Always Darkest for Dawn

After answering nature's call she returned to her room with the intention of going downstairs and getting something to eat for she felt famished after not having eaten since breakfast. She was in the process of slipping a sheer robe over her filmy white nightgown when from the corner of her eye she saw a shadowy shape pass outside the French doors. For a moment she was paralyzed with fright though she quickly recovered after which she hurried to the doors and unlatched them. Stepping outside into the humid night air Dawn looked down the veranda in the direction the figure had gone. She saw nothing at first for it was very dark in that section due to the nearby trees that cast their long shadows upon the old plantation house.

"Hello. Is anyone there?" she asked while walking forward.

Just then a shadow detached from the wall of the house and without a sound it moved swiftly down the stairs that led to the grounds below and though it was facing away there was something very familiar about it.

"Johnny, is that you?" she called out as she rushed forward. "Wait for me. Oh please don't go, don't leave without me, not again."

Despite her plea there was no one in sight when she reached the staircase but she was undeterred. Hurrying as fast as she could Dawn reached the bottom where she looked around trying to ascertain in which direction the mysterious figure had gone. There was light coming from her daddy's study and she thought she could hear the sound of voices. However it was in the opposite direction that she caught a glimpse of movement beneath the old oak trees. It was gone in a flash but she was already heading in that direction across the wet grass, her slippers and the hem of her nightgown soon damp with dew as mist from the nearby Hatchie River curled and writhed at her feet.

"I'm coming Johnny," she said as she passed the first of the decrepit outbuildings that dated from before the Civil War.

After a minute Dawn reached the tree line where she paused for a moment before pressing on. Her feet soon struck a narrow path that wound through the trees which she followed as fireflies danced around her. On either side of the trail were the shells of former slave quarters, roofless and filled with rank vegetation, now home to only bats and lizards. As she passed her eyes scanned them for any sign of life but she saw none.

Just as she was about ready to give up and turn back she spotted a dark shape further down the trail but before she could get a good look it had disappeared. With a renewed sense of purpose Dawn hurried forward ignoring the humming mosquitos and low hanging branches that scratched her as she passed by. Once she arrived where she'd last seen the figure Dawn experienced a feeling of dread as she beheld another trail that branched off from the one she'd been following. It was even narrower than the trail she was on and was hemmed in on both sides by undergrowth while Spanish moss hung so low from the tree branches above that it appeared more like a tunnel than the outdoors. It wasn't that however that caused Dawn to hesitate but something deep inside her, warning her not to go on. For a minute she stood there undecided, torn about what to do when love overcame fear.

"I'm coming Johnny," she whispered as she stepped onto the trail.

Tennessee, August 1972

"I'm so excited I can barely contain myself," Dawn said as she bounced around in her seat while playing with a french fry before dipping it into the cup of ketchup then slipping it in her mouth.

"I can see," her friend Thelma replied. "You can barely sit still."

"Can you blame me? I haven't seen Johnny in months and talking on the phone or getting a letter isn't the same."

"Well I know I can't wait to meet him. He must be really something special for you to act like this Dawn. I don't ever remember you being half as worked up over any other guy before."

"That's because no one else I've ever known can hold a candle to him Thelma. Don't get me wrong. Back when I was in high school I thought I loved Jeb and I was sorry when we broke up, especially after I'd let him have his way with me after the prom. But since meeting Johnny I realized I had no clue what love was before. You were lucky, you realized that you and George were right for each other from the get go and he knew it too. I guess I was lucky too in a way, because if Jeb had asked to marry me I would have probably said yes and we'd be engaged now. And I'd have never known what true love is. Oh my gosh; forgive me Thelma. Here I am going on and on about Johnny and I'm ignoring you. I know you're always so busy these days that even when I'm home we don't get enough chances to just sit and talk like before. How is George doing and what about darling little Timmy?"

Thelma just looked at her friend and smiled for she had to admit whether it was this Johnny fellow or just going away to college something had happened to mature Dawn from the flighty, somewhat spoiled girl she had known. Maybe it was just getting away from her overprotective father for the past two years while attending Auburn.

