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The Man with the Jeep
Chapter 37
Andrew wasn't sure he heard that correctly: "A what?"
"You heard me," John assured him.
"Here?"
"Well, down at the Jack of Clubs, but yeah."
Andrew processed that for a moment.
"Do you have a lot of those?" he finally asked.
"We have all kinds of things happening all the time. Why? Does it surprise you?"
"I guess I hadn't really thought about it. I only knew about the campsites, cabins, and diner, and there's nothing strange about a campground with those."
"Not at all," John agreed. "And that was plenty not too long ago, but times are always changing, and we had to diversify."
"Into sex parties?"
"Why not? Originally, we tried just renting space out to whomever as long as it was legal and didn't include fire or firearms."
"Good to know you do have some standards," Andrew commented drily.
"Hey!" John protested. "I have high standards, I'll have you know!"
"Oh really?" Andrew teased.
"Yes, really!" John insisted. "Have you ever seen me cut corners on anything?"
"Well, no," Andrew admitted, realizing from John's tone that he had managed to strike a nerve.
"Exactly! I do it right or I don't do it at all. That's just how I am. It doesn't matter what it is: business, building, cooking, adventuring, scheduling, whatever. And I most definitely don't put any less heart in it when it comes to relationships, either. Not that I think everything will be roses and butterflies, but I give it my utmost effort in every way. And only with guys who would do the same. That was the first thing about you that caught my interest, you know: your wholeheartedness." He paused for a second. "Okay, actually that was the second thing, because you have the cutest smile I have ever seen. But I can appreciate a smile from a distance if it isn't attached to heart, but yours certainly is! You have no idea how lucky you make me feel to have found you!"
Andrew had no idea how to respond to that. His little quip had opened a glimpse into John's workings he hadn't seen before. It also gave him a new perspective into himself (again?!?). He had been so preoccupied with how exhausting life in general was, it never occurred to him that it could be a good thing. He had taken it for granted that everyone cared about things like he did, but after John's comments, he realized that maybe that wasn't the case. That would explain why so many people did so many thoughtless things. He couldn't bring himself to say that out loud, of course, but he suddenly saw it that way quite clearly. If most people literally didn't care, that would go a long way to explaining what he felt was wrong with the world...
That was food for later thought though, so he reined himself in from diving any farther down that rabbit hole.
"And renting turned into sex parties?"
"Well, it turns out that it's hard to get word out about space rentals in the woods. We could do so many different things, but it wasn't cost-effective to advertise every which way, and the only big theme that was easy to focus on was for weddings. After a few months of that, though, we quickly decided it wasn't worth it. So much stress, so many different demands, SO many bridezillas..." he trailed off in memories for a moment before recollecting himself. "Anyway, we decided our peace of mind was worth more than the money we made, and we ditched it.
"Meanwhile, an older couple talked us into renting out our barn one weekend for a `private event' as they called it. It was such a hit that they started doing it once a month. Eventually they retired and decided to move to Florida, but it was a regular thing with nicer people, lower stress, and equal money to the weddings, so I decided to take over and keep the thing going on my own."
"So it's YOUR sex party?" Andrew asked in surprise.
"No," laughed John. "Not really. I mean, I guess it was kind of mine for a while, but now it just kind of runs itself. We have more than enough volunteers from the group that come out to do all the setup, running, and cleaning every time, so there's no need for me to be quite so involved in it anymore if I don't feel like it."
"What part do you play in it tonight?"
"I just need to double check with Coop to see if he needs any help with the final setup of the place and confirm our new tech guy is also ready to go. Joe vouches for him, so he should be good, but I always double check with new folks."
"Joe?"
"He's the usual techy, but he's out of town this week. I'm sure you'll meet him before too long."
"The way things are going, I don't doubt it," Andrew laughed.
They were just coming out of the woods by this time, and the lurching and bobbing of the Jeep settled down to mere jostling as they passed the Quonset hut garage and out to the highway. John turned onto the road and headed toward the main entrance to The Three Jacks.
They weren't going fast at all, but Andrew hadn't felt this energized and adventurous on the road before, and he soon figured out why: the Jeep was missing its doors, had the windshield clipped down onto the hood, and it was clearly not made for this kind of travel. The smooth road emphasized all the old workhorse's creaks, rattles, clanks, and general unruliness. As they pulled into the campground, he also realized that the old Jeep had endeared itself to him with its charming lack of pretense. He liked this thing.
They rolled up to the office and pulled into a parking spot. John hopped out and looked back at Andrew.
"Did you want to come in too?"
Andrew hesitated a moment, then shrugged. "Why not?"
