Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Mitheral
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Mar 30, 2025 Friday
Thompson Farm
(just south of Pueblo of Sandia Village)
That’s about 5 ish miles north of Albuquerque and along the Rio Grande.

It had been three days since Jonna’s assignment in New Orleans had flopped. Well, not a total flop. But her chief editor wasn’t exactly thrilled that she hadn’t gotten so much as a No Comment and almost no picture of the superhero. But she had no problem getting the elderly patients to verify her story. Not the greatest of witnesses. But the injured driver had also spoken up. Her videographer had saved their jobs by supplying the first images of the hero in a dramatic save. Unfortunately the footage was so bad that the chief almost refused to run the story.

Her chief, however, did have a heart and ordered her to take a few days off - in the wake of the near death of her mentor. That gave her reason to visit her father on his farm. Despite objections she had taken it upon herself to pick up some of the supplies for the farm.

++++++++++

Duncan had spent nearly 24 hours assisting rescues. It had killed him being unable to stop the flooding. However, his earlier efforts to drain some of the energy of the tornado had kept the surge from breaking the upgraded levee constructed after the first Katrina. People were calling it a miracle. Noone yet realized it had been their new hero at work. But then noone had been able to see what he was doing out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.

He didn’t get home until the afternoon of the 28th and slept like the dead for the next 12 hours. The 29th was spent maintaining a presence with his company. He was seriously starting to rethink this whole superhero gig. How the hell did they do it in the comics? He had really just spent the better part of 3 days on one disaster. True he had likely prevented damages that would have totaled over a billion USD. But …

docs.google.com/document/d/1MOwkdsGfH…

He needed a break. He hadn’t seen Patches in three days either. He had made a quick stop by the grocery store for apples and brown sugar. He was absolutely horrible about spoiling the horse. Then he stopped by the Feed store to pick up some other knick knacks. It wasn’t much. He lacked a pick up, and so relied heavily on professional horse transport and care. He had the space at home for a horse. But as busy as he stayed, he’d have had to hire someone. And Patches had a bad tendency to bite anyone but him. And now that Patches was healed up enough to ride he needed to be worked.

He had bought his supplies - little more than a small bag that made him look like a small pet owner, as opposed to someone with a horse. He spotted a blonde woman struggling to lift a sack of feed onto the tailgate of an aging pickup. It was the first of ten 50 pound sacks.

He nodded pleasantly, his eyes crinkled with humor behind his Ray Ban sunglasses. “Ma’am? Care for a little help?” He reached down and picked up a bag with one hand and curled it. ‘Tell you what. You stay up there and arrange it. I’ll toss it up to you. Catch?” He was clearly joking about actually tossing the sacks. But he lifted all ten in as rapid a succession as Jonna could manage and hardly broke a sweat. He didn’t quite stop there. He tossed up the rest, even though she could have handled that herself. It did make the job go faster though.

He barely stuck around for a thanks - even though he recognized the woman instantly. He hated to admit it, but he felt just a little paranoid. He had parked his car on the side of the feed store - out of sight and away from the loading areas. After all, he’d only come in for a couple items. By the time he backed out of his spot and took off, Jonna Thompson was already gone.

It wasn’t long before he caught up though. She was heading north in I 25, got off at x234 hwy 556 and made a left. It was a farming area. But he didn’t want to make her paranoid, so he backed it off a little so it would look like he was tailing her. Duncan knew a little about this subject from Gary. Problem was, Jonna seemed to be heading same place he was. Yep, she made a right into 313 north. And as luck would have it she turned into the very farm he was headed to.

Crap.

He made the last right turn into the farm and followed her on in. She was going to think he was a creep or stalker if she didn’t recognize who he was….
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by EasilyAmused
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“‘Take time off’ he says… ‘You need a small break to re-coop’ he says…” The blonde woman muttered as she gripped the stirring wheel of her father’s truck. The idea that she needed to ‘get away from Santa Fe’ was a bunch of bull in her mind. She was fine, totally and 100% fine and yet… here she was, being almost forced to take vacation wasn’t what she wanted to do. A long sigh left her full lips as she blinked her hazel eyes against the sunlight.

While she didn’t honestly want to be at home, it was nice to be back in Albuquerque. Her tan hand smacked around on the dashboard until it made contact with her father’s aviator sunglasses. Despite her mother passing away two years ago, he was handling it well. He was spending most of his time working on the farm and taking care of the boarded horses and farm animals along with enjoying the farmer’s market selling his grown goods. He was a natural born farmer and despite her desire to escape it, so she was. Sliding the sunglasses on her face she let out a relaxed sigh as she puddled along on the road.

This was her first day back in town when she arrived late last night to her impromptu vacation and she offered to take the truck into town to collect the needed supplies. The local feed store wasn’t busy; in fact there was hardly anyone there so parking was a breeze. Hopping out in a pair of shorts and a tank top, Jonna pushed the sunglasses further onto her face and ventured inside. She felt much less like a girly girl as she did in town. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail, she was in very causal and non-special clothes and she wasn’t wearing any make up. Maybe… maybe this trip wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Shopping was a breeze, though her mind was elsewhere as she was loading things up onto the palette. Who was that flying guy she met? What was he doing? Some of the camera crews caught glimpses of him but she was the only one to get close enough to see what he looked like. The long hair, those blue eyes and that deep deep voice. It should come as no surprise as a typically day dreaming girl she had to make several trips around the store because… well, she kept spacing where she was supposed to go. “Oh!!” Again, for round four along the isles. Poor girl…

After paying for her things, she pushed the heavy cart to the front of the store and to the truck. Popping the back down, she returned her from la-la land to reality and attempted to lift the bag. “Oooofffff!” She said as she attempted to get the bag high enough to be on the back of the truck. Struggling at about the halfway point, the bag of feed slipped from her grasp and toubled to the ground. “Uuuggghhhhh….” Was her exclamation as she placed her hands on the small of her hips and glared down at the bags as if it was their fault that she couldn’t lift them. Man… getting them on the pallet was fine but above waist high seemed almost impossible. No wonder her dad wanted to do it, or even come with her.

This time, this time should work! She sat up the first bag and placed herself on the tailgate of the truck, than she wrapped her small hands around the bag and began to pull. Cheeks puffy and face red she let go of the bag once again and placed her palms on her thighs. Great… just great… all was lost…

That was until she heard a voice. Her head lifted upwards to see someone standing in front of her, a man about her age, her head jerked back in surprise. In the city a lot of people will just move about their merry way without paying her any mind but this wasn’t the city. “Oh that would be amazing.” She said with a fast nod. Her eyes expanded as she watched him pick it up with ease and nodded at his instructions to stay in the bed and arrange the feed. Within minutes everything was loaded. Thank god! As she arranged the last bag of feed, she turned around to thank the young man for helping her only to find that he was gone. The first thought was it was a ghost and the girl’s eyes expanded in shock before she shook her head. No that was ridiculous, that had to be a person just… not someone who stuck around for a proper thank you. “Thank you…” She said to the empty space that the man had stood in. Oh well, a Good Samaritan was hard to come by but this was just a reminder to pass on good deeds.

