Then and Now

This very short story is my entry in the Literotica 2008 Earth Day Contest. I hope you enjoy it.

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"Remember that?"

"Yeah."

"Who knew how big it would become."

"You did, as I recall."

"Told ya so."

He smiled. They watched the Earth Day coverage on holovision.

"God that was a long time ago."

"Wasn't it? Just think. We wouldn't even be around if it weren't for the aging decelerators. And with the rejuvenators you don't look a day over 40. Well, maybe 45."

She giggled at her joke and snuggled closer. He held her tighter. She pointed at the image.

"Look! The mall!"

*****

"Come on, lets go."

"I don't want to. I'm enjoying it here with you."

"You promised."

"Ugh. Tell me why again?"

"Because it's the beginning of a brand new day. Great things are gonna come from this."

"How do you know?"

"Quit trying to wiggle out of it."

She slapped his ass and pushed him off of her.

*

"The Metro is so cool."

"Yeah. For sure."

"Here we are. Smithsonian station."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

Her eyes sparkled as she took in the view as they emerged from the subway exit. She hooked her arm in his and dragged him forward.

"It's so crowded!"

"Sure is. Let's go home."

"Shut up."

"Worth a try."

"I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

He bought them each a soft pretzel and a coke from one of the many vendors and they wandered as they ate.

"Look at this. It's amazing!"

"You're amazing."

She caught his eyes and smiled, squeezed his hand, gave him a quick kiss.

They stepped onto the National Mall. At one end they saw the Capitol building. Toward the other end was the Washington Monument with the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial lined up behind it.

The mall was littered with people. Families picnicking. Parents chasing gleeful, squealing children. Dogs romping with each other. People throwing Frisbees. Near one end a rock band was playing. He thought he recognized the nasal voice that was almost, but not quite, singing.

The mall was lined with open-sided tents with peaked, white canvas roofs. In each one were concerned citizens earnestly promoting awareness and appreciation of the environment. She dragged him into the shade of a nearby tent where the lone occupant smiled at them.

"Welcome to the first ever Earth Day."

"Thanks! What have you got here?"

"I'm really concerned about oil issues. Did you know that twenty-two percent of the United States energy consumption comes from foreign oil? We need to reduce our dependency on petroleum. I mean, if there's an oil crisis, we could really be screwed! So I want to see the U.S., the world, get away from its reliance on petroleum. A good start would be to have cars run on alternative fuels such as biodiesel. You see..."

His attention wandered and the man's voice faded into indistinct murmurs. He was still looking at the beautiful women walking about in tight, cutoff jeans, halter tops or colorful tee shirts, definitely braless, when he felt himself being tugged away from the tent.

"Wasn't that fascinating? He said that in thirty or forty years we'll be completely oil free. Cars will run on biodeisel fuels or maybe even be totally electric! Won't that be great for the planet?"

"I suppose."

"You know it would! Let's go over here."

"Hi folks, welcome to my little effort."

"What's that?"

"Rainforest preservation. You see, rainforests are home to two-thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. And we're losing it to deforestation."

"Really?"

"Yes. For example, in the Amazon, colonists established farms in the forest during the 1960s. They used a slash and burn method to cultivate crops but couldn't manage their fields and crops because of soil fertility loss and weed invasion. You see, the Amazon soil is productive for just a short period of time so the farmers are constantly moving and clearing more and more land. So, farming has led to extensive deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage. And it's continuing at an alarming pace. If we don't do something..."

He watched Uncle Sam walk on stilts, tossing floppy things with peace symbols or eco-symbols on them to swarms of laughing children. Fifty yards away people were cheering a charismatic speaker. A young black man who sounded more like a pastor and spoke in a rhythmic cadence.

He breathed deeply, taking in a mixture of sweat, cooked meat, car exhaust, cigarette smoke, city fumes, and under all that a distinct and familiar odor. He looked to his left and smiled. Two young women sharing a joint. The mounted police clopped by and didn't give them a second look.

Food, music and tents. Endangered species, strip mining, pollution, recycling, solar panels, windmills in the ocean and on mountaintops, harvesting energy from the ocean's waves and hydrothermal vents. She was enthusiastic about it all. He was happy to be with her.

*

"How come it's so empty?"

"The band finished pretty late."

"True."

She snuggled closer to him on the bench as the subway hurtled through the darkness.

"Thank you for spending the day here with me."

"You're welcome."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I owe you."

"You do?"

"Mmm hmm."

Her eyes sparked as she unzipped his jeans, gently pulled him out and took him in her mouth.

He caressed her hair as she pleasured him. He looked at the back of the other occupant at the far end of the car and smiled.

*****

"That was fun."

"It was."

"Especially the ride back to the car. I loved that MGB."

She smiled.

"Yes it was. And I did too."

"You were right."

"About what?"

"Earth Day."

"Somewhat. It did lead to starting the Environmental Protection Agency. And the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. Those things helped a lot. For the most part."

"Don't forget the Clean Space and Clean Moon acts."

"Oh yeah."

"But I know what you mean. Things didn't go far enough."

"No way we should still be in the Middle East."

"No way we should be seventy percent dependent on foreign oil."

"Too bad nobody wants windmills in their back yard."

"Too bad about the rainforests."

"Look. The president's speaking this year."

"Who would've thought that Hanna Montana would be president one day."

She smiled.

"Well, I know one source of heat that hasn't changed."

"What's that?"

She slid off the loveseat. On her knees between his legs she pulled his smart-shorts down and off. Before she took him in her mouth she looked up at him, laugh lines crinkled at the edges of her sparkling eyes.

"Us."

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Thank you for reading my story. Please take a moment to vote since this story is in the 2008 Earth Day Contest.