Lost In The Wilderness: What Guys And Girls Want 3 Mary Speaking: It is the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks and my next-door neighbor, who lost two relatives that day, is commemorating this with a barbeque. My child Madeline and parents are visiting him while Danny is in his room. I am at the living room, where the TV is set to the ceremony in Manhattan, playing with my Barbie dolls (I love them a lot and dyed my hair blonde six months prior because of that) when dad comes in with a sealed envelope and utters, �Mary, you got mail from Lincoln High School. Didn�t you just graduate from there?� �Yes, I wonder what they want from me,� I tell him as I take the envelope and open it up. A letter is inside and I read it out loud, �Dear alumni, we are so proud you have finally graduated from our school and are pursuing your dreams for the future. As a reward for your achievements, we invite you and one guest on a one-day hike on September 20 to Cold Springs, New York with our hiking club. Planned activities include meeting the town�s residents, exploring the mountains and rivers, and watching wild animals in their natural habitat. This hike is free, but if you want to go, you must contact Diana Dikovsky by September 17th and let her know the name of your guest if you plan to bring one. Her telephone number is below. Sincerely, Principal Ari Hoogenboom.� �Oh will you please let me go daddy?� I beg him as mom enters the room with Madeline. �But sweetie, I thought you're scared of strangers, foreign places, and animals,� he says. �Well, I do know Mrs. Dikovsky along with a few of the club members and would like to see them again. Also, hiking is adventurous and great exercise,� I tell him, �so can I please go?!� I give the letter to mom and ask, �Mommy, can you convince daddy to allow me to go on this trip?� Dad says, �Just hold on,� to me before shouting for Danny to come down and he does. �Mary wants to go hiking with several of her high school friends next Saturday and Abby [my mommy] and I are allowing it,� he tells him, �but you have to go with her to keep her safe.� �Hiking? Never,� Danny says and dad tells me, �You may not go unless he does as well.� �What? Please come!� I tell Danny, but he still refuses and I ask, �Why not?� �I am not a big hiking fan,� he responds and mom tells him, �You are letting Mary down. She really wants to go and while Drew [my father] and I are okay with it, we do not want anything to happen to her.� �Too bad,� Danny says to her, �Mary will just have to get somebody else to go with her.� He walks back upstairs and my parents are about to go after him, but I stop them and say, �Wait, it is all right. I will get him to come on this hike,� before going up into Danny�s bedroom. I find him sitting on the bed playing with his Nintendo DS, but before I can even open my mouth, he orders me to leave. As I am about to, however, an idea pops into my head. I shove him down, go on top of him, take his game console, and angrily say, �I am very disappointed at you!� He asks, �How come?� and I reply, �Do you know why you moved in here? It was so you could help me take care of Madeline and show my parents that I have found someone who can be here when I need him. In return, we got you a nice job like we said we would, but my parents are keeping us here because you have not made your end of the deal since we met almost a year ago! This trip, though, is your chance to do that and I promise it will be fun, so can you please come?� Danny freezes before saying, �Okay, I will come,� and I give him a hug and kiss and say, �Thanks I promise you will not regret it,� before getting off of him and happily leaving his room. The day of the trip finally arrives. At 8:00 a.m., Danny and I, with all of our trekking gear in our bags, meet the rest of the group coming, led by Mrs. Dikovsky and Mr. Lee Majmin, at the Ocean Parkway subway stop. While waiting on the platform for a Manhattan-bound Q train, I am saying hi and talking to some of the students when I notice Danny speaking on his cell phone. He closes it and puts it in his coat just before I walk up to him and ask, �Who were you chatting to?� �Alicia,� he tells me, �I told her and Annabel about our hike and they both wish us well.� I spend most of the ride on the subway and Metro-North sleeping in Danny�s arms. When we finally arrive at our destination, he asks me, �Mary, are your parents very protective of you?� �Um, I guess you can say that,� I answer him, �why do you ask?� �While you were asleep, they called like 15 times to check on you,� he says, �No offense, but though I do understand how much they love you as you are their only child now that your big brother has moved out, I think them being too attached to you is why you act like a 10-year-old.� �You are correct,� I tell him, �Now do you know why I needed you to come on this trip?� �Yeah and hopefully, your parents will finally let us move out after this trip,� he tells me. We hike along the hills outside of Cold Springs for half an hour before stopping at a field to watch a peaceful herd of deer. Mrs. Dikovsky had warned earlier us to not disturb any animals we see. I squint at some point and noticing this, Danny says, �Please put on your glasses,� to me. �But they make me look like a geek,� I tell him and he replies, �Oh just do it!� I put them on before noticing Caitlin taking out a camera. I do not say anything because I figure an innocent picture will not cause any harm, but Mr. Majmin freaks out when he sees what she is about to do. �Caitlin, NO!!� he screams, but she presses the shutter and the flash goes off. It scares the deer, causing them to act insane. Within seconds, they start charging toward us, forcing us to run. As we approach a fork in the path minutes later, I shout to Danny, �Which way should we go?!?