Jonna gave a practiced off of the bed of the truck and closed the tailgate. Giving the truck a small pat she climbed into the cab and began on her way home. The drive was pleasant and she bopped along to the song until she caught the reflection of a car behind her in her rearview mirror. Not thinking anything of it, she continued to beat-boop along to the song… until she made a couple turns. Uh… the car took the 313 North… uh… she turned onto the final road leading up to the house. Oooohhhhh no… That’s a nice car, and she had been reporting on the mafia in Santa Fe recently… uh…. Oh no… oh no…. oh no….

The gate to the driveway was still open and Jonna continued on the path. As she approached the house she gave the horn a few honks to let her dad know she was home in hopes to not draw attention to her follower. Oh god oh god oh god… Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as she pulled the truck to a stop in front of the house and turned it off. Moving quickly she reached into the back and grabbed her father’s metal bat and instantly exited the cab.

She gripped the handle of the bat tightly and held it up ready to swing; even if he had a gun she was going to fight until the bitter end. Once the car was at a stop she yelled at it. “Get out! Show me your hands! Get out!” Once the door opened she began with questions. “Show me your hands! Why are you following me?! Who the hell are you?!” She cautiously approached the sleek looking car, bat ready to swing if anything became apparent and wrong. What the hell was going on?!

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Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Mitheral
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Duncan stared through the tinted windows and gave a mildly exasperated laugh. For a moment he wondered what on Earth would possess anyone to want to get out of the car while being threatened with bodily harm. Then yet another idea struck him. Just how badly did she want to hit someone? The logic of the situation hit him with a bit of humor. They were on a farm road.

He shifted into reverse and peeled out for the first several feet to make sure she wouldn’t mess up the paint job, then slowed down … to see if she would try to run after him. He imagined her chasing him, him backing just enough to stay out of reach and wondering just how far she would go. But he didn’t have the heart to try to embarrass her like that, so he sped up to get enough distance to turn and pull a 90 degree turn. The maneuver left his driver side exposed.

He stepped out and struggled to stand to full height limping a little. He had given himself a good 10 yards to spare. He couldn’t help but laugh, but held up his hands - one bare, the left covered with a fingerless glove. “You’re welcome?” He laughed some more. “And I wasn’t following you. I have a horse stabled here. And I have some business with the manager. You the new coach? Our kids are gonna love that! Jane .. right?” He got her name wrong. “We met a couple years ago. Leukemia? Duncan Moran? Ring a bell?” He jerked a thumb at the car. “I brought uniforms. Oh … and the Patches patches. Patches is my horse. Team mascot …. Which is sort of funny for a team named the Bears.

“Say, while you have me cornered, don’t suppose you want some help unloading all those bags - assuming you aren’t going to use me for batting practice.” He laughed again. “Really … I’m not much the stalking sort. In anything I try to avoid the Press. So … what are YOU doing here? If anyone should be asking it’s … You’re driving Thompson’s …. Uhm … Jonna … Thompson.” He winced. “Ahh … aha … right. That would explain why you are driving his truck. Daughter? Niece?”
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Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by EasilyAmused
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As the car jutted backwards, the blonde kept a firm grip on the bat. The only thought going through her mind was the idea of survival. And the sheer hope of two things; one would be that she was wrong and this person did not mean her any harm or two, her father would witness the fall of his own daughter and know that he needed to stay inside of the house and keep himself safe. Either way the situation would not end well for her.

Could you blame her for being stressed though? She nearly got smashed by a bus, her boss nearly died in her arms and now she’s covering the mafia case because no one else is willing to get their hands dirty. No wonder the poor girl was on edge. As the car whipped its 90 degree turn, she tightened her grip on the handle of the metal bat until her knuckles were white. Sure she demanded that he get out of the car but now the realization of the driver being able to roll down the window and fire became all too real. The door opened and feet hit the ground making the only sound to echo around the farm after the wind had blown through.

Uh-oh…

She recognized the person as soon as he stepped out of the car and began to speak. Her bat tinged against the ground as her small hands lost all their gripping ability. The surprise of seeing each other seemed to meet head on when he realized his last name and the name of the farm owner were the same. Her face exploded into redness and she quickly scooped back up the bat and tossed it into the bed of the truck. Boy was she ever on high alert and now she looked like a complete fool in front of someone she owes so much to. God she was an idiot!!

“I am so sorry Mister Moran.” Jonna said as sincerely as she could through her embarrassment. “Yes I… I am Marcus’s daughter Jonna. And…. I am also an idiot. Sorry for… pulling a bat out on you… since the last time we met, outside of you helping me load the truck, a lot has happened.” She let out the air she had been holding it and her shoulders fell from the tense position she had locked them into for so long. “Not that I’m ungrateful for you giving me that interview… I’m just…” She let out a defeated sigh, “Making a fool out of myself for continuing talking.”

Shaking her head from side to side in an attempt to forget about just how stupid she made herself look. “Patches is in the stables, apparently dad moved my horse, Bucky next to Patches and they’ve been getting along enough not to kick it the stalls. He hasn’t let them out to play with each other but it seems like Patches it making a slow and steady improvement.” Turning her back to him she took another deep breath. God she was an idiot. The one person, the one person she would not want to make a fool of herself in front of she just pulled a bat on… oh man, she was stupid…

Pulling the tailgate open, she felt her face calm down as she looked at the bags in the bed. Turning back to him she gave him a pleasant smile. “If you’re still willing to help someone who pulled a bat on you, I will gladly take you up on that offer.” She left the back of the truck to grab the waiting wheelbarrow and brought it back to the back. “If not, I completely understand but it was either going to take me ten trips to get each bag to the stable or I have to watch my dad do it and he’s too stubborn to accept help so… it could take him about the same time.”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Mitheral
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Duncan was clearly not angry in the slightest. If anything he was very much the opposite. But he took one look at the wheelbarrow and balked. “Uhm … hmm. Give me a second to grab some work gloves from my car. I have no grip with my left hand. But after ten years I have learned to adapt very, very well.”

He half walked, half jogged to his car, and drive it back over closer to the work. Then he hopped out and opened the trunk to grab some heavy work gloves. Then he grabbed a moving strap. The strap he used to put the weight of the left side of the wheelbarrow more on his shoulders. Then he looked at the bags.

