Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chapter Fifteen



   The rental car's nav system had our hotel keyed in as we pulled onto the
main highway.  As we got a little closer to town we stopped in at a
Walgreen's to get us each a drink, and while we were there we went ahead
and picked up a variety of snacks for the room.  Tina was a big fan of
cashew nuts.

   "You like macadamias," she said.  "You get some of those.  I'll get
cashews.  The BIG ones.  And ginger ale!"

   We took an inordinately long time in a drugstore, in my estimation, and
we left with a couple of bags full of goodies.

   The path through town to the hotel was not visibly different from any
other town: the mix of fast food joints, chain restaurants, strip malls,
the traffic, but the GPS was inerrant in directing us to our destination.

   I parked the car at one of those 'luck of the draw' parking spots very
close to the hotel entrance.  Tina and I walked in with her carrying the
two overnight duffels and me carrying the hard suitcase and our snacks. 
There was a guy at the counter checking in.  Standing next to him was a
young girl, red-head, a bit more than five feet tall.

   There was something too familiar about the way the man stood.  He said
something, and I identified the voice immediately.  I knew him!  Fellow
engineer from a couple of projects back.  We'd worked together for most of
a year.

   Okay, let's make sure.  I muffled my voice to imitate a particularly
memorable radio call.  "Dan Richards, report to the supervisor's office
immediately.  Your transformer blew up!"

   Bingo!  He whipped around, eyes wide, and I knew the face.

   "Alan Dean Addison!  What the HELL are YOU doing here?" he said,
extending his hand.  I gripped it and pulled him up for a manhug.

   The little redhead standing next to him was staring.

   "I was going to ask you the same thing, buddy," I said.

   Tina looked at me, then him.  "Tina," I said, "This is Dan Richards.  He
and I worked on a job together in Arizona for a year."

   Tina stepped up, extending her hand.  "Hi, Mister Dan!  I'm Tina. 
Alan's wife!"

   Dan looked at me, then her, then back at me, then at the little redhead.
She was giggling.  He said, "Cindy, this is Alan Addison.  We worked
together on a project in Arizona.  Alan, uh... Tina, this is MY wife,
Cindy!"

   Now I thought I was hallucinating.  She was a cutie, her hair several
shades lighter, towards red, than my Tina, and four or five inches shorter,
and her eyes were an astonishing shade of green, but she didn't look like
she was old enough to be married.  Of course, this was coming from a guy
with a teenaged wife himself.

   She had the poise to extend a hand.  "Pleased to meet you," she said,
smiling.

   "So what are you doing here," Dan asked.

   "Tina and I are here for a concert."

   The little redhead suppressed another giggle.  "Bach?"

   "Yes!" Tina blurted.  "You too?"

   Squeal!  Dan's cutie said, "Uh-huh!  Tomorrow evening."

   "You're checking in?" I asked Dan.

   "Yep!" he said.  He saw the clerk pushing a form at him and he directed
his attention to her and took his room keycards.  "Your turn," he said,
stepping out of the way.

   "Where're you working?" I asked.

   "New powerhouse south of Birmingham.  You?"

   "Plastics plant going in east of Nashville.  How'd ya get here? 
Airline?" I countered.

   "Nope," he said.  "Remember that plane I was getting rebuilt in
Arizona?" he smiled.

   "Oh, yeah," I said.  "Bush plane you bought in Alaska.  Cessna 180,
wasn't it?"

   "Uh-huh.  Spent some money, but she's like new."

   "Don't tell me you came in at the field east of town..."

   "Yep!" Dan said.

   "We saw you flying in.  Tina and I were just driving off." I signed my
name and got our room cards.

   "Okay... what room are ya'll in?  We need to go drop off bags, then we
can catch up if you want to."

   I looked at the little folder in my hand.  "One-thirteen," I said.

   "Four twenty-nine," he said.  "What?  About fifteen minutes?  Our place
or yours?"

   "Ours," I said.  "Fifteen minutes, okay?" I nodded towards our two wives
standing back in the lobby, chatting and smiling.

   He called to his Cindy, "Let's go put our stuff in our room, then me an'
Alan have some catching up to do."

