Chapter 19

Sunday, July 11, 2032 ñ Martin Home, Landenberg, PA

The Martin household was quiet for half the morning. Even Kyle and Penny overcame years of getting up early to sleep in. David’s alarm woke him first. He was showering when he heard his parents get up. David had to return to Camp Horseshoe before noon that day. He washed a load of laundry before greeting his parents that morning. David headed for camp around eleven o’clock, plenty of time to get to the Rising Sun, MD camp before lunch.

Jessie showed up downstairs as Kyle and Penny finished brunch. “Any big plans for the day, honey?” Penny asked.

“None, just unpack and unwind a little,” Jessie commented as she grabbed the cereal and milk. “Probably go soak in the pool this afternoon. “It will be nice to feel wet and clean.”

“It is nice,” Kyle laughed. “I could get used to showering every day.”

“Your grandparents are bringing your brothers home this afternoon,” Penny commented.

“Everything is so lush and green,” Jessie commented. “It seems almost unreal after two weeks of brown and tan everywhere.”

“No regrets going on the trip?” Kyle asked.

“No regrets at all,” Jessie laughed. “I will remember this trip for the rest of my life but it is nice to be home again.”

Jessie enjoyed her cereal. Kyle got busy and copied the nearly eight hundred photos off the SD card from his camera to his laptop. He briefly browsed through some of the images. Man, they looked great.

Kyle’s parents arrived around 2:30 PM with Danny, Robbie and their things. There was a surprise addition sitting the backseat beside Robbie. Hunter!

The boys got hugs and kisses from their parents. Jessie helped Danny and Robbie carry their things upstairs to their bedrooms. That gave Kyle the opportunity to ask the question he was dying to ask.

“What the hell are you doing here, Hunter?” Kyle asked as he, Penny, his parents and Hunter walked into the house. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Colorado Springs preparing for the Olympics in a couple weeks?”

“Well man plans and God laughs,” Hunter said with a sigh, staring down at the floor momentarily before looking back up at his big brother. “I did not make the team.”

“What?” Kyle gasped. His baby brother had been consistently placing first or second in national meets for going on two years.

“The doctor thinks it was food poisoning,” Hunter sighed. “The night before the finals, I was up barfing for half the night. By the time I took the pool the next morning, I felt like a wrung-out dish rag. I just just couldn’t perform. Not in any of my events.”

“Man, I am so sorry to hear this,” Kyle said. He gave his baby brother a hug. “This sucks, big time.”

“What are you going to do next?” Penny asked.

“I have no idea,” Hunter replied. “Do I spend the next four years training and try for the Olympics again? Do I accept this verdict and get on with the rest of my life? I have no idea.”

“All sports careers end some time,” Kyle noted. “I have trouble thinking you are done at age twenty-two.”

“Well I have a lot of thinking to do,” Hunter replied. “That is not why I am here today. I want to hear all about your trip to New Mexico. Was it as awesome as it sounded?”

“Better than you can imagine,” Penny said. “Let’s get comfortable and get the rest of the kids together.”

Kyle, Penny and Jessie spent most of the afternoon talking about the trip and the many things they had done in seen in the Philmont backcountry. Dan and Sharon knew Kyle’s house would be bereft of food, so they brought everything needed for a cookout. Kyle grilled steaks while the Martins enjoyed a quiet evening together.

Monday, July 12, 2032 ñ NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia, PA

“Boss is back,” Ed Fritz snorted as Kyle walked into the assistant coaches’ offices. “Ride’em cowboy! Yee hah” Most of the coaches broke up in laughter. “No cowboy hat today?”

“You saw the press conference I did?” Kyle, trying to look cross but failing.

“You? In a cowboy hat?” Ed teased. Kyle was notorious for avoiding hats whenever he could get away with it.

“You worked on camp staff,” Kyle countered. “You know how it is. You do whatever you need to do for the good of the camp.”

“Yeah,” Ed acknowledged.

“What about the beard, boss?” Jeremy North added. Kyle had not shaved off the beard he grew during his two weeks out west. “You keeping it?” He chuckled. “Including all the gray hair in it?”

