around, needing one persons arms over another in that moment. It was a strange crouched dance around the chopper’s interior. I looked over my shoulder and found Mike there. Tears stained his perfect school-boy’s face. He was one of the most beautiful people I know. Light hair, bright blue eyes, round cheeks, straight nose, pouty mouth. I liked to tell him he would have been Hitler’s perfect Arian except for the gay part. That made me give him a watery smile, he had no idea why I smiled, but he later said he was glad for it, and smiled back.
Sarah
18 years ago
We landed and were ushered into the ranger’s station, and peppered with questions. Our equipment was taken, and sent to somewhere to be looked over to find the cause of the accident. I answered the best I could and was given a shot by a very nice man in a white lab coat. I liked his glasses, they were round and silver and made him look distinguished. The next thing I remember is waking up on a stiff cot in a small room with Mike at my feet, Julie next to my head and the rest of the gang around the room, on chairs or the floor, looking at me.
Mike smiled. “We were sure we’d lost you too. You ok?â€Â
I nodded at him, and between him, me, Julie, and Keysha I was sitting up.
“What happened?â€Â
Mike grimaced. “Well, Wendy and Horatio†I waved a hand at him. “I know that, I mean after.â€Â
They told me about getting down, I told them I remembered the helicopter and the man with the needle. They told me I’d passed out and had stopped breathing. The doc fixed me up right as rain and I was put in this room to rest, and we were waiting for them to finish checking the equipment and release our vehicles.
Just then the door opened and the ranger that had been our contact through the whole trip stepped in with a cardboard box.
“Your equipment is sound. They shouldn’t have fallen. It looks like Wendy went first and took Horatio with her. I’m sorry guys.â€Â
We thanked him, he left the box full of our stuff and went back out after telling us we were free to go. We got the information about Wendy and Horatio’s bodies and finally went out to the cars. Les asked if anyone had the information for their families. I raised my hand.
“Wendy’s parents died years ago in a car accident and she doesn’t have any siblings. I think some aunts and maybe a grand parent. Her address book at home would have all of that. Horatio was a foster kid. Don’t ya’ll remember? He lived with all of us at some point in our lives. He’s the reason we all bought a house right out of highschool. We’re their family.â€Â
It was a somber realization for all of us. We all had families, they were the only two of us that didn’t. And while everyone had known that in the back of their heads, no one wanted it to be true. There should be more than just us ten that would miss them. We loaded everything in the car but that box of equipment. With a small sob, Jamal picked it up and carried it back inside. He came out with out it and climbed into the Escalade. We’d never climb on it again, and we all knew we didn’t want the reminder of it. He’d done the right thing.
I climbed into the back of my Tahoe and Mary got behind the wheel first. It was a depressing ride home. No one talked much, we all just sort of huddled against each other. We stopped every few hours to eat, pee, get gas and change drivers and places. I wasn’t allowed to drive. I didn’t blame them. We stopped in San Antonio around midnight and rented the single room some cheap highway motel had. Mike, Julie, Beth and I were on one bed. Mary, Dave, Jamal and Les on the other and Keysha and Antonio on a pile of sleeping bags on the floor. I didn’t think you could put four people on a motel queen, but you can. I went to sleep with Mike to my back, Julie to my front and Beth in front of her. We didn’t stay long, as my watch said seven when we were pulling out of the lot and back on to I-10.
Mike smiled. “We were sure we’d lost you too. You ok?â€Â
I nodded at him, and between him, me, Julie, and Keysha I was sitting up.
“What happened?â€Â
Mike grimaced. “Well, Wendy and Horatio†I waved a hand at him. “I know that, I mean after.â€Â
They told me about getting down, I told them I remembered the helicopter and the man with the needle. They told me I’d passed out and had stopped breathing. The doc fixed me up right as rain and I was put in this room to rest, and we were waiting for them to finish checking the equipment and release our vehicles.
Just then the door opened and the ranger that had been our contact through the whole trip stepped in with a cardboard box.
“Your equipment is sound. They shouldn’t have fallen. It looks like Wendy went first and took Horatio with her. I’m sorry guys.â€Â
We thanked him, he left the box full of our stuff and went back out after telling us we were free to go. We got the information about Wendy and Horatio’s bodies and finally went out to the cars. Les asked if anyone had the information for their families. I raised my hand.