   Tina came to my side, grinning.  "We'll see you in a little bit.  This
is gonna be interesting."

   They headed to the elevator with their bags as we traipsed up the hall.

   "What on earth was THAT, baby?" Tina said.

   "I don't believe it," I said.  "Honey, that was my best friend on that
job."

   She took a keycard and let us into our room.  We sat the bags down and
she wrapped me in her arms.  "A room all to ourselves." She surveyed the
room.  Two queen beds.

   I would've preferred a king, but this was fine.  Tina and I could make
do in a twin bed, cuddled in each other's arms.  We kissed.

   "So," she said, "Now tell me about this Dan guy.  Your age?"

   "Within a couple of months," I said.  "We're both from Louisiana,
graduated from two different colleges, both...

   "Engineers," Tina said.

   "Worse than that," I said.

   "Lemme guess.  Electrical engineers." She had that cute smirk that she
got when she was right.

   "Uh-huh.  His wife died in a car wreck.  He decided to go on the road
about the same time that I went through that divorce..."

   "And both of you ended up with young wives.  Her hair's redder than
mine... but still..." she fixed me in her stare.  "And THEY fly their own
plane... What is this, Alan?" she giggled, "some kind of virus?"

   I laughed.  "Worse than that!  We had a blast at that project.  I
should've kept track of where he went.  Email... Just kinda tapered off. 
And NOW!" I looked at those clear blue eyes.  "Baby, I know this is OUR
weekend..."

   She smiled.  "But we just ran into your old friend and his wife, who's
YOUNGER than me, and she seems nice, so maybe we can hang out together?"

   "You're a doll," I said.

   "You know, baby," she smiled, "Just another one of those special things
that happens to me when I'm with you..." She headed into the bathroom. 
"Just freshening up," she called.

   "I need to do that," I said.  "Then we can go..."

   She bounced out of the bathroom with a smile on her face.  "Baby, don't
sweat it, I mean with Dan and Cindy.  It's like one of those other
weekends, you know.  Not even as bad as when we brought Susan.  We still
sleep together."

   "Oh, little one," I said, "I wasn't worrying about me.  I was worrying
about YOU!"

   "Then don't!" she slipped behind me as I washed my face with a damp
cloth.  Her warms wrapped me from behind and she squeezed me vigorously. 
"I love you to pieces!"

   I tried to turn.  She released me and then trapped me again, our faces
inches apart.  "This oughtta be interesting.  I mean, you KNOW the guy.  So
how does he end up with a fourteen year old wife?"

   "She's FOURTEEN?!?!?  I knew she looked young..."

   "We started talking," Tina said.  "She's a sweetie!"

   "But fourteen?  You go to JAIL for fourteen!"

   Tina laughed.  "Says the guy who fled Tennessee ahead of the
bloodhounds..." Giggle.  "Maybe he's into Barbie dolls..."

   "Oooooh, you're a snarky little thing, you are... come on!  We're having
company!  You wanna call?  Or me?"

   She grinned.  "Four twenty-nine, right?"

   I nodded.

   She punched the phone.  "Hi, Cindy!  We're waitin' on ya!  Uh... Yeah!
One-thirteen!  You an' me'll decide where we eat!" Giggle.

   A couple of minutes later there was a knock on the door.  I stood up,
but I wasn't fast enough to beat Tina to it.  She glanced through the
peephole and then swung it open.  "Come in," she said.  "Nice rooms, huh?"

   I smiled at Dan and Cindy.  "We try to do something like this every two
or three weeks.  Gets us out of..."

   "Don't tell me you guys live in a TRAILER!" Cindy squealed.

   I looked at Dan.  "Remember when we used to talk about customizing a
travel trailer for going to jobs?"

   Dan said, "I did it.  Works great!  This is my second project with it."

   "Worked great for me too, until this job." I didn't finish.  I looked
over my shoulder.  Cindy and Tina were sitting cross-legged on one of the
beds, chatting excitedly.

   Dan looked at me.  "Uh, last time we talked, you were divorced.  Uh,
Tina?  How old?"

   "Seventeen," I said.  "And Cindy?"

   Dan looked kind of embarrassed.  "Fourteen.  B...but we're legally
married.  Papers and everything.  Since the week of Thanksgiving."

