Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

As we were following his parents to the cabin, Devin and I chatted. 

“I can’t believe we’ll be in our third year of college when we return to Fort Collins in another month,” I stated. 

“I know, the time does seem to be going by quickly.” 

“Yes, it does, but not too quickly, I hope.  Our classes this year will be more difficult than the first two years and I don’t want to be too rushed when completing my assignments.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I’m sure it will be fine and we’ll both do well again.”

We continued chatting about a variety of different things until Ma and Pa pulled into a grocery store parking lot, prior to reaching the cabin.  We assumed they were going to pick up a few supplies, but we didn’t want to go inside with them or sit around and wait until they finished, so Devin lowered his window and explained what we were going to do.

“I’m just letting you know that we’re going on ahead to the cabin.”

“Ok, that’s fine,” Pa replied, “and we’ll be there shortly.”

When we arrived at the cabin, we took our things inside and carried them up to Devin’s room.  When Ma and Pa arrived a short time later, we helped them carry in the groceries.  It felt good to be back at the cabin again

“Thank you for letting me join you early this year and then allowing us to leave earlier than usual too.  I wish I could stay longer, but Devin and I need to return so we can catch the flight to Missouri with my parents.”   

“It’s not a problem. I know it makes you and Devin very happy to be together both here and when you go on vacation with your family, and we didn’t want to mess that up for you,” Ma answered. 

“Yeah, that would have been awful, because doing that means a lot to me too,” Devin confirmed. 

As soon as everything had been put away, Devin and I told his parents that we were going for a walk. 

“Ok, just be careful,” Ma stated. 

“Don’t worry,” I replied.  “I’ve got a superhero with me who can take care of anything that happens.”

Ma looked at Devin and grinned broadly, while Devin elbowed me in the ribs.  We then went up to Devin’s room to put on our hiking boots, and once we were alone, he spoke.

“You know I don’t like that superhero shit, especially when you’re saying it in front of my parents.  Besides, you can do the same things that I can do now.”

“Ma understood what I meant and thought it was funny, because I saw her grin.”  Devin merely groaned in response.  “And you react to unexpected events faster than I do, since you’ve done this longer.”

“Then I can’t wait until you get more experience so you’ll stop calling me a superhero, because you’ll be able to do the same things I do.”

As soon as we’d put our hiking boots on, we headed out on the trails, and as we walked along I made a comment.

“It feels terrific to be out here and doing this again.”

“I’m glad you enjoy being out here with us, because it means a lot to me, since this is basically where I grew up.  And I think Gramps or Pops may show up this weekend, possibly even both of them.  They figure that maybe we can all go out for a run together while they’re here.”

“That would be terrific!”

By the time we returned to the cabin, Ma had made lunch for us, which surprised me. 

“I thought we always skipped lunch while we were here,” I said. 

“We usually do, but I didn’t think the breakfast we ate earlier would be enough to sustain us until suppertime.  It wasn’t as much as I usually fix when we’re out here, so I figured we’d need this to tide us over,” she replied, so we all sat down to eat. 

“What did you think about staying at the house in Fort Collins this past year?” Pa asked as we were chowing down.  “Did it work out ok for you and did you find someplace you could go out for a run?”

“Yeah, it worked out great and it made things a lot better.  The most important thing was that it gave us a quiet place to study and enough room so we could do it without bothering each other.  We worked out a schedule where I took Devin to the dog park every morning so he could run around for a while with the other dogs, and then we’d go to the hunting camp on the weekend so we could both run around for a while.  The only downside with being at the house was the nosy neighbor lady next door.”

“My dad told me about her.”

“So, living at the house didn’t hinder you in any way?” Ma followed. 

“No, we didn’t mind walking to the dining hall for meals, although we tried to do that and everything else, like working on group projects or attending study groups, before we went back to the house.  If any of those things were scheduled for later, we’d just walk back to campus again, or sometimes Devin would drive us there, but it wasn’t a big deal.” 

“Well, if your grades are any indication of how it worked out and how you’ll do in the future, then I’m glad you’ll be staying there for the next two years as well.”

