The Sauna Part 69

Jon pulled in the driveway moments after I did and I was inside changing my clothes. I heard the back door and assumed the guys were back and I hurried to fasten my jeans and say Hello to Richie.

“Babe? I’m home” I heard Jon call out.

“In here, love. I’m just changing my clothes” I called back.

Jon strode into the bedroom and swept me into a warm embrace. I melted against him and noticed his wet hair.

“So you went to Zoar? Wasn’t the water awfully cold for swimming?” I wondered, thinking it was always too cold for me except in the dead of summer.

“Hell yeah” he said. “I missed you, baby.”

“I’m glad to be home. I left early as I was anxious to get home and see Richie too. You guys must be starving, I’ll get something started as soon as I say hi to Richie” I offered.

“Uhm, about that. Richie’s still at Zoar” he said, averting his eyes.

“Oh no! What happened? Is he lost? Did you get separated?” I said, starting to panic.

“Not exactly, but it’s okay. Don’t worry, doll. Richie met some girls there” he said sheepishly.

“He what?” I asked, astounded.

Jon went on to describe what happened. When he’d finished the tale, I was still a little surprised and not sure what to say. Jon sounded like he was okay with it, but he looked a little hurt. I was disappointed not to see Richie too. And I was less sure than Jon that “jumping back on the horse” was necessarily the best thing.

“I know, I know, but I didn’t know what else to say. The girls were waiting for an answer and he’s a grown up, dammit! What was I supposed to do?” he said irritably.

“Jon, I’m sorry. I wasn’t blaming you. I’m disappointed too” I soothed.

“I know, Trish. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snipe at you; I’m just annoyed with Richie sometimes. He never learns. He didn’t need to come all the way out here from California to find some bimbo to screw. Shit.” he apologized.

I wasn’t sure what to say. I agreed, but half wondered if Jon wouldn’t have jumped at the opportunity himself if he was “unattached”, but I knew better than to say what I was thinking. At least not right now. He was hungry and miserable and it wasn’t the time to make that point. And we still needed to figure out what to do with Richie.

“Jon, you’re hungry and so am I. I’ve got an idea. Let’s go out for dinner and we’ll figure it out on a full stomach.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I am hungry. We never ate lunch either. I did see a restaurant in town that looked pretty good, actually” he agreed.

“I know the place. Do you want to change your clothes or have you dried off enough?”

“Let me grab a shirt and comb my hair. I’ll just be a second” he said and I left him to get ready.

“It’s a beautiful night. Why don’t we walk into town?” I suggested, thinking it would help burn off some of the agitation and he nodded, slipping his arm about my waist.

We walked the short distance into town and came to the restaurant, Jamestown Street. Ordinarily busy, it was less crowded than usual since it was a week night and we were seated at a table near the waterfall. The menu had quite a variety, both French and Traditional, and I chose my favorite chicken dish while Jon ordered a steak and the wine.
He glanced at the indoor waterfall and grunted.

“That’s what we were looking for actually. We could hear the sound of the water and followed it, but I was surprised to see so many people there. And I’d forgotten what you told me about the nudists until we saw them” he said thoughtfully.

“A lot of kids go down there during vacation now in the summer, but once school starts, you rarely see anyone during the week”

“We didn’t see any children, but these girls Richie met were teenagers, really. Couldn’t be more than twenty years old, and two of them were sisters. When’s he gonna grow up?” he chided.

“Jon, don’t judge Richie so quickly. We all regress to old habits when we’re hurting. It doesn’t mean that’s the way he is. We can’t all be as mature as you, now, can we?” I said gently, tilting his chin to make him look at me.

“Do I detect a note of sarcasm there, darlin’?” he grinned then.

“Maybe just a little” I admitted.

“I was just hoping that maybe he’d turn his pain into some good songs. We brought the guitar, but never had the chance to use it.”

“There’s always tomorrow. He’ll be here for a bit now” I said sympathetically.

I understood what it was now that was eating him. He felt rejected. His buddy chose a group of bimbos over spending time with him and he was hurt. I wondered at how a man who could have an audience on their knees could be so easily hurt by his friend choosing to just have a little fun for one night.

“Richie loves you, Jon. That’s why he called you when he was hurting and that’s why he came out here. He’s blowing off some steam right now, but I understand how you feel. I was anxious to see him too and like you, I felt bad too. Stay home tomorrow and see what happens” I said, trying to remind him that he needn’t feel insecure about Richie’s affection, but empathizing with his feelings.

“I know you’re right, babe. And it’s not like I’m all alone without Richie anymore. I’ve got you and he doesn’t have anybody but me right now” he said, finally letting it go.

He reached across the table to cover my hand with his just as the waiter arrived with our dinners. We dug in then, feeling more ready to eat now that the hurt was a little less. And Jon turned his attention to other matters.

“I’ve almost finished the book. I was having a little trouble understanding the polytheism part. Can you explain it to me more, or how you see it at least?”

I explained about how we view deity as a universal energy that is a part of all of us and that each of us is a part of the whole and how all energy exists as the force between two opposing poles.

“Male and female, right?” he asked, trying to integrate what he’d read.

“Male and female is just one symbolic way it is expressed. It could be good and evil, or it might be love and aggression, creation and destruction, life and death. There are principles from physics that actually explain it, but think of the opposite poles of a magnet and the energy it creates when they are brought together” I tried to explain, realizing how complicated it really was.

“So male and female are just ways of representing this energy of opposing forces?” he said, thinking about it more now.

“That’s it in a nutshell. It’s not a concept unique to Wicca. Think of yin and yang” I pointed out.

“But why all the different deities then? There’s a whole pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, That’s the part I have trouble with” he shared, still struggling with the concepts.

“Just think of God and Goddess, then, at least for now. The different names only represent particular aspects of each and we use them simply to make the concept of energy more personal and easier to relate to our own experience. All religion is symbolic in order to be more easily interpreted without years of studying” I explained.

“How did you learn all this? You said you weren’t raised this way” he asked.

I laughed then, thinking I’d asked the same questions myself once. I wasn’t even sure if I understood it all as well as it sounded as I’d had no teacher either. I was raised without any real spiritual beliefs, at least none beyond a concept of a supreme being we called God, and so it came easier for me as I was a blank slate, more or less, when I discovered Wicca.

“I’ve read everything I could get my hands on for years and this is how I’ve come to understand it. I won’t say that my interpretation is the only one, or even the right one. It’s what works for me, that’s all.”

“So, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, huh? But you know, that doesn’t put me off like the Catholic school did growing up. I like the individual aspect of this belief system and the fact that there’s no insistence on the “right” way to think about it, or learn it for that matter. Thanks, babe, for opening the door for me. It’s something that’s been missing in my life and I love that I can share this with you” he said simply and I felt the bond between us growing even deeper.

We finished our dinner and Jon was in the mood for dessert. We looked at the menu, but nothing leapt out at either of us, so I suggested ice cream. There was an old-fashioned general store nearby and they were still open. Jon was a sucker for ice cream and he nodded readily at the suggestion.

We strolled back home through the town, licking our cones, and holding hands. A few people recognized me and waived, but no one recognized Jon yet and I was grateful. I was glad we could enjoy the peace and quiet without needing to worry where the next paparazzi would appear and I hoped it would last. The sun was just setting as we reached the house.

“We’ve got the house all to ourselves again, baby. Any thoughts on how to pass the time?” Jon asked.

“I’m sure we’ll come up with something” I smirked as I unlocked the door.