Harold Fricke shared Tommy's request with his wife as they drove home from church. He wasn't about to do anything that Rita disapproved of, at least not where Tommy was concerned. Especially not since Tommy started calling her Mama Rita. Harold did not worry about the conversation bothering or embarrassing Rita, even though it was about sexual matters. Prim and proper in public, Rita Maude Fricke was a wanton hellion in the privacy of her bedroom.
Rita was not as surprised by Tommy's request as her husband had been. In fact, she had pretty much expected it, although Tommy was asking a little earlier than she had anticipated. She chalked that up to Betty Lou's daughter getting stirred into the mix. She already knew about Tommy's date last night, because Ruth had called her first thing this morning. Ruth's reluctant admission that she was so inexperienced was the one thing that really surprised her. Who would have thought that a liberal peace and love New Yorker would still be a virgin at the age of twenty-six?
Harold had been right to suggest that a woman should teach Tommy all about sex, but that woman sure wasn't going to be Conchita Delgado, no matter how qualified she was. No, the person to teach Tommy needed to be someone who loved him and would be considerate and understanding of his special circumstances. Rita grinned, thinking that she, herself, was the perfect someone. Too bad she was a one man woman. There was someone else, though, that was almost as perfect. She was even pretty sure that Margie Wilcox would not be a bit against the idea, judging by her comments the night of the VFW dinner-dance. All they needed was a plan. She picked up the phone and called Margie to rectify that.
While Rita was on the phone with Margie, Tommy was in Melody's bedroom playing spin the bottle with Melody and Regina. The game was Melody's idea, and she had prepared for it in advance. The game was simple, the person who spun the bottle and the one it landed on went into Melody's closet for three minutes of anything they wanted. The person left out kept the time. Melody had even cleaned off the floor of the closet and thrown down a couple of quilts. Melody and Regina liked the idea because the dark closet would make everyone less inhibited, while the time limit would keep things from getting out of hand. Tommy loved the idea because at least half of the time he was going to be in a dark closet with a pretty and adventuresome girl.
Melody was correct about them being less inhibited in the dark closet. Tommy was aware of that as soon as Melody impatiently pulled him into the closet for the first time. Once inside, she put her lips to his ear and whispered to him.
"Do anything you can think of, Tommy. I'll tell you if I don't like it."
Melody's plan seemed excellent in theory, but the execution turned out to be slightly frustrating, especially for Tommy. See, Melody and Regina, both being girls, at least knew what felt good to them, so they could try it on each other. Tommy did not know what they liked, and clumsily pawed at the girls in the dark closet, and they did not know enough about boys to know what he liked. The next time it was his turn to spin the bottle, he made a suggestion that changed everything.
"Hey, let's do something different. How about if the person the bottle chooses shows me how to make them feel good? That way I'm not just fumbling around."
When the bottle stopped at Melody, she smiled and shivered in excitement. Everything she'd hoped for was coming to pass. She jumped up and shocked the hell out of Tommy and Regina by shucking out of her blouse and skirt to stand proudly naked in front of them.
"This is so much better than getting groped in the backseat of some dork's car," she sighed huskily as she flopped back on her bed.
Tommy went home an hour later, but the girls stayed to 'talk' some more they said. By the time Tommy returned to his room, he was much more familiar with a woman's intimate anatomy, having received a guided tour of both Regina and Melody's nubile young bodies. He was very proud that he had made both of them climax with his fingers, following the instructions they gave him. He was also happy with the orgasms they gave him. It was much better when a pretty girl rubbed one out than when he did it himself.
Harold kept his promise to Tommy Monday afternoon, when things had finally quieted down at the feed store. He did that by driving Tommy over to the Walgreens located in the Brownwood Mall. Tommy wasn't the least bit embarrassed as they stood in front of the contraceptives display, while Harold explained the pros and cons of various means of pregnancy and disease prevention. Tommy was not embarrassed, because he didn't know he should have been. To him, it was the same as Rita helping him pick out a suit.
Surprisingly, it was Rita who finally gave him the lecture on losing one's virginity. She did it because she felt Tommy would do better if he knew what it was like from the woman's perspective. Besides, both Rita and Harold knew Tommy would take whatever Rita told him as the absolute gospel truth.
