FSE

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April 1952

“Lester said to look for a dirt road with a mailbox that has three red reflectors on it," said Roy.

Sarah laughed, “So we're going from a gravel road to a dirt road. What next? Mud? Wait! I think I see it!"

Sure enough, the mailbox was there on the left as advertised. Roy turned his car onto the one-lane road. “I hope we don't meet up with somebody coming from the opposite direction," said the bear.

“Who else could possibly be this far outside of Duluth?" wondered Sarah.

The visitors bounced across the washboard ruts crossing the so-called road for nearly a quarter mile. Roy swerved once to avoid a feral squirrel who dashed across the road in front of them. Finally, the trees opened up and the road emerged into a clearing that surrounded the home of Lester and Lydia Moore.

The geodesic dome looked every bit like a half-buried soccer ball painted a pleasing shade of green. Gravel had been poured to form a driveway from the point where the road came out of the trees to a more traditional box-shaped garage. A battered, wartime International Harvester pickup truck was parked in front of the garage. Roy parked his Ford next to the pickup and killed the car's engine. Bear and lynx stepped out of the vehicle, stretching with relief after the long drive.

The front door of the dome opened. Lydia Moore waddled out faster than Roy thought possible for such a stout female.

“Eeeee!" the beaver squealed with delight. “Sarah, it's so good to see you again!"

Roy smiled broadly at the female reunion taking place at his side, then looked up to see his old Army pal step outside.

“Hey, you found us," said Lester as he extended a paw in greeting.

“Well, I had a good navigator with me," said Roy as he squeezed Lester's hand.

Lester peered around his bulky friend and grinned. “Sarah Sarah Carrara! It's a good thing you came along to show this bear the way. I'm going to have to tell you about this one time Roy got lost in Italy."

Roy went on the defensive. “I wasn't 'lost' exactly," he said.

Lester continued, “I mean this village had a half dozen streets at most."

“There were lots more than that," said Roy. “They were narrow and winding. There was no way to tell what direction you were facing."

“You boys!" interrupted Lydia with a hug to the big bear. “You can tell us your Army stories over dinner."

Roy returned the embrace while trying to avoid staring down at Lydia's huge breasts. “Dinner sounds fantastic," he said, thankful for the change of subject. “Just let me get our bags." Roy managed to wriggle out of Lydia's friendly grasp and retrieved the suitcases from the trunk of the car.

The beaver couple led the way into their home. “Just park your bags over here at the foot of the stairs," said Lester. “You can take them up later. Dinner is just about ready. Make yourselves at home." Their host gestured toward the living room where Roy and Sarah collapsed side by side on a large, comfortable sofa.

“Can I get you two anything?" offered Lydia. “Maybe some lemonade?"

“Lemonade sounds wonderful," said Sarah.

“Fantastic," Roy agreed.

The beavers disappeared into their kitchen. Sarah turned to Roy and quietly asked, “When are you going to tell them we aren't married?"

“Not yet," Roy winked. “Let Lester have his fun, Sarah Carrara."

*

The main course for dinner was manicotti stuffed with spinach. Roy was pleasantly surprised to find that it rivaled his mother's home cooking and he said so.

“Oh, thank you so much, Roy!" Lydia beamed. “That's a wonderful compliment coming from a real Italian like yourself."

“Well, Lester is an honorary Italian after all our time over there," said the big bear. “Even if Lester didn't find himself an Italian wife, he's got the next best thing."

“Even better! Lydia has everything I need," Lester asserted as he leered openly at his wife. Lydia turned to her husband and the two beavers kissed noisily around their huge incisors. Roy felt his cheeks getting warm and he rolled his eyes skyward.

“I bet Sarah Carrara is a great cook," said Lester.

“After working around food in the diner all day," said Sarah, “cooking is the last thing on my mind." The lynx reached over to pat Roy's paw. “Roy is actually the better cook, so I leave it up to him when we don't dine out. What about you, Lester? Do you cook?"

“Lydia and I have a deal," said Lester, licking his lips. “I bring home the bacon and she tenderizes my meat."

Roy, who was in the midst of taking a drink, exploded in a fit of coughing. Sarah patted the large male on his back.

*

After dinner, the boys helped clear the table, then stepped out into the back yard while the ladies took on the dishwashing duties. As the two friends strolled past a maple tree with low hanging branches, the big rodent snapped off the end of a small branch and began gnawing on it. They stopped and turned to look back at Lester's handiwork.

“You know," Roy said, “I was skeptical when you told me you were building a dome. But it turned out really nice."

“Thanks, buddy," said the beaver. “I read about them in a trade magazine and decided instantly that I wanted one. It wasn't all that hard to build and the floor plan is all my own."

“I thought it would be weird having walls that slanted in on you," said Roy, “but it's not like I imagined."

“You haven't seen the upstairs yet," said Lester. “It's a lot more noticeable up there, but you get used to it."