“Yeah, we feel the same way.”

I spent the rest of the day getting reacquainted with being at the cabin again, and then after supper Pa took Devin and me fishing.  When we called it quits, we cleaned the fish that we’d caught and gave them to Ma for the next day.  She wrapped them up before putting them in the refrigerator, and she’d decide later if she was going to add them to what she was fixing for breakfast or supper. 

We played a couple of board games after that, and then Devin and I turned in shortly after the last game ended, because we’d agreed to get up early so we could go fishing with Pa again.  As soon as we got to the bedroom, we took time to make love before we showered, and then we got back into bed, cuddled, and fell sleep. 

Friday and Saturday proceeded as they normally would whenever I stayed with Devin’s family at the cabin.  We’d go fishing once or twice each day and Devin and I would take private walks in the woods, but sometimes we’d invite his parents to go with us.  At night, we’d all sit around the dining room table and play games before turning in, which almost made it seem as if we were living in the world as it existed 75 or 100 years ago.  It was a lot simpler and slower-paced than the world we live in when we’re not at the cabin, but it was just as enjoyable, only in a different way. 

As we were washing up for supper on Sunday evening, an SUV pulled up to the cabin.  When we realized it was Gramps, Devin and I raced out to greet him, and we quickly discovered he wasn’t alone – he had his wife with him.  After we greeted both of them, Faith and Gramps retrieved something from the backseat. 

“We brought a couple of apple pies for dessert,” she explained. 

Devin dashed ahead of everyone so he could open the cabin door for them, and then I followed behind as we entered the cabin.  Ma and Pa greeted Gramps and Faith warmly as they entered. 

“Supper is just about ready,” Ma informed them, “but you still have time to freshen up first, if you want.”

“Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea,” Faith said, and then she headed to the bathroom. 

“Is Pops coming too?” Devin asked. 

“No, not tonight,” Gramps answered.  “He and Hope had something they needed to do, but they’ll be here on Saturday for the big family cookout.”

Gramps then left to freshen up as well, and when he and Faith returned, we all sat down at the table to eat. 

“Wow, there’s a lot more food here than normal,” I observed. 

“Yes, that’s because I knew Jacob and Faith were going to join us,” Ma responded.  “I also realize what big appetites you boys have whenever you’re here at the cabin and out in the fresh air all day, so I wanted to make certain that no one left the table hungry.”

That answered another question for me, in that they knew Gramps and Faith were going to be here with us.  

We had a wonderful meal together and I got to know Faith a little better as well.  As we talked, she explained why she wasn’t upset that Gramps spent so much time away from home, usually with his father.

“I had a fairly good idea about how the two of them liked to do things together even before we got married, so it was a good thing I got along so well with Hope.  We have become best friends and enjoy hanging out with each other when our husbands are off doing whatever it is they like to do.”

“So, you don’t mind them being away so much?” I asked.

“Not really, because it helps us enjoy spending time together when they return.  It also allows Hope and me to do the things we like to do while they’re away.  I think it’s worked out quite well and helped our marriage to survive for so long, and I believe Hope feels the same way I do.”

“I see,” I replied, although I wasn’t sure that I actually understood what she was saying, and I still wondered if she and Hope were bisexual.  I doubt that I would feel the same way if Devin was spending so much time with his dad after we were married and they left me behind, but at least it appears to work for them. 

After we chatted for a while, Gramps made an announcement.  “I hope you ladies don’t mind, but the rest of us want to go for a run.”

“No, that will be fine and it will give me a chance to speak privately with Faith.”

“Great!” he replied, and then he looked at us.  “Then let’s get going.”

I don’t know why we didn’t just transition at the cabin, but we walked out to the shed in the woods to do it instead.  After we’d undressed, Pa made a suggestion. 

“I think it would be best if we transitioned into dogs to do this.” 

We all agreed, and before long Gramps had transitioned into a Rottweiler, Pa into a German shepherd, Devin into a black Lab, and I transitioned into a Siberian husky.  It was definitely an odd collection, but we didn’t expect anyone to see us, so we took off on our run.