One unexpected, but very pleasant, result of educating Tommy was a revival of the Fricke's love life. For their age, Rita and Harold would have already been considered very active. With this thing with Tommy going on, they were going at it as if they were teenagers.
Betty Lou Grimes received a telephone call from Margie Wilcox while Tommy was at the library Monday night. Margie was calling to let Betty Lou know that Tommy needed to come in to the medical center for a check-up, since he'd been out of the hospital over six months. Margie said the tests were routine, but necessary. Margie also casually mentioned that Tommy could stay at her place so he would not have to be by himself.
Betty Lou passed the word on to Tommy that night. Margie would be picking him up on Wednesday afternoon, and bringing him back sometime Saturday.
Betty Lou also called Rita and filled her in. Rita smiled when she heard the plan. Margie was a smart and resourceful woman. She was going to be a big asset to McCulloch County, once she was out of the Army and settled here. Margie had signed on to Rita's idea about Tommy's sexual education quickly and completely. The idea of seducing Tommy excited the tall statuesque nurse to no end. Margie's excitement was fueled by equal parts of love and lust.
Betty Lou did not understand why she was so sad about Tommy going to San Antonio. After all, it was only for a few days. But sad she was as she stood by his bed Tuesday night and helped him pack the suitcase on it. Tommy picked up on her somber mood as she packed a shirt neatly into the suitcase. He stepped over behind her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him tightly. This reverse hug was different from any others they had ever shared. She stiffened in his arms then sagged back against him.
"I'm going to miss you," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
He kissed the top of her head and put his lips near her ear.
"I'm going to miss you, too," he said softly. "But I'll be home Saturday."
She nodded and unexpectedly spun around in his encircling arms. Then she shocked both of them by planting a desperately intense kiss on his lips. It was the most forward thing she'd ever done in her sheltered life. When she pulled back and looked at him, a tear was sliding down her cheek.
"You better be, Mister Bledsoe, because I suddenly can't imagine my life without you in it."
Tommy nodded and gently wiped her tear away with his thumb.
Margaret Wilcox arrived in Brantley at noon on Wednesday. She had lunch with Rita at the Bluebonnet, then headed over to Betty Lou's to pick up Tommy. By one-fifteen, they were rocketing down the road towards San Antonio. In contrast to Ruth's little VW Beetle, Margie drove a big four door 1969 Thunderbird luxo-boat. It even had suicide doors just like a Lincoln. Tommy loved that car; he thought it matched Margie's personality perfectly.
They cruised into San Antonio around five-thirty in the afternoon. Margie stopped at a pizza place and picked them up a large pepperoni pie to go, before heading home. Margie's place was a mile from the gates of Fort Sam Houston and two miles from the big medical center.
As soon as they polished off the pie, Margie gave Tommy some forms and medical questionnaires.
"I brought this paperwork home for you to fill out so your day will go faster tomorrow, and also so I could help you if you needed it," she said.
The hospital appointments were part of a full re-evaluation of Tommy's case for which Margie had lobbied. She had to call in a few favors and promise one date to a psychologist, but she eventually made it happen.
She explained all that to Tommy.
"Tommy, I arranged for these tests and interviews tomorrow to get your status changed with the Veterans' Affairs and the retirement branch. As it stands now, you are permanently medically retired for a mental disability that keeps you from holding a meaningful job. We both know that's not the case. You also don't need that 'mentally disabled' label stuck to you when it obviously doesn't apply.
"I believe you should be placed on the Temporarily Disabled Retired List with the cause listed as resolving head trauma. Being on the TDRL means you are reexamined every few years and a determination is made to keep you on the list or change your separation code to Medically Discharged. You'll lose some of your disability compensation, but I know you wouldn't want it if you weren't qualified for it anyway, right?"
Tommy emphatically shook his head.
"Heck no, I don't need it anyway. Did you know I'm the warehouse manager of the feed store now?"
Margie gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek. She loved how he was boyishly enthusiastic one minute and grown-up serious the next. She hoped he never lost that.
"I'm very proud of you, Baby, congratulations!" she said.
They slogged on the paperwork together until Margie stood up at about eight o'clock.
