Helitak Daze

Helitak Daze - Chapter 16

Kat made a breakfast of leftovers in her refrigerator. Although Sunday was her day off, it was Michael’s final day of duty before he had to return home to Washington and her son, Mike, had to regroup with his film unit. The CSU team had been given permission to use the Helitak Firebase as their command since they’d be working closely with the various fire fighting groups. She gave them both a hug and kiss as they went out the door. She could feel Michael’s edginess, having to catch a ride with her son; it was not something he had ever foreseen. He wouldn’t tell her what Mike had said to him at the lake. With her son’s crazy sense of humor and outspokenness, she couldn’t imagine how that conversation had gone. She was only glad that Michael seemed to have forgiven her.

Dishes were done in minutes and with no house cleaning to do she faced hours of nothing until the boys returned. Cathy had taken the dog home in case things turned ugly quickly, so she didn’t even have Ridley’s company.  Packing a lunch, she pulled on a pair of jeans and boots. It would be a perfect day to take her motorcycle and check out the forest fires. Her camera and extra batteries were already charged. With her access to the action, she was sure to get some great shots that she might be able to sell. Her son wasn’t the only one with some skill behind the lens.

Back on the road, Mike played with his iPod. “So?”

Michael slanted his eyes towards him. “So, what?”

“Did you have a good night?”

Michael blushed.  “I am not discussing what I did with your Mother, with you.” He said in a slightly grumpy way.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Mike laughed. “Mom’s my Bud, in addition to being Mom. My friend’s in college voted her their MILF, not that I’d ever tell her that, so I’m not blind to her attributes. Did you know you are the first guy she ever brought home? Well, the first one that ever shared her bed anyway. Mom has a soft heart and pretty much adopts everyone in need.”

“So she thinks I’m needy?”

“Needing a great piece of ass I guess.” Mike loved baiting him.

Michael decided to play his game. “You got that right!”

“Hey! That’s my Mom.”

“You asked for it.”

“So I did. Can we be friends?”

“Yeah, you seem to be a pretty decent kid. I like your Mom a lot. I’m hoping to see a lot more of her when this is over. Is she going to be okay, if her cabin doesn’t make it?” Michael asked.

“Mom is always okay. She compartmentalizes things. It’s rare to see her lose it or get overly dramatic. Sometimes, I worry she’ll explode with some of the stuff she keeps inside. This sounds weird, but Mom is a part of nature and as such she will accept it and move on to the next phase in life.”

“Everyone makes Kat sound like a saint around here.” Michael said, thinking out loud.

“Oh no, she is no saint. She has zero tolerance for stupidity and don’t get on her nerves when it’s that time of the month. She actually warns you when she’s PMSing. The guys used to laugh, until they realized she wasn’t joking.”

“The truth comes out. I haven’t met a woman yet that wasn’t a bitch sooner or later.”

Mike slammed on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. “Dude, I will jack you up if you call my Mom a bitch again. One day a month, she cannot tolerate stupid shit from stupid people. I don’t think that’s much to ask. She is one the most level-headed, understanding people you could ever meet. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone at the base.”