An adult stories – Roadtrip by ExhaleSlowly,ExhaleSlowly It’s a strange thing sitting behind the wheel for so many miles, especially when driving alone. There were times that the miles had almost raced by, gone too quickly and visions imprinted forever. Other times, it felt as if the car was hardly moving at all while hour after hour of flat farmland stretched on to eternity.
This was the roadtrip of a lifetime. No time-limits, no mentionable schedule to keep, beyond a list of places Shannon Wilson had always dreamt of witnessing first hand. This leg of the journey found her driving north on Arizona state route 64 into a small tourist town called Tusayan. A bit north of the town, if you could call Tusayan a town, as it was more a village than anything else. She would finally, and excitedly behold the glory of the Grand Canyon.
Shannon hadn’t had an easy life. She’d never known her father, well not more than hearing her mother curse his name and almost delight in telling Shannon what a miserable excuse for a man he’d been to knock her up and then almost immediately afterward catch multiple felonies and forever be locked away. This left her to raise an unplanned, and possibly unwanted child on her own.
Shannon found her mother dead on the floor of their tiny apartment when she arrived home from school when she was just 11 years old. It was an overdose, but then that didn’t surprise anyone, not Shannon, or any of the few members of her family that knew her. An aging Grandmother tried to care for the little girl, but she could just barely care for herself and so Shannon found herself in the foster care system, and remained there until she was old enough to face life on her own.
She didn’t consider her life particularly difficult, only that it simply was. Calling it hard didn’t solve anything and wishing for better only made things worse. She’d bury herself in travel books and magazines at whatever school she was attending at the moment, never expecting to stay in any given home for very long. She daydreamed of visiting all of those magical places that seemed too incredible to really exist. She had memorized over twenty sites she had promised herself to visit, and the Grand Canyon would be number eleven on that list.
Traveling solo suited her, although it would have been nice to pass the time with someone, a close friend, maybe a man. She had never developed the social skills to do well, in either department. Making friends had been difficult, friends that had actual parents, when she had whatever family the system had assigned, almost always families that had their own children, and Shannon found that she had been thought of, primarily as a means for the foster family to earn extra income, and not because they had ever really cared that she was just a little kid, that desperately wanted to have a family, and to feel safe. On a few occasions, she was sent to foster care where the adults had no children of their own, and they were always worse than the families that had kids.
Her escape had always been the travel magazines, and dreaming of one day…
Men had been equally mysterious, sure there had been several, but any other 22-year old would have far better-developed social skills and keeping a relationship together, after she had given them her body seemed a lost cause. It was easier to just avoid men. Besides, this road-trip was about finally laying her eyes on all of those long-wished-for sites, not for getting laid.
Her head had begun throbbing almost twenty minutes ago, she needed to get off of the road and check into a motel, if any had rooms available. Although she was hungry, she knew the headache would soon overpower her stomach, and the best option at the moment was a dark room, a bed, a cold compress on her forehead and one of her pills.
She pulled off of the main drag and hoped the first place she checked had a room, she needed the dark, and to lay down. It was a nice-enough place, not a chain motel, and the price was right. Closing the door, and locking it behind her, she pulled the heavy drapes and smiled a bit in the near dark the room had become. A quick trip to the bathroom, a wet washcloth, stripped down to her panties and an oversized cotton t-shirt, and swallowing the little white pill prepared her as well as she was able.
It did no good to complain about it, it would only make things worse. Tears escaped under the washcloth covering her eyes while Shannon imagined what the canyon would look like in the morning. In time, the expected fog overtook her senses and she drifted off to sleep.
~
A bit after 6:00am Shannon woke, drank some water to chase the cottonmouth away, and decided on a quick shower and an orgasm would be how she’d start the day. She stepped into the shower, taking the purple dildo she traveled with along. After washing her body, and taking her time while playing with her nipples, which had stiffened as they always did, almost in anticipation of her coming release. The hot water had loosened muscles that had strained while she suffered yesterday. She felt almost reborn, and that was definitely cause to celebrate. The fleshy material of the dildo rubbed back and forth along her clitoris, as it stuck against the back wall of the shower, and played hide and seek as she moved her hips, feeling the pleasure slowly radiating through her core. She bent forward a bit, and let her fingers adjust the angle so that the dildo parted her labia, and slowly entered her, taking a bit at a time, prolonging the inevitable. Soon, her toy was as deeply inside of her body as the almost awkward positioning allowed, and as she rocked back and forth, her fingers rubbed against her clitoris. Soft sighs escaped her lips and strangely, although it was always like this, she didn’t fantasize that a man was inside her. It was, after all, just a toy, but a toy was enough, and soon after, her orgasm caused her to gasp more loudly now, and her legs shook until it had passed.
