Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chapter 1

   Three hours worth of driving of the very worst sort.  My trip was mixed
in with the evacuation of parts of two states in the face of a hurricane
barreling down on the Gulf Coast, and after white-knuckling a mere hundred
miles, I pulled onto a secondary road thinking that maybe, just maybe, the
traffic would be less than the main highways.  I was only partially
correct, and I finally heeded my stomach's growling and pulled my rig into
a roadside diner in a small town in north Louisiana.

   I asked for, and got, a seat at a table in the corner, my back to the
wall, so I could relax without dodging other clientele and also watch what
was going on.  Evacuations were sort of like kicking over the rotten log of
civilization.  You never knew what was going to scurry out into the
sunlight.

   I was entertaining a breakfast of steak and eggs, pretty nicely done,
actually, and noticing the activity at a nearby booth.  The occupants
looked to be some bozo in maybe his early forties, around my age, a woman
maybe five or so years younger, and a teen girl, I'm estimating maybe
sixteen or seventeen at this point.  They're just a little too far away for
me to make out the conversation, but it doesn't appear to be too cordial,
from the expressions of the participants.

   I heard "mumble mumble mumble" from the guy, mumble mumble mumble" from
the older female, and then "mumble mumble mumble" from the teen girl,
except her voice had a tone of hurt and a bit of fright.  Not my business.
I forked another load of steak and eggs into my mouth.

   The conversation changed.  The guy's voice got loud, as in "MUMBLE
MUMBLE" pause "MUMBLE MUMBLE MUMBLE" apparently directed at the teen who
replied with a shake of chestnut hair, "mumble mumble".

   The loudness put me on alert.  I mean, country diner and all, you didn't
expect to see people acting like this, and heads were turning in the
direction of this one booth.

   The guy got loud enough to understand.  His actions made it even easier
to understand.  "YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BITCH!!!!" and he reached across the
booth table and grabbed the front of her blouse, yanking her up as he rose.
His free hand was coming back.  It didn't take a lot of analysis to see
what was coming next.

   Me.

   I stood up and pushed around my table.  "HOLD!" I said, in my best
command voice.

   The dude dropped his free hand, shoved the girl backward against the
back of the booth and turned towards me.  "Boy!" he hissed.  "You need to
mind YOUR own fuckin' business!" I outweighed him and out-reached him and
was a good six inches taller.  Bad odds.  His right hand started into his
pocket.  The situation had just escalated.

   My own right hand went across my midsection under my shirt-tail and came
out with a compact 9mm pistol.

   "Bud," I said, "if that hand doesn't come out of that pocket VERY slowly
and VERY empty, you're gonna have a big hole in you."

   His hand came out, slowly.  The girl had slid down in the booth and was
trying to get herself up from halfway on the floor.  The older woman was
screaming, "He's got a gun!" I didn't parse that very well.  My own gun was
obvious.  Was she talking about her companion?  The poor waitress was back
behind the counter.

   "Call 9-1-1," I said.  "We need some law here.  Fast!"

   "They're on the way.  I called when he raised his voice."

   Indeed they were fast.  Scarcely a minute and half passed, me holding
the guy at gunpoint, when I saw the flashing lights and a deputy sheriff
pushed through the door, gun drawn.

   Three people said at the same time, "NOT HIM!" as I two-fingered the gun
delicately onto the table and stepped back.  A second car pulled into the
parking lot, lights blinking mad blue.  A second deputy was in the place in
a few seconds.

   "Hurley!" screamed the waitress.  "It's not the big guy!" I was the big
guy.  6' 2", 200 pounds.  I locked my fingers on top of my head, frozen.  I
mean, you never know with the small town cops, who's trigger happy, who's
scared shitless, and any bad move, well...

   "Hurley" was apparently the deputy who was first on the scene.  He kept
that damned pistol of his at eye level, midway between me and the bozo who
started the mess.  He addressed me.  "Sir!  Do you have any other weapons
on you?"

   "Yessir," I said.  "I've got a folding knife hanging in my right pants
pocket."

   "Carefully remove the knife and put it on the table and step back."

   I think that Deputy Hurley's thinking isn't really good if he lets me
step close to the table with the gun laying on it, but I drop my right hand
very slowly and remove the knife clipped in my pocket with a thumb and
index finger and drop it softly on the table.  And I step back.  Hurley
steps up and sticks my pistol and knife in his thigh pocket.  He's looking
at his partner.

   "Jim," Hurley says, "That guy clean?"

   "Jim" answers, "I haven't checked."

   I know what comes next.  "Sir," says Hurley, "turn around and put your
hands behind your back."

   And there I am, in the dining room of a Louisiana restaurant, in
handcuffs.  They perform a similar operation on the doofus and have a lot
more fun with him, retrieving a little black automatic pistol from his
pants pocket.  Yeah.  The pocket he was reaching into.  Now he's in cuffs,
too, and they're marching all four of us, me, the doofus, the middle-aged
chick, and the teen girl, all of us, out into the parking lot.  Now comes
the fun part, where they try to unravel the story.

   The waitress is out there too.  And half the clientele, apparently
regulars.  And if you're a regular at a small town diner, you also get
pretty familiar with the cops, so nobody was getting run off.  They were
the witnesses.

   They started with the girl.  Deputy Hurley asked, "Miss, do you have
some ID?"

   "I-in my purse," she sniffled.  "It's at the table."

   Hurley spoke to one old guy standing nearby.  "Unka Bob, can you get
this young lady's purse?" The old guy left and Hurley turned his attention
back to the teen.  "What's your name?"

   "Tina.  Christina Johnson," she sobbed, still shaken by the rush of
events.

   "How old are you?"

   "Seventeen."

   "Now, very carefully, tell me what happened." He reached in his shirt
pocket and pulled out a little recorder and punched a button.

   "I- We were having breakfast, and had an argument, and Mister Jeff
grabbed me and started to slap me." Sob.  "And that guy stood up and told
'im to stop.  An' Mister Jeff was pissed and threw me down and started to
go for that pistol, 'cept that guy (me) was faster.  Mister Jeff put his
hands up an' you came in."

   Hurley looked at me, then the doofus.  "What was the argument about?"

   Tina took a deep breath.  "He said they didn't have enough money for
breakfast an' cigarettes, and I was eatin' too much an' to give him my
money so he could buy cigarettes.  An' I told 'im "no" an' he called me an
ungrateful little bitch an' grabbed me."

   By that time Unka Bob was back with Tina's purse.  He handed it to the
deputy.  The deputy eyed Tina.  "Is there anything in there I need to worry
about?"

   Tina took another breath, trying to control her sobs.  She shook her
head.  "No sir.  My wallet.  Tampons.  Pictures.  Little notebook.  A pen."

   He handed her the purse.  "Show me your ID." She complied.  He examined
it and handed it back to her.

   I was next.  He stood in front of me, six feet away.  "And you're?"

   "Alan Dean Addison.  Forty-one.  From..." I named my home town.

   "You heard what Miss Tina said?"

   "Yessir," I said.  Damned straight I called him 'sir', despite him being
at least a decade my junior.  The guy was small town law enforcement and I
was, in my own mind, 100% legal in my actions, but also 100% at his mercy
as far as resolving the situation with the least pain to me.

   "Is that pretty much what you saw go down?"

   "Yessir," I said.  "Except I didn't hear any of the conversation before
he yelled "You ungrateful little bitch" and grabbed her.  He was hauling
his right hand back to slap her when I told him to stop.  He threw her
down, turned at me and said mind my own business and started reaching into
his pocket.  That's when I drew."

   "Uh, Mister Addison, I'm gonna undo your cuffs.  I want to see your ID.
Don't move fast."

   Freed, I very gingerly removed my wallet and retrieved two pieces of ID,
a state drivers' license and a permit that allowed me to legally carry a
concealed handgun.  Hurley looked them both over and handed them back to
me.

   "So, you're carrying legally.  That's one for you."

   "Hurley.  Son!" Unka Bob was interrupting.

   Hurley turned.  "Yessir?"

   Unka Bob smiled at me.  "This feller," he said, pointing to me, "saved
that little girl a butt-kickin'"

   The waitress intruded on the scene and joined in, "Yeah, I called your
cell when that bunch started gettin' loud.  Before he grabbed her.  This
guy stepped in just in time."

   Things were lining up for me.  Hurley looked at me.  "Mister Addison,
can you wait here?  I need to get back with you."

   Deputy #2 was going through the purse of the adult woman, and there were
some curious artifacts laid out on the hood of his squad car, many of them
involving tiny plastic bags.  The guy was already sitting in the back seat,
behind a closed door.  The woman ended up in the other police unit, still
in cuffs.  Their car was an older Japanese import and by the time the
deputies started going through it, a state police crime lab unit was on the
way.  Drugs.

   Deputy Hurley approached me.  "What are you driving?"

   "That rig over there," I said, pointing to my "on the road" rig, a big
silver diesel pickup truck towing a thirty-five foot travel trailer.

   "Wow!" he exclaimed.  "Can you follow us to the station?  I'm gonna need
a statement."

   "Sure," I said.  "I hope you have room for me to pull in.  That's a
bitch to back up."

   He laughed.  "We'll fix you up." And there was forgotten participant. 
Miss Tina.  Hurley looked at her.  She'd regained composure.  Was standing
there, all five-foot seven or eight (tall girl) of her, hips a little wider
than a bikini model, the tiniest bit of a muffin top over her tight jean
shorts, her blue cotton blouse knotted just above the beltline of the
shorts.  Auburn hair.  Blue eyes.  And pissed.

   "What about me?" she asked.  Hurley's eyes darted back and forth between
his car and his partner's, each with a handcuffed suspect in the back seat.
Hurley opened his passenger side door for her and the doofus in the back
began screaming and cursing her.  He took her to the other car, and got
much the same treatment from the woman.

   He looked at me.  At her.  At me.  "You saved 'er.  Got any problem with
giving her a ride?  Miss Tina?  "Is that okay?"

   Tina looked at me.  "I suppose."

   "Wait a second," I said.  I spotted the waitress and pulled out a twenty
and a five dollar bill.  Handing it to her, I said, "This'll cover my
breakfast.  And that little lady's.  And your tip." I turned back to the
deputy.  "Let's go, then." I turned to the second deputy.  "How about some
flashy light stuff so I can get this thing out of the parking lot?"

   "Sure," he said.  "You just gave her like a six dollar tip.  You gonna
ruin 'er for the rest of us."

   "Yeah," I said.  "But her day went all to hell.  Figure she could use a
boost."

   Lights flashing, I followed as we crossed the steady stream of hurricane
evacuees and I followed him to the sheriff's office.  True to their word,
they led me around in a big parking lot so I didn't have to fight that long
trailer.  Tina didn't say a word the whole trip.  It wasn't a long trip. 
Just awfully silent.

   We followed the deputy into the building.  He motioned to a set of
chairs.  "Ya'll can wait here.  Wanna coke?  Coffee?"

   "Coffee would be nice," I said.  I looked at Tina.  "You want
something?"

   "Coffee, I guess," she said.

   "Coffee pot's in here," the deputy motioned, looked, then said "I'll get
somebody to make a fresh pot."

   About that time, the entry door opened and the waitress from the
restaurant walked in.  She immediately went to Tina's side.  "Hon," she
cooed, "Are you okay?"

   Tina nodded.  "He saved me."

   "Uh-huh," said the waitress.  "That man was getting ready to knock the
crap out of you."

   Tina shook her head.  "He was." She looked at me.  "Uh, mister, I don't
remember your name."

   "Alan" I said.  "Alan Addison.  And you're..."

   "Tina.  Christina Johnson.  Thank you.  For stopping him."

   "It's okay, Tina.  I'm glad I could help."

   The deputy stuck his head in the door.  "Folks..." and then he saw the
waitress.  "Hi, Debbie," he said.  "Uh, folks, the coffee's ready."

   Debbie laughed.  "I can do without another sniff of coffee today.  You
got some paper for me to write my statement on?"

   "Sure," he said.  "Just a sec." He ducked away, then back, handing
Debbie a few forms.  "Just write it out in your own words.  I'll come by
the restaurant in the morning and get 'em." He turned to us.  "Come help
yourself."

   We stood, and I let Tina go first.  She fixed herself a cup of coffee,
then I fixed mine as she watched.  I took a sip, savoring the aroma of the
steam.

   "Gah ...  I still have the jitters, Mister Alan," she said.

   "I'm kinda the same way."

   "You pulled your gun on 'im."

   "I didn't have much choice, Tina.  He was ...  well, I didn't know what
he was going to do.  Gun.  Knife.  Whatever.  And I wasn't going to stand
there and watch him slap you around.  Did I hear correctly?  He wanted your
money to buy cigarettes?"

   "Yeah.  Cigarettes.  And Mom was mad because I didn't give it to him.  I
babysitted for that money.  It was all I had."

   "That was you dad?"

   "God, no!  Mom's current boyfriend.  I hate 'im.  He hates me.  Doesn't
want me around.  We evacuated an' he's got friends in Arkansas.  I honestly
don't think I'd've come home alive.  Really."

   We walked back into the waiting room.  "So now what do you do?"

   "I don't know.  Mom was all I had.  I've been living with her for nine
months since Grandma died.  I was living with Grandma for the past five
years while Mom did her thing ...  uh, make that THINGS.  Like that guy."

   "Do you have any other relatives?  Grandparents?  Aunts?  Uncles?"

   "Not that I know of.  If I had something better, I'd be doing it.  And
it wouldn't take much to be better than Mom and her druggie friends.  I'm
seventeen.  I'd run away, but I don't know where to run."

   "Gosh."

   "Oh, I'm sorry, Mister Alan.  I don't mean to drag you down." She
sighed.

   I looked a little longer.  She was not unattractive, even under adverse
circumstances.  I mean, evacuation by car is not conducive to good hygiene
or personal care, but even with her hair in a bit of disarray (being thrown
to the floor will do that) and face tracked with dried tears, she was cute.
Maybe not a centerfold cute, but cute.

   "You're not dragging me down, Tina.  Everybody's got stories."

   She sighed.  "So what's yours?  You evacuating too?"

   I smiled.  "Oddly enough, no.  I just got caught in it.  I'm on my way
to a project in Tennessee.  New factory's being built, and I'm the guy they
chose to build the electrical part.  I'm an electrical engineer."

   "And you bring your travel trailer?"

   "Yeah.  I researched RV parks until I found one that sounds good,
willing to put up with me for a few months, off the beaten path, and I'll
park the trailer there and live out of it for the duration of the project."

   "Is that good money?"

   "Yeah, pretty nice.  They pay me a hundred and seventy five dollars a
day to live there.  My hour rate works out to seventy-five bucks an hour.
Plus I get a hefty bonus if I stay until the project completes, plus we get
bonuses if we make certain milestones on the schedules."