“Wendy’s parents died years ago in a car accident and she doesn’t have any siblings. I think some aunts and maybe a grand parent. Her address book at home would have all of that. Horatio was a foster kid. Don’t ya’ll remember? He lived with all of us at some point in our lives. He’s the reason we all bought a house right out of highschool. We’re their family.â€Â
It was a somber realization for all of us. We all had families, they were the only two of us that didn’t. And while everyone had known that in the back of their heads, no one wanted it to be true. There should be more than just us ten that would miss them. We loaded everything in the car but that box of equipment. With a small sob, Jamal picked it up and carried it back inside. He came out with out it and climbed into the Escalade. We’d never climb on it again, and we all knew we didn’t want the reminder of it. He’d done the right thing.
I climbed into the back of my Tahoe and Mary got behind the wheel first. It was a depressing ride home. No one talked much, we all just sort of huddled against each other. We stopped every few hours to eat, pee, get gas and change drivers and places. I wasn’t allowed to drive. I didn’t blame them. We stopped in San Antonio around midnight and rented the single room some cheap highway motel had. Mike, Julie, Beth and I were on one bed. Mary, Dave, Jamal and Les on the other and Keysha and Antonio on a pile of sleeping bags on the floor. I didn’t think you could put four people on a motel queen, but you can. I went to sleep with Mike to my back, Julie to my front and Beth in front of her. We didn’t stay long, as my watch said seven when we were pulling out of the lot and back on to I-10.
Sarah
18 years ago
When we got home, I went into Wendy’s room and found her address book. Les called her family, and everyone else made the other necessary phone calls. They both had life insurance, we all did. Dave had made us all get it. So their funerals were going to be paid for, along with their debts. Though it was sad, but after we sold their cars and things and began a trust at the school Wendy was working to get into and added to the widow’s fund for the police department, we were able to pay off the house. It was completely mortgage free now and all we had to worry about was the property taxes and insurance.
I spent a lot of time in my room, curled on my bed, while everyone around me made funeral arrangements and phone calls and forced food down my throat. I knew I should be doing something to help and that every one was grieving too, but I couldn’t shake what I’d seen. I replayed it in my head over and over and over. The sound of their bodies hitting the rock woke me from the precious little sleep I could muster. Finally Mike called the doctor, and he came to the house to give me some medicine.
I slept for twenty-four hours straight. They woke me up and made me shower so that I could go to the funeral. I’s been told my mom had been by. It was weird, but that helped me pull the thigh highs up my legs and slip the sedate black dress over my head. Beth braided my hair back for me and lent me a pair of low-heeled pumps.
We traveled to the funeral home in a big black limo. It was a nice limo and I spent the ride petting the seat, feeling the leather. I can’t say I remember much about the service. I know there were so many flowers I choked on their perfume, and that I said something to the people there to celebrate the lives of our friends and lovers. I vaguely remember the ride to the cemetery and that I tossed roses onto the coffins. They were buried side by side the first two in a row of twelve places. Something we’d bought when we were being morbid and had bought life insurance, written wills and bought 401k’s. I was happy to know that they were there together and that one day I would be too.
We rode back home and our house was full of mourners and well wishers and all the food they brought. My mom sat with me a while, I washed dishes and swept up messes. I hugged and thanked people and when everyone finally left. I passed out on the couch. I woke to Mike carrying me from the couch to his bed. His bed was bigger than mine. He believed that he should spoil himself. So he had a king sized bed to my small full and slept on satin and silk. He’d changed those out for flannel and sat me on the edge of the bed.
He removed the dress borrowed from Julie and Beth’s shoes. He rolled the thigh highs down my legs and gently removed my bra and then laid me down onto the cozy comforting sheets. I cried as his tender fingers brushed my cheek. Here was this gay man, who didn’t know the true pleasures of a woman and was ultimately my best friend, trying hard to comfort me. He removed the black suit he’d worn, down to the only protection nature had given him and crawled into the bed with me.
