4. Gary - Tree Sap Naturalist
Chapter four
Gary - Tree Sap Naturalist
O n a frigid Thanksgiving Eve, two older girlfriends and I invited Edie to go to the city to see a movie. Driving home on a country road, in the absolute middle of nowhere, there was a big-as-a-boat car stuck on the railroad tracks. No farms were close to use a phone, so we stopped to offer assistance. Two very handsome young men emerged but seemed disappointed seeing we were “just girls.” We girls were smarter than the average “bears” and with some pushing, pulling, tugging and determination were able to free the car five minutes before the coast-to-coast freight train came barreling through at 70 MPH.
Being grateful for our help, they invited us to join them at the best pizza place in the county and we gladly accepted. Boys, yeah, boys! We laughed, played the jukebox, ate pizza, and got to know each other. Before leaving the cutest one asked Edie for her phone number and address which she gladly gave. He was Gary. After leaving the pizza place, we were twenty miles from home and one of the girls desperately needed a bathroom break.
The only place was beside the road or at the state park where there were public restrooms. We pulled into the park and the car with the two boys came in behind us. They had the same idea. We all took turns using the facilities. Saying our goodbyes again, as we were getting ready to continue home, a floodlight hit us, and a yelp from a sheriff’s siren. The deputy adjusted his gun belt and began questioning us about our intent there, and where we were coming from. Mr. Sheriff was not in a good mood.
“You kids are in curfew violation. It’s 11:20 and curfew is 11:00 on weeknights. This happens to be Wednesday in case you didn’t know,” he said in a stern tone. We were stunned. Of course, we knew it was Wednesday but it was also the night before a holiday.
“Sir,” I spoke for all of us my voice shaking. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so we thought it was like a weekend. We’re very sorry. We just needed to use the bathrooms and now we’re heading home.”
“That’s what you get for thinking, Miss. You are so wrong. Wednesday is a weeknight and you won’t be going home anytime soon. You’ll be going to jail,” he smirked. Calling for backup, he made us all put our hands on the cars and wait until another deputy came to take us to jail. Edie started to cry and the rest of us were shocked that this was happening. They took all six of us to the county jail in handcuffs, fingerprinted us, and took our mugshots. They called our parents but not the parents of the boys. They put them in a cell to spend the night, while we waited for our parents to come and pay our bail. Court was scheduled for 9:00 AM Thanksgiving morning.
We were all escorted into the courtroom to stand before the judge. None of us had ever been in trouble so we were so scared not knowing what would happen next. The arresting deputy was called to the stand to tell the story. The judge was growly as he sat looking down from his perch, a tuft of hair sticking up like a tail while picking his nose. He was not happy to be there on Thanksgiving morning and we were sure he was going to throw the book at us.
Finally, when the deputy finished, the judge cleared his throat, looked at him, and asked, “Do you mean to tell me you had nothing better to do the night before Thanksgiving than to arrest six teenagers for using a public restroom?”
“Yes, your honor. They were clearly in violation of curfew and…” the judge interrupted.
“You did a good job,” he paused “of making a complete idiot of yourself. There is no case here”. Hitting his gavel echoing in the empty courtroom, he pointed to us and said, “Go home, kids, and enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner while I decide what to do with this deputy who has ruined mine.” We couldn’t escape fast enough and didn’t even say goodbye to each other.
Two months later
In January after the Jack Forrest drama and being arrested for curfew violation, Edie woke with a smile. It was her fifteenth birthday. Though her mother was opposed to celebrations, she always seemed a bit kinder on this day. Edie wrapped her warm fuzzy bathrobe around herself and sat at the kitchen table to have some toast and tea. The security buzzer rang and her mother answered.
A gravelly voice inquired, “Is this where Edie Allen lives?”
“Who wants to know?” her mother impatiently asked.
“I’m a delivery man and I have something for Miss Edie Allen. May I come up for your signature?”
“No, you may not. I will come down. Pack your patience,” she answered gruffly.
They put their coats over their robes and her mother had them walk down all three flights of stairs instead of the elevator. Looking back, I’m sure it was a tactic. Exiting the large double doors at street level, a man dressed in a uniform like a chauffeur stood holding a clipboard. She noticed a huge car carrier and beside it was the most beautiful little car she’d ever seen. It had a huge red bow that nearly covered the entire car. It was a brand-new TR-7 Triumph convertible in pure white. On the right quarter panel, painted in a delicate script in red, it read Edie Forrest . She gasped, confused but so excited she could hardly breathe.
The man in the uniform reached under the papers on his clipboard and passed an envelope to Edie. As she reached for it, her mother snatched it from her hand as she read. Peering over her shoulder, Edie was in awe of the gift.
Her mother shredded the note and littered the street with its pieces. Turning to the uniformed man she warned, “Get this car out of this town and tell the maniac who sent it, if he doesn’t stop, I will have him arrested.” As far as we know, they never heard from Jack again. It was hard for her to keep a few tears from escaping her eyes even as she told me about it. That was an amazing gift but her mother’s word was always the last. I’m sure her decision was the right one avoiding an attachment to Mr. Forrest that would have been hard to rescind. Edie watched until the car on the big truck was out of sight.
