Chapter 1: The Woman From Tallahassee

Summer 2141...

I felt a long-forgotten boyish glee when the old childhood trick worked as if I had been practicing it every day. As I approached Harrison's Creek I hopped off my bike, dissipated the energy with a few quick steps and put it against a tree – all in one swift motion.

Once I'd convinced myself that I was basically still the silly kid from years gone by, I inhaled the scent of the pine trees around me as I stripped off my clothes. It was the last day of August and the summer of forty-one had been a hot one, so even at three in the morning I wasn't wearing much to begin with. It felt strange having the cool breeze wash over my naked frame, but that was mainly because I hadn't been here since May.

I spread out the blanket and lay down on it, just enjoying the reflections the full moon's pale light painted on the water where Harrison's creek spilled into the lake. The serenity of the place was heaven on Earth, and I rued the fact that I'd let my own insecurities bully me into abandoning the place all summer. I closed my eyes, soaking up the near perfect atmosphere. An owl was crying out somewhere in the distance and I could hear the soft gurgling as the little creek's water rushed past.

The tranquility around the place would probably have been enough to sedate a Vulcan, but then, I thought, they'd probably have a bit of a problem with the naked bit. All of Bay County knew that the little lake at Harrison's creek was the turf of the local nude bathers' community, giving us a place to drop the frock without getting busted for indecent exposure.

One would have thought that in the year 2141 people would be enlightened enough to realize that people swimming and sunbathing in the nude was not going to hurt anyone, but Florida was so stuck-up, we had to retreat to a place well hidden within a forest for the prudish folk to accept the status quo.

After lying for a while soaking up the atmosphere, I decided to go skinny-dipping. The full moon's perfect, brilliant image reflected in the water as I shivered slightly in the shallows and the cold crept up through my feet. After such a long summer the water would have been quite warm if it wasn't for the fact that the little creek constantly fed ice-cold water into it. Drawing a deep breath, I let myself fall forwards into the water.

I woke up to the sounds of early birds and someone's footsteps on the gravel path. It was unusual to encounter someone else around here this early in the morning. However, I merely opened my eyes a bit to see that it was still early dawn. The pale reflection of the moon on the water's surface had been joined by bronze colored glints as the rising sun sent a few first rays through the trees.

It was an unspoken rule around here that one didn't go about eying up new arrivals, as it could well be someone coming here for the first time, being nervous about it. Closing my eyes again, I continued enjoying the scents and sounds of nature as the local wildlife started their day quite noisily. That pleasure was short lived however, when the rustling sounds of whoever had arrived got a little too close for comfort. Unless the place was packed, which was rare enough, nobody would stake his claim right next to someone else.

My eyes snapped open and I jumped a bit when my gaze was met by a young girl's firm rear-end. It took me a moment to realize that this wasn't a meddlesome stranger, but my younger sister Lizzie, undressing at the foot end of my blanket. As she pushed down her pants she smiled at me, looking upside-down through her legs, completely oblivious to the fact that she didn't present a particularly modest image.

A waft of her favorite lavender shampoo hit my nose when she sat down next to me with that typical smile of hers. Her blue eyes were sparkling with mirth and happiness. I had asked her several times not to do that, but like always she ignored my request and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Morning sleepyhead," she said, her eyes dancing with glee. "I thought I'd completely miss out on doing the Tucker Bomb this summer."

"How'd you know I was out here?"

She looked at me with a lopsided grin and I realized it had been a stupid question. Where else would I go by bike in the middle of the night? As we were chuckling about my 'here's your sign' moment, the amusement was interrupted by a growl and it came right from my stomach.

"Knew it. I've brought something to eat," she admonished me softly and poked my belly button with her finger. "I bet you haven't eaten since dinner."

There was no point in arguing, considering my stomach had just done a pretty convincing sound-imitation of a rock fall.

Setting down the picnic basket she'd brought, Lizzie sat down across from me and handed me a napkin then put another one in her lap. Covering my own lap I tried not to sigh too loudly in relief. That lotus seating position would have been a truly nasty image. I'd never had a problem with my sister's knack for nakedness, after all this was our favorite place, but looking at my sixteen year old sibling's privates was just a bit too far past by creepiness threshold, especially when eating. Lizzie was of course completely oblivious to such details.

