The Urn Carrier (14 page)

Chapter 18

THE JESSIE HONEYMAN State campground, even in late summer, has a
lush tropical environment. She levels the rig, detaches, and drives north to
the Siuslaw North Jetty.

Once they are on the vast expanse of beach, Tessa tosses the Frisbee
for Murphy. The whole coastline in Oregon is public domain, protected from
developers. It’s as pristine as the redwoods; people taking care of their
beaches.

Murphy is a natural Frisbee player. He leaps magically and twists
and runs, fetching the Frisbee and dropping it at her feet before hightailing
it down the wide beach for another throw. He sure doesn’t act like an old dog.

Tessa spies a wall of sand with initials cut into it.

“PM and JM” in a heart shape. “FF / MG” and
“SC loves PC.”

Tessa stops dead in her tracks. What are the chances?

Sadie Cain loves Percy Cain. Tessa knows logically that these
can’t be Sadie and Percy’s initials; it’s just a coincidence. She wonders, out
of the dozen initials scratched into this sand wall, how many are still
together. How long can these initials possibly stand the wind or rising tide?
Still some of them seem like they’ve been here more than a few days.

Below the sand initials in the wall is a fossilized Canada goose.
Tessa inches closer and pokes it with a stick. Murphy pays no attention to it,
trotting right by and finding a brush pile to urinate on. The fossilized goose
is actually a piece of driftwood, perched like a bird reposing in the sand. It
is hauntingly authentic.

As the sun sets, the wind whips in over the
Pacific Ocean, flapping at Tessa’s hiking slacks and whipping Murphy’s long
fur.

“See you on the flip side!” Tessa calls. That night she paints the
piece of driftwood and the initials wall. In her picture she adds, TW and DM.
She can hope.

Tessa opens a journal from 1968.

Percy says that
being with B and F makes him so alive. I am a little jealous, but aren’t I the
one that instigated all of this? Didn’t I say, we should try? In the heat of
the moment I was caught up by B’s intelligence, her great smile. Do all
couple’s get restless, or is it just us?

Whoa. Tessa flips forward a few pages, but no, there they are on
summer vacation in Zion. She flips back near the front. Nothing about a B or an
F there.

There is an entry that reads:

Percy says that a
man has needs and it’s his wife’s duty to fulfill those needs. I asked him what
archaic Neanderthal culture did he come from and this just proves men are two
steps lower on the food chain; Einstein be damned! If they had let women into
schools and hierarchy for the last few centuries we could be flying rockets and
creating technology too. Oh we had it out we did. As much as I love him, some
days I could just hate him. I swear. It’s the little things that tell the big
things about somebody. Sometimes he’s just so self-absorbed. Either that, or
his little head is doing all the talking for his big head.

Yikes! Tessa does some quick math and discovers in 1968 was fourteen
years into their marriage. She’s a little ill that they weren’t getting along.
But they must have made it through. They were together till the end.

She finds more entries, some are happy, and some aren’t.

Wasn’t it bad
enough we lost JFK in 1963? What are all these assassinations? Martin Luther
King, Bobby Kennedy barely two months apart? Riots everywhere from Detroit to
LA in 1967. This beloved country torn apart. And why, in God’s name, are we
still bringing home boys in body bags from Vietnam? God, these hawkish men and
their war politics. B says we have an obligation to fight for women’s rights. I
agree with her. I’ve been fighting for women’s rights since I was out of the
womb!

Tessa reads far into the night, but doesn’t come across any references
to who B or F are.

Chapter 19

“OH MY GOD! You’re here.”

Tessa has flowers from every destination they would have seen
together if Dina had arrived in San Francisco. She has flowers from the river
by Stout Grove, California, pinyon pinecones from New Mexico, wildflowers from
Florence, Oregon, and many other little bluebells and tiny greens along the
way.

Their hug is intense, and Dina kisses her neck. “I’m so glad to
finally hold you.”

She pushes Tessa back a little and looks into her eyes. “How are
you? Anymore Uncle Chunk fiascos?”

“I’m okay. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night, but
then I fall asleep again.”

“Your eyes do look tired. Once you show me how to drive the truck
and camper, I can help there, if you want.”

“Really?”

“Of course, baby.”

They walk to the parking structure.

“Where’s Murphy?” Dina asks.

“I left him in the camper. It’s cool enough and we ran this
morning. How about returning there and touring  tomorrow? If that’s okay with
you?”

“Definitely. I’m beat. I could use a good stiff drink and put my
feet up. Believe it or not, Dr. Lynch sent me with a couple of research items
to finish. It won’t take long. I can do them anytime along the trip, as long as
there’s Wi-Fi that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It’s just huge he trusts
me with it.”

“I don’t really have anything liquor wise, just a couple of beers
in the fridge.”

“No worries. We’ll pass a store.”

Tessa grins. “By the luck of the Gods I do have another treat you
will enjoy.”