   "Gosh.  And you're just going there?  Today?"

   "No, I was planning on a night in a motel on the way.  About halfway. 
But right now I'm sitting in a sheriff's office in Armpit, Louisiana
instead of driving, so I don't know how far behind I'm going to be.  I
wasn't supposed to start for a week anyway."

   "Oh."

   "So what happens to Tina?"

   "I don't know," she said.  "I'm sure there's a shelter or something."

   "Or something." I was thinking.  Shouldn't be.  But was.  After all, I'd
already helped once today.

   Another deputy stuck his head in the door.  "Uh, could you folks come
back here with me?"

   Tina and I ended up in separate offices.  I imagine she was doing what I
was doing, getting another round of interviews about what happened.

   I'm good at interviews.  I interview lots of people for jobs, from
shovel-jockey to engineer, so I know how to handle myself.  And I was
having fun, once the pressure was off.  I gave them all they wanted to
know. The deputy who did the interview was sympathetic to my position. 
Asked about my holster, my gun, my carry, how often I practiced.  I took
him out and showed him my travel trailer, a heavily modified floor plan I'd
ordered special for MY requirements.  And the truck.  A nice pickup truck
is like a social event in some circles, and although it was only a tool to
me, I knew that some people liked seeing one well turned out.  They were
finished with me.  I got my pistol and my knife back.

   I was walking up the hall and I saw Tina sitting in an office.  I saw
Deputy Hurley sitting in another office.  I knocked on his door.  "Hey," I
said.  "I want to thank you for the professional job you guys did today." A
little honey catches flies, you know.  "Can I ask about the other people?
What's happening?"

   "Uh," he said, "Off the record, you know..."

   "Of course," I said.

   "The guy, your buddy?  Outstanding warrants.  A bunch.  Parole violation
with him having a gun.  And drugs.  Intent to distribute.  That puts him in
state and Federal jurisdiction.  He ain't comin' out any time soon."

   "I ain't supposed to say "he looked the type..." I started.

   Hurley finished.  "He looked the type.  And the adult woman, damn near
as bad.  Parole violation.  Probation for previous drug offenses. 
Prostitution.  And drugs in her purse.  She's gone."

   "Uh, what about Miss Tina?"

   "That's the tough part.  Best we can tell, she's never been in trouble.
Not even a traffic ticket.  Her personal possessions are clean.  I tell
you, Mister Addison, I just think she was being dragged along.  Not very
willingly."

   "So where's she go?" I asked.

   "That's the tough part.  She's seventeen.  We're trying to find
something for her.  But right now, she's kind of in limbo.  I mean, she
could walk out the door right now and we couldn't stop her.  But the sad
thing is, she says she's got nowhere to go." He looked genuinely concerned.
"She's just a little younger than my kid sister."

   "Can I talk to her?" I asked, knowing that I could be treading on thin
ice.

   "Sure.  But ...  Why?"

   "I dunno.  Offer to help.  Again."

   Hurley half-smiled.  "Might be the best chance she has right now."

   I walked back up the hall and stuck my head in the door where Tina was
sitting.  "Tina," I said softly, "you got a minute?"

   When she turned there was moisture in the corners of her eyes.  "Looks
like I've got more than a minute, Mister Alan.  Why?"

   "I was talking to Deputy Hurley.  He's telling me what you're up against
right now.  I know this may sound strange, but ...  don't take this wrong.
I could make room for you for a while.  With me.  Until school."

   "School's over, Mister Alan.  I dropped out.  Mom moved us six times in
nine months.  I tried changing schools three times.  And I gave up." She
hung her head.  "Grandma'd be crying to know that."

   "I'm sorry.  But then, school.  Or no school.  I have a place for you to
stay.  No strings.  None.  I mean it.  None.  If you want.  It ain't much.
A travel trailer."

   She turned teary eyes to me.  "You'd ...  you really would..."

   "I really would," I said.  "You want to go tell Deputy Hurley?"

   She was starting to smile a bit.  For the first time since I met her. 
She knocked on Deputy Hurley's door.

   "Come in, Miss Tina," he said.

   "Deputy Hurley," she said, "Uh ...  Mister Alan has offered to give me a
place to stay for a while.  I just wanted to let you know."

   Hurley looked at me.  "Uh, Mister Addison.  A minute, please?  Excuse
us, Miss Tina."

   I knew where this one was going.  "Okay, Deputy Hurley.  I know what
you're thinking."

   "No shit," he said.  "D'you KNOW that she's still under a lot of
confusion and crap from this morning?"

   "Yes I do," I said.  "And I aim to reduce that a bit by NOT forcing her
into a temporary home or a shelter for battered women or whatever else
comes up."

   "You tell me with a straight face..." He glared.

   "Deputy Hurley." I glanced at the nameplate on his desk.  "Bill, if I
can be so bold.  I am a man of honor.  I stood up for that young lady this
morning under threat of harm to my own body.  I am not about to cart her
off somewhere to turn her into a sex slave or a play toy.  I'm just trying
to help." I reached in my wallet and pulled out a business card.  "This is
MY business card.  You can call it tomorrow or next week or next month.  I
will answer the phone.  If Tina is around, SHE will talk to you.  And like
I told you, I am going to work for six months on a project, and my name and
reputation are on the line.  I am a professional, as are you.  Give me your
trust."

   "Damn, man!  What a speech.  Okay.  Okay!  I'm sorry.  Like I said. 
Little sister.  Okay?"

   "Okay," I said.  "And like I said, I appreciate you doing your job as
conscientiously as you've done it.  Including this."

   "Okay, Mister Addison."

   "Alan," I said.

   "Alan.  Open the door and ask Tina back in."

   Tina popped back in.  "Yessir?" she asked.

   Hurley said, "Me and Alan had a discussion about you.  I understand that
he's offering to give you a place to stay.  But here's the deal.  I don't
care if you ARE in Tennessee.  If you get in trouble.  With him or anybody
else.  Here's MY card.  You call me and I will personally come up there and
get you and kick whoever's ass needs kicking."

   "I believe him, Miss Tina," I said.

   "So do I," she said.  "Thank you, Deputy Hurley.  You've been good to
me. I'll call you and tell you how things are going."

   "You do that, little sister," he said.

   We were walking out to the truck.  "What'd he mean, "little sister"?"
she asked.

   I told her, "He said you're just a few years younger than his little
sister and he didn't want anything bad to happen to you."

   She looked at me.  "You mean, like getting slapped around by Mister
Druggie this morning?"

   "Or worse..."

   "Mister Alan, there's no telling how much worse it would've been."

   She climbed in on the passenger side of the truck and I cranked up the
diesel and let it clatter at idle for a minute.

   "Nice truck," she said.

   "Tool," I said.  "Some people treat it like a status thing.  To me, it's
just a good tool for what I need.  And I take care of it.  That's why we're
sitting here for a minute, to let things get warm."

   "Oh," she said.  She clicked her seatbelt and I clicked mine and I
shifted into gear and off we went.  Considering that I was at breakfast at
eight when things went bad this morning, and it was now two-thirty, I
counted myself lucky.

   "If you're hungry," I said, "there's granola bars and stuff in the
console.  Help yourself.  And the ice chest behind the seat has cokes."

   "D'you want one?" she asked.

   "I could use a coke," I said.

   As we crawled out of town with the evacuees, she was sitting there
munching on a granola bar and sipping a coke.  I stole a glance over at
her, removing my eyes off the traffic.  She wasn't exactly smiling, but she
did have a satisfied look on her face.  Chapter 2

   An hour and a half later and we were out of the worst of the traffic and
I had the cruise control locked in at seventy, letting that diesel engine
do what it did best, eat up miles.  I'd noted that, despite a cup of coffee
and a coke, Miss Tina'd seen fit to doze off for an hour or so.  She woke
up to the rhythm of the interstate under our wheels.

   "Are we gonna get there this evening?" she asked.

   "Nope.  If I drove straight through, maybe we'd get there sometime after
midnight.  I'm not up to that kind of driving if I don't have to," I said.

   "I've got my license.  I could drive," she said.

   That was an interesting thought that I hadn't entertained.  But, "No,
you're not on my insurance, Tina.  But I appreciate the offer.  Really."

   "So what are we going to do?  For the night, I mean?"

   "Let's see," I said.  "Open this map." I still had some paper maps.  She
complied.  "In two more hours we'll be here," I pointed to a town in
Mississippi.  "If you check my cellphone under "Holiday Inn" you'll see a
number for them.  Tell 'em we need a room with two beds, non-smoking.  Uh
...  you don't smoke, do you?"

   "Yecchhhhh!" she spat.  "Uh ...  I have a problem," she said. 
"Actually, a couple of 'em."

   "What sort of problem?"

   "One, I'm ...  Uh ...  let me put it delicately ...  I'm on my period,
and I have two tampons left.  And two, all the clothes that I own are in
that Wal-mart bag behind the seat."

   "Oh," I said.  "I thought you said "problem".  Make the hotel
reservation.  That town's big enough to have a mall and we'll hit town at
six or so.  We go to the mall, you get what you need.  No problem as far as
I can see."

   "Nuh-uh.  Problem.  I almost got the crap slapped out of me for forty
bucks.  That's all the money I have."

   "You keep arguing," I smiled.  "I got a gold card in my pocket and it
needs exercise."

   "But I can't pay you back, Mister Alan.  At least not right now."

   "Look, Miss Tina, first thing is, we get rid of this "Mister - Miss"
stuff.  I'll be Alan and you'll be Tina, okay?"

   "Uh, okay..."

   "And second, buying you a few things you need is NOT going to
inconvenience me in the least.  You need stuff.  I'm getting you stuff. 
Pretty simple.  And I didn't say anything about paying back.  So stop
worrying."

   "Okay ...  Alan." And she smiled.  Just a little bit.  And it was
wonderful.

   I listened to her reserve us a room, reading numbers off my Visa card as
I drove.  An hour later we were at the mall, and I followed her part time,
led her the other part, forcing her to get a few changes of clothes, bought
both of us pajamas, extra bath towels, an inordinate amount of strange
substances apparently needed by young ladies in the bath, a hair dryer, and
as we were heading out, me carrying six huge bags, her carrying one, we
happened past one of those accursed perfume counters and she got whiffed by
a charming, perfectly coiffed lady wielding a sample spritzer like an
artillery piece.

   "Mmmmmm," Tina said.  "I love that stuff.  Always have."

   I dropped my load of bags and reached for my wallet.  She put her hand
on my arm.  Electricity coursed through me at this, the first touch.  "No,
Alan.  I understand all this other stuff.  I need things.  But I don't NEED
perfume."

   "Hush!" I told her, slapping the gold card on the counter.  To the lady
with the spritzer I said, "Which do you recommend?  The cologne or the
perfume?"

   And Tina added another bag.  We guarded our treasures as each of us made
a run at the food court for dinner.

   We got back in the truck and drove up the highway away from the mall to
the hotel on the side of the interstate.  I checked us in and we started
unloading bags into the room.  I had my one overnight bag, the remainder of
my stuff being stored in the trailer.  Tina had two loads.

   And now I began to see how sticky things might be.  At this point, I was
being completely non-lecherous.  I was truthful when I told both Tina and
Deputy Hurley that I had no intention of Tina being my sex toy.  I was as
serious to myself.  In my own mind, she was as untouchable as a vestal
virgin.  And here we were in the same hotel room.

   First line of business was for us to rifle through the bags for pajamas.
She continued past that point to locate panties (hip-hugger, in pastel
colors.  I bit the inside of my mouth) and a new bra, 34-B.  She also chose
the next day's ensemble, jeans and of all things, a rugby shirt.  Those
were all carefully laid out, along with my shirt for the next day.  My
pants had yet to suffer to the point that I determine a fresh pair is
needed.

   Next, it's shower time for Tina.  I plopped my ass down in a comfy chair
and found TV channels to surf while she hauled her bag of goodies into the
bathroom and shut the door.  I heard shower for a while, then various
noises including gargling sounds and then ten minutes of hair dryer.  And
the door opened, and out of the darkness came a vision.  Clean,
sweet-smelling, hair washed, dried, and brushed to a shine, her bangs
glistening like jewels above those blue eyes, the slightest curl where her
hair stopped just short of her shoulders.  And she was smiling.

   "Gah, Alan, I feel so much better."

   "You look much happier," I said.  "Lemme go see if the works for me."

   Half an hour later I was shaved, showered, deodorized, and after-shaved.
I told myself that the aftershave was because it made my face feel good. 
For me.  I slid into a new set of pajamas, a big change since my usual
bed-time garb was a t-shirt and drawers.  But there I was, in PJ's, walking
out of the bathroom.

   To a smiling Tina.  "Wow!  You smell better."

   "Uh ...  I'm sorry.  I didn't know I smelt BAD..."

   She smirked.  "Maybe it was the adrenaline."

   "Yeah ...  probably so." I turned down my bed and stretched out in it.

   "Are we gonna fight over the remote control?" she laughed.

   "Nope.  Tonight I relinquish the control to you.  Whatever you want to
watch."

   She flipped channels.  Paused on "Cops".  "Hmph!" she snorted.  "That's
where Mom's guys get their career tips." Kept flipping.  "Oooooooh!  Do you
mind?  Animal Planet.  "The Blue Seas"?  I LOVE this!"

   I was pleasantly surprised.  I figured, oh, I don't know what I figured.
This was good.  No, great.  "You like this stuff?"

   "Oh, gosh, yes!  My favorites.  Learn stuff."

   "Well, then be my guest, little princess.  We're not going to argue
about TV."

   "Really?"

   "Really," I said.

   She turned her own bed down.  We watched and talked.  And what I didn't
hear was as important as what I did hear.  I didn't hear "like" and "ya
know" and "He's like" and other contemporary argot.  That left me to parse
the "high-school dropout" angle.

   Ten o'clock came around and I noted that we needed to get rolling by
0700.

   "Okay," she said.  "Can I set the sleep timer on the TV?"

   "Sure," I said.

   She set the timer and I reached to turn out the lights, and I heard in
the room, dimly lit by the flicker of the TV screen, "Alan, thank you."

   "No, thank you, Tina.  You've added a new adventure to my life." And
that is the note I went to sleep on.  And strange dreams.

   The alarm woke me up from a sound sleep.  I looked over at the next bed
and saw the lump that was Tina.  She stirred.

   I turned on the light.  "Owwwwww," she complained.  Then, "oh, yeah..."
And she sat up, rubbed her eyes, looked at me, and smiled.  "Hi, Alan."

   "Hi, Tina.  I hate to be a party pooper, but we have to get in gear,
dear."

   "Yes, dear," she teased.

