Chapter 29 - Ruthie's houseguest

Ruthie was still thinking about her cousin's suggestion when they arrived at her condo building. Ruthie shook Jacob's shoulder to wake him up. As soon as they crawled out of the vehicle and grabbed their backpacks, Vicky drove off.

"They've got a room set up for you on campus, but they're closed. I'll have you sleep over here tonight."

"Sure. Uh... thanks for lettin' me..."

"No problem. It's not like I'm gonna just dump you off somewhere by yourself. Let's get upstairs."

When they entered her unit, Jacob looked around at all the strange stuff that his mentor had on display and hanging on her walls. There were some pictures of her with various relatives, a couple of tourist posters from her trip to Danubia, memorabilia from DSU, and framed high-quality prints from famous eighteenth and nineteenth century European painters portraying naked models. Ruthie would later explain that she felt a real connection to those women of past generations, given her own experience in modeling.

Prominently displayed was a framed copy of her most famous photo, the recruiting poster for DSU that featured her standing next to the ocean and extending her hand to hold the late afternoon sun. That particular image was still the one she was most widely known for, and it could easily be found on the Internet. A search of "Ruthie Burns", "Dan Lakewood", or "DSU recruiting" was likely to have it appear among the top search results.

Jacob was still dazed from exhaustion and having been woken up, so fortunately "pending issues" could wait until the next day. Ruthie told him to take his backpack into the spare room. She explained that he was free to take from whatever was in the refrigerator if he got hungry in the middle of the night. She also told him that she expected him to get cleaned up before going to bed.

"We'll deal with everything tomorrow. We've got a lot of shit to work out. Let's get some sleep first. Vicky got some stuff for breakfast and I'll cook us something if I get up first. When you get cleaned up, put your dirty clothes outside your door and I'll toss 'em in the washing machine."

Jacob picked up his backpack and was about to enter the spare room when Ruthie added:

"Something important to remember, university rules. We aren't 'sposed to be doin' this, havin' you stay with me. So, no mentioning it to anyone, OK?"

As soon as Jacob had shut the door to the guest room, Ruthie took off her clothes and dropped them in the washing machine. She grabbed a plate of vegetables with hummus and took it to her own room, then started her bathwater. She came back out and noted with satisfaction Jacob had left his dirty clothes outside his door, as instructed. She added his stuff to her own clothing and started the washing machine. Then, with her vegetables and dip within reach, she settled in for a well-deserved bath. When she got out, she was enormously relieved her student was so tired from the drive that he had quietly gone to sleep.

Ruthie got up as soon as it was light outside. She had an important decision to make; how she was going to present herself to Jacob. She left her room without bothering to get dressed, went into the kitchen, boiled some water for tea, and dumped some of the chopped fruit into a smaller bowl. She then went outside onto the balcony to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze on her uncovered body. Oh yes. After all those weeks bundled up for the harsh cold of the high desert, it was so nice to be in a much gentler climate.

She suddenly reconsidered and changed her mind. No, better not to start this today. She retreated into her room and got dressed in her usual geologist attire. She logged onto her desktop to exchange emails with Jenkins about several new specimens she wanted him to analyze, most notably the mammal fossil extracted from the post-impact sediment along with leaves buried at the same time. Then she sent some files to Dickerson along with a summary of her most recent field discoveries, and typed a preliminary plan for their lab hours. When Jacob got up, he saw that she was still on the computer, which was what she wanted. Struggling to control her nervous mood, she greeted him with:

"Go get whatever you want out of the fridge for breakfast. Pack yourself a bag for lunch. We got a big day ahead of us and a lot of shit we gotta take care of."

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The first day in Davenport was frenetic. The first stop was at the DSU Housing Department so Jacob could claim his room. Ruthie knew that taking possession of the room was just for show, but she wanted documentation that he was staying on campus and not with her. Their next stop was the Gaviota motor pool lot, where they unloaded the boxes into a warehouse to clear the truck. They drove back to the university with the post-impact mammal fossil, parts of a pre-impact bird that looked like it would be a new species, and several leaf impressions of plants she had not seen during the first part of their dig. Following the usual procedure, she and Jacob deposited the specimens on the table outside Jenkins' office, rang his bell, and walked away. When they looked back, the boxes were gone.

