I showered, and then opened the windows to get rid of the odor of sex. I hoped it would be gone by the time Mom got home. I changed the bed sheets and ran the washer. I found an old bikini that was 3 sizes too small but put it on anyhow, grabbed a beer from the fridge and went out onto the deck. Under an umbrella I gazed out over the bay towards Annapolis.

I wondered what the future would hold for me. I was sure a Marine recruiter would come to see if I would re-enlist but I was done with the military.

I could go to college as far as the GI education bill would carry me. Was that what I wanted? There were several in the area to chose from. Chesapeake College, Washington College, Anne Arundel Community College, Salisbury State University, and John Hopkins were a few that came to mind.

I could try for a nursing degree that was at least a four year program. That would make me thirty three when I graduated. That seemed to be a lot too old to be just starting in that field, besides I had seen enough blood to last a lifetime.

Salisbury and Anne Arundel both had law enforcement programs. I would have to check that out. With that I could try for one of the local police departments, possibly the MSP or DNR. I had kicked down plenty of doors on huts in the sand box and felt up a lot of women just to be sure they were women – I wondered if that would count for anything? MSP and DNR were way political so I could pretty much count them out.

There was always the Secretary route, but that just did not go high on the list. I was more the outdoor type than that.

Lowes, Home Depot stocking shelves, well that was the bottom of the barrel!

How about starting a lawn care business, wonder how much that would cost? Jake did say I could use his truck while he was gone. It was at his house in the garage. Mom had the keys to his place.

Then there was the bay, I has spent one summer working as a mate on a charter fishing boat, seven days a week smelling like fish. I would have to think long and hard on that one.

There were a lot of minimum wage jobs that could be had in the area but I just couldn’t see myself being a waitress or some kind of sales clerk.

I could always go to Baltimore or DC and work in one of the strip joints; maybe someone would pay to see me get naked. I thought ha-ha-ha; that was the very last resort before starving.

I could drive a truck; I wondered what would be involved in getting the required license and how long that would take. I had to put together a to-do list.

Go get Jakes truck. Go to the MVA and check about a license to drive a truck, get Mom to give me the password for the computer, pick up local papers to look for a job. Go over finances to see what I had saved and what I had that I could spend. I had been pretty stingy with my money the last 10 years. I had used Uncle Sam to the max and I had stayed away from all the traps that most GIs fall into. I expected I wouldn’t be forced to get a job right away. Jake had invested it for me. He always seemed to have some inside track to the best investments.

Also, if I didn’t want to stay at home I could stay at Jake’s empty house. That would be nice if I wanted some privacy some night to party.

That was another thing that I would have to do was to find new friends. All my friends had moved away, Samantha was out west somewhere. Crystal of course had perished in an auto accident, Betty gone, well I was there. April had moved down south and had six kids at last count.

The beer was empty so I went back into the house to pee and get another. While in the bathroom I realized I had the traditional farmer’s tan. Tan face, neck and arms – the rest of me was pale. On the counter I noticed a bottle of suntan lotion and carried it and a towel to the deck after stopping by the fridge for the beer.

I moved the lounge chair into the full sun, removed the bikini and applied lotion to the front of my body and lay down in the warm sun. I turned every few minutes so I would not burn.

I didn’t hear Mom until she said “Hi BJ! Getting some sun?”

“Yeah Mom” I replied.

“Stay there, I’ll join you in a minute,“ she said.

“OK Mom, “ I said.

I reached for the towel as she stepped onto the deck. She said, “You don’t need to do that.” Then as she reached the lounge she dropped her towel and was as naked as I was.

She said, “You don’t think you’re the only one who likes to get a total tan, do you?” then she added, “You need to do a trim job there girl.”

“Yes Mom,” I replied. I also noticed she was shaved too.

Edit by Alfmeister