Two Dudes Blog

All right folks, this is from chapter two/scene three of my novel. I am somewhere along the half-way point of writing it. I am putting this here just to give you a snippet of what I am working on. From this scene, you’ll sense one of the major plot points of this novel (that this is a love story). As a setup, Sofia has been away for quite for some time. Prior to this point, she’s had a shitty life. A real shitty life. Jake is a childhood friend of hers. She sees him for the first time in four years. There is a bit of conflict between them preceding this. But, I caution, there is way more going on in this story than what you’ll read here. Hope you enjoy!

I rubbed my hands against my jean shorts in nervous anticipation when I finally arrived at the spring. For a second, I considered turning around. What are you doing Sofia? The trail emptied into a clearing a dozen yards away from the lip of an embankment on its western side. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. It was nearly dusk.

I caught my first glimpse of the timbered lean-to situated on the opposing rim of the spring. Interlocked pine logs created a solid wall around three sides. Mosquito netting was rolled, and strapped to the overhanging roof at its open-faced front. In it, a cot with a sleeping bag ran along the back wall, a small table just above the cot, and a lamp on top of it. To the left of the cot a mini fridge, and at the front of the shelter were various supplies and tools. A rather large fire pit smoldered several yards in front of the structure. It was a serene, yet rugged setup. It seemed like a place so unlike the Jake Pierce I once knew.

I looked down into the mini-canyon and watched as Dodger loped around the bottom in huge strides. His paws thumped like a bass drum against the wet soil. How could he be so vibrant at such an old age? I canvassed further, but did not see Jake. My eyes returned to Dodger, who by this time had spotted me. Covering ground faster than a predator, he bound up a ten foot high embankment in two lopes, and padded towards me.

“Hey there Dodger!” I called sweetly.

As he approached, I noticed the graying that Gable had spoken of. He had always been a docile animal. This time, however, he padded to within a few yards, and sat — staring at me with the face of a stone gargoyle. I felt uneasy and intimidated suddenly.

“What’s wrong boy — don’t you recognize me?” I asked.

He swept behind me like a gentle breeze on a summer’s day, startling me when he spoke. “I’m sure he still remembers you Sofia. He just wonders why you’re here.”

At first, I didn’t even recognize Jake. I was noticeably taller than him four years ago. Now, he bettered me by nearly half a foot — standing somewhere just below six feet. His lean figure marched in brown carpenter jeans and a soiled, white T-shirt. His arms which once suggested his feebleness as a child, curled underneath several large pieces of wood. Firmed and featured outlines now threatened a budding masculinity in them.

Mostly though, he was conspicuously quiet, a departure from the clumsy-footed boy I once knew. His feet glided across the blades of grass without the slightest of sound, despite the heavy, brown-leathered hiking boots he wore. It was as if watching a white-capped wave approach from afar on a beach. But it was his eyes again that stood out. They smoldered under the setting sunlight in pigments of green and gold, while the bangs of his shoulder-length, straight brown hair tucked neatly behind his ears.

I flushed with embarrassment, hoping my reaction had not been obvious. I wasn’t sure what I had felt when I first saw him. Though, it was deep and definite.

“Jake?” Oh my gosh!

“Sofia,” he whispered. The wind nearly carried his words.

“Oh my goodness, you look great! Dirty — but great.” I offered in earnest. My eyes inspected his facial features. I figured him to be around seventeen now. In my mind, I envisioned him growing into an emaciated, acne-laden teen during these years. In contrast, tanned skin, clear and smooth, covered the defined contours of his face. My eyes traced him like a puzzle in the Sunday newspaper.

His head gave a quizzing tilt, and a kind, pursed-lip smile creased across his face. At once, I suspected he noticed my not-so-subtle stare, and I quickly shifted my eyes away from him. His silence, which lasted only for a few seconds, drowned me in discomfort. His eyes mimicked in sweeping glances of all that had changed with me. A subtle lift in his cheeks signaled a curious amusement.

Dodger provided a much-needed distraction as he padded up, and sat next to Jake. Though, it seemed even he carried a touch of resentment as he stared on with his grayed, stoic face. I greeted him again with a smile, and cooed at him, attempting in vain to elicit a wag in his tail. I resorted to a friendly scratch behind his ear.