"I'm going to take a quick shower. When I finish, you can jump in next."
Tommy absent mindedly acknowledged her as he reached for the last two forms.
Fifteen minutes later, Margie called out the shower was all his, so he went to her guest room and pulled out his pajamas and a clean pair of Jockeys and headed towards the bathroom. He was in and out of the shower in fifteen minutes, including brushing his teeth. He pulled open the bathroom door and started to walk out, when he saw Margie standing in the doorway of her bedroom, holding a wine glass. He stopped dead in his tracks and his jaw literally dropped to the floor. Tommy's first thought was that he had never seen a woman look as beautiful or as sexy as Margie did in her diaphanous white nightgown.
Margie gave him a coy smile as he stood there dumbstruck. She hadn't seen Tommy when he wasn't wearing a shirt for almost a year. She had to admit that he had filled out nicely since he was a patient up on the ward. She leaned back against the door frame in a sultry pose, and gestured with her hand so his eyes traveled down her negligee.
"Like it?" she asked unnecessarily.
Tommy's fixated eyes finally blinked, then he gulped and bobbed his head up and down.
"You are s-sp-spectacular," he stammered.
Margie took a sip of her wine and held her hand out to him.
"I'm glad you like it, baby, because I wore it just for you. And in a little while I'm going to let you take it off me and demonstrate what a fast learner you really are," she said seductively.
Tommy followed her into the bedroom, eager as a puppy. Margie gracefully sat on the edge of her queen sized bed and gestured Tommy towards her. When he was in front of her, she deftly reached into his pajama bottom and fished out his dick. Margie cooed at the size of him. He'd felt substantial when they danced, but in her hand he felt even larger.
Tommy's knees almost buckled when she touched him, then his eyes flew open and he tried to take a step backwards.
"We can't do this. I did not bring any rubbers, so I can't protect you," he yelped.
Margie tightened her grip on him so he couldn't get away and smiled. Rita certainly had trained him well in that regard.
"No problem Baby, I'm on the pill, so I'm protected. Now come here."
She reeled a willing Tommy towards her by tugging on his throbbing hardness. When he was in the correct position, Margie leaned forward and without any sort of warning, engulfed his shaft in her mouth. Tommy's head spun when she did that and his knees sagged involuntarily. He felt as though he was on the verge of slipping back into a coma.
After her initial onslaught, Margie backed off his titanium hard stalk, and smiled up at him.
"You are going to be quick this first time, so let's get it out of the way now," she said.
Margie matched action to words as she slurped him back into her mouth. Tommy matched action to prophesy a couple of minutes later, when he exploded in her mouth. Margie swallowed as fast as she could manage, amazed by the shear volume of his spend. She was proud as hell that she was able to gulp it all down. She'd only done that to completion one other time in her life, and her then new husband had been far less copious. Margie had done it for her husband as a special wedding present. She did it for Tommy because she loved the idea of bringing him pleasure.
For his part, Tommy was so swept away by his orgasm that he collapsed heavily onto her bed, next to where she sat. Margie giggled and fell back with him. It took a second for him to catch his breath. When he could speak, he grinned hugely and hugged her to his chest.
"That had to be the single greatest moment I've had since I woke up," he said, his voice filled with awe.
Margie gave a sexy, throaty laugh and snuggled tight against his side.
"And the night is just beginning," she purred.
Margaret Marie Wilcox could not believe how sexy she felt and how wanton she was acting. Sure, she'd always been a sensual woman who enjoyed the hell out of sex, but with Tommy she had moved to a higher plain of sexual awareness. How else could she explain the small climax she'd experienced when he came in her voracious mouth? She shivered and turned her face towards Tommy. He took the hint and kissed her so thoroughly it took her breath away.
The evening was indeed young, and Tommy was everything she could have ever wished for in a lover. He was eager to try anything she suggested, soaked up the instructions she gave him like a sponge, and had the stamina of a marathon runner. He had insisted on her teaching him how to return her oral attention, and proved to be better at it than any lover in her past on his first try. He kept her orgasming until she finally had to push him away so she could catch her breath. Then, instead of jumping on her, he held her until she was ready for more.