She stayed coupled like that, for a time, and wondered if other women fantasized about men when they filled their vaginas with their toys.
After the shower, and drying off, Shannon applied a bit of makeup, nothing fancy, she was never one for dramatic looks. In fact if it was all the same with her, she’d be happy enough to quietly blend into any crowd, no matter how small it may have been. She glanced at the rows of almost equally spaced scars that ran horizontally across her left bicep. Those scars had been enough reason for her to be moved from more than a few foster homes, but she hadn’t cut herself for years now. Still, those silent reminders would be hard to hide on a day that was expected to reach above 100 degrees.
She picked simple khaki shorts, a white spaghetti strap blouse, and trainers for the day’s outfit. She packed her bag and was checked out of the motel by 7:30am, her stomach hadn’t stopped rumbling since she had gotten out of bed.
Almost directly across the street from the motel was a fast food joint that served breakfast, well, if you could call it that. Still, it would have to do. Shannon sat at a table, and imagined the endless canyon that would soon lay in front of her. She daydreamed, and pictured in her mind’s eye mule-trains, small, but visible moving along dirt paths along the canyon floor, from her perch far up above.
“Hey there.” a voice, close spoke.
She snapped out of it, and looked to her right, seeing a younger guy, maybe 18-20 sitting at a table a few feet away, watching her intently.
“Oh, hi.” she said, and scrunched up her brow, what did he want?
He was deeply tanned, and clearly a backpacker. A huge rucksack lay on the floor next to him, his clothes weren’t clean, but they weren’t exactly filthy either. His hair was sun-bleached, and shaggy, and his blue-eyes seemed almost unnatural.
“Are you headed up to the canyon?” he asked, his smile revealing perfect rows of snow-white teeth.
“Mmhmm.” Shannon nodded, and she looked at the huge backpack next to him ‘How far have you walked?’ she asked.
“You mean, like today, this week, or?” he almost laughed as he replied.
“I guess that means a lot.” she said, wondering if she should feel impressed, and then wondering if he thought she would be impressed.
“I started in Ojai, in California, but I’d be lying if I said I walked here from there. I’ll catch a ride, anytime I can.” he said, nodding.
“So, umm, I just wondered, maybe if you’re heading up that way, if I could tag along?” he asked hopefully.
“It’s not safe for women to pick up hitchhikers, haven’t you heard?” she answered, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Take my picture with your phone, then I’ll let you take a picture of my ID, send both to your folks, I’d have to be crazy to do anything stupid if the cops would have my picture and ID, right?” he said, smiling again.
“In the meantime, I’d be dead, somewhere between here and the canyon.” Shannon answered.
“Yeah, I suppose I hadn’t thought of that, look, I’m new at this being a crazy hitchhiker thing. I haven’t figured any of this out yet.” he shrugged.
“Just up to the canyon, and that’s it.” she said slowly, giving him her best ‘I’m serious, and you better not be a crazy person.’ look.
“I’ll even pay for us at the gate.” he said, then reached out his hand, and introduced himself “I’m Tyler, and yeah, that’s actually my name.”
“Shannon.” she said, and lightly shook his hand. “That’s really my name too.”
“It’s like six or seven miles from here, my feet already thank you.” he said, then reached into his backpack and retrieved three water bottles, then walked over to the drink machine, and filled them with water, took a huge drink from one, and came back, sat down and told Shannon he was in no hurry, and she should take her time finishing her breakfast.
“It’s pretty horrible actually.” she said, then stood and carried her tray to the trash bin. Tyler followed and took the opportunity to sneak a quick glance at the woman’s toned legs, and smallish ass.
