I hadn't expected to receive the invitation to go with my brothers and father. However, the circumstances left him with little choice in the matter. With Mary and my mother gone that left no one at home to watch me. I was still much too young to be left home alone for a whole weekend on my own. That meant either I was going with them or Sean or my father would have to stay behind to watch me. My father would never keep Sean back from a trip like this just to watch his little sister, so that left him with only himself. The boys were looking forward to the trip with my dad and in the end he caved in. Now the three of us stood waiting the parking lot of our local church where the troop met for their meetings.
I had spent the last day and a half packing for the trip. My mother had gone to the trouble to make sure that every detail had been covered. Even though I had quite a bit of experience camping so far in my life she didn't trust me to only my own judgment on things. I had two large duffle bags packed with probably twice the number of clothes that I needed. Rain gear, but spray, sunscreen 3 hats and an assortment of other things to cover everything I might encounter. I even had a winter hat and waterproof mittens. Even if I was little, my mother was a little over concerned for the middle of July. I was going to be staying in a large family tent with my father and possibly one or both of my brothers. It was a huge one we used sometimes when we went camping without the family camper and it could easily sleep 8 people. Most of the other boys in the troop were going to be sharing tents in pairs with each other as the troop had provided them. My dad had packed my sleeping bag along with a pillow and a couple of blankets for me to use.
I had packed a few other things that would be necessary for the trip as well. Originally I wanted to bring my game boy but I soon learned that wasn't allowed. The only battery powered thing I was allowed was my flashlight. I had also packed my life jacket as we were going canoeing. My dad was still a little unsure about letting me on the water, but I was hoping he would give the matter some consideration. Of course I had smuggled a few pieces of rope along in case I got bored. Most of these guys including my brothers were pretty good with knots. My recent experience had taught me that much. Any way you sliced it, the whole weekend looked promising and I was very excited to be part of it. I always missed my brothers when they went camping on these trips, and I was finally getting to go. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
It was a beautiful July morning as we exited the car and stepped onto the warm pavement. It was a very warm day outside, but a pleasant one none the less. A perfect day for camping. I was well dressed for the day as I exited our minivan and headed around to the rear. I was wearing a pink t-shirt and a set of cotton shorts to match it. I also had on a set of those clear plastic sandals, the fisherman stile with the little t-bar and a back strap. Finally, I was wearing a light blue baseball hat and a more than healthy dose of sunscreen. I had chosen the outfit purposefully for the trip down and the canoeing. I had gone with shorts and over a dress because both my car harness and my life jacket contained a strap between the legs and my mother didn't want any complications with the matter. My father popped the back door of the van and began to had each of my brothers a few bags to haul over to the vehicle we would be taking down for the trip. I approached him and asked if I could help.
My father just smiled and handed me one of his duffle bags and told me to follow my brothers. Surprisingly, his was much lighter than my own which, he shifted onto his own shoulders. With the first load of gear secured, he and I followed in suit as we hiked across the parking lot to where the old school bus sat. I guess to say that the bus really wasn't all that old. It was a couple of years old, but nothing on it suggested it to be an antique or anything. The troop had purchased it a year or two earlier when our school retired it from the fleet for newer buses. Still, it was in good repair and running shape. The four of us circled around to the back of the bus where several of the other boys were loading gear into the back of the bus. The back 4 seats in each row had been removed and the empty space was being packed with gear from floor to ceiling. The troop used it to transport their gear and the whole group going camping when they went on smaller trips like this. Anyway, this was going to be exciting, this was the first time I would be riding a bus and not going to school.
I got in line behind the other boys and waited for our turn to load the gear. As the line moved and I reached the rear of the bus, I was surprised to see Brandon from the meeting waiting at the back door to take our gear. "Well, look whose here. I am glad that you could make it." He offered with a smile as he looked down from the back of the bus at me. I said nothing and just smiled back as I passed the bag I was carrying up to him. My brothers, father and I made a couple of more trips back to the van before we emptied it completely into the back of the bus. The whole loading process took quite a while to conduct. It was still pretty early in the morning as the canoe sit was a good three hours away from here on a place called the Mohican river I believe. It's a tourist attraction in southern Ohio and offers a fun canoeing experience at a modest level of skill and price. Our group consisted of a dozen boys, Scott's patrol as well as a few other boys who were coming along for the trip. Sean was included in that tally as well. There were also 3 adults going with us besides my father for a total of 4. All of us except my dad were taking the bus down. He would be following us down in his van incase we needed a second vehicle for anything.
