Chapter 2: The Wood Sprite

Off I went, back to Kentucky, and the Kentucky Lake area. My mind was reeling on the windy roads that were taking me through the beautiful scenery and out of the mountains. It really is a nice place to ride.

That afternoon, I pulled into my hotel, the Quality Inn in Aurora, Kentucky, and looked around. The scenery there was absolutely wonderful, too, and it wasn’t just the trees and the hills. Here I go again. There were three women out at the pool, just catching some late afternoon sun. One of them was a little redhead. I took my things up to the room, ran out to a store for some snacks and some beer, then changed into the one swimsuit Ronnie told me to put in my bag, “Just in case”, he said. Good call, Ronnie.

I went out to the fenced in pool area, barefooted, and sat across from them. I tried not to stare, but when the little wood sprite caught me looking at her, she smiled. I returned it and gave her a little wave. Corny, I know, but somehow, it worked. She looked at her friends and said something, then came around the pool.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

“I wish.”

“Oh, do you, now? You acted like you knew me, so I thought I’d come investigate.” She held her hand out. “Maureen. Maureen O’Reilly.”

I took her hand, but just held it instead of shaking it. “Charlie. Charles Adams. I’m sorry I gave you the wrong impression. I just saw you and ... You are quite striking. I have a thing for...” She interrupted me.

“One of those, huh? Redheaded women get you going, do they?”

“Get me going? I don’t know about that, but if my kids are born with red hair, I’ll die a happy man.”

“Good line. I’ll remember that one. You here for a while?”

“Not really sure. I’m running away and I don’t have a schedule.”

She looked over her shoulder at her companions. “Those are friends of mine from high school. They’re here visiting. Looking for work, actually, where I’m going to school now. They’ll be leaving and going back to Murray in a few minutes. The University put them up in a hotel there. I live right up the road a bit. You have dinner plans? I know I’m being a bit forward, but I want to know what you’re running from. I think I already do, but I want to know more.”

“I’ve heard that women can identify their counterparts’ roadkill. Sixth sense, maybe?”

“Might be, but it’s probably much more innocent than that. A nurse can identify sick people. They just know. A woman, a real woman, can see a man’s heart, even if it’s not on his sleeve. Yours isn’t. Your mention of running didn’t specify it had anything to do with another woman, yet I know.”

“Give the lady a prize.”

“Not necessary. Room number? I’ll holler when I get rid of those two and come back to get you. I’m going to assume that big Buick is not yours, and you don’t look like the Sonata type. I’ll bet that little scooter over there is your ride. How am I doing?”

“Two-twenty-two. I must be completely transparent, or you are clairvoyant.”

“Neither. I just can’t see you in a Buick, and you’re too tall for a Sonata.”

“What about the other vehicles?” I asked her.

“The Jeep is mine, the Accord is my friend’s, the Mercedes is the owner’s, the little Chevy is Tammy’s. She’s the desk clerk on duty, and the old truck is George’s. He’s the maintenance guy here. I know people. Anytime someone comes to visit, I put them up here. They let me use the pool. It’s a nice place.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“It’s empty right now, which is odd. Normally it’s teeming with tourists.”

“Stupid virus, probably. Not everyone has taken the vaccine yet. You?”

“Yeah, I have, and you’re probably right. OK, I’m going back over there and explain to my girlfriends that I’m not a slut and that I thought we knew each other.” She started laughing. “See you around six?” I nodded. “Good. Thanks, Charlie. I’m looking forward to it for some reason. I really am.”

“I am, too, Maureen. I am, too, but I know the reason. Reasons. More than one.” I stood, took her hand again, squeezing it a bit, then watched her walk away. Really nice view, and it wasn’t the suit. She was gorgeous.

I jumped in the pool and swam for about a half an hour. It felt really good. Really good. I think the next place I live is going to have a pool.

I was done with my shower and ready to go before six. The phone rang. It was Maureen.

“Adams.”

“It’s Maureen. I’m at the bottom of the stairs.”

“I’m on the way,” I told her, hanging up and moving out.

I was not ready for what, I mean who, awaited me in the Jeep at the bottom of the stairs. “Hi again, Charlie. Thanks for this. I’ve been dying to get out and try this new place. You up for an adventure?”

I stared.

“Charlie. Up here. Say something.”