“You jog?” he asked from behind her.
Shannon stopped, and turned, realizing he must have been checking her out. “No, why?” she asked, and angled her head, waiting for him to answer.
“I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just obvious you take care of yourself is all.” Tyler answered with widening eyes.
“Tyler, you’re talking yourself out of a ride…” She told him in a serious, flat tone.
“I swear Shannon, I didn’t mean anything by it.” He said, holding his hands up.
She turned and continued to the trash bin, and emptied her tray, and then stepped outside, and walked to her car. As she unlocked the door, she saw he was standing away from her, with a bit of a strained look on his face.
“Hey, I’m sorry. Look you’re right, it’s not safe for women to pick up hitchhikers, and especially ones that haven’t showered in days. I’ll just say it was nice to meet you, and again, sorry for me being awkward, enjoy yourself up there, the view is going to be more than you ever imagined.” he said with a smile, and then waved a bit, and began walking toward the road.
Shannon started her car, and chuckled to herself “You take care of yourself, it’s obvious…”
Then she pulled out onto the road, and stopped next to Tyler, pushed a button to lower the passenger window and called to him “Hop in.”
“You sure?” He asked.
“I’m stopped aren’t I?” She replied, wondering why she was taking the chance and then reasoning that it didn’t really matter.
~
“Was I right, or what?” she heard his voice, but couldn’t pull her eyes away from the endless sight before her. It couldn’t possibly be this huge, it had to be partially a mirage, or maybe her brain just couldn’t process something on this scale.
Tyler watched the woman, and her lips moved, but no words came. He supposed he probably looked about the same when he first visited this place two years ago. He decided not to speak again until she said something, and so he turned his gaze out onto the canyon, and thought of his last visit and the memories it brought back.
Her sniffles pulled him from his thoughts and he turned, seeing tears rolling down her cheeks. There was something about this Shannon woman, and he guessed maybe she was going through a difficult breakup, or maybe she’d lost a loved one. So he gave her space, but he wanted to touch her, just take her hand while this impossible to describe sight burned into her memory.
“Hey, hey… It’s a lot, I know.” He said softly.
“I… I’ve seen pictures, but.” Shannon answered, shaking her head.
“Pictures can’t do it justice,” he said warmly.
They stood at one of the lookout areas, a place called Mather Point, holding a railing, and feeling smaller than either of them ever had in all of their lives.
She turned, and apologized, and Tyler shook his head, and lifted a finger to her cheeks, and wiped away the tears.
“If you wouldn’t have, I would have, and I’ve been here before.” He said with a silly grin.
“Why did you come back? California is a long way from here.” she asked.
“I made a promise, and I keep my promises.” he said seriously. “I’m going to walk from here, to the other side.” He said slowly nodding.
“What? There’s no way, that’s gotta be at least.. I don’t even know, it goes on forever..” She said, surprised.
“23 miles.” Tyler answered, and gazed out into the endlessness again.
They were silent, just trying to take the view in, letting it all burn into their memories, and then finally Shannon spoke.
“Let me come with you.”
Tyler looked at her, then grinned and said “Where’s your pack?”
~
They drove back to Tusayan, Shannon bought a backpack, and more supplies than she would have expected. They finished up, had lunch at a better place, and discussed Tyler’s plan. There was a shuttle service that could bring them back to this side of the canyon, and schedule for that. Tyler asked several times if this was really something Shannon wanted to do, as there were some difficult sections along the trail, and it would be hard, and expensive to call for a rescue on the canyon floor.
“You should call your folks, let them know what crazy idea their daughter has.” He chuckled.
“Mom’s dead, never knew my Dad, he’s in prison somewhere, maybe still.” She said and shrugged a bit.
“Sorry Shannon.” He said quietly, his voice seemed squeezed.
She nodded at him, then for the first time since impulsively deciding to hike further than she ever had in her entire life, she began to question if she could make it.
“Listen, Tyler, this isn’t going to make any sense to you, but I need you to make a promise, you said you never break your promises.”
Tyler watched her intently, only nodding at her words.
“If I decide that I don’t want to keep going, like, if I want to turn back, you have to promise me that you’ll keep going. I don’t want to be the person that ruined your insane hike through the grand canyon.” She said with a smirk.
