Page 96 of Sass in the Grass

“Hi Coach,” Alan said. “How’s the hunting?”

“I think we can release you all soon. The agents are here, following up, but they don’t see hide nor hair of our mountain lioness.”

“That’s good,” Kathy said. “That was frightening. Jovian told us all about it.”

“He did good.”

Jovian preened over that. “I was amazing, wasn’t I?”

“God,” Mike groaned. “Yes, I’m sure you were quite the warrior!”

“I would be, if he’d have let me keep the knives.”

“What knives?” Alan asked.

Cherokee walked off, laughing, as Jovian told that part of the story. “He was going to go by himself, totally spitting on all he told us about staying with a buddy!”

“Jovian, he lives here,” Mike said. “He knows how to deal with wild animals, but I still think you did well, you know, going with him.”

“Just because he’s this big, tough hunter guy, it doesn’t negate the fact he’s got someone now and he can’t run around, playing with lions and tigers and bears.”

“Oh my,” the three of them said in unison.

“You’re all droll!”

Besides the basket class, which he barely knew he was in, while he was coordinating the people helping him, he had survival class, but Cherokee cut it short. The time in the Mess Hall while the mountain lion was watched killed a lot of the day.

Jovian begged off staying with Cherokee that night, being he was still busy speaking to everyone, and Cherokee understood his need to stay with his friends.

They were all on their phones that night, and Jovian was glad there were some bars between them, although they had to walk around Cabin C to get reception at times.

With the rain that fell, however, just before seven that evening, the reception was gone and they grouped on Jovian’s bunk, notebooks and phones, taking notes.

“Okay, Lonnie and Travis have a bunch of friends in Denver that will help decorate before, get out leaflets and then help clean up after. He also has some friends that live in Denver that are or used to be in the…film arts, if you will.”

“Filma arts?” Mike asked.

“Porn,” Alan said, laughing. “I guess that means porn.”

“It’s a legitimate business,” Jovian defended.

“Oh, I know that it was your description that made me laugh.”

“You’re unfunny,” he said then dove back into the notes. “Okay, so we have entertainment to draw in the crowds!”

Mike stopped him by asking, “Wait, do you know who?”

“Oh, the porn people?”

“Yes, Jovian, the porn people.”

“Oh! Well, there are two that were before my time, of course, though I have seen one now and then.” He looked through his notes for the first name. “Mack Irons, that’s the really old one.”

“Jovian, god, that’s mean,” Mike said. “And Mack Irons? Talk about hot daddies!”

“Right! I grew up watching his old clips online. Who else?”

“Dirty Duke.”

---