Chapter 29: Indiana – Michigan

The mid-September temperatures were in the high eighties. The headlines on television and the newspapers again talked about how records were being broken across the country with new high temperatures reported all across the country.

Alice slipped on her Daisy Duke shorts that had been slashed to shreds to allow air into her most private parts, tied the man’s shirt from Dave’s closet at home under her breasts, slipped into her motorcycling boots, and mounted the back of the Harley. Dave had applied a generous layer of suntan lotion to her body only a few minutes earlier.

Dave wore his boots, hiking shorts with three-dozen pockets in them, and a t-shirt. Alice had put lotion on him, too, but he was already getting so bronzed that at least from a sunburn point of view it probably wasn’t necessary.

Fortunately, the helmets they wore had an intercom wired into them. Despite the motorcycle noise and the sound of air rushing past them, they could converse at a conversational level about what they were thinking or seeing. They left Kokomo behind, as Alice explained that the name came from an Indian tribe that had lived in the region.

Dave called the day a ‘speed run’ although they stayed away from Interstate highways. They rolled into Traverse City, Michigan about five p.m., after having gone through South Bend, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids, in addition to many smaller towns. They found the Cherry Tree Hotel they had reservations at, and then took a swim in the hotel’s pool to help them relax and decompress from the long motorcycle ride – about three-hundred-forty miles.

Their one-bedroom suite faced the lake water and was very homey – a small living room with television, sofa, chair; a luxurious bathroom; and a warm bedroom that seemed ultra-quiet. The view of the lake was beautiful and peaceful.

They opted for dinner at a Tex-Mex place called Bubba’s, walking to the place instead of firing up the motorcycle again. They window shopped at a few of the small shops that lined the waterfront on the shores of a bay that made up part of Lake Michigan.

Alice asked him over dinner, “So, what about your new career?”

Dave broke out laughing, “What singing? I don’t believe it. I never even sang in the shower, let alone what just happened in St. Louis. This stuff is Ashley’s doing, and was never a fantasy of mine – not even when Road Trip became so popular. I liked the character Jim Mellon in Cricket’s book, but I never identified with him.”

“Will you ride this wave for a while?”

Dave shrugged, “It is kind of fun. I’ve always liked country music, but being a star in the genre just doesn’t seem like me. If I become one, and Ashley is dragging me in that direction, I plan to remain damn humble and unassuming. I got a whiff of the ego trip someone on stage could catch when I was in St. Louis and the other concerts. If you let your ego get wrapped up in this heady stuff, and then it goes away, I think you’d have set yourself up for a colossal crash and burn.”

Alice nodded, “Good thinking. You have my backing. I got that way about Alice Angel and the porn videos. It would have been easy to let the whole career sweep me away – the adoration, fuss and do, and everything. As I did, you’ll start to get a new brand of fan mail based on your singing now.”

Alice laughed, “You think you’ve got pussy now; just wait until all these hot young chicks are throwing themselves at your feet begging for you to fuck them unconscious or even leave your baby seed in them. You will have to find ways to ignore that kind of shit. I think if you stick to Circle rules, that’ll help, but word will go out that if anybody wants a shot at you, they’d better have a new lab test.”

Dave teased, “I could limit myself to virgins. I hear they’re in short supply these days.”

Alice shook her head but laughed, “You’d STILL get a lot of offers. They call it Star Power, and you’re right; it’s heady stuff. Pure ego. Keep a metaphysical attitude about it, and also keep doing stuff for the benefit of the world community. You’ll end up feeling better about yourself.”

“I guess I need a role model of some kind.”

Alice suggested, “Look at somebody like Bono of U2. He’s made more money than God, and turned into a venture capitalist and philanthropist. He also has testified before Congress and other agencies about third-world debt relief and the problems facing third world countries about things like AIDS, especially in Africa. While he’s out there with U2 and the music, he’s also doing a lot of good behind the scenes.”

Dave thought about it and slowly said, “The guys that would be good role models would not be all macho with six-pack abs, nor would they be authoritarians. They’d have a vision about themselves in the world and some aspect of the world that would be better than it is. They’d be vulnerable and open, probably be paying-it-forward in some way, and have energy to keep moving onward and upward without being obnoxious about it.”

Alice nodded. “You’ll be great at it. If you think about it, you’re already a role model in the Circle. You’ve had the vision for so many things that happened, and yet you’ve always been open to other’s ideas. You’re open and vulnerable, but so loving and giving, and you’ve led the Circle to be a truly great place.”

Dave chuckled, “A whirlpool of sex and debauchery, you mean?”

Alice smiled, “And love ... and above all, never forget that I love you.”

“And I love you.”

“That sounds like an ideal recipe for the two of us going back to our hotel room and making love all night long.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Let’s go.”

Two days spent in Traverse City were relaxing and also sex filled for the couple. After an overnight rain into their third day, the couple headed north up to Mackinac Island for a day, and then into the UP or Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Since it was after Labor Day, most of the vacationers were gone.

Alice and Dave set up camp for their overnight at the Manistique Lakeshore Campground. There were three other sites occupied at the picturesque place, each with a small trailer of some kind.