   I was a little startled.  "Day-um!" I said.  "Uh, Tina and I, since
October."

   Another question, Dan said.  "What kind of plane?"

   I laughed.  "Two, actually.  We flew down here in a 182.  I bought Tina
a 150 to get her license with.  It's up for sale now."

   I heard a squeal.  Cindy.  "Dan!  Tina's got her PILOT'S license!"

   Dan shrugged.  "So what do you guys do for dinner?"

   "We usually just wing it," I said.  "Tina, baby, fire up the laptop and
see what's around here." To Dan I asked, "Any preferences?"

   "Cindy?" he asked.

   Cindy was looking over Tina's shoulder.  "We're lookin', baby.  We'll
let you know!"

   Tina looked back over her shoulder.  "And it won't be fried ANYTHING!"

   Cindy giggled.  "We're gonna have to help 'em out.  They're all giddy."

   "Easily confused," Tina tittered.

   Dan looked at me.  "Alan, the last time we did something together, we
built those bowling ball mortars."

   I laughed.  "I still got mine!"

   "Me too," he said, relating an interesting interaction with law
enforcement while driving through west Texas.

   Cindy popped up.  "We got it, guys!"

   "Where are we eating, then?" I asked.

   Tina said, "We found a neat Italian place.  It got good reviews.  And
it's not far."

   Dan looked at me.  "She run your life?"

   I grinned.  "She IS my life, Dan."

   "We're two lost son-of-a-guns, then, buddy!" he said.

   Cindy didn't let that comment pass.  "No you're not, baby!  I FOUND
you!"

   And my Tina: "You might've found HIM, my Alan found ME." She thought for
a second, then said, "Who's got the biggest car?  We should ride together!"

   "Yeah!" Cindy said.

   "I have a Ford Taurus," I said.  "Free upgrade.  As many of the things
as I rent."

   "You got me beat," Dan said.  "But we could all FIT in our little
Focus."

   I chuckled.  "No, we'll take our Taurus.  Do ya'll need to go back to
your room first, or are we ready to go?"

   Dan glanced at Cindy.  "She LOOKS ready, but you never know... Baby?"

   "I'm ready," Cindy said.  She looked at Tina.  "You ready, Tina?"

   Tina shut the cover on her laptop and stood.  "I'm ready.  Let's go."

   I did a quick inventory of items before we walked out of the door and
down the hall behind our wives.  They made a very attractive pair.  Tina's
stride was more of a flow.  I think Cindy was close to skipping.

   I nudged Dan.  "Look," I said.  "Cuties!"

   "Yeah," he said.  "Apparently in my former life I rescued puppies or
something to have karma like this."

   At the lobby the girls stopped and waited for us.  Cindy took Dan's hand
and Tina linked up with me and we walked out into the crisp post-frontal
air.  At the car, Tina said, "Guys in the front, girls in the back.  Ya'll
are taller." We all got in.  I saw Cindy reach forward and lovingly touch
Dan.

   Dan handled digging up our destination on the GPS.  We started talking,
he and I, about work stuff, as I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the
street.  He described his job.

   "Sounds familiar,' I said.  "You got the generators and large motors and
stuff, and I got the distribution and control.  The only generation I have
at this place is the generator to keep the coffee pot going in the
lunchroom."

   "Uh-huh," Dan said.  "You ever get Tina out there?"

   "No.  Got a real anal-retentive safety manager.  He wouldn't allow it.
I'm surprised he's still on the project, as much as he gets in the way of
everything.  You're telling me that Cindy... " I could see her smiling face
in the rear-view mirror.

   "I'm the Engineer's Apprentice," she chirped.  She turned to Tina.  "I
have a bunch of pictures on my laptop.  You need to see 'em."

   Dan asked, "You remember Bill Carmody, don't you?"

   "Mechanical engineer.  Managed the mechanical on that Arizona project?
Good guy."

   "He's the project manager on this one.  Cindy's like his godchild.  She
out there almost every week.  Sometimes twice."

   I saw Tina in the mirror.  "Baby, I wish I COULD go visit your job."