“So, Gable tells me you’ve been staying out here quite a lot. I would have never guessed you for being the outdoor type.” I said.

I looked down and shuffled my feet as he remained silent. The sound was deafening . I looked up at him again. His stare fixed squarely on my face. “Well, I just wanted to drop in and say hey.” I said. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you. I’ll be heading back now. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I turned and cursed as I walked away. How could you have been so stupid to come here?

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” he interrupted a few paces later.

I stopped to ponder his words, though I didn’t turn back to face him. His voice even sounded different. A previous cracking, insecure shriek, now replaced by a measured, deliberate southern twang. The bass in his vocal cords rang with the tone of a grown man. When I did turn, he had somehow covered the distance between us. He invaded my space with almost insulting closeness. Though, I felt none. His breath was laden with the scent of ripened plums when he exhaled.

“Thank you.” I replied.

Four years ago, I would have shoved him to the ground, or belittled him. Part of what I had always liked about him was the fact that he was the one “man” I could control. What stood before me now was someone of a different sort. What I felt was something of a different order. It was the same I felt the last time I had seen him. Standing this close to him, I felt terribly and utterly vulnerable.

“I like the shelter. It looks peaceful. How long did it take you to build it?”

“Are you hungry?” he asked, dismissing my question.

Was he being rude or bold? Should I have been offended, I wondered? Perhaps. Strange though, I didn’t feel like it. “Maybe — what’s on the menu.”

“Charred hot-dogs over an open flame. Fruit. Cheese. Water. And, some beans — if you want,” he offered.

“Sounds delicious,” I lied, giggling.

We talked for hours as flames from the pit licked the underbelly of the night’s sky. I shifted my feet when Dodger collapsed at the base of where I sat. I rubbed his belly with the tips of my toes. Within seconds, he snored a low roar that warned away any prospective, nocturnal invaders. And I soon realized I felt comfortable with Jake. Perhaps, too comfortable.

Jake was different now. He had an endless supply of dirty jokes. I laughed so hard once until I snorted, scaring Dodger awake, which then only compounded our combined laughter. He seemed older than his years. And he was still a great listener. For a moment, I considered pouring out the past few years to him. To tell him everything that I had been through. Things that I had never told anyone. In the end, no one truly knew who I was, or what I felt.

But that moment faded as quickly as it arose. No, he wouldn’t understand. He would only see me as damaged and unclean. After all, I knew that I was.

“It’s late. I think I need to be heading back,” I told him.

“I’ve already sent a text to Dad. I told him you were staying overnight,” he replied.

I tilted my head, and raised an eyebrow. “That’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?”

He raised his hands to ease my defense. “I didn’t mean to presume. It’s just late. I’d feel better if you weren’t walking the trail at night. Besides, I have an extra sleeping bag. You take the cot. Me and ‘ol Dodger here will curl up next to the fire. Okay?”

“I can take of myself Jake. I’m not scared of some trail. I don’t need you or your father babying me all the time,” I snapped.

“Indeed,” he whispered. “Well then, good night Sofia.” He walked to the shelter and pulled another sleeping bag from underneath the cot. “Come on boy,” he called to Dodger, “Let’s not crowd this lady anymore tonight.” He then unfurled the bag and curled inside of it. He rolled his shoulders until his back faced towards me.

Damn him.

What was his angle? What sort of game was he trying to play? I stood behind him, unsure of what to do next. I didn’t like being told what to do. And he wasn’t going to start. I cursed him in defiance — all the way until I slipped inside the sleeping bag on the cot. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Dodger lay beside Jake as I grumbled and protested a bit more. His head remained upright until I finally settled in, and ceased arguing. He stood and stretched, then gave Jake a final sniff, as if to say goodnight. He moved slow and deliberate until he was within arm’s reach of the cot. He circled a few times, then collapsed with a heavy sigh. I reached out and scratched along the white stripe of his head.

I then looked down again at Jake. His position remained unchanged; his back still facing me. I wonder what he’s thinking right now? I had no sooner thought the question when I heard just the slightest of wisps. A faint snore — coming from him. I giggled. As I closed my eyes, I noticed something I had not done in a very long time. I was smiling. I was happy to be here – with them.

Good night Jake. Good night Dodger.

And for the first time in weeks, I slept in peace.