“Uhm … ten trips?” He tried not to smile. Then he grabbed a bag with his right hand and flipped it onto his left shoulder and grabbed another. He laughed. Then he lowered the bags into the wheelbarrow and started stacking more. “When I was a kid I used to do this sort of work all the time. So don’t be shocked by how many bags I stack on. I am just going to limit it for the sake of balance. Don’t care to go pulling muscles.”

He tossed on a total of six bags - 300 pounds. Then he slipped one ends of the moving strap over the handles of the wheelbarrow and got under it to lift. He hardly seemed to notice the weight. But any more bags would have bounced out at the pace he kept while walking along. On the barn end he offloaded - again with just his right hand. At his pace the job didn’t take long at all. And he hardly even worked up a sweat.

Duncan excused himself to put the gloves and strap away. Then he rejoined Jonna. “Don’t worry about the details of our reunion when you father gets here. But I do plan to hold it over your head as blackmail material.” The humor he portrayed suggested that he had absolutely no nefarious motives. He found the whole scene funny. “Would have been better if I had worn you out by egging you on to chase me. But … eventually I would have run out of road.”

He decided to change the subject and catch up on the times. “So what have you been up two since we last met? Any good stories? Oh! You see the youtube thing about some flying guy that caught a bus?” Duncan laughed, shaking his head pitifully. “Every year or so they have another video about some flying guy. You could practically see the wires. But I did like the technical accuracy. No Star Wars special effects to cut the bus in half. Lasers aren’t visible unless they reflect off something. That would have had to be about a 10kW+ industrial laser to just slice a bus in half like that. So kudos for the special effects.”

Duncan had some of the facts wrong. The superdude - he needed a better name - hadn’t actually caught the bus. But Duncan did seem to have some clues as to the technical abilities the guy had demonstrated and just what it would take. Already social media was taking the scene apart and analyzing everything. The video had been poor quality, largely thanks to wind and rain. Jonna’s editor almost refused to run it. But it was the first actual save caught on video. But it had taken CGI animation to show what had happened based on witness accounts.

Duncan, of course, was keenly aware of the full truth. The superdude - Gawd, he needed a better name … before that one stuck - was becoming a public figure. He was going to have to watch everything he said in his alter ego.

“I don’t really DO social media. But I’d have to live in a cave for someone to NOT show me that clip. It had a zillion views already.” He shrugged. “I guess people want a superhero for real. What do you think? Real? Hoax? Alien?”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by EasilyAmused
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Well, who would have thought that pulling a bat on someone could lead to getting assist with heavy labor? This… was an unusual experience. Then again he was an unusual guy, even when she met him a few years ago. He was kind, thoughtful and wanting to help someone that he didn’t know get somewhere in life. His stepping in really got her to where she was today and while she was grateful for it, she didn’t expect to pull a bat on someone she owed a lot to.

Watching him hurry away she tilted her head in wonder. Why was he being so nice? And this wasn’t just a fluke, he was nice often. Maybe he was brought up much like her, a small town boy knowing his manners just like she was a small town girl who knew her manners. Small town people can make it big, just like she did in the big city… okay, that’s a lie. She didn’t ‘make it big’ but she was getting somewhere and did it with a little help here and there; and she was proud of it. It takes a lot to make it in big cities when you grow up in a small life; surely he knew that as well as she did.

She helped him load things into the wheelbarrow… meaning she pushed the bags to the end of the bed and let him load it. However there was no lack of surprise on Jonna’s face when he picked up the wheelbarrow with the shoulder straps and trotted towards the barn. It took her a moment to realize what was happening before she jumped out of the bed of the truck and chased him down. In the barn she arranged the sacks while he returned to the truck to get the rest. Boy she wasn’t much help on the farm now-a-days but having someone around who could help was nice. Maybe she could convince her dad to hire one of the local boys and pay him to do some of this when she wasn’t around.

When he returned to the last set, she had placed everything where it needed to go and proceeded to follow up with the rest of the bags. Her head jerked towards him when he mentioned the blackmail and she dramatically rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks as she put another bag on top of the stack. “I dunno what ya’ll expect from lil’ ol’ me. I’m just an innocent southern bell.” She responded in her most cheese southern ascent she could muster. “I’d never pull a bat on any ol’ thing; much less chase’em down a dirt road yellin’ vulgarities and profanities at’em.” She gave him a cheesy ‘I’m joking’ wink before putting the last bag on the stack.

His next point of conversation surprised her and she stopped moving with her small hands on the bag. Something about that didn’t sit right with her. What she witnessed was not fake and she would have been crushed by that bus if it wasn’t for that flying guy and he deserves more credit than what he was getting. A small sigh left her as she pulled the last bag into place. “I know he’s real.” She said with a nod as she turned around and gave a stretch, a small closed lips smile across her face as her long arms extended above her head. “Everyone wants a superhero to believe in because it gives inspiration to them.” Her arms fell to her side as she gave him a little nod. “Real or not, no one’s really given it a name so I think I’d call it Doctor X. Whatever it is seems to want to help, kind of like a doctor and since we don’t know what exactly it is so, X seems to fit.” Her shoulders rose and fell in tiny shrug.

“But that’s neither here nor there. I assume you’d prefer to see Patches than hear me babble on… or swing a bat at you.” Her voice was filled with a playful laughter as she closed the topic on Doctor X. “I was going to let them out after I unloaded the truck so your timing is perfect.” With that she led him out of the feeding barn and into the horse barn.

The barn was the newest addition to the land, the old one was falling apart and a donator gave enough for her dad to build new one and for that the family and the animals were grateful. “Here we are. I don’t know if you want to take Patches out yourself but my dad typically opens the door outside of the stall and let’s Patches mosey out…” Mosey, boy she adapted back to farm life quick, her face read that rather clearly as she unlashed the barn door and pulled it open. She quickly shook away her expression and ventured inside with Duncan in tow.

“Hello! I’m back!” She called out to the stalls, the bar held about 20 stalls and 6 of them had horses in them but Jonna made a beeline for an Arabian mare the fifth stall in.

The mare gave a deep head bob at the sight of Jonna before giving the gate a gentle kick with her hook. Jonna placed a hand on the chest of the 16 hand Arabian mare and gave her a push back. “Hello Bucky the Beautiful!” She said a grin as she gave herself some space and opened the gate before slipping in and shutting it. Bucky gave Jonna an affection head nuzzle before her dark eyes went towards Duncan. Her movements stopped and her ears twitched a bit before her full attention went back to Jonna. “Oh my goodness, she likes you.” Jonna said with a laugh as she stroked her beloved horse’s head. “Normally she’ll put herself in between me and another person if she doesn’t like them or thinks they’re bad people. That’s a good sign.”