Devin and I followed Gramps and Pa as they zig-zagged through the forest and didn’t follow any trails.  We did this for about an hour before we followed them back to the shed and transitioned back into our own bodies, got dressed, and then walked back to the cabin.

“Did you miss us?” Pa asked as we entered.

“Not really,” Ma answered.  “Faith and I were getting along really well and she even suggested that I should join her and Hope whenever Isaac and Jacob are away.”

“I guess that means I’ll either be alone or that I should join my dad and granddad in whatever they’re doing.”

“You can if you want, because I probably won’t miss you,” Ma shot back, causing a shocked expression to appear on Pa’s face.  

“Really?  You wouldn’t miss me?” Pa protested. 

“Maybe a little, but from what Faith told me, I think she and Hope will keep me busy enough that I wouldn’t have time to miss you.” 

“Then I guess that will work out nicely,” Gramps concurred, while Pa looked bewildered by this news. 

Seeing Pa located puzzled, maybe even a little upset by Ma’s response, I thought this would be the prefect time to make a suggestion to Faith.  “Why don’t you and Gramps use Devin’s bedroom tonight and we’ll just sleep down here?”

“That won’t be necessary, honey, because we’re not staying.”   

“Oh, I thought you might want to play some games with us and then spend the night, rather than driving home.” 

“We appreciate the offer, but we’ll be going home shortly after we eat dessert.  I just thought it would be nice to spend a little time with all of you and enjoy a family meal together.  We’ll be here again on Saturday for the cookout as well, so I’ll see you then.”

“Ok, that sounds good.”

“And it isn’t often that we get together for supper like this, especially when you’re here as well.”

“And I’m glad that I’m included this time.”

Shortly after we said goodbye to them and they’d driven away, Devin and I said goodnight to Ma and Pa and headed up to his bedroom.

Devin and I took time to make love, even though his dad was going to wake us up early to go fishing.  After we each had a turn making love to the other one, we took a shower, got back in bed, and fell asleep. 

It ended up being a short night, because Pa woke us up even earlier than usual to go fishing.  Gramps also showed up before we went out in the row boat, since he wanted to join us today, and I quickly learned it wasn’t just because he wanted to fish. 

“Mac, you’ve been around my wife quite a few times now, so I’d like to know what you think of her.  And please be honest with me.”

I was caught completely by surprise by his question, but I decided to answer it just the same.  “I think she’s not only really nice, but she’s also a remarkable woman.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“She has to be remarkable to put up with you being gone so much.  I know my mom wouldn’t let my dad get away with anything like that, and I doubt that I’d let Devin get away with doing it either.”

“Yes, you’re probably right, but you have to understand something.  I explained the situation to her before I proposed, and I also told her that if there was a problem with it then she’d be better off marrying someone else.” 

“Did she know Pops’ wife when you told her this?”

“Yes, we’d spent a few evenings with my dad and Hope at their house, so they knew each other quite well by then.”

“That’s probably why she didn’t leave you, because she knew she wouldn’t be totally alone when you and Pops went off together.  I’ve got a feeling they’re BFFs.”

“Yes, you’re probably right, and Dad and I are very lucky that they get along so well, because we’re kind of limited to who we can hang out with and still be able to do the things we enjoy.  We agreed not to drag Aaron into it, since it was obvious that Doris wasn’t going to let him go places without her, but that might be changing.  We’re also hoping his next wife will be accepting of how we do things.”

“Since you’re one of us now and you and Devin are committed to one another, then you boys won’t ever have to face that problem.”

“I’m glad that I’m a skinwalker, because the thought of me dying and Devin finding someone else would be difficult for me to accept, even though I wouldn’t be there when it happened.  However, since I should live as long as Devin, we won’t have to worry about that, provided neither of us gets killed before then.”

After saying this, suddenly the thought of that happening began to bother me as well.  If I got killed would Devin find someone else, and if he did, would he marry a man or a woman the next time, since he’s bisexual?

