Chapter 2: Rachael

We'd planned a big 'family getaway' for the Fourth of July weekend. We were going to cruise up to Hood River and watch the sailboard competitions, living on Toy. We'd reserved a slip at a marina there and were all packed and provisioned.

The night before we were scheduled to leave, a van pulled into the driveway and my best friend, Rachael, got out, followed by her kids, Ben, who was 13 and Leah, two years younger.

Rachael was always welcome—no matter what time of night or day. She was the closest thing to a 'little sister'—all of 19 months younger—I could have. Her family had lived in the house next door when we moved in. Each an only child, we'd quickly become close friends and buddies. We remained close, even through the years when I considered her a 'brat' or a 'pest'. We stood up for the other against the whole world. Simply, she was my first, closest, and best friend and I was hers. During our teen years, when we started to discover the differences between boys and girls, we somehow never made the step from intimate friendship to love, in the romantic sense. In my case, I was terrified of losing my buddy—even though she was the subject of many midnight fantasies in my teenaged mind.

Growing up, she was very active, being something of a 'tomboy' until her breasts grew too big. She remained active though, and was still very good at tennis—she'd had to give up golf, since the money Ed brought home didn't allow country club membership in their budget. But she'd worked hard to maintain her spectacular figure. Her face was one of classic beauty, unlined still. When she dressed like a teen, she'd be mistaken for one. But when she dressed in evening clothes, she was arresting. Men—and women—would stop in the middle of a conversation to watch her cross a room.

She was a pretty incredible package and although she knew it, she didn't let it get in the way of her innate friendliness.

I'd always considered her my 'ideal woman', but had settled for Susan as the best I could get. She'd never hinted that she'd welcome any closer relationship and I cherished her friendship too much to ever push it.

There just aren't any other 'Rachaels' around!

There was nothing we could not discuss with each other. And nothing we wouldn't do for each other ... without strings or limits.

Whenever Susan and I had troubles, Rachael always had a word of encouragement and time to listen to my gripes. And I always listened to her complaints about the jerk she'd married—the one time she didn't listen to me—Ed McCarthy. (Somehow, she'd really loved the man, even though he did everything he could to kill that love—and finally succeeded.) Our kids called the other 'aunt' and 'uncle', and we looked on them as 'family'.

I could sense that this visit was different. She'd arrived on the eve of a big holiday weekend, without calling first. That wasn't like her. And she had an air of having arrived, when they came in the house.

After a big hug—always a pleasure with Rachael—I asked, too brightly, "How long can you guys stay?"

Wailing, "Oh, Al!" she collapsed into my arms and wept bitterly on my shoulder. Finally, she straightened up, wiped her eyes and said quietly, "Thanks, Al. I really needed that. To answer your question: We've moved in, if you'll have us."

I quietly asked the twins to help the other kids unload the van and put them up in whatever bedrooms they wanted. Rachael could have the blue room, in the turret.

Then I seated Rachael in the kitchen while I poured a glass of wine for her. "What's the problem, kiddo?" I asked her, when I set her glass in front of her.

"You know it's Ed. For two months, he hasn't even brought home a paycheck. Then he didn't come home or call last night. I found him, early this morning, in a saloon, with a peroxide blonde older than he is. He started cursing me when he laid eyes on me, and followed me out of the bar, into the parking lot. I was just going to go home, but he grabbed me and started beating on me. A cop on patrol saw the fight from the street. He pulled in and arrested Ed—handcuffs, read him his rights, the whole bit. Ed never stopped cursing. Today, when he got out of jail, he came home, grabbed some clothes, and stormed out, saying he'd found a woman who appreciated him."

I nodded, to help her get her story out, and held her—she was starting to shake from emotion.

"I know I'll never see anything more from him. His attitude is, I can fend for myself. And the kids are my responsibility, too—after all, I had them, didn't I? I can't afford the house and we're already two months past due on the payments. The utilities are all past due and the groceries are gone. I don't have anywhere else to go, Al. Can we stay here until I can get on my feet?"

"Hey," I said, in a low voice, "do you want me to go punch his lights out, or what?" That earned me a tiny upturn of the corners of her mouth. "No problem, you know. From now on, for as long as you want, this is just as much your place as mine. There's plenty of room ... To be honest, the twins and I are kind of rattling around here. We'll be glad of the company. You can stay here forever—I won't complain."