They walked up the short path with nice little flower gardens on each side and through the inauspicious front door with a large window in it. The interior was just as unassuming as the outside: a simple counter went nearly all the way across the room along the back wall, while a pair of old but comfy-looking chairs, a small table, and a cozy lamp sat on either side of the door under the front picture windows.
The chime of the classic little bell above the door was accompanied with a cheerful "Welcome to the Three Jacks!" from behind the counter. "How can IÑOh! Hi Johnny!"
"Hey Amanda! How are you doing?"
"Just great, thanks!" said the petite brunette before she turned her big brown eyes toward Andrew. "And is this The One?"
John chuckled. "Amanda, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Andrew," he said before turning back to Andrew. "Andrew, Amanda. She is the beautiful face of The Three Jacks."
"Flatterer," replied Amanda, her scold sounding empty as she beamed.
"She also keeps all the books, since she's the only one around here smart enough to do it."
"Oh please, you did just fine before I came along."
"We might have done okay, but I guarantee it was way harder for us to do than it is for you."
"Whatever," she retorted. "Anyway, Andrew, I am so happy to finally meet you! He talks about you all the time, of course, but it's the way he lights up when he does it that has us all eager to see who's caught his eye. You're a lucky guy, but he may just be luckier," she said with a smile.
Despite being taken a little off guard, he still managed a proper "Thank you, it's nice to meet you too, Amanda."
"What brings you in?" she said, turning back to John. "Need another cabin?"
"You got it."
"What if I told you we were all sold out?"
"Really?" asked John, clearly surprised.
"No, not really, but wouldn't it be nice?"
"You're terrible."
"No, not really, but why be nice?" She slyly looked around to Andrew. "I've been working on those dad puns he likes to inflict on us," she said in a stage whisper with a twinkle in her eye.
John threw up his hands.
Amanda turned back to him. "We may not be sold out, but we actually don't have many left to choose from. 9, 12, 14, and 19. Which one would you like?"
"Tell you what, since it's only one o'clock, I'll wait. That way we can rent them out if someone wants them. Just leave the key for whichever one in my basket before you leave and I can pick it up. And if all of them go, we can take one of the RVs."
He turned back to Andrew. "If that's okay with you, that is. Would you be game to try one of our RVs if the cabins sell out?"
"I'm game for whatever," he assured John.
"Cool, then it's settled," he said before turning back to Amanda. "Thank you, Amanda."
"No problem, Johnny! I will see you later!"
"Will do!"
"It seems like everyone who works here has a huge personality," Andrew commented after they had left.
"Now that you mention it, I guess they do. Maybe that's why I hired them. Hospitality does require friendly and hospitable people, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Andrew agreed as they clambered aboard the Jeep once again. "So where to now? You have a club to show me?"
"In a manner of speaking," John replied cryptically.
"Nothing is very straightforward with you, is it?"
"I'm always completely honest," John protested.
"Sure," Andrew agreed. "Just not very forthcoming."
"Maybe..." John said.
"I rest my case!"
John laughed.
Andrew looked at the RV section called "Jack of Spades" with a little more interest as they passed it this time. It wasn't at all the typical parking lot of oversized lanes he was expecting. With all the trees and space between spots along the meandering driveway, it seemed a little more rustic and private than most RV parks he had seen. Not that he was an authority on the matter or anything. He had never actually stayed in one before.
Once they passed the camping area, they were in the empty wooded section before the cabins that Andrew remembered from last time. It was in the middle of this that John turned down an unmarked gravel lane to the left that led them into a dense cluster of growth. It was nearly dark under the shade of all the trees, which lent an air of mystery to the expedition. After a short drive, the surroundings opened to a grassy field with a large windowless barn. Any paint it may have had at one time had long since been worn away, leaving the wood raw and weathered. It managed to avoid being scary or decrepit, but had a definite weathered country look to it.
"I can see how it might be tough to dress this up for a pretty wedding," Andrew remarked.
"Luckily, no one who wanted a "pretty" wedding were interested at all," John chuckled. "Though a few went for the industrial look. Most loved the rustic look."
He pulled the Jeep right up to the big door and hopped out.
"Princess parking at its finest," Andrew teased.
"Well, I do own the place after all," John joked.
John reached out and fiddled with the daunting conglomeration of ancient metal that served as bolt and latch with a practiced ease and swung the door open. "Welcome to the Jack of Clubs," he announced with a flourish.
Coming in from the bright sunlight, Andrew couldn't see a thing at first.
"Master Johnny? Is that you?" came a voice from the gloom that Andrew recognized as Coop's.
"Yeah, Coop, it's me," John answered.