They had bought a few groceries at a nearby market to cook on the grill for dinner, and after setting up the tent and starting a fire they grilled the steaks and steamed some corn they’d purchased. Soon, the aroma of the cooking meat permeated the place. Dave realized they weren’t the only ones cooking outside. They waved across a long distance of a couple of empty campsites away to another couple also cooking out and adding to the lovely aromas filtering through the copse of trees around the campground.

After dinner, Dave wrapped their waste in a garbage bag and carried it to the registration hut where there was a racoon and bear proof garbage bin. Alice took the cookware to the restroom to wash and prepare for the next meal.

On the way back, Dave passed by the couple at the other campsite. They waved and were close enough to talk. The man hailed Dave, “Hey, neighbor. Bring your lady and come back for some after dinner drinks. We’re social folks.”

Dave acknowledged the offer and retrieved Alice. They walked back together.

Simon and Lindsay Martin were a November-May couple. Dave even thought that Simon might be Lindsay’s father, given the age difference. Lindsay appeared to be a recent high school grad, but stated as part of her ‘Who we are’ comments that she was twenty-three. Simon was forty-six. They were from outside of Toronto and had cut across Canada the two days before, touring and seeing part of their country before entering the United States.

Simon stood about six feet tall with salt-and-pepper hair, particularly at his temples. Dave could see that his physique and demeanor instantly appealed to Alice. While soft-spoken, he left the impression that no one was going to take advantage of him. Simon was an engineer by training, and had increasingly specialized in solar and wind power generation, recently opting to develop his own consulting firm to service utilities in North America. Upon learning that, Dave commented briefly about Pam’s consulting business in the power industry and his short stint as a board member for a panel manufacturer and installer.

Lindsay was a graduate of McGill University in Montreal. She was working for the Toronto branch of a large audit and consulting organization, more on the consulting side. She was only three years into that career, and liked the work.

Dave felt just from the way she talked about her job that she was doing well. Further, she had that fabulous mix of brains and good looks. She had reddish-blonde hair and beautifully erect posture that also tended to push her perky breasts out in front of her. The latter point proved to Dave that she’d dispensed with a bra that day.

Dave said he lived in Sarasota and was between jobs– doing a few music gigs with a group from Nashville that toured around the country, but nothing too serious. Alice explained she was a finance girl for a large manufacturing company. They talked about Dave’s trip, and how Alice had met him in St. Louis to travel a bit with him before she had to get back to work. Dave mentioned they were meeting friends in Chicago the following week for a few days.

Lindsay said, “We’re going to Chicago, too. We have a conference we’re attending. It’s kind of a first-time thing.”

Dave’s ears perked up, “Conference? What kind?”

Lindsay beamed, “It’s actually kind of a Fan Club meeting revolving around a television show called The Circle. It’s a lot more ... philosophical and even sexy. Have you ever watched it?”

Dave shot Alice a glance and they smiled at each other and then started to laugh. The more they laughed, the harder they laughed. Their laughter obviously mystified Simon and Lindsay; she finally said, “What’d I say?”

Alice explained, “It’s not what you said, honey. We’re from the Circle. We’re part of the TV show. Dave here is the keynote speaker. He’s been one of the linchpins for getting the Circle organized, build, and populated with all the great people we know.”

Lindsay whirled around and studied Dave carefully, even leaning in close to him to study his face. “Holy shit! You are him. Oh, forgive me for not noticing.” Simon commented, “Her glasses are in the truck.”

Simon said after a pause, “Are you swingers? Do you enjoy getting together with relative strangers?” His voice sounded hopeful, at least to Dave.

Dave responded, “If you watch the show, you know that we prefer to start with a relationship and then complete it with love and affection.”

Alice then added with a daunting chuckle, “But, we’ve been known to be a little loose on how things start.” She giggled, knowing she was teasing Simon. She wanted to see what his next move would be.

Lindsay said in a pleading tone, “We’d love to be with you, but everybody at the meeting will feel that way. I feel we know you, at least I do. I promise I’ll do better at recognition with my glasses on. I’ve watched every episode at least a couple of times. Simon is often in the room, but I don’t know how much attention he devotes to the TV for any show, let alone your show. I read Cricket’s book, too – twice. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. You’re stars! You’re my role models.” She sighed.

Dave shook his head, “No, we’re just a group of people that put together an interesting lifestyle that many other people also find interesting.”

“But you have like ten wives and over a dozen children, and you make love to all the women in the Circle, sometimes two or three at a time.”

Alice threw in with a twinkle in her eye, “And he’s damn good at it, too.”

“Please consider us your good friends. We won’t say anything to anybody about what would happen between us, but ... I’d feel so honored and you’d make me so happy. We even got tested last week to prove we’re pure in case we wanted to get involved with somebody in Chicago. I know that’s one of your key requirements for being with anybody. Us, too.”

“And you two would be fine engaging in sex with us? Have you had experiences as a couple with other people?” Dave asked cautiously.

“No, not sex, but we have three other couples in our neighborhood that we’ve made out with and gotten past second base with – all that within the past two months. With one couple, I’m certain we’ll have sex on our next ‘date’. One of the reasons we’re going to the Circle confab in Chicago is to learn how to put a group together like you’ve created.”