Dina eyes widen. “Are you kidding me? You scored on the road?”

“Not exactly. I’ll tell you on the way.”

AT CAMP, AFTER formally hugging on Murphy and playing with him
along the water, Dina pulls Tessa into the rig.

“Back to where we left off.” Her eyes are bright and full of love.

Tessa teases her a little, standing off. “No drink? No putting
your feet up? No writing a research paper for Dr. Lynch?”

Dina growls and grabs her. “Come here, you minx.”

When Tessa wakes, she’s alone in the rig and for a moment, she is
totally disoriented. Did she dream being with Dina? Is she really still in
Washington? Murphy’s tail thumps on the floor as he hears her stir.

He pokes his head over the covers as he sits up and licks her
hand.

“Tessa?”

Dina! It’s not a dream.

Tessa throws the covers off and dresses hurriedly.

She scrambles outside.

No one’s there.

“Yoo-hooo.” Dina’s voice comes from above her.

Tessa turns. Dina holds out her hand as she stands on the roof.
“Come on up, the view is gorgeous.”

With some trepidation, Tessa climbs onto the roof. Dina had placed
the rag rug on the new rubber roof and then considerately had put the two low
camp chairs over the rug.

“You passed out, baby girl.” Dina smiles.

“I guess I needed that.” Tessa grins, despite her qualms of being
on the roof.

Dina offers her a cocktail in a plastic martini glass. “For you.
Only one drink per roof adventure.”

They watch the sun begin its descent over Vancouver Island on the
other side of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

“How awesome is this, sweetheart?” Dina whispers. “I love you so
much.” She kisses Tessa on the cheek.

Tessa continues looking at the scenery, dropping her hand till it
finds Dina’s and clasping it.

“For a moment inside, I didn’t know where I was. I was afraid I
dreamt it all up, that you weren’t really here.”

“Baby, I’m sorry I was delayed, but I’m here now. I’m really,
really here.”

Tessa smiles. “You most certainly are.”

AFTER DINNER, DINA offers to do dishes. She’s done her part,
keeping the rig clean, sweeping, keeping her items stowed neatly in one corner.
Tessa believes that if they can cohabitate in less than two hundred square
feet, anywhere else will be a breeze.

She suddenly realizes Dina is letting the water run in between
rinsing the dishes. She comes up behind Dina and circles her arms around her.

“Baby?”

“Yes, love?”

“Thank you for doing the dishes, this is awesome.” Then she
reaches through and turns off the water. “I didn’t explain that we don’t have
full hook ups here. Just the water and electric. So, when we run water, it
fills the waste tanks.”

It takes a moment for this information to register.

“I was doing them wrong.” Dina is horrified.

“No, no no. You were doing them beautifully.” Tessa turns Dina to
face her. “Believe me, I had to learn all these things myself. I’ve screwed up
so many times. One time the toilet almost swished up all over the floor.”

“Ugh. Grotesque.”

“No shit. Pun intended.”

They laugh.

“And I don’t put toilet paper in the tank. I have a wastebasket
for paper.”

Dina’s eyes widen.

“TP messes with the gauges, hard to clean out.”

“Geez T being in a rig is kind of barbaric. You have to watch
every little thing.”

“It does make us aware of how much electricity is used, if we’re
only on battery power, or using the solar panel. Rationing water, rationing
waste.”

“Forces us to have a smaller footprint, huh?”

“That’s it.”

“Did I over fill the tanks?”

“Well, let’s see.” Tessa shows Dina the light panel. “Nope, we’re
still fine till we pull out of here Tuesday. Then we’ll dump the waste tanks,
and make the rig as light as possible, except for good fresh water.”

On Tuesday, Dina dutifully don’s rubber gloves to help Tessa.

“You don’t have to do this,” Tessa says again.

“No. I want to.” Dina has a stubborn streak
that Tessa admires.

“Well, the first part is the worst. Best to try and be upwind.”

Tessa shows Dina how to secure the sewer line at both ends so
there’s no snaky surprises, like what happened to her the first time.

She pulls the big valve and the sewage rushes out.

“Oh, yeah. I can see how that would spew all over.”

“Now we rinse it out.”

“With all that kitchen water I used. Let me do that part?”

Tessa steps aside.

Dina pulls the smaller drain handle. “Well,
that’s sort of cool.”

“They have a water line here, just for cleaning.”

After they’ve rinsed everything off and stowed it, Tessa pulls the
rig ahead and makes one last check of the steps, the awning, and that the kayak
is secure.

“You’re a pro.” Dina smiles. “Want me to take the first leg of the
trip?”

“Maybe this afternoon?”

“Cool, I’ll get me some big rig driving in. How far are we going
today?”

“Well, I enjoy the state campgrounds and there’s one just before
we cross the border, near Wiser Lake. We can’t cross with any contraband.”

