Girl's Friday Nights Out Ch. 02

"You know, I'm thinking you might just need someone else to build this house."

She laughed.

"You don't need to worry. Just stay to yourself and don't drop any names. You'll be fine. Gary checked you out so no one is worried about you being here."

"Sounds like he knows more about me than I do."

We got about halfway back and Sarge stopped and looked up the hill. Cassie grabbed my arm and pulled me into the brush. She motioned for me to squat down. I almost pissed my pants again. We waited a couple of minutes and heard a whistle. Sarge started wagging his tail. A guy dressed in woodland camo stepped out on the trail. He had a deadly looking assault rifle in his hands. He was about my height with brown hair and a full beard.

Cassie stood up and pulled me back onto the trail.

"Spook?"

"Shhhhh. Wait here."

She walked up to him. The spoke in low tones so I couldn't hear. After a minute he disappeared in the brush. She motioned for me to follow. When we got back to the house I asked her, "What was that all about?"

"A strange truck came up the creek yesterday. He's checking them out."

"Does that mean trouble?"

"Maybe. Gary is running their plate. They'll take care of it. No need to worry."

"Damn. This country is spooky."

"You'll learn to relax. It's just strange to you"

"No shit."

"If you want the job, you need to pull your trailer up here. No sense in you driving up here every day. There's a nice spot over under that oak tree. I'll hook you up to water. You don't need to worry about food. I'll take care of that."

"I need to go get it ready to move. Is tomorrow too soon?"

"That's fine. Say goodbye to Sarge."

I walked over to him. He was laying in the shade. I squatted down by him. He wagged his tail a little.

"Bye, Sarge. See you tomorrow."

I scratched behind his ears a little. He stood up and licked my face. I got in my truck and left.

I got back to my trailer and started putting all the loose stuff back in the cabinets. All of a sudden I stopped.

What the fuck am I getting into. A month ago I was a nobody carpenter building tract houses. Two days ago I was helping little old ladies with their leaky sinks. Today I'm off to build a house for a dope grower. There's some spooky fucker running around in the bushes maybe killing people. Then I thought of Cassie. I had been in culture shock so much that I only gave her a cursory look. I wondered what was behind those eyes. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to know. I convinced myself that I could pull out and run any time I wanted.

After a few minutes of running these thoughts around in my pea brain I decided to go for it. Cassie was the main reason.

The next morning I unhooked from everything and pulled up to the dump station. I drained the gray water and the poop tank. I pulled out and headed to Cassie's. Forty five minutes later I pulled into her yard.

Sarge came running up and waited for me to get out. He jumped up with his front legs on my chest and licked me. I scratched him a little and he walked away. Cassie came walking from behind her house.

"I see you made it. I wondered if you would show."

"Yep. I'm here. My adventure starts today."

"An adventure? It's gonna be a pretty boring one. Not much exciting happens up here. It's nice an quiet, just like I like it."

"It is for me. I came from a big city."

"You'll get used to it. Just slow yourself down."

"That will take some work on my part."

"Oh, before I forget. Spook is coming to dinner tonight. It's my turn to feed him."

"This should be interesting."

"He's OK. Just don't ask any questions. He'll tell you what he wants you to know. He's pretty quiet."

"Speaking of dinner, what's on the menu."

"Nothing special. Meat, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked beans and a salad."

"Sounds good. But now I need to get this thing set up.

An hour later I had it in place and all leveled up. She lead me over to her big shade tree and we sat down. She reached in her shirt pocket and pulled out a hand rolled cigarette.

"We have some time to kill before dinner. Let's have a little smoke."

"Ummm, OK. It's been a long time since I smoked any pot. The last time was in high school."

She lit it and took a big puff. I watched as she leaned her head back, holding her breath. After a few seconds she exhaled.

"Ah yes. Some good shit."

She handed it to me.

"Just take a little hit. It's pretty high quality and you're not used to it."

I took a small puff and choked on it. After hacking up part of my lungs I looked at her. She was laughing.

"Try again. A little smaller this time."

I managed to keep it down an finally exhaled. She was watching me. A few minutes later I started laughing.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing really, just me, and you, and what I'm doing. I don't remember it affecting me like this before. This is nice."

"Yeah. That's enough for you. I don't want you staring at your shoes for three hours."

