Desert Trading Post

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  Courtney stared at me with her mouth open as if a great deal more explanation was necessary for such a radical and blasphemous statement. She hadn’t put her shirt back on.

  I laughed and said, “Look. The air conditioner cools the air. If you keep letting hot air in from outside, it takes longer to cool it and it never gets as cold as it would with the windows up. So, you close the windows. But you want to drive with the windows down because it feels good. The fresh air is nice. You want to stick your arm out the window and feel the air. But it won’t get cold because it’s working against the air conditioning. And the air conditioner makes your gas mileage go down, so it costs a little bit more to run it, so you want to run it with the windows up. Does that make sense?”

  She said, “Sure. If you keep the windows down, you’re just wasting money.”

  I said, “But are you really wasting it, or are you just trading it for more fun and comfort? It’s more comfortable sometimes to do both at the same time. The fresh air feels good, and the air conditioner cools the inside of the car to some degree, as long as you run it at full blast. But you use more gas. Running with the windows down uses more gas all by itself. So what happens if we break all the rules and run the air with the windows open? We use more gas than if we run with no air and the windows up. But if we turn off the air and put the windows up to save gas, we die from the extreme heat. So we don’t do that here in the desert. That would be bad. Being dead, I mean. It works for Elvis somehow, but I think that we should avoid it if we can.”

  She laughed and said, “So, if you don’t care about using a few cents worth of gas, it’s OK?”

  I said, “Of course it is!”

  She said, “But what’s this thing about not eating everything on your plate? That makes kids starve in other countries. We were taught that.”

  I knew that she was teasing now.

  She said, “But I never really thought about that. I have eaten more than was good for me so many times because I had to finish my food. But it really isn’t the best idea, is it?”

  I said, “No. The best idea is to order what you need. You and I can split meals in restaurants and both get enough. I’m more than happy to share food. But if you make a mistake and order too much, admit the mistake. Be honest. And quit eating.”

  Courtney grinned and said, “That’s a good plan. And it is honest. That’s weird.”

  I said, “I’m thinking about honesty, and integrity too, in ways that I never considered before. You have me thinking about a lot of things.”

  She said, “Yeah. Weird. If I keep eating after I’m full, why am I doing that? So that people around me won’t know I ordered too much? No! It was because I couldn’t let my parents know that I’d ordered too much! My parents are good people though. It’s like the air. What would have happened if I’d ordered too much and not finished it? Would the car explode? Would my dad be angry? He loves me.”

  I said, “Sometimes we make up consequences that aren’t real. Sometimes we call that superstition. If you didn’t know any better, if something went wrong with the car engine right now, would you think that it was because of the air conditioner running with the windows down?”

  She said, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d probably assume that it was my fault. I’d been told not to do that, and I did, and this is what happens.”

  I said, “But, your dad never told you that something would go wrong with the car. He just asked you to put up the windows when the air was on. To save gas.”

  She said, “And the same with food. He wanted me to learn to take smaller portions and not waste the food and the money. But that’s not what he said.”

  I said, “We don’t even realize why we say what we do sometimes. We aren’t always honest with ourselves. But here’s a secret. I bet he doesn’t even know why you have to put the windows up when the air is on. Your mom and dad both learned it from their parents. The same with the food. We have rules and if we don’t follow them, the world falls apart. Or so we think. But some of those rules aren’t valid anymore. I think that at some point in history, the car engine couldn’t handle running the air conditioning at full capacity for extended periods of time. If you did, I think that the engine would overheat and shut down. So maybe in our grandparents or great-grandparents day, it really was a bad idea.”

  She said, “But what about that other thing? I will be totally happy to dye my pubic hair blue if you want me to.”

  I laughed and said, “I didn’t say pubic hair.”

  We rode for a few seconds in silence and I said, “Court, would you really do that?”

  She grinned and said, “Totally! I don’t want to dye my head, but my pussy, that would be fun, maybe. So, since you want me to, I will. I never considered it before. But since you asked so nicely, I’ll do it just for you.”

  I said, “Courtney, I can’t tell if you are teasing me. I didn’t ask you to.”

  She said, “I’m absolutely teasing you. But I’m not lying to you. Do you think it would be pretty? Do you think blue is the right color or was that just an example? Oh, of course it’s the right color! You always pick the right color! Oh gosh! Of course! A little blue gem for my pussy! Not a tattoo or a piercing, a dye job! I love it! I love it I love it I love it!”

  I smiled and said, “Really? Now that you say it, it does sound kind of cute.”

  Courtney said, “We’re doing it. Now I want to do it right away. And have you help. It’ll be an art project. This is exciting. Dave, just think how I’ll look naked, with my navel sapphire, my blue pubic hair, and my anklet. It’ll be amazing!”

  I said, “You’ll look like a blond jungle princess. Um, I don’t know why I said that.”

  Courtney exclaimed, “I totally will. I know exactly what you mean by that. Like those old Tarzan books or whatever that my dad was always reading. The covers often had some blond jungle queen with a…”

  She caught herself in mid-sentence and said, “Dave?”

  I said, “Yeah?”

