You will find short stories on this site. Most are autobiographical. Some are fiction.

A NIGHT IN ALBUQUERQUE

I had not planned to stop in Albuquerque on my bus trip across the USA. It was certainly not one of the great American cities that I had set out to visit. While it was not planned, the night spent there was more memorable than the time I spent in any of the other cities on my tour. The events that led to that experience started as the Greyhound bus departed Los Angeles. On that bus, sitting by herself, was a young woman, approximately my age. I was 27. She may have been four years younger. As the bus was getting underway, I asked if I could sit in the empty seat next to her. She said nothing but smiled and nodded. I introduced myself. She replied, “My name is Samantha Erickson.” We talked as the bus rumbled across the afternoon deserts of California and Arizona. She was going to Cincinnati. I was going to Denver. Through our long conversation, we developed an interest in one another. For me, it was more like a fondness for one another. I lamented that as our bus approached Albuquerque that we would soon be boarding separate buses and never meet again. After thinking about that for a few minutes, I suggested that “We could interrupt our trips and spend the night together.” She smiled, as if she was contemplating it, but she said nothing. We continued to talk about other things. As the bus was pulling into the station in Albuquerque, I leaned over and said, almost in a whisper, “We could spend the night together.” I was surprised and delighted to hear her quietly say “ok”.

This prospect was amazing; it was something I had never done, and while she didn’t say as much, I am sure that the same was true for her. She suggested that I would need to buy condoms. “Wow!” I thought, “This is going to be a great night.” We got off the bus and went to the first drugstore we could find. We then located an old hotel near the bus station and booked a room as Mr. and Mrs. Lundy. After dropping our things in the room, we walked to a restaurant for a late dinner. After dinner, we returned to the hotel room. We decided that after a long day on the bus, it would be good to take a shower together. The shower, in the hotel, was in a tiled room. It easily accommodated both of us with space to spare. While washing each other, I tried to convince her to have intercourse in the shower. She was not willing. I had thought that after her wanting me to buy condoms, this kind of thing would be part of the evenings’ pleasurable experiences. She expressed concern that if I were to “become excited and too active, she could become pregnant.” I offered to sit on the shower floor then she could squat down on me. That way, I could not become “too active” and she would be in control. She agreed to try it.

I sat on the warm, wet tile floor and leaned back against the wall. She knelt, straddling me with a knee on each side of my waist. Then Samantha slowly sat back. We slid together smoothly until she was sitting upright on me. We fit so beautifully. It was wonderful. She paused there for a moment as we each savored our union. Then, slowly, she rose into a kneeling position and stood. Saying nothing, she walked into the bedroom while toweling off. I got up and pursued her, but to no avail. It is as if that brief experience was all that she wanted. She got into bed and turned away from me. Though I snuggled against her back, she was unresponsive. She said, “I’m tired. I want to go to sleep.” This was the death knell for any additional pleasure. I gave up, rolled over to face the other direction, and fell asleep. It was after midnight when I was jolted awake by pulsing pain in my penis. As I awakened, I realized that the cause of my pain was Samantha. She had a tight grip on it and was jerking it. I loudly protested, saying, “What are you doing?” She recoiled at my reaction and turned away. We both went back to sleep.

In the morning, we got up and dressed with minimal conversation. Neither of us mentioned the night before. We walked to her bus, which was leaving before mine. She boarded and sat in a window seat so she could see me standing on the boarding platform. As her bus pulled out of the station, through the darkened window, she waved goodbye, forever.