Living Off the Grid

He extended his hand and smiled.

"Ma'am," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Lock. Is that short for something?" she asked politely.

Jessica smiled as he patiently explained yet again that his full name was Lachlan James.

"Oh, I see," Cathy replied. "I take it you're into this...lifestyle...too?"

"Very much," he told her. "And I take it this isn't exactly your cup of tea?"

"No. Not hardly," she told him trying not to sound judgmental. "I like having neighbors and little things like doctors and dentists nearby."

"I understand," Lock said. "Those are very legitimate concerns when your 40 or 50 miles from the nearest town and you have an accident."

"Sometimes it doesn't make any difference," Jessica said quietly knowing her mother would immediately understand the meaning as no doctor on earth could have saved her husband.

Lock didn't so he ignored the comment and said, "Well, I'll let you ladies do your thing. I'm gonna go take a look at the fresh water storage booth over here so if you'll excuse me."

Before he could step away Jessica said, "I'd like to see that, too. You wanna take a look with me, Mom?"

"Well, to be honest I was kind of hoping we might be done," Cathy said as nicely as she could. Jessica had told her she planned on spending the entire day there, but she could see her mom was already bored to death after less than two hours, and Jessica knew that look.

"Okay. I guess we can go home," Jessica said.

Lock, who hadn't yet walked away and was still looking their way, saw, heard, and even 'felt' the disappointment in her voice.

He took a step back toward them and said, "Um...listen. I know we just met and all, but if you want stay and let your mom go home, I'd be happy to give you a ride if that isn't too weird or anything."

Cathy didn't trust anyone she didn't know, and Jessica could tell she did not want her daughter getting into a car with a total stranger.

Jessica, on the other hand, had played it safe all her life, and all it had gotten her was the title 'widow' and living back home with her mom.

"I don't see you as the next Ted Bundy or anything," Jessica said to him with a polite smile before turning to her mom and saying, "Would you mind?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Jessie," her mother said as she looked Lock up and down.

He knew there was nothing he could say to assuage her concerns so he stayed out of it.

"I'll um...I'll be over at the booth in case you want to stay," he told Jessica.

He tipped his hat to Cathy and said, "Ma'am."

Lock could see the two women talking about what to do, and it was obvious the mother didn't want her daughter staying there let alone riding home with a man she'd barely just met. But after several back-and-forth comments, he saw Jessica hand her a set of car keys which her mother took, a look of disapproval written all over her face.

Jessica hugged her and Lock could tell she was saying something like, "I'll be fine," just before she headed his way.

Her mom gave him another disapproving look before heading toward the exit.

"What'd I miss?" Jessica asked excitedly as she stood alongside the tall, younger man.

"Nothing, as far as I can tell," Lock told her. "But let's see if we can get a little closer and find out what kinds of systems they're displaying."

"Definitely!" Jessica said in full agreement.

There were four different displays within the overall display, and Jessica was fascinated at how Lock seemed to understand the ins and outs of all of them. She 'got it' where the simplest method was concerned which was nothing more than setting out barrels or other other containers to gather rainwater. It was the proverbial 'big duh'. But no matter how complicated the others were, Lock understood exactly what was going on and explained it to her in very simple terms. The same proved true with regard to electrical systems, wiring, plumbing, roofing and windows.

"I'm impressed," Jessica said two hours later after they'd been to several other display booths.

"As I said, the technical stuff is the easy part."

"For an engineer," Jessica said with a smile.

"Okay. That does help," Lock admitted with a smile of his own.

They looked around at the remaining booths when Lock said, "I'm starting to get hungry. Can I maybe buy you lunch?"

"I'm pretty hungry, too, but I can pay for my own food," Jessica told him without 'attitude'.

Lock smiled and told her, "That goes against everything I stand for, but if you feel strongly about it, I guess I can live with that."

There was a food court in the middle of the very large warehouse where the exposition was being held, and they slowly headed that way while looking at the various choices.

"What looks good to you?" Lock asked.

"You choose," Jessica said feeling kind of guilty about being so insistent she pay for her meal when he was only trying to be a gentleman.

