James Ross - A Young Adult Trilogy (Prairie Winds Golf Course)

by James Ross

  Opur got a can of lemonade for himself and a bottle of water for Morgan. “Is it okay if I take her out on the course?”

  “It’s almost dark,” Julie said.

  “I know, but I want to take Morgan out to the hill on number seven. It’s supposed to be a full moon tonight. Plus that’s the best spot to view the sunset.”

  “You’re not going to walk are you?”

  “Can I take the Gator? It has lights on it. We’ll be back after a while.”

  Julie reached for the keys that were hanging on the pegboard. She wasn’t about to douse the fire. “I’ll be gone when you get back. Pull it in the cart barn.”

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  “Aren’t you afraid of what might be out here?” Morgan asked as Opur pulled the Gator to a stop underneath the old oak that had to have lived back in the middle of the 1800s.

  “I’m sure the nocturnal animals come out, but we aren’t near any trash. They’ll be searching for food.” He looked to the west just as the sun was hovering on the horizon. The orange sphere disappeared in a matter of a few minutes. Shades of pink and orange sprayed against the wispy clouds. “This is my favorite place on the course,” Opur said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here.” He stood and admired the beautiful sunset.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Florida. It’s gorgeous too, but there aren’t any hills like this.” He looked out over the river toward the horizon nearly forty miles away. “Where are you from? It’s gotta be down South somewhere with an accent like that.”

  “A little town in Alabama,” Morgan replied.

  “Is that so?” Opur looked straight up to the sky. “I’m hoping that state treats me right in a few months.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I get to play in a golf tournament in Muscle Shoals.”

  “That’s up north, isn’t it?”

  “Beats me. Never been there.” Darkness crept in. “Maybe we can go together. Are you really into golf?”

  “Gettin’ there,” Morgan said. “J Dub and you have got my attention.” She walked over, stood by him and looked to the western sky. “It’s fun, but I’m just learnin’ the sport.”

  Out of nowhere he bent down and kissed her. “Sorry, I had to do that. You talk just like my mom.”

  “Oh, I remind you of her, do I?” Morgan said. “You wouldn’t go and kiss her like that would you?”

  “No, not anymore,” Opur said. He looked down. “I lost her eight years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. She was the one that wanted me to play golf and got me started with J Dub when I was a little kid.” His eyes got moist. “I’ve stomped all over this place. It’s the closest thing that I can call home.” He looked at the moon which was starting to shine brightly. “It sure does feel good to be back.”

  “What happened?”

  “I guess we’ve all got secrets in our past.” He broke off momentarily. “Mine have to do with my family or lack of one.”

  “Where’s your dad?”

  “He left when I was little. Then mom died right after I got out of high school. J Dub has been helping me.” Opur took a sigh. “I can’t say enough about what he’s done. But it’s lonely. I’ve been down in Florida all by myself.” He looked at Morgan. “So anyway, I apologize. But I felt like kissing you.”

  “That’s fine. It was nice.”

  “So there. You remind me of my mom. I need to find that again.” He sighed. “After she died I spent a lot of time up here sorting through a lot of things. J Dub encouraged me to use this golf course to my advantage. He thought it would be therapeutic to use the natural beauty of this place to connect with my feelings. I spent a lot of time on this hill underneath this tree.”

  “Well it sure is beautiful up here, but I may not be what you’re lookin’ for,” Morgan started slowly.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I’ve got some hang-ups.”

  “Like what?” Opur asked. “You look perfect to me. Just like a porcelain doll.”

  “It’s a long story.” Morgan stopped for a second. She turned to look at the moon. “That’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”

  “Doesn’t get any better.”

  “My therapist says it’s okay to talk about it though.” Morgan paused again. “But I don’t know you. I’m afraid if I tell you my secrets you might get scared and won’t want anythin’ to do with me.”

  “There’s only one way to get to know me. You have to open up.”

