Chapter 40

Finally, the time to visit Idaho was here. I had gone over Blue Whale carefully, getting a complete oil change and tune-up before loading up. Everything was fixed up and ready, I had made six cassette tapes to listen to for the drive since I knew first hand there were many areas with no radio stations on the trip. And Linda stayed with me the night before we left.

It was about 16 hours to our destination, and to see the most on the trip I decided on two different routes. On the way there we would take US-395 through the mountains of California then Nevada. Then driving across Nevada and coming up near Twin Falls. Then on the way home we would take I-15 South and go through Salt Lake City and spend a day or two in Las Vegas before heading home. All told, about two weeks including stops and drive time.

All told, there were really only three ways to get from LA to Pocatello. The Eastern Route, which went though Utah, the Central Route which went through the Sierra Mountains and Central Nevada. And finally, the Western Route, which went to Sacramento, then Reno. Each route had good and bad things about it. I drove to LA taking the Eastern Route, and this time I decided the Central one would be a nice change of pace.

We took showers and turned in early on Friday night, and on Saturday morning we were up and on the road by 5 AM. We stopped in the desert to get breakfast about an hour after we left, and Linda took over driving. And it continued like this for the next 18 hours, swapping drivers every few hours and only stopping for food, gas, and quick bathroom breaks. Finally at shortly before midnight we were pulling up in front of Kim’s house. I had not even finished getting out of the truck when she jumped into my arms and wrapped her thighs around my waist, hugging me tightly and giving me kisses all over my face.

“Pete! I missed you so much! I can’t believe you’re finally here!” she yelled, as she hugged me tight and her parents and Linda were all laughing. And I spun in a circle, one hand on her bottom to help keep her in place, and my other on her shoulder holding her as tight as I could. Finally she let herself down, and blushing I introduced her to Linda. The girls were watching each other closely, but they were both smiling as I gave Kim’s parents hugs. Finally they decided they were indeed friends and gave each other warm hugs.

I let Kim take Linda inside the house as her dad and I unloaded the truck. I told him how the drive was, basically long and boring and uneventful. And he told me how well they had done at the stock auction in the spring. It seems that the last fall he sold off most of the Hereford, and this spring renewed his stock with Angus. I asked him why, and he told me he got a good deal on them as one of the ranches near Idaho Falls was being converted to an industrial park, and with his limited acreage it simply made sense to maximize his profit per head. We then talked about the usual things men talk about in the area, like bales of hay expected in the fall per acre, weather, expected auction prices in the fall, and what the farmers had planted. And as he was filling me in on that, we got everything situated in the room I had used only two years before.

We chatted for an hour or so as I told them some of the things I had been up to in the last two years. And of course they had all kinds of questions about Linda. And one thing for sure that none of them expected was how small she was. She was now all the way up to 5’1”, and maybe 90 pounds soaking wet. But she and Kim were talking up a storm, with Kim saying that she still had some of her old outfits in storage that she might be able to give to Linda.

Finally we were all tired out, so as Linda took her shower Kim helped me get the bed turned down and got us both a soda. “I like her Pete. And you’re right, she looks more like 14 than 16, but I believe you that she is as old as you both say she is. But I bet we are all going to have a blast over the next week.”

Finally Linda came back in a long T, and I headed off to take my shower as the girls talked. Finally I came out in my underwear, and Linda giggled as she saw that. Kim grinned, and made a show of looking me up and down, saying “Yeah, you have filled out a bit since the last time I saw you that way, Petey.”

I laughed, and said that she had filled out a bit more as well. Then I explained that she had seen me like that many times over the years, and even skinny dipping in the river near my old house when we were both kids. “One thing you will learn about these country girls, they are a lot more earthy than you city girls are.” It was almost 2 in the morning, so Kim gave us both hugs and we crawled into bed. I turned off the light and we had barely started to cuddle when we both fell asleep.

