Stillwater (eBook)

Chapter 1—Awakenings

Annie1 woke to the early morning glow, enhanced by the amber color of the tent.

Sean2 was still asleep with his lips parted so he could breathe in the bitter cold of the night air. A faint vapor formed above his face as he exhaled warm, moist breath from his lungs.

She hated to leave the warmth and smell of his body, but her bladder said otherwise. As she rose naked and exited the tent, she could feel the moistness between her legs and the coolness of the night air as it enveloped her body. Her nipples responded to the cold and hardened to the point of pain.

She found the light outside to be much dimmer than inside the tent. Being afraid of the dark and wondering if any other living thing—maybe a hungry grizzly bear—was also out at that hour, she did not stray too far from the tent. As her warm urine splashed on her inner calves and flowed toward the downslope arch of her left foot, she could smell the aroma of their bodily fluids, hers and his. It was a sweet perfume and uniquely theirs. She lingered for a few moments to allow for evaporation.

For the field geologist, the experience of a long day of hiking and mapping in steep, high terrain, leaves the upper thigh muscles weak and the body slightly dehydrated. The sweat from physical exertion evaporates instantly and leaves a residue of salt on the clothing and body as the only evidence of the process.

Deodorant is a luxury, and it is not recommended in terrain frequented by predators. After several days, the hair usually needs to be washed before it is necessary to clean the body.

Women geologists must wash their nether regions more frequently than males, so Annie carried a squirt bottle filled with water to ensure proper feminine hygiene. At that moment, however, she was not concerned with cleanliness as much as getting back to their sleeping bag and the sweet essence and warmth of their bodies.

She entered the tent and knelt for a moment to watch him as he slept. Ah, love… it feels unreal that you find me special…you should love me?

Sean was a strikingly athletic and handsome man, an imposing presence in the world of academia, admired by many women and men alike. But, at that moment, he lay with his mouth open, snoring quietly and looking particularly vulnerable and ordinary. He was Annie’s lover, soulmate, and best friend, who never saw himself as anything special, except in Annie’s eyes.

They shared more than just physical intimacy. Both were academics who shared common interests in the earth and space sciences. On a cosmic and spiritual level, they could sense each other thousands of miles away, and seemed to be familiar with one another—perhaps through space and time.

Unfortunately for them both, they did not find each other until later in their lives, and only after each had married and settled with their own families. When the two first met in that corridor at the Field Station and campus in the Rockies,3 they recognized each other instantly. The cosmic connection was realized, and their lives would never be the same.

First Meeting -- the “Knowing”

Professor Sean Michael Anderson arrived early to greet his students as they arrived for the dorm check in procedure.

As he waited for his students to finish getting their keys and moving their belongings, he leaned patiently against the wall of the darkened corridor. He could see the entrance and the front office from his venue and was sure to see everyone who entered.

His attention heightened as a group was returning, presumably from one of the field areas he would soon investigate.

The students appeared dirty, hot, and tired as they wearily exited the vans and strolled into the opposite end of the dormitory building.

A young woman with long curly chestnut-colored hair split off from the group and walked toward the camp office. As she approached the outer glass doors of the building, he felt an unexpected excitement, as he seemed to recognize her. Did he know her? Who is she? Perhaps they had met before?

Anna4 was returning from the field with some of her students, and they were covered in dust and salt from the excessive heat of the late June day of mapping. She was wearing a body leotard under a white sleeveless tank top and green field shorts. Around her neck she wore a white bandana to protect the delicate skin of her throat and chest. A small hand lens dangled from a leather cord that hung over the bandana and gently rested on her well-covered bosom. Her arms, thighs, and calves were deeply tanned and covered in dust, and her feet were protected with nylon and wool socks and sturdy leather hiking boots. A white cotton shirt was tied around her waist to shield her arms and upper torso during the extreme UV exposure time of the afternoon sun. For added protection, she also wore an Australian field hat and prescription sunglasses. Despite her dirty face and legs, she was a handsome, thin, muscular woman in her mid-thirties, all of one hundred and thirty pounds, and standing at five feet six inches tall.

As she entered the shadowy hallway, she stumbled over a doorstop and dropped an armload of maps and other field supplies, as well as her backpack, which she had carelessly slung over one shoulder. As she squatted down to collect the articles, she noted a tall male figure approaching from the darkened hallway.

The person seemed oddly familiar to her. He was wearing a pale blue T-shirt, khaki shorts, and leather hiking boots, with the same thick nylon and wool sock combination. Around his neck was the telltale sign of a serious field geologist—a rather large hand lens. He had dark brown hair with a few streaks of gray, a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, and a deep tan above his socks and below his shorts.

Anna could not help but notice how his leg muscles flexed as he walked in her direction and then knelt in front of her. She experienced feelings she’d never felt before, and was frightened, embarrassed, and strangely excited by this man kneeling before her.

“Please allow me to help ya,” he said in a deep voice with an accent that was difficult to place—perhaps Canadian, she guessed.

She felt very uncomfortable, as he seemed nervous, and she noted her own extraordinary feelings. Anna wanted to bolt and run, but instead responded awkwardly and shyly, “No, that’s okay, I can get it.”

“Are ya staying in this dorm?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Ya have way too much stuff for one trip, so let me help carry some of it to yer room. Is that okay?”

She started to say that she was fine but stopped in mid-sentence and quietly said, “Okay then. Thank you.”

They each experienced an instant memory of intimacy—physical, spiritual, sexual. It was not love at first sight. It felt more complex… deeper. Somehow, they knew each other.

At the door to her room, she nervously and politely held out her hand. “Thank you so much. I’m Anna, Anna Moore,” she said with a shy smile.

“I’m Sean Anderson,” he said as he took her hand in his. “I am a professor with one of the other field camps, and we just arrived. It is a pleasure to meet ya. We’ll be here for six weeks, so I expect there will be time to get to know one another.”

“That would be nice,” she said, as he continued to shake her hand, and included a second hand to the hold. “I’m an instructor with the field camp from Modavi State University (MSU) out of Mudfence, Texas.” 5

“Mudfence?” queried Sean, “That’s a place I have never been but would love to visit one day; beautiful pre-Cambrian6 granites7 in that region… ancient rocks indeed, not to mention the volcanic complex to the west of there in the Big Bend area.”

Forgetting she was embarrassed, Anna excitedly answered, “Oh, you’ve never been? You would just love that country. I am particularly fond of the Davis Mountains8 and the rhyolites9 that outcrop there.”

“So, how long have ya been here?” asked Sean.

“We’ve been here four weeks already and will return home in about two weeks. And what school are you with?” she asked.

“Ah, I am with Cal State.10 We have heard so much about this wonderful place that we decided to do our camp here this summer. So far, it looks to be a wise decision, with lots of great projects within an hour.”

“Well, if you need any advice,” smiled Anna, “I’m sure my teaching partner and I would be glad to share our experiences. MSU has been coming here for at least 20 years, so it is very well established as a yearly camp.”

“There...