   "You want the bathroom to get dressed, or here?  I'll take the other
one."

   "Bathroom," she said.

   "Wait," I said.  "Before you take over."

   I went and relieved my bladder.  When I got out, there was Tina, eyebrow
raised, baby-talking, "Did my widdle boy have to go potty?"

   "Like a racehorse," I countered.

   She took over the bathroom.  I heard face being washed, teeth being
brushed, and in ten minutes a Tina showed up, ready for the day.  I did the
teeth thing and I was ready to go, that is as soon as we packed up.  Two
trips to the truck.  I stopped by the front desk and paid the tab, and we
made a short run across the interstate to a diner for breakfast.

   Pancakes and coffee, and conversation.  "Maybe we won't have to shoot
our way out of this one, babe," she smirked.

   I noted with interest the term "babe" used in reference to me.  "Gosh,"
I said, "At least not until next week."

   Walking back across the parking lot to the truck and trailer, I noticed
that there was less distance between us than before.

   In the truck, in five minutes we were back on the open road, locked in
at seventy.  She loosened her seatbelt and turned sideways.

   "So if we're gonna be living together, don't you think we should know
something about each other?"

   "That might be good.  I figured you'd tell me what you wanted, whenever
you felt up to it."

   "I'm talkin' about you, Alan," she said.

   "Okay.  What do you want to know?  If I don't want to answer, I'll tell
you.  Between us, that's gonna be the rule.  If you don't want to tell,
just say no.  No lies, okay?"

   "Okay.  Wife?"

   "Nope," I said.  "Divorced four years ago.  She left with a high school
sweetheart.  Living in California with new husband and our daughter."

   "Daughter?"

   "Yeah.  Terri will be seven this year.  Have her a month in the summer.
Might fly her in for Christmas or Thanksgiving, IF the ex will submit to
such horrors.  You want to know what's sad?"

   "What's sadder than that?" Tina asked.

   "She had complications during the pregnancy and delivery and her doctor
said another baby might be very bad for her or the baby, so she talked ME
into getting a ...  uh ...  fixed.  Of course, now that I'm forty, that's
not as big a deal, but to some women..."

   "Yeah, I guess some women would see that as a minus.  Girlfriends?"

   "Nope.  Not in the last two years.  Gave up on the dating scene.  Don't
do one-night stands.  Morals, and all that."

   "Really?  It's been a long time since I heard that," she said.

   "Besides, I'm weird.  Just ask the ex.  I listen to the wrong kind of
music.  Watch the wrong kind of TV.  Laugh at the wrong kind of jokes.

   "I thought you liked the right kind of TV last night." She paused. 
"Okay.  Let's move on to the music thing.  Let me guess.  Hip-hop." She
smirked again.

   "You need a magic marker to help you make a cardboard sign for the side
of the road?"

   Laughing.  "Okay, so what..."

   "Look in the console."

   She opened the console and pulled out two CD's.  "Uh ...  if this is the
wrong kind ...  Alan, I miss this music."

   "Are you looking at..."

   "Bach.  Brandenburg Concertos.  Beethoven.  Symphonies.  Oh, god! 
Pastorale!"

   "W-w-wait!  You're a teenaged girl.  It's supposed to be boy bands and
hip-hop."

   "Not when you're looking for a little bit of theology and geometry in
your universe."

   "Theology and geometry?  Like in "Confederacy of Dunces"?"

   Squeal.  "You know the book?"

   "Not the kind of book I expect to be known by a high school dropout,
Tina."

   "About that," she sighed.  "I wanted to explain.  This is as good a time
as any.  When my Grandma was alive and I lived with her, I had a 3.8
average.  When she died, and I had to live with Mom, like I said, school
after school, never enough days, I gave up." She looked at me with serious
eyes.  "I'm not stupid.  And I'm not lazy.  I'm not my mother's daughter,
I'm HER mother's grand-daughter, and I want to go back to school."

   "That answers that question, then," I said.

   "You had a question?  Really?  About me?"

   "Yes, Tina, I did.  I was quite happy to help you out, but honestly, I
didn't know how much I could do if you were a dropout and done with school.
Now I have some hope.  3.8?  Really?  Wow!  I didn't do THAT good."

   "So you're thinking about my school now?"

   "Yeah.  We'll have to figure some stuff out.  Get you graduated from
high school.  College?"

   "Was a dream.  I was hoping for scholarships.  Grandma was going to
help, but she was on fixed income.  And when she died..." she sighed. 
"Hope of college died too."

   "Don't give up hope, Tina.  Let's see where this leads, okay?"

   "Okay.  Now, back to Alan.  You went to college, obviously. 
Engineering. Isn't that tough?"

   "Not if you get your head into the game.  And I was Army ROTC, so I
spent five years as an engineer lieutenant."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah.  Really."

   "And now..." She was paying close attention now.

   "And now I'm pretty well known in a small field of people who take care
of industrial power systems, and that's what I'm, we're going to go do in
Tennessee.  It pays good if I'm willing to travel, and with no wife and
kids to take care of, I AM willing to travel."

   She was smiling.  "And rescue young damsels in distress."

   "That too.  Now, tell me more about Tina."

   "I turned seventeen three months ago.  I should be starting my senior
year in high school.  I used to swim on the city team.  I am computer
literate.  I like classical music, although I think Chopin is trying too
hard to sound sophisticated and darned little good classical music has been
written since 1900.  Well, some of Copland's stuff, and a few others.  I
can stand some ragtime and some bits of other genres."

   "Boyfriends?"

   "I've dated a few.  Nothing serious.  Because boys my age, at least the
ones I met, AREN'T serious.  They're as bad as girls except it's pickup
trucks and cars instead of nail polish and hairdos, and there's that ONE
thing that's always on their minds when they're on a date and get you
alone."

   "Ah, yes," I said.  "I remember being young and stupid.  Thanks for
reminding me."

   She was on a roll.  "So I'm out on a date with a guy I'm thinking is
cute and smart and I've just finished reading "Confederacy" and I start
talking about it and he's all about, "Can I touch your tits" and I'm
pushing hands away.  She sighed.  "I want to be a MIND."

   "I understand," I said.

   "No you don't.  It's different for guys."

   "No, babe," I said.  Oops.  Called her "babe".  Move on.  "When the men
and women are forty, it gets all screwed up.  Women think that if they get
you into bed a time or two that you're ready for marriage.  And I'm
thinking, "Hey, you hated my music.  And I supposed to spend the rest of my
life in a house without Beethoven?"

   Her laughter was like tinkling bells.  "Maybe you DO understand."

   She continued.  "And then I moved back in with Mom.  SuperMom.  As in,
"Oh, baby you're old enough.  Go out with HIM.  He's got a nice car." And
"You might give a little to get a little, you know what I mean?" And "He
didn't mean to walk in on you in the shower.  And it's no big deal if he
saw you naked." And "don't be so sensitive.  A lot of people ain't as picky
about showing off their bodies.  Get over it."

   "Really?  That bad.?"

   "That bad.  Grandma cried about how her daughter turned out to be such
a, in her words, slut." She sighed.  Then I saw her smile.  "School.  I get
to go back to school."

   "If that's what you want, Tina."

   "That's what I want."

   Lunchtime saw us parked in the back corner of a roadside restaurant,
inside for a stretch and a bathroom break and a decent meal.  Two o'clock
saw us pulling into the RV park we'd be calling home for the next six
months.  That was the plan, anyway.  We got down together and I signed in
at the office, meeting the manager, getting the talk about the lay of the
park, the amenities, the rules and we got pointed to a spot in the most
remote corner, per my request.

   I did the much-hated backing of a thirty-five foot trailer into a spot,
then with Tina helping, got unhitched, leveled, electricity, water and
waste connected, then I climbed a ladder and installed my satellite TV
dish. To Tina I said, "There.  Animal Planet, Discovery, History, MTV,
VH1..."

   "Watch it, Alan.  You're falling off your white horse." and laughter.

   "Okay, princess, it's time to see your new castle," I said, unlocking
the door and lowering the retractable step.  She stepped in first.

   "Wow!  This is nice!  I haven't lived in anything this nice since
Grandma's."

   "You like it?  Really?'

   "Yeah," she said.  "It's small, but you've got everything.  Kitchen. 
Little washer and dryer.  "Uh ...  just one bed..."

   "And the sofa makes out into another.  I had this one custom made.  I
didn't plan on company.  The desk is where the other bed would normally be.
But I've slept on the sofa and..."

   "It's nicer than anything I've seen in a year, Alan.  This is
wonderful."

   I wish I heard more assurance in her voice.

   We moved her stuff from the truck to one of the two clothes closets.  I
showed her the bathroom.  Storage space.  Where to turn water on and off.
Gas.  Electricity.  I also showed her how the sofa made out into a bed, a
fairly easy operation but instead she stretched out full length on it in
"Sofa" mode.

   "This is a sight better than I'm used to.  I had a single bed in Mom's
apartment and the mattress was shot."

   "I'm sorry, b..." I caught myself.  "uh, Tina, but when I designed this
I didn't plan on a teen girl living with me."

   "That's okaaay, Alan, really.  If you put up with me, I can put up with
this." She got up and opened cabinets.  "You got pots and pans.  We need to
go grocery shopping.  Get stuff to cook."

   "Uh," I said, "I don't usually cook much past TV dinners."

   "But I can cook.  So let's make a list.  And then go shopping."

   She retrieved the little notebook from her purse and started writing. 
As she wrote, she questioned me about foods I liked and disliked,
studiously scribbling in her notebook in a tight and even hand.

   "'Kay," she announced.  "Now let's go buy groceries."

   And we did.  Once in the truck, I asked, "Tina, if you're serious about
going back to school, I'm gonna call tomorrow and see what it takes to get
you in.  If you're serious."

   "I'm serious.  I can't imagine not having at least a high school
diploma, Alan.  What do people do?"

   "I don't know.  Some make it without the diploma, but that's not the way
to bet."

   "I'd really like college."

   "That's what you said.  Let's get you through high school first."

   Giggle.  "Yeah.  High school."

   Driving out of the park, we drove past the pool.  There were two couples
sitting poolside watching some kids splash around.

   "I need a bathing suit.  I could enjoy that pool," she said.

   "Me too," I responded.  "We'll see about getting suits.  Maybe
tomorrow."

   As we drove, she asked, "What's the plan for tomorrow, anyway?"

   I glanced at her.  "I figured we'd find where I have to work, and see
what kind of drive it is.  Maybe find the high school.  Go into town and
get a couple of swimsuits.  And YOU get to say, too, you know.  I don't
start working until next Monday.  We have all week."

   "'Kay," she smiled.

   Groceries collected we retired back to our trailer.  It was nearing
darkness.  "Tina, I'm going to walk a lap around the park.  I need the
exercise." I tried to do something three or four times a week.  Kept the
weight down and my health up.

   "Uh, okay," she said.  "Is this your 'alone' time, or can I walk with
you?"

   "Let's go.  If I need 'alone' time, I'll tell you.  I've had plenty
enough in that last couple of years.  It's nice to have somebody to talk
with."

   We locked the trailer and started walking.  Sunday evening, there were
still three other trailers in the park.  Two retired couples were sitting
outside near one, chatting.  We stopped and exchanged pleasantries. 
Continuing the walk, we caught up with a third retired couple out walking
like us, enjoying the evening calm.  We made a point of examining the
park's pool area.  Looked like a good thing.  At least through September,
before it started getting too cool.  So we had a month.

   I walk pretty briskly, so I was stepping out.  I noted that Tina was
matching me step for step without complaint, and carrying on conversation
as she did so.  Healthy.  Okay.

   I unlocked the trailer and let us in.  "Who goes first?"

   "Me, if you don't mind..." she said.

   "Okay, but remember to go easy on the hot water.  We got a ten-gallon
heater.  So wet down, soap up, rinse.  Same thing on shampoo."

   Giggle.  "I read that's how you do it on a boat," she said.  "I'll leave
you some hot water."

   "Uh, another problem.  These things aren't exactly built for privacy. 
I'll stay in my end with the curtain closed until you're dressed, okay?"

   "Uh, yeah, I guess." She fixed me in a stare.  "This is gonna be
difficult, huh?"

   "I'm sorry.  You got a better idea?"

   "Yeas, I do, if YOU'RE the kind of man I think you are.  I mean, locking
yourself behind a curtain..."

   "What's the alternative?"

   She stared at me, her lips belying a firm resolve.  "You can just decide
that you might see as much of a female as you would on any beach in the
country.  I won't flash you or tease you.  And you try to be the same when
it's your turn.  I've seen guys before.  I think we're both adults and we
can restrain ourselves."

   "There you go, making sense," I said.

   She smiled.  "I don't want to mess up your life, Alan.  We just both
live here, and we get along, and treat each other like adults, okay?"

   This from a cute seventeen year old girl.  That, yes, part of me
definitely wanted to see naked.  But I pushed that part back down in my
head.  "Okay, princess."

   She huffed.  "Stop calling me princess."

   "You ARE a princess."

   "I will carry my weight in this house, okay?  Really."

   "Okay," I said.  "Then we'll have a couple of TV dinners.  And tomorrow
we'll try cooking."

   "Okay." She smiled.  "Alan, I appreciate what you're doing for me.  What
you've already done.  We'll work this all out, okay?"

   "Okay.  Get your shower." And I went back to my chair with my back to
the bathroom.  I heard the water run.  Stop.  Run again.  Stop.  Run again.
Then bumping and a towel-clad Tina zipped up the narrow aisle to the
bedroom where her clothes were.  The privacy curtain closed for a minute,
then she emerged.

   "See!" she laughed.  "We made it.  Your turn.  I'm gonna dry my hair."
Pajama-clad, she sat on the steps to my bed and started brushing and
blowing.

   I'd done enough in this trailer to have a routine, but that had to be
altered at the point where I walked around nude.  I brought my
tighty-whities into the little bathroom and in the confined space, I
toweled off and donned them, then opened the door to let the moist air out
while I shaved.  I emerged and Tina was sitting on the sofa.

   "Oh, wow," she laughed.  "Tighty-whities.  I can hardly contain myself."
Sarcasm dripped.

   "I didn't know I was sharing a trailer with a smartass," I laughed, as I
donned my own pajamas.

   "One of my many talents," she smirked.  Punching the start button on the
microwave, she giggled.  "This is another."

   TV dinners and soft drinks.  "We can do better than this," she said as
we sat opposite one another in the dining booth.  She was right.  We
watched TV together, me with my laptop and a wireless card, checking email
and a couple of engineering websites.  She looked.

   "I haven't used a computer since Grandma's house.  I had a laptop.  It
"disappeared" at Mom's."

   I picked it up and handed it to her.  "Use this one."

   "You don't mind?"

