I Should Have Listened to my Mother

"OH...YEAH! This IS that spot!" we all thought in unison. Tony hadn't been there at that time, but he had heard all about it. Mom continued as she opened another mini.

"J.J. was doing an awesome job of learning how to water ski that day, but wiped out right out there." And she pointed behind us out to the center of the lake. Her daughter was named after her and that started her nickname Jacquelyn Junior. This got shortened to Jackie Jay, and even got shorter with J.J.

Mom went on with the story as all hung on her every word. "Jackie was piloting this very boat and swung it around to retrieve J.J. In the process of turning we see this ass hole on a jet ski come barreling around the corner over there and head right for J.J. He missed her by inches! Jackie freaked! She swung in slow beside J.J. and asked her if she as alright and she gave her mom the thumbs up signal. Jackie said 'hang tight honey, we'll be right back!' and with that she went full throttle and chased that son-of-a-bitch down. She pulled along side this idiot and gave him a nudge with the side of the boat and went into her cop mode. Keep in mind how beautiful our friend Jackie was. If you never got the opportunity to see her in a bikini, you surly missed out... well that's what she was wearing, nothing but a bikini. She hollered at the drunk "Bring that watercraft to a stop right NOW!" and bumped him again. He killed his throttle and so did Jackie. As we drifted to a stop, this guy jumps off his jet ski and on to our boat. And let me tell you friends, he was P I S S E D O F F! And he was a giant son-of-a-bitch too! Easily 275 pounds and six foot five. He comes at Jackie very menacing like and says "You stupid fucking cunt!" Mom paused for a few seconds for dramatic effect. She's priceless when she gets like this. She really knows how to tell a story too!

"Well my friends, Jackie stepped out from behind this cockpit and throat chops this ass hole with the palm of her hand. He dropped to his knees like a ton of lead! Holding his neck and gasping for air he calls her a bitch! She took her knee and kicked him in the side of his head right on the ear causing his head to slam into the railing here. I thought he'd be out cold after that but he wasn't! Still holding his neck and trying to catch his breath he managed to get to his feet. Jackie standing here all sprung up like a prize fighter, bouncing up and down. (Mom strikes a pose to mimic her. She was in full story telling mode and all hung on her every word.) The guy looks at her and asked so pitifully "What the fuck is your problem lady?!"

She says all bad ass like "Ass holes like you on MY fuckin' lake!" and jumps straight up and kicks this guy square in the chest knocking him ass over tea kettle over the side of the boat and landing all catawampus on his jet ski and splashing into the water!" Roars of laughter filled the canyon we were in. When it died down mom finished the story. "This guys all thrashing around in the water and calls up "You God Damn BITCH!" Jackie bends over and opens this compartment. . ." and mom bent over and opened the very compartment and reached in and pulled out her paint ball gun. ". . . and she pulled out my little toy!" Mom displayed the paint ball gun for all to see. . . ". . . and she leans over the side and shoots this guy right in the forehead!" And mom fired off a round into the water. More hearty laughter. "The guy is completely stunned! Jackie hollers over the side to him "Get off the water ass hole or I'll have you arrested! Got it?!?!"

"I'll have YOU arrested bitch!" he screams at her. She shot another round into the water next to his head and said "Call me bitch one more time and I'll pop your God Damn eye out with this fuckin' thing! Now get on your jet ski and get the fuck off MY LAKE!"

"He climbs on his jet ski, starts it, and as he's pulling away he flips us off. Jackie took aim one last time and shot him right below his life vest in the kidney and he let out a scream like a little school girl and took off before she could shoot him again!" Everybody, including me, was laughing there asses off. Mom had told the story exactly how it happened. Jackie SO owned this jerk! Mom said she "Beat him like a rented mule!" She finished her little speech with this.

"We shall miss our friend Jackie with all our hearts and souls. She was truly a one of a kind. Here's to Jacquelyn Bennett, a true bad ass in every sense of the word! We love you Jackie!" and with that we all hoisted our minis and downed what was left. And yes, J.J. and David both had a mini they were sipping on. Mom called out "What do you all say to steaks and booze back at the boat ramp?!" and cheers of approval went up. "Well then follow us!" and with that mom sat at the cockpit and fired up the engines and gunned it full throttle! What little sun was left was quickly setting.