"What are you doing here? I told you I'd take care of everything."
"I know, I just wanted to check in with the sound guy since he hasn't been here before."
"He's not here yet, but he should arrive pretty soon."
"Fair enough!"
As Andrew's eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, he could make out a long folding table and a few chairs. On either end of the table were what appeared to be large glass punchbowls. Behind it all was a wall that seemed to be made from a trellis. It bent around the table and extended all the way to the front wall, forming a semi-circle entry.
"Hey Coop," John hollered. "Don't you believe in lights anymore?"
"I was checking something and haven't made it back yet. You can turn them on if you want."
"Will do!" John said as he walked over to one corner of the room and flipped a big switch to one side.
Instantly, the place was brightly lit. Andrew winced as his eyes had to readjust to the sudden brightness.
The light confirmed what he had seen before, but now he noticed the fishbowls were full of condoms and little lube packets. Several hooks hung around the trellis, and he realized there was a black curtain behind it that blocked the view beyond.
"Come on," John said, gesturing to a doorway to the right. "I'll show you around."
John led him through, and in the next room were several benches and short lockers. "Room" might be a bit of an overstatement, as Andrew noticed that most of the walls were simply partitions and not permanent. But on the far side of this changing area was a real wall. It enclosed a large restroom that included sinks, urinals, toilets, and even showers. It was nowhere near as fancy as the outhouse, but it was still pretty nice.
"When we decided to go for weddings, we knew we had to have real plumbing brought out here," John explained. "Despite how expensive it was to do, we knew there was no escaping it."
"That makes sense," Andrew agreed.
"There's another one on the other side that is more or less the same, but intended for women, so more toilets, no urinals, and better lighting around the sinks. No sense in having the ladies fighting over preening space," he said with a wink.
John led Andrew through a gap between the permanent wall and the partitions, where Andrew faced what obviously used to be a horse stall. It had an interesting Dutch-style split gate, where the top half could be opened or closed independently from the bottom half. He looked more closely and noticed the top halves were hinged on either side and split down the middle, resulting in a versatile three-way arrangement. A glance to his left revealed that these stalls stretched the entire length of the building.
John led him around the corner where he saw a large open room with a small stage in the middle. It was a square about twenty feet long on each side and rose about three feet from the ground, giving the definite impression of a boxing ring without the ropes. Scattered around the stage throughout the space were hay bales as well as some split log benches around the outer edges. It seemed a bit bizarre for anything but a boxing match to Andrew, but he didn't want to sound like a noob, so he didn't ask any questions.
They didn't actually go out into that space anyway. Instead, John turned left yet again and took him up a set of stairs to a loft area. There, set up behind a clearly reinforced railing, was a sound board and several monitors.
John sat down at the table, and Andrew followed suit.
"Ever run one of these before?" he asked.
"No," Andrew answered.
"Want to learn how?"
"I guess..."
"It's not hard to learn, really. I think you could be really good at it if you wanted to. It just takes attention to detail and some experience."
He proceeded to show Andrew the different functions of the board, what the sliders and dials did, and how the channels were set up. One of the channels was failing sporadically, which John supposed was loose connection somewhere.
"There is so much to keep track of," Andrew commented.
"Well, yeah, but it isn't as bad as it seems at first," John assured him. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to throw you in the deep end and make you run everything tonight or anything, but trust me, it doesn't take long to get it down."
"Okay," Andrew answered dubiously.
"What? Are you afraid of a little challenge all of a sudden?" John teased.
"No," Andrew laughed. "Just trying to process it all. Give me a minute."
John just laughed.
"While you're processing, I'm going to see if I can figure out that loose connection."
He leaned over the board to make sure the cables were all securely plugged in.
They heard some clattering below them as someone fiddled with the door latch before figuring out how to open it.
"Hello?"
"Hey there," John yelled out. "Are you the sound guy tonight?"
"Yeah," came the reply. "I'm Bill."
"Come on up, Bill"
"Um, sure..."
"Oh yeah, you haven't been here before, have you?"
"No, I haven't," he answered.
"Don't worry, Master Johnny," came Coop's voice. "I'll show him the way."
"Thanks, Coop!"
Having satisfied himself that the cables were secure on the top end, John crawled under the table to check a couple of buses down below.
A few minutes later, Andrew watched Coop and a taller salt-and-pepper haired gentleman come into view from the stairs.
John jumped to his feet and reached his hand out to shake before he froze.
"Hi," the man said, taking the proffered hand with a little bit of a grin. "Like I said, I'm Bill." It took a second more for John to find his voice.
"Mister Fletcher!"
I'd love to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions for where this story should go :)