   "I gotta trust you, huh?"

   "You CAN trust me, Alan.  Mom didn't raise me.  Grandma did.  Right."
She got serious fast.

   "Sorry, Tina.  That's YOUR computer now.  Just don't erase my old
stuff."

   Squeal.  "This is MINE?  But don't you need it for work?"

   "Got another one in the truck for work.  I can bring it in if I need it.
What'd'ya got?  Email?  FaceBook?"

   "Uh-huh.  That I haven't checked in months.  Only got to a computer at
the library.  And I didn't get to the library very much."

   I flipped through some TV channels as she concentrated on the computer
screen.  I heard her muttering under her breath, "Nope.  Nuh-uh.  Nope.  No
way." A pause, a flurry of keystrokes, the back to "Nope.  No way."

   "You sound awfully busy," I said.

   "Catching up with people I don't really want to catch up with, mostly.
I'm answering a couple, though."

   I looked at her as she went back to her task.  I didn't stare, but I was
looking at a cutie who wasn't working at being cute.  She just was.  I went
back to TV.  It was safer.

   Finally she looked up.  "Done!"

   "That was fast.  How about looking up the local school board?  We need
to get the ball rolling on getting you back in school."

   "Okay," she said.  A few more keystrokes and she passed me the laptop. I
looked at the website.

   "That's where we'll start tomorrow," I said.  I looked at my watch. 
"It's about bedtime.  Lemme get you a pillow and some sheets." I retrieved
a set of sheets and a pillow from my bed.

   "But this is YOUR pillow," she said.

   "I had three.  I can live with two."

   She unfolded a sheet and tucked it into the sofa cushions, making a
clean smooth surface, then positioned the pillow and pulled the other sheet
over her.  "This'll work," she said.

   "If you get cold, I can get you a blanket.  I like sleeping in a cold
room myself."

   "I'll be okay," she said, smiling.  "G'nite, Alan.  Thanks for a nice
day."

   "No, thank you, Tina.  You're fun to hang out with."

   She smiled.  I made my way to the bed at the opposite end of the
trailer, turned down the covers and crawled in.  I didn't close the privacy
curtain.  The light at the other end of the trailer blinked out, leaving a
little night light's soft illumination.  I went to sleep.  Chapter 3

   I woke up to the smell of frying bacon, an alien smell that my
sleep-fogged mind took a few seconds to parse.  I sat up.  From my vantage
in bed at one end of the trailer I could see all the way to the other end,
and there in the middle, at the stove, was Tina, fiddling with a skillet on
the stove.  I guess she caught my movement.

   "Good morning, sleepyhead," she chirped.  "I hope grits and bacon and
eggs is good for breakfast."

   "Oops," I said.  "I woke up in the wrong trailer."

   "Whaaaat?" she giggled.

   "Do you know that there's NEVER been a meal cooked in the trailer that I
didn't cook myself?"

   "Then get used to it.  I think I like to cook every now and then."

   "Me too," I said.  "But cooking for one?  Kind of a drag."

   "So is cooking for people who couldn't give a shit," she said.  "But I
thought I'd try with you.  Make up for the breakfast you didn't finish
Saturday.  I saw this stuff in the fridge.  I figured that since you
brought it, it was stuff you like."

   "Well it smells good enough.  Lemme get dressed."

   "I won't peek," she said.

   I slid out of my pajamas and into a clean pair of pants and a pullover
shirt, grabbed a pair of socks and headed toward her.  I noticed the bacon
was cooking to perfection and the grits were happily bubbling on a rear
burner.

   "How do you like your eggs?" she asked.

   "Can you do "over easy"?"

   "Piece of cake," she laughed.  "Grandma showed me.  I practiced."

   Soon we were seated opposite one another in the little dining booth,
eating.

   "So how'd I do?"

   "Very good.  I figured burnt bacon and crunchy eggs."

   "Why?"

   "Because pretty teen girls aren't supposed to know how to cook," I said.

   "I'm NOT pretty," she said.

   "Hah.  I think you are."

   "Thanks," she said.  "You don't have to say that, you know."

   "You're right," I said.  "But it's true, and it should make you happy to
hear somebody say it."

   "Okay.  Thank you."

   "I'm sorry, Tina.  I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.  I just
meant that you ...  Oh, never mind..." Inwardly I kicked myself.  This was
a sticky situation, and I was still trying to figure out how there could be
a good outcome.

   "No, I'm sorry, Alan.  You were just trying to be nice.  I'm not used to
having people be nice, not the last few months."

   "Tina," I said, getting up from my now empty plate and gathering hers,
"if we're going to exist in this trailer, we need to get along."

   "I know," she said.  "But Alan," she continued, "you gotta understand
how it was, living with Mom and a stream of trash she brought home.  I
mean, guys that came home with Mom, they'd hit on me in a second if she
left the room.  They thought if she was easy, then I was easy.  And I'm NOT
easy."

   "I understand, Tina," I said.  "You want coffee?"

   "Yeah.  Lemme watch you make it.  People are particular about their
coffee, so I didn't try." She watched as I threw a little drip pot together
and put water on to boil.

   "You are NOT my maid, Tina."

   "Yeah, yeah..." she said.  "But two people.  Little trailer.  If we
don't share the work..."

   "I know.  Can't leave anything out of place, or it gets cluttered fast."

   "And we're in a tight space, so we need to NOT be sensitive.  You've
known me, what this is the third day?  I am NOT an asshole unless somebody
deserves it.  YOU don't deserve it.  Therefore, please don't consider me to
be an asshole."

   "I'm SORRY!" she said, "I just REACTED, okay?"

   "That's not the point, Tina.  We can make this whole thing work, but WE
need to be nice to one another.  And that means that I don't suspect you of
ulterior motives, and you treat me the same."

   The kettle whistled, thankfully giving me a stopping point.  I poured
the water into the drip pot, took out two mugs, the sugar canister and a
little carton of half and half.  I poured two mugs.  "Fix yours," I said.
"I don't know how you want it."

   "Two spoons of sugar, and cream like you put in yours."

   "How do you know I put cream in my coffee?"

   "Hah.  First, you got it out today, AFTER you brought it with the other
stuff.  So I figured you used it.  Second, you put some in your cup every
time I saw you drink coffee the last two days.  So I trust you to put cream
in my coffee." She did that little smirk thing I'd noticed several times
before.

   With a clinking of spoon against cup, I handed her a mug.  She sipped.
"Perfect!"

   I sat down opposite her again.  "Well, good.  I did something right."

   "Oh, Alan, I don't mean to be like that.  Just..."

   "Just a lot of changes in three days."

   "In nine months," she sighed.  "And things, uh, they looked so bad ...
with Mom."

   "You're past that, Tina.  If we can figure this all out." I sipped my
savory brown liquid, gazing at her face.

   She shook her head, flaring her hair and letting it fall in place.  Her
hand went up and brushed it off her collar.  "Uh, Alan, how ...  I mean, am
I askin' too much to get my hair trimmed?"

   "No.  Is it too long?" It touched her collar.  Auburn, shiny, a little
curl at the ends, it framed her face nicely.

   "Uh, I like it shorter.  Needs an inch or so cut off.  But ...  I ... 
money."

   "Not a problem.  I don't know how you want to do it, but find a place,
and we'll get it done." I drained my mug and got up to start washing
dishes.

   She shoved me out of the way.  "Lemme do that."

   "Okay, boss," I said.  I gathered clothes and started filling the little
washer.  "I'll do the laundry."

   With dishes washed and stacked to dry, and a load of laundry in
mid-cycle, we headed out of the park with the address of the jobsite on the
GPS.  It wasn't too long a drive through the countryside.  I found what I
expected, a site consisting of several acres, cleared from the surrounding
woodlands, a new railroad spur and pipeline going in, and huge amounts of
bare dirt and rock with curiously shaped trenches and holes and interesting
formations of concrete and steel rising out of them.  And a complex of
temporary office trailers.  In one of them was my new office, but today
wasn't the day to look at it.

   "So that's where you work," Tina commented.

   "Yeah.  They all start out as a big mess like that.  In six months we
ought to be ready to make stuff.  Or at least I'll have the electricity
on."

   We drove towards the county seat.  I was looking for the school board
office.  Nine AM.  I guessed that government employees should be at work by
nine.  I punched up the phone number from the search the night before.  I
got a menu.  I navigated until I got a human.  "Hi, I said, "I'm Alan
Addison.  I need to talk to somebody about enrolling a student in your high
school."

   The female voice said, "Yessir.  Let me connect you with Mister
Jenkins."

   Click.  A male voice.  "Dan Jenkins.  Can I help you?"

   "Yessir, Mister Jenkins.  I'm Alan Addison.  I have a student who needs
to enroll.  We just moved here."

   "Easy enough," he said.  "I'll just need the information from her last
school.  You wouldn't happen to have transcripts with you?"

   "Nossir," I said.

   "Didn't figure you did, but I thought I'd ask.  We can get those.  What
grade?"

   "Uh, that's the problem.  Hey.  We're on the road.  Can we come by and
talk to you in person?"

   "Sure," he said.  He gave me the address.  "Just tell the lady at the
front desk that you're here to see me."

   "Looks like we'll see you in twenty minutes or so."

   "Okay, Mister Addison," he said.  "I'll be waiting."

   "So we're going to see him?" Tina asked.  "I'm not dressed."

   "Uh, Miss Tina," I stated, "you're dressed quite nicely." She was. 
Jeans, athletic shoes, a conservative blouse that accented that head of
hair.

   "I get nervous."

   "You have nothing to get nervous about.  We're just trying to get you
back in school.  These are the people that will help us do that." I pulled
into the parking lot and maneuvered the big pickup into a slot and we got
out.

   Walking into the office, we met the receptionist, a nicely dressed black
lady who directed us down the hall after she notified Mr.  Jenkins of our
arrival.  I knocked on the office door and heard a "Come in!" I ushered
Tina in ahead of me.

   "You're Mister Jenkins?" I asked, extending my hand.

   He shook it.  "And you're Alan Addison.  And this is..." he asked,
looking at Tina.

   "This is Tina, uh, Miss Christina Johnson.  She's needing to be in
school."

   "Hello, Miss Tina," he said.  "You folks can sit down."

   We sat.

   "So what's the deal?  You're her, uh ...  relation?"

   "None," I said.  "She's, well, I don't know how to categorize..."

   His eyebrow raised almost imperceptibly.

   "No," I said.  "Not like that.  Like "foster home"."

   "Sir," Tina interrupted, "I have no living relatives who aren't in jail.
Mister Alan has provided me a place to stay and has offered to get me back
in school."

   "Okay," he said.  "We'll leave that as it is.  Mister Addison, what is
your legal relationship?  Guardian?  Something that says you're 'in loco
parentis', legally able to sign for her?  I'm assuming she's still a
minor."

   "Seventeen, sir," said Tina.

   "Uh, yes.  Minor," said Mr.  Jenkins.  "Sir," he said, looking at me,
"I'm afraid that you need something to say that you have legal standing to
make decisions concerning her life."

   "I understand," I said.

   "I DON'T!!!" hissed Tina.  "Two days ago this man saved my life.  From
that, my mom and her boyfriend went to jail.  I don't HAVE anybody else to
make decisions.  He's the one."

   "I'm sorry, Miss Tina," he said.  "But that's what the law says."

   My head was full of spinning gears.  They lined up and clicked.  "Uh,
Mister Jenkins, can I make a cellphone call?  I don't want to be rude."

   "No," he said.  "If we can get this straightened out."

   "Tina," I said.  "Let me have Deputy Hurley's number."

   As she opened her purse I said to Mr.  Jenkins, "This guy might be able
to help us out."

   "Yeah?" he said.  "Then use my phone.  Here!" He turned it around. 
"Punch this button if you want to use speaker.  Dial nine to get an outside
line."

   "Thanks," I said, punching buttons.  I put us on the speaker.

   "I'm really trying to help," he said.

   The phone rang.  I wasn't sure of success on Hurley's office phone, but
we were surprised to hear "Sheriff's office.  Deputy Hurley.  Can I help
you?"

   Here goes nothing, I thought.  "Uh, Deputy Hurley.  Alan Addison.  From
Saturday morning at the diner?"

   "Hello, Mister Addison," He said.  "What can I do for you?" His voice
sounded a tad apprehensive.

   "Uh.  I'm here in Tennessee with Miss Tina and uh, Mister Jenkins of the
school board.  We're trying to get Tina back in high school."

   "Oh, really?" His tone took a definite upward turn.  "That's great!  She
doin' okay?"

   "Yeah, so far."

   "Hi, Deputy Hurley," Tina piped in.

   "Hi, Miss Tina," he said.  "How can I help you?"

   I said, "Mr.  Jenkins here says I ...  we need some sort of legal
document saying that I have some standing to sign for her to get in school.
Can you help us?  I mean, you know the situation and all."

   "I dunno exactly how that's gonna work," he said.  "Tell you what, lemme
call my uncle.  He's the district judge.  He'll know."

   Mr.  Jenkins injected, "How long might that take?"

   Hurley came back, "I'll get off the phone with you and call 'im.  Call
you back in ten minutes.  Gimme a number."

   Jenkins read him off one.

   "I'll call you back in ten minutes, fifteen, tops."

   "Okay, thanks, man!  We appreciate the help."

   "Don't thank me yet," Hurley said.  "I haven't done anything."

   "We trust you," Tina said.

   "'Kay.  Bye, ya'll." Click.

   I looked at Mr.  Jenkins.  "Okay, we're working on it."

   "Saturday?  At the diner?" He looked interested.

   "You want the story?"

   "Sure," he said.

   "You don't mind, do you, Tina?" I asked.

   "Certainly not.  We lived through it."

   So I told the story, aided ably by Tina.  "And," I said, "That's how a
forty year old engineer ended up with a teenaged girl in Tennessee."

   "Okay," he said.  "Let's assume that we get something going that lets
you sign for Miss Tina." He turned to Tina.  "What grade are you in?"

   "I dropped out in the eleventh grade," Tina said.  "I was a 3.8 student.
Then I moved in with Mom when Grandma died.  And I dropped out."

   "Hmmm," he said.  "That changes things a bit."

   "How so?" I asked.

   "We have to do a placement test.  To see where she starts back.  Pretty
standard thing."

   Uh, okay?  When?  Where?"

   "We can do it here.  Uh, tomorrow if you get us something to fix things.
Or later this week."

   I eyeballed the diploma on his wall.  A picture of a happy Jenkins with
a pretty, if somewhat chunky wife and two kids, maybe eight and ten.  And
to go with the conservative haircut, a framed honorable discharge
certificate from the Marines.

   "Marine?" I said.

   "Oh, yeah," he said.  "You?"

   "Army.  Combat engineers."