“If you don’t think you can make it Shannon..” he started, looking for words that wouldn’t offend her.
“Just promise.” She said.
He kept watching her, and struggled to respond. He didn’t know her, there was no reason he should have felt obligated to turn back if she got a blister or something, or got tired. But there was something he couldn’t put his finger on that was making it tough to agree with her request.
“Promise me.” She repeated herself.
“I can’t. Sorry Shannon, but if you get hurt or something, or you run out of water, or get tired, or whatever, we’ll just take a break, for as long as you need, and then we’ll push on. Your friends won’t believe this hike you’re about to make, the story will be so much better when you finish, instead of giving up. So no, I don’t promise.” He said evenly.
‘Friends’ Shannon repeated the word in her mind, If only.
“The shuttle leaves before sunrise,” he said, changing the subject. “I’ll meet you at the fast food place, sound good?”
“That works, which hotel are you staying at? I’ll give you a lift.” Shannon nodded.
Tyler grinned widely, and gave his huge backpack a few quick taps “I carry my hotel around with me.”
“You can camp on the floor of my room, that is if they have any available.” she said, and they drove back to the hotel Shannon had stayed at the night before.
After she’d showered, Tyler agreed with Shannon that a shower would feel nice, while he was in the bathroom, she ordered a pizza, and just after he’d finished up, there was a knock on the hotel room door. Shannon answered the door, paid for the pizza, and then beckoned to Tyler inviting him to share the meal.
They sat and watched a bad movie on their hotel TV that had too few channels. When it was over, Tyler rolled out his sleeping bag on the floor, and climbed on top of it, urging an early night as the shuttle would be picking them up in the wee hours.
Shannon covered herself and got comfortable in the bed, and tried to fall asleep, her thoughts kept drifting back to the hitchhiker laying on the floor next to her.
He was handsome enough, though too young. Still, she could imagine kissing him, she decided that he’d be very open to her suggestions, not that she was an expert, but she imagined that as good looking as Tyler may be, he didn’t radiate any of the vibes that older guys, more experienced guys usually did. Her breathing came slower now, as her body relaxed, and the last thought that crossed her mind was that she’d never had sex with anyone younger than her.
~
The shuttle ride literally took hours, and Shannon had plenty of opportunities to revisit this decision of hers, but eventually the bus unloaded its passengers, while the early morning sky was still dark. As the pair made their way onto the path, they let all of the other hikers move past them, and after a few hours, they took a break as the sun began to light the sky.
“You good?” Tyler asked.
Shannon nodded with a big smile, big smiles didn’t happen a lot for her. But this crazy idea seemed like it was just what she needed. The sights, sounds and smells were incredible. To think that she had just planned to gaze upon the canyon, and now she was at the bottom of it, she was actually part of it all, and making good progress toward the far end of it, seemed almost impossible to her.
“This is incredible.” she answered.
“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” Tyler asked, his gentle way of complimenting her made Shannon feel even more amazing.
After a break, they started back on the path, and began regularly chatting, and laughing as they made their way south. Tyler couldn’t put his finger on it yet, but there was something curious about her, and Shannon was happy enough to be sharing the day with someone and surrounded by incredible beauty that she would never have thought to experience if it wasn’t for the kid from California laughing at her bad jokes as they walked along the trail.
That night Shannon decided that she wanted to have sex with Tyler, but lacked the grace to give him a signal.
“How old are you Tyler?” Shannon asked, laying on top of her new sleeping bag.
“Almost Twenty, how about you?” he answered.
“Twenty-two. Do you have a girlfriend?” She asked.
“No, it’s tough to have a relationship, hitchhiking across the country.” he answered with a laugh.
“No woman back home waiting for you when this is over?”
“Nah, but I don’t mind, lotsa guys can’t be happy unless they have a woman in their life, I’m okay flying solo I suppose.” he answered, and while it wasn’t entirely true, Tyler had gotten used to not having someone in his life. “How about you?”
“Nope, no woman waiting for me either.” she answered, smiling.
“You know what I mean!” he laughed, and shot back.