With the gear packed, I followed my father and Sean back to the van. We were getting ready to depart soon and I as going to be riding down with my father. When we arrived, my father looked over at Sean and nodded then he looked down and addressed me. "You know Jen, I have been thinking about it all the way down here and you can go with your brothers on the bus if you want to. Or, you can come ride down with me as we originally planned either one is fine." I looked up at him with quite a bit of surprise originally he and my mother had forbidden the idea when I first inquired about it. He smiled, "I know you want to go with the rest of the group and I am okay with that. You have to wear your vest and mind your older brother though. Also, don't tell your mom she would probably have my head if she found out about it." My father finished as he winked towards me. I winked back sealing our deal about the secret and went to gather my vest harness and it's mount from the car. I was really excited about the whole idea and with Sean's help we were heading back towards the bus in a few minutes later.
My dad was always less protective of me than my mother, but he still cared for my well being. Sean and I arrived at the bus door that had been left open. I had my harness vest all scooped up in my arms with the seat mount as the two of us boarded the bus. One of the dads greeted us as the two of us boarded. The boys had finished loading the gear and they were waiting to get the go ahead to load themselves up. Sean explained that the adults wanted to give him a chance to get me settled before everyone else got on and the trip got under way. I followed my brother down the isle towards the rear of the bus. He was carrying a huge wad of seatbelts with him as well. When we reached the last two seats that were still in tact, Sean turned and dumped his load on the seat on the right side of the bus. Then he reached down and took my seat mount from me and set himself to work on the matter.
He began by sliding the front of the seat forward and wrapped the seat mount for my vest harness around the back of the seat. It took him a minute or two, but afterwards he set the mount into place and started to adjust it to the proper height for me. He had quite a bit of experience installing these between all our family vehicles’ and on the school bus he rode to school himself. After he finished settling my seat mount into place next to the window seat, my brother started attaching a second one to the seat next to me. There were still plenty of empty seats on the bus that each of the adults ridding could have their own seat and only a few of the boys would have to sit two to a seat. Sean had already decided that I wouldn't be sitting alone and he was installing the second seat mount for Scott to use his vest next to me. Once the second seat mount was in place, Sean pushed the bottom of the seat back into place and checked the back to make sure everything was tight. He had chosen the last seat because the seat behind us would have to be empty because the bus had no seat belts on it. The seat mounts had a buckle on the back of the seat that secured them and we didn't want anybody flying into them if something did happen on the way down.
Once the two seat mounts were in place, Sean helped me into the vest part of my harness. It had a belt that went around my waist, two shoulder straps and another belt that went around under my armpits. Everything came together in the back and closed securely with a zipper. Once the vest was on, the shoulder straps could be adjusted for a snug fit and it attached to 4 clips on the seat mount with D-rings on the hips and on the tops of the shoulders. (There are several other stories on my site that describe it better and there are even a couple of pictures available if anyone wants to see what one of these look like.) Finally, there was a fatex buckle that threaded between my legs and attached to the front and back of the harness making a crotch strap to tighten it down. Once I was secured, Sean deposited the other two vests on the seat next to me an began installing another mount across the way from me. It was for him. My parents had bought him a vest when they got one for me and Scott the year before. He worked the mount into place and they set about getting on his own harness vest.
