Chapter 13: The Fireman starts a Fire
They both were up by 5:30 a.m. the next morning, neither able to sleep anymore the anticipation of the day on their minds. They had made plans yesterday evening for a day long outing. Johnny swung by to pick up JJ at 8:00 a.m. They were on the road and heading to the trail head within just a few minutes. Johnny had been telling her about a few places along the trail that were especially good for photos. She knew only a little about a camera as specialized as his and began to ask questions about the different features. That took up about 30 minutes of the drive. After that, JJ tuned the radio to a station that was playing "Ventura Highway". She hummed along singing parts of it. John just smiled, but didn't subject her to his singing. The thought made him guffaw aloud.
"What? You're laughing at my singing, Captain?" She feigned a look of hurt on her face.
"Nope, just mine. Actually I am enjoying yours. You aren't half bad you know."
JJ knew she could carry a tune, maybe sing at church, but was no Janis Ian. "Thanks, but you realize I can be bad…." She smiled wickedly.
Johnny's mouth opened, closed and opened again a bit taken back by the sudden turn in the conversation. JJ flirting was new. He liked it. He chuckled, "Really?" and raised one eyebrow provocatively.
JJ just smugly nodded and went back to singing with the radio. Johnny thought, this could be an interesting date.
Arriving at the trail head, they hopped out and grabbed the small pack with lunch, the canteens, supplies and John's camera. They started out Johnny leading the way. Pretty soon he felt a small object hit his back. When he turned JJ was looking off to the right examining a flowering plant. Not long afterward he felt it again and decided not to react. When it happened for the third time, he smirked and stopped to "retie" his boot lace. As he squatted down he spied a smallish pine cone right behind him on an otherwise bare trail. "Game on Janey", he thought. He motioned her up beside him and they referenced the elevation map for the trail. This portion was pretty level and they made plans for the next third which had steeper inclines. He signaled for her to take the lead so he could stop easily to take photos. JJ was more than prepared for retribution, but none occurred. The many tangles with the "Phantom" at station 51 had taught him well and John just bided his time. He had taken several pictures and when she wasn't looking secreted three tiny pine cones into his camera bag. At the apex of this portion of the trail, they stopped to admire the view and get a drink. Johnny opened one canteen and handed it to JJ first. She took a deep drink and used her forearm to wipe away the water from her mouth before handing it back to Johnny. "Beautiful view," she observed, "how can anyone think this all happened by mere chance?" Johnny moved towards her and casually draped his arm over her shoulders.
"Seems planned to me too, I was taught the world was made by God or The Great Spirit." He paused and pointed, "I love it especially if mist is hanging over that small clearing over there. I have a couple of good pictures of that I need to show you sometime." He smiled and hugged her to his side and kissed the top of her head. They stood there a bit longer. Johnny turned to her and said casually, "Oh, I think these are yours," and then promptly pulled the back of her shirt out from her body and dropped three little, brittle, pine cones with paper thin spines down the back of her shirt. They rolled down her back and since her shirt was tucked in lodged right at the waist of her jeans. He patted them so they crunched into a million pieces and smiled sweetly at her.
JJ huffed out a breath of surprise and then broke into a huge grin. "I didn't think you felt them. You're a sneak, John Gage."
"Takes one to know one JaneLee Jamison!" retorted Johnny. She reached back and pulled out the tail of her blouse in the back and shook out the crumbs before tucking it back while they snickered.
"Truce?" she said as he leaned into him.
He put his arm around her, "Sure, as long as you behave yourself."
"Um, I'll try, but no promises," she answered and winked at him. Johnny smiled broadly. She was such a pill. He gently pulled her into an embrace and kissed her, but this time it wasn't nearly as sweet and soft as the night before had been. They pulled back both flushed.
The next portion of the trail was steeper and narrow in places so they walked hand in hand where they could and otherwise he allowed her to go first and followed. None of this portion was dangerous, so Johnny didn't feel the need to go first. They spied a family of raccoons peeking out of a group of pine trees and later stopped to admire a small group of deer down below them in a clearing. He snapped pictures of both and then they watched with Johnny's arms encircling her waist and her pulled back resting her body against his.
It was noon when they had finished the second third of the hike and off to one side was a shady area with the ground covered with a blanket of pine needles, leaves and was near a stream of running water. They decided to eat their sandwiches and finished up the water in both canteens. He had brought tablets to treat the water so he refilled the canteens and they added in tablets to purify the water. Both sat down with their backs against a tree to eat their apples. Johnny finished his and tossed the apple core toward a bold chipmunk. They chortled as it tried to stuff the entire core into its cheeks and he snapped a few photos. JJ chewed her bite and swallowed. "Johnny, how did you ever learn about all this outdoor stuff? You know my dad taught Max and me, but with you losing your family at such a young age….."
