Quick As A Mongoose - 1. The Lake's Embrace - 2/1/2016

Clive chopped down with the axe, splitting the log with a meditative focus. The sound of the splintering wood had a nostalgic appeal to him, bringing him back to the old days on the ranch with his father. That time seemed so distant now, lost in the years of heartbreak which had separated them. First it had been Clive’s mother, then Clive’s own wife, both gone within a year of each other. The grief which should have brought him and his father closer together had instead pushed them apart.

It was understandable, to some extent. Clive’s father had blamed Clive for his mother’s unhappiness toward the end of her life. She’d wanted he son to come home, but he hadn’t made the trip in time, and she’d died without seeing him. Wasting away in a hospital bed was a terrible way to go for anyone, and he’d never seen his father so angry at him before.

Sarah’s death had been quicker, though she had surely been in pain. Clive could still remember the last words she said to him as she screamed into the receiver. “The kitchen is on fire! Clive! I need you!” And then she’d dropped the phone as she rushed to get the fire extinguisher, not realizing the rest of the house had already been caught in the blaze.

Clive had ordered his crew to assemble and head toward the home, but even with the roads being free from traffic in the late night hours they hadn’t made it in time. By the time his fire engine had pulled up in front of his house, the entire building was a raging inferno. For the second time, he’d been too late and someone he cared about had died.

But that was now over a decade behind him, and life had moved on without waiting for him. He’d tried to go to his father for solace, but had found nothing but contempt waiting for him. He’d had to go somewhere, and he couldn’t go back to work for the fire department. After failing his wife, how could he possibly go back to that life? And so he retired and moved into the country to follow his wife’s dream.

The radio attached to his belt buzzed with activity as his assistant Laura called him. “Clive, we need you at the northern pier.”

He carefully set the axe against his chopping block and then retrieved the radio, holding it up to his mouth. “What’s going on?”

“There’s been an incident,” Laura replied solemnly. “Everyone is all right, but I need your assistance.”

Clive sighed and said, “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in just a minute.”

He abandoned the axe to the wood pile and walked straight to his waiting ATV. As he started the vehicle and turned it toward the lake, he took in the scenery around him. This had been one of Sarah’s favorite places in the world, Lake Callahan. Ever since they’d first come waterskiing here while they were dating, Sarah had wanted to purchase the small water resort on the lake shore and run it as her own business. They’d been saving up for years and they’d almost had enough to afford the place when Sarah had passed away. Wanting to keep the memory of her strong, he’d taken out a loan for the rest and had bought the place ten years ago.

It had not been without its difficulties. He’d been a stern man to deal with at the beginning, and he’d found few people willing to put up with his bitterness. Over the first year he’d changed his complete staff several times, until finally Laura had come to work with him. She was Sarah’s sister, and knew how much the place had meant to her. Clive considered her his best friend, now, especially since she’d managed to convince him to lighten up a bit.

He drove down the shore until he arrived at the dock, and immediately found the source of the incident. A burned and blackened speedboat was being towed into the dock by one of the maintenance crews. A fire engine had just pulled up at the resort, and the fire marshal was getting out and heading Laura’s way. Clive gritted his teeth and stepped off his vehicle, hoping this could be resolved quickly. He still wasn’t fond at spending time around firefighters. They brought back too many memories.

“Clive!” Laura said as he approached. He’d reached her before the fire marshal had, and he knew his displeasure was written all over his face as she winced upon seeing him. “Hey, don’t worry about the fire marshal, I have him covered. Maybe you could go entertain our guest for a minute?”

“Our guest?” Clive asked, glancing behind Laura as she nodded backward. He saw a man and a woman sitting next to each other, wrapped in blankets against the chilly mountain air. Their hair was wet, and the man was shivering worse than the woman. He looked to be almost ten years younger than Clive, putting him in his mid-twenties, while the woman was around thirty at Clive’s best guess. He found himself wondering if they were a couple. “You mean guests, don’t you?”

Laura shook her head, “The woman, Ms. Waters, insists she be here for the fire marshal. Her brother was in the water for a while, and I think he’d do better in front of the fire. He was waterskiing when the engine caught fire, and we weren’t able to pull him out of the water very quickly, unlike his sister whom we caught up to quickly. Maybe you could get him inside while I’m dealing with this?”

All it took was one look at the grim fire marshal who was now at the edge of the dock for Clive to agree. He gave Laura a weak smile and stepped toward the two resort patrons. The woman looked up at him and frowned, while the man smiled as warmly as he could manage. “Hello, I’m Clive, and I own the resort,” Clive said as he stuck his hand out in greeting. “I’d be happy to take you both inside for a cup of hot chocolate if you’d like.”

The man opened his mouth to answer but Ms. Waters spoke up first. “I need to stay here and take care of my fiance’s boat,” she said sternly. “But Erik can go with you if he wants.” The man looked at her quizzically and she smiled gently. “Don’t worry about me, little brother. I’ll be all right. Mike’s going to be pissed, but I suppose that’s my fault, too. You need to get warm.”

Erik nodded and turned to Clive, then spoke through chattering teeth, “I-I’d love t-to s-sit in f-front of a f-fire.”