   "Chopper pilot."

   "Really?!?" I said.  "Gulf War?"

   "Yeah.  You?"

   "Uh-huh.  Blew one of the minefields to cut the army loose into Iraq."

   "Small world, ain't it?  I flew into Kuwait."

   "Hah!" We laughed together.  Tina was alternating her gaze between the
two of us.

   Jenkins saw her expression.  "Sorry, Miss Tina, we're not ignoring you."

   "Oh, don't worry about me, Mister Jenkins.  I'm learning stuff every
day. About him."

   The phone rang.  Jenkins answered, then punched the speaker button. 
"Okay, Deputy, uhhh, Hurley, is it?  We're all here.  So what's the good
news."

   Hurley's voice was tinny on the speaker.  "Hi, folks!  Hizzoner Judge
Hurley, my dear uncle, says that I need for you two to fax me copies of
your drivers' licenses so he can get the paperwork done up properly.  I can
overnight it to you.  You both sign.  Overnight it back.  The judge signs.
And it's back to you.  We can get it done by Friday that way."

   Mr.  Jenkins asked, "So this is a hundred percent?  No questions?"

   "Nope," the tinny voice said.  "Hundred percent."

   "Great," said Mr.  Jenkins.

   "The fax number on your card works?" I asked.

   "No," Hurley said.  "Use this one.  It's the judge's law office.  And
you owe me seventy-five bucks.  Court costs." He gave me a fax number. 
Tina was already pulling out her drivers' license.

   "Tell your uncle that his name goes on the list of good people," Tina
said.

   "Uh, Deputy Hurley, Let me give you an address for the deliveries." I
gave him the RV park.  Made a mental note to make arrangements for them to
watch for me and call when things came in.

   "I'll do that, Miss Tina," Hurley said.  "I'll call 'im back and tell
'im to expect the fax."

   "Hey, Deputy Hurley," I said.

   "Yeah."

   "Can your uncle fax me back a copy of the document.  A draft?  So Mister
Jenkins will have something in his hand pretty quick?"

   "Yeah.  I can do that."

   "Great!  We're gonna fax that stuff right now."

   "'Kay, folks!  Let me know how things go.  Bye!" Click.

   Mr.  Jenkins sat back, bridging his fingers at his chin.  "Well!" he
exclaimed, "That looks pretty good.  Lemme make quick call.  He picked up
the phone.  "Hi, Janie.  Dan Jenkins.  Yeah.  Look, I got a young lady who
needs to do a grade screening for high school.  Uh, yeah.  She dropped out
last year in, uh, Louisiana.  Wants to start here.  We need to determine
grade placement.  Can she ...  Uh, tomorrow?  Yeah.  Wait a sec..." He
looked at us.  "Tomorrow okay?"

   Tina nodded vigorously.  "Yes, fine!" I said.

   He went back to the phone.  "Yeah.  Tomorrow.  Eight-thirty?  Till,
what, lunch-time?  Okay ...  she'll be there.  Uh ...  Christina Johnson.
"'Kay.  Thanks!  Bye!"

   "Okay," he said, turning to us.  "Now, let's get these licenses copied
and faxed." He took them and left, coming back in a few minutes.  He handed
us back our licenses.

   I gave him a business card.  "Cell number and email works.  If you need
anything.  I sure do appreciate your help on all this." I stood up, Tina
rising by my side.

   He handed me his card.  "Same thing goes."

   "Thank you, Mister Jenkins," Tina said.  "I'll be here, what
eight-thirty?  I'll be early.  Okay?"

   He smiled.  "Good.  We're looking forward to having you."

   Tina was a little old to be skipping beside me, but there was a definite
bounce in her step as we left.

   "Are you nervous?  I mean, TESTS!"

   She shook her pretty head.  "Nuh-uh.  I'll do my best.  Things will work
out.  Again."

   "Again?" I questioned.

   "Yeah," she smiled.  "Things seem to have taken a good turn for ME since
Saturday, don'tcha think?"

   "I suppose.  That is, if you can get over your living arrangements."

   "I'm sorry about this morning, Alan.  I'm just, you know..."

   "Don't worry, Tina.  Lots of changes."

   "Uh, AND a period.  And I get a bit edgy.  I'll try to be better."

   "Just be you.  We'll work things out."

   "'Kay, babe," she said.  Giggled.

   And I noted the word "babe".

   We took off in the truck, went to find a good clothing store, and bought
a couple of bathing suits.  I left her to her own devices in choosing, and
her choice was a very conservative one-piece.  I'd imagined a bikini, a not
unpleasant set of images, to be sure, but most disturbing to my efforts at
maintaining an almost fatherly distance.

   That effort put us within hitting distance of lunch.  "Where do we eat?"
questioned Tina.

   "I got an idea," I said.  I whipped out the business card from my shirt
pocket and dialed the number.

   "School board.  Dan Jenkins.  Can I help you?"

   "Dan Jenkins, this is Alan Addison.  We're looking for a decent lunch
meal and thought we'd ask you to come along and show us one.  Meal's on
me."

   Laughter.  "How far out are you?"

   "About five minutes."

   "I'll be standing beside the road with my hungry look..."

   Tina grinned.  "Do you, like, go out of your way to make friends?"

   "Life is a lot better when people are happy to see you.  And the day
goes better when you don't go into it pissed off all the time."

   "Hmmm.  Interesting." She smiled.  "You're really something, you know."

   "Nope, just a plain ol' engineer trying to have a good life in the
middle of all the mess."

   She smiled as we pulled into the parking lot at the school board.  She
waved at Dan Jenkins and he started toward us.  As he approached, she
unbuckled her seatbelt, stowed the console that separated the passenger
side from the driver side of the truck's bench seat, and slid beside me. 
She was buckling herself in the middle as Dan got in to occupy the
passenger side.  Buckled in, we started back out of the lot.

   "So what are you looking for?" He asked.

   "Tina?  Are you hungry for something in particular?"

   "Oh, no," she said.  "Let Mister Jenkins show us."

   "Okay, Dan," I said.  "take us to the showplace dining experience."

   He laughed.  "Uh, well ...  I know a place.  Family style food.  Good
for lunch.  And not expensive.  Turn right at the next light."

   We were early enough to beat the lunch crowd and had a very nice meal
presented to us.

   "So where are you working," his first question came.

   "That new factory going in over east off the main highway?  I'm doing
the electrical."

   "Engineer, again?" He surmised.

   "Yep, still.  I was headed this way and stopped for breakfast.  Tina
told you the story."

   Tina smiled.

   "So where are you living?" he asked.

   I named the RV park.  "For at least the next six months.  Not quite long
enough to be a resident.  Too short to be called transient."

   "Yeah," Dan said.  "I suppose somebody could make a big deal out of your
address being an RV park, but you explained the situation and I'm happy
with it." He turned his attention to Tina as she worked her way through her
meal with surprisingly good manners.  "Miss Tina, not many dropouts go back
to school like you're doing."

   She put her fork down.  "I suppose," she said.  "But I hated to drop
out, Mister Jenkins.  It's just that with my home situation, I was out of
school more than in."

   "Are you thinking of college?" he asked.

   "Yessir," she answered.  "I was, before ...  and now I'm thinking about
it again.  If I have a chance."

   "Good.  I know the guidance counselors at the high school.  Let's see
how the tests go."

   "We'll find out, won't we..." and she smiled enigmatically.

   We continued a pleasant lunchtime conversation and then drove back to
Dan's office and dropped him off.  I expected Tina to slide back over to
the empty passenger seat, but it was almost as if she hesitated before
moving, buckling in, and lowering the console as a barrier between us.  A
sort of pickup truck chastity wall.

   I let the GPS take us to a nearby recreational park on a lake and we
walked around, savoring the afternoon, even though it was a little warm.  I
wiped some sweat from my brow.  Tina saw that.

   "Alan," she said.  "We have brand new swimsuits and I know where there's
a pool.  Good idea?"

   "Great idea!  Let's go."

   We drove back to the RV park.  "I need to stop in at the office and tell
them we're expecting deliveries," I said.

   "Yeah, we are, aren't we?"

   We both got down and walked into the office.  The manager was an older
lady, maybe early sixties, at the counter.  "Hi, again," I said.

   Lillian Graves was her name.  She smiled.  "Oh, yes.  You came in
yesterday.  Uh ...  Alan, isn't it?"

   "Yes, ma'am."

   She looked at Tina.  "And Tina.  What can I do for you folks?"

   "I gave this address for mail.  And tomorrow I'm expecting a Fed-Ex
overnight.  You have my cell number.  Can you call me when it comes in?"

   "Sure," she said.  "Didn't you say you're going to be working around
here?"

   "Yes ma'am," I said.  "That new plastics plant off the main highway."

   "Oh, yes," she said.  "My son in law is going to be there as a
construction foreman."

   "Great!" I said.  "His name?"

   "Rollie Stebbins.  You can't miss him.  He's taller'n you.  'Bout three
hundred pounds.  Beard."

   "I'll look for 'im!  Tina's probably gonna do high school from here. 
Start next week, we're thinking."

   "Oh, that's good.  I can get the bus to stop here to get her in the
mornings."

   Tina looked at me.  "Uh, okay.  That's good.  I was wondering how I was
getting to school."

   "And baby," Lillian said, "you're always welcome to come sit here with
me in the afternoons while he's still at work.  If you don't mind sitting
with us old folks."

   "Oh, no ma'am," she smiled.  "I loved talking with my grandmother."

   I said, "Well, we're gonna go swim for a while."

   "Well, ya'll have fun, then.  I'll watch for your stuff tomorrow," she
said.

   We climbed back into the truck and drove the short distance to the
trailer.  In ten minutes I was wearing a conservative pair of swim trunks
and Tina was in a one-piece suit that clung to sleek curves and bulged out
over set of B-cup breasts.  I tried not to stare.

   "Grab us some towels," she said.

   "Yes ma'am," I said, exaggerating my servitude.

   "Oh, stop that.  You're being a butt..."

   "Walk or ride?" I asked.

   She gaged the distance from the trailer to the pool.  "Uh, with what
we've been eating, I'm thinking that the walk is a good thing."

   "Smart girl," I said.

   We started walking, side by side.  Could've been a dad and his daughter.
Could've.  And as far as I was concerned, that was just about what we were.

   The pool was bigger than I expected.  Certainly not Olympic-sized, but
plenty long enough for laps to be meaningful.  I stripped off my t-shirt
and slipped into the pool, letting the water envelop me, then ducked my
head and started laps in an easy crawl.  And got passed up by a seventeen
year old girl.

   "This isn't the way it's supposed to go," I thought to myself, and I
kicked my effort up from "recreational" level towards "Showoff".  And I
struggled to close the gap.  Kept trying, too, expecting her speed to be a
fluke.  Wasn't a fluke.  Back and forth.  Finally she pulled up on the edge
of the pool and I hit just seconds behind her, and I was breathing pretty
good.

   "Okay," I said, between breaths.  "Now tell me why Miss Tina is whipping
my butt in the pool."

   Giggle.  Then a little snicker.  "High school swim team.  I had
trophies."

   I heaved a cleansing breath.  "Now I remember.  It shows.  Very good."

   She smiled at me, her hair dark with water and plastered against her
head.  "You didn't do bad yourself," she said.  "I could feel you almost
catch me.  You have a better kick off the wall."

   "You beat me.  In a regulation pool, you'd have lapped me in five laps."

   She smiled.  "Nice to know that I have something on you." She ducked
under the water to cool off.  I did the same, then watched her leggy form
exit the pool and settle onto a lounge beside the walk, toweling herself
off.  Her height was from those long legs, not her torso, I observed.

   I got out and sat on the lounge beside her, drying myself off, then
laying back.  I closed my eyes to the late afternoon sun, but not before I
saw her eye me.  She stretched back on her own chair.

   "Mmmmm, this is really great, Alan.  It's so much different than what I
was looking at Friday night.  I think I'm in heaven."

   A gentle zephyr stirred the nearby trees and cooled my damp body. 
"Ahhhh, yes, lady, I think it's great.  Different, but great."

   "Alan," she said, "how do you usually do these jobs?  What do you do? 
Work, I know, but after work?"

   "That's where I part ways with a lot of guys, Tina.  Lots of
construction people party hard.  The bars and clubs around here are going
to make a fortune while this thing is being built.  And there's be a lot of
women chased and a few caught, and all.  But that's not my thing."

   "So what DO you do?"

   "I find the library, or the internet, and if there's some good concerts,
I go to those, and if I find friends that share my desire not to go out
drinking and cavorting then I might spend the evenings with friends."

   "No women?" she asked.

   "Not for the sake of the standard things that men chase women for.  Like
I told you the other day, I don't do casual sex and I am not going to get
serious with somebody who's not on the same wavelength that I am.  There's
too much pain in trying to fit the wrong pieces of a puzzle together."

   "But..."

   "But that's too serious a part of my life to compromise.  Been there. 
It hurts.  So I quit."

   "Uh ...  I guess that's a better approach than Mom's ...  she kept
tryin' and tryin' and then it was just for, I guess, the physical thing ...
and it seemed like a bad way to go through life." She sighed.

   "Some people go their whole lives like that and they don't suffer
consequences, but every one of those one-nighters, or short things, there's
two people involved, and what doesn't bother one can leave a mark on the
other."

   "Yeah," she said.

   "Or you end up with two people who just want to use each other, and ...
I don't know.  I thought I was connected in my marriage, but apparently she
wasn't.  And when it hurt me like that, I decided I never wanted to do that
to another person."

   "Me neither.  I saw Mom and it looked like a train wreck.  People bent
and broken all over the place."

   "Life sucks, sometimes..."

   "But then," she smiled as I looked at her, "there are days like this. 
Look!" She pointed upward to a hawk circling high overhead.  "That's
freedom."

   "Yes it is," I said.  "And he can do that when his belly's full and the
babies are fed.  If he's a good, successful hawk, he gets to circle in the
afternoon skies."

   We chatted for a few more minutes then I watched her form as she did a
little knifing dive off in the deep end of the pool and I did a backflip in
to join her.  This time I knew better than to let her surprise me, but she
still was nothing I could catch.  Finally we got out again and walked back.
Passing a couple of the other trailers, we smiled and greeted the folks as
we walked.

   Inside the trailer, Tina grabbed her night-clothes and hit the shower
first.  "Won't take long.  I just need to rinse," she said.  And true to
her word, she was out and drying her hair.

   I did a similar move, but had a few more minutes scraping the hair off
my face.  A splash of aftershave left my face tingly.  I exited the tiny
bathroom to a sleekly coiffed Tina, eyes blue and twinkling.

   "Gosh, you smell good again," she smiled.