Needless to say, this consumed my thoughts off and on for the rest of the day. I knew the chance of something like that happening was remote, but it still bothered me.  And the flip side of that is also true – what would I do if Devin is killed.  Would I try to find someone else to take his place or would I choose to remain single and mourn for him until I died?  

Devin sensed that something was troubling me and wanted to talk about it, but I wasn’t ready to do that yet.  It wasn’t because I was having second thoughts about Devin or that I was changing my mind about marrying him.  I was just trying to put myself in his shoes and thinking about what I’d do if something happened to him.  It’s a good thing that neither of us will have to contend with this situation multiple times, like Pa, Gramps, and Pops will have to do, and I suppose that I’d find it difficult to do now, if I didn’t have Devin. 

Pondering about this on Tuesday as well, I finally came to a conclusion.  If something happened to me, I’d still want Devin to be happy, so I’m now ok with him finding someone else.  I was also certain that Devin would feel the same way if something were to happen to him, so after mourning his loss for a respectful period of time, I’d probably start looking for someone else as well.  That’s because I’d prefer not to live the rest of my life alone, and since I’d resolved this issue in my mind, I started acting as I normally would whenever I was out here at the cabin. 

Later, while we were all relaxing, I decided to ask a question.  “Why haven’t you guys had a family cookout more often?”

“I’m not sure,” Pa answered.  “We had cookouts like this when I was younger, but for some reason we stopped doing it when we moved out here to teach Devin about his new ability.  Maybe my dad and granddad felt I had enough to do at the time, rather than worrying about building the fire pit and having the rest of the family show up.”

“So, what made you decide to do it now?”

“My dad thought it would be a great idea since we’d both enjoyed the cookouts when we were younger, and he also enjoyed them while I was growing up.  He might have also thought that now that Devin was fully grown it would be a good time to start the tradition again.  After we talked it over, we felt it would be a nice idea to resume the family cookouts again.”

“And since the men are doing some of the cooking,” Ma interjected, “it takes some of the work away from me and the other women.”  .

“Not only that,” Devin added, “but I think my dad and grandfathers wanted me to remember what the cookout was like so I’d want to do the same thing when my son was growing up.”

Since there would be a lot to do after we woke up, along with the fact that we were going fishing with Pa in the morning, Devin and I decided to go to bed early.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough energy left to make love, so we merely cuddled with each other as we fell asleep. 

I was feeling pretty sluggish when Pa woke us up to go fishing, so I had to drag myself out of bed.  Luckily, I’d managed to get enough sleep so I didn’t doze off and fall out of the rowboat, and the fresh air helped to keep me alert as we fished.

Between the three of us, we caught quite a few fish, and after we rowed back to shore we cleaned and scaled them.  When we finished that task, Devin and I took the fish into the cabin and gave them to Ma, and we’d let her decide if she wanted to fry them up for our breakfast or supper.  While she was doing that, the three of us took a shower, and then we all gathered in the dining area for breakfast. 

They were pretty laid back for the rest of the day, but they went out for a walk with Ma and Pa in the afternoon and then they all played board games and UNO after they finished eating supper.  When those games ended, they went to bed early so they could catch up on their sleep. 

In addition to fishing on Thursday and Friday, Devin and I had to help Pa collect as much dead wood as possible so we could build a good fire in the fire pit.  Not only were we carrying the wood back with us, but we were doing a whole lot of walking back and forth in the process.  Needless to say, we were both very tired both nights and went to bed early, and we barely had enough strength to go through our nightly ritual, let along think about making love.  That could wait until we weren’t so tired.

We were feeling a little better when we woke up on Saturday morning and got ready to go out fishing with Pa.  We did pretty well when it came to catching fish, so after we rowed back to shore and pulled the boat up on land, we sat down to scale and deboned the fish.  When we were done, Pa took care of emptying the bucket, so Devin and I went up to shower.  When we finished, we came down to see if we could help Ma while we were waiting for Pa to clean up, and when he joined us we were ready to sit down to eat. 

There didn’t seem to be as much food on the table as usual, so Devin asked a question. 

“Is this all there is?”

