Wouldn’t it?
He finally shook his head vigorously, to get himself back on track. Instead of energy bars he’d have another can of Ravioli and some trail mix. Just to be on the safe side, he’d save the energy bars for when he needed to be awake and alert.
Like at night, for example, when he was driving in the dark through the Texas hill country.
He got up and looked through the curtain. Before him, through the Ford’s windshield, stood a panorama of almost-empty highway, a scattering of abandoned vehicles, and plenty of trees that were in the process of budding their new spring leaves.
But no people.
Nothing at all, in fact, that looked even remotely as a threat.
He took a two liter bottle from his backpack.
The blue and white Pepsi label announced what the bottle once contained, and for just a moment Dave longed for an ice cold soft drink.
Perhaps another time, if anybody ever figured out how to get the bottlers running again.
He expected that if it did happen again in his lifetime, he’d likely be a very old man.
So lukewarm rainwater, boiled for ten minutes on his camp stove in San Antonio, would have to do on this particular afternoon.
He was satisfied after half a dozen swallows. But he drank a dozen more.
Dave was always mindful of warnings about dehydration he’d learned as a Boy Scout and as a Marine.
A well-hydrated body moves faster, thinks better, and survives longer.
He opened a bag of jerky and took out a chunk.
He was surprised to find it was chicken jerky.
It looked the same as rabbit, but had a different flavor. He’d been tossing the bags of rabbit jerky into the same box as the chicken jerky he’d made with Sarah so many months ago.
It shouldn’t have surprised him that when he’d packed for the trip, some of the chicken would have gotten mixed in.
But he hadn’t expected it, and it brought back a pleasant memory.
Of Dave, walking through the kitchen. Slapping the bottom of his sweet wife as she peered into an oven full of jerky to check its progress.
“You do that again, Mister, and you’ll be part of the next batch.”
To Dave’s recollection, he never did it again.
Oh, it wasn’t because he was afraid of her. That wasn’t it at all.
After all, he used to tell her, she was too sweet to do anybody any real harm. And she hit like a girl.
No, the truth was, he didn’t do it again because he felt guilty for doing it the first time.
He remembered going to Sarah later that day and apologizing to her.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m very sorry for what happened earlier.”
By then, she had forgotten the incident.
“For what, honey?”
“For spanking you as I walked through the kitchen. It was very disrespectful to you, and I apologize for doing it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes, I do. You see, when we took our vows, I promised to love, honor and obey you. Part of that is respecting your body, and the fact that it belongs to you, and not to me. And I have no right to place my hands on it without your consent.”
She was touched.
“Why, thank you, honey. But then, how come you don’t obey me when I wake up at three a.m. craving a chocolate milkshake, and I tell you to go get me one?”
“That’s different. There was nothing in our vows about chocolate milkshakes.”
That was indeed the last time Dave ever spanked his wife.
Except, of course, for those times late at night after the girls had gone to bed and she’d asked him to.
0
Chapter 24
Dave stretched, then checked his mirrors before opening the
He finally shook his head vigorously, to get himself back on track. Instead of energy bars he’d have another can of Ravioli and some trail mix. Just to be on the safe side, he’d save the energy bars for when he needed to be awake and alert.
Like at night, for example, when he was driving in the dark through the Texas hill country.
He got up and looked through the curtain. Before him, through the Ford’s windshield, stood a panorama of almost-empty highway, a scattering of abandoned vehicles, and plenty of trees that were in the process of budding their new spring leaves.
But no people.
Nothing at all, in fact, that looked even remotely as a threat.
He took a two liter bottle from his backpack.
The blue and white Pepsi label announced what the bottle once contained, and for just a moment Dave longed for an ice cold soft drink.
Perhaps another time, if anybody ever figured out how to get the bottlers running again.
He expected that if it did happen again in his lifetime, he’d likely be a very old man.
So lukewarm rainwater, boiled for ten minutes on his camp stove in San Antonio, would have to do on this particular afternoon.
He was satisfied after half a dozen swallows. But he drank a dozen more.
Dave was always mindful of warnings about dehydration he’d learned as a Boy Scout and as a Marine.
A well-hydrated body moves faster, thinks better, and survives longer.
He opened a bag of jerky and took out a chunk.
He was surprised to find it was chicken jerky.
It looked the same as rabbit, but had a different flavor. He’d been tossing the bags of rabbit jerky into the same box as the chicken jerky he’d made with Sarah so many months ago.
It shouldn’t have surprised him that when he’d packed for the trip, some of the chicken would have gotten mixed in.
But he hadn’t expected it, and it brought back a pleasant memory.
Of Dave, walking through the kitchen. Slapping the bottom of his sweet wife as she peered into an oven full of jerky to check its progress.
“You do that again, Mister, and you’ll be part of the next batch.”
To Dave’s recollection, he never did it again.
Oh, it wasn’t because he was afraid of her. That wasn’t it at all.
After all, he used to tell her, she was too sweet to do anybody any real harm. And she hit like a girl.
No, the truth was, he didn’t do it again because he felt guilty for doing it the first time.
He remembered going to Sarah later that day and apologizing to her.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m very sorry for what happened earlier.”
By then, she had forgotten the incident.
“For what, honey?”
“For spanking you as I walked through the kitchen. It was very disrespectful to you, and I apologize for doing it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes, I do. You see, when we took our vows, I promised to love, honor and obey you. Part of that is respecting your body, and the fact that it belongs to you, and not to me. And I have no right to place my hands on it without your consent.”
She was touched.
“Why, thank you, honey. But then, how come you don’t obey me when I wake up at three a.m. craving a chocolate milkshake, and I tell you to go get me one?”
“That’s different. There was nothing in our vows about chocolate milkshakes.”
That was indeed the last time Dave ever spanked his wife.
Except, of course, for those times late at night after the girls had gone to bed and she’d asked him to.
0
Chapter 24
Dave stretched, then checked his mirrors before opening the
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