I turned and looked at her.

"So, what brought you here? Did you grow up around here?"

"You want my life's story?"

"I'm not trying to to pry. I'm just curious. A pretty girl like you out here in the wilds of Northern California growing dope."

"I grew up in San Francisco. My dad was a machinist and my Mom was a teacher. After high school I went to college and got my nursing degree. A few years later my parents were killed in an auto accident. Six years ago my grandpa died. He had a bunch of real estate and he left it all to me. I sold it all and quit nursing. I was going to move up to Seattle but I had to stop in Garberville because my car was making funny noises. It seemed my transmission was going out. I had to wait three days till a new one came in. They shipped it in from Santa Rosa on some trucking company. While I was waiting I met some nice people and decided to stay for a while.

I met some of the growers here and decided to try it myself. This place was for sale so I bought it. The rest is history.

"No husband to deal with?"

"I had a few boyfriends but I never got married. I was waiting for Mr. Right."

"So, if your car didn't break down we would have never met."

"I guess not. Now you have to tell me your story."

"Oh god. It's a mess."

"You don't have to if it bothers you. I don't want you to get bummed out."

"No, it's OK. I'm over it all now."

"Some friends of mine were playing cupid and introduced me to Sarah at a weekend barbecue. We hit if off and got married. Five years in she started doing the girls night out with some of her co-workers. This guy started working on her and turned her head. She did some stuff with him that a married woman shouldn't do. I knew something was up so I followed her one night and saw her give this guy her panties. I lost it and punched him out. He ended up going to the hospital and I did some time in jail. Now, I'm just waiting to get the official papers from my lawyer."

"I got tired of coming home to an empty house. I decided I needed a change of scenery. I sold my house and headed west. I wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. I stopped in Garberville for fuel and hung out for a few days. I had never been a small town before. It was like landing on another planet. I got hooked on those cheese burgers in the Eel River Cafe so I stayed a while. I was working at odd jobs just to pass the time till we met.

"That must have been hard on you, finding her cheating like that."

"It was. I've had plenty of time to get over the anger and hurt."

"I knew you had a record. Gary found it when he checked you out. He read the court records and found out what happened. He did some more looking and found the transcripts of your hearing."

"Was that a test to see how honest I am?"

"Not really. I was just curious like you. We knew you were a good guy when you didn't charge a lot of people for your work. I hope I didn't offend you."

'You didn't. We're OK."

Sarge sat up and I heard a whistle. He was looking down the trail to the pot garden. Spook walked out and came toward us. He had that deadly looking assault rifle and a pistol on his hip.

"Have a seat. I'll go start dinner."

I stood up and offered my hand. He looked in my eyes and shook mine. He had a hell of a grip. He sat in Cassie's chair.

"Welcome to the creek, Paladin."

"Thanks. It's going to take a while to get used to. I lived in a big city before I came here."

"Just relax. It's cool here."

That was the end of our conversation till dinner was ready. A while later Cassie called us in.

'Have a seat, guys. I'll dish it up."

She dished up three plates with some little steaks, mashed potatoes, beans and a salad on the side. All three of us dove in. I cut a little piece of meat off and shoved it in my mouth. It was different but tasted great.

"What kind of meat is this?"

"It's venison."

"You mean like Bambi"

"Yep, Bambi back strap. The best cut on a deer. It's the same as Filet Mignon on a cow."

"Damn, it's good. I never had this before."

"You'll get plenty of it before you finish my house. I don't buy meat."

Spook just looked at me and kept eating. He cleaned his plate and Cassie fixed him another one. I was stuffed so I sat back and watched. He cleaned up the second helping.

He stood up, put his plate in the sink. He looked at me.

"Later"

"Bye."

Sarah gave him a hug and a kiss on his whiskered cheek. He turned, Picked up his rifle and walked out. He patted Sarge and disappeared down the trail.

We sat and chatted for a while. Then she stood up and went in the back of her house. She came back out with a rifle with a scope on it.

"That was the last of the venison. Let's go to the meat market."

"Whoa. We're going hunting?"

"Yep. Come with me."

We went outside and she walked up to a shed. She reached inside and pulled out a pack frame and a plastic bag.

"Here, carry this."