I smiled blissfully when she handed me a paper plate with a slice of pecan pie. Since it was made with brown sugar I knew she'd made it. Mom used the white variety.

"I knew it was a good idea to have you live at my place instead of the dorm," I teased her.

I wasn't a shabby cook, but having my favorite sibling around would mean I'd be in for some great home-made food. Mind you, cooking was not what she was coming to Fog City with me for. That gorgeous sister of mine had been granted an artistic scholarship at the Hundertwasser arts high school for the exceptionally gifted.

"Mom will make a scene though," she replied and ignored my quip. "I've been her last chick to cluck over."

Her knowing half-smile was answered by my nod. "But once we've survived that you'll enjoy the first days without the mother-copter circling overhead. Then you'll start to miss her."

We both chuckled. We talked about several things while eating and I was way too busy enjoying my pecan pie. Frankly there wasn't much motivation to listen anyway as Lizzie was harping on at mom's favorite topic – my girlfriend or boyfriend, or more specifically the utter lack of either.

My complete inactivity in the romance department had been so thorough that my family didn't even know if I was straight or gay like my older brother David. Of course they didn't know why I'd been living like a monk for the past three years, but it had helped save some female hearts being broken (assuming anyone was interested in me to start with). I had barely finished that thought when my dear sister dropped an almighty bomb on me.

"You need to get laid, brother of mine," she concluded her unheard-by-me monologue dryly.

It literally took my breath away. I started to cough when the latest bite of pecan pie inadvertently went down the wrong pipe. My torso was rocked by Lizzie's fist thumping against my back while I wheezed and hacked helplessly.

Once I had regained my ability to breathe I looked at her in a mixture of bewilderment and reproach for having shocked the daylights out of me.

"How do you know how often or not I get laid?" I challenged her – and immediately realization dawned that I'd asked the wrong question. That look on her face was all too familiar. She had the dirt on me and I was in for a few hard truths. A silent groan escaped my throat when she stuck the proverbial knife in at the exact point where the mess had started.

"Remember the '38 Regionals in Tallahassee? You'd won without a single defeat and most of your fights by knockout. Normally anyone who's this good would at least be drafted into the national amateur team. Yet you hung up the boxing gloves a mere week later. On top of that you were so scatterbrained you left your urologist's appointment lying around openly."

I just looked at her, slack-jawed and probably blushing a nice shade of crimson as well.

"Back then I was just thirteen and didn't know what to make of it, but later I could. You might have brought the trophy back, but I bet you left your virginity in Tallahassee."

At that point I was wondering at which temperature human skin would spontaneously combust. Whatever it was, my cheeks felt as though they were approaching that very temperature.

"And why would a guy go to the urologists after losing his virginity?" she continued remorselessly. "You were afraid you'd brought back a little souvenir, meaning you didn't know him or her and you'd forgotten to use the condom each of us got from dad when we turned fourteen."

I was flattened, utterly unable to speak. My face was burning up and I jerked back when she touched my cheek. It felt like someone stuck a hot needle in it.

Her look was sad. She was probably feeling bad about having cornered me so brutally.

As I shook my head to rattle some sense back into it, the decision was made. Heck, I've always been able to talk with her about everything, and now that she was sixteen there was no need any more to pretend she wouldn't know about the 'birds and the bees'. Truth be told, somehow I'd always wanted it off my chest, and now as was good a time as any.

"I don't even know more than her first name, to this very day," I admitted, feeling ashamed. "She'd been sittin' in the first row all through the tournament, practically droolin' at me, even though she was a good deal older than I. Hell, I don't know, she was probably something like twenty-five, thirty? Long dark hair, unbelievably beautiful brown eyes, bit of a Latina touch about her, incredibly beautiful woman, and godammit, that smile..."

"You're gushing, Trip," Lizzie interrupted me softly. "If the two of you ended up in bed, why did you do the u-turn afterwards? Sounds to me like you're still in love with her, head over heels by the sound of it."

I hung my head in shame. Lizzie was about to see the coward side of her brother.

"Back home, I realized what I'd done. For weeks I was freakin' out every morning, scared that a letter would come telling me that mom would be a grandma in nine months' time. Two or three anonymous messages came in. They were from her, but I ignored them. I was so friggin' messed up. When I finally answered one of them, months later, she didn't react anymore."