A beautiful Picnic

and off to a really stormy start

 

Troy pulled at his bottom lip and Yevette could tell, he was really thinking on serious things. The last something, had really made him smile sweetly and go all kind of warm and Teddy Bearish. She wanted to reach over and give him a hug, for whatever the thought was. So she did, to plant a playful mushy kiss on his cheek for good measure.   

That'd startled Troy out of his revelries, what ever they were and he gave out the customary, “huh”, and look to her with a sheepish boy grin and ask bashfully.

“What was that… all about?"

Yevette cuddled up close to him so they needn’t shout, just talk loud over the constant engine noise. “Oh, for what ever you were just thinking”, she breathed, in his ear.

“Truth”… Troy, grinned mischievous.

“Of course Troy, what else?"

“I was thinking about you, all naked. Yevette," to look over and wink.

“Oh you, you. Man-thing… you," she laughed, “well, you just keep on imagining there, Mr. Troy," and slap his shoulder to finish with, “life is just chalked full of possibilities, you know!"

Just as Yevette’d said that, Troy throttled the boat right down and it sank down into the water, at the idle. The boat started heading, for shore... Yevette couldn’t believe it, what did he think, to just jump out on the beach an Yevette tear her cloths off, and show him! Well, she said just that to him. Troy'd got the most unusual look on his face and broke out really laughing, and Yevette thought too hugely.

Her body couldn’t be that funny… now, could it?

Troy wiped real tears, from his eyes. “Jeez knees Yevette, you are something! Did you, know that? No, baby. I’d already planned to stop here… for a break, and have some little snacks that I’ve brought along. This tub at full bore, can make a pile of noise. Not to mention, vibrate till you’re numb in the bum... God Yevette, you are a card,” and laughed some more as he rounded a point and there revealing nestled in a small deep emerald cove, a beautiful little sandy beach.

Troy idled in, and turned off the ignition shortly before they got to the beach and the prow, gently slipped up onto the sand. Troy to right away climb into the back and open the large case he’d brought along. Be damned, if he didn’t come out with a small wicker picnic hamper and Yevette thought to herself, ‘This man has style, that’s for certain!'

           They'd picked a spot at the top of the beach and going to settle right there on the sand with a blanket Troy, had rolled up under his arm. Getting ready to spread it out, a path caught Yvette's eye. “Hey, Troy,” and pointed off behind them. Low and behold, there was a picnic table that overlooked the beach, and on further exploration. Discovered it was in deed, a well-kept small campsite and campfire pit. Yevette went and put the hamper on the picnic table to look down at the corner she’d put it on, and smiled. “Troy”, she waved him over, “come check this out”? She pointed at a small plaque, which was right in the table under thick epoxy and it read: This camp courtesy of Teal Haven Lodge. To whom it may concern. Please do enjoy this beautiful site, but again. Please do leave it in the condition found in. Thank you, Ben & Kate O’Grady.

Troy was truly amazed and turned to Yevette. “You see, Yevette. This is the kind of people, that we are off to go see. I can’t wait for you to meet them, Babe. I know that you will take right to the O’Grady’s. They’re wonderful!" Yevette was sure, that she would as well. She felt it was very thoughtful of them to have made this campsite on the lake, for just anyone to use.

It wasn’t until she had been off the boat for a few minutes, to find that Troy had been right. Her whole body was buzzing and her bum… was numb! And, when she started to give it a two handed rub down to get the circulation going. Troy came over, and laughed. “What did I tell ya, Girl. Hey, need any help there?" He Leaned in, as if to help stupidly grinning. Which, earned him another punch in the arm and… hard. “Ouch”, Troy whined playfully, “that hurt… you!"

Yevette ignored him, ‘sissy’ being her teased retort, and began to search through the hamper thoroughly starved, not having had breakfast. There was quite a lot in one little hamper, a small bottle of champagne, two flutes to go with. Strapped to the lid lined in velvet, rolls of fancy crackers, three kinds of cheese and honest to god Black Russian caviar, she thought, ‘well that’s extravagant’. There was everything in that hamper, but ‘damn his eyes’, no real food!

 

I had been watching her with interest and noted her face look disappointed, right at the end there. “Yevette”, ‘hmm’, she turned to me. I took a small pack off my shoulder and put it on the table, “this here, wouldn’t fit in the hamper”, opened it and took a plate out of the pack to unwrap a whole roast chicken. Yevette ran right over and gave me a huge hug, to tell me with a great deal of enthusiasm. ‘Oh my man, you do really think of everything’!

Man I beamed with pleasure, and hugged her back. I especially seemed to like, ‘the, my man,' part of it and the way Yevette used that term, with me. Well we'd gotten everything out and fell to with our gourmet passions of oh so sweet savor and, it took no time at all...

            For Yevette, to rub out… the whole meal deal.