“Did you bring something for Patches?”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Mitheral
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Duncan grinned. “Either you’re joking or you haven’t been talking to folks on the farm. I am being accused of spoiling him. And for the record, I am not so sure Buckey like me, so much as what I have in my pockets.” He turned his attention to the far stall from the rest of the horses.

“Yo Patches. How yawl doin’ in there?” Duncan own southern accent slipped. His was definitely not faked either. Most of the time he had a very general accent. But certain words - yawl and aint - were well embedded into his speech patterns. Patches was already waiting and staring at his human as if to say Where’s my damned snack? Duncan chuckled as he walked up and placed his forehead against that of Patches. For a brief moment he was serious. He clearly missed the horse. But Patches broke the monotony and nuzzled the bag the human carried.

“Oh this? Yeah, I brought something for you. You want to say Hi to Jonna? And maybe not bite her hand off?” He leaned in and whispered. “Be cooool. Horses are supposed to be chick magnets. If you are really nice, maybe she’ll introduce you to a lady. You could do that Lady and the Tramp thing and share a snack.”

Duncan backed off a little and pulled out an apple and a small tupperware container that held about ¼ cup of brown sugar. Then he pulled out a small pocket knife and sliced the apple in half. The rest was obvious. Patches WAS being spoiled rotten. He handed half the brown sugar and the other half of the apple. Then pulled out another apple while feeding Patches’ half to him. The reason for pulling the second apple so fast became obvious fast. Patches started to react poorly to seeing HIS apple being offered to another horse.

“Hey, hey,” Duncan spoke calmly. “I brought enough to share. You know, all the other horses see me being nice to you. It is only nice to do something for them once in awhile. Hmm?” Patches had practically inhaled his half of an apple and snorted at the second. “Oh huh. I definitely need to work on your manners.” Duncan sliced the second apple up, pulled out a second thing of brown sugar and made a second snack. Again he made Patches share. “Sulk all you like, buddy. He started to take Patches’ second half of apple to Buckey, eyed his horse, then walked back over. “Get the point?”

Duncan turned his attention back to Jonna, then changed his mind for a moment and spoke to the mare. “Sorry about his manners. He’s a bit of a fixer upper.” Patches snorted behind him. Back to Jonna he smiled. “So … flying superdude is for real? I mean, if so, that’s pretty … amazing. Just the technical aspects of what I saw defy current technology. And I’m THE expert. From what I have heard, he defies gravity. He can resist massive amounts of momentum. I’m surprised you didn’t try to interview him. Or did he just not stick around? Yeah … I suppose he had more pressing matters. Then again, that would fit with the whole superhero gig. He doesn’t do what he does for the fame and glory. He’s out to help people. Next thing we know, he’ll be fighting for Truth, Justice and the American way.

“Seriously though, I’d love to get my hands on the raw footage of anything you get on this guy in action. I might be able to analyze at least some of what he does.”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by EasilyAmused
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The mare’s attention was suddenly on Duncan as he began to doctor up the apple. Her hook smacked against the ground and her head turned. “Hey!” Jonna said sounding a bit saddened at her horse’s sudden dismissal of her. However, it shouldn’t come as any surprise. Bucky had said hi to her master and now someone else was there… someone with treats. The horse moved to the edge of her stable staring straight at the apple and flapping her lips as a signal that she wanted one.

“Bucky be nice.” Jonna lectured as she gave the horse’s neck a small pat and slid herself out of the gate and latched it. Bucky’s lips stopped moving and the horse nodded its head a few times. “That’s my girl. Show some manners.” The horse nodded again, this time bringing her head lower. However she felt the need to kick the stable door with her hoof as a sign she didn’t intend on doing the action over and over again just to get the treat.

His question about the raw footage made her nod. “I did but he took off. However I can’t blame him for leaving.” Her hand placed gently under her chin in thought. Her eyebrows crunched together as a thought went through her mind. Then, as she snapped back into reality, she heard him what the man might be fighting for and found herself giving an honest laugh to the cheesy joke. Cheesy jokes were certainly one of her favorite things. “He’ll be as American as Apple Pie and Baseball.”

The mention of the footage made her think and she tapped her chin. “Maybe you can make something of it; I do have some raw footage back in Santa Fe at my computer. If you want to I can mail you a thumb drive with what I have. It’s far from good quality but who knows.” She nodded before looking down at the other piece of apple.

“Do you mind if I try feeding it to Patches? Maybe seeing us together and having someone else offer him the thing he loves would help open his mind to interacting with other people again.” A smile moved across her face showing her straight white teeth behind her glossy lips. “But you’re his owner, it is up to you.”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Mitheral
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Duncan nodded and handed the apple to her. “Sure, but watch the fingers.” He paused for a moment. “Well, I must not be very American them. I was never partial to apple pie and I hate baseball.” He shrugged. “I prefer cherry or blackberry. And my sport was soccer - though it was football that I played in high school. Leg injury kept me from soccer.”

He smiled a little. “You know, it’s only about an hour drive up to Santa Fe. It would take less time to drive there and back. I don’t mind the waste in fuel. And as little data as you have, it wouldn’t take long to analyze back at my lab. I’m TRYing to take a day off.” He snorted a laugh. “And here I am trying to find extra work to do. But this is interesting work. And the more reliable information you have - the better your story. Hate to say it though. Until you get the information straight from the horse’s mouth - “ he paused and grinned back and forth at the horses, “it doesn’t make for much of a story.

“He needs a better name though. And Doctor X? Really? Sounds too much like X Men. I doubt your editor would go for it.

“Oh! His voice? Not human. It is artificial. I know of a some people who are developing software designed to create artificial voices for AI systems. One is Dr Alex Tanis. Watch out for his driver, Eric. He’s likely to add your number to his little black book - and you are WAY out of his league.” Dr Tanis was practically an unknown, a native to the Boston area. “Tanis specializes in dead languages, decryption systems. And he has a hobby of building a VR setting.”

“The other is Dr Misty LiSan in New Atlantis off the coast of Florida. If you can get her away from her dolphins, she might have ideas.” LiSan was a billionaire heiress who was known for developing the most advanced AI systems on the planet - and was spearheading the development of aquatic habitats for the future. She was also a musical prodigy.

“You know, if you want to drive up there today and get it …” Duncan was hinting hard. “Workaholic.”
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“I’ve always been more of a hockey fan. Maybe I’m more Canadian than I am American.” She said in a laugh as she took the apple form him and held it out to Patches. Her palm was flat and her eyes never broke from watch the horse, even as Duncan talked. She couldn’t let the nerves get the best of her but a chomp from a horse’s mouth was nothing to be handled lightly. In fact it’s quite a painful experience and something that has happened to her on more than one occasion. However if this horse was going to start trusting others, it would be easier to convince it when someone he trusted was around.