I spent a lot of time in my room, curled on my bed, while everyone around me made funeral arrangements and phone calls and forced food down my throat. I knew I should be doing something to help and that every one was grieving too, but I couldn’t shake what I’d seen. I replayed it in my head over and over and over. The sound of their bodies hitting the rock woke me from the precious little sleep I could muster. Finally Mike called the doctor, and he came to the house to give me some medicine.
I slept for twenty-four hours straight. They woke me up and made me shower so that I could go to the funeral. I’s been told my mom had been by. It was weird, but that helped me pull the thigh highs up my legs and slip the sedate black dress over my head. Beth braided my hair back for me and lent me a pair of low-heeled pumps.
We traveled to the funeral home in a big black limo. It was a nice limo and I spent the ride petting the seat, feeling the leather. I can’t say I remember much about the service. I know there were so many flowers I choked on their perfume, and that I said something to the people there to celebrate the lives of our friends and lovers. I vaguely remember the ride to the cemetery and that I tossed roses onto the coffins. They were buried side by side the first two in a row of twelve places. Something we’d bought when we were being morbid and had bought life insurance, written wills and bought 401k’s. I was happy to know that they were there together and that one day I would be too.
We rode back home and our house was full of mourners and well wishers and all the food they brought. My mom sat with me a while, I washed dishes and swept up messes. I hugged and thanked people and when everyone finally left. I passed out on the couch. I woke to Mike carrying me from the couch to his bed. His bed was bigger than mine. He believed that he should spoil himself. So he had a king sized bed to my small full and slept on satin and silk. He’d changed those out for flannel and sat me on the edge of the bed.
He removed the dress borrowed from Julie and Beth’s shoes. He rolled the thigh highs down my legs and gently removed my bra and then laid me down onto the cozy comforting sheets. I cried as his tender fingers brushed my cheek. Here was this gay man, who didn’t know the true pleasures of a woman and was ultimately my best friend, trying hard to comfort me. He removed the black suit he’d worn, down to the only protection nature had given him and crawled into the bed with me.
Sarah
18 years ago
I curled around him, and lifted my face to his. He kissed me gently in the way that he did when I was sad, and I smiled.
“Thanks, I needed this.â€Â
“I know.â€Â
He held me skin to skin, until I fell into a sleep that was natural and restful. I do not know when he left the bed, but he was replaced by another naked body and in that way we all found comfort in the touching and closeness of skin to skin. One such exchange woke me and I found Beth leaving the bed weeping, to be replaced by Les. We spoke for a little while, and I found I needed more than just a warm body.
A whisper and a sigh, had him turning me onto my back. A soft moan filled Mike’s room as he entered me, hot and hard with need and grief. Someone outside the door heard us and slipped inside the darkened room. It was Keysha. She looked lost with her always immaculate hair in a braid instead of styled up on her head, her dark chocolate skin was smooth and warm against my hand. She moved until her lower body was above my face and she and Les could embrace above me. As he move with in me, I tasted the dark flesh above me.
“Thanks, I needed this.â€Â
“I know.â€Â
He held me skin to skin, until I fell into a sleep that was natural and restful. I do not know when he left the bed, but he was replaced by another naked body and in that way we all found comfort in the touching and closeness of skin to skin. One such exchange woke me and I found Beth leaving the bed weeping, to be replaced by Les. We spoke for a little while, and I found I needed more than just a warm body.
A whisper and a sigh, had him turning me onto my back. A soft moan filled Mike’s room as he entered me, hot and hard with need and grief. Someone outside the door heard us and slipped inside the darkened room. It was Keysha. She looked lost with her always immaculate hair in a braid instead of styled up on her head, her dark chocolate skin was smooth and warm against my hand. She moved until her lower body was above my face and she and Les could embrace above me. As he move with in me, I tasted the dark flesh above me.
Sarah
17 years ago
I heard the door open and close again and the weight of someone else crawling onto the bed. I craned my neck and caught a glimpse of smooth tanned skin and knew Beth had returned. She found a place near my head and my hand reached out to her. As she maneuvered so that my fingers caressed the soft curls between her legs the door opened once more.
I felt Keysha tense to move, so I gave her flesh a gentle kiss to let her know I understood she wanted to move, and saw her move into Antonio’s arms. My attention returned to my own body when my left breast was suddenly enveloped in moist heat. I smiled at Less over the rim of my breast as he continued to move with in me.
