Chapter 31: Road Trip

The remaining days in Eureka passed in a blur. There were so many things to do. Joey had brought a digital camera and Deirdre ran around campus snapping pictures of buildings and people. Fellow students who had known her only as a shy recluse were surprised at her transformation. They saw the young man in her tow and naturally they attributed Deirdre's change to her being reunited with her boyfriend. In the three days before their departure Deirdre exchanged more personal information with her fellow students than in the four years prior. With regret she realized that quite a number of them could have been friends.

She made a discovery, too. When she met men she could avoid the panic if she focussed on the differences between them and the Montalbans. She would study them and pick on where they were different. It helped.

Not everything was peachy, though. Professor Parker held on to his petty grudge. He was downright hostile both to Deirdre and to Joey, accusing him of stealing away his best student. At first Deirdre felt a little guilty but then Joey reminded her of how Parker had set her up for failure, and she shrugged Parker off as the sore loser he was.

Then came Tuesday evening and Deirdre had cleared her dorm room. For the first time she was set to sleep in Joey's camper, but before that they attended a big farewell party. Joey promised to stay sober and Deirdre allowed herself to drink a few wine coolers and to develop a nice buzz. She danced with Joey, she danced with Claire and Ruth, she even danced with Ed who was suitably surprised. Her mood was so relaxed that she even gave Ed a farewell kiss. Of course, Claire and Ruth got kisses as well and they all promised to write and visit each other.

Joey received a heartfelt hug from Claire when they parted around two in the morning and Deirdre heard Claire's stage whisper.

"You take care of Deirdre. You're what she needs."

Somehow Deirdre could not have summed up her own sentiment better. In particular she needed Joey to get safely to the campground. She kept tripping over her own feet, something she found inordinately funny. Once inside the camper, changing out of her clothes presented another formidable challenge, a challenge she again mastered with Joey's help. The fact that his hands were on her naked butt for a few brief moments was noted but welcome. Joey even managed to get her into the alcove bed and she was asleep so fast that she missed him joining her.

The insistent beep-beep of an alarm clock cut through her eyeballs like a knife and she moaned in pain. The beeping did not stop and she sat up with her eyes still closed. Of course she bumped her head against the roof of the camper but it forced her to open her eyes. She was alone in the alcove. Joey was nowhere to be seen and Deirdre felt a little panic well up. Fortunately, she was able to connect a few dots even with the fog in her brain. Joey had to be in the washrooms she decided. She sank back and tried to clear her head.

Indeed, a short while later the sliding door opened and the smell of coffee filled the camper. Deirdre sat up, this time avoiding the roof.

"Hey, sleepy head," Joey greeted her. "Want some coffee?"

Deirdre was pretty much on autopilot when she climbed down from the alcove and sat at the small table. The first sip of coffee did wonders. The second cleared her head. After the third she could even muster a wry smile when she looked at Joey.

"Remind me to kick my own butt for getting drunk," she croaked. "Why didn't you protect me?"

Joey shrugged and grinned. "You were having too much fun. I mean, you danced with everybody, you laughed, you were happy. That's worth a little head ache."

"Not from where I sit," Deirdre grumped, but she remembered now how great she had felt. "Did I make an ass out of myself?"

Joey shook his head. "According to your friends you never had so much fun as long as they've known you. I never thought you'd French-kiss Claire and then flash your boobs in public."

"I did?" Deirdre squeaked, her head ache forgotten.

"Nah, I'm just kidding you," Joey grinned. "You would've though, with a little encouragement."

"You asshole!" Deirdre huffed while Joey leaned back in his seat and guffawed.

She leaned over to punch him but he caught her hand and pulled her up from the seat and into his lap. He looked deep into her eyes.

"Deirdre, it was wonderful to see you having so much fun. You needed it. Hell, you need lots of fun, and I'll try to give you as much of it as I can in the next weeks."

"How about you give me as much Ibuprofen as I need first?" Deirdre replied with a smile.

After breakfast Joey settled the bill with the campground manager and stowed away the camping gear in bins and crates. A little before eleven they rolled off the campground and started their journey of three thousand miles. Actually it would be more for they had added points of interest along the route. The first-stop-Reno plan was already abandoned in favor of a trip down the coast and to San Francisco. They arrived there in late afternoon and Joey sprang for a room in a Best Western close to Market Street.

They had dinner in Chinatown and afterwards they strolled around in the Financial District before they turned in. The room had two doubles and Joey encouraged Deirdre to use her own bed. This was about growing together again and he was leery of being too pushy. He was rewarded when he woke up with Deirdre snuggled into his arms. She had woken up in the early morning and had come to his bed for some cuddling.

After breakfast they rode the Cable Car to the harbor. They caught a visitor's boat to Alcatraz and toured the decaying prison complex before they had an early lunch on Pier 41. Joey hunted around until he found a small bakery where he talked the owner into giving him a small sample of live sour dough. He wanted to start baking his own bread back home and everybody knew (or so he claimed) that Italian bread from San Francisco was the best.