I followed her down and around the hill. She turned and motioned for me to be quiet. We walked up behind some low bushes. She pointed for me to sit down. I sat and looked down the hill. There were a group of trees in the middle of and open field. Sarge laid down behind us. She whispered.

"It's an old orchard from a homestead. The deer like the leaves that fall from the trees."

We sat a while as the sun went behind the hill. In just a few minutes she pointed. A deer walked out and started eating the leaves. The hair on my neck stood up. She whispered again.

"That's a doe. She might be pregnant. Let's wait for a buck."

Ten minutes later another one walked out. She whispered again.

"There's a spike."

She wiggled around a little and pulled the rifle up to her shoulder. She rested on her knees and looked through the scope. I got a little Adrenalin rush watching her. I watched the deer as she pulled the trigger. I heard the rifle report and the deer jumped up in the air and fell. It kicked a couple of time and lay still. She looked at me and smiled.

"Fuck, you got him."

"Yep. It was a pretty easy shot. The fun's over now. Let's go to work."

I stood in amazement as she cut it open and pulled the guts out. She cut the heart and liver out and put them in the plastic bag. Then she cut the head off

'Is this a big one?"

"He's a little small. These black tails don't get that big. He's only about two years old. I don't shoot the old bucks. They're strong and tough. I leave them to make babies. Spikes are good eating. They're young and tender.

She slipped the bag over it and tied it on the pack frame.

"You get to pack it out. We'll leave some for the varmints. They need to eat too."

She helped me get the pack frame on and we hiked back to the house. She went inside and came out with a cloth bag. She threw a rope over a limb and pulled the deer up. She started cutting the skin away as she pulled it down. Then she pulled the bag up over the deer and tied it off. She rolled the skin up and put it in the plastic bag.

"It'll be ready to cut up tomorrow."

"What are you going to do with the skin?"

"The girls up the hill want it. They tan hides."

"The girls?"

"Yeah. Three girls live up there. You'll meet them tomorrow. We have to go up to Eureka. I need to restock the pantry and Sarge is almost out of food. We'll stop by on the way out."

"Great. I need to buy some stuff for the house too, but I want to check with Dennis first. I need to know what lumber he can provide."

"We can stop by his place too."

She took the heart and liver and went in the house. I turned and went to my trailer.

I took a quick shower and put on a pair of shorts and a t shirt. I fired up my laptop and checked my email. I didn't expect anything from my lawyer. It was way too soon. I decided to send one to Gary. I gave him a quick version of my trip. I just told him I was playing tourist in Northern California. I didn't mention that I was parked in the yard of a dope grower. He probably wouldn't believe me anyway. I did a quick check on the local news and found a movie to watch. I thought about inviting Cassie but decided against it. I would mention it tomorrow. I switched to the TV in my bedroom and laid down. I lost interest in the movie and started thinking about Cassie.

I had run into self sufficient women before, but she was way about them. She had to be very self confident to be living like this. She could kill a dear and clean it. I had noticed a lot of jars of canned stuff in her house. I chucked to myself as I thought of her as a mountain woman. I was going to find out more about her. I had plenty time to do it. I clicked off the TV and snuggled down and closed my eyes.

I woke the next morning to Cassie banging on the side of my trailer.

"Wake up, sleepy head. Breakfast is almost ready."

I told her I would be right out and looked out the window. Daylight was just breaking. I drained my morning wood and splashed some water on my face. I got dressed and walked to her house. Sarge danced around me till I scratched his ears. He laid down in his favorite spot.

When she opened the fridge I saw the deer carcass in the bottom.

"Do you want heart or liver?"

"I've had liver before. Once was enough. I've never had heart before but I'll give it a go."

"It's really good. I always eat it first. Sort a a ritual."

She breaded four pieces and dropped them in a frying pan. In just a few minutes it was done. She loaded two plates with the meat, three eggs each and some of the beans we had last night. It was followed with a big cup of coffee. She watched me as I took a bite of the heart.

"Pretty good, huh?"

"Wow. It sure is. You're a great cook."

"It's pretty basic stuff. I gave up the fancy stuff."

***************

On our way out Cassie directed me to the "girls" house. I wondered about three women living out there by themselves. I suspected they were gay but I didn't ask. It was none of my business. She got out and took the bag with the hide and knocked on their door. She came out a few minutes later. I didn't get to see them. I figured I would meet them in due time.