 

In finishing off the last of the champagne, Yevette saw Troy peering up into the sky thoughtfully, then check the lake. “What’s wrong, Troy”, she asked intregued, feeling a tingling up and down her arms. Like some trepidation from him, to do with weather change?

“The winds picking up, look on the lake,” he pointed and Yevette could see that large waves, were already starting to form with the wind picking up. “Come on Yevette we have to go to the boat, and you have to help… and, I don’t think we have much time either. Judging by how fast those big black clouds, are rolling in”. Just then, to have heard thunder go off some where down the lake in the direction, they’d just come from. Yevette began to worry, mostly because of the concerned look that Troy was wearing. They both got up from the table at the same time and started to hustle across the beach, for the boat already going sideways, from the movement of the wind and waves.

Troy, just run full bore into the chill water up to his waist, and began to push against the back of the boat, his whole face going red with the strain of it and the large long cruiser started to come about, to yell. “Yevette, climb into the boat... hurry. I don’t know how long, I can hold it here!"

She hop to it, and did as was commanded to hastily make her way up and into the boat. In the process of being too hurried, Yevette swore heatedly at sharply barking a shin climbing over its design obstacle course. Feeling some real panic, her heart racing a million miles an hour and with thunder and lightning getting closer. Huge menacing black clouds, were boiling down the lake and darkening the sky. Yevette finally got to the back of the boat and call to Troy out of breath. “Ok I’m here… what do you want me to do now”, and wait for Troy’s further instructions. Finally heard him yell back, from over the side in what she knew, was bone chilling mountain fed lake water and hear his voice quivering from it.

“In the very back compartment, there’s an anchor,  find it and I’ll tell you what to do… ok”. She was already in motion before he’d finished and it took a moment. To figure out how the stupid hatch mechanism actually worked. Troy yelled from over the side of the boat, again. “God, hurry Yevette… this water is damn cold, and I’m running out of energy... fast”!

She finally threw the hatch open and immediately spotted the anchor and rope attached. "I have it," she yelled indecision, into the wind, "now what?"

“Ok” he said, “roll up about six feet of line; leave at least two feet, before the anchor”! Yevette was doing so, as he was explaining it to her. She hung it over the side to show him, if she’d got it right. “Perfect” Troy panted, “Now, you’re going to give it one round house swing and let go into the wind. And aim, about three feet to the aft of the boat… can you do that”?

"Of course," Yevette yelled, and did. It sailed out, to splash into deep green water. She could feel the tension playing out, as the anchor sank into the deep.

Troy, must have been watching, because as soon as it hit bottom he yelled, “good. Great Yevette... now give it a good yank, and you’ll feel it. When it, sets!"

She did and could feel the sensation, "it set, Troy." Yevette was feeling proud at what she’d done at about the time Troy called out again.

“Now, you see that davit, on the stern of the boat"!

She looked and found the thingy, bound to be this davit he spoke of and ‘yep got it’ she yelled. “Good girl! Now pull the rope, fairly taunt. When you can feel, the boat isn’t going anywhere. Wrap it around the davit a few times, and I can get out of this freezing damn water”! She did what she was told and as fast, as was possible. Wrapped the taunt line around the dabbit, and hung on tight to the remainder, not knowing, she didn’t have to. Called, "Ok Troy, come on out. I have it secure, up here!"

Hoping, that she really did...

When Troy, finally made it into the back of the boat with Yevette. His lips were blue, was soaked to the skin and shivering like crazy. She hugged him and tried rubbing his arms and when she tried for his legs. He gently, pushed her away. “No, time Yevette,” he looked into her eyes, and then at the sky, to say between shivers, “We have more to do before this storm, really digs its teeth in. By the look of the sky, it looks as though we are really in for it and, I don’t know how long it might last!" The way he'd presented this, really set Yevette to worry about their trip going south.

Troy went right at it and looked through various compartments, pulling this and that out. One was a fairly large rolled tarp by the look of it, a couple of really long metal stakes and various coils of rope. Some bunches of bungee cord and a fair size hatchet. “Ok, looks like all we need, Yevette and it looks like I'll have to go back into the water!", and looking very much determined to accomplish just that.

“Well ok Troy, if you say so." Yevette really didn’t like that idea much as Troy was just starting to get color back into his lips. “You have more for me to do as well, I would imagine”, he nodded seriously and hugged her tight.

To look down into her face, appreciatively. “Listen Yevette you did awesome here today already. Lets wrap this up, and then we’ll to find how we are going to ride out this damnable storm. After this boats, secured properly." Yevette nodded and followed Troy's lead. After getting some of his finds out of the boat and on to the beach. They started to roll out the tarp from the back of the boat, moving forward and bungee the tarp, every couple of feet. It started to drizzle and then got to pouring out of the sky harder, and finally. They had the boats top covered as the real power of the freak storm, began to showed itself.