We woke up at almost 10, and were soon dressed and in the dining room having breakfast. I told them that I had planned on going into town and seeing some people. We asked Kim if she wanted to come along and she jumped at the chance. We all jumped in my truck and were soon entering the large metropolitan community of Pocatello, population of around 45,000. We had lunch at a Red Steer, and when Linda saw that finger steaks were on the menu she had to get that. Kim chuckled, as we both ordered the same thing. When she asked Linda about it, she admitted that I had introduced her to them and they now were one of her favorite foods.

Then when we were finished, I drove to Mr. Flushing’s office. As soon as I walked in the door, Barbara took a long look at me, then yelled and ran over and gave me a big hug. Of course this brought Mr. Flushing out of his office and he shook my hand as I introduced them both to Linda.

He told Barbara to go ahead and close the office for the day, and once she did she joined us in his office. “First off Pete, I want to thank you for your business. You may not know this, but Mr. Cummings paid all the fees in regards to his publishing your works. And he has referred two other people to me in the area, so your little sideline has been good for me also. And it seems that you are still doing pretty good in that, even if you are only 18.” I told them about some of the conventions I had been to, and gave him some copies of press releases and articles about the games I had published as well as a galley copy of the cover of Chaos in the Capitol. I knew he had a wall in the front that he often placed mementos like that on, and I was sure this would be added to them.

When I told him that by the end of the summer I was joining the Marines, he grinned and said “Well Semper Fi then brother!” and shook my hand. Wow, I had no idea that he had been a Marine, and had paid for law school with his GI bill. Although he told me he was a machine gunner, while I was going into computers. But he gave me a few tips, and told me a bit more of what to expect in boot camp.

Barbara asked us all about how Linda and I had met, and I just said it had been right after I got to LA at a roller rink. She laughed at that, saying “That figures. Pete here went skating every chance he could. I think he wore grooves into the rink he was there so often!”

“Wow, that was something I never knew! I thought he really got into in LA.”

“Nope, he’s just like his mom was like that. She also loved skating, and when she was in High School she was even a carhop at the local diner. Tiny skirt, round hat on her head, wearing roller skates and bringing people their meals. I was already married at that time, but when she came to work here I remembered her from those days.”

We spent the next few hours chatting with them, and I promised I would continue to keep in contact with them. And with a promise that I would stop by at least one more time before going back to LA. Kim then had me drive to one of the gas stations, where Clark, one of my buddies from school worked. We talked for a bit as he worked, and he was glad to meet Linda. We then went to several more places, looking up old friends who were mostly at home.

I told her I wanted to go see Lance, and she told me that if I wanted to go there it would be without her. This puzzled me, as we were part of the same group of a dozen or so kids that were always together since grade school. Then she told me that after I had left, they had dated for about six months. And she thought it had been going good, until she skipped a period.

It seems that the last few months they had been fucking like bunnies. And even though they used condoms, when she was two weeks late she told him what she thought was bad news. Now in this area, the only really acceptable answer to this was getting married. But Lance, he froze up and even suggested that since they had used condoms maybe she had been with somebody else.

And it got even more ugly and went downhill after that. Screams and tears were flung both directions, and finally she went and slept in one of the hay fields, wondering what she was going to tell her parents. And that night, her period started. Apparently she was not pregnant, just late. She said nothing to Lance, and the next week after ignoring her since the fight he finally came up and asked her what she was going to do about “her baby”.

Well, that was the end, and she had not said a kind word to him since then. And I can’t blame her, and decided that Lance was one friend I was crossing off my list. Anybody who treated Kim like that was no longer my friend. “I am glad I never had that issue. Before Pete and I did it I made sure to get on the pill.”

“Well Linda, that is probably a lot easier in LA than it is here. Here you need parental approval if you are under 18. My mom put me on the pill before Pete here left, I had flat out told her that he was going to be my first, and we would be doing it before he left. But after that six month prescription ran out, she did not let me renew it. I have gotten my own since then, so it is no longer a worry.”

“Wow, that really sucks Kim. All that time and no sex?”

“Oh Linda, I never said I had no sex! Just that I had to resort to other methods. Condoms are nice because it prevents the messiness that follows sex, but it is nowhere near as much fun without them. And there are other things we can do that does not require them.”