The next stop was Ruthie's desk in the DSU Geology Department graduate office so she could check her e-mails. The most recent e-mail was Dickerson's response to her morning message, which contained several attachments granting access to the Department's testing lab and a release form allowing her to sign out the boxes she had brought from Wyoming in November. The e-mail itself was brief, terse, and to the point.

"Glad you're safely back and that you got Jacob Dumphies settled in. Now, down to business. The Department is very much looking forward to seeing the professional and detailed lab analysis that you will be providing concerning your specimens."

Ruthie took a deep breath. OK, that was not subtle at all. Given what she knew about "Dick-Dick", she could tell his patience was running out. She showed the e-mail to Jacob.

"We gotta really bust our asses. He's telling me to put-up or shut-up."

Ruthie decided to have Jacob draft the next e-mail, formally notifying Dickerson which boxes they planned to unpack and analyze over the next week, complete with an itemized list of the contents. He was nervous, being told to directly communicate with the Chairman. Ruthie felt it was necessary, partly to maximize the credit he'd receive for his part in the project, partly to familiarize him with Department procedures, and partly to make him understand the pressure she was under.

They returned to the DSU storage facility to retrieve their first batch of boxes. Instead of starting with the mammal specimens, Ruthie decided to concentrate on the fossilized bird remains. The students retrieved all of the boxes she thought contained bird remnants, and by the early afternoon they had started running the X-ray to see what was under the surface layers of sediment. Within an hour they came across part of a wing that was not from a bird. It was the forearm and the fingers of a small pterosaur.

"Oh shit. We gotta see if we can find the rest of this, like now. I hope it's not still out on the Mesa."

They went through slabs that Ruthie had identified as adjacent to the one concealing the pterosaur wing. They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find and X-ray samples coming from the same location. Over the next few few hours their efforts were rewarded with a complete foot, two skull fragments, and five vertebrae. To a lay person their findings might not have seemed much, but many species have been identified with much less than what Ruthie and Jacob were working with. They wrote up their findings as best they could, slowed down by the fact the X-rays were revealing additional bird feathers, bone fragments, and aquatic life that also had to be catalogued.

Ruthie reasoned that documenting the discovery of pterosaur remains among the Cascabel Mesa specimens needed to take priority over everything else. It would be the most interesting discovery for other paleontologists, because it provided definitive proof that pterosaurs were still alive on the last day of the Cretaceous. The sediments had a high concentration of tektites, proving the specimen died during the impact. The discovery also provided proof that there were smaller pterosaurs in the area, not just the famous big ones. This one looked like it would have had a wing-span of less than 80 centimeters. Given the animal's relatively small size, she speculated there must have been direct competition between this species and the local birds, a theory which was certain to blow up controversy. Unfortunately, the skull fragments did not include any portion of the jaw, thus leaving open the question of what the pterosaur actually ate.

OK, Dick-Dick, here it is, your first major finding...

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The pterosaur set back Ruthie's plan to complete the initial write-up about the birds they had discovered so far, compounded by the fact they found additional partial remains of a new bird that did not match any of the previous specimens. That meant yet more write-up and another visit to Jenkins. A week went by and they had not even started on their most important finding, the Macrocranion Dumfriesi specimens. She and Jacob worked a frantic schedule of 13-hour days in the lab, with time set aside for eating, walking around the geology building, commuting, and sleep. She insisted on setting aside eight hours for sleep each day, reasoning that with anything less their productivity and attention to detail would suffer. There was no time for anything else.

Jacob fully understood the pressure Ruthie was under. He also understood that the pterosaur discovery had set back the rest of the project's preliminary write-up, but that didn't mean they could afford to shift priority or postpone analysis on the sample specimens Ruthie had already shown to Dickerson. They had to move forward and not deviate from the schedule Ruthie had laid out.