Sean's vest was the same as mine except it was obviously larger in size and was a different color than mine. It also lacked the between the leg strap that my model had. However, it was still pretty secure and would keep him safe and snug for the ride down. The camping gear and luggage had finished loading and the other boys were starting to get on the old school bus through the front door. We would be leaving in a few minutes, and I could hardly wait. This was going to be an exciting weekend. I loved camping, and I finally got to go along on one of the trips with my brothers' scout troop. Which up to this point had been pretty much an off limits topic. However, under the circumstances my dad didn't have a whole lot of choice if he wanted to come along also with no one to watch me. Here, the other members of the group were just finishing up and Sean and I were already strapped in and ready to go. My mother made me wear the vest harness on the school bus, not that I minded. She had spent a lot of money on it and the school was more than happy to let me use it. So, I was pretty used to wearing it on the way to school.
Sean and Scott followed this pattern of behavior as well. Sean was old enough that he had a free choice in the matter, Scott didn't. The remainder of the scouts and leaders climbed aboard and started finding their seats. Sean had been kind enough to give me the window seat so I could watch the scenery on the way down. I had brought a book, but I still wasn't all that avid of a reader at my age and I would soon get bored with it. As the boys boarded the bus, I began to worry that I would have to give up my seat. Normally, on the bus ride to school, I rode towards the very front of the bus and the older kids rode towards the back of the bus. However, this time no one really said anything about it. The Scouts each found a seat in turn and the other two adults that the driver occupied the front two seats. Sean was probably the second or third oldest scout on the trip anyway and there wasn't a big demand for the seat. As the group filed onto the bus my brother Scott and the boy who introduced himself as Brandon at the meeting came together one after the other.
The two of them came to the back of the bus without much hesitation. "Hey Sean, is there anywhere open where we can sit together? Brandon just got a new video game that we want to discuss." (don't remember which one) My older brother looked at Scott and just shook his head. "There is an open seat right there, for Brandon, but I want you to sit next to Jennifer. I saved you a seat and set up the mount for you and everything. I want both of you where I can keep an eye on you for the ride down." Scott took a few steps forward followed by his new friend and both of them looked down in the seat where I was sitting. The look on Scott's face changed drastically. Originally he looked pretty happy with the way the day was going. Some how I don't he had being harnessed next to his sister on the scout bus figured very well into his plans. Scott looked across the isle at Sean and addressed him in a rude tone. "Oh come on, it's bad enough I have to wear that stupid thing on the school bus and at home. Do I really have to use a harness here too. I thought Scouting and these trips were supposed to be fun. . . . "
Scott laid into my older brother without much hesitation and rattled off a few more statements. Sean was in no mood for the argument and soon the two of them started exchanging thoughts on the matter. Neither of them really raised their voice above speaking, but I could tell by their tone that neither of them wanted to compromise. Scott was picking this battle carefully, if Sean got one of the adults involved he would probably win. My younger older brother didn't share the same enthusiasm that Sean and I did for being harnessed, but he put up with it because it was a loosing battle. Sean gave him the argument that he had gone to all the trouble to set the seat up for him and he was just following Dad's orders. However, the argument ended in a rather unexpected way. "You know Scott, if you don't want to use your seat belt, do you think that I could?" My brothers stopped their bickering and looked over at Brandon whose interlude was unexpected.
"It's just, that you don't seem to want to use it and I am a little nervous about riding without seatbelts on a bus like this. I didn't want to say anything since it was yours, but if you don't want to use it I thought maybe I could." Sean and Scott turned away from Brandon and looked at each other and then back at the other young scout. "I could sit next to your little sister and you could sit next to your brother across the isle from me and we could talk that way." Scott nodded and looked back at Sean for a final approval on the decision. My eldest brother just rolled his eyes and finally said fine to the whole idea. He was tired of arguing and it put the matter to bed. Scott walked over to the seat where I was sitting and looked down at me. "Is that okay with you Jennifer? I know you just met Brandon the other night, but we are good friends. I just want to make sure that you are comfortable sitting next to him. Sean and I will be right across the isle if you need anything."