“I will probably shave it off in a few days, once Penny gets tired of it,” Kyle responded. “And gray hair?” Kyle continued, tapping his temples. “You shouldn’t talk. How much gray do you have on your head? A hell of a lot more than me.”

“It’s hell getting old,” Jeremy retorted.

“Enough chit-chat,” Kyle remarked. “Our team was 5-12 last season and we have to improve that record dramatically if we want to be employed here next January. Training camp is two short weeks away. Let’s get to it!”

Monday, July 12, 2032 ñ Martin Residence, Landenberg, PA

“What’s up, Matt?” Jessie asked as she answered her phone mid-morning.

“I know we are not dating anymore,” Matt responded. “I’m working the late shift at Mickey D’s today. I’m free until about 3:30. I know we’re just friends, but you said ëfriends with benefits.’ Do you want to hookup after lunch for some ahh benefits? I haven’t since the pool party after school let out. With your trip, I doubt you had much chance either.”

“That’s a sweet offer, but no,” Jessie replied. “I am dating someone.”

“Who?”

“Jackson Robertson,” Jessie answered. “This was a sweet idea, Matt, but I will have to pass on it.”

“Good luck to you and Jackson,” Matt said. “I’ll see you around.”

Saturday, July 17, 2032 ñ Paradise Methodist Church, Paradise, PA

Kyle, Penny, Jessie and Danny headed north Saturday after lunch. David, briefly home from Scout camp, got dressed and followed them north after he picked up Sara. Robbie spent the day with the Fritzes. Seven-year-olds were not needed at weddings.

The wedding was at 2:30 at the Paradise Methodist Church. The extended Martin and Miller clans gathered for Connor and Lauren’s wedding. Will and Abby, along with Rose, Danny “Tee,” Charlie and Chad came. Mack stayed with friends back in Princeton. Liz and Chris came, but without their kids, since they were too young for a long ceremony and reception. Getting Hunter to the wedding proved to be much simpler than expected when the wedding was planned. He hopped in his parents’ car for the ride to the church, instead of Andy sending a jet to Colorado Springs to pick him up for the day.

The wedding featured many football players and coaches besides Kyle. Bob Burton, Mark Markovich and Doug Pickett, Connor’s college position coach, attended. Three coaches and half a dozen Tampa Bay players came. Dylan and Beth Harris, along with Mike and Anna were present. Dylan, Beth, Andy and Heather had been close friends going back almost two decades when Andy and Dylan arrived at the Rams the same season.

Jason and Sara Turner were there. Justin and Sherry Baer and Wes Baer added to the Paradise HS Wolverine contingent. Of course, Jon, Amy, Billy and Ben Miller were there as Connor’s step-grandparents and cousins. Billy’s three-year-old daughter was back home with his wife Haley’s parents. Haley was pregnant with their second kid, a boy who was expected in late February. Ben finally married the mother of his son, Ben Junior a couple months after the boy’s birth last February. Ben Junior spent the wedding day with his great grandparents.

Grandma Ellen Wagner also made it. Connor’s birth-mother, Crystal De Villers, was invited but chose to maintain her distance, as she had since Connor’s birth. Scout camp staffers who Connor, Noah, Will, Rose and Danny “Tee” worked with were well represented.

Great-grandma Sharon Martin volunteered to look after baby Mark during the ceremony and reception. Both Connor and Lauren wanted their son at the ceremony and reception, despite the likelihood of him making a fuss and possibly disrupting things. He was their son and he belonged there when his parents finally made their vows of fidelity to spend their lives together.

The attraction between Connor Martin and Lauren Gerlach had been spooky, almost from the day they met when the two were in first grade. The five-year hiatus in their relationship while Connor lived in the LA when his dad played for the Rams had not dimmed the mutual attraction. The two reconnected almost immediately when they were eleven and the Martins moved back to Lancaster County. Lauren and Connor soon renewed their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend as sixth-graders. Eleven years later, they were still together and ready to commit themselves to each other for life.