   I sat in my recliner and she lounged on the sofa and we watched TV until
about eight when she picked up her laptop.  "Just want to see if I got any
responses to my email," she said.  Ten minutes later, she turned the
computer off.  "That's that," she said.  "I sent email last night to see
who wanted to keep in touch.  No responses.  I guess those friends gave
up."

   "I'm sorry, Tina."

   "Oh, it's okay, Alan.  You know, this is almost a new life.  I mean, I
had that life with Grandma, then she died, and I had that life with Mom,
and it was horrible, and now that's over, and I have this new life, and
you've been good to me, and I'm gonna go back to school and meet new
friends and start over.  Not many people get to do that."

   "I know." I was parsing the "meet new friends" statement.  I knew that
she was seventeen and the world was there for her and a new high school was
rich ground for relationships and friends and boyfriends and, I hated to
think, prospective mates.  I pushed that out of my mind.  Hard.  "Uh, do
you play cards?" I asked.

   "What kind of cards?  Like rummy?"

   "Yeah.  Can you play rummy?"

   "Grandma and I used to play several times a week.  I like it.  You got
cards?"

   And we sat at the table and played rummy.  And it wasn't easy.  She was
no slouch and we each won a game and I got a lucky draw to beat her on the
tie-breaking third game.  And it was bedtime.

   She made her bed and I retreated to mine and we went to sleep.

   Chapter 4

   The accursed alarm clock went off as expected at six-thirty.  We got up
and dressed and because of her appointment for testing, we hit a local
diner for breakfast of pancakes and coffee.

   At eight fifteen she was walking in the door of the school board
offices. There was a lady expecting her, and I left my business card for
her to call me if she needed me.

   "Oh, don't worry," said the lady.  "These tests are timed, but she's the
only one taking them today, so she'll be finished at eleven-thirty."

   "Good luck, Tina," I said.

   She smiled.  And kissed me on the cheek.  I was still standing there
semi-stunned when she followed the lady up the hall.

   I left, a thousand thoughts going through my head, and drove to the new
jobsite, checked in the front gate and introduced myself to the people
already on site.  A few faces and names were familiar to me, including the
engineering manager who'd asked for me by name and reputation.  I looked at
my new office, bare, with a desk and a large table to spread out prints and
drawings, and a few chairs for the inevitable meetings and conferences.  We
talked about the progress so far, and the target dates for my equipment to
begin arriving, and I looked at the schedule of construction, and we
laughed at a few old tales, and I saw it was ten-thirty, and my cell phone
rang.

   I looked at the display.  Unfamiliar number.  I answered.  Familiar
voice.  Tina.

   "Hi, Alan," she said.  "I'm finished."

   "I thought the lady said eleven-thirty."

   "Yeah, I know.  But that's if there were others who need the whole time
...  but I just did what I could and then stopped and we went to the next
one.  So I'm finished."

   "Okay, sweetie," I said.  "I'm out at the plant.  I'm leaving now."

   "Okay.  Uh ...  I see Mister Dan.  I'm gonna go see if he has time to
talk.  See ya in a bit."

   "I gotta go," I told the crew.  "Had a kid taking a test this morning.
She's finished.  I'll be here bright and early Monday." And I left.  Thirty
minutes later I walked into the school board offices.  The receptionist
spotted me immediately.

   "She's in Mr.  Jenkins' office.  Go right in."

   I walked in, spotting Tina sitting in a chair smiling.  Mr.  Jenkins...
"Hi, Dan," I said.

   "Hi, Alan.  I'm being surprised today."

   I looked at Tina.  She was smiling.  "How so?"

   "She took the placement tests.  They're timed tests, Alan.  Usually
nobody finishes."

   And I looked at Tina.  She was smiling.  And it was a self-assured
little smirk of a smile.

   Dan said, "Tina finished.  I, uh, we, the lady who gives the tests is
scoring them right now.  If you want to grab lunch, she'll be finished by
the time we get back."

   "Sure," I said.  "Come on, punkin," I told Tina.  I looked at Dan. 
"We're gonna need directions.  You up for another meal?"

   "Oh, why not," He said.  "I can always run it off..." He got up from his
desk.

   We all walked out to the truck and got in, Tina taking the center seat
again.  I know Dan noticed that she had to move the console out of the way.
But she buckled in rather more to my side than his, and she was STILL
smiling.

   This time Dan directed us to a barbecue joint.  "I don't go here often
during work," he said, "because they laugh when I come back with sauce on
my tie."

   We could see why.  The barbecue was good, but eating ribs was not for
the fastidious.  They had GOOD ribs.  We ate happily and cleaned up as best
we could.  Dan was laughing.  "They'll know where we've been."

   Back at the office, Dan walked in to see a score sheet on his desk. 
"Wow," he said.  One word.  "Wow."

   He looked at us.  "Just a sec," he said, punching the phone.  "Uh, hey,
Louise.  Yeah.  I got'em.  Thanks for doing it this fast.  I know.  I was
curious too.  Yeah.  I'll tell 'er.  Thanks!" He turned his attention to
us. Tina was sitting next to me.

   "Well," I said, "Back in the eleventh grade?"

   "Yeah, right." His tone was happy sarcasm.

   Tina was still smiling.  I wasn't.  I was trying to interpret Dan's
demeanor.  "So what's the deal?" I looked at Tina.  "You did your best,
didn't you?  You didn't just quit?"

   "No, Alan.  I did my very best."

   Dan said, "Uh, Alan, she's twelfth grade.  And I'm recommending advanced
placement in all her subjects.  That way she gets college credits before
she graduates high school."

   "You're kidding!"

   "I'm NOT kidding.  These scores are the best I've ever seen.  Or Mrs. 
Conner, too, for that matter.  She does our testing for us for years.  Oh,
and I got a faxed draft of your guardianship this morning.  So we're
operating like you can sign her papers."

   "That's good," I said.  "When do we have to give you a decision about
the advanced placement stuff?  And when can she start classes?  Monday?"

   "Monday will be fine.  And we can set her schedule if you decide.  I'll
call the guidance counselor at the high school, but she can start Monday."
He smiled back at Tina.  "You're a pleasant surprise." To me he said, "Did
you know any of this?"

   "Uh ...  You know I've known her since Saturday.  I knew she was bright,
just talking with her, and she told me about the 3.8 GPA, but ...  how was
I supposed to know?"

   "Well now we know.  Can you go to the school Friday and get with them
about the schedule and stuff?  Since she's a new admit, you need to go with
her, Alan."

   "Okay.  Not a problem."

   Tina was still smiling.  "Mister Dan," she said.  "Thank you for taking
care of us."

   "We're the ones who are getting lucky, young lady, if YOU work to your
potential.  Just one question.  What kept you from getting a 4.0?"

   "I missed some tests when my grandma got sick.  Mom pulled me from that
school and moved me and I couldn't make them up."

   "Oh, okay.  Uh, Alan, can you sign this release so we can get her
transcripts from her old school?"

   I signed.  We left, headed to the RV park.  She got in the truck
giggling.

   "What's so funny?" I asked.

   "That lady!  Mrs.  Conner.  I took the first test and finished and she
told me to check my work, that I must've missed some pages.  And I showed
her the answer sheet.  And she asked me if I understood the questions.  It
was funny.  She just didn't believe that I did the work."

   "You've surprised a bunch of people today.  I'm one of them."

   "Really?"

   "I mean, I knew you were smart.  It shows in the way you talk about
things.  But now ...  it's like your swimming.  Another surprise."

   "I'm glad I surprise you in good ways."

   "Me too," I said.  "And I thought of something while I was out.  Let's
go get you a cellphone.  I don't want you without a way to get hold of me
or whoever..."

   "My own phone?" Squeal!

   "Yeah.  I think it's a necessity, with you in school and me at work and
schedules change and things happen.  And I don't have to tell you how you
need to take care of it."

   "Nobody will touch it, Alan," she said seriously.

   That was a minor stop.  And the day ended in what would become routine:
a walk, a swim, a dinner, TV, games, and bed.  Her at her end.  Me at mine.

   The Friday meeting at the high school with the guidance counselor was
interesting.  These things were a lot more fun when you walked in with a
winning hand, and Tina was an academic winning hand.  "Yessir," she said.
"I DO want the advanced placement classes."

   "Which ones?" he asked.  "Physics?  Trig?  English?  Social studies?"

   "All of 'em," she smiled.

   I smiled too.

   Our last weekend before we both started acceding to fixed schedules.  We
abandoned the trailer and drove a hundred and fifty miles to take in a
concert and spend Friday and Saturday nights in a hotel with a full-sized
shower and two queen-sized beds.  The concert was a very workmanlike
performance of Mozart chamber pieces by the local university's strings and
several times during the performance I stole glances at Tina, a young
perfection in an austere little black dress, tastefully simple pumps and
tiny gemmed studs in her ears.  Her hair was auburn perfection.  And her
eyes were closed and she was smiling as the notes soared over our heads.

   It was with reluctance that we headed home, talking about the museums
and the concert and the sights and the food.

   Monday morning came.  We did a bit more hurried breakfast of grits and
eggs and bacon and I headed out to the project and she cleaned up then went
to wait for the bus.

   My day went just as chaotically as I expected for Day One.  By
four-thirty I was ready to leave and I did so.  I stopped by the front
office and found Tina and Lillian talking.  Tina had a book and notebook
open on the counter.

   Lillian handed me the Fed-Ex package that contained the final versions
of the documents that gave me legal place in Tina's life, the power
normally attributed to parent.

   "She's been talking and working since she got off the bus," Lillian
said. "It's nice to have young company."

   "You don't mind her chatter?"

   "Hah!" Lillian answered.  "Half her schoolwork I don't even begin to
understand, but she talks about everything.  It's mighty nice."

   Tina poked at her trig book.  "You might have to give me a hand on some
of this.  I think I understand, but I want to be sure."

   "Okay, little girl," I said.  "Swim.  Food.  Homework?"

   "A plan," she laughed.

   We bid Lillian goodbye and went to change.  Our swim was abbreviated,
and we hit a local eatery for supper, and then homework and showers.

   Somewhere during the evening I asked about her bus ride.

   "Not exactly my favorite thing.  Rowdy kids.  Long.  Bumpy.  I wish I
could do schoolwork, but that's pretty much impossible," she said.

   "Then let me ask you this," I said.  "I think I know how you'll answer,
but I want YOU to say it.  Can I trust you with a car?  I mean, school and
home on school days, and I know exactly where you go and who you're with at
all times?"

   Squeal!  "A car?"

   "It makes sense to me.  That way you get a little more time before and
after school.  You're carrying a heavy load.  You need the time.  And you
can run errands for us when I have to work.  Makes my job easier."

   "You're gonna give me a car?"

   I got serious.  After all, I'd known her a week.  I knew her to be a
serious and unusual specimen of teenaged girl, but...  "No, the car will be
in my name.  You're still a minor.  And I have title.  So if it disappears
from my control ...  Like if you were to take off for parts unknown..." I
left that unspoken.

   "Alan!  I would NEVER do that!  I don't have ANYTHING without YOU!"

   "Baby," I said, using the term as if she were my child, "I believe you.
But I also know that strange ideas come across people's minds.  Just
saying."

   "You needn't worry.  Really."

   She was unusually chipper when she whipped my butt at cards before we
went to bed that night.

   Another day.  This time I left work a tad early and picked Tina up at
the park and headed to a used car dealer.  I'd driven by earlier and saw
what I had in mind, a little Japanese sub-compact, reliable, safe, and with
good resale value.  Practical, that's me.  Tina looked good behind the
wheel.  With stars in her eyes.  I'd already warned my insurance agent and
the car dealer faxed him the information.

   That activity cost us the day's swim.  I wasn't sure that I could ever
wipe the grin off Tina's face.  I gave her a gas card, planning on calling
the gas card people for a second card on the account to replace it. 
Sitting in a restaurant for supper, as in "I'm driving us to supper, Alan!"
she looked at me.

   "I know you're just dying to give me the speech, huh?"

   "What speech?  I have no idea what you're talking about."

   "Yeah, right," she grinned.  "Let's see.  Obey traffic laws.  Don't
speed.  Don't take risks.  Pay attention to the road.  Nobody else drives
this car but me and you.  No illegal substances.  No alcohol.  Don't leave
it unlocked.  Keep my keys with me."

   "Okay, just do all that."

   She smiled.  "Alan, this is something Grandma would've done if she was
still alive.  It's wonderful.  I never expected..."

   "Just trying to make our lives better, babe," I said.

   We got home.  Did the homework thing.  The shower thing.  A round of
rummy, 510 to 480, my favor.  And to bed.  Her at her end.  Me at mine. 
The six o'clock alarm ruled the morning.  Wednesday.

   Thursday.  We started our swim.  She was unusually quiet.  "What's up,
Tina," I asked.  "Trouble?"

   "Well," she said, "not really.  But I don't know how to ask this."

   "Ask what?"

   "It's a new school, Alan.  And I'm making friends.  And they want to get
together Friday evening.  They ASKED me if I'd come with them."

   This was a day I knew would come.  At this point, for all intents and
purposes, she was like a daughter.  And I was a dad whose teen daughter
wanted to go out.  She was seventeen, and when it came right down to it, I
had only the most tenuous of holds on her.  "So what 's the plan?"

   "It's not a big deal," she said.  "One of the girls is getting some
movies, and we're gonna meet at her house and watch 'em."

   "Are her parents going to be there?"

   "Yes.  She seems like a nice girl.  She's in my AP English class."

   "Then I guess I should let you go.  You're seventeen.  You know the
ropes."

   "Thank you, Alan," she said.

   We swam our laps and then showered and went to supper.  A part of me was
crying inside and I couldn't tell if it was the "daddy's little girl" part
or the "there goes your heart" part or if those were both the same or what.
I did my best to keep conversation light.

   We did homework, and I noticed that she didn't need quite the help of
two days before.  She beat me by a hundred and fifty points in rummy. 
Friday.  I got tied up over a botched shipment and was still arguing on the
phone as four o'clock passed.  I pulled into the park at five and saw
Tina's car at the trailer.  Knowing she was likely doing date prep, I
knocked before entering.

   "Come in, silly," she said, giggling.

   I wanted that to be MY giggle.  I really did.  "I thought you were
getting ready for the big date," I said.

   "It's NOT a date," she said.  "There's a bunch of us."

   "No special boy?" I really didn't want to hear "yes".

   "Well, there's this guy.  He's in my AP science.  Cute.  Smart.  And my
friend Susan says he likes me..."

   Inside I died a little.  Perfunctorily I mouthed, "Just go and have a
good time.  I'd like you to be home at a responsible hour.  Say, before
midnight.  And if you have any trouble, call me.  I mean it.  That's what
I'm here for."