  Morgan took a sigh. She wanted to talk. “It happened four years ago when I graduated from college.” She seemed to immediately fall into a trance. “My best friend Allie and I took a vacation right after we graduated.”

  Opur didn’t know if he should interrupt her or let her go, but he decided to at least act like he was part of the conversation. “Where did you go?”

  “We went to Jamaica. Both of us love the sun and thought we’d take a few days to celebrate graduation before we headed down our path in life.” She drifted more, reliving the trip.

  Even though darkness had set in, the light from the moon was enough to highlight Morgan’s features. She was beautiful-angelic. Her eyes were wide and made up with just the right amount of liner; she had a thin brow line, sharp nose and thin lips. Opur marveled at her beauty as she spoke.

  “We were so excited. The plane landed midafternoon. The reggae music was playin’ just like we always had imagined it.” She took a breath. “A shuttle bus took us to our hotel. The place we were stayin’ in wasn’t anything special, but from our balcony we had a view of the beach. The sand, the water, the sun; it was all so gorgeous.”

  Opur adored her Southern accent and the more she spoke, the more it reminded him of the way his mother talked.

  “Straight below us was the patio and pool area.” She drifted. “Off to the side was a tiki hut with a grass roof. People were crammed around it soakin’ up shade while others jumped in the pool or worked on their suntans. Island music was playin’. It was so sexy. Seductive.”

  Opur was content listening. He caught himself drifting away to an island in the middle of an ocean.

  “Allie couldn’t wait to jump into her suit. We hadn’t been in the room ten minutes and she had changed into her bikini and thrown on a sundress. She was out the door.” Morgan licked her lips. They were getting dry from talking. “I was maybe five minutes behind her.”

  Morgan suddenly came back to the present. She drew closer to Opur. “Thanks for listenin’.”

  He was partly shocked, partly mesmerized by her story and totally in the dark as to where she was going. “I was there with you, in my mind at least.”

  Just as quickly Morgan pulled away and started up again. “Allie found a seat at the bar and had already ordered a drink. She waved for me to join her. I can see her now. She was wavin’ both hands in the air and pointin’ to an empty stool.”

  Opur had a grin. He was getting a kick out of listening to the story.

  “She knew what I wanted to drink. We had talked about it for weeks. One of those exotic drinks with all kinds of rum in it. It was on the bar for me when I walked up to her. You know, real exotic lookin’ with fruit on top and a tiny umbrella in it.”

  “How was it?”

  “Good! But it was so much more than that. We were excited, so young. All the guys were lookin’ at us. The waves were poundin’ on the shore, the breeze so warm. Music was playin’ which is seductive anyway.” Morgan was detailed in her recollection. “It took me a little time to drink the first drink. But Allie almost guzzled hers. Before I knew it we had another one on the bar.”

  “You were having fun.”

  Morgan went through a variety of facial expressions as she retold the story. “And a bunch of guys noticed. They were all buyin’ us drinks. The sunset was so pretty. The reddish-orange ball sitting on top of the water and the reflection across the ocean—it was beautiful.”

  “Sounds like it beats my spot on
top of this hill.”

  “There was no comparison,” Morgan said apprehensively as she gently nibbled on her lower lip. “Not that this here wasn’t pretty but . . .” She trailed off again. “We were drunk,” she laughed out loud. “And laughin’ and teasin’ the guys. Then they lit the lanterns that were on the poles and it got so romantic.”

  Morgan reached out to hold Opur’s hand. “Allie is pretty wild. And her boobs are a lot bigger than mine.” Once again she gnawed on her lower lip as if she was afraid to continue. “I don’t know if I should go on.” She snapped out of her stupor.

  Opur wanted more. “Don’t tease me and not finish what you started. Didn’t your therapist say it was healthy for you to tell the story?”

  “Yes. But I don’t know if I should tell you the rest of it.”

  “How are we going to get to know one another?”