I replied that was fine with me and the Scott set to work. He began setting the vest part of the harness around Brandon. They were roughly the same age and build, so only a few minor adjustments were needed for a secure fit. With that in place, Brandon took a seat next to me on the bus and Scott showed him how to secure the vest to the seat mount. Finally once everything was secured Scott crossed the isle and sat down next to Sean. The adults began to take roll call a few minutes later making sure that they had everyone on the bus and that we were ready to go. Everyone yelled here or present as their names were called out. With everyone and everything accounted for, the driver turned the key and the rickety old bus began to pull away from the church towards our destination. It would be close to a 3 hour long ride to get down to where we were supposed to go camping, but it was going to seem a lot longer to me especially.
The trip started out pretty casual. Most of the boys were talking, and Brandon and my brother were no exception. Scott had opened the windows to let some breeze in on such a hot day. Between all the noise and the wind, it was a little loud to read on the way down. However, I made an effort at it anyway and we watched as the day moved forward. Scott and Brandon talked about video games for a good 20 or 30 minutes while we rolled through traffic. I gave up reading after about 10 minutes and just shifted my gaze out of the window at the passing view. This was going to be the longest bus ride I had ever been on and I was looking forward to it. All of the sudden, my attention was distracted by Brandon who was looking over at me from where he was sitting. "Sorry, I didn’t' t mean to disturb you." He offered as a quaint apology for the interruption. I looked over. Sean was looking out the second window and Scott was reading a magazine he had brought for the ride down. I looked at Brandon who was a little bored at the moment. At least I had the window to look out. I decided to be polite and return his conversation.
I offered a greeting and told him that it was no bother if he wanted to talk a little bit. He responded in a quiet tone again. "I am sorry, I was just curious what those little loops around your arms on the harness are. Mine doesn't have one and I was wondering what they were for." I looked down at the two loops of seat belt that circled my upper arms a few inches above the elbow. They were part of my harness when I wore it at home and I had put them on without thinking twice about them. I thought about how to respond for a moment and decided just to go with the straight forward truth of the matter. "They're upper arm restraints. My mother got them for my harness a couple of months ago. They are meant to make it harder to move my arms when I am riding in the car." I explained. Brandon asked a question. "Why would you want to have those on you?" "Oh, these are nothing, I have a set of straps that can completely tie my hands to my sides and even a set of things for my feet kind of like seat belt hand cuffs. My mom got them for me when I she got me the harness, these just make it a little more secure."
The conversation headed forward and Brandon offered a few guesses as to why I would have something like that. He thought maybe it was to make me behave in the back seat of the car or something, but of course he was dead wrong. I decided to go into my family's little history and explained about the games that I played with my brothers at home. How being tied up was just a fun little activity that I liked. The car restraints were just an extension of that, and it also gave my mother a more peaceful driving experience by avoiding sibling rivalries. Brandon listened to my explanation and took it in almost as a fairy tale. He looked over at Scott who looked up for a moment and confirmed what I already said. Sean reaffirmed the matter further and that let Brandon looking back at me with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief on his face. He really didn't know how to respond to the whole matter it was a little far out for him. Finally, something came to him that he could use to probe the situation. "No wonder you didn't put up much of a fight when they tried to tie you up at the meeting. You must really like being tied up."
I averted his stared and looked shyly down at my feet. I was wearing a smile but I was a little embarrassed. After another moment I looked up and nodded not being able form the words. "Hey, it's ok. I know it's a little weird, but it really isn't a big deal or anything. I have wondered quite a bit what it would be like to be tied up or tie somebody up. But, I never had anyone to do it to me. Well, not anyone I would have the courage to ask." With the ice on the subject broken and now melting away, I decied to pick up the conversation a little more. "I have been all tied up quite a few times. It is a lot of fun and it is kind of relaxing. It is going to be a long ride down to the canoeing trip, I could tie you up if you want to for the way down." I looked over at Scott and the hip pouch he always wore when he went camping. "Hey brother do you have any rope with you?" Scott nodded and opened his fanny pack removing two coils of white rope from it. He handed them across the isle into Brandon’s waiting hands. The boy took them, but his face returned to a look of concern. "I don't know, I am still don't know about this." Brandon offered. His voice was long drawn and nervous. "Well, if you don't want to be tied up, then you could tie me up if you want to. Besides you could use the practice with your knots." I offered closing my eyes with a warm smile.