An interesting day was transpiring. It was her fifteenth birthday and she had just waved goodbye to that beautiful TR-7 Triumph being hauled away that Jack Forrest sent to her. I could hardly believe it when she told me but when she got her pictures developed that she had taken from her upstairs bedroom window, it blew my mind. He really did send her a car. She was reeling from that when the buzzer rang to her apartment. “Hello?” she answered.
“Hi, is this Edie?”
“Yes, who are you?” His smooth husky voice came through the speaker.
“Today is your fifteenth birthday, right?”
“Who is this?”
“This is Gary. Remember me? You know the car on the train tracks, pizza?”
“Ya, how could I forget? I’m a jailbird now. What do you want?”
“Well, I’m so sorry that happened to us but since today is your birthday, I’d like to spend a special afternoon with you if you agree.”
This was certainly a day of surprises. First, watching with tearful eyes as an amazing car was taken from her, and now a handsome hunky guy wanted to spend time with her, how could she go wrong? She had no plans and this was so unexpected she accepted without hardly thinking. She buzzed him in and when she opened the door to their third-floor apartment, she remembered how incredibly handsome he was. I recall her saying “sexy”.
Before she could react, he pulled her into a hug and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. “Happy Birthday,” he said with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. She was stunned and didn’t understand all the things that were happening to her body. Her heart raced, her breathing was out of control, and her knees were shaking all because of a hug and a kiss. She knew right then she had lots to learn about life and love.
His face was tanned like one would get from being on the ski slopes in winter with a slight shadow of a beard. He removed his stocking cap revealing his short-cropped dark hair, eyes as black and sparkling as a raven, and thick lips that looked perfect for kissing. He was solid and built like a wrestler. She had no doubt she could enjoy spending her birthday with this gorgeous guy.
Dressed in a heavy parka, hiking boots, and wool mittens, he smiled. “I hope you like the outdoors.”
“Yes, I do but it’s January. Kinda cold for the outdoors, don’t ya think?” she smirked.
“I’ve got it covered. Don’t worry about a thing. I would suggest you wear some warm clothes. You want to get ready?”
“Gary, wait downstairs. I’ll be down shortly. Is there anything I should bring?”
“Nope, just your pretty little self and a spirit of adventure.” He skipped down the three flights of stairs and she wondered what she had signed up for but she was sure she wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.
Things were different back then. We didn’t worry about predators, rapists, and kidnappers the way we do today, or perhaps we were so na?ve we didn’t consider the possibilities that could have happened. We were so trusting, or maybe it was Edie being Edie, but she was excited to see what Gary had in mind. Nothing about Edie ever surprised me. She was a “Go for Gold” girl in everything she did.
She took the elevator to the street as he greeted her, opening the door. He walked her to a new Ford truck and motioned his hand, then closed the door and the engine roared to life. Curiosity and nerves were eating at her. “Gary, what are we going to do today?”
He looked across the bench seat at her with those black sparkling eyes and long lashes. With a wink, he said, “You’ll see shortly. You trust me, don’t you?”
She didn’t know if she did or not, so she barely answered with a throaty, “Hmph.” He took a back road out of town winding higher up the bluff. At the top of the summit, he turned into our most notable state park and slowly meandered through the tall pines to the overlook at the far western edge. Though the temperature was in the 30’s and there was a small dusting of snow covering the fallen leaves, the sun was brilliant. Gary began unloading supplies from the back of his truck. She was clueless but thought she should help since it was obvious he had put some thought into this.
In a matter of minutes, he had pitched a small tent as a windbreak, set up a Coleman heater, started a fire on a premade briquet cooker, poured hot apple cider out of his thermos, and offered her some green “chips”. Edie was a small-town girl and spent all her summers in a cabin on their island, but she admitted this was a new experience for her. She was shy but wanted to seem confident. “So, Gary, tell me what you’ve got going here. I’m not sure I understand.”
“Well Edie, I like you and I want to introduce you to the real me.” Not sure what was coming next but she perked up her ears and listened intently. “You see, I’m a nature lover. I admire and protect what Mother Earth offers us in all her beauty and purity. Have you ever seen the guy on TV who promotes Grape Nuts cereal and asks, ‘Have you ever licked a pine tree?’
She attempted not to roll her eyes and she stifled a laugh building in her belly, wondering what she had gotten herself into. She was just learning to love Pop-Tarts and Lucky Charms and this guy wanted her to lick a pine tree. Yup, this was the true, in-the-flesh Euell Gibbons wanna-be. She looked over the two-hundred-foot bluff and wondered if she would jump off the cliff with this tent on her back if it would carry her safely to the river below. That was probably a bad idea.