  Morgan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She rubbed her forehead and played with the earring that was in her left lobe. “An island boy came over after Allie flashed her boobs,” she said drifting back. “He was friendly and had a smile that lit up the darkness. Really fun to be around. He was dancin’ and jivin’ and movin’ to the music. His accent was so cute; it had that island twang with a little French flavor to it. So distinct.”

  Opur kept quiet not knowing what to expect next.

  “Allie is such a flirt!” Morgan licked her lips. “She pulled one of her boobs out of her bikini top to get another reaction from the boy. His eyes got real big and his smile swept across his face. I remember him gettin’ real close to her and sayin’ ‘Oh Mon, let me touch dat and he came over and fondled her boob. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a joint.”

  “Do you do that stuff?’

  “Not really, but we were in Jamaica. It seemed like the thing to do. Besides we were pretty wasted by then,” Morgan answered. “But Allie wanted to play with him some more.” She smiled as she recalled what had taken place. “Her sundress had crept up her leg and her bikini bottom was visible. So she opened her legs and flashed him.”

  Opur smiled.

  “The boy got next to her and was rubbin’ on her, standin’ right next to her. I reached for my drink and when I looked back Allie had taken her top off and let her boobs flop around in the sundress. But it didn’t really cover too much. The boy was gettin’ turned on. You could see the bulge in his tight trunks.”

  “Allie sounds like quite the tease.”

  “She’s fun! And we were excited to be in Jamaica,” Morgan continued. “Before I knew it she had pulled the sundress over her head and sprinted a few steps across the deck and jumped in the pool. She was gigglin’ and the boy chased after her.”

  Opur was at a loss for words. He was enjoying the adventure.

  “He jumped in and they played in the water. At first they were splashin’ around and then they got quiet by the side of the pool. I was talkin’ to the bartender and looked back at them and Allie was kissin’ the boy. He had her pinned against the side of the pool and was thrustin’ himself at her,” Morgan said.

  “That had to come as a little bit of a shock.”

  “Not really,” Morgan answered. “We grew up with black boys since we were young. They were always more aggressive than the white boys and tryin’ to get us to do this and do that.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I think that Allie has slept with one or two of them before but she never really told me.”

  “If you two are that close, she told you,” Opur replied. Morgan smiled. “Well . . . I don’t . . . think,” she searched for a way to speak as her words trailed off.

  “If you don’t want to tell me then . . .”

  Morgan looked into Opur’s eyes. “Let me finish the story.” She took her right thumb and forefinger and wiped the corners of her mouth. “The drinks were goin’ down so good. The warm breeze off the ocean was so nice. I talked with the bartender and he told me how so many of the female tourists got hustled by the island boys.” Morgan licked her lips once again. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, “my mouth is gettin’ dry from talkin’ so much I guess.”

  “We’ve got drinks in the Gator if you’d like for me to get yours,” Opur said.

  Morgan shook her head. “I can wait.” She returned to her story. “Anyway when I looked back at Allie she had her arms around the guy’s neck and was very much into a long kiss.”

  “How old was this boy?”

  “When I say he was a boy I would guess that he was probably our age . . . maybe twenty or twenty-one,” Morgan replied.

  “So it wasn’t like she was getting something going with a high school kid,” Opur said.

  “No, no, not at all,” Morgan explained. “Then I heard two other voices that seemed to be callin’ for him. He jumped out of the pool and Allie followed a few seconds later. She was naked from the waist up so I threw her a towel. The breeze was makin’ her shiver and givin’ her goose bumps.”

  “Covering her up a little was probably a smart thing to do,” Opur agreed.

  “The other boys who were friends of Allie’s new friend were hootin’ and hollerin’. They were talkin’ trash ’bout what they’d do with her. But it was good natured. We were havin’ fun.”

  “So, the group has grown a bit.”

  Morgan grinned. “Allie’s new friend was named Brie. He introduced his two friends, but I don’t remember their names. I think they called one Roe and the other went by Tawndrey, but I can’t be sure of that.” Morgan looked at the moon. “Isn’t that gorgeous?”