“No guy either, you might find this hard to believe, but I’m not the most well-adjusted woman.” she said giggling.
“You mean the scars?” Tyler asked, and immediately regretted it.
“I haven’t done that for a long time, it was a stupid thing to do when I did it. It just, I know it sounds backward, but cutting myself made the pain go away.” Shannon answered, no longer laughing.
“I’m an idiot Shannon, that was a messed up thing for me to say, I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be, you’re not the first person that’s asked.” she said.
“I’ll cook you breakfast in the morning.” he said seriously “Sometimes my mouth works before my brain does.
“Forget it, really… Let’s sleep together.” She said.
Tyler played that back in his mind several times, and then asked “Okay, sleep, like go to sleep? Or do you mean?”
“Sex, I meant let’s have sex.”
“Oh, oh wow!” he said excitedly “Shannon, at the risk of being the only guy in the history of mankind to ever talk himself out of having sex with a beautiful woman, are you sure that’s what you want?” Tyler asked.
“I’m sure now.” she said, then got up from her sleeping back, and joined Tyler on his.
She kissed him softly, and for a time, they kept that up, but as their excitement grew, the kisses became more passionate, Tyler was gently fondling her breasts, and then Shannon had pulled enough of Tyler’s jeans down to release his rock-hard penis, which she held in her hand as they continued kissing.
Tyler had previously been with one woman, and he tried to cover up his inexperience, especially with an older, certainly more experienced woman. His mouth moved to her neck, and then soon after, Shannon’s shirt was off and Tyler was nibbling his way down to her modest breasts.
Shannon relaxed, and just let whatever happen, happen. She’d wanted to ask if Tyler had condoms, he hadn’t offered, and she wasn’t overly concerned. Tyler had managed to sneak out of his jeans completely while worshiping her breasts, and then his hands were on her hiking shorts, and then were tossed aside, next to his jeans. She felt him pushing against her, looking for her opening, and after a few tries, she wrapped her hand around his shaft, which was surprisingly thick, and positioned it at her entrance, and then began lowering himself into her, slowly, withdrawing a bit, and then moving more deeply into her. When they were fully joined, they stared at each other in the darkness, and didn’t move. Something was going on in each of their heads, Tyler couldn’t believe his luck, and Shannon wrapped her legs around Tyler, relishing in the feeling, so much nicer than her purple boyfriend she typically brought into the shower. She looked past Tyler, and realized she’d never seen so many stars above in her entire life.
The sex was slow, like their kissing had started, and had eventually become more passionate with Tyler keeping his gaze fixed on her the entire time. They didn’t change positions, or stop to use their mouths on each other, this was just sex, but on the canyon floor, and the countless stars above, it was the most perfect sex in the world.
Shannon wiggled a bit below Tyler, causing her clitoris to be further stimulated, and in short order, she felt the warm waves of pleasure begin to wash over her body. Tyler may have only been 19, but he was making her cum and it was the first time having sex with him. That had rarely happened with Shannon in the past. Her body was midway through the throes of her climax when Tyler nearly grunted that he was close, and asked where he should finish.
“Inside me, don’t take it out!” Shannon pleaded.
Tyler thrust powerfully against her, then held himself fully impaling her as his semen pulsed inside of her vagina, when he had regained himself, he kissed her gently, then rolled off of her, they spooned like that, quietly for a time, both watching the stars.
Hours later, Tyler woke to the sounds of an animal in pain that had wandered close to their little camp, he rolled over, and found Shannon sitting up, rocking and making a terrible noise.
“Shannon?” he said, sitting up beside her.
“I’m sorry, fuck.. I’m sorry, really..” Shannon groaned.
“Sorry? What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Shannon?!” his voice went up an octave as Shannon moaned in pain again, and rocked back and forth.
“I took a pill, I’ll be okay soon, it’s okay..” she said.
Tyler moved close and put his arm around her and held her tightly, which resulted in Shannon starting to cry, no longer trying to hold it in.
“Hey, hey, I’ve got you, I’m right here. Hey, look up at those stars, I think I see the Big Dipper, right over there.” he said pointing. “How many aliens do you think are up there pointing at Earth and wondering if any aliens live there? Do you think they have pets and white picket fences too?”