He began unpacking something that resembled food although most was unrecognizable. “It’s my feeling that we are poisoning our world. The way we grow our food, the additives we put in everything, the chemicals we add to water, and the hormones we feed our animals are the demise of the human race. I try to forage and select foods to sustain myself from the most natural sources I can find.” Oh boy, she thought. Not sure what she’d gotten herself into but he hadn’t threatened to butcher her. So far, so good.
He heated a large cast iron skillet adding some fat to it and gently positioned two pheasant breasts over the heat. He added some sort of root vegetable, carrots that still had a sprinkling of dirt on them, and a large bag of dandelion greens. Slowly allowing everything to simmer, he continued to talk about our planet. He was passionate about his mission to try to educate people he cared about how to eat healthily and save themselves. She tried to seem interested since he was so passionate. It wasn’t pizza but she did enjoy it and his company. She found herself more interested in watching the way his mouth moved as he chewed and licked his lips.
After the meal and interesting conversation, he took her hand as they began the descent down the precarious walkway over the beautiful bluff toward the river. On the way, he pointed out edibles that could sustain a person indefinitely. His knowledge was amazing but on her fifteenth birthday, she probably didn’t take it as seriously as she should have. She was becoming bored so she had to do something to spice it up. Halfway down the decline, she pretended to be cold, wrapping her arms around her shivering body.
He was smart and did exactly what she wanted. He engulfed her with his strong arms as she tipped her face toward his with a grateful smile on her lips. He catered to her subtle suggestion and gently kissed her lips. His lips were meaty and thick, moist and when he kissed her, he parted those luscious lips. Edie’s mother told her kissing leads to other things but so far that hadn’t happened to her. She wasn’t sure what kissing might lead to but she was starting to make some guesses in her mind as she witnessed in her body. His kisses were good and she liked it.
They climbed back up to the campsite where he served her a paper cup filled with black raspberries and nuts drizzled with clover honey straight from his own hive. “I hope I haven’t bored you too badly. You probably think I’m a nut, I love nuts by the way, but I want you to know me. Now I have a small gift for you. These are some things I’ve found in my travels and I hope you appreciate them for the beauty I see in them. Edie, close your eyes and hold out your hand, please.”
She told me she was hesitant but she was here in the moment. He placed a rather heavy package in her palm. Wrapped in leaves, she gently opened it, unsure what she was looking at. She was touched by his sincerity. He gently rubbed his calloused finger over the first stone. “This is a true Indian arrowhead that I found not far from here. It’s believed to be hewn by the Blackfoot Tribe who lived in this area nearly two hundred years ago.” She was touched especially since they were sitting right near the 48-foot statue of Chief Blackhawk, believed to be of the Blackfoot Tribe. It seemed this meant a great deal to him. Next, he lifted another stone about the size of a silver dollar and took her finger to touch the perfect imprint of a fossilized fish that could have been millions of years old.
She didn’t know what to say. Was this how dating was? She didn’t know but since she was here, she might as well enjoy it. Gary then uncovered the third gift and placed it in her hand. “This,” he nearly whispered in a reverent tone, “is genuine Amber. If you hold it up to the sun you can see that some life form was imbedded in this tree sap and is now perhaps a hundred million years old.” With his large masculine hand, he closed her fingers over the gifts. He seemed so emotional. Searching for something to say, she blurted something stupid that a girl would say. “Hey, you ah… wanna lick a pine tree?”
He smiled with softness in his eyes and said, “No, but I’d like to kiss those beautiful lips again on your birthday.” Yes, they kissed and she liked it. The slight scruff against her cheek, the way his hands held her face, and the way he looked at her without asking for anything more, assured her this was okay.
For the next two years, about every three months he would show up unannounced and take her on another adventure. As her friend, it seemed like a strange relationship to me but she was excited to tell me about the times they spent together. It was always well-planned, a complete surprise, from canoeing down the river to tracking deer in their habitat, fun, and educational while his kisses were better than exceptional. Edie loves good kissing.
School studies, band, and all the chores around their spacious apartment left little time to worry about what would come next. Jack Forrest wasn’t a blip on her radar, though she wished she could have kept the car, without any strings. Her Mom and Dad maintained their distance from her allowing her to figure life on her own while they continued with their priorities. I was sorry for Edie because she was never a priority to them and I know she was lonely. Her Dad bought a bar that was an instant success and her mother pursued her dreams of becoming a big-time evangelist.
Unpredictable, unreliable, non-committal Gary. Seems weird that Edie enjoyed that unexpected attention four times a year but he was always interesting, respectful, and fun and when he laughed, it seemed to be from deep inside his soul. She never knew when he’d show up, or what the agenda would be but his timing was impeccable and she knew she could rely on his absolute attention. He was always a distraction from the normal stuff a teenager deals with so as her uneventful life moved slowly forward, there was little thought of Gary until he walked into her life the next time.
Tragically, he enlisted in the Marines, was sent to Vietnam, and never returned. And just like that…Gary was gone but always remained a beautiful memory in Edie’s Hope Chest.