"They're good. Timmy is teething now like I told you the other day and that's no picnic but it is part of life."

"Sometimes I can't believe my best friend is a wife and mother. It seems like only yesterday we were playing with dolls. Where does the time go..."

Without warning Dawn stopped speaking in the middle of the sentence as she nearly leaped to her feet in her eagerness to stand. As Thelma watched with a bemused expression Dawn rushed forward and embraced a young man carrying a bunch of roses who had just entered the diner. He handed them to her and after showering his face with kisses she took him by the hand and led him back to the booth where Thelma sat waiting.

"This is my oldest friend in the world Thelma," Dawn began when Thelma interrupted her.

"And you must be the famous Johnny I've been hearing so much about. It's a real pleasure to make your acquaintance. By the way what Dawn meant was that we've been friends since kindergarten not that I'm old because she's actually two months older than I am. "

"All true I'm afraid, Johnny. Sit down. Do you want anything to eat? I wasn't expecting you this early or I would have waited."

"Hi Thelma. Nice to meet you. Any friend of Dawn's must be good people. I made better time than I thought I would. Maybe I drove faster than I should have but it's been so long since I saw you babe that I couldn't help it. I only stopped twice the whole way. The first time I caught a couple of hours of sleep at a rest stop in Ohio and a couple of hours ago I had to stop to get something to eat so I'm good."

"Aww, you missed me," Dawn replied as she kissed his cheek.

"You have no idea how much."

"Oh I think I do, probably half as much as I missed you," she teased. "If I'd known you were going to be here before tonight I would have arranged for you to have dinner at my house and gotten it over with. Let me warn you Johnny; my Daddy is very unhappy about us."

"Just stand your ground Dawn and he'll be forced to accept it the same way you did about going to Auburn," Thelma interjected.

"I know I have to. If I let him have his way I'll be an old maid living at home the rest of my life. But I'm hoping once he meets Johnny and sees how much we're in love he'll change his mind. I know it's been tough on him since Mama died and all. Me being the spitting image of her hasn't helped either I think. It's like he feels if he keeps me close he still has a piece of her."

"Well you have to make him understand you're your own person and you have to live your own life."

John had sat and listened while waiting until there was a lull before speaking.

"Well, all I can do is be myself and not give him any reason to doubt my sincerity about you Dawn. In the long run it's up to him to accept that you're an adult now and sooner or later he needs to let go. How he deals with that will determine how you two get along moving forward. Even if I wasn't in the picture he has to realize you're not a child anymore."

"Johnny's one hundred percent right," Thelma said with a smile, "I like him. He's not only as good looking as you said but he has a level head on his shoulders which is more important in the long run. Well I'll leave you guys alone. I really should be getting back home to the baby and start fixing supper. It was nice meeting you Johnny and I hope to see you again. How long are you staying here for?"

"I booked for two nights at the motel and if things go good I could extend it I guess but I'll be leaving Wednesday at the latest. I need to get down to Auburn and see about finding work for the upcoming semester. Gotta earn that money."

"All right, have fun guys," she said before kissing Dawn on the cheek and leaving.

Once Thelma left Dawn snuggled up against John and rested her head on his shoulder. His big hand squeezed her thigh before he brought it to his mouth to stifle a yawn.

"You haven't seen me in months and I'm already boring you," Dawn kidded.

"I'm sorry babe," he replied sheepishly "but I've been driving like nine hours almost nonstop and I'm a little tired."

"No, it's alright. What you're going to do tonight is get a good night's sleep and meet me first thing in the morning so you can go to church with me. Then I'll show you around town and later we can have Sunday dinner with my Daddy."

"But we haven't seen each other in so long..."

"And one more night won't kill us. No, my mind is made up. This way I can work on Daddy tonight and you can be at your best when you meet him. Besides I plan on wearing you out tomorrow night so first you need to rest yourself up. Come on, you can drive me home," she said as she stood.