"You can't really go wrong with pizza," Lock said. He quickly turned to Jessica then asked, "Can you?"

His concern touched her and made her laugh.

"I love pizza," she told him. "Just no meat on mine, please."

"Oh, okay. A vegan?"

"No. I'm not a vegan. I just don't like all the extra fat and grease. I eat chicken and fish and shrimp. Just not sausage and pepperoni."

"I'm right with you there," he told her. "I like mushrooms and black olives. What's your pleasure?"

"Hmmm. Are you also a mindreader?" she asked playfully. "Those are my two favorite toppings."

Lock chuckled and assured her he could not read minds.

"But I am fairly good at reading people," he added.

"Me, too," she said. "Or I wouldn't be riding home with you."

Lock looked at her and, pretending to be very serious said, "You're not riding home with me. I'm taking you to yours."

Jessica waited for a second then couldn't help laughing. She made a kind of spurting sound when she laughed and covered her mouth after the fact.

"Please tell me I did not just spray you!" she said in horror when he pulled back quickly.

"Oh, no big deal. I took a shower this morning so what's one more, right?" he said as he gently dabbed at his face with his shirtsleeve.

"I am so sorry!" Jessica said. "I feel like such an idiot!"

"You're hardly an idiot," Lock said in such a nice way it made her forget what had just happened. "I'd say 'interesting' is the better word."

He ordered two slices for himself while Jessica asked for one. They each grabbed a bottle of water then found an empty table and sat down to eat.

Jessica took a small first bite and said, "Oh, my gosh! This is so good!"

Lock took a bite and agreed. "Not bad at all."

They each took another bite before Lock spoke.

"I'm probably already in trouble for offering to pay for your food, but why is a very attractive woman like yourself interested in living such an austere kind of life?"

His question was genuine and sincere and the 'attractive woman' part didn't sound like any kind of pick up or throwaway line.

"I don't know. I think it has a lot to do with having lived the um, standard, kind of life for so long and wanting to try something different."

"Living off the grid is different, all right," Lock said before taking another bite. "Radically different."

"How about you? What is it about this lifestyle that appeals to you?"

He finished chewing, took a sip of water then said, "I guess maybe I feel like life is too easy, you know? Granted, I've never lived somewhere that I didn't know where my next meal was coming from or anything close. I didn't serve in the military, either, and I've never faced death. I think there's just some part of me that needs to know I can survive without being tied into 'the grid'. I mean, in the 'real world' you buy a house, and everything is ready, right? You sold them so you know exactly what I mean. You make a couple of phone calls and you've got electricity, sewage, cable TV, and every modern-day convenience. I'd just like to see if I could do all that myself."

"Yes! Exactly!" Jessica said with real enthusiasm having found someone else who understood. "It's just you against nature. It's not like you're living in a jungle sleeping on the ground or anything. It's more like...like some kind of modern-day pioneer experience, you know?"

"I do," Lock replied. "And I couldn't agree more."

Now feeling much more comfortable, Jessica decided to put out some feelers and find out what exactly Lock was looking for.

"You mentioned being able to do pretty much everything from build a house to bringing in power, but that you were still saving money. Have you given any thought to partnering with someone?"

"Sure. I've thought about it, but it seems pretty unlikely. I'm not homophobic or anything, but living with another guy like that doesn't exactly appeal to me, and I can't see advertising for a...a what? A kind of mail-order bride to share the hardships of living off the grid?"

The way he said it made Jessica laugh again.

"I don't think you'd have any trouble finding someone if you were to give it a try," she said sincerely.

"If that was a compliment, thank you. But I can't even support myself off the grid let alone a wife or a girlfriend, so..."

"I hadn't thought of that," Jessica admitted. She'd been looking at it purely through eyes as someone who had more than enough money to buy the land, build the house, and everything else she needed.

"Now if you know a woman who's as beautiful and interesting as you are, and who has a spare hundred grand sitting around, please let me know."

She couldn't help but ask the question his comments raised and did so.

"You seemed...well, you wanted to pay for my food and seemed disappointed when I wouldn't let you. The pizza and water wasn't even five bucks. How would you feel about a woman laying out the hundred grand or whatever to fund your dream? Assuming you could find her, of course."