“Yes,” Ma answered, “since we’re having the cookout today around noon.  It will be like having lunch, so we don’t need such a large breakfast to hold us over until supper.  And then later we’ll have leftovers for supper.”

“Oh, ok.”

After we finished eating breakfast, Pa asked Devin and me to help him use the wood we’d collected over the past two days and stack it in the fire pit so he could get a good fire going a little later.  As we were doing it, we saw Ma come out the back door.

“We’ve got company,” she announced. 

“Who is it?”

“It’s your grandfather.  He’s parking his car right now.”

“Then send him out here.”

When Pops joined us, he saw what we were doing and smiled before he spoke.  “I thought I’d come out here a little early to see if you could use a hand.”

“I believe the boys would appreciate it, because it will mean that they won’t have to do quite as much work.”

Not only did Pops help us stack the wood so we could start a roaring fire, but he helped us get the frames out of the shed that would be used to cook the meat on.  When we finished doing that, we went into the cabin to get a drink, and then Pops drove home to get Hope so she could also attend the cookout with us. 

When Pa thought it was time to get the fire started, Devin and I went out to give him a hand, and when we finished we went back inside the cabin to get another drink.  Devin and I would go out to add a little more wood to the fire whenever Pa told us to do so, and we had just taken care of doing that again when Gramps and Faith showed up around 11:00.   

We were all standing around in the cabin chatting when Pops and Hope arrived about fifteen minutes later, and Gramps made a loud comment as they walked through the door.  

“Hail, hail the gang’s all here.”

“And we brought a large salad to add to the feast,” Pops said as he carried a huge bowl out to the kitchen and handed it to Ma.

“And we brought a couple of apple pies for dessert,” Gramps countered. 

We all chatted with them for a short time before Hope made a comment.  “I’d better go help Doris and Faith with the rest of the meal.”

“And we’d better head outside and get the meat started,” Pa agreed. 

While the women were busy working in the kitchen, the rest of us headed outside.  While Pa was checking on the fire in the fire pit, the rest of us went up to the shed to get the final items we’d need before we could start grilling – and that was the four metal frames that had been stored there.  The frames had wire screens welded to them, and the meat would be placed on them for grilling.

After we positioned the frames on top of the cinderblocks in such a way that they would hang over the fire, Gramps and Pops went inside to get the meat and began placing it on the metal screens to cook.  The men would continue to take care of that duty while the women worked on the other items in the kitchen.

Since Pa and Gramps were busy grilling the meat and the women were still working on the other dishes, Pops volunteered to fill the cooler with drinks.  After he placed the various beverages in the cooler, he went out to his car and retrieved two bags of ice that he’d purchased on the way here. 

Devin and I offered to carry the remaining items out to the picnic tables, such as the heavy-duty paper plates, silverware, napkins, mustard, ketchup, and two jars of pickles.  One jar contained dill pickles, while the other jar contained bread and butter pickle chips. 

After we set those items on the third picnic table, the women started carrying out the various salads, and when Gramps and Pa stated the items on the grill were ready, we all began to fill our plates.

“It’s nice to discover that our husbands’ hunting and fishing trips have proved to be advantageous, other than just providing them with some male bonding time,” Faith stated as she sat down.

“And it appears that our husbands are pulling Devin and Mac into their little group as well,” Faith followed, “seeing they took the boys on one of their fishing trips earlier this year.”

“Yep, we did it while we were on spring break,” Devin responded.

“It’s not like we’re doing something that you women would enjoy,” Pops responded.  “If you did, then it would be an entirely different matter.”

“That’s true, but you still wouldn’t want us to join you even if we did enjoy fishing and hunting,” Hope quipped sarcastically. 

“Well, you don’t enjoy doing those things, so end of discussion,” Gramps stated, and then we moved on to another topic.

“Devin, your mom tells us that you and Mac are doing very well at college,” Hope said. 

“Yep, we’re both on the Dean’s List,” Devin announced proudly. 

“And are you both pursuing the same major?” Faith followed. 

“No, but we’re both taking dual majors.  I’m majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Mac is majoring in Mathematics and Software Engineering.”