   "Lemme try another angle on that, baby,' I said.  I glanced at Dan. 
"How's all those visits work with her schoolwork?"

   Dan looked awfully proud.  Said so.  "Uh, Alan, I'm awfully proud of my
Cindy.  She's sort of unique to be in the eighth grade."

   "Oh, yeah?"

   "Unique?" Tina questioned.

   I glanced at Cindy.  She had an enigmatic smile but said nothing.

   "She's graduating from high school in May."

   "Me too," Tina said.  "But I'm a senior.  How'd you do that, Cindy?"

   She spoke, smiling.  "Dan pushed me in school.  I took some tests.  Got
interviewed.  And..."

   Dan interjected, "She's scary smart."

   I spoke.  "I got me one a'those.  Tina's an honor student, even after
dropping out of school for half of last year..."

   Tina looked downward.  "Long story, Mister Dan," she said softly.

   Cindy sensed something and reached over to pat Tina's knee.  "Dan an' I
know all about long stories, Tina." She sighed.  "I got my own..."

   I looked at Dan, then back at the road.  "Who starts first?"

   "I think I'd rather let Cindy decide what she wants to tell," Dan said.
"I just sort of showed up at the RV park..."

   Cindy started her story.  "Me an' Mom were livin' in a trailer in an RV
park.  It was a bad situation.  My mom was..."

   Tina's eyes told me that she sensed the connection.  "Mine was horrible,
Cindy.  I lived with my grandma until she died, and then I had to move in
with Mom."

   "I lived with my mom in a thirty-foot travel trailer," Cindy said.  "An'
Mom worked in a bar..."

   Cindy's voice had a bit of a quiver.  Dan caught it.  "Baby, you don't
have to..."

   "Hush, honey," Cindy said.  "I want people to know how bad it was before
you came along, love.  Tina, my momma gave me up when I was fourteen to the
nice lady who ran the RV park, just so she could go to Vegas with some dude
she picked up at a bar..."

   Tina said, "Alan found me about to get the crap slapped out of me by my
mom's boyfriend.  They were going to meet a guy to do a drug lab in
Arkansas.  Mom's in jail now.  Alan offered me a place to stay until we got
things sorted out.  I did all kinds of sorting, and he kept showing up on
the top of the stack." She smiled and reached her hand forward to caress my
neck.  "I love you, Alan.  D'ya know that?"

   "Yes I do, angel," I said.

   Cindy continued, "Dan was somebody to talk with, then somebody to help
me with schoolwork, then a friend, and then there is no reason it the world
that I'd ever want NOT to be with him.  I don't know how we lived without
each other... He gives me the stars..." She reached up and gave him a
loving pat.

   "She's my star," Dan smiled.  "You oughtta see her onstage."

   Tina perked up.  "Stage?"

   I bumped our way into the restaurant parking lot.

   "We can tell that story inside," Cindy said.

   We strode into the place as two couples.  I think Tina and I looked a
little closer to conventional than did Dan and Cindy.  She was obviously
short and younger looking, but she acted like he belonged to her and he
certainly seemed to be quite happy with that fact.

   Tina and Cindy did well choosing the place.  It wasn't upscale, rather a
family atmosphere, perfectly suited to our jeans and sweatshirt ensembles.
We got a table in a corner away from traffic, a pretty good find at the
beginning of the Friday evening crowd.

   "Don't forget us back here," I teased the waitress.

   The girls picked a couple of appetizers and we ordered entrees and Tina
prodded Cindy to finish her story.  I watched her as she talked and easily
understood how Dan could get taken by that little girl.  I also noted that
the vocabulary and mannerisms of her speech were not those of some daffy
little airhead.

   Cindy addressed me.  "Did YOU know he played the guitar, Mister Alan?"

   I grinned.  Please, Cindy, don't call me Mister.  I'm your husband's
buddy.  I'm just plain ol' Alan.  And no, the guitar thing was a secret he
hid." I thought for a second.  "Wait!  There was that company party.  We
all had a few beers and ol' Dan took the bass from the guy in the band and
played for a while." I grinned at Dan.  "But who can tell if a bass
player's screwin' up?"

   Dan glared at me.  "Oh, I can see you still have your impeccable tastes
in music."