“If it’s not an inconvenience for you then sure, Mr. Moran.” The horse’s mouth slowly moved towards the apple piece and she found herself holding her breath. It would be a huge step for someone who was abused in such a way to try to trust someone else.

Then there was Duncan’s comment about the name and she shot him a playful glare. “Hey, I report things! I’m no professional writer.” She said with a playful tone to her voice before giving a laugh. However the rest of the conversation intrigued her. “I never even thought of that possibility…” Her voice was a bit distance as she turned her attention to the ground and her eyebrows pushed together in thought. “Could the guy have been using something to change his voice… or was it a highly active AI robot? That would explain the eyes…” She was more discussing the possibility of things out loud than with him. “Sorry…” She said innocently shaking her head. “I have a bad habit of talking to myself.”

“However it would be interesting to discuss things with Dr. Tanis; what would be the possibility of getting some contact information for him?” She asked sweetly. Though she took her attention off Patches who proceeded to take the apple from her open hand but to her disappointment, she missed the moment due to giving Duncan her focus. But the horse munched away on the apple as she looked back at him and that, that was progress.

“There you go Patches, enjoy your treat.” Jonna’s voice was bright and cheerful, that was until she heard him hinting at her heading back to the office now.

A sigh left her as she turned to him, her arms crossed under her chest. “I wish, but I’m practically on work-hideous by force. I have to take a few days off and not return until I’ve calmed down from the incident.” Her head dropped slightly as she kicked at some of the straw at her feet. “It’s not all fun and games. That was really scary. Being caught in the middle of something like that… nearly getting crushed by a bus… seeing your boss almost die… It’s… it’s a lot to swallow. I think my boss has the better idea of just having me spend some time away from work.” Her voice was slightly shaky as she spoke. While the idea of the hero was fascinating to say the least, the experience in encountering him was a bit frightening.

Shaking her head slightly she uncrossed her arms and looked up at him, “The footage I have doesn’t have any recording but I can relay all I remember about the situation to you if that would make any difference. I hope you understand why I can’t return to work right now.” She nodded softly before continuing. “At any rate, something’s bound to show up online and maybe the community will give him a better name.” She said with a laugh.

GROWL

At that moment her stomach spoke up, a loud growl explained that she hadn’t ate in a while and needed a fill of food. Her face turned red with embarrassment… maybe he didn’t hear it…?
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Duncan smiled when he heard the growl and saw the expression on Jonna’s face. He chuckled a little. “Well, it is still a little early for lunch, but by the time they decided on a spot and got to it, they would both be famished. Then again, Duncan was always hungry.

“How about I get you some lunch? I know the perfect place and they are always open - almost always. It isn’t too far away - on this corner of Albuquerque. And .. I am buying. The menu is pretty custom. Just tell me what you’d like and I can place an order in advance. Unfortunately, my Mom got to them, so MY options are limited to healthy stuff. I should warn you that Mom is looking to be a GRANDmom, so don’t let her get that idea in her head unless you want YOUR menu options limited.” He laughed. “If you think I am joking …” He sighed. “I’ll drive.”

He never mentioned what TYPE of food he was taking her out for. He just uses a voice activated Heads Up Display integrated into his windshield. A vid screen popped up and an older blonde haired woman responded. She spoke in a British accent. “Yes, Duncan?”

“Marcy, this is Jane, no … Joanna … no … Jonna! Jonna Thomas? No ... Thomkins … no ...Thomas … no … Thompson! Jonna Thompson! Right?” He turned red and spoke out the side of his mouth while trying to keep an eye on the road. “I’m horrible with names. Marcy, I am bringing her over for lunch. I’ll let her order. I’ll have something … the usual.”

“You mean when I can get you to eat?” Marcy sounded like a battle hardened butler used to taking care of someone who could be a little absent minded.

“Yes ma’am. Something like that. And thank you in advance Marcy.” Duncan gestured to the windshield / monitor. “Oh wait! I know what she likes to eat. According to a reliable source - Mac and cheese. And she detests her veggies - even green beans, especially green beans. Can you work with that? Her stomach is already growling. Mine isn’t far behind.”

“I will let Kevin know. He’s quite the culinary genius. I am glad you didn’t disapprove of him.”

++++++++

Duncan’s estate was on the northwest corner of Albuquerque - not far from the casino. It was the size of an entire subdivision, walled with a security gate. The exterior had been kept relatively natural though landscaped - pretty much the law in the area. Water was simply too scarce to be used on fancy lawns and flower gardens. But he did have his own biodome .. and what looked like a dome for a telescope. Lord only knew what some of the other buildings were for.

Duncan hadn’t even known why he bothered with such a large estate at first. Eventually he discovered it had its uses. He had adequate space to put up a number of guests - visiting brass and such. He had his own conference room and mini theater. He loved his library and geologic museum. Most of all he loved the privacy.

The gate opened for him and he drove up the path to the garage. It opened for him as well. “No automatic. None of my security is. We are under surveillance. You wouldn’t believe I grew up dirt poor. My biological mother and stepfather lived on a military income with 5 kids. We were on those free lunch programs all the time. The clothes we wore were from flea markets, hand me downs, and even dumpsters. And as much as I know that is news material, I’d prefer it not become public knowledge. I’m not looking for anyone’s pity. There are several stories of rags to riches that are more newsworthy than mine. At least we had a home. Homeless to Harvard? That’s a story. Real one too.”

He led her to the dining area - the real dining area. He would have preferred to just sit at an island in the kitchen or in his study, but Marcy or one of the butlers she had trained, would have frowned or harrumphed to make him feel guilty. And the wait wasn’t long at all. Kevin was a master at whipping up simple meals that were to die for.

(FYI, I added a link to Kevin and some of his friends in the Character section)

The meal was brought out by Kevin followed shortly by … a female sex object dressed like a maid / butler named Kaylee. Kevin was just starting to announce the first entree when Duncan almost choked.

“Has Marcy seen that?!” He was staring at Kaylee.

Kevin seemed unimpressed. “She was bored.”

“It’s a surprise for Xander,” Kaylee purred. “He has too many brains. I am going to get rid of them so I can understand half the things he says.”

Duncan laughed. He was doing his best not to stare, but turning a little hot under the collar himself. “Why … thank you. But seriously, Marcy might give Kevin some troubles. He did vouch for you.”

“Relax, Marcy DOES know. I promised her I’d keep this away from any of your distinguished guess like all the military brass - and not give any of those Nobel Prize winners a heart attack. Although I think they would be grateful for me stirring old - very old - memories.” She looked directly at Jonna. “Xander and I are engaged.” She stood behind Duncan and looked down. “I you ever want to borrow the outfit …”

Duncan actually stood slightly straighter in his seat.