Ten minutes later found them making out while parked along the long, tree lined drive that led to her house. More than once he shifted in his bucket seat as he became more and more worked up until he didn't think he could take it anymore causing him to pull away.

"What's the matter?" she asked huskily.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea. It's been so long since we've been together that I'm going to explode in my pants just kissing you. Why don't you let me drive us back to the motel?"

She giggled at the thought of him coming in his pants without being touched before she got a serious look on her face.

"I'm sorry Johnny but if I was to go back with you to the motel right now then the whole town including my Daddy would know before I left. I promise tomorrow we can and I'll tell you what," she said as she looked around in all directions before looking back at him, "at the least I can help out and tide you over."

Her hand rubbed his trapped swollen member briefly before she undid the button of his jeans and pulled down the zipper. He groaned with pleasure as he raised his hips off the seat allowing her to tug his underwear down enough to free his raging erection. She wasted no time but leaned down and took him into her hot, wet mouth. She continued moving her head down until his swollen head reached her throat entrance at which time she wrapped her hand around the part that didn't fit inside her mouth.

"Oh damn that feels so good Dawn," he grunted as she began to bob her head up and down taking as much as she could handle each time.

John pulled her hair to the side so he could watch as she pleasured him, her cheek hollowed as she sucked on his cock and a look of utter determination in her blue eyes. Dawn then began using her agile tongue to lick him while continuing to slide her lips up and down driving him ever closer to orgasm. When her free hand started to caress his cum laden balls at the same time it all proved too much for his body to handle.

"Oh my God! I'm gonna cum," he gasped as he threw his head back while his hand gripped her blond hair tightly.

Though Dawn kept her mouth on him and attempted to swallow his cum the torrent that erupted from his discharging cock proved too much for her to handle. Some of the thick white fluid ran down the shaft while some escaped her lips and dripped onto his lap, not that he cared. All John knew was that he was back with her and she'd given him an incredible orgasm. When nothing more came from his cock she pulled her mouth off him with a popping sound and smiled up at him.

"Wow, it looks like you were building up three months for that. Did you like that sugar?" she asked before scooping a liquid pearl off his shaft and sucking it from her fingertip.

"No, I loved it baby. Thanks and when can I return the favor," he said before opening his mouth and wriggling his tongue at her.

"It will have to wait until tomorrow though I doubt I'll be able to sleep now thinking about it. Now drive me to the front of the house before I forget myself."

The engine roared to life when he keyed the ignition and a minute later he stopped in front of the antebellum mansion. She kissed him one more time before climbing out at which time she leaned into the window. "Be here to pick me up at 9:30 sharp so we can make church by 10:00. I love you Johnny, see you tomorrow."

"Love you too," he replied and he waited to drive away until she had climbed the steps and entered the front door.

The next morning went well for the young couple. After the service Reverend Mills approached them and introduced himself to John.

"So when you two finish school do you think I'll be seeing you here for a special day?" he asked while looking back and forth between them.

"Oh Reverend please, it's too soon to be talking like that," Dawn said as she felt her face redden.

"Oh I don't know," John replied with a thoughtful expression on his face, "I'm not going to contradict Dawn but you might be on to something Reverend. I know these past three months without her have been the longest in my life. So you never know if in a couple of years I'll be back."

For the next twenty minutes they mingled in the front of the little white church and no matter how many times John was asked variations of the same questions about his Yankee roots or their future plans he smiled and was pleasant as he answered. Finally they managed to escape and climb inside John's Mustang where Dawn breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my gosh. I thought that never was going to end. I'm sorry you had to go through that Johnny. I doubt you've ever been grilled like that before but you know how people in a small town are, wanting to know everyone's business. And I hope you don't think I said anything to Reverend Mills to make him ask that."

"It was all cool Dawn, I didn't mind. Probably isn't every day that a stranger comes to church especially with you on his arm."

"Johnny, can I ask why you answered the Reverend the way you did?"

"I just told the truth. I know we've never spoken about it before but we love each other so if things continue the way they're going, well let's just say I see us having a long future together."