Lock finished another bite then said, "I'm kind of assuming that somewhere along the way, I'd fall in love with this woman—and not her money as that would never, ever happen—and that we'd be sharing our talents to fund our dream. And I have money. Just not enough to pay for the whole kit and kaboodle."

"Are you saying there's no one in your life to share your dream with or at least no one...with money?" she politely teased.

"Neither," Lock told her. "I do date, but I made a conscious decision to live with my parents after graduating from college a year ago so I could save as much money as possible. But no, there's no one special if that's what you mean."

Jessica smiled then said, "Yeah. I know a little something about living with my parents, too. Well, I never really knew my dad. He died when I was three, but I moved back in with my mom when my husband died, so..."

"I'm sure that helps both of you financially, though," he said. "Not to mention the emotional support."

"No, you're right about that. I really struggled after Norm...my husband...was killed. I was such a basket case for months."

"Killed?" Lock said with deep respect. "May I ask how if it isn't too personal or painful?"

Jessica told him what happened and managed to do so without getting emotional, something she'd never been able to do before.

"That's just awful," Lock told her. "I really am sorry, Jessica."

"Well, as they say, 'life goes on', right? I'm just now getting to where I feel like I'm ready to move on, and maybe my mom is right."

"About?"

"I get the impression she thinks this is my way of trying to escape the reality of what happened. That if I can find some secluded place to 'hide away', Norm's death and everything associated with it will just go away. I don't think that's the case, but maybe she sees something I don't."

"Moms are very perceptive people," Lock told her with a smile. "I know mine is."

They sat quietly and ate for a few seconds before Lock asked, "Speaking of moms, do you have any children?"

His question surprised her, but she managed not to let it show.

"Oh, no. We never did. We tried but it just wasn't in the cards, you know?"

"I'd like to say I do know, but the truth is I don't. I've thought about having children someday, but lately living off the grid is all I seem to really care about. But one day, who knows, right?"

"My mother says it's my obsession," Jessica told him with a smile.

Lock laughed then said, "Mine, too. My dad seems to get it, but my mom just can't wrap her brain around me wanting to move to the middle of nowhere and live like it's the Stone Age."

Jessica laughed and said, "My mom calls it 'The Dark Ages' even though I've explained there's electricity and running water and..."

"And satellite TV and a whole bunch of other things," Lock added.

"Right! You're just not dependent on the grid."

The way Lock was looking at her was unsettling and yet not in a bad way.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just really like talking with you. I never dreamed I'd meet someone, anyone for that matter—let alone a very attractive woman who'd understands why this 'does it' for me."

"That's very kind of you to say, Lock, but I'm hardly someone who's 'very attractive'. Maybe 'not bad for 40' but I'm not hardly all that attractive."

"You're forty?" he asked as his eyes opened wide.

"What? Do I look older than that?" she asked. She'd intentionally worn no makeup to feel like she was part of the 'in group' at the expo and had also worn shorts and tee shirt as it was rather warm outside for late June.

At 5' 5" and 110 pounds, Jessica knew she was fairly small even for a woman, but she didn't consider herself to be beautiful. She was willing to admit she was at least modestly attractive and had been told she was 'pretty' many times. Norm had always said she was the most beautiful woman on earth, but he was her husband.

No, she wasn't gorgeous, but for a woman of 40, she might still be considered 'very attractive', just not by someone Lock's age.

It was silly, but she was now regretting cutting her long hair a year ago after wearing it to her shoulders most of her life. It was just so much easier to take care of and she was pleasantly surprised to see how cute it looked. Well, to her anyway. She just couldn't imagine many men agreeing with her.

The day she got it cut, she held her breath before turning around and looking for the first time and couldn't believe how great it looked on her. She'd hoped it would be cute, but really didn't care anymore as there was no one she was trying to impress. But when she saw it, cut to just above her ears and parted on the side with a bit of hair sort of hanging down over her forehead on one side, she was thrilled with the look.

"Older?" Lock said with a laugh. "No. I was guessing somewhere around 30. I mean, you have that fresh, clean look that makes you so..."

"So...?"