Later they strolled the Presidio before they arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge in late afternoon. It was a sunny day and the red skeleton of the bridge against the cloudy blue sky looked fantastic. They walked almost all the way to Marin County before they turned back. Without conscious decision they had walked hand in hand almost the whole day. When they rode the cable car back to Market Street seating was crowded. Without ado Deirdre made room for an older man, sitting on Joey's lap instead and smiling happily.

After dinner they went up to their room and prepared for bed. That evening Deirdre slipped under Joey's covers right away moulding her backside against his front. Then she took his hand and put it under her pajama top, on her naked breast. She snuggled her buttocks against his growing erection sighing contentedly as his hand caressed her nipples. They did not go further that night but Joey was content with the progress they were making.

In the morning they used the bathroom together. They even showered together and Deirdre let Joey soap her front and back. When his soapy hand came close to her pussy she snapped her legs shut catching it, and she humped her pussy against it until she had a calm, blissful climax. A toe-curling kiss was Joey's reward before she took mercy on him and began to massage his iron-hard cock. It took only a few strokes before Joey erupted against the shower stall and they giggled like madmen when they rinsed the stall clean afterwards.

Yosemite Park was their next destination and they reached it by mid-afternoon. It proved to be a defining point of the journey and of their lives. After a drive along Route 120 through a breathtaking scenery they arrived at the North Pines Campground on Merced River. They found a campsite close to where Tenaya Creek joins Merced River and parked the camper. The campsite had a fire ring, a food locker, and the washroom was close by.

Setting up camp was easy enough. Joey brought out the folding chairs and table and rigged up the awning to the camper's side. He put the small espresso maker on the portable gas stove and they both enjoyed sweetened espresso coffee before long. The next order of business was to water proof their brand new hiking boots, bought en route at a wilderness store. They planned to do some hiking and they had bought proper twill trousers and rain gear as well. Both Joey and Deirdre were city kids but Deirdre had taken part in a few excursions offered by her school of biology. She had learned the basics and Joey willingly accepted her guidance.

The site next to them was already taken and occupied by a couple their own age. They came over as soon as Joey and Deirdre sat with their espressos. Joey offered to brew some more of his potent black poison, and the two campers gladly accepted. Their names were Ellen and Tricia. They were a lesbian couple from the Silicon Valley. Both were software engineers working for the very computer maker that supplied Deirdre with the sleek objects of her desire. Deirdre herself was more than knowledgeable in bioinformatics and soon the three women were conversing fluently in geek speak.

Joey just sat and watched with a grin. He loved to see and hear Deirdre talking so animatedly but the subjects of the conversation went beyond his limited knowledge. He also used Macs but he was content to run standard applications and movie editing software.

At some point the topic of the conversation shifted allowing Joey to join in. Ellen and Tricia announced that they would make the short hike to Mirror Lake the next morning. It was their third trip to Yosemite, and they knew the terrain quite well. When Tricia offered Joey and Deirdre to come along, both gladly accepted. The two young women exchanged a glance then and Ellen asked a question she had been mulling for a few minutes.

"Listen, you two seem to be a straight couple but you seem at ease with us. I mean, you don't give us the looks we usually get. How come?"

"You mean because you're a lesbian couple?" Deirdre asked with a wry smile. "My Mom's a lesbian. I grew up with her and her partner."

"I grew up in a multicultural part of Philadelphia. My parents were always very open minded. Bigotry was a no-no at home," Joey added.

Tricia looked at Deirdre. "But you're not... ?"

"Lesbian? Bi? I don't think I am. I think if I were, it would have come out early on. I grew up thinking my mother and Karen expected me to be but I could never ... you know, find a spark with a girl."

Tricia laughed. "See, Ellen? She's no danger." She turned to Deirdre. "Ellen is worried about you. You're too pretty and she thinks I might stray."

Deirdre showed her trademark crimson blush and looked down, but her hand sought Joey's for assurance. Tricia laughed again.

"You ever had a girl hit on you?"

Deirdre nodded her head and Tricia relented her teasing. The talk turned to other topics and soon it was time to prepare dinner. The new friends agreed to join forces for dinner preparations. Joey had bought fresh produce on the way and he volunteered to prepare a salad. The girls started a cooking fire and when the flames died down they roasted pork chops over the glowing embers. Grilled pork chops and salad made for a fine dinner and Joey threw in two bottles of Chianti wine from his storage bin.

When they were finished Tricia leaned back into her friend and grinned at Joey and Deirdre.

"That was great. Are we set for tomorrow?"

"I guess we are," Joey replied, very relaxed himself as Deirdre was leaning against him with her back.

"Let's get going early, say eight?" Ellen suggested. "Don't forget a blanket and stuff. There are some nice spots for sunning. Make sure your food is in a sealed Tupperware box. I'm partial against sharing my stuff with bears."

With that they parted for the night. Joey and Deirdre made sure to put all the items listed on the advisory into the bear-proof lockers before they turned in. In the camper they undressed. It would be their first sober night together in the alcove bed but it turned out to be easy. Deirdre put on a pajama and rolled her body into her quilt, and Joey did pretty much the same. Deirdre's right hand reached out to grab his left hand though, and they fell asleep hand in hand.

Turning in early Deirdre woke up with the first sun rays illuminating the drapes. Joey woke just a little later looking into her smiling face.