� �Just close your eyes and turn whichever way you choose!!� he shouts and I listen to him. The other group members say a few things, but I am unable to hear them because the deer are too loud. When I open my eyes, I notice that everyone except Danny is not with me anymore, but the deer are still chasing us. �Over there!!� Danny shouts while pointing at a tree to our right. He grabs me, runs to the tree, and we hide behind it while the deer pass. After getting out, I view around and, being completely unfamiliar with this area, ask Danny, �Where are we now?� �I do not know,� he tells me as he takes out a map from his bag and carefully examines it. �Our location is not on this,� he says before frustratingly putting it away. He takes out his cell and tries to make a call, but then says, �I do not have any signals on this, what about yours?� I take out my phone, but it is useless as well. I begin to worry, cry a bit, and clutch myself to Danny while uttering, �We are absolutely lost without any way to get help. What will we do?� Danny wraps his arm around me, wipes the tears from the eyes, and says, �It will be okay I promise, but we cannot just stand around and do nothing. We need to find a way back to town.� �Right and we also should look for the other students,� I tell him while blowing my nose. We begin moving and realize the tree we were hiding at is part of a forest that starts a few meters down. Not having much choice, we enter it, but Danny tells me to not make any turns and keep walking straight so that we can easily turn around and head back to where we were before if we have to. I shed tears out of fear several times and Danny clutches me close to him for comfort like I am his child, but I notice him trying to hold back tears of his own at one point and ask why. �I am not holding back anything,� he says and I respond, �Yes you are. Do not lie to me.� �Okay, I admit I am trying not to cry, but it is because I got to be strong and protect you,� he says and I tell him, �Well that does not mean you should hide your emotions Danny. I can tell you are also scared right now and that is just okay. I know the stereotypes on men, you cannot be weak or cry and do not need anybody�s help or else you are not �manly,� but I totally disagree. If you need help, get help. If you have to cry, please do so, and if you are not strong, it is fine, and I know you are a sensitive person who is not tough and cries easily. That is what I like about you.� �Really?� he asks and I give him a kiss while saying, �Yes, but we have to keep moving.� He releases his tears and we continue through the forest for nearly two more hours before finding a house and though surprised by it, are relieved, hoping whoever lives inside can help us. Danny knocks on the front door a few times before shouting, �Hello. Is anyone in there?� Nobody answers, so he walks me around the left side of the house. We peak through each window we pass and see furniture and appliances inside, but no people. When we reach the back, though, Danny touches the screen door, which reveals that it is unlocked, much to our confusion. We go inside and Danny looks at the kitchen around us before telling me, �I will examine the living and dining rooms. Check out the bed and bathrooms Mary, but do not touch anything.� I do exactly what he says and see that the two bedrooms and one restroom contain typical appliances like a bed, desks, lamps, tub, and sink and have been fully cleaned of dirt and grime. I meet up with Danny in the dining room and he says, �This house is definitely not abandoned, but I wonder where the people who live here are right now and why the rear door was left unlocked.� �Did you try calling for help?� I ask and he replies, �Yes, but the phone service is down.� Danny and I then look at our cell phones and to my curiosity, neither of them still has any signal. Danny then notices seven frames sitting on the top of a nearby fireplace. We walk up to it and see they have pictures of an elderly couple, so we assume they live here, but are on vacation. �Mary, I like to remain here until they [the couple] return,� Danny says, �Hopefully, they can help us get back to Cold Springs. I swear that I will not damage anything while we are here.� �What? We cannot do that! This house is not ours! That is called trespassing!!� I tell him. �We have no choice,� he replies, �If you have any other ideas, I would like to hear them.� �I guess I do not, but are you not scared the couple will believe we are bad people and not be friendly to us?� I ask and he replies, �I am not since your attractiveness and innocent look will doubtlessly convince them that we are lost and need help fast.� �Okay, let�s stay then,� I tell him. That evening, Danny is in the main bedroom reading a magazine when I come in and ask, �Can you give me a bath?� Stunned, he replies, �What did you just ask me?� and I utter, �I asked if you can give me a bath Danny.� He asks, �How old are you? Why do you need me to do that?� �If you seriously want to know, I was never taught how to take one by myself,� I tell him, �My parents gave me a bath every night since I was a baby. You probably did not notice because you were either asleep or not at home when that happens. They will not let me learn many things on my own since they love me too much. I hope to alter that when I move out because I know if I do not, I will not be a good mother to my daughter, but for now, can you please give me a bath?� �Fine, but your parents are strange I have to say,� he says and I tell him, �Yeah I know.