Noah was Connor’s best man. Hunter, Lucas Gerlach, Lauren’s twenty-year-old brother, and Landon Froehling filled out the remainder of the groomsmen. Victoria Graybill, Lauren’s best friend from high school, was the maid of honor. Taylor Morrison, Lauren’s college roommate, Samantha Riley, another college friend, and Rose Henry filled out the roster of bridesmaids. Rose and Lauren got close from their years working together at Scout camp.

Lauren looked resplendent in her wedding gown as Larry Gerlach escorted her to the front of the church. Their ceremony was very traditional. Half the crowd teared up as Reverend Stockton asked, “Lauren Ashley Gerlach, do you take Connor Allen Martin as your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him, so long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Lauren said confidently, her smile beaming from ear to ear.

“Connor Allen Martin, do you take Lauren Ashely Gerlach to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, so long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Connor stated quickly, grinning as widely as his bride. The rings were exchanged and Reverend Stockton pronounced them husband and wife. After the blessing the newlywed couple marched out of the church.

The big crowd drove to the Eden Resort in Lancaster for the reception. This was the traditional venue for Martin weddings going back to Will and Abby’s wedding twenty-seven years ago. There was a table for the wedding party. Tables were arranged for family members of the bride and groom. Tables were there for friends. More tables seated football-related guests.

Bob Burton and his staff ate with Coach Garcia and the Bucs coaches. The Baers and Millers congregated together. There were tables for the various cousins. Danny and Zoey managed to sit there instead of with their families. Linc Gerlach, Zoey’s boyfriend, and Anna Harris, Danny Jay’s girlfriend, joined them at the cousin’s tables, to their delight of Danny Jay and Zoey. Colin Weaver and his date sat with his old Paradise High School football teammates and coach.

The food was excellent, as always. The Eden Resort produced events the right way. The evening was fun. The guests had lots of opportunities to talk, dance and enjoy the company.

Kyle was somewhat surprised at how Colin Weaver was acting with his date. They seemed a lot closer than you would expect for someone who was just a wedding date. It seems Colin had a serious romance going with the girl, Rebecca Moretti. Kyle met Rebecca later in the evening. She was a physical therapist who lived in the same apartment complex as Colin and his roommate, Aaron Cain. She seemed like a good match for Colin.

The Martins who did not work at Scout camp with Noah, Connor and Hunter were surprised at the attraction between Rose Henry and Landon Froehling. The two only had eyes for each other. The exchanged touches and kisses constantly. When they danced, oh my. Their attraction to each other was obvious. The people who worked with the two at Scout camp were not surprised. These two had an attraction that went back six seasons, since when both started working camp staff together at the pool.

Penny commented to Kyle after Rose and Landon disappeared from the reception early. “Do you think we will be coming to a wedding for those two in a few years?” Why the two slipped away was pretty obvious. They were heading to a hotel room to get it on.

“I have no idea,” Kyle responded. “Maybe?” The two had finished their sophomore years in college.

David and Sara laughed. “This is not new for those two. I agree, I will not be surprised if there is a wedding in their future. You did not see those two at that post-Christmas party we went to up in Lancaster County last winter.”

The newlyweds departed the party around nine o’clock that evening. They had a room down in Baltimore, not too far from BWI Airport. They were flying to Germany for a week-long cruise on the Rhine River for their honeymoon.

The reception wound down once the guests of honor departed. A very tired Kyle, Penny, Jessie, Sara and Danny headed south to Chester County. David headed directly back to Horseshoe.

Saturday, July 24, 2032 ñ Martin Home, Landenberg, PA

David got permission to take Saturday afternoon off and use that evening as his night off for the week. He arrived home around 1:30 PM, while preparations for the Philmont crew swim party were in full swing. David pitched in to help get ready.

Crew 628-J4 assembled for the final time around 3:00 PM at the Martin’s pool. Parents and siblings were invited to the party. Danny was delighted his friend Logan Robertson could attend, so he had someone his age to hang with. Jerry Shoemaker and his wife, Ellen, made it to the party. Their ranger Owen sent his regards to the crew via his grandfather. Owen would be at the Ranch until mid-August, when he’d come home briefly before heading up for State College for his junior year at Penn State.