“Good point.”

AT WISER LAKE, Dina and Tessa watch a kingfisher splash into the
water and back out.

“This is so cool,” Dina says. “We don’t see anything like this at
school, do we?”

Tessa shakes her head. “I wonder what the totem is of a
kingfisher.”

Dina punches on her iPhone. “It’s a symbol of peace and
prosperity. Very cool.”

They smile, hugging their knees and watching until the day dips
into evening.

Tessa is sleeping
in late, more than
she likes. She’s a different person with Dina, whose sexual appetite seems
endless. Together their lovemaking is slow, delicious, charged with their
friendship and love.

Dina is softly kissing her all around but nowhere near her most
sensitive areas. Dina looks back and smiles, her hair is pulled up in a half
twist and she slowly lowers herself to Tessa’s mouth. Tessa breathes her in and
softly begins kissing and Dina rises, just out of reach.

“No fair.” Tessa growls and brings Dina’s hips lower to her.
Together they dance like this, teasing and licking, Dina’s breasts
intermittently brushing against Tessa’s tummy—her hard nipples exciting Tessa.
It’s a dance, a duet, and sometimes a duel to see who will succumb first, give
way and let the other take her. So far Dina has gotten her way every time.

And this time it’s no different.

When Tessa climaxes, Dina gently moves a finger into her anus.

Tessa screams into a pillow, her mind, her soul are exploding to
the stars.

It’s several minutes before she’s back in
her body, on earth.

“How do you do that to me?”

By this time Dina has shifted and is enveloped
in Tessa’s arms.

“We do it together, love.” Dina kisses her
all about the face.

Tessa’s heart is so full. If she dies right now, everything in her
life is perfect.

“Your heart beat is so strong,” Dina murmurs, her head resting on
Tessa’s chest.

“Mmmmmm.” Tessa is determined to not fall asleep. She wants to be
inside Dina, rocking her, kissing her, licking her, drinking her. She is in
another time, another space, almost another world. When she sleeps, she sleeps
hard and when she wakes, she is weightless and light, as if the sun could shine
right through her.

Murphy is getting neglected. They haven’t run in the last few
days. Tessa slips out as quietly as possible, her running shoes in hand.

Murphy is beside himself. He is jumping up and down, literally
grinning as Tessa slips on her running shoes. She gets them laced up and hears
Dina’s voice.

Tessa peeks her head in the camper.

“Where you going?” Dina’s eyes are all squinty and her blond hair
is mussed in about four different ways. She attempts to lift her head from the
pillow.

“Just a quick run with Murphy, I’ll be back soon.”

“Mmmmm, come back to bed first.”

“I will, I promise. Murphy needs to stretch his legs.”

And so do I.

AS THEY PREPARE to cross the border, they each take tasks, to
ready the rig and the paper work. Tessa slides into the driver’s seat and
instinctively checks the awning in her passenger side mirror.

“The sewer cap and the stairs,” she says aloud, but to herself.

“I checked all that,” Dina says from her open laptop.

But no, she didn’t. From the circle mirror in the longer side
view, Tessa can see the steps are out, and the levelling blocks are by the
campfire.

“Sweet. I just need to check the bumper, make sure the end caps
are on tight.”

Tessa stows the stairs and the levelling blocks. Dina pokes her
head out the window.

“Wow. My bad. I bet when that call came in from Dr. Lynch, I got
distracted.”

“That’s okay,” Tessa says. After all, she’s used to doing this
alone.

It’s the little things that tell the big things.

Tessa looks behind her as if someone has spoken out loud, but no
one is there.

At the border, Dina elbows her. “PLU.”

Tessa is confused.

“People like us,” Dina explains.

Still confused Tessa drives up to the border guard. It’s a young
woman. In uniform. Stern. Tessa attempts her best smile, handing over both
their passports and Murphy’s medical records.

“What’s your destination?”

“Uhm, Kamloops highway.”

The border guard gives her a withering glance.

“I mean we’re camping along the way and then heading back home.”

“Michigan? Both of you?”

“Yes.”

“How long do you expect to be in Canada?”

“Two weeks?”

“Is that two weeks, or maybe more?”

“We have to be back by September first,” Dina intervenes. She
doesn’t smile either. She’s matching the border guard’s energy, which doesn’t
go unnoticed.

The border guard surveys Dina coolly for an instant. “Any pepper
spray? Automatic weapons? Pistols?”

Tessa shakes her head. “I have a shotgun though.”

She hands over the registration for that.

The border guard sighs. “Pull over there for inspection.”

She keeps their paper work.

They pull over for what seems like a very long time. Murphy is
panting. Tessa opens her door to get his dog dish.

A voice over the PA says. “Stay in your vehicle.”

“Don’t be so nervous, T. They just like to intimidate people. Real
butch. But she’s totally doable.”

Tessa looks at Dina horrified.