Chapter 8: Sandwiches and Showers

Megan returned in a short while later, the latest radio song blaring out of the open windows.

Not wanting to use the air conditioning, she elected to keep the windows down and allowed her left arm to streamline through the air. Every now and then she would point her fingers and allow the slipstream off the truck to guide her hand up and down. The breeze felt cool as it cascaded into and down the sleeve of her t-shirt, drying her slightly damp armpits.

She slowed to a crawl as she returned to the family homestead and reverse-parked so that it would be easier to remove the tables.
She gave three easy blasts on the horn and a short while later, her father and brother came from around the corner to help. Megan was pleased to see that her brother looked sweaty and a little forlorn. Clearly, her father had wrangled him from an afternoon of just playing video games.

“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that dear old brother working?” Said Megan, straightening up and closing the door.

Brad Jr. grunted by way of greeting and made to begin lifting the tables out, two at a time.

“Make sure you don’t ding ‘em. They’re not ours.” Their father called after his son’s sweating, retreating back.

“Oh, and you owe me $40 bucks. Truck was nearly dry as a bone.” She said to her father, hand outstretched.

“Got ya covered, kiddo.” Her father cupped his hands and hollered, “Hey Junior! You owe me $40 bucks. Truck was out of gas!”

Another groan from Brad Jr. could be heard from behind the side of the house.

Megan climbed up and onto the truck bed and began feeding her father the tables.

“You sure got back here quick. These tables were heavy.” He said, grunting and placing them against the side of the truck.

“Oh, I had a little help from Pete’s nephew. His name’s Kennedy.”

Her father looked up after placing a second table against the first, “Oh, Kennedy’s in town? He’s kind a quiet if I remember correctly. Small, right?”

“Uh, what? I mean, no. He’s kinda tall.” said Megan, bumping a table and nearly dropping it, blushing slightly but her father took no notice.

Brad Jr. came to collect two tables and Megan and her father carried the remaining two, one under each arm.

The scene of the backyard was staggering. Not only was the brush cleared, but chairs had been laid out, an impressive circle of large rocks had been arranged around a large pile of dried timber and the tables had already been laid out.

“Mmm, something smells amazing.” Said Megan, feeling her mouth begin to water.

“That’ll be the brisket.” Said her father, noting the plume of smoke coming off his pride and joy, a Traeger Ironwood 885.

“Does anyone else get to touch that thing besides you?” She asked her father, as he walked over and began making minor adjustments to the smoker.

“You know not even your mother gets to touch my baby,” he said with a smile, looking back at her, one hand holding what looked like a paintbrush dipped in a red-orange sauce. He opened the grill, inhaled deeply and began applying presumably another coating of his famous sauce.

Megan put her hands on her hips, admiring his dedication to detail. Especially when it came a smoker of this caliber. She remembered it being one of the latest and greatest when it comes to creating the perfect balance of tenderness and flavor.

“Ready yet?” Her brother said, sniffing the air hopefully as he approached the grill and joined them.

“Not for another hour or two. And I’m marking the foil it’s wrapped in. If I see so much as a corner pulled back or a burnt end missing, you’ll regret it.” He said his tone mock serious. But the way he jabbed the sauce brush at her brother made Megan believe he shouldn’t be tested.

“Anything left to do?” Asked Megan, brushing her dirty hands against the tops of the thighs of her jeans.

“We’re all done out here. Maybe see if your mother needs any help. Take your brother with you.”

“Copy.” She said, turning to head towards the house.

“Hey Junior, $40 bucks.” Said her father, holding out his hand.

He reached into his back pocket and fished out a battered looking fifty.

“S’all I got.”

“It’ll work. Now get goin’” said Brad Sr. to his son.

“Hey pops, you owe me a tenner.” He said.

“Consider it interest.” And he handed the money to Megan, who smiled and pocketed it.

“Hey!” He said.

“Tough break, little brother.” She gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, reaching to do so and she steered him towards the house.


++++++


Once inside, they called after their mother. She said she had it all under control and that they should get showered and changed for the guests to arrive.

Megan observed the kitchen counter and dining table ladened with all sorts of foods in various stages of preparedness. From experience, she knew that if her mother had it under control, no matter how chaotic it looked, it was best to leave her to it.

“Mind if I make a sandwich real quick, I skimped out on breakfast.” She said, eyeing a squashed looking loaf of bread in one unused corner of the kitchen. Her stomach grumbled in ascent.

Her mother nodded, “But don’t eat too much, we have a lot of good food coming out shortly and many of the guests are bringing over some food, too.”

Megan nodded and fixed an old staple: peanut butter and strawberry jam.

She made it a triple decker, owing to the apparent thinness of the sliced bread. She added liberal amounts of peanut butter on the top and bottom slices while taking her time with the jam, spreading it on both sides. She didn’t bother cutting it but did grab a plate and headed into the living room.

The family Labrador, Texas, looked up, his tired eyes and white muzzle sniffed at the air and he licked his lips.

“Maybe if you’re good, Tex.” She said, sitting down and nudging him with her boot on his favorite spot. He wagged his tail appreciatively with a few lazy thumps against the floor.

As Megan ate, she felt her cheeks flush with warmth. They did so when she went long periods of time without eating. Or, as was the case this morning, skimped out on breakfast in order to exercise.

She had taken the opportunity to go for a long run before the heat of the day made it impossible.

At 05:00, she rose and stretched, doing a 10-minute yoga routine to invigorate her sleepy muscles. She threw on a sports top and racerback shirt as well as some volleyball booty shorts that bore her college logo high on the thigh. She grabbed her sneakers out of her duffle bag as well as her wireless earbuds and cellphone. Being it would be warm, she threw her long raven black hair into a ponytail and secured the flyaway strands of hair with a thin athletic headband.