  She asked suspiciously, “Did you ever read those old adventure books that my dad had?”

  I said, “Probably. My dad had those and I was allowed to read them when I turned 12 or something like that. Why?”

  She said, “And tell me, what did the jungle princess wear?”

  I said, “Well, on the cover, she probably had a bikini made from a tiger or lion fur or something. But, um, in the story, a lot of times she was nude and maybe wore nothing but a jeweled belt or a necklace.”

  Courtney said, “And what about her feet? Specifically, her ankles?”

  I gasped and said, “Oh my gosh! You’re right!”

  Courtney said, “On the cover, she always had an anklet, didn’t she? And you thought it was sexy. So you think I’m as beautiful as those jungle girls, huh? I’m certainly busty enough. I do have the blond hair.”

  I said, “But only the ones from outer space had blue pubic hair. I mean, I assume so, anyway.”

  Courtney said, “Oh to hell with these,” and she started struggling to get her panties off.

  I yelled, “Courtney, don’t throw those out the window! I like those.”

  Courtney got the tiny sheer panties off her ankles and said, “I wasn’t going to throw them out the window. Oh, wait, maybe I was. I might not have even thought about what I was doing if you hadn’t said anything. Oh, that feels good. I understand why my sisters, the jungle and space princesses don’t wear them. They are the detestable invention of this primitive Earth civilization and we have evolved far beyond a need for such things as undies where we are from. Now that I have taken my rightful place on this throne beside you, I will dispense with strange Earth rules about air conditioners and underwear. They are a barbaric people, are they not my king?”

  I laughed and said, “They certainly are, Princess.”

  She spread her legs and put her feet on the dash and said, “The royal pussy will look good in blue once again. This disguise as an Earth woman hides my true beauty. The wom
en of our planet, Sapphire Immacula, in the galaxy of Davidsweetie, do not hide their pussies so much as Earth women do. It will be good to be home again, among our own kind. They will hold a parade in our honor, you know that, don’t you?”

  Chapter 15 - Reverie

  I said, “Will they?”

  She said, “Of course. The emperor’s daughter is now married to a great prince from a distant planet. He fought great wars and has rescued the princess from evil villains. The emperor will reward him handsomely and the people will rejoice at her return. But it will be the gracious new prince that they honor most. The Emperor has no heir and the people have worried about what might happen a thousand years from now when the emperor starts to grow older. The new prince will give them hope and a reason to celebrate. The party in your honor will last for five years and many of my ladies-in-waiting will join your harem. I shall rule them with kindness and honesty and teach them the ways of pleasing you in the bedchambers.”

  I smiled and said, “Oh, a harem is it?”

  She idly rubbed her lower lips, pulling them apart to let the cooler air blow against them.

  She said, “Of course. I know that my prince is a virile man and has needs for adventure inside the palace as well as outside. I myself will come to you in many costumes and in many guises to entertain and satisfy you, but it will be my joy to give many of my sisters to you as lovers. Others will be yours, just as I am. I will sit on your right side and a black-haired beauty will sit on your left. I will sleep on your right shoulder and she will sleep next to you on your other side. I will kiss your cock and she will kiss your lips. And at other times, the others will care for you, and if our bed is big enough, you will sleep with all of us at the same time, according to your desires.”

  There was something strange and dreamy about Courtney as she told her story now. I didn’t want to interrupt her, but I wondered what she was thinking. Just what kind of fantasy was she into? It didn’t bother me at all. I knew that it was fantasy and there was nothing wrong with it. I was glad that none of her fantasies seemed to include multiple men though. She talked as if it were all very reverent.

  I reached over and slid my hand down the inside of her thigh until I came to her mound, and without pausing, I pushed my middle finger in gently and Courtney squeezed me and shuddered almost immediately. I left my hand there and continued to play with her very tenderly for another 20 minutes. None of the cars that passed us on the highway seemed to notice the naked girl with her feet on the dash, with just a short skirt pulled up around her waist, having her legs and crotch massaged lovingly by her husband who was driving with one hand.

  We came to a small town and I suggested that we stop for a drink and an ice cream cone. This was the kind of place that would have an old-fashioned drive-in that sold soft-serve ice cream, for sure. Courtney pulled on her panties, the “offending garment”, and after a short discussion, her bra, “the odious appliance”. I knew she’d look incredible without it, but I didn’t want people staring. This little roadside town wasn’t the place for no bra; not in the T-shirt Courtney was wearing. If her blouse were thicker, or even some color other than white, and not obscenely small on her, it would have been fine. She mentioned it when we got out of the car.

  She said, “When we get me some more clothes, get me some blouses that I won’t need a bra underneath. I got this shirt for you, and it wasn’t supposed to have a bra, but I didn’t think about wearing it that way in public. Well, actually I did, but it seemed like a better idea in my head than in the real world.”

  I was relieved to hear that Courtney had a sense of appropriate modesty when the situation called for it. I didn’t want a bunch of young men gawking and whistling and making comments. And thank goodness, neither did she. It put my mind at ease in several respects. Courtney was wonderful and I didn’t deserve her. She really was turning out to be a gracious princess from another planet where centerfolds grew under every cabbage leaf.