We got to the boat ramp and the catering crew was waiting for us. A large bon fire was going and steaks were sizzling on a huge grill. A full open bar was set up and seats for everybody were set up all over the place. It was lovely. Such a fitting celebration for one such as her. As the food and booze flowed the stories began to be told. It seemed everybody had a great story to tell about Jackie. Anybody on that lake that night would never guess in a million years that the party they were hearing off in the distance was in reality a wake. It sounded more like a Greek wedding! By mid night there were more people there than we originally started with. Me, mom, Tony, Jordan and his wife Nancy were kicked back around the camp fire that earlier had been a bon fire. It was a truly beautiful fire. Camp fires were always one of our favorite things when we came to the lake that summer. We always had one. (No matter how hot it was outside!). We found them so mesmerizing. Everybody HAD to have a "fire poking stick" to stir, arrange, and poke the embers, coals and logs with. The party was starting to calm down and people were beginning to pass out in various places. The catering crew tended to everybody's needs. Making sure all the drunks had blankets and pillows, helping people find their way to someplace warm and comfy to go to sleep. We even speculated on several partiers we thought were hooking up for sex.

The bon fire had been built on a sandy beach area right next to the boat ramp. The five of us were just hanging out around the fire and staring into its hypnotic flickering. I had to pee. I nudged Jordan with my foot to get his attention. I motioned with my hand the "Gimme your pipe" signal. He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me his little toker pipe all sly-like with a knowing smile. I wrapped myself in my blanket and announce to everybody I was going to take a leak. Nobody was paying any attention to the staggering blanket as I headed for the port-a-potty. After the 3^rd hits off the pipe I was almost at the port-a-potty. I was all wrapped up with my blanket over my head and my peripheral vision was blocked. I didn't see him at first but certainly felt him as he swooped in and man handled me to the side of a parked pick up truck. Pinning me against the truck he said "What have we here? Little weed smoking at the wake?!" And with that he reaches inside my blanket and gives me the once over and comes out with Jordan's little pipe. "Uh huh, lookie here what I found. Very cute!" But he said it all very playfully. I seriously suspected he was simply fucking with me. And I didn't recognize his voice either. I threw my head back shaking off the hood the blanket had formed and turned my head and finally got a look at him. O H M Y G O D! He was gorgeous! Slightly taller then me. Brown hair and green eyes, completely clean shaven and drop dead hunk-a-licious!

"You got me Dick Tracy! I'm busted now! Haul me away and throw away the key!" I smirked at him. He smiled. Even MORE handsome! Looking over his shoulder I saw Tony coming fast. As he got to us he had rage in his eyes as he reached out to grab this guy pinning me against the parked truck. I gave Tony a wink and a smile to let him know I was OK. Tony got my signal just as he grabbed this gorgeous, much smaller, man by the scruff of his jacket and pulled him up. Young, handsome Mr. Gorgeous about had a heart attack when Tony growled "This little pip-squeak mother fucker bothering you Miss Fox?" and Tony shoved him against the side of the truck.

"God damn Tony! I was just talkin' to the lady. Shit!" he said very nervously.

"It's Sergeant Johnson to you maggot! Got it?! Get lost!" he said with a poke of his massive finger to his chest.

"Tony. Down boy! I'm OK, really. YOU get lost guard dog! Go on now, get!" I joked as I shooed him off. As Tony left this mans line of sight (but still in mine) he lip synced to me "You LUCKY bitch!" and gave me an "oh my God he's gorgeous" squint and lip pucker. I blurted a quick giggle. I stuck my hand out from behind my blanket. "Let's start all over shall we? Hi, my name's Jessie Fox. Tony Johnson is a dear friend of mine." He took my hand and bent over and lightly kissed it and straightened back up. Not letting go of my hand he took hold of it with his other hand too, looked me seriously in the eye and said "Miss Fox, I am so very sorry for the loss of your friend. I hear she was one hell of a cop. I wish I could have known her! My name is Paul Nance"

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Officer Nance. Thanks for rousting me." I said.

"Sorry about that. I was just messing around. Really, meant nothing by it. Please, call me Paul. That weed thing, no biggie, just fuckin' with ya. Meant no harm."