Brandon sat on the edge of the seat holding onto the coil of rope preparing to put it to use. I nodded and turned my back to the young scout. At least to the point that the harness would allow me to move my upper body. It kept me held in place rather rigidly, but it was still comfortable for riding in and allowed me a little bit of movement. After another moment or two of hesitation, Brandon finally worked up the courage to get started with the process of binding my hands.
First, he began by pulling my wrists together behind my back and put them parallel to each other. Next, he took one end of the rope and tied a single loop knot around my left wrist to secure the end of the rope. Then he began to make several horizontal turns around both of my wrists trying to secure them together. It took him a few minutes because he wanted to make sure that he was doing it right. Scott watched from across the isle and offered some advice to my captor. Still, Brandon was doing okay on his own.
Once he finished the first few loops around my wrists, he began to wrap the rope vertically in between them. This was to cinches the tie down securely and make sure I couldn't escape. This wasn't his idea all on his own, Scott gave him some coaching and he was doing a pretty good job of making sure that my hands were secured snuggly behind my back. Finally, Brandon finished the cinches behind my back and knotted the rope off with a square knot to secure the lashing. "There we go, that should do it." Brandon commented as he sat back and admired his handiwork as I tried to fathom an escape attempt.
I began to struggle and attempt to free myself from the ropes. A tugged my arms against each other and attempted to leverage my way free. However, the ropes held pretty good, especially for a first timer like Brandon. I pulled against the ropes and tried to free myself, but it quickly proved a futile effort. However, I continued to struggle allowing my captor and chance to examine the tie in action. After a few more minutes of struggling, I leached forward as far as I could and brought my bound hands to the middle of my back and then scootched back against the seat.
Brandon looked over at me with a broad grin and a look of complete satisfaction on his face he could easily tell that his tie was secure and that I couldn't free myself easily. I just sat back and enjoyed the situation. I was on a bus with my brother's going both camping and canoeing with a group that normally didn't cater to my gender. To make things even better, I was sitting here tied up and strapped in completely helpless and I was enjoying every minute of it. Things couldn’t have been much going any better for me at the movement and I was having a great time. I spent the next hour or so looking out the window at the passing scenery. There really wasn't much else to do under the current circumstances. Brandon and Scott picked up with their conversation where it left off and pretty much left me to my own devices. It gave me some time to relax and thing on the matter.
"Hey, how long do you want to stay tied up anyway?" I looked over at the boy riding next to me at decided to address his question. I watched Brandon for a minute before I gave him an answer. He was tugging a little bit on his harness and trying to readjust it for a more comfortable fit. I guess he wasn't as used to using one as me and my brother were. I was more at ease with the situation even with my hands tied behind my back.
Normally, I would have been content to stay tied up for the whole ride down. However, I made the decision to let the tie up go early. I didn't want to let on just how into this kind of stuff that I was, at least not yet. I offered that I had been tied up enough and was ready to be let go if Brandon was willing to untie me. The young scout nodded and began working the knots that secured my hands free. It was a slower process than it would have been for one of my brothers, but after a few minutes I was finally free. I took a moment and worked some circulation back into my hands before thanking Brandon for my freedom. He nodded and told me that I would have to tie him up the next time. I responded that turn about is fair play and that I would take him up on his offer before the weekend was over.
I believe that I am going to conclude this portion of the story here. We finished the bus ride and got to where we went canoeing . I got to ride in a boat with my dad and my brother Sean. However, there wasn't another tie up experience for the rest of the day and that is a lot of ground to cover. There were a couple of other incidents that I want to report on. I only got tied up one more time that weekend, but I wasn't the only designated victim as it was. Brandon and a few of the other boys got to share in my little games, but that is another story. Sorry for taking so long to get this posted. I have been rather busy as of late. My life is coming back together and I am finding myself without much time to write my stories out at the moment. It may be some time before the next post. I just need a couple of weeks to get everything back in order and then I should be back in action. Anyway I hope everyone liked the story and I will start on the next part when I get around to it. Take care, Jennifer.