Jacob's feelings towards his mentor had not changed in the least. He longed for her, with the night he held her while watching Zardoz still fresh in his mind. However, increasingly his longing turned into admiration. Her determination and drive inspired him to want to please her, and it was obvious the way to please her was to be of as much assistance to her report as possible. He pushed himself to learn as much about paleontology as he could, forcing himself to acquire a graduate-level familiarity with the field, even though he was only half-way through his sophomore year.

Vicky had invited Ruthie and Jacob to spend Christmas with her family, but Ruthie decided to turn down that invitation. It was awkward enough going to the Sinclairs' house by herself. It seemed obvious having Jacob tag along would be a bit too much, that it might not be a good idea to have her student and her former boyfriend at the same table interacting with each other.

Instead, she decided that they should have their Christmas dinner with her cousin Rosa. Ruthie correctly guessed that Rosa might not have anyone to spend Christmas with, given that she seemed not to have any life outside of the Taller. She used Jacob's truck as a justification to open a conversation with her cousin, setting an appointment on the 24th to have the vehicle inspected for the return trip to Wyoming. Ruthie talked to her cousin and, sure enough, found out that Rosa did not have plans to have dinner with anyone. Instead she had planned to spend the day alone at the Taller, going over financial records, conducting inventory, and getting ready to file taxes for the past year. When Ruthie proposed a dinner with her and her student, Rosa accepted.

Ruthie could tell that Jacob was deeply disappointed that Rosa would be intruding on what he had hoped would be a day he could spend alone with her. She responded:

"Rosa's the only family I got left. And I'm all she's got, other than her business. I kinda do wanna spend some time together."

They celebrated Christmas in the kitchenette of the Taller, eating a large Mexican meal that had been prepared by the wife of one of her mechanics. Rosa set the radio to play Spanish-language Christmas music. While they ate, she told stories about her time in Iraq and antidotes about military life. Jacob's grandfather had served with the Army in Vietnam, so he and Rosa were able to compare notes about how much the Army had changed. They switched over to a discussion about the condition of Jacob's truck and to vehicle repairs in general, largely leaving Ruthie to sit quietly and drift off into her own thoughts.

As Ruthie listened to her cousin go on and on about the Army and vehicle maintenance, she realized how narrowly focused Rosa's interests and perception of life truly were. She definitely did not have any curiosity about bigger issues. Politics, for example, was of no interest to her whatsoever unless it directly impacted the Taller. Her limited attention to public policy was focused on California state regulations that affected local businesses, taxation, and vehicle operations. Her only concern about Fortress America was how Victor Meijer's immigration policies might affect her customers and suppliers. She was totally indifferent about Meijer's corruption, gambling rackets, and use of collection agencies to promote debt-slavery. She didn't care about Burn-It-Down at all, not even after the recent destruction of the Salinas Steinbeck museum. "Not my problem. Don't even know who Steinbeck was."

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Ruthie was pleased that she and Jacob had been in Davenport for over a week without their relationship coming up as an issue. Christmas had come and gone without incident. However, New Year's was going to be a different matter. They would not be able to work on their research at all, not even from Ruthie's apartment, because DSU was shutting down its servers for an end-of-the-year upgrade over December 31 and January 1. That meant a full 48 hours they would be forced to be off-line.

Even though he never brought up the topic during their long hours in the lab or working on their write-up, it remained obvious that Jacob would try to push for the relationship as soon as an opportunity came up. A relationship was not something Ruthie opposed, even though it would violate DSU policy. She had been alone for several years and was tired of it. To be with someone, even a guy half her age, appealed to an inner emotional need that had remained buried ever since Mike married Vicky. And what exactly, did she have in common with Jacob? Well, they had their time together in the field, and their travels around Wyoming. She enjoyed being with him and all their conversations. He was clearly intelligent and as much an intellectual as his upbringing and rural environment would allow. She could reason with herself over all that, but the truth was that she was simply tired of being alone. Seeing her cousin's narrow interests and total lack of companionship drove home that point.

Two days. Two days of mandatory down-time. There would be no more excuses or delays. On the morning of the 31st they'd wake up with nothing to do and nowhere to go. The situation between her and her assistant seemed inevitable, and her only option was to make the best of it, for both their sake. However, she would need to make sure he understood the truth about her. She was able to feel emotionally attached to a man and capable of having sex with a man, but for that type of relationship there were sexual difficulties she had to overcome.