Just when Margie did not think it could get any better, Tommy finally wedged his dick into her hot slick wetness and followed her directions for the love making she preferred. Tommy was slightly bigger than any man she'd ever been with, but she comfortably stretched to accommodate him. What really made it special, was that Tommy was no 'wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am' guy. He watched her and picked up her non-verbal clues and took them both to heaven.
Margie was on top when they had their final climax of the night. When they finished, she simply fell forward onto his chest, too spent to move an inch. Tommy kissed her forehead and stroked her back.
"Rita said my first time would be better if it was with someone I loved. She was sure right about that," he said softly.
Margie smiled to herself and nodded her head on his chest. He was one hundred percent correct about that. Margie had no doubt whatsoever that he loved her, just as she knew he loved Rita, Ruth and Betty Lou. One thing was for certain: whatever happened to Tommy's brain as a result of his injuries, had made him about the most special man she'd ever met.
The medical exam at Brooks Army Hospital transpired as Margie had predicted. The only real change was that he was given more psychological tests and Electroencephalograms than planned, because of his extraordinary ability to memorize rhythmic sounds and strings of numbers. Doctor Giles, Tommy's neurologist, was especially gratified and excited about the fact that not only was Tommy learning, but he was absorbing information at an accelerated rate.
Tommy was very pleased to see Margie when she came by to pick him up when her shift ended at four. He had cooperated fully with the doctors and technicians, and he was drained from the paces they put him through. Of course, that wasn't the only reason Tommy was happy to see her, but the other reason he had to keep to himself for the time being. Margie had briefed him before they left her house about public displays of affection while she was in uniform. So no matter how sexy he thought she looked in her starched whites, he kept his hands to himself.
Once at Margie's townhouse, they showered together and dressed for dinner. Margie took Tommy to a steak house she enjoyed, then to a small nightclub that catered to the medical crowd from Fort Sam Houston. Margie took Tommy to the club to show him off as her date. She actually grinned when she thought about how the tongues would be wagging tomorrow over her being lovey-dovey with a handsome young cowboy. She knew that Tommy's existence in her personal life, plus the pending resignation of her commission, would feed the hospital rumor mill for weeks. Tommy did his part by being the perfect date; he was affectionate, solicitous and gentlemanly.
After a couple of hours at the night club, Margie took Tommy home and continued his education. She was determined that when she delivered him back to Rita, all his questions would be answered. Of course it didn't hurt that Tommy was a natural when it came to pleasing a woman anyway. She had the best orgasms of her life with him thrusting slowly into her while he gazed into her eyes with complete adoration.
Friday was a much easier day for Tommy, as all he had to do was appear before the medical review board at ten in the morning. Margie was with him because he picked her as his advocate, instead of opting for a JAG lawyer. The board was most impressed with his improvement and recommended his status be changed from permanently to temporarily disabled. They also changed the category of his injury to drop the stigmatizing 'mentally disabled' label. The board took less than an hour.
Next stop for Tommy was the big Post Exchange. Tommy went to the PX because he wanted to buy presents for his friends back in Brantley, to celebrate his new status. He spent longer at the PX than he did before the board, as he found the perfect gift for everyone on his sizeable list. While Tommy was shopping, Margie visited the beauty shop for a facial and manicure, so she had no idea of what he bought and how much he spent. Money was not a problem for Tommy, as he had lived frugally on his salary from the feed store, and had never touched his military compensation. All of his pay and allowances from his time in the hospital and all of his retirement checks were in the Fort Sam Houston Credit Union.
Tommy's big finds were a mother's ring for Rita with a birth stone for her children (including him), herself and Harold. Tommy had to use the pay phone to call Harold to find out the months of everyone's birth. The pretty Filipino woman at the jewelry counter helped him decide on gifts for the other women. He loved the idea of gold ankle bracelets for Margie, Ruth and Betty Lou, when she showed him the one she wore. He had their names engraved on the little plate with 'Love, Tommy' on the back. He bought charm bracelets for Melody and Regina with personal little charms for each.
Bucky and Harold received a Seiko diver's watch, while Ben Crawford, Ramon Salazar and Juan Luna got Ray Ban aviator sunglasses. In typical Tommy fashion, all he purchased for himself were a couple of spare jock straps.