I am incredibly sensitive and so I orgasm quickly and often during sex and so Led just rode out the first crashing waves that had me crying out into the darkness of Mike’s room. My cries must have been louder than I’d thought for Mike rushed into the room, panting. He asked if everything was alright, which brought giggles from the five of us. Julie and Jamal were suddenly at Mike’s back, they must have seen him running through the house. They stopped asking what was wrong when Mike pushed open the door and flipped the third of five switches on the wall by the door. It turned on the recessed lighting around the ceiling of the room and was just the right amount of light for sex.
The three of them joined in our giggles. Mine turned to gasps as Les began to move with in me once more. Mike closed the door behind the three of them and moved to join Beth, Les and me, while Julie and Jamal went to Keysha and Antonio. Mike had this great seating space that was nothing but a fluffy rug and tons of pillows in every shape and size. I’d spent many a Saturday afternoon whiling away my time there, and it was there that the second half of my little family came together.
Les angled my knees up and pushed hard, deep and fast with in me, bringing me up and over into another orgasm. My cries filled the room again, and I knew he did it just because he could. I glared at him when I came down from my mountain top and he laughed, before gently pulling out and moving easily on the bed. My fingers had continued to caress and play with the heated flesh between Beth’s legs through all of this and my eyes now moved to her’s. She smiled at me and leaned down to kiss me gently. At the same moment I was startled to feel lips between my own legs.
Most of us are bisexual, not in a pressured way, but because it feels natural. Jamal and Mike were the only two of us that generally had little to do with other than their preferred sex. Jamal got squicked out by the thought of being pleasured or pleasuring a man and Mike just couldn’t bring himself to do more than the occasional manual orgasm for a woman. And so I was surprised to look down my body and find Mike’s lips upon my brazilian waxed ones.
I watched in wonder as he kissed, licked and suckled at my most intimate parts, Beth had moved her own lips to my breast and so I watched Mike around her head. Her breathing came faster, as my fingers worked and she cried against my flesh, I felt the head of Les’s penis brush my finger tips and enter her.
I began to move my fingers and she shook her head and whimpered softly, so I continued to play as Les’s thrusts rocked her against me. I however, paid little attention to them as my eyes were only for the magic Mike was working between my legs.
I am not ashamed to admit I am quick to orgasm and orgasm often. I have only had one of those monumental earth shattering things that builds and builds then explodes and that was when I was sixteen and it had been Horatio that had given it to me. The memory made my eyes tear.
But Mike had some kind of magical touch and every time I would near my peak he would do something that would calm everything and bring me back to earth only to build me back up again. Over and over, he did this, even as Beth bit into my breast when her orgasm rocked her body, he continued to build me up and break me back down.
He was relentless as Beth moved to snuggled between his legs and his fully erect member into her mouth, and Les moved to straddle my chest, slipping his Beth-soaked penis between my eager lips. I writhed and bucked against the two of them as Mike continued his endless torture. I was panting and blind with need, and still he brought me so close only to gentle me and build me back up again.
I was beyond all comprehension even as Les trust between my suckling lips and spilled his hot seed down my throat. I drank him dry and still Mike would not let me fall crashing over the mountain he had made me climb. Les climbed from my chest and laid curled against me, his lips and fingers playing with my breasts. Mike grunted against my tender flesh as I heard Beth’s greedy slurping noises that meant she had given Mike the release he’d been so long denying me.
I felt Les grow hard against my writhing bucking thigh as I panted and clawed and begged. It seemed Mike was simply going to ignore my pleas and continued with this exquisite torture all the night while everyone around me would be sated and satisfied and sleeping the ecstacy away.
His crystal blue eyes glanced up my body and smiled at me, as he began to move his body from between my legs. His lips, teeth and tongue did not stop their relentless movement, as he continued to move his body. He moved until his knees straddled my head, and when he had himself comfortable I felt Les’s hard length move across my thigh. I felt my hand being moved and placed against hot, damp curls, and then I was being filled.
My mouth opened to take in the semi-hard member above me, as Les filled me, and Mike’s lips worked above where Les and I joined. Beth moved and my fingers slipped inside her slick opening and Les began to thrust with in me. I was on overload as my mouth began to work the organ in it. It didn’t take long to get Mike back to full attention and then suddenly people were moving again.