   Tina defended me.  "Uh, Dan, we're goin' to the same concert ya'll are
goin' to."

   Dan chuckled at Tina.  "Uh-huh.  That just means he married a girl with
good taste in music."

   Tina smiled.  "He was sitting next to me the first time I heard a live
performance in my life.  It was a chamber orchestra." She paused.  "First
time in an airplane, too."

   "And you got your private?" Dan asked.

   "Two weeks before Christmas," Tina told him.

   I watched Cindy's face.  I knew that at fourteen she couldn't even get a
student license, and I doubted that Dan could keep her from the controls.
She didn't look like one sit back and let anyone do something for her.

   "I'm jealous," Cindy said.  She stuck her bottom lip out, exaggerating
the feigned pout.  "I have to wait until I'm seventeen.  It'll be my
birthday present."

   Dan spoke.  "Little cutie wrangled a couple of rides in an Extra.  I
thought I was gonna have to buy one."

   Tina's eyes lit up.  We'd done a bit of 'let's fly to THAT airport and
see what's interesting' and one of the hangars had an Extra decked out in
electric blue.  "We saw one of those.  You got to fly in one?"

   "Hana let me fly it." Cindy smiled at the memory.

   "Now I'm jealous," Tina said.

   "Oh, I'm sure you guys have your own adventures," Cindy said.

   "Yeah," Tina laughed.  "Like fleeing Tennessee ahead of the hounds to
keep Alan from being arrested for child molestation."

   Dan looked at me.  "Alan!  You were MOLESTING this lovely child?"

   Tina giggled.  "Actually, **I** molested HIM first.  But we thought the
age of consent was sixteen or seventeen in Tennessee like it was in
Louisiana.  It's not.  We found out when we signed the papers for the 182.
And flew back to Louisiana..."

   "I talked with the guy who helped us with Tina's guardianship," I said.

   Tina patted my hand.  "He was so completely honorable from Day One,
guys. He did paperwork so he could be my guardian.  And I decided I didn't
need a guardian." She smiled.

   "We know all about judges and paperwork,' Dan said.

   Cindy giggled again.  "Yeah.  We know..."

   The food came, slowing the conversation down a bit.  Tina and I ordered
different entrees and stole forkfuls off one another's plates.  Cindy and
Dan just ate halfway through theirs and swapped plates.

   He saw me looking at this.  "Oh, we don't do this at a 'white
tablecloth' place, but in a family restaurant..."

   Tina and I shared a dessert, as did Cindy and Dan.  Afterward, we
ordered coffees and the two ladies got up to make a trip to the ladies'
room.

   "Dan," I said, " Cindy's a cutie.  But fourteen?"

   "I know," he said.  "A year ago I'd've threatened violence to somebody
who's doing what I'm doing.  But Alan, for real, she's NOT your standard
fourteen year old.  She's squared away.  Serious.  She's seen more than a
lot of women twice her age, and she UNDERSTANDS more than women I dated
that were three times her age.  And what about YOU?  And Tina?"

   "Guilty," I said.  "I thought I was lined up for foster dad or big
brother or something.  Put her in school, she went to ONE social event,
came back early, and my dream came true."

   "You rescued her?  For real?"

   I told him the story as he listened intently.

   "No shit?!?!" he said.

   "It's all a matter of public record.  The deputy who worked the case is
the guy who set us up with his uncle to do all our paperwork.  And that's
the judge who married us."

   Dan's concentration was broken by the act of being kissed by a
diminutive redhead.

   "We're back," Tina announced.  "So what'd you say about us."

   "Oh," Dan laughed.  The waitress was walking up with coffee.  "We were
talking about our waitress."

   She heard the comment, just as Dan intended.  "Hon," she said, "I hope
it was about my tip."

   We sat for another twenty minutes sipping coffee and talking before the
argument between me and Dan over who paid the check.  He got it only after
swearing that I'd get the next one.

   "That is, of course, if YOU TWO want to continue hanging out with me and
my sweetie!"

   Dan and Cindy answered together, "YES!"