I looked up. She was beautiful. Strikingly, outrageously gorgeous. Her hair was done in a fancy braid, and she was wearing a short skirt, dark stockings, high heels, a tight button up blouse, unbuttoned just far enough to tease. She was phenomenally beautiful.

“Uhhhhh.” That was about all I could get out.

She started laughing.

“You are extremely attractive, lady. I’m sure you hear that all the time, but you truly are gorgeous. I feel like the luckiest guy in Kentucky right now. Maybe in the five-state area. Is Missouri in that?”

“Probably. Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself. Come on. There’s a new steak joint up the road and I’m dying for a baked potato.”

“Maureen, you know if you go back to civilization you can find those at Wendy’s, right?”

She broke up laughing. “We have one. Stop. This new place supposedly has huge Yukon bakers. Sweet, like red potatoes, but big like Idaho baking potatoes. I love potatoes.”

“How do you keep looking like that if you love potatoes?”

“I don’t eat all of the potatoes, Charlie, just some of them. I mean, if there were five potatoes in the oven, I’d only eat two of them. That makes no sense at all, does it?”

“Oh, yes, it does, and it explains why I couldn’t talk when I came downstairs. Do you carry a baseball bat in here to beat the guys off with?”

This time she really cracked up. Loud laughter while ripping through the gears on the windy road through the hills along the lake.

“I don’t beat them off, Charlie. I just tell them to go away. I need a man like a fish needs a bicycle. We’ll talk.”

We pulled up to an old log cabin looking building, but another look showed it was brand new. Just made to look like it fended off bears and was inhabited by old men with coonskin caps carrying flintlocks and skinning knives.

She gave her name for the reservation and was seated immediately. There were other people in the lobby, but evidently reservations meant something here.

“Maureen, sir, would you like to start out with a drink?”

“Yes, Stephanie, I’d like a Moscato. Charlie, you want something?”

“Sure. A double Crown rocks. Special Reserve if you have it, and a glass of ice water.” The waitress nodded and left. “She called you by your name.”

“Yeah. Uncle Bill, William to everyone else, brought her over from Willie’s. It’s a great place, too, but geared more toward family dining, and to be honest, tourists. This is supposed to be a nicer, more grown up but still laid-back, yet upscale operation. He’s thinking about having a small band on weekends to get the locals out more. Dinner and dancing. It might work, but I don’t care. I just need one of those potatoes.”

“Uncle Bill?”

“Yeah. I’m from around these parts, Charlie. So is Stephanie. She’s the head waitress, if you will. More of a matriarch, actually. She’s good. She graduated a few years ahead of me, but she’s really good at what she does, and Uncle Bill knows it.”

“Graduated?”

“Yeah. College. Murray State University. She has a degree. A BS in some kind of restaurant management.”

“And she’s a waitress?”

“Sort of. Like I said, she’s more of a matriarch. You’ll see her help out with a few tables tonight. Heavy hitters around town. The mayor is over in the corner, one of the guys that own the biggest bank in town is over there by the bar, and yours truly is the boss’s niece. That’s not why she’s taking care of us, though. Neither she, nor I, are that shallow. We’re friends, and she doesn’t want some new waitress to get our stuff wrong.”

“Oh. Interesting.”

“It really is. She’s a great person. OK, our drinks are here. Now, get loaded and tell me why you showed up in Kentucky, Missouri boy!”

“Missouri boy?”

“Plates on your scooter. Plus, I cheated. Tammy told me. Don’t tell on her. She’s a peach.”

“Ok, here goes. Grab your napkin. Tears may follow. If not yours, mine. I was with a beautiful woman named Kim for about three years. Engaged for about ten months. I had no inkling, no warning, no signs, no nothing. Three weeks ago, she left. Just left. No word after, either.”

“Is she alive?”

“Oh, yeah. She spoke to the landlord. Cleared her stuff out of the apartment. She’s fine. She’s just not interested in me anymore, and I have no idea why. I have a friend in North Carolina that demanded I go see him immediately. He thought I might go find a tall bridge. I didn’t, obviously. In any case, I’m on the way from there, traveling to see other friends, and forget about ... Her. Can I change the subject?”

“Sure.”

“How is it you don’t have a significant other of some sort or another? You made it sound like you don’t need a man, but, Jesus, girl, you are an amazing creature. There have to be any number of men, women, aliens, and whatever, chasing after you.”