Johnny stiffened a bit. Here it comes he thought. I will have to bring up the reservation and my American Indian past. He had not always had a good result when it came up and it made him uneasy.
She noticed and quickly added, "You don't have to say, I was just curious…" JJ wondered why he was suddenly upset.
John took a deep, shaky breath and blew it out. "Well, I grew up on a reservation in northern California and my family spent loads of time outdoors even when I was very young. They both liked the out of doors plus Dad wanted me to learn about my culture and the natural world is a big part of that. My dad was white and my mom was Indian. I guess after their deaths, I continued to learn more because I wanted to and it connected me to them in some way." There, he thought, it's out. He steeled himself for a less than positive response or a guarded one. This was one area John shared little about, his heritage. Even with Roy, he sometimes felt a disconnect between them on this subject. He wasn't sure if it was really there or just him. However, JJ surprised him.
"Really, that is pretty awesome. I come from such a mixed background; I don't have the advantage of a cultural heritage. I haven't had a lot of contact with the Indian culture directly, but I am intrigued by it, I admit." JJ didn't ask which tribe. She could sense his defensiveness and didn't want to put him off. "But, I imagine it may have been kinda rough for you. I mean I know how mixed marriages and children of those parents are often viewed now so back then…... Were you hassled as a kid?" She turned to look at him with concern in her eyes.
John was speechless for a minute. He decided to open up. "Well, yeah I heard a lot of 'half-breed' and really neither group were very accepting. My parents were great, but when they died in the wreck, it was pretty bad, I guess." He stopped and then added, "Being an American Indian isn't viewed as a good thing, you know. School was often torture."
JJ leaned against him. Ah she thought, I see. People are so cruel. She was angry at what he must have endured and continued to deal with. Johnny always seemed so confident and easy around people. "Well, some people must not enjoy syrup on their pancakes or a lazy nap in a hammock. Plus seeing someone's heritage as bad is just petty and well, ignorant."
Johnny pulled back in surprise. "How do you know about syrup and hammocks? I mean most whites don't." He colored and was mortified to have referred to her as a white. He despised the whole race hassle and he'd just committed the very sin he detested in others. "Um, sorry, that didn't come out right."
She punched him on the arm. "Bad Johnny," she scolded lightly and then continued mildly. "I've read a lot of background over a multitude of topics when I've researched for my novels. I actually learned about American Indians when I was still writing trashy romance novels. Lots of those are set in the Wild West you know. I am a fount of trivia, some which is helpful and some which is useless," she shrugged as she finished. She rested up against him and ran her hand through his hair distractedly. "So that's where you get your black hair, huh? It's so thick and soft."
They sat in silence for a bit and he tipped up her face and kissed her. When he pulled back, she leaned in and kissed him again. They broke apart. "You really don't mind I am half Indian?" Johnny persisted. "I mean I still have people say things. Dating an 'injun' isn't necessarily harmless, you know."
JJ tweaked his nose and replied earnestly, "Last time I checked I was dating John Gage. He just happens to be a bit of a rascal, a firefighter, an outdoors man, and part Indian. People can deal with that or, frankly they can…well, go to hell." He raised his eyebrows in surprise at her profanity. It wasn't usually part of her vocabulary, well at least in conversation. He'd noted a little in some of her novels, for sure. She turned his face around with her hands and ran her thumbs over his cheekbones. She leaned in and kissed him, fingering her hands through his hair, pulling him harder against her mouth. Johnny's hands slipped over her sides and to her back. Their kisses deepened and meandered to necks and back up again. The chipmunk had plenty of time to chew the core in half, make two trips to retrieve both parts and then to sneak over and snatch JJ's apple that had fallen out of her hand forgotten. Finally Johnny pulled back and placed a finger on her mouth when she leaned in for more. JJ stuck out her lip in a mock pout and smiled against his finger. He pulled her back to him in a hug and she placed her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating in his chest, the rate fast and strong. They stayed under that tree for quite a while, not talking just close and slowly their breathing relaxed again. Johnny played with a lock of her hair and she closed her eyes for a bit. JJ then spoke against his chest, her voice a bit muffled, "You know Johnny that picture book should be about your background. You know a children's book featuring American Indian characters. A positive take about things like traditions and just showing, well, life events using American Indian characters instead of or along with whites."
Johnny answered, "I like that idea." He rested his cheek against the top of her head his own emotions swirling. Johnny sat up, cupped his hands around her face and then laid her back against the tree. He stared into her eyes running the tips of his fingers over her face gently before he leaned in and kissed her with the passion of a man who realizes he is falling in love with a woman.