Take the path

The longer Jen looked at the clearing the less certain she got. It was difficult to tell from where she stood but it seemed there could be some sizable gaps between the patches of tall grass. If a car was moving fast she was worried she might get caught between spots of cover. It might be even more sparse once the road started to curve to the right and into the clearing. Looking again to the east, Jen knew she could walk through the strip of trees to get back to the trail. She made up her mind and started heading back to the main trail.

The dog park was now firmly to her south. She glanced over but couldn’t see through enough trees to tell if the reader was still parked at the bench or not. Not that it felt like it mattered much, it was pretty unlikely that the woman would cut through the woods herself to get somewhere, assuming she even had to go north in the first place.

It was a short enough trek through the trees to get back to the trail but Jen still felt herself getting annoyed at having to take so many detours. She could only focus on getting her clothes back, getting dressed and going home. Walking through the main trail resulted in hiding more often than she’d hoped and she wasn’t certain if she’d managed to actually save any time at all. Then cutting around the dog park to stay out of sight- obviously the right choice since she’d be in an unobstructed view of the reader, but another delay. Now not being certain that the clearing was a safe path to take. A slight zigzag pattern was far from the quickest way to the parking lot.

Soon Jen walked far enough that she could just begin to see the main trail up through the trees. She slowed her pace to keep an eye out for any people. Her luck held and she saw and heard no one. Anxious to stop walking on rocks and sticks, she resumed her initial stride and soon reached the end of the tree line.

After a short pause behind a large trunk to make sure the coast was still clear, Jen stepped out of the trees and onto the path. She stayed near the trees, knowing it was likely she would need to dive back into cover at least once. The concrete biting into her heels with each step wasn’t comfortable but much better than her soft feet being poked by rocks. She was surprised that she hadn’t cut her foot by now. Regardless, she walked as quickly as she felt safe, casting her eyes left and right and listening intently for any sounds besides that of the chirping birds overhead.

The path arced to the right ahead of her. Jen followed it around, glad to see that there was no one still in sight. She finally felt some relief as she could start making good time towards her goal again. Her stride sped up a hair more. She was able to start ignoring the rough concrete below her feet but felt a light bounce in her unclad butt with each step. She tried to ignore this as well, but the thought of someone coming into view behind her and seeing her few pounds of extra padding back there rebounding in rhythm coursed through her mind. She glanced back and saw that she was around the path’s curve. She knew the chances of her hearing someone before they got a visual of her were decent. Regardless she slowed just enough to stop the bounce.

Another minute through her embarrassing journey her ears pricked up at a familiar humming sound coming from behind her. Without looking she immediately cut off the path and into the trees. She passed two thin trees before reaching one that she could safely hide behind. She put the wide trunk between her and the path and pressed flat against the bark, just like she had before when the dog walker had come along. This time she didn’t dare to look around the side of the tree, trusting her ears to tell her when it was clear again. Soon the unseen bicycle rider whirred past her at a quick speed. She let the noise fade back into silence, waited ten seconds and returned to the trail.

The path curved back left. As Jen made the turn she saw the park entrance up ahead, with the parking lot just outside. The trail had straightened now, the entrance leaving an open line of sight directly to her nude body. Choosing to be cautious , she stepped back off the trail in case anyone turned onto the sidewalk, straight towards her.

She returned to her careful stepping through the woods, watching for large rocks and sticks and weaving around the trees. As she meandered closer to the parking lot she could hear noise ahead, a light thumping sound. Her pace eased off as she drew closer and she became furtive about making any sounds once again.

Reaching the edge of the clearing she saw what was making the noise. A man in his late 20’s was setting a bicycle onto a rack mounted to the rear of his Jeep. She realized that he must have been the cyclist who unknowingly sped by her mere moments ago, finished with his ride and preparing to leave. From the tree line Jen watched as he finished putting the bike onto the mount and strapping it in place. As he approached the door Jen took two steps to the next tree ahead of her, looking for any other signs of people. Soon he started the Jeep and drove away. Jen reached the last trees blocking her from view and looked around.

The parking lot was deserted of people, two SUV’s, two cars and Jen’s sedan parked here and there across the blacktop. Almost directly to her left, Jen could see the trash can Eve promised to leave her clothes, it’s metal meshing painted a shiny forest green. Directly in front of her was her car. As badly as she wanted to collect her clothes, she knew the car was closer and dashing to it would leave her exposed much more briefly.

Without a second though she dipped around the tree in front of her and sprinted madly for her car. Her head turned wildly as she ran, looking for any signs of people and for approaching cars on the street east of her. She paused only long enough to snag her key from atop the tire, triggered the unlock button and dived into the driver’s seat. Slamming the door beside her, Jen looked around once more while she started the car.

Driving to the trash can took a matter of seconds once the car was running. Jen kept a wary eye towards the park entrance, half expecting to see someone emerge from the trail the second the felt safe. No one came. Quickly opening the door, Jen placed one foot onto the blacktop and plunged her hand into the trash can. Immediately she felt a plastic bag and heaved it out. A momentary glance confirmed it was the right bag, jeans and sandals visible through the thin plastic. She fell back into the driver’s seat and closed the door again.

Practically tearing the bag open, Jen dumped the contents onto the passenger seat next to her. The first thing she grabbed was her bra- no one would be able to see her lower half unless they got close to the car. If she could cover this much she would be reasonably safe from a distance, and if someone started to walk towards her she could always drive away and find another place to get dressed.

Once her bra was fastened and the straps in place over her shoulders she torqued in her car seat to lean forward and to the side of the steering wheel with her panties in hand. She was able to quickly put her left foot through the leg hole but working blind make it tricky to get the right foot in as fast. Soon she had them in place though and tugged them up over her knees, her thighs and then her hips. Her shirt came next, far easier to put on than her underwear had been. Pulling it down over her head and the hem to her waist, she turned her attention towards her jeans. This resulted in more blind work, contorting around the steering wheel to try to reach as far as she could. The long denim legs made the task trickier than her underwear had been- next time Eve makes me walk I’m wearing shorts- but she bunched the fabric up around her ankles until her feet popped through the holes, then struggled the pants past the car seat and into place. Once she’d zipped them and fastened the button, dropping her sandals onto the car floor and slipping her feet inside was simple.

She took one last look around and upon seeing no one, Jen took a deep breath before shifting the car. She began to accelerate lightly and looked forward to getting home.