Promptly, nature called. So, after tying up her shoes, she made her way down the hall, past her brother’s room where she could hear chainsaw-like snores coming from the other side. Rolling her eyes, she made her way to the bathroom and shut the door.

Sitting down on the toilet, she looked out through the window opposite, which was high enough to maintain privacy, but also allowed her to see the rising sun. It was just beginning to peak over the faint stretch of clouds that painted the skyline above the trees.

Finishing, she cleansed herself and staired down. She was a little scratchy between her legs and made a mental note to address the situation later in the day. Bathroom finished, she washed her hands after flushing and headed down the hallway, went down the stairs and out to greet the morning.

Presently, Megan took the first bite of her sandwich while reminiscing about her morning run.

The bread was soft and moist, and the peanut butter was just the right consistency. The sweetness from the strawberry jam brightened the experience. Megan chewed and swallowed. She felt her cheeks flush with warmth. She was hungrier than she thought and was glad she made a large sandwich to compensate for her morning run.

The run itself was along a trail a few blocks from their home along an old nature preserve that offered great and challenging terrain. Megan, who was no stranger to hard work and cardio loved trail running. She appreciated running in natural environments like mountains, forests and parks. They were the perfect balance of navigating uneven terrain while challenging the limits of ones’ physical limits.

Cellphone secured, headphones in place and playlist activated, Megan started her GPS watch and headed for the nature preserve. She breathed in and out rhythmically as she took the first mile at an easy pace. She let her body ease into the terrain, letting her mind blend with being out in nature.

Being that it was so early, her only interactions were with sleepy squirrels and a few curious birds. The trail was a combination of dirt and gravel with trail markers. She selected one of the mid-range trails that offered a near 10-mile loop of formidable elevation.

On the straightaways, Megan pushed hard. She loved the thrill of using her body. The muscles contracting and relaxing, working in unison. On the elevated terrain and hills, she leaned forward, tensing her core and powered up, pumping her strong legs and arms.

Megan took note of the rising temperature as she continued her run. The section of the trail that were shaded provided relief from the sun, but Megan knew she was approaching the section where the tree line changed and the only coverage she had would be spartan.

Megan decided to stop for a moment to remove her racerback shirt. She took the opportunity to dab the beads of sweat that formed across the base of her long neck, chest, shoulders and abdomen. She felt the reassuring pressure of her toned muscles against the soft material of the shirt and when she passed over her abdomen, she surreptitiously flexed them. She balled the shirt in her left hand and continued her run, picking up the pace and matched her fitness output with the intensity of the songs of her playlist.

Megan completed her run, improving her time back by several minutes. She loved running negative splits. As she approached her house, she sought shade to do her cooldown routine which consisted of 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 air squats, 50 lunges per leg and a few restorative yoga stretches.

The best spot was on the front porch, which was already occupied at one end by the family dog, Tex. His ears perked up and he sniffed the air upon her approach and Megan scratched him behind the ears, his favorite spot.

During the final few stretches, Megan was on her back, holding one knee up to her chest. Tex had come over and, after sniffing the air, began licking her shin, tasting the salt.

“Hey, Tex. No. C’mon. Let me finish. You’ll get your lovies in a minute.” She said, playfully nudging him out of the way.

But he was not to be deterred. He kept coming back and Megan consented to having him lick both her shins like an ice cream cone before she’d had enough and stood up.

“Okay, okay. Come here.”


++++++


The thump of a tail on the floor brought her back out of her reverie. Megan had just one bite left of her sandwich and, looking at the source of the sound, spotted a very alert Texas, his eyes locked on her.

“Well, I guess this is the second meal you’ll have got out of me. Here ya go, boy.”

She stretched out her hand and he took the offered bite.

“There ya go. All done. That was it.” She said, scratching him behind the ears and making him groan in appreciation. Sensing that was all he was going to get, he licked his lips and returned to his place on the floor.

Megan returned to the kitchen, checking in with her mother to see if any assistance was needed. Her mother politely shooed her away. Megan contemplating another sandwich but checked her watch. She’d have about 30 minutes before guests would begin arriving and decided to take a shower.
Heading upstairs, she entered her room and began to undress. Naked, she was beautiful.

Her long silky-black hair shone with health and cascaded just above her shoulder blades. Her sculpted body had been hardened by four years of collegiate volleyball as well as the strength training she did on her own. Though not body builder thin, you could see every curve and line of muscle on her thighs and calves. Her arms and shoulders were strong and broad, and her abdominals were a feature best. Each of the six quadrants of muscle was clearly visible.

Megan was not vain but did appreciate a fit body. She had worked hard for hers. She supposed that being brought up in a household with a father and uncle who served and who knew the value of time management, effort and commitment, that it should be extended to the physical body as well as the mental side of things.

Megan wrapped a towel around her body and walked down the hallway and into the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and it was the perfect temperature. Putting the towel aside, she stepped in and began to let the warm water wash away the morning. She soaped and lathered her entire body and tended to her underarms and tidied up between her legs. As she did so, her mind wandered back to earlier that afternoon when she had run into Pete’s nephew, Kennedy.

Maybe it was because she was in her bathroom and that was where she had first encountered him. Maybe it was because she was now naked and he, nearly so.

Her mind flashed, remembering the veiny and muscly forearm, wrapped around a girthy penis. The length was impressive. His circumcised head was large and prominent as he’d run his clinched fist up and down the shaft. She had walked in on his moment of climax, a private moment. An intimate moment.

Strangely, she felt herself flood with warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water. Shaking her head, she let the memory float away, not bothering to try and hold onto it and continued cleansing herself. She had not picked up on the fact that her nipples had stiffened and gone rock hard.


++++++