"Oh wow! You sure know how to make a girl speechless," she said and after that she didn't speak for a minute though that could only last so long for someone with such a bubbly, outgoing nature. "I just wanted to say one more thing; do you remember that older silver haired lady, Miss King, who I introduced you to?"

"Sure, I remember."

"Well she taught me in Sunday school when I was little and she whispered in my ear that even though you're a Yankee that we were the cutest couple she's ever seen. It's almost like things are going too well with everyone liking you but that won't last much longer. I didn't mention it earlier before church but my Daddy is being impossible. If he had his way you wouldn't be coming to dinner but I told him if you weren't coming then I wouldn't either so he backed down. But we still have a few hours before that and I want to enjoy them so if you like you can drive me around town and I'll show you where I spent my youth."

To say her words were prophetic would be an understatement. That Sunday dinner was the worst two hours for Dawn since she'd lost her mother. Her father barely acknowledged Johnny when she attempted to introduce them and things only went downhill from there. Though he spoke to her on occasion he was very curt and he drank more than he ate. For the most part Johnny was silent since the few times he'd spoken her father had ignored him. Dawn was distraught with the situation for it seemed that the two men she loved most in the world wouldn't be able to co-exist in the same room and she didn't know what to do. Finally the meal was over and as the young couple prepared to leave Dawn's father appeared at the door of his study.

"Dawn, I need to speak with you. It's very important so could you say goodbye to your friend for now and come see me," he said before going back in.

"After the way he treated you he has the nerve to ask anything from me," Dawn fumed, "I have half a mind to..."

"Sshh," John said trying to calm her, "I understand what you're saying but it won't help. This must be tough for him so we have to try to stay positive. I'll head back to the motel and wait for your call and remember I'm only a few minutes away. Now give me a kiss."

"You always know what to say Johnny. Okay I'll do it your way but remember I'm going to visit you tonight no matter what and then we'll make up for lost time."

The lovers kissed then Dawn walked him to the front door and said goodbye before watching him drive away. A few minutes later found him heading to his motel room when he noticed the door to the adjoining room was open and there was a woman standing at the threshold. She was a tall, sultry brunette wearing a pair of denim short shorts and a halter top with a plunging neckline revealing two of her ample charms. When she saw him approaching she smiled his way and flicked her long, curly, dark hair.

"Pardon me sir, I hate to bother you but it appears that we're neighbors. Might I ask a favor of you?"

"Uhh, sure, all right."

"I know this is going to sound silly to you, being a strong young man and all, but I have a bit of a problem I hope you can help me with. I was planning to take a shower when I noticed this enormous spider in the bathtub. That probably sounds funny to you but I'm terrified of those creepy crawlies. I was wondering if I should go to the front desk to ask for help when I saw you coming. Do you think you could kill it for me? I'd be ever so grateful."

"I guess I could."

"Oh, you're like my knight in shining armor," she replied with a smile, "come right in."

She moved to the side to allow him to enter. But as he passed John could have sworn she thrust her large breasts his way causing his arm to brush against them in passing. The woman followed him in shutting the door behind her. Once inside John had picked up a movie magazine off the bed and rolled it up as he headed toward the bathroom door.

"It's in there so I closed the door so it can't get out," he heard her say right before he opened it.

He stepped inside and pulled the shower curtain to the side prepared for anything but all he saw was an empty tub with a slightly dripping faucet. He scanned the ceiling and again saw nothing. After a thorough search of the small bathroom he concluded it must have fled or be hiding where he couldn't find it.

"It's okay Miss, it seems to have left on its own," John said as he exited the bathroom when he stopped dead in his tracks and his jaw dropped.

Standing two feet away wearing nothing but a smile was the woman and as he froze she moved forward, closing the gap between the two.

"Oh my hero," she purred as her arms reached out toward him, "and I know just how to thank you."

"That's not necessary," he exclaimed while backpedaling until he collided with the wall.

"What's the matter sweetie? I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to run away."