Roy laughed, “I half expected to find nothing but a bunch of sticks in a big pile, looking like a wild beaver lodge."

“I actually thought of covering the outside with branches like that, to make it look a little more rustic." The beaver spat out a splinter of wood. “But Lydia wanted it to look like a 'real' house. So I gave in. Gotta keep the ladies happy, eh?" Lester nudged Roy with an elbow.

The patio door opened and Sarah called out, “Come on in, boys. Lydia and I decided that we want to play cards tonight."

The males stepped back inside. “What are we playing?" asked Lester.

“Pinochle," Lydia answered.

“Aww, really?" Lester sounded disappointed.

“What did you want to play?" asked Roy.

Lester raised his eyebrows and looked at Sarah through his thick eyeglasses. He ran his tongue around his lips and replied, “I was thinking strip poker."

*

The evening began with Roy and Sarah playing as partners against their hosts. Although it was some years since Roy last played pinochle, he quickly fell into a groove and they managed to beat the home team. After that, the foursome switched partners with the females soundly defeating the boys.

When they grew tired of the game, the party moved back into the living room. Lester brought out a bottle of wine to share while they all chatted.

Roy and Sarah sat on the couch and clinked their wine glasses together. “Who put the 'cat' in Catawba?" Sarah asked.

“You did," chuckled Roy.

“I did!" laughed Sarah.

Roy leaned close to the lady lynx and whispered in her ear, “Who put the 'peen' in pinochle?"

Sarah burst out laughing, nearly spilling her drink. “You did?" she asked.

Roy leaned close again and said quietly, “Not yet, but I'm planning on it." The bear let out a guffaw.

“Hey, hey, hey!" Lester demanded, “What are you two talking about over there? No whispering!"

*

The hour was late by the time the conversation died down. With a wide yawn, Roy suggested that it might be time to turn in for the night.

“Sure thing, buddy," said Lester, “just follow me."

Roy picked up the suitcases from where he'd left them at the bottom of the stairs and followed his host to the second floor.

“Bedroom is right in here," Lester motioned for Roy to enter ahead of him.

Roy stopped short and blinked. The room was a large one and contained two double beds. The one on the left was unmade and strewn with beaver-sized clothing. The one on the right was neat and tidy as if it had never been slept in.

“Lester, is this your room?" asked the bear.

“Yeah," said the beaver. “Technically there is another bedroom up here. Lydia has been using it as her office. It's got a lot of crap in it right now. Tax season, you know."

At that moment, Sarah entered the room.

“Oh!" the lynx gasped with surprise. “Are we sharing?"

“Now that you mention it," said Lester, “we could push the beds together."

Roy turned to Sarah with a look of amusement and said to his companion, “Yes, Dear. Shall we push the beds together?"

Sarah objected emphatically, “No, no! I think this arrangement is just fine."

Lester didn't catch the near-panic in Sarah's voice. “Just pipe up if you change your mind," he said. “Bathroom is through that door. You two can go ahead and use it first. I'm going to go back downstairs and see if Lyddie needs a hand cleaning up."

Sarah took her pajamas from her suitcase and disappeared into the bathroom. The bear was sitting alone in the room when she returned.

“Which side of the bed do you want?" asked Roy as he gathered up his own pajamas and headed for the bathroom.

“I think the side farthest from Lester and Lydia," replied the cat, “if you don't mind."

*

Roy woke to the sound of loud slurping noises. He was feeling groggy with exhaustion after the long trip and from the wine he drank after dinner. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. By then his eyes were open and he found himself lying on his side, staring over at Lester and Lydia's bed. Light from the full moon streamed through the dome's oddly slanted windows to illuminate the scene.

Lester's pajamas had been discarded and the male beaver was on his hand paws and knees. His naked bottom half poked out from under the covers, revealing far more than Roy cared to see. Conversely, only Lydia's upper half was showing. Her pajama top was completely unbuttoned, allowing her oversized breasts to spill out into view. The female beaver's eyes were closed but her mouth hung open as she lay on her back, making soft squeaking sounds of rodent ecstasy. Roy was relieved that the bed clothes hid the oral activity that was clearly taking place between the visible beaver halves.

“Roy?" a soft voice whispered in the bear's ear. He rolled over, needing to look somewhere, anywhere else but at Lester's exposed lower half. Sarah's eyes were wide open and her voice was barely audible. “Roy, are they?…"

“Shhhh," said Roy as softly as he could. “Don't look. Just… believe me, you don't want to look…"

More slurping and squeaking sounds from the other bed wafted over on the night air along with the pungent scent of beaver musk.

“This weekend is turning into a nightmare," whispered Roy.

The bed shook as Sarah suppressed a giggle. “It's no nightmare. I'm pretty sure all four of us are awake right now," she whispered back.

In vain, Roy pulled his pillow over his ears to muffle the sounds of rodent lovemaking.