There was also the issue that she was a determined nudist. She was not going to give that up, not for anyone. If there was to be any relationship between her and Jacob, he'd have to accept that she would always be casually naked in his presence, and that most of the time her nudity would have nothing to do with sex. He also needed to know that she would expect him to be naked as well. As far as him seeing her was concerned, she didn't think there would be a problem. He already had see her in the nude twice and had handled it well. But what about him being naked around her? Well, that was the part she'd have to see about.

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On the morning of the 31st, Ruthie checked her DSU account to verify the system had been taken off-line. She went directly from her bed to her desktop, without bothering to get dressed. Sure enough, there was no connection. She turned off her computer, opened her patio door, and leaned on the balcony, staring across the mist-covered ground leading out to the foggy Pacific Ocean. It was slightly chilly, but not too cold to make her uncomfortable. She thought about Cascabel Mesa and the Dumphries' ranch and the icy cold wind that was likely to be sweeping across the dry steppe at this very moment. That morning she was very glad to be in her comfortable condo and gentle weather instead of the hellish high desert. Above everything else, it felt so nice to be quietly standing without anything covering her body.

She contemplated whether she was doing the right thing, casually standing on her balcony in the nude waiting for her partner to wake up. She reasoned with herself: we've got to start somewhere. Might as well get all the nervous shit out of the way. This is who I am and he's gonna have to accept it. And if he can't, better for both of us if we know before we actually start anything.

She heard the door from the spare room open. She turned around and leaned on the railing with her elbows.

"Ruthie... Hey Ruthie... Where are you?"

"I'm out on the balcony."

"The balcony? Outside? You're uhh... naked outside?"

"Yeah. Come out. It's OK. These balconies are totally private. They're set up so no one can see over."

"OK, well, at least you have a nice view of..."

"Jacob, stop. Would you please get undressed?

"Get undressed? Me?"

"Yes. I'm a nudist and that's the rule for my place. No clothes."

"Uh... Alright... Just give me a sec..."

He went back to his room and re-emerged a moment later, appropriately naked, with a very nervous expression. Ruthie noted his pale, lanky, hairy body. Most definitely a turn-off, but as long as he was willing to yield to her most important lifestyle demand, she'd push past her "ick" and give as much of herself as she could.

"That's better. Now you can come out. Don't worry. No one can see you."

He hesitated at the door, staring at her, but totally unsure what to do next. She tilted her head back slightly and smiled, using the same subtle expression that was her trademark when she was modeling. She managed to maintain eye contact. She had sent her signal: it was up to Jacob to make the next move. He approached her and hesitantly put his hands on her shoulders. She move her hands to his back. And, that was it. They had started.

They kissed for a few minutes as he ran his hands down her back and caressed her bottom. She slowly moved her hands up and down his back. Then he knelt and kissed her breasts. She turned around and allowed him to grab her hips and kiss her bottom. She felt he was a bit rough, definitely rougher than Mike had been, but figured that was due to his young age. He certainly was passionate. He also was very hard.

Ruthie took the lead for what happened next. She was enjoying the attention to her body, but she was not aroused. She did not want him actually entering her. She was worried that if things on the balcony went much further, he'd try to force himself inside her. Her body simply wasn't ready for that. Instead, she took his hand and led him to the spare bedroom. She got him to sit on the bed and pushed him on his back onto the mattress. He tried to roll on top of her, but she resisted. She put a fingertip to his lips.

"We're gonna have to do this a certain way. It's the only way it's gonna work. I need you to respect that."

She lay on top of him, caressing his chest and kissing him. She touched his penis, noting it was really hard. She sat up. When he tried to sit up, she lay her hand on his chest and signaled she wanted him to lie back down. She told him to spread his legs so she could massage between his thighs and fondle his testicles. Then she stroked him, starting gently and then squeezing harder. Their first lovemaking was going to be a hand-job. Later he'd understand why it had to be that way.