Chapter 9

"That was very unexpected," Karl told Tammy as they walked across the meadow back toward the house.

"Ya think?" Tammy laughed at him. "I was afraid that Sergeant was going to shoot you," she added.

"I will admit that part was quite scary," Karl told her. "They must have thought I was some sort of Serial Pervert something or other."

"Well, you are perverted in your own special way that I love," Tammy laughed.

"Oh yeah!" Karl said stopping and turning her to him, holding onto both of her hands. "What's the best perversion of mine you like," he asked.

"Well," Tammy said, putting a finger to her temple as she faked she was thinking during a pause while she tilted her head toward her finger. "Let's see. I'd guess it's your penchant for dessert after lunch."

"That's a dessert I'll even take between meals!" he laughed right back at her.

"This diner is open 24/7," she joked as she lifted her hands from his and spread them wide offering herself up to him.

"Well Tammy," Karl said as he remembered they hadn't had the chance to clean up the leavings of their lunch and nodded toward the beach where they had been a hour or so before. "Neither the waiter nor the waitress at our private diner remembered to clean up the table."

Laughing she replied, "No time like the present," and took Karl's hand and changed their direction of walk toward the beach.

As they reached the halfway point between the house and the beach, they stopped and froze. Behind them, they heard a noisy car traveling rapidly up the road on Karl's property.

"It's too soon for Mom and Dad," Tammy said. "I hate to say it but it sounds like the rattle trap that picked me up. The one with the three guys in it that chased me into the woods."

"I have a rifle in the house," Karl said as the car pulled out of the end of his tree lined road and into plain sight halting, a few feet from the front of his house. As soon as the engine cut off, the driver and passenger doors opened.

Karl took a deep breath and Tammy got behind him hugging into him looking out over his right shoulder. Slowly, a man's head emerged above the driver's side door and cautiously looked over at them. A second head came up on the passenger's side but to Karl and Tammy's confusion, it was a woman's head.

"Is that the car?" Karl asked Tammy.

"I'm not sure ... I think so."

"How about the guy?"

"Could be the driver. I hardly saw anything but the back of his head," she answered.

The girl yelled over to them, "Are you OK, Tammy?" she asked.

Tammy whispered into Karl's ear, "I know her!"

"Sally, is that you?"

Walking around from behind the car door and toward them, Sally said, "Yes Tammy. It's me," as she got close to the pair.

Tammy stepped from behind Karl and as soon as she was visible, Sally said, "What the fuck happened to you?

"Your face is a mess and you have cuts all over your arms and legs."

Lifting her shirt she bared her stomach eliciting a loud gasp from Sally. Then turning to the car and the guy almost hiding behind the car door, Sally yelled to him, "George! Get over here you Cretin! See what you've done!"

Very subserviently, the George walked with head bent and a beaten down look on his face over to the trio. "Tell her you're sorry or I'll never have sex with you again!" Sally demanded.

With tears forming in his eyes, not even looking up from his ground consuming stare, sounding very sincere he said, "I'm very sorry Tammy. We were all drunk. Things got out of hand."

Sally swatted him on the side of his head and he repeated, "I'm so very sorry."

"Look at her," she demanded. "Look what you did to her. She's all a mass of cuts and bruises and her face got all mashed because of you and your EX-Friends."

"Oh my God," he cried out as he looked up at Tammy. "I ... I ... We ... never really touched her. We chased her but really didn't touch her."

As Sally reached up to give the George another swat, Karl said, "Hold on a sec."

Sally's hand stopped in mid air inches before it would have collided again with George's head. Although he did flinch as a result of Sally's action. Tears started running down his face. "My friends and I caused that, didn't we."

"Yes," Tammy said softly, "But it looks worse than it is."

"I'm so sorry," he said once more as he swiped some of his tears from his face. "I don't know what we were thinking. It was so stupid.

"I WAS SO STUPID!" George cried.

"I told you that you and your friends would wind up in jail over this fiasco," Sally almost yelled at him. He shook noticeably at that statement.

"Hold on," Karl interjected. "The Police were just here with Tammy's parents."

The guy almost wailed, "I'm going to jail!" as he leaned into Sally for comfort. "Tammy. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

"Woah. Slow down. No ones going to jail here," Karl said. "Tell you what. Let's all go inside and talk this out. By the way, my name is Karl."

Sally laughed. Then looking harder at Karl said, "Hey! I remember you. Geeze, that was a long time ago. I must have been in 8th grade. Weren't you were the guy who loved trees! Right?"

"Wow, that was over ten years ago. I was a Senior in High School. I gave that talk about trees and a career in Forestry at the Middle School's Career Day," Karl admitted. "Although I don't remember you Sally ... Sorry."

"I'm not surprised," Sally said. "There were lots of kids there but I did ask a few questions." With a smirk she said, "I thought you were HOT!" Then laughing she said, "That's why I remember you."

"Oh, My God!!!" Tammy explained. "Yes. I was there too. Sally and I were standing together while you talked about it. I don't believe it. That's where I got interested in trees and forests.

"Karl," she said, turning to look at him. "You're the reason I took those courses in college about Forestry and Land Management!

"That was YOU???"

Karl let out a dopey smile at her, shrugged his shoulders then with an offhanded wave of his arms said, "Guilty as charged."

"I love you even more," Tammy said and jumped him. Her arms came about his neck and shoulders. Her legs surrounded his hips. Smiling, she twisted her head a little and slowly brought their lips together for a deep and very sensual kiss.

Sally laughed at Tammy's actions and when their kiss broke off she told them, "You two should get married."

Still holding onto Karl, she turned her face toward Sally and said with a huge satisfying smile said, "We are!"