"Paul, you're sweet. But seriously: I was coming up here for a reason. I'm about to pee in my pants! Outa the way!" and I nudged him to one side. I pulled my blanket off and handed it to him "Be a dear and hold this for me, I'll be right back. Oh. . ." I held out my hand, ". . . give me my pipe back Pig!" I joked.

He handed it back and said with a smile, "Hey, no need for that!"

I stepped inside and tinkled and hit the pipe one last time. Paul heard me and called out "Are you smoking pot again?!"

"Don't be listening to what I'm doing in here you pervert! Little pip-squeak mother fucker – I'll tell Tony!" I called out.

When I came out Paul helped me put back on my blanket. I invited him to come and hang out with us down by the fire. Tony had gone to crash out with Jackie's kids in the DUI task force motor home that was commandeered for the party. When we got back, mom was just finishing yet another funny story about Jackie and Jordan and Nancy were laughing hysterically. I introduced everybody to Paul and he and I sat down next to each other. Paul was shocked he was sitting there with Jordan Jones, one of the richest people in the country. They ALL knew what I was thinking and the cross exam was ON. One question after another. They were being such dicks! Yeah, I know, they were just looking out for me.

Morning came and I was one of the first people up. The catering crew was setting up for breakfast and already had coffee ready and the huge camp fire had been brought back to life. I got a cup of coffee and went and stood by the fire. I was watching the sun come up, but it was still heavily overcast. Not a pretty sunrise. I saw somebody off in the distance about 200 yards away. They'd walked to the edge of the water and were just standing there. They were wearing a blanket the same way I was. "I wonder who that is." I thought. The blanket dropped to the ground. It was a man, I could tell that. He removed his shirt and pants and stood for a moment in his jockey shorts. "Oh my God, are you seriously going to jump in and go...." And he jumped in. Mom came up behind me also wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of coffee. "How you doing kiddo?" she asked as she stood beside me rubbing my back.

"I'm fine momma . . . look at this stupid fucker out here swimming" I said and nodded with my head to the lake.

"Oh my God, who the hell is that?!" she asked.

"No idea . . . oh look, he's coming this way. Look how hard he's swimming!" I said. Yes, our swimmer was really giving it all he had. He got to the bottom of the boat ramp and came sprinting straight towards the camp fire. When he got close enough I could see it was Mr. Hunk-a-licious himself, Officer Paul Nance! Mom and I were gapped jawed with amazement at the sight of him. He was completely horrified by his ice water dip. He had no idea the water was going to be so damn cold, but not only that . . . dear God in heaven, what a body this guy had! He looked like a model for a Bow-Flex commercial. Toned, ripped and sculpted . . . and "shivering like a dog trying to pass a peach pit" as mom so wonderfully put it. As he got to us, I removed my blanket and wrapped him up. I thought he might leap into the fire. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" mom asked.

"N n n o idea it w w w as th th that c c cold!" he said as he squatted down into fetal position. "I f f feel like an i i idiot." He stammered.

"Go with that feeling Paul!" mom quipped.

"MOTHER. Knock it off!" I scolded. I grabbed another blanket that was folded on a chair and draped that one over the top of him as well. He thanked me.

Yes, you've guessed right. Paul and I began seeing each other. Mostly out of lust I think. But very quickly it turned to something else. It had been quite some time since I liked a guy for his personality. Paul was such an absolute dream to look at! When he came out of the water that cold cold morning after Jackie's "Ash Wake" he was wearing his tighty whiteys and nothing else. His body first off, was beautifully tanned. He's a member of a tanning salon. He works out every single day, his physique certainly not massive, but very well toned and sculpted. The most gorgeous six-pack you have ever seen. Clean shaven and chiseled and squared features. Eyes that peered into my soul... into my lust, into my desires. Beautifully styled, dark brown hair. Being a cop means your hair is "short and tight". Flat tops are real popular with cops I've noticed. Not Paul. His is more of a George Clooney kind of look. That smile. Oh my God, what a smile! When I think about it, I think his smile was the first things I liked about Paul. His smile reminded me of Jackie's smile. In fact, in a side by side comparison of photos of just their smiling mouths, you'd think you were looking at twins! Beautifully white and straight teeth. I love that in a person! Well maintained oral hygiene. Very sexy!