Linda giggled, and said she knew what she meant. We were just about to leave town when I pulled into the grocery store on the edge of town. We all went in, and Linda was shocked when I went straight to the beer aisle and picked up a case of Coors. “Pete, what are you doing!” she whispered loudly.

I grinned at her as Kim laughed. “Linda, relax. This is Idaho, at 18 you can buy beer here. It’s perfectly legal.” I agreed, telling her to remember that I had gotten my drivers license at 14. “Not every state follows the same laws as California does.” And sure enough, although the clerk raised her eyebrows at my California license, she let me buy the beer and we were on our way out.

We all had dinner together, and once everything was cleaned up Kim told her parents she was going to take us out to show us the pond. They both grinned, and asked how much I had bought. When I said only one case her dad only asked that I only take three cans for each of us, and leave the rest in the fridge on the back porch. Linda was once more surprised. “What, they know you go out there to drink?”

Kim nodded. “Yep, Pete here and I used to hang out here at night all the time. And when we were together, it became routine for us to grab a couple of beers and head out. And yes we are Mormons, and not supposed to drink. But we are what you call ‘Jack Mormons’. We go to church most Sundays, and try to live as best we can. But we largely ignore the rules about drink and hot beverages. As for alcohol, my dad and mom are both large believers in moderation. Shortly after Pete left, I brought a six pack out here and got so bombed I walked back home. Mom tared my hide for that. Not for drinking or leaving the farm truck up there, but drinking so much I lost control of myself.”

“Yeah. That is why he asked how many I got, and gave us a limit on how much to bring. And that is how a lot of parents are out here. They know outright prohibition only causes the kids to do it in secret. With no supervision, no controls. But when they allow moderate use, it takes away a lot of the temptation. And trust me, even though the law lets us do things earlier, they are much harsher if we violate the rules.”

“Oh goodness yes!” Kim said. “One of our friends Ryan got caught driving drunk right after graduation. Lost of all driving privileges until he turns 21, he spent 15 days in jail, and got community service for three months. He was a year older than us, and he is having to work odd jobs at farms now near where he lives, a bike in the summer and snowmobile in winter is his only form of transportation.”

I nodded. “They gave me hell when I moved to California with transferring my license. My dad put his foot down and showed how in my Freshman year I had a full semester of Drivers Education, and already had two years of driving experience. And if I had to take their state-approved program, they had better put him in for it also as he had the same background and history.” As I put the beers in a paper bag the girls changed into tank tops and shorts. Then telling her parents we should be back by 1, they wished us a good night and we headed out the back door.

Before we left Kim grabbed some chips and two large blankets and we took the ranch truck. The pond was not really a pond, as much as a watering hole that was built on the edge of their family farm. It actually ran across the property line between their farm and the one to the North, and both farmers maintained it. Two small wind-powered pumps provided the water, and Linda was surprised to see fish jumping in it when we pulled up just as the sun was setting.

“Oh yeah, those are Mosquito fish. Almost everybody who has a pond out here has them, it’s a natural way to keep the pests under control. They are about an inch or so long, and eat the things like crazy. Kim, did your dad ever run that experiment?”

“Yep, he sure did. There are also bluegill in there, but they are really small. But he and Mr. Biggs are talking about expanding the size and tying it into the creek so they might get bigger ones in the future.”

“How are they going to do that? I thought that was illegal.”

She grinned and nodded. “Oh, it is. But Mr. Biggs looked at his father’s old deed, and in there it states that the pond was connected to the creek by a cement lined canal. Of course, it is talking about the old western pond that he filled in when we were babies, but nobody else needs to know that. He’s going to dig the connecting canal through his land and through the old pond. And if anybody says anything in the future he will just shrug and say ‘Well, here is the deed, it says pond with connection to the creek.’ Then let them prove that it was a different pond than is used now.”