Tommy's little shopping spree cost him over seven hundred dollars, but it was worth it to him. Besides, he had over twenty thousand dollars drawing interest in the credit union, so he could definitely afford to splurge once in a while.
Tommy and Margie repeated Thursday night, except the restaurant was an Italian place. The nightclub was packed when they arrived there, and Tommy was very pleased to see that many of the people who worked on him were there.
One of those people was Doctor Irv Glickman, Tommy's plastic surgeon. Glickman walked Tommy into the bar's bathroom and examined his face under the bathroom's bright lights.
"Damn, I do good work," he muttered.
Glickman and his date, a petite surgical nurse that Margie knew and liked, even joined them in their booth. Glickman teased Margie some about tricking him into prettying up her boyfriend. Margie just laughed and clicked her glass to his.
"You did an excellent job on him too, Irv. When you are in private practice next year, I'm coming to see you for a few lifts, tucks and snips," she said.
There were no love-making lessons taught that night, instead, Tommy conducted a full hands-on review of what he'd learned the previous two evenings. When he finished with her at around one in the morning, she told him that he had graduated with honors. Margie did not say that to stroke Tommy's ego. She meant it sincerely. Margie could not get over how good Tommy made her feel when she was with him, and she wasn't thinking about only the sex. Tommy had completely erased the bitter taste that her ex had left her with. Tommy's upbeat disposition just didn't leave room for self-pity.
Tommy was up and out of bed Saturday morning at his usual six-thirty. He woke up Margie as soon as he hit the bathroom. Margie was not quite as chipper as Tommy, but she had to smile at how happy he woke up in the morning. Instead of hopping out of bed, Margie dragged him back into it. They made lazy love for half and hour, then jumped into the shower, dressed, packed and hit the road.
They had breakfast at a truck stop outside of San Antonio and then yakked their way through the two hundred mile trip to Brantley. Margie drove up to the Fricke's house at twelve-thirty. Tommy had presents to give to the Fricke's, and Margie had news for Rita.
Rita cried when Tommy gave her the ring, and that confused the hell out of him. It took Rita five minutes to tearfully relate to Tommy how much she loved what he'd given her. After Rita had hugged and kissed on Tommy for a minute or two, she suggested Harold take Tommy with him when he went down to the VFW hall so Tommy could give his presents to Ben and Ramon. When they got to the truck, Tommy gave Harold his watch. He hadn't been able to do that inside the house, because of the fuss Rita was making over her ring.
Harold was due to meet the guys at the hall at one that afternoon to practice with the VFW's Color Guard. The following Tuesday was Veterans' Day, and the VFW Color Guard was leading the McCulloch County patriotic parade. Once at the hall, there was some interest with having Tommy join the marching unit. The suggestion died on the table, because Tommy remembered absolutely zero about anything having to do with the military and his time in it.
Rita sent Tommy with Harold so Margie could tell her about the last few days she'd spent with Tommy. Rita smiled at the way Margie, an experienced woman of the world, blushed as she related her story. That Margie was happy about the entire endeavor was obvious by the way she gushed when talking about Tommy. Everything had happened pretty much as Rita guessed it would. The only real revelation was at how much Margie had enjoyed the exercise.
Harold had Tommy back home with Rita and Margie at three. Tommy and Margie visited another few minutes, then headed to the Grimes's home. Margie was going to drop off Tommy and head back to Fort Sam, because she had to work Sunday thru Thursday of that week. However, she would be back on the following Friday, to find a place to live. Monday, the seventeenth of November, she started her terminal leave. Her official discharge date was exactly two weeks later, on December the first.
After Tommy and Margie departed the Fricke's, Harold went out to the barn to change the oil in his two-year-old Massey Ferguson tractor. Harold loved the hell out of the bright red machine and spent an inordinate amount of time messing with it. Rita puttered around the kitchen, baking a chocolate seven layer cake for dinner tomorrow after church.
Ruth Silverman was going to join them for Sunday dinner, and she planned on Tommy being there too. Rita smiled to herself about tossing the two of them together like that. If Tommy's time with Margie was an indication, little Miss Silverman would have a new outlook on life by Monday morning.