Our first date might not have really been classified as a "date" date. As the day wore on though, we ended up hanging out together and everybody else got the message to "get lost". It was to the police shooting range. They had renamed it after their fallen comrade Jacquelyn Bennett. "Bennett Shooting Range". I was invited (demanded) by Tony to come for the renaming ceremony on a fine warm spring day. Hundreds of people, lot's and lot's of activities planned. Steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs on the massive grill. No booze, but plenty of ice tea, lemonade and sodas. Several people got up and gave some very somber speeches. Each made me cry. Not blubbering, wailing make a spectacle of yourself crying, but sad and lonely sort of weeping. Mom had come with me as well as Jordan and his wife Nancy. Tony and several of his people were all with me. They had gathered around . . . for me.

After the exiting of Tony's Birthday Party (and all that it implied), Tony had become almost like a cult figure. The men that worked under him respected him like no other. He was idolized as a sexual master. Every man there knew Jackie. Each and every one of them had at one point or another "hit" on her. Each and every one of them held images of her in their heads when they masturbated. She was drop dead gorgeous!

And then there's me. I keep very fit, I have larger then average firm breast and a better (much better) than average ass. I know I'm pretty; I'd be a liar if I said otherwise. If this makes you angry, then you must be some bitter, sad and lonely ugly person. I'm sorry you feel so bad about the way you look but that's what the good Lord gave you, so deal with it just like I have to. . . . I dress very professionally usually. (At least when most people see me and have interaction with me.) I like dressing feminine and showing off what I have . . . usually. Sometimes it can be a pain in the ass, constantly fending off guys (and gals) who want to just have sex with you. The one thing that sealed the deal about me actually going to this Re-Naming Ceremony was when Tony said (very sophomoric) "Paaaaul will be there...."

"OK, I'll go." I called mom and she also agreed it sounded like it might be some fun. Jackie had been dead now for almost 2 months. I'd been seeing a shrink and had started a this writing journal of sorts. I'd been celibate for the entire time. I'd finally returned to work, at a much reduced work load. I was feeling pretty good about life again. I had gotten back into the habit of masturbating a few times each day. The masturbation wasn't cutting it any more. I needed some sex! If Paul Nance was going to be there then he would definitely be my target. Tony had told me that Paul asked him almost daily about me. Tony had always insisted that Paul keep his distance because I was still an emotional wreck. Paul did as he was told, be still asked about me quite regularly.

Here we all sat around one rather large picnic table. We'd just listened to the mayor give a very nice speech about bravery, and honor, and such. I had my head bowed and was crying a little bit and Jordan reached over and grabbed hold of it and squeezed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have one last speaker with us this afternoon. If she would do us the honor of maybe giving us a few words....ladies and gentlemen – Ms. Jessica Fox."

THAT got my attention. My head shot right up and into the eyes of Jordan. Sitting on one side of him was Nancy and on the other side was my shrink Dr. Davis. Jordan said "Jessie, I know....But you're at your very best when you adlib. Go on...go up there and tell them how wonderful you friend was... they need to hear it." Dr. Davis smiled and nodded her head yes. Public speaking has never been much of a problem for me. I've stood before a jury and spoke my mind countless of times.... A little warning would have been nice though! I stood and walked to the microphone and looked into the crowd and opened my mouth. The following words came out.

"I feel so honored to be here today, and even more honored that you've asked me to speak. For those of you who do not know, Jackie and I were best friends. BFF's as they say now. I really hadn't known her all that long before what happened happened. In that very short time Jackie Bennett changed my life. She gave me a whole new perspective on being happy. Knowing her made me a better person. It was my life she saved that day. The really blessed thing about her though; she would have done what she did for me for any one of you. For any person who came under any type of assault, Jackie would have put a stop to it on way or another. It was just the way she was. A natural born hero. My hero. I shall love and miss her every day of my life. I am certain she would have been touched and honored by what you've done here today. She loved this place. We came here several times." (Tears were streaming down my cheeks but I was maintaining a coherent tone. This was enough though, my voice was beginning to quiver. . . I needed to wrap this up. I needed some comic relief...)

"Jackie Bennett was not just my best friend, and hero.... She was also my shooting coach. I got a hundred dollar bill that says not one of you Law Dogs can out shoot me! Who's game?!" <And the crowd went wild>