The cold and the breeze caught up with my friend and our wild woman
comrade and they put on some clothes and came to join me around what
was now a really good fire. Evidently the cold and the booze were
wearing her down and she was starting to take it down from eleven to
the high eights which made me a little less nervous about her drawing
attention to us and our contraband. We sat and talked while the
canyon slowly faded to blue and then black. I had built the fire up
against a overhanging cliff and by keeping it fueled it heated up the
rock and sent nice mellow heat and shadows down on us while we
discussed music and clothes, friends and lovers. Even though the day
had been sweltering the evening was starting to chill off and the
cool air was starting to be a real steady breeze that even a
magnificent fire was not keeping at bay. It was also full dark by now
and we hadn't brought any light. This was bad because we still had
to mange to cross the river and the steep far bank in the near total
dark. I helped my nearly asleep wild woman to the bank and across the
fallen log we had to use for a bridge and my friend made his own way
back to the car. We all piled into the front and I drove us all home.
My friend lived across town which in our town meant about two miles
so I dropped him off first. I drove to my house and pulled up in
front of the huge climbing willow and sat in the dark car for a
second deciding if I wanted to take my passenger up on her explicit,
explicit offer. I declined because - I don't really know why and told
her goodnight and she, hopefully more sober now, drove off. I went in
and no one asked where I had been. I was just glad I had made it
through the night un-busted for a number of youthful indiscretions
that I thought would end my life. The next day my friend would not
believe that I had turned her down and maybe still doesn't believe
me. I'll ask him someday.