Kevin got everyone’s attention once more. “For lunch was have some fine comfort foods. First we have:

Makoun, a pasta and cheese casserole also known to the Swiss as Älplermagronen. It has macaroni, cheese, cream, onions and potatoes.

Four Cheese Haute - macaroni, basic cheese sauce and bacon with an astounding cheesy kick as I added Gruyere, Fontina, Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses.

Simple Mexican - mustard and curry powder with a plenty of grated Mexican blend cheese.

Spicy Mexican - exotic spices of coriander and cumin mixed with Jalapeno chilies do wonders with Monterey Jack, extra sharp cheddar and Parmesan.

Seafood Mac and Cheese - lobster meat complemented with cheesy Gruyere and extra sharp cheddar.

Veggie Mac and Cheese - Four Cheese with Feta and Spinach.

And the Millennial special - Mac and Cheese with weenies.”


Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by EasilyAmused
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Was this… a date? Nnnnaaaahhhhhh it couldn’t be! He was just being nice because her stomach decided to voice its own opinion on the fact that she was very very hungry. She nodded in agreement and giggled at the fact that his mom would be so desperate to have a grandchild. Her dad was the same way in wanted grandchildren, trying to set her up with some of the local boys but in the end pushing them away because he had high standards to who her daughter should be with and dating… well she worked so much it was out of the question.

Hence, in her mind, this couldn’t be a date! As he went to his car she excused herself to go inside and let her dad know she completed what she had planned to do. While inside she freshened up a little by washing her hands, cleaning her face and applying a light shade of pink lip gloss. She didn’t have time, nor the energy to jump into ‘date’ mode thanks to the work she did on the farm so this was as good as it was going to get. Nodding to herself in the mirror and calling out her good byes to her father, she slipped her cellphone into her pocket and left the house.

Arriving at his car, she slid inside and let out a relaxed sigh. “Wow your car is very comfortable.” She stated as she sunk into the seat. This was nothing like her beat up old Honda accord and had she seen him having a conversation with the display she probably would have been more impressed.

+++++

The conversation stayed fluid and lively as Jonna was never one to sit in silence and with a personality bigger than her smile, she kept the car full of stories as they shared some good laughs going to the destination. What she didn’t realize until they pulled up to the gate was that they were going to his homes. Swallowing the lump in her throat she gazed out the window onto the land that he owned. Her shock stopped her speech and she car became silent until he spoke about the system and a bit about his background. Holy shit, this guy is loaded! She thought to herself suddenly feeling like a very small speck on a very large map. Feeding a poor hungry lady, this certainly wasn’t a date, this was charity.

Getting out of the car she took in the fresh scent of the area and again, felt like she did in his car, at peace. Something about being outside of the city was always nice and even though she was in a new place, she didn’t feel intimidated or uncomfortable. It probably had something to do with Duncan incredibly kind demeanor that was genuine. This… this wasn’t a date… right?

Following him into the house she was in aw of the place, however her gaze always fell back on the young man leading the way. He was quite a person to come from nothing to something. A true story in itself; maybe when he makes his next breakthrough he’d grant her an interview. The kind side of him needed to be known more throughout the city/state/world. He truly deserved it.

She took the seat next to him as he sat at the head of the table and followed his gaze to the chief coming out with a… what the… her eyes went wide in shock as her head jerked back in surprise to see someone on his staff in such an alluring outfit. Even Jonna couldn’t take her eyes off of her as she moved. Holy crap, what did Duncan have his people do!? What was this??? Something about hearing Kaylee state that she was engaged to a man named Xander who she could only fathom was another staff member she nodded slightly. “Looks good.” She said, trying to be politely and look only at her face. “I’m sure he’ll like it.”

When the question about borrowing the outfit, Jonna being… well Jonna popped off with, “Got a police outfit?” in a playful tone with a hint of a laugh before she was cut off by the chief would coughed slightly to pull the attention. Her gaze than moved to the trays of…

MAC AND CHEESE?! Her hazel eyes sparkled with joy as she looked over the presentation. Ooohhh my god…. GROWL Her stomach grumbled at the delicious sight made present for her and her face turned red with embarrassment. “Sorry…” She said softly turning her gaze down to her spot at the table. This was pathetic, she really needed to eat soon.

Her gaze turned back to the chief and she gave him an honest smile. “They all sound amazing. Can… can I have a small portion of all of them?” She asked brightly. Unlike most girls who was ‘shy about eating’ or ‘didn’t want to seem like a pig’ Jonna lived under the impression that if people did not like the way she ate or how much than they could take a long walk off of a short cliff.

When she got her portion she waited for Duncan to get his food and the two started to dine together. Her eyes expended with each taste of the meals. “Oh my god this is incredible!” She said with delight as she took a fork full of the Makoun and offered the filled end of the fork to Duncan. “You should try this!” That… that wasn’t weird was it… too late to take it back now.
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Kevin smiled. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t try them all. And don’t worry if there are leftovers. Nothing goes to waste.”

Duncan looked over. “Either my staff enjoys - or they have friends at UNM. College students are always hungry. I certainly plan to sample most of them. Of course, I have the advantage of having tried most of these. Few new ones though, so I want to try those…”

Jonna had been gushing over the mac and cheese selection. Then she scooped a forkful and offered it to him. He flushed slightly. But he couldn’t just leave her hanging there embarrassed either. So after a brief moment of indecision he leaned forward and accepted the bite. He practically inhaled it.

“It is good,” Duncan nodded. “Really good. Kevin, those classes are helping. Trust me on that.” He looked at Jonna. “Kevins been taking culinary art classes with a friend of my Mom’s. He has all sorts of talents. Actually one of his best talents is tailoring.”

Kaylee saw that as her way back into the conversation and gave a not so subtle smile. “Kevin’s mother ran a wedding apparel place.” Her smile faded as she continued. “He helped out there.” Her eyes took on a look of pain as she realized she had brought up a subject she probably shouldn’t. “Sorry about that Kevin. I wasn’t thinking.”

Kevin smiled. “It’s alright. Kaylee…?” He nodded his head in a gesture that suggested they leave Duncan and Jonna some privacy.

Kaylee sulked, but took the suggestion. But she couldn’t resist one more suggestion to Jonna. “Duncan has lots of brains too.”

Duncan actually turned red as he knew exactly what Kaylee meant by that. Once the girl was gone he sighed. “Sorry about that. At least she isn’t as bad as my mother. I bet your Dad has similar sentiments. Come to think of it, I am I sure of it. He’s the one who mentioned you liked mac and cheese.” Duncan laughed a little. He reached out and grabbed a glass of grape juice and raised it. “To parents.”