Tyler continued to talk quietly, not expecting a response, he’d gotten pretty good at this since his Father had passed away earlier in the year, he’d spent plenty of nights at his bedside, talking to him as he slipped further and further from life. He was back here now, thinking of his Dad, and worried that this woman that he’d just shared such perfect intimacy with was a long way from an easy way off of the canyon floor.
In time, Shannon seemed less distressed, but the pain had taken its toll, the way it always did, and she fell into a restless sleep. Tyler held her close, and didn’t close an eye for fear of possibly falling asleep. When the sun crept over the rim of the canyon, Shannon began to stir and moments later, opened her groggy eyes to see Tyler watching her closely.
“I’m really sorry about last night.” she said.
“All better now?” he asked.
She nodded.
“It’s none of my business, but..” He said, with a pained look.
“Thanks Tyler, what you did last night. It means a lot.” She said, and smirked and went on “Not just the sex, though that was really nice too. What I mean is, thank you for taking care of me after, I get really bad headaches sometimes.”
“You scared me, there’s no fast way off the canyon floor, especially in the middle of the night. I nearly panicked until you fell asleep.” he answered,
Shannon fought it, but soon enough her eyes began to water, and then Tyler pulled her close, hugging her and began to sniffle as tears of his own came.
He explained that she’d be very hard pressed to get rid of him now, and that the only way she’d manage to do that would be if she filed a police report.
The day started, and before it was over Shannon had completed the hike, she hadn’t had another migraine, and they didn’t talk about it.
~
“I can drop you wherever, I’m headed east.” She said, after they spent a night in a hotel.
“If it’s all the same with you, I’d like to tag along, I’ve got no plans.” He said.
“So you can point up at the stars and talk about things that keep my mind off my headaches?” Shannon asked, maybe a bit too harshly.
“Let me be a friend, that’s all.” he said quietly.
“I’m no good around people, I never have been.” She said, as an apology.
“Me either, so we’ll be misfits together.” He said, with a bit of a grin.
They shared a shower together, once again the sex was almost gentle until it wasn’t, and afterward they laughed together. For Shannon, the two times she had been with Tyler were easily the most satisfying, and even more so as he had asked to stick around. That was new for her.
The miles passed quicker now with Tyler. They would chat, and then share silence as they looked at the country unfolding in front of them, Shannon had explained that she had a list of places to visit, and the next stop would be in Colorado, a place called Cliff Palace, that was the biggest collection of adobe cliff dwellings in the country.
While Shannon was thankful for the company, especially with someone that wasn’t pressuring her for anything, someone that seemed perfectly fine to take things as they came, she realized that at some point, the journey would end and that she would need to part ways with Tyler before that time. As kind as he seemed to be, she didn’t want him to see her during the difficult times.
Tyler had helplessly watched his Father die, and while he knew that comforting her while she had a migraine wouldn’t make them go away, he refused to simply accept that he couldn’t at least be there for her.
“Thanks.” Shannon broke one of their long silences as the road hummed under the car’s tires.
“Thanks? For what? I’m the one not walking on the side of the highway right now!” He laughed.
“It’s easier, driving, seeing all of this, with someone else. When do you have to get back to California?” She asked.
“I don’t.” he said shrugging “I suppose I didn’t plan much beyond hiking the canyon, you know?”
“You said you promised you’d do that right?” She didn’t want to pry.
“My Dad, last year Mom and Dad decided we needed to see the canyon, we spent a week on the road, there and back, it’s all we could talk about on the ride home.” He explained. “We got back home, and a month later Dad got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mom was strong until she ran out of strength and turned to booze, so I took care of him, we’d talk for hours about the canyon. He made me promise to visit again, and I told him I’d bring him with me. Mom was passed-out on the couch when Dad died, so no plans to return really.”
“My God Tyler, I’m so sorry.” Shannon said quietly.
“He was looking out for me, you know? I met you.” he answered with a grin.
Shannon decided she would definitely have to part ways if things got much worse for her, it wasn’t fair to Tyler.