“There were. I’m not available. Not at all. I’m not gay. I’m not straight. I’m a devout student. I have no time for anyone, anything, anywhere, at any time while I’m studying. I was selected for Columbia and am leaving in August. I won’t be back for two years, and I’ll be carrying a Doctorate in Corporate Communications. There will be no one, NO ONE, I tell you, that I won’t be able to communicate with.” She started laughing. She calmed and looked straight at me. “I want to teach. Here, at home. Murray State. With a doctorate, I can. I have a job already lined up. What about you?”

“Just a program manager. A bean counter.”

“There’s more. Talk. Oooops. Stephanie is here. Tell her what you want. It’s on me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Sir, we don’t serve that here. We aim for the better cuts.” She and Maureen laughed. “You all fight over the bill. I just want to know what you want to eat.”

“Bone in ribeye, just before medium, and mixed veggies with plenty of butter. I’d like some sautéed mushrooms, too, if that’s doable.”

“Completely. Mauri?” I heard the nickname.

“Petite filet, just before medium, as well, and one of those potatoes Uncle Bill’s been bragging about. Lots of butter and sour cream. Salad with ranch, too, please.”

“Stephanie,” I added, “can I have one of those salads, too. With Italian?” I love salad but wasn’t thinking straight. I got the problem fixed in in time.

She nodded. “No problem at all. Anything else, folks?” I shook my head.

“No, Steph. Thanks.” Once again, we were alone.

“Retired Air Force. Program Controls. Contracting. Accounting. Things like that.”

“Rank?”

“Not really. No one accused me of smelling too badly.”

She cracked up laughing again. “My other uncle was in. Spill it.”

“Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Oh.”

“It’s not a bad thing. I just wasn’t in the right places at the right times. I had fun and enjoyed my stint in the service. I spent most of it in space stuff. It was good.”

“Glad to hear that. Would you stay a few days and go to dinner with me again?”

“Would you come over and spend time at the pool tomorrow?”

“Can I bring lunch?”

“Will I enjoy it?”

“If I guarantee it, will you say yes?”

“Yes.”

“Finally, a non-question! You’re a hoot, Charlie.”

A server brought dinner, a perfect dinner, so conversation was light while we ate. After dinner, she asked if I wanted to go for a ride. No complications, just a short ride to show me some of the lake. I had said earlier that I was interested, and she just wanted to show me around.

“I’d love that, Maureen, on one condition.”

“And that would be...”

“I’m buying dinner.”

“Whatever. It’s not worth arguing over.”

Cute little shit outsmarted me. We never got a check. The drive consisted of a forty-five-minute cruise around several inlets and such, all nice housing areas with views of the lake in between. The road wasn’t private, but you could tell it was very exclusive and not traveled much by anyone that didn’t live there.

“Why did you do that? At the restaurant. The bill.”

“I am woman, watch me roar, in numbers too big to ignore,” she sang.

I came back pretty quickly. “No, that’s not it. You let me open your door and get your chair for you. You aren’t a bra burner.” I coughed dramatically, “dammit.”

That got her laughing again. “No, you’re right. I’m a real woman, Charlie. You told me about your friend. My uncle is the same way. As long as I’m in school, he won’t take a dime from me. You were with me, so ... In any case, don’t worry about it. When I’m rich and famous, I’m going to buy him another restaurant and make him name it Maureen’s Place or something silly like that.”

“That won’t be silly at all, and I’ll come back for that,” I teased.

“I hope so, Charlie, I really do. Does this happen a lot, by the way? Women asking you out?”

“Oh, hell no. Until I met you at the pool ... Never mind, Maureen. I led a very quiet, withdrawn life until I met Kim, and was pretty much single, save a short period when I was first commissioned. Let’s just say this is not my normal, but I’m loving it.”

“Good. I’m taking you back to the hotel. I want to leave you with something, then we can talk tomorrow. I’ll be over around noon, if that’s OK.”

“Sounds wonderful, actually.”

“Again, good. I want you to think about whether or not you’d consider making love to me, knowing I’m leaving for two years and therefore won’t be that woman you need in your life. The long-term woman. The one you you’ll use to make your babies’ hair turn red. I want you to think about that. Charlie, I’m not a slut. I’ve been very careful with my heart and my body. I won’t be tomorrow. I mean I won’t be careful tomorrow. I hope you won’t be, either.” We pulled up to the stairs that led to my door, she pulled me over the console by my shirt collar and kissed me. It was more intense for that single minute than Kim had been in three years. God, I’m glad I brought that dress shirt.