� We go to the bathroom with me in front. I untie my robe and let it fall to the floor. Since I had nothing underneath, I know that Danny is admiring me from behind. I sit in the already-filled bathtub and he sprays me with water from the showerhead before putting some liquid soap on his hands and rubbing it across my body. I realize he is bypassing my unmentionables and tell him it is okay and that I want him to touch me. He puts his fingers inside me and it feels so good, I give him a huge kiss. He sprays me with the showerhead once again as I playfully splash in the water. When we are done, I get out of the tub and dry myself with a towel. Danny is about to put my robe on me, but I stop him. We stare at one another with our hearts pounding loudly. I set my arms around his neck while he puts his hands on my hips and buttocks. We share a kiss before he kisses my neck down to my genitals. Then I place him face-up on the floor and lie on top of him. �Do you know why I am still naked?� I ask. Blushing, he says, �No I do not, how come?� �When I undressed before, I knew you were checking me out from behind. I would not be very happy normally, but you are a nice person and I know you enjoy seeing girls like this.� I tell him, �You have proven you love me and can absolutely convince my parents to let us live on our own, so this is your guerdon for that and to show how mature I can be when I am not with them.� We kiss each other for a few more seconds before I place him tight under my chest in joy. By evening, Danny continues giving me a bath before we cuddle and sleep together in the master bedroom. Sometimes, he fondles my naked body while I am asleep, but I do not mind. By day, he does to me what he claims Alicia did to him after they were trapped in the P.S.209 fallout shelter last year, cheering me up and always keeping me close to him. We play with whatever we have with us to keep busy, including my Barbie dolls as well as Danny�s hand-held video games. Every day, Danny and I hope for the elderly couple who lives here to return, but that does not happen after four days. Turning impatient, I start to panic and yell, �I want to go home now!� and a few similar phrases before wrecking the house with a small baseball bat. When Danny tries to calm me down, I strike him several times with it before storming out screeching like a maniac. With my clothing slightly tattered, I wound up on a hillside road and a white sedan nearly runs me down. After it stops, the occupants get out and they are my parents, Alicia, and Annabel. �Mary! Are you okay sweetheart?!� dad asks as he runs up to me and gives me a big hug. After I tell him that I am fine, mom cries and utters, �Darling, we have been searching for you and Danny ever since the hiking group you two were with came back from their trek without either of you. They said you were separated from them after getting chased by deer. Is that true?� �Yes, it is. After we got lost, Danny and I walked around for hours before finding a house in the middle of the forest. The rear door was unlocked, so we went inside and found nobody, but the place was not empty and there were pictures of an elderly couple. We spent the past few days there knowing they live in it, but they never came back, causing me to go insane today and attack Danny before running out and ending up here. Please, you have to take me back there!� I tell her. �Can you show us the way?� Alicia asks and I say, �Yes.� I am taken into the car and dad turns on the engine and drives off. When we arrive at the house, Annabel says, �Hey, I know this place. Nadia�s grandparents reside here, but they are seeing her in Ukraine right now and will not return until Tuesday.� This shocks me, but then Annabel asks, �Mary, did you say that when you first got here, the back door was not locked?� I tell her, �Yes I did,� and she says, �Nadia told me they usually forget easy things like doing that before leaving home, but she does not know why.� �That is bad, but we have to get Danny!� I yell before all of us get out of the car and enter the house. We look all over the place, but cannot find him, though all of our things are still where they were before I left. Danny must have gone to look for me and could be lost in the forest now. He was quite injured after I attacked him, so I tell everyone he could not have went far. We leave the house with all of our items, lock and turn off everything, and start our search for him on foot. Mom soon yells, �I found him!!� and when we arrive at her location, Danny is cuddled to a tree crying and bleeding greatly. �Mary, are you hurt?� he asks as he tries to get up, but cannot. I say, �No, but you are, so hold still,� as I sit next to him. I then strip off my shirt (my dad and mom try to stop me, but Alicia holds them back) and tightly wrap it around his waist to cease the bleeding before clenching him to my comfy bra and tearfully caressing my hands across him. I say, �Danny, I am so sorry for attacking you, but everything will be okay now,� as I kiss him, �I love you.� Alicia walks up to me and utters, �He needs help. We have to get out of here.� She and I lift Danny to his feet and walk him to the car before dad drives us off the forest. Annabel Speaking: Danny is taken to a medical center in Cold Springs and released after eight days. Seeing how she survived four days in the wilderness with him, Mary�s parents finally believe he can protect their daughter and permit them to move out. However, he himself seems to need some protection and they request that Alicia and I live with them to ensure that. We ask our families if we can and they allow it. Mary takes Madeline with her and we rent an apartment of a complex in Coney Island that Nadia�s relatives own. With help from loved ones, Danny and Mary start their first semester at Brooklyn College in Spring 2010 while Alicia and I get full-time jobs.
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