"We uh, we should probably finish up here and get back to the expo. I have to head back to Seattle tomorrow night, and I want to make sure to see everything I possibly can," he told her avoiding answering her question.

He was going to say 'desirable', but that just wasn't appropriate. He couldn't come up with a truthful alternative on the spot so he avoided it altogether.

"Oh, right. I agree," she said before taking a last bite and leaving the crust.

She saw him looking at it then laughed.

"My husband used to do the same thing. Go ahead. Take it," she told him with a playful smile.

Lock reached over and grabbed the crust, thanked her, then popped half of it in his mouth and chomped away reminding Jessica even more of her wonderful, late husband who, in spite of being in real estate, was a man's man in every sense of the word. That thought made her wonder if he'd have been interested in living off the grid. Of course, she'd never know that, but having someone she loved to share this dream with sounded very nice. Finding him, however, wouldn't be easy.

The next five hours flew by as the unlikely pair bounced from booth to booth then made second trips to ask questions they hadn't thought of the first time around.

"Don't laugh, but I'm hungry again," Lock told her at the end of the day.

"I won't. I'm getting there, too," Jessica told him.

"I should probably take you home anyway," he said in a way that let her know it was a reluctant statement.

"Or we could go grab a bite—my treat—and compare notes," Jessica offered.

"I'd love to have dinner with you," Lock said with a pleasant smile.

"I didn't say 'dinner', Lock. Just sitting down and eating at the same time and the same place," she politely corrected him.

"I see. Yeah, we wouldn't want to confuse that with something as different as having dinner together, would we?" he teased.

"Well, if we were going out to dinner I'd have to go home and change, right?" she said thinking that would win the day.

"No, you look great just the way you are, so, no...you wouldn't have to change anything."

"Sorry, but just like you feeling the need to pay for my food, I'd feel the need to look nice if I'm going out. Which we're not."

"No. We're definitely not going out. We're just leaving here and going to sit down and eat food at the same time," he said as though he was the one making things clear to her.

Jessica laughed before adding, "In the same place, right?"

"I hope so," Lock told her as they approached his four-wheel drive vehicle.

"Taco Bell or Jack in the Box?" Lock asked as they got on the road. "My map app tells me they're both pretty close."

"We had pizza for lunch. How about Crack in the Jack for dinner?" she suggested using the pejorative name for the food chain.

"Um...we're not having dinner, remember?" Lock told her with great authority.

Jessica hadn't giggle in years, but that made her do so and it felt so good she wasn't at all embarrassed.

"Touché. You win that point," she said.

"I didn't know we were keeping score."

"Hey, just drive, okay?" she said, her voice light and playful.

In order to see each other's tablets and the notes they'd taken, they sat on the same side of the table as they ate and talked. They also pulled up one note after the other as they thought of this and that and discussed the meaning or the pros and cons of whatever it was they were talking about.

Their arms brushed up against the other's many times and their hands touched quite a few times, as well, as they pointed to something on one of the two screens, but it had all been nothing but incidental contact.

It was a little after 8pm when Jessica said she should probably be going.

"Oh, sure. Wow, I completely lost track of time," Lock told her when he realized how late it was. "I'd make a crack about you needing to be home before your curfew or how you'd get in trouble for staying out late, but as I said, I kinda live at home, too."

Jessica laughed—again—and couldn't believe how at ease she felt around him. He was pleasant, easy-going, thoughtful, smart as a whip, and just a really nice guy. She stole a quick look at him and thought...were he a few years older...

"Good call. I'd have thrown that one right back at you," she told him.

They continued talking the entire way and when they pulled into Jessica's mother's driveway, Lock told her he had the best time he could remember in quite a while.

"Yeah. Me, too," Jessica told him. "I'd pretty much given up on ever finding someone I really like."

She realized how that sounded and before Lock could pounce on it she said, "As a friend, of course."

"Good catch. I was gonna say, 'I'm growing on you, huh' but you cut me off at the pass."

"And normally I'd say something like, 'Yes, you really are growing on me—like a fungus."

Lock made a face indicating great pain and Jessica said, "What? That's funny! Fungus grows on people, too, right?"