Clive tried not to laugh at the man’s predicament, despite the melodic quality to Erik’s voice which seemed so out of place in his current situation. He helped Erik to his feet, and then guided him to the ATV before helping him onto the back. After sliding into the seat he looked over his shoulder and said, “You’ll want to hold onto me. I’m going to take you up to my cabin instead of the lodge. That way you can have some privacy while we get you out of your wetsuit. You’ll feel a lot better once you’re out of it.”

Erik nodded and wrapped his arms around Clive’s waist. Without waiting any longer, Clive started up the engine and drove away, glad to see Laura seemed to have everything else under control. They’d have a few hours at least until everything was resolved, and Clive was more than happy to take a break from chopping wood. It was a cold day for late spring, and he was eager to get in front of a fire himself.

They pulled up in front of Clive’s simple log and stone cabin and Clive helped Erik off the vehicle and then inside. As soon as they were inside, Clive walked immediately to the fireplace and threw a couple of logs on the fire, along with enough kindling to get a quick blaze going. He’d started as many fires in his life as he’d ever put out as a fireman, and he now considered himself an expert at the craft. In less than a minute, a small flame had taken over the kindling and he knew it would soon spread to the logs.

When he turned around he found that Erik had begun sliding out of his wetsuit, revealing his slick skin beneath. He was tanned and athletic, water droplets glistening in the firelight and highlighting toned muscle. Clive caught himself staring for a moment and blushed when he realized Erik had caught him staring, too. “I’ll go get you some fresh blankets,” Clive said awkwardly, turning around and walking from the room. “Make yourself at home.”

He walked to the closet outside his bedroom, and opened it, pausing as he reached in to take down two thick blankets. It had been years since he’d looked at another person the way he’d just looked at Erik, and he wondered what had gotten into him. The man had just been through a traumatic experience, and here Clive was perving on him. Clive shook his head and grabbed the blankets, chastising himself.

“Here, take these,” Clive started as he headed back to the front room, then paused as he entered, overcome by the sight greeting him. Erik had managed to strip off his wetsuit completely, and was sitting on the floor in front of the fire, legs crossed and hand raised to the warmth of the flame. His nakedness no longer seemed erotic, but instead it was natural, as if Erik was completely at home in this state. His eyes were closed and his expression was focused, almost meditative.

Clive recovered by the time Erik opened his eyes and looked his way, and already he seemed stronger than he had before. He smiled at Clive and said, “Thanks for the blankets. If you could bring them to me, I’d rather not leave the fire.”

Smiling meekly, Clive walked closer and handed the blankets to Erik, who took them and wrapped one than the other around his body. “I’ll go make you some hot chocolate,” Clive said, turning away.

“No, please stay,” Erik said quietly. “I’d rather have the company, if you don’t mind.”

Clive sighed, hoping he’d be able to keep his emotions in check as he turned back to the beautiful man. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Erik replied, nodding emphatically. “I’ve had a rather lonely year, but I feel strangely comfortable here.”

“The lake has that effect on some people,” Clive answered, chuckling lightly. “You felt its embrace today, though probably for longer than you should have.”

Erik laughed, a light sound which made Clive’s heart skip a beat. It reminded him of Sarah’s laugh; it was filled with vibrant youthfulness, the sign of a soul which would never grow old. “I suppose I did,” Erik said with a grin. “But I don’t really mind. I’m alive, at least. What else is there to worry about?”

“You sound wise beyond your years,” Clive said.

“I’m twenty-six, it’s not like I’m a kid,” Erik said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, I happen to know a lot about what it means to be a man.”

“Oh?” Clive asked, crossing his arms and grinning. “And how did you come by that knowledge, oh wise one?”

“My late husband was a real man,” Erik said with a sad smile. “He showed me what a real man was like, and I loved him for it.”

“Your late husband?” Clive echoed. “I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost someone. I’ve been through that, myself.”

Erik nodded, his eyes growing misty for a moment. “Yeah, it was a little over a year ago. It was so sudden. A car accident . . . I sensed a similar loss in you, which is why I felt okay telling you. I guess it’s not something you normally talk about with a complete stranger, huh?”

“No, but we don’t have to be strangers today,” Clive replied gently. “I mean, you’re already naked in my cabin . . . that’s not normally stranger level of familiarity. I think we’re friends, now.”

“I guess we are,” Erik replied, grinning. “Who knows, this could be the beginning of a great friendship. Or maybe . . .” he trailed off awkwardly, eyes widening as he realized what he’d been about to say, though Clive didn’t miss the unspoken words. Or maybe something more. “Anyway,” Erik continued, clearing his throat. “I was actually scouting out the lake because I was considering applying for the waterskiing instructor position.”

“Oh?” Clive asked, eyebrows raising. “You’re interested?”

“Oh yes, I’m definitely interested,” Erik replied, meeting Clive’s eyes and showing the emotion there. If Clive was right, that sentence had more than one meaning.

“The position’s still open,” Clive replied, feeling nervous for a moment as he added, “We have a few open positions, actually. If you want, there’s a few more things you can do around here.”

Erik nodded, a bashful grin spreading from ear to ear. “I think I’m going to like it here, Clive. Throw a log on the fire, I’ll be staying awhile, if you don’t mind.”

Clive laughed and did as he was told, then sat on the floor next to Erik, striking up the most natural conversation he’d had in years. It didn’t take long before they were both laughing and smiling, the trials of the day forgotten. It was time to move forward again, for both of them.