“Those don’t sound like very easy majors, so I’m impressed by how well you’re both doing.”

“Thank you,” Devin and I replied at the same time. 

The rest of the conversation revolved around other topics, but they weren’t anything that interested me, so I focused on the food and enjoyed the meal.  In fact, everything was very good, and I also enjoyed eating al fresco and out in the fresh country air.  It certainly wasn’t the same as having a cookout in the city with all of the different smells and noises that we’re accustomed to there.

When we finished eating, the leftovers were taken inside and put away and the dishes were washed.  After those things had been taken care of, we agreed to play Uno and board games on the picnic tables next.  After agreeing on which games to play, the eight of us decided on how we’d proceed.  It was eventually agreed that the couples would rotate around the two picnic tables after each game ended, and we’d do this until we’d played each game against each of the other couples.  I believe I can speak for everyone when I say it was a lot of fun. 

When the games ended, we started discussing what we were going to do next when Hope made an announcement.  “I’m sorry to spoil your fun, but Faith and I are going to be leaving shortly.  We had a great time, but I don’t want to be caught driving home after it starts getting dark.”

“Yes, we have enough problems driving out here when there’s plenty of daylight,” Faith added, “and I really enjoyed myself as well.”

“And even though Fairh and I are leaving, Jacob and Isaac are going to spend a couple more days here with the rest of you.”

“How can they do that, if you’re taking both vehicles?” I wondered.

“We’re not,” Faith countered.  “I’m riding back with Hope in their car and I’m leaving the SUV with Jacob.”

“Oh, ok.”

After they drove away, we started to discuss what we were going to do next when Pops made his own suggestion.  “I’d really like to spend some time in the woods before it gets too dark.”  

“I wasn’t sure how long it would be before you guys wanted to go out for a run,” Ma stated, “but its better that you do it now, because we’ll be cooking supper outside as well.  We ate most of the meat earlier, but there’s some venison left over and I can defrost some ground beef as well, if that’s ok with the rest of you.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Pa agreed, and then the rest of us headed out to the shed in the woods so we could transition into dogs.  

After running around and getting a good workout, we returned to the shed, transitioned back into ourselves, got dressed, and walked to the cabin.  When we got there, Pa, Gramps, and Pops took the meat outside, and after adding more wood to ensure a good fire, they placed the meat on the metal frames. 

Devin and I stayed in the cabin to help Ma and carry the other items outside, including some hamburger buns this time, and then we all sat down to eat.  

As we were filling our bellies, we also chatted about doing this again next summer, both before and after our next trip to the Ozarks, as well as during my two weeks here at the cabin later.  We discussed this until we finished eating, and then Ma asked a question. 

“Do any of you want a slice of pie?”  When we all answered in the affirmative, she continued.  “Ok, then I’ll bring it out here after I cut it into eight slices.”

“But there are only six of us here now, so does that mean Mac and I get two slices each?”

“You might have to fight with your grandfathers about that.”

“No, let them have it,” Pops stated.  “They can handle it better than we can.”

Now that it was getting dark, we added more wood to the fire pit until it was now like a small bonfire.  This time it wasn’t to cook anything and was merely for light as we sat around and chatted some more.  We did this until the fire started dying down, and then Pops asked Devin and me a question. 

“Are you two going to go fishing with us in the morning?”

“Yes, but what about Pa?  There won’t be enough room in the boat for all of us.” 

“I do more than enough fishing with you boys, so you can go out with my dad and granddad in the morning.  I’ll stay here and spend some extra time with my wife.”

“Ok, then you boys better head to bed now, because we’ll be waking you up early again,” Gramps warned us. 

“I think it would be a good idea if we all turned in,” Ma added.  “It has been a long and exhausting day.”

“I agree with that,” Pops replied. 

“And I’ll remain out here long enough to make sure the fire is out.  Doris, you can either stay here with me or you can head up to bed and I’ll join you as soon as I’ve taken care of this.”

“What the hell, I’ll stay here with you.  It will be kind of romantic, being out here alone.”

After she said that, the rest of us headed inside and turned in.