I laughed, saying that was awesome. When Linda asked what that was all about, she was surprised that we could not just dig a trench from a stream to water our cattle. “Oh, it used to be that way. Want a cow pond, just dig it. But about a decade ago they passed the ‘Clean Water Act’. Now that is not a bad thing, it was done to stop polluting the rivers like they do in the big cities. But much of the enforcement is over-zealous. They see anything connected to a river or creek as ‘their territory’, and any changes need years of approval and a lot of money. And even then, you rick getting it approved, and then a year or so later getting fined and ordered to remove it. Now, almost all are afraid to make any changes to a creek, even if it will improve the area. Kim, how does your dad think he can get away with that?”

She said that her father was going to be making trips to Idaho Falls to an old ranch he knew in the area. He and Mr. Biggs were going to dig up a bunch of abandoned cement blocks that were 4 foot by 4 foot, and then lay down a layer of asphalt and line the canal when they finish it with the cement blocks. “After all, that is how it was done here for decades. Let the regulators ponder the fact that a canal they claim is brand new is paved internally and built just as they had been at the turn of the century.”

By this time we were all on our second beer, and it was totally dark. And Linda laid on her back and looked up, amazed at how many stars she could see. I actually did a double-take, forgetting that as a city girl she likely had never seen this many stars in the sky because of all the lights. I laid down next to her and she cuddled up next to me. We all chatted, and Kim finished her second beer and looked over at us. Linda looked at her and grinned, and said she was welcome to cuddle up on my other side if she wanted. “Hey, don’t I get a say in the matter?” I asked. And of course they both said that I did not, and Kim cuddled up against me on my other side.

It was rather nice, feeling a soft girl on each side. With a hand gently caressing each side of my chest, and my hands resting on their hips. And realizing that Kim had grown a bit more since we had last been together. I reached over my head and grabbed the other blanket, wadding it up and stretching it out so we could all use it as a pillow.

I just laid there as the girls talked, mostly about things like clothes, hairstyles, fingernail polish, all kinds of things that I had no real interest in but admittedly appreciate them when they were being worn. They also talked about other things, like music. And Idaho was still one to two years behind the current curve, as well as TV shows, and things they liked to do. “I admit, I was surprised to learn that Pete here liked skating even before moving. But then again, he must have learned those moves somewhere so I guess I should not have been surprised.”

“Nope, we did that a lot when we dated also, and even before as we were growing up. In Pocatello, there’s not much to do if you are our age. Two movie theaters, a skating rink, a bowling alley, an ice rink, that’s about it. Then there is fishing, camping and sailing in the summer, and skiing in the winter.”

“Skiing? Pete, you did that too?”

And before I could even say anything, Kim continued. “Of course he did! Did you know that if he had not moved, he would have been a shoo-in for the State Junior Olympics? He was the best in our school at Downhill and Super-G. He was second or third best at Giant Slalom. He was on skis before he could even ride a bike.” I could tell that this was going to be a conversation between the two girls. I was only here as a pillow and cushion to cuddle against. Not that I minded this role, as I had one hand slowly caressing their waists and hips, and was enjoying feeling them pressed against me.

Kim explained the difference between the various types of ski racing, and how in the winter the two of us spent almost every weekend on the slopes. And at 14 it was a place where both of our parents would allow us to be alone for an entire day, day after day without any complaints. “So, were you two dating at 14?” Linda asked.

“Hmm, hard to answer. I guess yes, and no. We were certainly together all the time, but we did not start actually dating until we were 15. Back then we were together almost all the time, but it was more like siblings or cousins than anything else. Our mothers were best friends, and we really grew up together pretty much. Sharing baths, sleeping in the same crib then bed together, those kinds of things. I know that for as long as I could remember I wanted him to be my lover, but it also seemed weird to think of that. Like, we were almost brother and sister not boyfriend and girlfriend.”

She then told about some of my early dates with other girls, and her sense of jealousy. Then when she started to date guys, and wishing that it was me instead. “Kim, I want to apologize for that. I felt the same way, and it also seemed like it would have been weird.”

“Yeah, we were both like that Linda.”

“What happened?”

“Pete, can you tell her that? I would like to hear it from your side.”

