We were lying about in the warm desert sun this afternoon, in that pleasant afterglow. We were nude, but out here there ain't no one to see. Jody was exploring my body with her hands and her eyes when she stopped and took a closer look at my upper thigh.

Jody: "Jeez, what's that?", she asks, pointing to a roughly circular scar on my right upper thigh.
Me: "I didn't pull m'leg out of the path of a bullet quick enough, I guess."
Jody: "Jimmy! Are you kidding me? You got shot? Where? When?"
Me: "Nope. Ain't kidding you, babe. Some black pjed SOB got me a good one."
Jody: She blinks. "Black pajama...You mean that you were in 'Nam? How come you never told me that before?"
Me: I shrug my shoulders and raise my head slightly to look down at the center of the attention. "Hell, babe, you never asked." I roll over on my side for a moment to look at her. "Does it matter?"
Jody: "You know me better than that, lover". She smiles, pushes me over on my back, and slides over on top of me. "See..."

Afterwards we chat about the motorhome and money. I explain that, while I appreciate the offer, I just can't. She smiles and tells me that she was pretty sure I'd react that way, and it's OK, that she'd much rather have me free than caged. I laugh at that, lean back, and select "Freebird" on my little MP3 player. We both listen to that and laugh. It's a good life.

-crowbraid-