Duncan was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “You know, if that superdude guy is real, I am glad he is. If I ever get the chance I’ll have to thank him for the other day - in New Orleans. I am glad you are okay. Your mentor too. If you ever get the chance to interview the guy, make it a good interview. He seems to be just out there to help people. Not enough people like that as it is.

“I try to help people. I always figured, what good is all this schooling I had if I don’t use it to make the world a better place?”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by EasilyAmused
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Have you ever had a moment were you felt as though you did something so foolish that you were going to die of embarrassment? She watched his face change to a small color of pink and felt hers do the same. Maybe… maybe this wasn’t charity after all. Her embarrassment was soon relieved when he took a bit of the mac and cheese. Good, that simple action made her feel much less like a weirdo. A beaming smile moved across her face as she gave Kevin a nod as well. “I’m sure whoever else gets to have some will love it!”

It looked like the topic of Kevin’s mother, either that or the topic of weddings, seem to be a bother to Kevin but he brushed it of politely. “Thank you again.” Jonna said brightly to the chief before she turned her attention to her food. As she was about to take a bite, the words from Kaylee rolled into her ears and she found her hazel gaze shooting up at the woman as she toddled out of the dining room. Boy, this household really wanted Duncan to find a partner.

When he mentioned about her father she couldn’t help but laugh as she reached for some grape juice herself. “I’m sure that was a lovely conversation. ‘Hey, my daughter loves Mac and Cheese, oh and she’ll pull a bat on you if she thinks you’re following her.’ Or did he leave that last part out?” She asked with a laugh. “To parents.” Raising her glass she gave his a small tink and took a drink of it before returning to eating, her stomach finally claiming down.

The conversation switched back to the superhero and she found herself smiling softly. “I’ll have to thank him as well. He never stuck around long enough for me to say anything to him except to confirm that I was not injured.” That’s when he said something that made her kind of sad. “Try?”

“Try? Do you honestly think you only ‘try’?” She asked in a kind, gentle manner. Placing her fork down she reached over and placed her hand gently on his giving it a gentle squeeze. “Duncan, listen. There is no ‘try’ with you. You do help people. From your inventions to your charity organizations to your personal time and money dedications to worthy causes. I know schools that wouldn’t be functioning without you. I know of soldiers who wouldn’t be where they are today without you and I know of hundreds and maybe even thousands of people, who have received your help in some form of another and now can say they live better thanks to you.”

She slowly let go of his hand and gave it a soft pat before picking back up her fork. “Even today you provided help and charity. A starving young woman pulled a bat and you and what do you do? You get her food. Anyone who doesn’t have a helpful and kind mindset would have left me to starve. Instead you carried heavy things and overlooked the fact that I was ready to practice my home run skills on you to offer me hospitality. Let’s face it, not everyone would do that.”

After taking a couple bites and swallowing something dawned on her. “Oh, your parents live nearby right? If your mom found out you had a girl over do you want me to hide under the table or sneak out the back door?”
Hidden 7 yrs ago Post by Mitheral
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Duncan was more than a little embarrassed about his ‘charity’ work. He didn’t consider it charity.

Duncan broke into a big grin. “Your choice. But Mom has Mom radar. Hiding wouldn’t help much. You might have noticed she has already enlisted the aid of everyone here. Sorry about all that. You think you have it bad. She’s starting to talk about blind dates. Besides, I am enjoying myself right now.

“But … you said you are on a forced hiatus from work for a couple weeks, right? Well, I don’t know if my people could spare me that long - not all at once. But you ever do much camping and fishing? I know a place up in the Jemez Mountains. And I know where there are some hot springs there that are off the beaten trail, but not far from where I used to go camping. Or my parents had a cabin up there. Or … I have a little yacht in Florida.. We could fly out and do deep sea fishing. I could use a good excuse to take some time off. I don’t even remember the last time I did - other than family holidays. Mom would never let me hear the end of it.

“I have plenty of camping gear. I have a solar tent, self set up. It was modified from a version designed for astronauts on Mars. Theirs has an airlock. And I have scuba and snorkelling gear on the yacht, plus jet skis and amphibious ATV’s. Can’t have that stuff in the Jemez Mountains.”
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That sudden feeling of ‘all eyes on you’ settled in with Jonna as she was informed that his mother probably already knew about her. It had been a long time since she was around a ‘mom’ figure and they can either be one of two things; really sweet, loving, and kind or really ‘are you good enough for my son????’. In all the men she has had the pleasure, or displeasure, to meet their mom’s those are the two personalizes she’s ran into. The mention of blind dates made her laugh as she finished up her plate of food and drank down her juice. “Now that sounds tough.” She said with a nod and a grin. “Can’t say it’s gotten that bad for me but speed dating has run around the mouths of my coworkers on more than one occasion but, like you, I’m enjoying myself as well.”

When he asked if she would be off work for a week she nodded, placing down the empty glass and settling back into the seat. Her gaze eyes watched him closely as he began to talk about things he wanted to do. Her face heat up at the thought as she finally broke her gaze to look down at the table as a hand found its way into the hair hanging on her shoulder from her pony tail. A habit she had when she was nervous was to play with a strand of her hair. “Going to Florida sounds more like a third date thing.” She said playfully, a blush of red covering her cheeks before she finally composed herself enough to look up at him.

“But camping sounds like a lot of fun and I’d love to go with you.” She said with a nod. “I haven’t done tent camping in years so I might be a bit rusty at it. But I can dig up my old pole and lure if there are any good spots to finish.” Finally calming down she let go of her hair and moved her hand to her chin. “If my dad hasn’t moved too much of my things I should be able to find all my camping gear I used to use before I moved.”

A nod rose and fell her head as she let go of her chin and leaned forward in her seat beaming at him. “Yes, let’s go camping! That would make my hiatus feel more like a vacation and it sounds like you could use a break too.” She said with a nod. If your parents still have the cabin we could do that but I’m totally up for roughing it too!”
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Duncan grinned. “Well, if we use the cabin, I’d have to ask my parents.” He laughed. “If Mom didn’t already know …. Roughing it might be safer. But I haven’t gone in over 10 years. So, unless we want to get there and realize just how many things we forgot to pack, we should plan this and pack today, then head out tomorrow. It is mainly trout fishing. My stepfather used to fly fish there too. I mostly did regular fishing with a cork or bobber. There is a hatchery up there, so they keep it well stocked. I have sort of made sure of that. Why don’t we sit down and make a camping list. I can have someone look it over to see if there is anything thing major I overlooked. He goes camping a lot.”

It took about an hour to work up a list of things, then another 30 minutes of thinking of the things they didn’t think of the first time. Duncan organized the list and finally emailed it off to Gary, his security manager and former driver. Then he made the call.