I took a deep breath. “Well, at that time I had just broken up with Lisa. With her it was really casual, we just wanted somebody to hang out with and make out on occasion. But Lisa got with Harry, and that ended that. Maybe two weeks later Kim here called my house and said she was at the bowling alley and needed a ride. She had been out with ‘Cocksucker Carl’, and when she kept refusing his attempts to get into her panties he actually kicked her out and left her outside the movie theater. So she walked to the bowling alley and called me.

“My mom was already sick at this time, but when I told her that Kim needed my help she told me to go and get her. And boy Kim, were you a mess. You had been crying, and your makeup was all smeared. One button on your blouse was almost torn off, and all I could think about was getting my gun and hunting down Carl.”

I took a deep breath. “I knew I could not take her home like that, so I took her to my house. My mom took her to clean her up, and then called to tell her mom she and her boyfriend had a fight so she was staying with us. That was not all that unusual, we still slept over at each other’s house all the time. I got her one of my shirts to wear after her shower, and mom took her blouse to fix the button. I think dad was doing an overnight job at the Twin Falls airport that night.”

“Yeah, he was I think. I know he was not there that night or the next day.”

“Well, as usual we made up the couch for her to sleep on. We hugged goodnight and I headed off to bed. Then in the middle of the night she climbed into my bed. I woke up and she said she felt scared and wanted to be held. So we just held each other. We did that before also, but this time we started kissing. And we just kept kissing.”

Kim giggled. “Yeah, that’s right. And yes, I was scared and hurt, and wanted you to hold me. I think we started kissing each other, and it was just as I had imagined it would be. Linda, this guy kissed me for over an hour, and never tried to feel me up! I had never had a guy kiss me for so long without trying to grab my boobs or butt.”

I nodded. “Well, we kissed for an hour or so, then we just cuddled up again and fell asleep. When I woke up I thought I was in so much trouble. Kim was still in bed with me, and we were spooned up with me holding her from behind. I saw it was around 9, and my bedroom door was open. I slipped out without waking her up, and went out I thought to confront my mom.”

I sighed softly, and Kim squeezed me tight. She kissed my cheek softly, and whispered “It’s OK Pete, I miss her too. She was my second mom.”

“Well, she saw me and just smiled. I started to apologize, and she just held up her hand. She told me it was obvious Kim was there because she wanted to be there. And we were both dressed as she could see Kim’s nightshirt and my sweat pants. She then smiled, and said that so long as she was a friend she had no problem if one of us felt like sharing the bed with the other. But if we were to become something else, that would all have to stop.”

Kim then continued. “I woke up, and realized I had fallen asleep and Pete was not there. I came out and heard that as I was in the hallway, and hurried back to bed. Pete woke me up because I was still pretending to be asleep, and said breakfast was almost ready. After we ate his mom told him to go check the fence as we did the dishes. And as we did she told me pretty much the same thing. And when I said I wanted us to be boyfriend and girlfriend, she nodded. She then told me to tell you that Pete, and that is what I did.”

“Yeah, that you did Kim. Linda, she joined me at the fence as I was finishing checking the gates, and flat out told me that she was my girlfriend, and I was her boyfriend. Well, I was not an idiot and agreed, and that is when we started to date officially.”

“Linda, when you started to date this goofball, did you have to take the initiative in almost everything?”

“Like oh my god yes! Oh, he did do some things first, but he would ask my permission like two or three times. It was kinda nice, since most guys would just try to grab my boobies and he would ask first. Or other times he would touch me somewhere, then ask if it was OK. But after a few dates sometimes I was like ‘Knock it off and feel me up already!’ For most of our time together, I was the one setting the limits, and it was higher than he would have gone under his own initiative.”

“Yeah, that’s my Pete. Well, actually that is your Pete now. It was the same for us. Oh, I knew he had some experience. When Pete took me home after dinner, I had him park so we could talk a bit. And I outright confessed to him I was still a virgin, and I was in no way ready, yet I wanted him to be my first real lover. And I was kinda surprised when he admitted he was one too. We both swore we would be each other’s first lover. And at that time our last ones also.”