I was certain that this was when I would be allowed to end this rapture, but Mike was pulling away and Les was two. It was like the two of them were communicating in some way. No the three of them, because Beth was moving too. Mike gave my girl parts a break as they rearranged themselves and I was able to regain myself enough to open my eyes.
My breath still labored and I shuddered as I watched Mike position himself between my knees. Beth and Les moved to the side and Mike and I were left alone, staring at each other along the length of my body. I found that I wanted this man as I’ve never wanted another man and it surprised me as I had never thought of Mike in that way. He was more like my best friend and confidant, and then there was the whole he liked boys thing.
I spoke his name on a sigh and he leaned forward placing a soft kiss on my navel. Then he moved a gentle line of kisses up my body, it was the single most erotic thing a man has ever done to me. Soon he was placing those oh so soft kisses along my jaw and finally, hesitantly his lips met mine. I let myself devour him, explore him. He pulled away, and nuzzled that vulnerable spot just below my ear.
Then just as hesitant as his kiss had been he slipped inside of me. It was...amazing. Mike was no more well endowed than the average man, he wasn’t thick or long, he just felt right. It wasn’t fair. I knew that this would be my only time with him and so I let myself sink into it and I forgot about the rest of the world.
To this day I have no idea what the rest of the house was doing in that room with us. I do not know when they all left us or who had turned on the gentle music that had accompanied this adventure. All my world had narrowed down to the man between my legs. He moved slowly with in me, as though savoring each caress of velvet muscles. We built upon the work he had begun before and slowly he brought me to my peak. I had only one orgasm with him, and it was timed perfectly with his own so that I felt the scalding heat of his ejaculation in the midst of my clenching writhing soul crushing orgasm.
We lay quietly entangled as we came down off the high high mountain he had helped us climb. It was not long before we began again and we passed the night of our friends funeral exploring the one person we both thought we’d never have.
I felt Keysha tense to move, so I gave her flesh a gentle kiss to let her know I understood she wanted to move, and saw her move into Antonio’s arms. My attention returned to my own body when my left breast was suddenly enveloped in moist heat. I smiled at Less over the rim of my breast as he continued to move with in me.
I am incredibly sensitive and so I orgasm quickly and often during sex and so Led just rode out the first crashing waves that had me crying out into the darkness of Mike’s room. My cries must have been louder than I’d thought for Mike rushed into the room, panting. He asked if everything was alright, which brought giggles from the five of us. Julie and Jamal were suddenly at Mike’s back, they must have seen him running through the house. They stopped asking what was wrong when Mike pushed open the door and flipped the third of five switches on the wall by the door. It turned on the recessed lighting around the ceiling of the room and was just the right amount of light for sex.
The three of them joined in our giggles. Mine turned to gasps as Les began to move with in me once more. Mike closed the door behind the three of them and moved to join Beth, Les and me, while Julie and Jamal went to Keysha and Antonio. Mike had this great seating space that was nothing but a fluffy rug and tons of pillows in every shape and size. I’d spent many a Saturday afternoon whiling away my time there, and it was there that the second half of my little family came together.
Les angled my knees up and pushed hard, deep and fast with in me, bringing me up and over into another orgasm. My cries filled the room again, and I knew he did it just because he could. I glared at him when I came down from my mountain top and he laughed, before gently pulling out and moving easily on the bed. My fingers had continued to caress and play with the heated flesh between Beth’s legs through all of this and my eyes now moved to her’s. She smiled at me and leaned down to kiss me gently. At the same moment I was startled to feel lips between my own legs.
Most of us are bisexual, not in a pressured way, but because it feels natural. Jamal and Mike were the only two of us that generally had little to do with other than their preferred sex. Jamal got squicked out by the thought of being pleasured or pleasuring a man and Mike just couldn’t bring himself to do more than the occasional manual orgasm for a woman. And so I was surprised to look down my body and find Mike’s lips upon my brazilian waxed ones.
I watched in wonder as he kissed, licked and suckled at my most intimate parts, Beth had moved her own lips to my breast and so I watched Mike around her head. Her breathing came faster, as my fingers worked and she cried against my flesh, I felt the head of Les’s penis brush my finger tips and enter her.
