Camping in the Ozarks

After all, it was I a year later in St. Louis that walked out onto a second story balcony naked in front of half the police force. Greg didn't have anything to do with that except shake his head at the catcalls from the cops. I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. After I walked out on the balcony nude, it turned out to be about me.

The rest of that trip was just as much fun as the first part. We camped the next night as well and played a little more in the river before we packed up and headed back to school. We really got to know each other much better on that trip. I learned that Greg really knew his field craft and about hiking and camping. Greg learned that I really knew how to listen and wanted to learn what he could teach me. And that I knew about first aid.

We stumbled upon another group that had a young girl that fell and broke her ankle. They did not have a clue as to what to do and were on the verge of panic. Greg went for help and I treated her ankle and more importantly, her fears. She was very scared and just knew a bear or a mountain lion was going to come and eat her when the rest of them ran and left her. When I realized that she was really serious about it, I opened my backpack and took out a can of my female hygiene spray. I told her to hide it in her pocket and not let the others see it. She looked at me with a funny look and I told her a secret.

"Both bears and mountain lions hate the smell of female hygiene sprays. If a bear or mountain lion comes and all your friends run away, just spay that at the bear or mountain lion and they will run away from you faster than your friends did," I told her.

"Really?" She asked with her eyes wide open.

"Yes. But it is something we can't tell the boys. This is just between us girls," I told her. "If we tell them, they might not get the chance to play hero and rescue us. We have to pretend to let them rescue us from danger. Other wise, there would be no fairy tales!"

"Is that how you met your husband?" She asked.

"He's my boyfriend," I told her. "Yes. He rescued me while I was having trouble in a swimming pool," I told her. I could see by talking to her that most of her fear about being left alone out here went away. Greg and the rangers came back a half hour later. One of the rangers was female. She took over the care of the little girl.

When she asked her if she was afraid, the little girl told her no. She showed her the can of "bear spray" I gave her to keep bears and lions away. Both Gina (the ranger whose wedding to Jim we were attend in St. Louis later on) and Greg gave me a funny look at that. I just smiled and put my finger up to my lips and pointed at Greg. Then the little girl asked him if he really saved me in the swimming pool.

"I sure did," Greg said with a huge smile. I had to explain it all to them later after the girl was taken to the hospital. That was one of my adventures that solidified my desire to be a teacher. To help the kids with special needs. That was a need I had that Greg could never understand. Maybe that is a female thing. One that men just can't understand.

Greg and I were together for two beautiful years. I lost him all summer long because he went off to work in the oil fields. He would not even let me come and visit him there. He said the guys were just too wild and would rape any girl that came around. I never forced it. I was taking some advanced classes during the summer anyway.

Greg graduated and received his BS in Geology. Two nights before his graduation, we had a long talk. Greg was depressed about something and it had taken me a few weeks to get him to open up about it. It was about life after college. Our lives. What was going to happen to us after he graduated and left Missouri. He already had a job in Alaska with the oil company. I had already told him that I would not come up to Alaska because there were no jobs for special education teachers there.

After we talked for a couple hours in his apartment room that night, we came to a hard decision. Greg would go to Alaska and I would stay here and finish out my teaching degree. If Greg could find me a job, I would consider coming up to be with him. We both knew this was not going to happen. Greg was going to be up on the outer rim of the polar ice cap.

I had never made out with Greg in his apartment before. It was off limits for sexual encounters. I had never spent the night with him in his apartment, either. Greg's roommate Sam was a divinity student and Greg and Sam had grown up together. They were closer than most brothers were. (No, neither were gay.) Sam was in the other room while we talked. Just after we decided to break up, Sam came into the room, walked over to me and kissed me on the top of my head. Sam had done this before and I had hugged him many times as well.

"Guys, I'm going over to ask Sandy to marry me tonight. When she says yes, I'm going to spend the night with her. Don't act shocked. We have been making out with each other for almost as long as you two have. Since I know how lonely Greg gets, Dusti, stay the night with him. Have fun," Sam said, turned around and started to walk out. I jumped up ran and caught him and gave him a big hug.

I knew Sandy was going to say yes. Sandy and I had been talking to each other forever it seemed. We double dated a lot. I also knew Sandy and Sam had been making out. Sandy told me Sam was afraid Greg would be upset if he knew. I never told him. I was really happy for them. There's was one of two weddings Greg and I went to as a couple.

Soon after that, Greg and I went to bed. Our love making that night was the deepest, most satisfying time I had ever had in my life. It was not a wild sex session. It was a very deeply satisfying personal one. We were really saying good-bye to each other that night. We both knew it.

Greg and I have seen each other a few times since that night. The two weddings and Greg came to my fathers funeral. Greg helped to free me as a woman. He helped me realize what is important in life. And that I should take the time to smell the flowers along the path of life. I will never forget Greg. I will never stop loving him, either.