That earned me a big hug and, from a face wet with tears, a big, smacking kiss right on the lips. Through her tears, Rachael said, "You're the best, Al! We'll make it up to you."

In a couple more minutes, the kids came in the kitchen. I looked at the twins. "You guys clued in on what's happening?" They were. "This will change our plans. Tomorrow, we've got to go to Aunt Rachael's house and get the rest of their stuff and bring it over here. OK?" Bless them, there wasn't even an 'aw shucks!' They knew what was happening and they were ready to stand by our friends. I had Sara call around and rent us a U-haul. Then we all turned in.

First thing in the morning, after a big breakfast for morale, we hit the road in Rachael's van and the U-haul. When we got to her house, we wasted no time in packing and getting out everything Rachael and the kids wanted. We left most of the furniture—it was, truthfully, pretty ratty anyway. But we did take the $5,000 home entertainment center. In a fit of spite, Rachael removed all the alcohol from the place, down to the last bottle of beer.

Back home, we unloaded the vans and put things away. Then, while Sam returned the U-haul, we ate a sandwich and talked about the future. That is, we started, until Sara made a practical suggestion for our immediate future. "Why don't we take the boat out, dad? There's room for all of us and I think we'd all feel better on the river than we would hangin' out here all weekend." The motion passed by acclimation and when Sam returned, he found the rest of us packing for a river weekend.

Ben and Leah had heard about Daddy's Toy, but hadn't seen her. It would be safe to say they were impressed.

All my stuff was already in the master's cabin, but I wasn't sure about arrangements. Rachael solved it efficiently. "Sara's normally in the bow, right? Leah can sleep with her. The boys will do fine here in the salon. And I'll just bunk with you, if you don't mind?"

"Uh. Sure, Rachael," I said. "I, uh, guess so. If you're sure?" My problem was, Rachael is a stone fox and I hadn't been with a woman since Susan left us, over two years ago. I just hoped I'd behave myself and wouldn't do anything stupid while half asleep. I really loved Rachael, as my best friend and pal, and didn't want her mad at me—or thinking that she couldn't trust me.

Brusquely, Rachael said, "I'm sure. Do you have any better ideas?"

I didn't, so we got everything stowed and cast off. Since we would be going upstream later, I proposed a trip downstream this time. We were too late for the Hood River expedition, and I thought we needed some peace and privacy.

While I was navigating, Rachael and the kids changed into swimsuits. All the girls had little bikinis. Wow! Even little Leah was a very pretty package with all that skin showing! Sara knows I like the way she looks and assumed a model's stance for a moment, to my glee. Seeing my expression, Rachael grinned widely and plastered her very curvy body against mine. "Enjoying the show, are you, Al?"

Slowly, with exaggerated lust, I licked my lips. "Uh HUH!" That drew laughs from the girls—they enjoyed my appreciation of how good they look—and a chuckle from Rachael, who could also feel my erection growing in my shorts. Embarrassed, I asked Sara to run the boat while I changed, too. Proud that I trusted her to do it right, she took the helm while I went below, to calm down and to change into swimwear.

About two hours downstream at an easy cruising speed, we came to a large island that has one of my favorite places on it. There is a crescent-shaped cove, with a nice sandy beach and a sand bottom. Just beyond the beach is a grassy area, shaded by several large cottonwoods. We could get Toy's bow almost to the beach. With an anchor off the stern and a line from the bow to a tree, we weren't going to drift.

I sent the boys off to gather dead wood for our evening fire, telling them to stack it near the place we'd had fires before. In ten minutes they were back and everybody wanted to swim. Rachael and I played right along with the kids, pushing and dunking and splashing. It was refreshing and great fun.

The boat, the river, the sun and a quick meal of hamburgers and fries served their purpose. The tensions of last night were not gone, but they were sure a lot less pressing than they had been. On the beach, the boys lit the fire and we gathered around and did the hokey stuff. We sang songs. We told stories. We told some really stupid jokes. We were family, so we didn't have to impress anybody, or be 'cool'. We just enjoyed each other.