   The four of us drove back to the hotel, satisfied with our meal, a
conversation in the back seat and all I could hear was whispers and
giggles. Back at the hotel, we walked into the lobby.  Nearing the
elevator, Cindy announced, "Tina and I figured this out, guys!  We all live
in little trailers and tonight's long showers and big beds."

   Tina finished, "So we do our own things until elevenish.  And we'll get
together for lunch." She turned and took my hand, smiling sweetly.  "C'mon,
THING!"

   Cindy punched the button on the elevator.  The door opened.  She tugged
at Dan.  "Yeah, c'mon, THING!" and they giggled at their marvelous sense of
humor.

   We walked up the hall and into our room.  By the time I got the door
locked, Tina was already out of her shoes and peeling off her sweatshirt.

   "Shower, guy," she said.  "I LIVE for these showers.  We need to get in
before Cindy an' Dan use up all the hot water."

   I was undressing.  "You have a vivid imagination.  They may be sitting
in bed playing rummy."

   "Nuh-uh," she giggled.  "Cindy said rummy wasn't in the cards for
tonight."

   "That's a horrible pun," I said.

   "ALL puns are horrible, babe," she smiled, now completely nude and as
delicious a dish as my mind could ever imagine.

   We showered for half an hour, got out, dried off made love, rested, made
love again, were in each other's arms basking in the afterglow.

   "She's not exploited, Alan.  We talked.  She's got her stuff together,
and she and Dan, they're happy.  Did he tell you that she's interviewed for
TWO colleges already?"

   "No," I said.  "That never came up." I paused.  "Are you exploited,
little one?"

   She kissed me on the nose.  "Yep!  You exploited me four times in the
last hour."

   "Serious," I said.  "seventeen..."

   "And if Cindy can figure it out at fourteen, I can figure it out at
seventeen.  D'ya think I needed to experience a little more crap in my
life? Maybe make a mistake and marry the wrong guy an' end up with two kids
and a GED an' a job at McDonalds?  While he thinks the best thing in life
is drinking' beer with his buds and maybe a little bit of tappin' the
waitress on the side because I use big words and make him nervous?" She
fixed me with a stern eye.  "Or should I just fall flat dab silly in love
with this guy who treats me like an actual person of worth and possibility
and love him like the air that I breathe?"

   "Are you gonna introduce me to that second guy?"

   "Alan Dean Addison, you are an ass!"

   "And I thought you loved me for my mind," I laughed.  "Christina Johnson
Addison, I love you deeply."

   "You already did that," she smirked.  She flattened me against the bed.
"I love you, deep.  Shallow.  Whatever.  But especially forever." Her eyes
twinkled.  I knew that meant trouble.

   "I wonder if Cindy an' Dan are up to a late night snack?"

   "Only one way to find out.  If you're wrong..."

   She grinned.  "I'll just say, 'Ooopssss, sorry!" And she picked up the
phone.

   "Uh, hi Dan, this is Tina.  Where's Cindy?" pause.  "Oh, okay." Pause.
"Yeah, have 'er call me." Tina got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

   Naturally the phone rang.  I answered.

   "Hi, Alan," Cindy chirped.  "What's up?"

   "I dunno,' I said.  "Here's Tina."

   "Hi, Cindy," Tina said.  "Wanna do a late snack?" pause.  "Well ask
'im." Another pause.  "Okay.  See you in the lobby in what?  Five minutes?
Oh, ten?  Okay."

   Auburn head close to mine.  "Get dressed.  We'll go have a donut and
coffee.  Give you a chance to recuperate.  Laugh.  Talk.  Then come back
here and do something that makes us BOTH sleep so wonderfully good!"

   "I gotta keep telling myself that I married you for your mind," I
chuckled.

   "Uh-huh.  Me too.  But the other parts are awfully fun, don'tcha think?"

   We walked into the lobby several minutes later to see Dan and Cindy, and
Cindy was glowing.  Dan was obviously more relaxed too.

   "Didn't we just SEE you two?" he quipped.

   "My thoughts exactly," I said.

   "We have an appetite," my Tina said, looking at Cindy.  Cindy bobbed
that red head.

   "How about you, Dan," Cindy said.

   Dan grinned.  "Recharging."

   "Come on, before we get in trouble," I said.  And the happy four of us
walked out the front door.