The families enjoyed time in the pool and in the jacuzzi. Penny and Kyle had plenty of snack food ready for the crowd. The families got to hear all the stories from the trip (again!). They shared some of their best pictures from the trip. Kyle played and replayed the video of the crew going over Boat-Eater Rapids in the Royal Gorge.

Around 4:30, Kyle fired up the grill and prepared steaks for nearly everyone. Robbie and Ben’s nine-year-old brother preferred hot dogs. Penny had a garden salad and a pasta salad ready to go with the steaks and bags of chips. Jessie and Kaylie were sent to the house to get ice cream as the main meal wound down. The ice cream with toppings was a hit.

Robbie listened to all the stories about the Ranch. “When do I get to go, Mommy?” he asked.

“When you are in high school,” Penny replied. “It will be quite a few years, but you will get there, honey.”

“I get to go in two years,” Danny noted as he overheard.

“Hey Dad, you are coming with me and Danny in two years, aren’t you?” Logan Robertson asked Matt.

“I certainly hope to,” Matt replied. That comment drew a look from his wife Michelle. Matt noticed and asked, “What? Would you prefer to go backpacking in the mountains for two weeks?”

“No, definitely not,” Michelle replied.

“Father son bonding is special, Mom,” Jackson interjected. “Let Dad go with Logan.”

“We will see,” Michelle allowed.

“So, we have two youth and three adults lined up for the next trip,” Kyle laughed. “Penny and I are in with Danny.”

Around six o’clock, it was time for the party to wrap up. David and Sara, along with Jackson and Jessie planned to go to the movies that evening. Kyle was thanking everyone for coming when Logan Hall interrupted him.

“As wilderness pledge guia, I say this site is NOT looking like it did when we started this evening,” Logan grinned. “This is NOT how 628-J4 does things. Let’s get the lead out and get things put away and cleaned up for the Martins.” The crew pitched in and had everything policed up or hauled up the hill to the Martin’s kitchen.

“One more thing,” Sara announced. “We have not done Roses, Buds and Thorns tonight. Crew 628-J4, gather around and let’s finish the day properly.”

The twelve trekkers gathered in a circle as their families watched. All the roses were variation on the same theme, how much fun the Ranch had been and how much they enjoyed each other’s company. The buds every single person was to return the Ranch again someday. The common thorn was that this wonderful experience was truly over.

Jackson returned to the Martin house soon after dinner for his date with Jessie. The two headed to Downingtown for a movie. The horny teens made out some during the movie but saved the main event for parking in a secluded spot afterwards between Downingtown and Landenberg.

One issue arose. Jackson, who had his license for the past two months, was in his family’s spare car, a small Honda Accord. The two made out in the front seat for a bit before switching to the backseat. The oversexed couple had not had sex in two and a half weeks, not since their afternoon fun at Aspen Springs Camp in Philmont. Squeezing a 6’-1” tall guy and a 5’-7” tall girl in the back seat was challenging.

The two were quite the sight as they coupled. Jessie’s shoulders were jammed against the car door with her neck and head upright against the door. Jackson rolled down the opposite back window so his big, size-twelve feet could stick out while they did the deed. They accomplished their mission, Jackson getting Jessie off manually before mounting her and rutting until he came.

While the two teens had plenty of time before their curfew, neither was up for a round two in those cramped conditions.

“Damn, I need to throw my camping pad in the trunk next Saturday night,” Jackson commented as he pulled on his underwear. “Assuming we do movies and parking again.”

“I’m up for it again,” Jessie agreed as she pulled her sport bra on. “A camping pad and doing it outside would be much better than in the car for the next time.” She sighed. “Assuming you can’t break free some weekday when I share a big empty house with my brother Danny.”

“My job at Oxford Feed and Grain is regular hours, plus an occasional Saturday morning,” Jackson said. “I just can’t get free during the weekday.”