“Yeah, thought I’d go camping. Haven’t done that -- What? What do you mean?” Duncan looked embarrassed. He snorted. “Jonna …. Yes, that Jonna. No, we are NOT telling Mom. No, I was just hoping you could look over the list and see if you could spot anything --- Right. Oh … didn’t even think of those. Hmm, yeah, your right …” Long pause. “Yeah, if you could, that would be great. We were going to try to get packed up today and head out tomorrow.”

The list came back after several minutes. “That was fast…” Duncan opened it up. The list had grown considerably. There were fill in sections for food - in case they didn’t have any luck catching fish. And there was a reminder about a license. Duncan already had one. Getting a guest permit was easy enough. As it turned out Gary had most of what they needed and happily shared. It was packed for quick loading with the bags labelled. And Gary even had a tent like Duncan’s. It had been a gift from Duncan himself. Plus Gary had fishing gear. All Duncan needed was bait. And he had that already in the way of worms. It was just a matter of digging.

For the trip itself, Duncan decided to use Baby, his custom built ATV. It was road rated and plated. It had a towing package. And Duncan had a small uhaul type trailer to load everything into.

For part of the food he took along several small containers of mac and cheese leftovers, some hot dogs and condiments, plus some marshmallows and some long roasting forks. He added breakfast supplies, minute rice, and Chunky soup.

They were done so fast they could actually take off that afternoon, even with it being a bit late. It was a little over an hour to the campsite. It would be getting dark by the time they got set up. They would be rushed. Duncan left the decision in Jonna’s corner whether to rush out … or wait and take their time.

(This site is about where I used to go camping myself back in the 70’s.)
valleydailypost.com/popular-jemez-cam…


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Camping did seem like the safer way to go. Maybe if they camped instead of stayed at his parents’ cabin, they could avoid the possibility of running into his mother. It seemed like this poor guy needed a break from her desperate attempt to get a grandchild out of him. A nod rose and fell her head with a laugh. “Maybe camping would be best then. And trout sounds delicious!” She said with a grin.

It wasn’t long before the two were writing a list together of things they thought they would need. 4 days was enough for camping because she would have to pack up to return to her home in the city but 4 days sounded wonderful. After a while they presented the list to someone else. However his conversation on the phone interested her and she found herself tilting her head slightly when he said ‘that Jonna’. A blonde eyebrow rose at him as a small smile moved across her lips. If she was known that was something, it was a step forward to her being a journalist if she was recognized for her talents. But the fact that he looked embarrassed beforehand is what made her so curious.

Despite her curiousness, she was kind enough not to address it with him. In the end they split the list after they checked off the things they knew they had and he gave her a ride home. Maybe she was being overly excited for making a new friend and being able to do something fun but she found herself slightly nervous too.

The next morning she was up early and packet a duffle bag full of her basic survival things before driving into town and picking up food and snack things. It didn’t take long before her dad’s truck had the necessities including stuff to make smores! What is camping without smores.

It hit 10am by the time she got back and Duncan was due to pick her up at 10:30 so her timing was good. She loaded up the cooler with ice for the thing needed to be on ice and had her sleeping bag, a couple of blankets and her own tent. It was tiny but it would fit her. The sleeping arrangements were never discussed but she was far from going to make him share a tent with her. The least she could do was provide her own accommodations since he was providing so many supplies and the transportation up to the campsite.

Today she stood outside in a pair of blue jeans, boots in case they need to hike and a yellow t-shirt with her long blonde hair down. On her face sat a pair of tan glasses as she looked out onto her father’s driveway seeing the smoke coming. This time, he would not be greeted with a baseball bat and that’s probably something he appreciated.
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“What? No baseball bat?” Duncan teased as he drove up with his ATV towing the trailer. In truth he had expected to get started around 0500. So it felt as if they were already running late. He had to paste on a smile and accept that his schedule was now on the timeline dictated by a woman.

It was really messing with his OCD nature.

“Well, if we want to get there and get tent and the like set up before dark we should get rolling…” he hinted strongly. It was a good thing they brought food. There wouldn’t be time to actually catch fish.

It wasn an absolutely beautiful drive up to the Jemez area. He wistfully drove past Soda dam, which wasn’t actually a dam, but a waterfall that people used to be allowed to slide down. The National Park Service had had to close it down for a few years after tourists had begun to destroy the site with carelessness and thoughtlessness.

The Valley Duncan brought them to was available only by special permit. He had to drop by the park service to check in. They recognized his name immediately and the result was him being greeted in a very friendly fashion with thanks. He smiled and admitted this was the first time he had decided to take advantage of his permit.

drive.google.com/open?id=1t15tdNYbeIv…

When they arrived he started out with setting up the tent. He had two tents to choose from (see the link above). One was a three room tent. The other was a more military looking tent - probably Gary’s choice. Seeing as Jonna had brought her own tent, he decided to go with the latter. But he kept looking over and grinning. Jonna’s tent could fit through the door and stand up inside his tent with tons of room to spare. You could hardly call what Duncan was doing ‘roughing it.”

After laying out his tent he decided to stop and set up a few poles to try and catch something, then got pack to work. He hated to admit it, but Gary’s tent wasn’t as easy as it looked to build. But Gary had told him one person could manage; two made the job easier. Duncan was stubborn.

He hadn’t expected Jonna to bring her own tent, but said nothing.

It took him about an hour to set up his tent, set up the fishing poles, and set up the campfire. He took the precaution of setting out two fire extinguishers. He did all this in silence unless spoken too. When he had finished he turned around to see how Jonna was doing with her tent. He had no idea if she had ever set up her own before. He had been a Cub Scout and Weeblo. He had lost count of how many times he had set up tents.
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“It’s 10:30 in the morning, I’m trying not to rush too much since I’m on a forced vacation.” Jonna responded in a laid back manner doing her best to try and not feel intimidated as they loaded up her things and she climbed into the passenger’s seat. Boy he had more money then you could shake a stick at and yet, he was casual and collected about his actions. How crazy was this!?

It wasn’t long before they arrived and began to set up the camp site. Her small tent was incredibly smaller compared to his and she felt almost silly for having something so, tiny. A sigh left her as she pulled on the pole and finished setting up the tent. A smile went across her full lips as she stood back and looked at her tent mentally applauding herself. Her gaze then looked back over her shoulder at her camping buddy.

“Hey we both did it! I’m a little ashamed though, considering my tent is big enough to hold the coolers while yours could a colony.” She said with a laugh as she walked over to him and gave a pole a gentle tug. “Well done!” Jonna said excitedly as she stepped back from the tent and turned her attention to the river. “Shall we see if there have been any bites? If not, I brought stuff to cook. Don’t worry!” Her bright smile reflected the sun as she looked up at him and gestured towards the river.

“I can’t believe you got such an awesome spot!”
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