I began to move my fingers and she shook her head and whimpered softly, so I continued to play as Les’s thrusts rocked her against me. I however, paid little attention to them as my eyes were only for the magic Mike was working between my legs.
I am not ashamed to admit I am quick to orgasm and orgasm often. I have only had one of those monumental earth shattering things that builds and builds then explodes and that was when I was sixteen and it had been Horatio that had given it to me. The memory made my eyes tear.
But Mike had some kind of magical touch and every time I would near my peak he would do something that would calm everything and bring me back to earth only to build me back up again. Over and over, he did this, even as Beth bit into my breast when her orgasm rocked her body, he continued to build me up and break me back down.
He was relentless as Beth moved to snuggled between his legs and his fully erect member into her mouth, and Les moved to straddle my chest, slipping his Beth-soaked penis between my eager lips. I writhed and bucked against the two of them as Mike continued his endless torture. I was panting and blind with need, and still he brought me so close only to gentle me and build me back up again.
I was beyond all comprehension even as Les trust between my suckling lips and spilled his hot seed down my throat. I drank him dry and still Mike would not let me fall crashing over the mountain he had made me climb. Les climbed from my chest and laid curled against me, his lips and fingers playing with my breasts. Mike grunted against my tender flesh as I heard Beth’s greedy slurping noises that meant she had given Mike the release he’d been so long denying me.
I felt Les grow hard against my writhing bucking thigh as I panted and clawed and begged. It seemed Mike was simply going to ignore my pleas and continued with this exquisite torture all the night while everyone around me would be sated and satisfied and sleeping the ecstacy away.
His crystal blue eyes glanced up my body and smiled at me, as he began to move his body from between my legs. His lips, teeth and tongue did not stop their relentless movement, as he continued to move his body. He moved until his knees straddled my head, and when he had himself comfortable I felt Les’s hard length move across my thigh. I felt my hand being moved and placed against hot, damp curls, and then I was being filled.
My mouth opened to take in the semi-hard member above me, as Les filled me, and Mike’s lips worked above where Les and I joined. Beth moved and my fingers slipped inside her slick opening and Les began to thrust with in me. I was on overload as my mouth began to work the organ in it. It didn’t take long to get Mike back to full attention and then suddenly people were moving again.
I was certain that this was when I would be allowed to end this rapture, but Mike was pulling away and Les was two. It was like the two of them were communicating in some way. No the three of them, because Beth was moving too. Mike gave my girl parts a break as they rearranged themselves and I was able to regain myself enough to open my eyes.
My breath still labored and I shuddered as I watched Mike position himself between my knees. Beth and Les moved to the side and Mike and I were left alone, staring at each other along the length of my body. I found that I wanted this man as I’ve never wanted another man and it surprised me as I had never thought of Mike in that way. He was more like my best friend and confidant, and then there was the whole he liked boys thing.
I spoke his name on a sigh and he leaned forward placing a soft kiss on my navel. Then he moved a gentle line of kisses up my body, it was the single most erotic thing a man has ever done to me. Soon he was placing those oh so soft kisses along my jaw and finally, hesitantly his lips met mine. I let myself devour him, explore him. He pulled away, and nuzzled that vulnerable spot just below my ear.
Then just as hesitant as his kiss had been he slipped inside of me. It was...amazing. Mike was no more well endowed than the average man, he wasn’t thick or long, he just felt right. It wasn’t fair. I knew that this would be my only time with him and so I let myself sink into it and I forgot about the rest of the world.
To this day I have no idea what the rest of the house was doing in that room with us. I do not know when they all left us or who had turned on the gentle music that had accompanied this adventure. All my world had narrowed down to the man between my legs. He moved slowly with in me, as though savoring each caress of velvet muscles. We built upon the work he had begun before and slowly he brought me to my peak. I had only one orgasm with him, and it was timed perfectly with his own so that I felt the scalding heat of his ejaculation in the midst of my clenching writhing soul crushing orgasm.
We lay quietly entangled as we came down off the high high mountain he had helped us climb. It was not long before we began again and we passed the night of our friends funeral exploring the one person we both thought we’d never have.