   "I'll be careful, Alan.  And I planned on being home by eleven.  She was
standing in the door, ready to leave.  "Bye!  I'll see you later!"

   And I let her leave.  I rewarded my restraint by treating myself to a
tasteless TV dinner and then I showered and stretched out to watch TV, a
book in my lap.  I didn't want to close my eyes for fear of seeing images I
didn't want to see.  Time crept.  It was Friday, and I doubt that I ever
felt that lonely on a Friday in my life, at least not since my divorce.

   And that's why I was surprised when I heard the crunch of a car pulling
into the gravel parking space at a bit past eight.  And the door opened and
a Tina walked in with a hugely exasperated expression plastered on her
face.

   Silently she stalked to the sofa and plopped down.  Her face turned to
me and I saw tears marring her complexion.  "SHIT!!!" she said.  "Fresh
start, my butt!!!"

   "What's wrong, Tina?"

   "People LIE!  That's what!"

   "Uh ...  how?"

   "Oh, just peachy.  No parents at home.  And a cooler full of beer.  And
Mister "I think he likes you" is like, "Uh, let's go someplace in your car.
I got some weed..." and he's also got enough hands for a roomful of clocks
and he thinks he's all IT an' everything.  Wouldn't take "NO" for an
answer. He's gonna walk funny tomorrow."

   "I'm sorry, babe," I said.

   She was on the verge of tears.  "I expected different.  I hoped it would
be different.  But I'm the new girl and therefore I'm lucky that anybody
pays attention to me an' I live in a trailer park an' ...  I'm pissed."

   "Uh..."

   "Okay, sorry ...  I am seriously upset."

   "Better."

   Her eyes turned shyly in my direction and the barest beginning of a
smile appeared.  "Okay.  So what does Alan say about crap for friends?"

   "Move on.  People can be depended on to be people.  And the behavior you
describe is, unfortunately, pretty common among your age group.  I won't
say 'your peers', because apparently you don't have very many peers."

   "So?!?"

   "So life goes on.  Even when things don't go your way.  You get to keep
being you.  Uh ...  why's the guy gonna walk funny?"

   "I tried "NO".  I tried pushing hands away.  And he wrapped me up in his
arms and tried to kiss me and he had his hands all over, so I reached down
and grabbed.  Hard.  And yanked.  He was on the floor crying when I left.
And Susan was looking at me funny.  And I came home."

   "You had a rough evening.  How about hot chocolate for a change." I
paused.  "On the floor crying?!?!  Whatta girl!"

   "I'm NOT going to be a slut, Alan.  NOT.  My first time is going to be
with WHO I want, WHEN I want." She paused.  "Hot chocolate?" Pause. 
"Okay."

   Now that bunch of gears in my mind was really clattering.  Her first
time?  She hadn't HAD a first time yet?  "Sorry, babe," I said.  "Hot
chocolate is instant tonight.  Remind me to buy some cocoa next time we do
grocery shopping."

   She accepted the steaming mug and sipped loudly.  "Mmmmmm" she said,
then "Dammit!"

   Her cellphone rang.  She looked at the display.  "That's Susan," she
said.  "Shhhh!" She answered the call.  "Uh, hi, Susan.  Yes, I AM mad.  I
expected a nice evening of watching movies and talking and stuff, with new
friends." Pause.  "No, I DON'T drink." Pause.  "No, I have NEVER tried
pot." Pause.  "Uh ...  No, I'm NOT a prude.  I know stuff about SEX that
will curl YOUR hair.  And I think LOVE is better." Pause.  "Oh.  How is he?
Walks funny?  Good!!!  He should.  He needs to learn the meaning of NO!"
Pause.  "No, Susan, I don't HATE you.  I don't HATE him.  But HE'S not
getting within six feet of me.  EVER.  And if you want to be my friend,
then YOU need to be straight with me." Pause.  "No.  I don't like being
blind-sided." Pause.  "No.  If you want us to do something together, tell
me what's going down, up front.  And give ME the chance to say no." Pause.
"Yeah.  Okay.  Yeah, I'll still talk to you." Pause.  "Reputation?  If I
get a reputation, it's NOT gonna be because I let Jeff Jamison put his
hands on my tits.  Or anything else." Pause.  "Yeah.  Okay.  See you
Monday." Pause.  "Yeah, you can call.  I'll talk."

   She looked at me.  "Now my chocolate's cold."

   "I can fix that," I said, taking her mug to the microwave.  "That was
quite a speech."

   "Sounds like one of those "Alan" speeches, huh?"

   "You have to know that all at once I'm sorry you didn't have a good time
and I am relieved you're okay and I'm proud that you can say no ...  peer
pressure is a hard thing to get past."

   The microwave chimed.  I handed her back her mug.  "Oh, no, Alan.  I've
pretty much "peered" enough with Mom." She took a sip.  "Mmmmmm.  What are
we watching?"

   "Good movie coming on in half an hour, I said.  I was gonna stay up late
and watch it by myself."

   "You're not by yourself now," she said.

   We watched the movie and at eleven thirty she changed into her PJ's. 
"Bedtime?"

   "Yeah.  Let's do an "us" day tomorrow.  If you don't have plans." I
waited.

   "My plans pretty much got erased."

   She made her bed as I rinsed our mugs.  I started toward my end of the
trailer.

   "Wait, Alan," she said.

   "What?" I stopped and looked at her.

   She walked up to me and tiptoed and kissed me on the cheek.  "Thank
you."

   "For what?" I asked.

   "For being decent and understanding.  And good to me."

   "You're one spectacular young lady," I said.  It's easy being nice to
you." And I went to my bed.

   From the other end of the trailer I heard, "G'nite, babe!"

   And I went to sleep.  Somewhere around two o'clock I started to turn
over and ran into an unexpected obstacle.  A seventeen year old girl.  She
was lying on top of the covers and I was underneath them and I decided that
chastity was being observed, so I carefully rolled the other way.  An hour
later I awoke again, this time to feel a pajama-clad form sliding up
against me.

   "Tina," I whispered, not wanting to startle her.

   "Alan ...  I..."

   "Tina, I ...  you're..."

   "I'm ...  the sofa hurts my back ...  and I got cold laying on top of
the blankets."

   "Okay..."

   "I'm cold." She slid closer.  I didn't feel "cold".  I felt heat.

   "Okay," I said.  "Come here." And I let my arms encircle her.  And I
smelled the sweet trace of perfume on her, and I breathed and she snuggled
into me and said, "mmmmmm".  And we really DID go back to sleep.

   And that made for a very interesting wake up.  I woke up first and
looked at the lump in the bed beside me.  Her hair tossed crazily in her
sleep and ended up wreathing her face, that pretty face, asleep, looking
cherubic in its innocence.  Innocence!  That clanked in my head.  She'd
told her friend that she was a virgin.

   I started to get out of the bed and I felt a hand on my arm.  "Noooo,
babe," she said.  "Stay here."

   "I'd love to, babe, but I gotta go to the bathroom."

   "Okaaay," she whined.

   "I'll be back," I said.  "If that's what you want."

   "Mmmm-hmmm" she said.

   I was up the hall, into the bathroom and back out.  I eased under the
covers and she scooted towards me.  "Are you sure this is..."

   "I want to cuddle."

   It was my turn.  "Okaaaay..."

   Our bodies met.  For some minutes I held her, her face pressed against
my chest, my cheek against the top of her head.  She moved.  Her face
turned towards mine.  And things went horribly wrong.  Or right.  Because
she kissed me.

   I let her slide out of my arms and sat up.  "God, no, Tina..."

   "Alan..." she said, putting her hand on my arm.  "What's wrong?"

   "Tina ...  I ...  we ...  No..."

   "What?" she asked.  "D'you know that I didn't go to sleep last night? 
Not until I got in your bed?"

   "No..." I answered.

   "I didn't.  It wasn't my back.  I couldn't sleep.  I just lay there
thinking about things like how a guy my age thought that the first time he
got me in a room alone that I belonged to HIM, and he's supposed to be a
GOOD one, and I thought, "well, dummy, there's a guy thirty feet away that
never so much as made a move, that treated me like a princess and an equal
and a valuable person and SAVED me at the risk of his own life, all at
once, and I said, 'Stupid girl, exactly what ARE you looking for?'.  So I
crawled in your bed."

   "B-but ...  Tina, I didn't, I mean, I ...  I told Deputy Hurley, I
didn't take you to turn into a sex toy..."

   "I am NOT a sex toy.  You don't listen, Alan.  You treat me like I want
to be treated.  If you were only my dad, I'd have a perfect dad.  I'd be so
lucky.  But you're NOT my dad.  You're ...  well, I don't know what you
are. I know what I want you to be..."

   I knew what I was ...  speechless.  "Uh..."

   "Alan.  Do you love me?  For real?  Not saying it to make me feel good?"

   This one was easy.  "Yes, Tina, I love you."

   "Then tell me, Mister Engineer, if you love me, don't you think it might
be possible that I love you?" She had an awfully serious look on her face.

   "Precious, I can believe that.  But then what?  I mean..."

   She knelt beside me.  "Then this..." and she kissed me.  Her lips were
hot and soft and as they met mine this time, mine parted involuntarily. 
The tip of my tongue brushed her lips softly and they parted and her own
tongue gently met mine.  "Mmmmmmm..." escaped her and resonated throughout
my being.  My arms enveloped her and she molded into me, separated from me
by only a couple of layers of cotton pajamas.

   Our lips finally parted.  Blood was pounding in my ears.  "Alan," she
said, "Tell me you love me again."

   "Heaven help me, darling," I said.  "I love you, Tina." I kissed her
this time.  Finally we stopped.  Her eyes were bright and blue and I could
lose myself in them, and there was a satisfied smile on her lips.

   "That's all I want to know.  I love you.  You love me.  I can stop
worrying." And she got up.  I had a raging hard-on that I wasn't supposed
to have, but I'd just been kissing a beautiful, nubile, intelligent, funny
seventeen year old girl.  And I wasn't dead.  But I wasn't ruled by my
baser urges, either.  I got up too.

   "So now what?" I asked.

   She pushed up against me.  "All things in due time, babe," she said,
kissing me lightly.  "Mmm-kay?"

   "Okay," I said.  I ran my hands down her sides.  The embrace was
invigorating.  And I know she felt the erection I had.  Still in each
other's arms, her face turned to me.  "In due time."

   So Saturday morning we drove out for breakfast, then a ride through the
countryside.  Away from the home area, she pushed the console out of the
way and slid beside me, wrapping my bicep with her hands, putting her chin
on my shoulder.

   "You're mine?  " she asked.

   "I'm yours," I said.  "That's kind of scary, babe," I said.

   "Why's it scary?  I love you?"

   "Because you're seventeen and I'm forty and..."

   "And it makes no difference at all.  I thought about that.  Is love
supposed to be about physical things?  Like MY looks or YOUR looks?  Or is
it supposed to be that the real YOU and the real ME, personalities, likes,
dislikes, dreams, thoughts, all of US fits.  That US is right..."

   "You're gonna make a habit of this, aren't you?"

   "A habit of what?"

   "Being all smart and right all the time..."

   She kissed me, giggling.  "Just let us be US..."

   "Okay, smart girl," I said.  "You just bought yourself a forty year old
engineer."

   "And you got yourself a ...  well, you got ME ...  and whether I'm
seventeen or the reincarnation of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile.  And I am
YOURS..." She looked thoughtful.  "Uh, babe ...  can we do a hotel tonight?
And don't get two beds ...  Never again."

   "But, babe ...  we didn't pack..."

   "I know for a fact, Alan Addison, that you keep an emergency bag behind
your seat with a change of underwear and a shaving kit.  She smiled
demurely.  And we won't need pajamas.  Not tonight."

   "Babe, didn't you say last night that you wanted your first time to
be..."

   She interrupted, "Don't feed me my own speech, dearest.  I said, and I
quote (I loved it when she got academic) 'Who I want and when I want.' And,
Alan, the 'who' is YOU and the 'when' is before this day ends."

   "But, Tina ...  you only get to do that once."

   "You know," she said, sitting back, "I love you.  We share this
together..."

   "Okay.  Jackson is an hour up the road.  Here's my phone.  Look up
either this hotel or that one.  And get us a place..."

   A very businesslike Tina did the reservations and an hour later we
checked in with my emergency bag for luggage.  And went straight to the
room.  And locked the door.  And she pushed me back against it and almost
climbed up me, kissing.  And I gave up.  I loved it.  I loved her.  And the
girl I loved was tugging my shirt out of my pants...

   I ran my fingers through that short, sassy hair and fastened my lips to
the side of her neck, getting squeals and wiggles in response.  She pulled
free and grabbed my hand and we went toward the bed.

   Her sloppy, floppy Saturday blouse was loose and I ran my hands under
it, feeling her flesh for the first time.  "Mmmmm ...  ohhhh, baby..." and
she giggled.  "You don't know..."

   I turned and sat on the bed, drawing her toward me.  "What don't I
know?"

   "That I've been wanting to do this ...  for you to touch me ...  but I
tried, too, Alan.  I tried telling myself that you were a nice guy who
really just wanted to take care of me and it wasn't like that and I
shouldn't push for anything else..."

   I laughed.  "Then we were both doing the same thing..."

   "I know," she giggled.  She started to unbutton her blouse.  I helped.

   "Uh, Alan ...  I never ...  before..."

   "But you're unbuttoning..."

   "I knowwww," she said.  "But I'm ...  uh ...  bashful..."

   "Then do it YOUR way."

   She let out an exasperated sigh.  "Okay then..." and she stopped
unbuttoning and pulled the shirt off over her head, leaving me staring at
her bra.  She reached behind her.

   "No, I'll do that, babe," and I reached around her and unhooked two
hooks.  Her bra slid off her shoulders.  Two perfect titties...

   "Your shirt," she said.  I peeled my shirt off.  Her hands went to my
chest, her fingers clutching my chest hair.  "God, I've wanted to do this
every day we went to the pool," she said.  She pushed me back on the bed
and straddled me.  We both still had jeans on at this point.  More giggles.
"D'you KNOW what you did to me this morning when I hugged you and felt that
THING pressing against me?"

   "No.  What?"

   "Beast!" She laughed.  "D'you think you're the only one that gets
aroused?  I had to go swab out my ...  uh ...  THERE!" Giggle.

   "I'm glad.  I thought I was going to explode.  And you just went
"la-di-dah..." What were you thinking?"

   "That we needed to talk," she smiled.  "'Cuz I'm only doing this once.
And you, mister, you better be forever..."

   "Forever," I repeated.  "Uh ...  little darling, you're too damned smart
to be confused as to what that means..."

   Naked chest to sweet, firm titties, we kissed.  "I know exactly what it
means." Another giggle.  "There's that thing again." She sat back, still
straddling me.  "It's time I get to see it."

