Wolf

Even amongst the shadows of the tree line, the creature appears blacker than the forest - a mere fleeting glimpse of a shadow lurking within the shadows. It has been many years since I hunted for deer in these woods as a child with my father, and the demands of my career don’t allow for much time in the outdoors. My communion with nature ended long ago, and my natural senses and instincts have been severely blunted. But there can be no mistake about what I just saw dashing through the tree line - it was a wolf. Contrary to popular belief, the old-timers will tell you that on rare occasions a wolf will pass through the area.

A soft, gentle hand touches my face and turns my gaze away from the forest. “Jim? Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“It’s nothing, Karen. I was lost in an old memory, that’s all.”

She is a beautiful girl and way out of my league. Under the proper circumstances, a middle=aged loser like me can defy the convention of men dating down and women dating up.

Her baby starts to cry. She lays back on the picnic blanket and pulls down the top of her sheer yellow dress. She isn’t wearing a bra. Good girl. She presses the baby’s mouth to her engorged nipple and whimpers lightly. Clearly in the throes of ecstasy, she turns her head towards me as the baby nurses. “Thank you for being so understanding about the baby. I know it’s our first date and this must be terribly awkward for you.”

I barely hear a word she says, as I was glamoured by her milk dripping out of the baby’s little red mouth and down the side of her exposed breast. That should be my mouth. I wonder what her reaction will be when I suck her breast dry and call her Mommy. “I don’t mind. It must be a tough situation for you. I’m happy to help any way that I can. You can count on me”

Translation: I better get laid at the end of this date for dealing with your dumpster fire life.

Surely a single mom who is willing to date with a baby is expected to put out, right?

Fucking slut.

Like I said, under the proper circumstances, a guy like me can find himself dating up rather significantly.

“Jim, did you see where the dog went?”

“I don’t see why you had to bring along your dog.”

“It’s not my dog, it’s my boyfriend’s - sorry, ex-boyfriend. I can’t afford to board it.”

I know exactly where the dog went - straight into the tree line where I saw the wolf. Karen slides towards me and puts her head in my lap. “Jim, is there any way you could adopt the dog for a while?” And there it is! The veil has been lifted, and there can be no denying it now. I need a slut and she needs a sugar daddy, and we are both happy to continue playing this game.

“I didn’t see which direction the dog went. I’m sure it will come back in a minute. Maybe it followed our scent back to the car.”

The baby cries and she shifts it to her other nipple. The used nipple is so swollen that one bite of my teeth would surely break the skin. I slide my hand up the side of her used breast, no longer engorged but still fat with motherhood. I lick her spilled milk from my fingers, and she looks up at me from my lap with wet eyes and pouting lips. She moans lightly and closes her eyes as I massage her used breast with one hand.

In a sudden moment of realization, she sits up and pulls her dress up over her breasts. As she does, the bottom of her dress slips up a bit too far and I can see that her panties are soaked. She sees where my eyes have gone and she puts an embarrassed hand between her thighs.

“I’m sorry. My hormones are out of control since I had the baby. I feel overwhelmed with an insatiable lust, sometimes to the point that I cry and convulse all night.” She wraps the baby in a blanket and hands it to me. “Would you mind holding him for a minute? I need to go pee.”

Before I can object, the baby is in my arms and she is bounding away from me through the tall grass. Barefoot, slender legs, linen dress blowing in the breeze, fat but firm breasts bouncing with each leap. She tortures me with little glimpses of her youthful ass barely covered by her vulnerable pink panties.

She’s so far out of my league.

I lose sight of her as she breeches the tree line. The baby starts to cry. I set it aside in the tall grass and give it the pacifier.

I’ll be damned if I am going to hold some Chad’s baby.

The minutes tick by - normally at first, but then slower and slower. I stand and hold my hands above my eyes to shield them from the sun while I scan the tree line.

It’s been over an hour since she left. The baby is asleep.

After two hours, I pack up the picnic and tussle the flattened grass to hide any sign of our date. The baby cries for the entire hike back to the car.

The sun is setting, the air is beginning to chill. I start the engine and run the heater for a few minutes. The baby has stopped crying, but it is squirming and anxious. It will be hungry soon.

It is dark now. No sign of the dog or the girl. I try the cell phone, but I’m outside of the service area. I pop the trunk and grab the miniature travel flashlight out of the Dollar Store emergency kit that my paranoid ex-wife bought for me. I stand in the middle of the road, ready to flag down any passing cars who might be able to help.

But on the way out here, we drove along this road for an hour and didn’t pass a single car.

Something must be done.

If I don’t take action, there will be many unanswerable questions.

I have to go back to the picnic spot.

In the dark.

With the…wolf.

I tighten the blanket around the baby and cover its head to shield it from the cool, early-spring air. There is no moon tonight. The forest is as black and opaque as oil. Slowly, methodically, and as silently as possible, I use the flashlight to pick my way through the forest. I find the field where we had the picnic.

Something must be done.

If I don’t take action, there will be many unanswerable questions.

I lay the baby in the grass where the picnic blanket had been hours before. It begins to cry, louder and more desperately than before. I turn away from the baby, as does the flashlight. I leave the baby behind in the darkness and walk methodically to the tree line. I stop to listen. Behind me, in the oily blackness, the baby continues to wail. I stand motionless and hold my breath. I listen for the padding of paws (either dog or wolf), the rustling of leaves, a screaming girl, or snapping twigs.

Tree frogs and crickets but the forest is silent otherwise.

Minutes tick by, slower than ever. I still don’t hear anything in the forest. I’m too terrified to yell Karen’s name. I need to stay hidden.

Far behind me, the baby’s anxious cries abruptly turn to intense cries of pain. I shine the flashlight, but I’m too far away too see anything. I can barely see what is ten feet in front of me with this ridiculous miniature flashlight. I turn back to the forest and walk as quickly as I can back to the car, recklessly pushing through branches and briers. I start the car and turn on the dome light. My hands are slashed from the frantic hike, and in the rear view mirror, I see that my face is none the better.

Something must be done…

… and something was done.

There will be no questions now.

I roll down the window, light a cigarette, and drive back to the city.