I sighed softly, and I felt Kim kiss my cheek again, then Linda. “Babe, this is the not so good part. Mom had already been sick, and was doing chemo and other treatments. But they did not work. There was not much dating, but we were together as much as we could be. And Kim and her mom were there when mom died. And they were both crying just as much as dad and I were. And they both pretty much moved in until after the funeral. Her mom on the couch, Kim in my bed.”

Kim giggled. “Linda, she actually bundled us!” I laughed along at the memory, and I was not surprised when Linda asked what bundling was. “Oh, it’s an old custom. Remember, we have both Mennonites as well as real fundamentalist Mormons here in this area. Basically a couple shares a bed, but it is made up so there can be no contact between them. She had Pete get in bed first, and then placed down another sheet over his covers. I laid there, with a blanket over me. It was raised to under our arms so we could hold each other, but with sheets and blankets between us.”

I nodded. “Of course, our hands were free so we still kissed and cuddled. And she woke us up real early in the morning, and every time we were pretty much how she left us.”

“Oh not every time Pete. You had your hands on my boobs on more than one occasion, but she ignored that.”

“Oh, that is just like Pete! Whenever we cuddle to sleep, it is like instinct his hands go to my boobies. At least you have more than I do.”

“Oh, I was about the same size then as you are now Linda. It was not until about the time that Pete moved that I finally moved up to a C cup.”

“Well, once the grief was done we settled into more of a regular dating pattern. We had moved to what, second base by that time?” Kim nodded. “Sleepovers were not allowed, but they did allow us to go on that camp-out. There were teen of us, and we spent three days on the Salmon River camping. We all headed off, and this may actually sound familiar. We told the parents that Kim was going to share a tent with Lisa, and I was going to share one with Harry. Of course, none of us intended that as Harry and Lisa were still dating. So they shared one tent, and we shared another.”

“For three days and two nights. It was the first time we had been nude with each other since we hit puberty. He was the first boy I let touch me everywhere, and he was the first person other than myself to give me an orgasm. He was also the first boy I ever gave an orgasm to. It was an amazing trip.”

“That was when dad was gone a lot, and I knew he was working a project in California. He came back from one trip and told me that he had been offered a job, and he was considering taking it. We talked about it a lot, and finally he decided to take it. So all during ski season that year we knew it was going to end soon.”

“Pete, do you remember Sun Valley? Linda, his church youth group arranged a three day trip skiing at Sun Valley. And although we do have different religions, we are a small community and the youth groups always allow other guests to go along. It was supposed to be a group thing, but as soon as we got our lift tickets Pete here just grabbed my hand and we went off on our own. And other than kissing as we rode the lifts it was all very proper and a lot of fun. But boy were they mad when we got back! The leader of the girls took me to the side and went on about how it was not proper to take off with a boy by ourselves, and the leader of the boys told him the same thing. Thankfully, Pastor Frank knew both of us and told them to calm down. We were both competition skiers, and would have been bored if we had stuck with the groups which were mostly made up of novices and beginners. And we were both mature and behaved ourselves.”

I chuckled. “Finally he just said ‘I followed them for over an hour, but I don’t think either of them saw me. And all they did was ski, other than kissing on the lifts. And if we went out now on the back patio I am sure we will see other couples doing more than these two did during the entire day. But Kim, Pete, if we do this again I want you to promise me that you will bring at least two others along, including at least one adult. Agreed?’ And of course we both agreed.”

Linda was laughing, as was Kim. I squeezed them both tight, and grabbed us each another beer. Linda kissed me in thanks, then said “Kim, aren’t you gonna kiss Pete for getting you another beer also?” I looked over at Kim, and she looked a bit unsure. So I took the initiative and leaned forward, giving her a long kiss, like we had shared when we were lovers. I opened my mouth and slipped my tongue out to caress her lips, and her mouth opened and we spent a minute or two kissing before we broke apart. I know I was breathing a bit heavier, as was she. And her face was darker red than normal. We all laid back on the blanket, and Kim admitted it was nice to kiss me again, but she was rather surprised. “Linda, you don’t mind me kissing Pete?”