  I said, “I think that in the right surroundings that it would still be nice. But not here.”

  She said, “I understand completely. But get me something that does not require these odious appliances. Your queen will comply with the customs of this strange world, but we are not pleased. Except with the company we enjoy while holding your arm, even in this place.”

  She brightened and said, “Actually, it’s kind of perfect. I love the desert so much. Can you imagine living here? This being the fanciest restaurant in town? Living out on a dirt road with no neighbors for at least a hundred yards? I’d love it.”

  We had burgers and fries, Cokes and ice cream cones. We laughed and made goo-goo eyes at each other and we really were very much in love and head over heels for each other. I think that both of us thought that we had married way above our station. And neither of us could understand why the other felt that way about us.

  Before we left, Courtney said, “How far is it to the next rest stop? Can you check your phone?”

  I took a look and found a rest stop on the highway, about 20 miles farther along in the direction that we were traveling.

  Courtney said, “I can wait till then. We better not try to use the restroom together here. It was OK before, in bigger towns, but I think here we better be more conventional. We can stop at the rest stop.”

  We used the restroom together when we reached the rest stop, and I left the parking lot a few minutes after we had pulled in.

  We got back on the highway, but at the next exit, Courtney yelled, “Pull off! Pull off pull off pull off!”

  I quickly exited the road and asked what the emergency was.

  Courtney pointed and said, “Over there! That gift shop trading post tourist trap! Go there!”

  The gift shop was the only thing here. A crossroad ran east and west, but the only business was a classical old tourist trap that 50 years ago would have been called an “Indian Trading Post”.

  The parking lot was dirt and there wasn’t another car in sight. I wasn’t sure that it was open, but Courtney pointed out the things that had been set outside and were obviously for sale. Someone had opened the place and set these on the covered porch, so they must be open.

  We walked inside and a bell tinkled as the door hit it. The shop had various Native American “inspired” trinkets; toys and knives and pipes and pottery. I wasn’t sure that any of it was authentic in the slightest, but that didn’t matter. It was toys and decorations. You didn’t see places like this anymore.

  Courtney was interested first in the clothing section. She hurried to the back wall and started rummaging through the women’s apparel. I started to look around the shop but suddenly heard her call out to me, that slight tinge of panic in her voice that meant that she’d lost sight of me. I called back and rushed to her side.

  She smiled and grabbed something off the rack and squealed, “Dave, I have to have this!”

  She held out what was essentially a long tank-top; a T-shirt that went almost to her knees. It was a Southwestern print and looked like it wouldn’t be nearly as tight as the T-shirt she was currently wearing. She handed it to me and kept looking. She was excited by something and I wasn’t sure what.

  When I asked, she said, “It’s just so wonderful. I love these places. I haven’t been to one of these since I was little. Oh! There they are! Oh gosh! They have them!”

  Courtney pulled something made from brown suede leather from a shelf, checked the size, exchanged it for another, and then took a similar-looking item from a shelf next to it. Apparently, the second item was more of a one size fits all thing. She didn’t show me what it was immediately, but wadded both items up and kept them in her hand.

  She exclaimed, “Oh man! If they have the other thing, I’ll freak out.”

  She ran to the counter where an older woman stood, leaning over and reading a magazine. Courtney whispered something and the woman smiled slightly and pointed.

  She said, “Shoe section, cubby-hole on the right. About a foot from the floor. That will
look good on you. What I’d give to be young and thin again. I tell you, I’d dress more like you do if I had it to do over.”

  Courtney grabbed my hand and led me to the footwear shelves and crouched down to the area indicated and grabbed a plastic bag with what looked like a collection of feathers, beads, and a few strips of leather.

  Courtney called out, “Do you have a dressing room?”

  The woman pointed to a curtain at the left side of the shop.

  Courtney pulled me in that direction and stepped into the tiny closet-sized changing room. She didn’t even think about the curtain. There was no one else in the store, and the space wasn’t big enough for me to go in with her, so she just left the curtain open and stripped off her clothes. She was out of her T-shirt and skirt in an instant.

  We heard the woman call out, “It’s fine. There’s nobody here. Probably won’t be most of the day. Hell, maybe the rest of the week.”

  Courtney yelled, “You don’t mind?”

  The woman said, “Naw. That has always been too small to really change in. Most people don’t bother to try stuff on. Normally just kids.”

  Courtney stepped out of the closet and finished stripping down. She took off everything she was wearing. And I pictured her little bit of blond pubic hair painted bright blue.

  Courtney pulled the dress on over her head and asked me what I thought. It was looser on her than the T-shirt, for sure, but it did show off her figure. The shirt looked too small; this looked like it fit her. Yes, the buds of her nipples were there, but it looked nice. She looked sexy but in a really healthy way. Like a girl who liked her body. Knowing that she was completely naked underneath made it look even better to me. I could see not just what she was wearing, but in my mind, I could easily picture what she wasn’t wearing. I told her that she looked amazing and that yes, if she wanted to wear that in public, I didn’t see a problem with it.