They had taken to camping next to Shannon’s car as much as they could. Having sex under the stars, listening to the sounds of the night suited them both. They learned more about each other, what their childhoods had been like, the good times, and the bad. Each day, and sometimes each hour brought them a bit closer. They visited a few more places on Shannon’s list, and then saw a sign posted on the door of a gas station they had stopped at, it read:
“RANCH HELP NEEDED, PAYING CASH FOR HARD WORK.”
A number was posted below the sign, and Tyler called and spoke with an elderly woman who explained she was looking for someone to help her husband repair their fences. Tyler said that if Shannon could delay her trip for a few days, he could earn enough to help pay for expenses. She told him it wasn’t necessary, but Tyler said that it would go a long way into making him feel like he wasn’t mooching off of her.
They found the ranch without much trouble, after a short chat with the cheerful wife of the rancher, they agreed that Tyler would start the following morning. The ranch was huge, and they were invited to camp on their property.
The next morning, Tyler was up and waiting for the Rancher, a man named Bob Wallace, easily into his sixties, and yet seeming to show no signs of weakness. Bob invited him inside, they each had a cup of coffee, and then headed off to mend fences. Hard work, but Tyler never complained, and did his best to keep up with the man old enough to be his grandfather. This went on for three days, each day got easier, and each night Tyler and Shannon snuggled before and after they made love. Tyler had made her promise that if she began to feel bad, or had any problems to call him as there was just enough coverage on their phones, but each night Shannon sat waiting in their little makeshift camp site. The work was finished, and Tyler handed Shannon the stack of money that Bob had paid him, insisting that she use the money however seemed best.
They had been on the road together for almost a week before the next headache started. She had enough warning, and pulled off of the highway, found a cheap hotel, and ate one of her little white pills and lay on the bed with a cool washcloth on her forehead. Tyler stayed close, only able to watch, and try to occupy her with stories of what it might be like when they arrived at the next place on Shannon’s list. The pill began to work, and she relaxed, and her breathing slowed. Tyler held her gently, and shook his head, fighting away tears. It wasn’t fair, first his Dad, and now, this woman that he was very quickly becoming attached to, had her own medical issues. He’d tried to gently ask if there was anything he could do, or if she’d seen a Doctor, but Shannon hadn’t offered much in the way of an explanation. Only that she ‘got bad headaches sometimes, that she had pills for.’
He woke up snuggled next to her early in the morning as her body shook uncontrollably, which caused him to panic, and try to wake her. Her entire body was stiff, and jerking violently, no amount of waking her would help and he ran to the room phone to call 911 just as it all ended. He had her sitting up a few minutes later, and she opened her groggy eyes, and looked exhausted.
They sat in the dark of the morning and talked. They mostly cried, but when they had finished Tyler felt gutted, and Shannon felt cheated. Tyler drove that day, and they checked off number nineteen on Shannon’s list, she insisted that they get back on the road as soon as they could, and Tyler nodded. It was a long way to New York City, but the Statue of Liberty was next on the list. By the time they arrived it was late, and the city was more chaotic than either of them would have imagined. The following morning Shannon was excited to see the statue, and couldn’t wait to get started. Her tired voice sounded almost like she was a bit drunk, slurring her speech slightly. Tyler looked at her warily, but nodded and they got started. They both stared silently, imagining the thousands that had come before so many years ago, seeing that statue, and taking the chance to start new lives. It was bittersweet.
The next day they were on their way to the last location on Shannon’s list, Niagara Falls, Canada. They realized it would be impossible to cross into Canada without a passport, which neither of them had, but there was supposed to be an observation area that would let them see enough.
Tyler drove and Shannon busied herself looking at her phone, she told Tyler they needed to make a quick stop along the way, and in the early afternoon Tyler waited in the car as Shannon disappeared into an office building, and returned less than an hour later. She had a happy smile on her face, and kissed Tyler as she sat back in the car.
“I think we’ll make good time from here.” she said, slurring her words slightly.
Tyler smiled at her and nodded.
“Thank you.” she added.
“Don’t Shannon, let’s stay happy.” He said, and silently cursed himself as tears began running down his cheeks.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life Tyler, I mean that.” she answered, and reached for his hand. They drove on, silently, each with their own thoughts until they eventually found themselves standing on what looked from a distance, like an unfinished bridge, it jutted out over the Niagara Gorge, and offered countless tourists an incredible view of the falls.