  The full moon was now shining brightly. “That’s the Harvest Moon,” Opur said.

  “Why do they call it that?”

  “So the farmers can work at night harvesting their crops,” Opur answered. “Some years they have to work at night around the rain or weather patterns.”

  “Oh.”

  “So back to your vacation. What happened next?”

  “Brie lit up the joint,” Morgan said matter-of-factly. “That stuff was the most powerful stuff I’ve ever had in my life.” She threw her head back and sighed. “We were laughin’ and havin’ a good time. Then Allie said she wanted to get out of her wet suit. She and Brie walked back to our room.”

  “You let the two of them go off together?” Opur questioned.

  “Pretty dumb, huh?” Morgan said. “I wasn’t thinkin’ too good right then.” She shook her head back and forth. “Between the rum and the pot I was all messed up. When I did get around to checkin’ on her the other two guys went with me back to our room.”

  “I hope you knew what you were doing?” Opur cautioned.

  “It sounded like the right thing to do at the time,” Morgan answered. “Daddy always warned us about the black boys, but I had grown up with ’em and trusted ’em. It wasn’t their fault that they were from different backgrounds. We were taught not to be prejudiced.”

  Opur was skeptical, but he stayed quiet.

  “I could hardly walk and was mumblin’. Brie’s friends were jive talkin’. Each one grabbed one of my arms and steadied me. Together we made it back to our room.”

  Opur studied Morgan. He had become attracted to her over the last few weeks. Now he found her honest, sincere and forthright.

  “I fumbled around tryin’ to get the key out of my purse,” Morgan continued. “When I finally unlocked the door and stepped into the suite I couldn’t believe what was happenin’.

  “What?” Opur said, hanging on every word.

  “Allie was sittin’ on top of Brie. He was on the couch. They were both naked. She was bouncin’ up and down and rubbin’ her boobs in his face,” Morgan said. “Allie’s cries sounded like pure ecstasy.”

  “What happened next?”

  “You won’t be mad if I tell you?”

  “No.” Opur shook his head. “Remember what your therapist told you; talk about it.”

  Morgan nodded. “But I have to be careful how I say it. Some people might get the wrong impression.”

  “Go ahead and tell me
.”

  “Brie asked if we’d like to join them,” Morgan answered.

  “What did you tell him?”

  “There was nothin’ I could say. One of the guys that helped me back to the room started massagin’ my shoulders. The other one kissed me. Then Allie climbed off of Brie’s lap and got down on her hands and knees and knelt in front of him.” Morgan paused, the memory still fresh in her mind. “It happened so fast. And I was all messed up. And . . .”

  “Did they rape you?”

  “No, no, no. It wasn’t like that at all,” Morgan insisted trying to justify what had happened. “We were all laughin’ and bein’ silly and one thing led to another.”

  “So what happened?”

  Morgan was resolute. “I feel like such a whore.”

  “Don’t feel that way,” Opur said.

  “But I do. I can’t get it out of my mind,” Morgan said. “We were all naked. It lasted a long time.”

  “Were you scared about getting pregnant?”

  “They wore condoms.”

  “You were drunk and they took advantage of you.”

  Morgan whispered in his ear. Her voice was so soft that it was barely audible. “That’s why I have to go to the therapist.”

  “You lost me,” Opur said.

  “I liked it.”

  Opur did a double-take. “Huh?”

  “You heard me. I can’t get it off my mind.” She paused. “You don’t think bad things about me, do you?”

  “Are you kidding?” Opur smiled. “That story was hot and so are you.”

  Morgan ran her hands through his hair. “I like you.” Opur bent over and kissed her under the moonlight. He took her hand and walked a few feet to the seventh green. On the soft turf, they made love for what seemed like hours.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before with a woman,” Opur said as they kissed.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Late November . . . 2008

  A steady stream of regulars filed through the door. The core group had teed off early. Outside, the weather was gray, windy and cold. Inclement conditions weren’t about to stop the guys from their bets and golf game.