Troy waded back into the water, making his way slowly to the back of the boat. The bone chilling cold mountain lake water, now up to his chest. He’d taken the last of the bungee’s with him and it didn’t take him long. To secure the tarp to the back of the boat, so no waves might get into the boat itself. The waves were growing, as they accomplished this much and white capped waves forming further out on the lake with their real sense of urgency, growing proportionately. The day darkened even further to an almost twilight, with fog like mists of wind whipping sheets of rain blowing in on them. Troy came back out of the water, now soaked right up to his neck, and again his lips all blue and quaking horribly. Yevette wanted to stop him… do something, but he refused.

Ben O'Grady's beautiful craft, required every ounce of energy that he could demand of himself and Troy, just set right to the next order of business. Taking the hatchet, he began pounding the stakes with an eyeball measurement, into the beach maybe 10-12ft forward of the craft and on either side. Took a measure, of each length of rope and tie them securely to forward davits, and expertly knotted them to each stake. His facial expressions through it all were grimly set and determined, not stopping for even a moment in what he had to set for himself to accomplish.

Yevette watched him, soaked to the skin and shivering. Knowing that this man would not stop, till everything possible would be done that could be for their survival, and her wondering. Just how serious, was this situation which had developed right out of the blue. Well, it had been a beautiful blue sky in what was to be a perfect morning, and one could say, that Yevette... now felt, truly miserable.

Her earlier darker premonitions, beginning to take effect.

“Ok… done”!. Troy said walking up to her and his face anxious. “Now Yevette, we need fire. We’ll build a fire, if we can. Right next to the picnic table and let’s just hope we can find fuel, that will burn!" He held Yevette by the shoulders, looking even more concerned. “I won’t lie to you Yevette. This could get serious,” his look certainly was, and Yevette’s heartbeat picked up tempo. “First, we don’t know how long, this storm will last. Second, we are soaked to the skin and getting really sick after this. A real possibility!" ‘S**t’… Yevette was thinking, this was maybe worse than she had imagined. Troy seemed to think so and he sounded pretty convincing, as he went on.

“So lastly, the picnics table is our only cover and, it isn’t much! I’ll rig the blanket I brought and, whatever else... we can dream up. I did bring some extra cloths and pointed under the table and there was his large case. God this man was amazing in a pinch and Yevette, only admired Troy Daniel Farrell more by the second. “Please Yevette, go and get anything you think will burn. Even if your not sure. Don’t think about it, just bring it. We’ll sort it later. Go!", with his directive gently pushed her into motion, to head off and do his part in getting through their predicament.

Troy’s ability to command, was really quite intense; she thought not at all, only going off to do as was directed. Yevette wasn’t ignorant to the great out doors and had hiked and camped her way, half way round the world. But right now, it didn’t apply. Only the goals that Troy had set out for them and, trying not to think of this as a life threatening situation. Knowing down deep it wasn't, only a rotten roll of the dice.

Yevette already held a half armful of fuel she knew was dry and would burn. Knowing where to find such things, knowing as well. That keeping your wits about you, was paramount. Most people lost in the toolies, were in a panic doing exactly this: looking, for anything that would burn. Yevette’d picked a couple of landmarks to follow and checked every few minutes. To keep in line with her direction back through the poring rain, and to Troy at the beach.

There was a path ahead of her an Yevette took it, knowing it would head back to the beach going south. At the first bend… a pointer sign read: Line Cabin and was pointing in the direction, she was going in and at the very next bend there it was a log cabin. ‘Holy crap’! Yevette ran screaming, “ Oh God. Thank you, thank you” and slid to a stop, ‘no sense in even checking it out’ she thought, and drop her armload of wood right there. She spun a 180 and booted it south, for the beach as fast as her legs’d go...      

Yevette came rocketing full tilt into the campsite, yelling. “Troy, Troy you’re not going to believe this," and, almost ran right into the picnic table sliding over the rain soaked ground and through the deluge, falling from the sky. Well Troy had stuck his head out of what was, a ¾ done shelter, his eyes round and was... maybe, looking hopeful. Then climbed all the way out and came to her.

“What Yevette… what did you find?" Troy tried to get hold of her, but she squirmed like a mad thing. To be let go of. One could say, Yevette was a mite animated and after such an elated sprint. Her hands went down onto her knees, trying to catch her breath enough to explain. This wonder of wonders... finally, she croaked it out.

“A cabin, Troy. No s**t, a real live frigging Cabin a log one. By the look of it. Grab your case man, lets go. It’s like, maybe a little under ½ a click from here. If that… baby. Found it when I was collecting wood, you believe that”! Now they could get out off this friggin weather, and Yevette. Was impatient to do just that, as soon as was possible.

Like, yesterday...

Reviews

[Angel Bird]

The increasing pace here of your writing adds considerably to the effect of their predicament for the reader. Great stuff!