They held each other, and agreed the long drive had definitely been worth it. After a while, they made it back to the car, and found a hotel. Tyler decided that there would be absolutely no getting rid of him, and that in the morning, they’d start a new list together and start a new adventure.
They had eaten cheeseburgers and fries from a mom and pop restaurant and then went back to the hotel room to relax, and digest their food. Shannon snuggled close, and Tyler was torn, she wasn’t doing well, he was worried at the thought of making love to her, but she was insistent.
Everything played out like so many romantic movies, their lips explored each other, and then their bodies became one. Tyler moved slowly, gently and whispered into her ear. Words he had wanted to say a week earlier.
“I wish I could have this forever.” Shannon said softly with a big smile, as Tyler moved inside of her.
“You do have this forever. I’m not going anywhere.” he told her and his lips were on hers once again.
Shannon’s body signaled that she was approaching an orgasm, and Tyler continued doing exactly what had brought her to this point. She made soft noises, and he lifted his mouth from hers and looked at her beautiful face, so content, so happy, in spite of her tears.
He pushed himself into her as far as he could, and kissed her once again, feeling his body spasm as he emptied into her, and then they were quiet, aside from their breathing as it slowed.
“Thank you.” he said as he held her close.
“Forever.” she added.
“Forever.” he answered.
They fell asleep like that, and early the next morning Tyler woke, and rose to use the restroom, on his way back to bed, he noticed a simple white envelope that had his name written on it. He smiled, and planned to remember to stop at a store, he’d buy her a card too, he felt silly, he should have thought of that by now. He crawled back into bed, and pulled Shannon close once again, but immediately knew something was terribly wrong.
~
The ambulance lights twirled around in the parking lot just outside of their room, the paramedics were coming and going in and out of the room, their radios crackled, and there was a police officer leaning against the wall next to the room’s main windows, talking to Tyler, and explaining things. Tyler nodded endlessly, but heard almost nothing the officer had said. It all took hours, and then he was in the room alone, in the darkness. His heart was gone, he promised he’d never care about someone again, it hurt too much, and life wasn’t fair.
He held the envelope, and couldn’t find the strength to open it, he knew the words inside would destroy him. Sometime after 3:00 am that morning he opened the envelope, and read Shannon’s note, it read:
Dear Tyler,
I wasn’t sure about you, in fact when I saw you that first day I figured you were a bum. But I took a chance and I’m so thankful that I did. I want you to know that you gave me the kind of life I’d always wished for, but never knew how to have. It would be easy for me to say that I realized I loved you pretty quickly, probably right after our time on the floor of the canyon together, but that seems too small a thing to say.
Instead I’ll say that you saved me. I would never have come so far, and seen so much without you, and I’m forever thankful. I tried to pretend that love wasn’t for me, but a shaggy hair hitchhiker bum I met in Arizona showed me how wrong I was.
I’m going to ask a favor of you, and I hope it’s not too much.
I want you to make your own list, and I want you to go to the places you write down. I want you to know that if it’s at all possible, I’ll be there with you. I hope that you’ll be able to feel me there.
Our adventures aren’t yet done.
There’s money in my bag, enough to take care of my final wishes that are documented in the will that I’ve included. I didn’t have a lot of time to think of what I wanted the lawyer to put in it, but I think you’ll know what to do.
You’re a good man Tyler, I wish you a long, and love-filled life. I hope you won’t forget me, as I know that when my last breath comes, I’ll be thinking of you.
Love,
Shannon
Tyler’s heart did in fact break, and he cried until the light began filtering in through the curtains of the hotel room. It was impossible to breathe, and more impossible to move. But a few days later, he’d made sure Shannon’s last wishes were carried out. He took the small box that contained her remains and started her car, now his car, and aimed it west. California was a long way from here, and there was much to see along the way.
AN:
Wow, I’m such a softie…
This story is a combination of actual events and fantasy. I’d read a story here last year that left me in actual tears. I wish I could remember the title, but it’s listed in a forum thread about the best stories on this site. I wanted to try to write a tear-jerker of my own, and this is what I came up with.
I hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.