Farther down the hill she had me turn off on another dirt road. We came around a corner and I saw Dennis' layout. He had stacks of lumber with stickers in them drying. His mill was off to the side. As we drove up he stepped out of his house. We stopped and got out.

"Hey, Cassie. Good to see you."

We shook hands. He had a strong grip too.

"Hiya Paladin. Welcome to the creek."

"Thanks, Dennis. Quite an operation you have here. I'm impressed."

"Yeah, it keeps be busy and out of trouble."

We talked a few minutes as I explained what I had in mind for Cassie's house. He had pretty much everything I would need. He mentioned that his lumber was full dimension. He didn't have a planer. I had never used full dimension lumber but it would just take a little planning. With our discussion over we headed down the hill.

We got down to the freeway and Cassie stopped me.

"Let's take a little tour on the way. Let's take the scenic route. Cross the bridge here and we'll go up the Avenue."

"The Avenue?"

"The Avenue of the Giants. You'll see."

As we crossed the bridge she said, "The swimming hole is down there. It's pretty popular in the summer."

"I don't have a swim suit. I guess shorts will do."

"There's another one you might like better. All the skinny dippers go there."

I chuckled.

"That sounds like fun. Do you go there?"

"Now and then."

I looked at her and she gave me a devilish look. I knew I was going to like it when the weather warmed up.

The Avenue was a narrow, cooked two lane road. I had to take it easy. Some of the turns were marked at 30 and 35 mph. About two miles we came to a little town that was just a wide spot in the road. It had maybe ten buildings. There was a post office, a market with two gas pumps, and a high school. I saw a sheriff's car parked at a small cafe.

About a mile out of town my mouth fell open. It was like entering another world. Dark shade with small patches of sunlight shining through. Huge trees were on both sides of the road. Some of them looked like they were at least ten of fifteen feet in diameter. I noticed one that had a huge notch cut in it to make way for the road. I heard Cassie chuckle.

"Sequoia Redwoods. Tallest trees on the planet."

"Wow, I guess. Lot of lumber in one of those."

"It's beautiful through here. So peaceful and quiet. You can hear your heartbeat."

We drove on for five or six mile and she directed me onto the freeway.

'Next stop, Eureka, unless you want to see the ocean"

"Maybe later on that. I don't want to overdo the culture shock."

********************

We went to Home Depot first. First I got some bags of cement, aggregate, and rebar for the foundations. Next I got some nails, a couple of blades for my skill saw and my Sawzall. I replenished my supply of brads, staples and finish nails for my air guns. She went to the garden department and got ten bags of steer manure. She told me it was for her vegetable garden. We got it all loaded and headed for Costco.

Two full shopping carts later we were on our way back home.

When we got home I asked how long it took her to spade up her garden. She told me one full day. I just smiled. I sat down that evening and made out my lumber order. I planned on giving it to Dennis the next day.

The next morning she woke me up at daylight and made breakfast again. I stopped off and gave Dennis my order and drove to the True Value hardware store in Redway. I bought her a 5 hp rear tine tiller. Then I went to the bank in Garberville and arranged for them to cash my check from the sale of my house. They told me it would take some time for the check to clear. I left them with orders to put three thousand in my checking account and the rest in a savings account. They were more than happy to have my business.

I went back and unloaded the tiller. Cassie was more than pleasantly surprised. I got a hug and a kiss. I told her I was going to buy her another one tomorrow. She blushed and looked down. I filled it with gas and oil and it fired right up. Two hours later her garden was ready to till in the manure.

Suddenly I noticed that I hadn't asked where she wanted her new house. She told me she wanted it where her old mobile was. I realized she was right. Her water, sewer and propane was already there. I wondered if my truck would pull it out of the way. She told me not to worry, that some people were coming tomorrow to move it.

The next morning about fifteen people showed up and started taking it apart. The helped her move all of her stuff into her shed and then attacked it like ants. We kept the cook top, and fridge for the new house. Propane refrigerators are expensive. She also kept the siding for a drying shed. The were welcome to all the rest. They even took the insulation. One guy had a acetylene torch and cut the frame in pieces he could handle. By the end of the day it was gone.