   "I'm not going to ask if you're sure again."

   "Good!" Giggle.  She got up.  I stood, started to unbuckle my belt. 
"Nuh-uh," she said.  "MY present.  I get to unwrap it." She worked my belt
loose, then unsnapped my jeans and unzipped me.  I was hard. 
Diamond-cutter hard.  It tented out my drawers.  She slid my jeans down my
thighs.  I wiggled my legs and they fell to my feet.  I stepped out of
them. Blue eyes turned up to me and her mouth formed a smile.  "This is
supposed to be fun, right?"

   All I could do was nod.  Her fingers hooked the elastic of my drawers
and in one move pulled them out and down over my dick.  Keeping her eyes
fixed on it, she slid my drawers down my legs.  I stepped out of them too.

   "So this is the thing..."

   It was.  All six circumcised inches of absolutely normal.  And I died
when her fingers wrapped around it.

   "Uh, babe," she said, looking up at me standing in front of her, "Am I
supposed to think this is, uh ...  like ...  beautiful?"

   "I don't know, babe.  I never thought about it.  I'd settle for you not
finding it too disgusting to touch.,."

   Her grin was joy to behold.  "Oh, yeah, it's disgusting.  Like this."

   Every ounce of strength I had, I used to keep my knees from buckling
when she stuck the head in her mouth.  She heard me suck in a sharp breath.
"I ...  I didn't hurt you, did I?"

   "Oh, god, no, sweetness.  Surprised, yes.  Hurt?  No."

   "I've heard about that for years.  Saw yours.  Knew that I'd like it,
with YOU." She stood up.  She eyed me questioningly.  "You want?" she
touched her jeans.

   "Oh, yes," I said.  I knelt before her and unbuttoned her jeans, taking
time to run my hands over that perfectly framed ass.  "Perfect," I said.

   "Glad YOU think so, baby," she said.

   I slid them down, helping them as they clung to her thighs, then down
past her shapely calves.  She raised first her left foot, then her right,
stepping out of her jeans, leaving her clad in a pair of powder-blue
hip-hugger panties, her rounded mons, beckoning.  Yes, it WAS beckoning. 
So I did the thing I thought it needed.  I planted a kiss on it.  It was
her turn to suck in a breath.  "Ahhhhhhhh."

   "Did I hurt you?" I asked.

   Giggle again.  "No, but I'm gonna hurt YOU if you don't pull my panties
off and do that again."

   I slid the panties off her plumpish rounded ass and down.  She stepped
out of them and I kissed her mons again through a fine down of brown pubic
hair.  Hands held the back of my head.  I eased a little lower and I let my
tongue tease the beginning of her slit.  "Nnnnnnn, baby..." I stood up and
our bodies touched naked for the first time.

   She shook her head.

   "D'you know," I said, "how wonderfully adorable you are.  Right down to
that little head shake."

   "I need a haircut," she said.  "But then you might think it's too
short."

   "Nuh-uh," I said.  "I like your neck." And I attacked it, turning her
into a wiggly, giggly mess in my arms.

   She pushed me backward onto the bed.  "Now," she said, "this is my first
time, and I know it's supposed to hurt some.  So I'm gonna be on top,
okay?"

   All I could do was nod assent.  She straddled me and for the first time
in her life her pussy met a dick.  My untold riches lay in the fact that
the dick was mine.  The wet lips of her pussy wrapped the shaft of my dick.
"Ahhhhh," she said.  "THAT is GOOD!" She smiled at me and slid back and
forth a few times, letting her clitty ride in contact with the underside of
my hard and wonderfully trapped dick.

   While she was enjoying that I was enjoying the beauty of her body,
tracing sweet curves with my hands, moving up from her delightful ass, up
her sides, around to cup twin handfuls of firm, warm flesh, letting my
thumbs tease pink strawberry nipples, circling the quarter-sized areoles.

   "You're killing me, baby ...  and I'm loving the death..." she sighed.
Finally she raised her hips and let my dick rise.  Lubrication was
complete. Her juices far exceeded my own, and between us, we were ready. 
Her hand went between her thighs and she guided me with fingertips, lining
the head of my dick with her waiting hole.  Her face showed concentration.
She bit her bottom lip, pressing down, the head pushing against her cherry.
Her eyes went full open, she took a deep breath, and pressed.  She went
"Mmmph!" and I was in.

   "We're ...  You're in ME, Alan."

   "Are you okay?" I asked.

   She nodded.  And answered by rising, letting me slide out of her a
little, then she sat back down, pushing me all the way back inside.  Her
back arched.  I put my hands on her hips and she started slow oscillations,
back and forth, sitting back to angle me so her clitty was again in contact
with the dick inside her.  I was trying hard to keep from coming right then
but her hips were, her pussy was, working against my best intentions.

   "Oh, baby," she moaned.  I curled forward to suck one of her titties
into my mouth.  My tongue played on her nipple.  "Babe ...  tooo ...  Much
...  I ...  I ...  ohhhhh." Thrust.  "I'm ...  I'm ...  doinnnnnnnn' ... 
it..." the last syllable was a hiss.  Another thrust was all I could stand,
and I squirted.  Hard.  Deep ...  Her eyes blinked open.  "Is that ... 
you're ...  Oh, god ...  I feel it ...  again..." she breathed.  "Another
...  babyyyyy."

   She fell forward into my arms and our lips sealed together.  I ran my
hands over her ass.  It wouldn't be still, and active muscles in her pussy
teased me through orgasm to hardness and she started humping me as we
kissed.  I held her in my arms and rolled her over onto her back, still
inside her.  Her hips pushed me deeper into her.  I started plunging into
her again, rolling her almost immediate second orgasm into yet another for
me.

   After the fire subsided for the second time, I rolled her back on top of
me.

   Finally we regained the power of speech.  "Darling," she said, caressing
my face, "everyone told me the first time was gonna hurt and wouldn't be
much fun.  I had fun.  Did you have fun?"

   "I'm returning from a parallel universe, little girl," I said.

   She kissed me lightly.  I looked into those blue eyes.  "Tina, will you
marry me?"

   Giggle.  "You ask me to marry you with that THING stuck in me?  Uh..."
her hips wiggled and I fell out, soft, spent, with a soft plop.  "Okay,
it's out.  Now ask me."

   "Tina, will you marry me?"

   "Yes, Alan, I will." She got a semi-serious look.  "IN fact, in SOME
societies, we're married NOW."

   "Good enough for me," I said.  "But when you're old enough ...  we'll
make it official."

   "Old enough?  I'm seventeen..."

   "That's old enough for you to get married if your parent signs for you.
But at eighteen, you won't need a signature."

   "What about you?  You're my guardian."

   "Uh, I'm pretty sure that I can't sign for you to marry me..."

   "So we can like, live in sin for a year..."

   "I wouldn't call it sin, exactly," I said.  "After all, I am not going
to be with anyone else for the rest of my life.  What about you?"

   "You're it, babe.  One.  Only.  Forever." And that statement was sealed
with a kiss.  Chapter 5

   Of many things is a life built.  Together.  Things like finding out that
we loved the same music.  Food.  Lifestyle.  We didn't leave the room until
we left for home the next day.  Our marriage day dinner was a delivery
pizza and a liter of coke.

   We took our first shower together in that room, luxuriating in endless
hot water and plenty of room to move and love.  And dried off, we were back
in bed.  I forgot I ever knew a female form before Tina.  Each touch of my
fingers, lips, tongue, dick to her was a discovery.

   And since I was her first, she had pure fun.  A sharp mind, insatiable
curiosity, and new-found sexuality made wonderful experiences, especially
coupled with her sense of humor.  Her giggles weren't intimidation, they
were just manifestations of the joy we experienced together, and I found
myself giggling as we explored one another.

   A happy discovery for both of us was that my Tina loved oral sex.  From
her first quick suck Saturday, she decided to do more after we showered,
and she needed little coaching.  All I had to do was limit the enthusiasm
of her bites and how hard she squeezed and sucked and bit my balls.  I was
in heaven watching that auburn-wreathed head working me over, especially
when those blue eyes looked up, her lips smiling around my shaft.  And a
throaty giggle.

   She pushed my head down from where I was working over her tits with my
lips and teeth and tongue, urging me into her pussy, and I drank her, her
juices sweet and salty and musky as I showed her the joys of multiple
orgasms with my tongue and lips.

   Sunday morning.  Satiated.  Sore.  Aside from it being her first time, I
know I'd come at least six times and we lost count of hers.  And her pussy
was as tender as my dick.  And we checked out and hit a fast food
drive-thru for lunch masquerading as breakfast.  And she stayed plastered
to my side all the way home.

   Arriving back at the park, we entered the trailer.  She picked up the
linens from the sofa and turned to me smiling.  "We won't be needing these
again."

   "Nope," I said.  "I just started living again, baby..."

   She smiled.  "God, I'm sore.  But there's our bed.  And we need to
initiate it..."

   I started stripping.  She beat me to nudity.  She was on her hands and
knees in ourbed when I crawled in.  She ducked her head, trapping my dick
in her mouth for a languorous suck.  Then she smiled at me.  "That thing is
made for me to suck on, Alan."

   I returned the favor, kissing her lips, her tits, and then tonguing her
sweet pussy.  Moisture was flowing when I entered her and those muscular
legs wrapped around me, pulling me in.  In a matter of minutes we were
wrapped in each other's arms, shuddering to orgasm.  This time when I
finally pulled out, I was kneeling in the bed and she was lying before me.

   My dick was soft and dripping with the results of our joy and she
surprised me by swiveling around in bed and taking my sopping dick in her
mouth.  "Mmmmmmm, baby, we taste good together.  Wanna do me?"

   I couldn't tell her no.  Her clear juices were mixed with the
translucent white of my own semen.  And my lips and tongue working to empty
her sopping hole brought her another orgasm.  And lying in my arms,
giggling.

   "Are you happy, little girl?" I asked.

   "Deliriously happy.  Ecstatically happy." She smiled.  "Are you?"

   "I started living when you came into my life."

   We lay in bed naked for an hour, too satiated for much more than
occasional touches and caresses.  Until Tina remembered her new friend. 
Warm lips closed over soft dick.  "mmmmm," she said.  Then a giggle.  "Stop
me if I do this too much," she said.

   "Don't be selfish," I told her.  "Turn around here and let me do you."

   "Is that sixty-nine?  I've heard..."

   As a beautiful, deep pink, abused pussy opened in front of me, I said,
"Yes, this is sixty nine, baby doll." I got another giggle before her lips
closed around my dick and my own mouth formed to suck the juices from her
pussy.

   Finally we got out of bed long enough to shower and fix a quick meal,
and then back in bed and more exploration and experimentation by Tina.  I
managed to set the alarm clock before we disintegrated into naked, drained,
and sound asleep bodies.

   The six o'clock alarm was still the boss, though, but instead of careful
avoiding or averting eyes and trying to not bump each other, we took
advantage of the efficiency of allowing nudity and touching, and we
submitted each other to fondles and caresses.  And it's a wonderful thing
to leave for work with the warm feeling of hungry lips on your dick as you
walk out the door.

   Monday was the first day of school following a lot of things for Tina.
By the time she walked into the halls, the news of her Friday night fiasco
was coursing through the student body.

   My own day at work was more like routine to me, the standard package of
hurdles I'd come to expect from fifteen years of project work.  I knew
where the most likely screw-ups would occur, and I and my minions dove
right into those.  And Rome not being built in a day?  Neither are plastics
plants, and there was no good reason for me to extend my presence past
normal hours, so at four PM I was climbing in the truck and twenty minutes
later I pulled into the park.

   Tina's little car was parked at the park office and I walked in to find
her sitting with an open book and notebook, scribbling.  She stopped when I
entered.  "Hi, babe!" she said.

   Mizz Lillian smiled.  "She's happier today than she was Friday," she
said.

   "Yes ma'am," I said.  "Two weeks past disaster and she keeps getting
happier and happier."

   "It sure looks that way," Lillian said.

   Tina was stuffing books into her backpack.  "I guess we need to go do a
swim, huh?" she asked.

   "Don't you think that would feel good?"

   "I do," she said.  She turned to Mizz Lillian.  "Thanks for putting up
with me, Mizz Lillian!"

   "Oh, dear girl, thank YOU for visiting.  I appreciate the company."

   We drove to the trailer and went inside to change.  Changing was, well,
would have been, a lot faster since we didn't have to work around exposing
ourselves to one another.  Except now we added naked embraces and teasing
and caressing to the process.  But we DID get out to go swim, striding
through the park to the pool with towels in hand, pausing to greet the
regulars who'd been in the park since before our arrival.  Mid-week, the
pool was deserted, afternoon swims not being a priority of the retired set
who customarily stayed over the weekdays.

   Tina was first splash, followed closely by me and despite the urges
forming in my head by watching her butt in a bathing suit, we did our
normal regiment of a few laps, finally ending side by side, hanging on the
pool wall.  Closer together than last week.  As a matter of fact, a female
hand under the water insinuated itself up the leg of my baggy trunks and
gave a squeeze that brought me to instant erection.

   "Stop that!" I whispered, half meaning it.

   "Why?  Bashful?" she giggled.

   "Not in the least, little girl," I said.  "I just don't wish to outrage
the population."

   "Uh ...  oh, okay ...  I understand..."

   "I'm sure you do, babe.  And believe me, I'd love nothing better than to
parade through this park right now, holding your hand or with my arm around
you.  But we've sort of created an image..."

   "Oh, yeah," she sighed.  And gave me another squeeze.  Her expression,
biting her bottom lip, smiling, eyes twinkling...  "Let's get out." She
bounced out of the pool and sat on a lounge, toweling off.

   I followed her.  We were still alone, but I saw an older couple coming
up the road, hand in hand.

   "I wanna be like them, babe," she said.

   "Me too," I said.  "In due time.  It's just that when we started in
here, we were NOT a couple, and..."

   "But I'm seventeen.  I'm legal.  I can do what I want with who I
want..."

   I sighed.  She was right.  Legally.  "I know that, babe.  But what's
legal and what decent people think is right are quite often two different
things."

   "And we like being around decent people.  Or we end up like Mom and her
friends."

   "Right.  So we need to proceed gently.  Let people get used to seeing us
together all the time, and let them get used to thinking, 'Hey!  She's
nice. He's nice.' And then 'You know, they almost make a cute couple' and
then 'Well, there's Alan 'n' Tina.  Kind of odd, but they're happy.' And
when we get there, we'll have all but a few people accepting what WE
already know.  That a forty year old guy and a seventeen year old girl can
be together because they LOVE one another, not because somebody's using
somebody..."

   "That makes sense.  Uh ...  let's go back to the trailer, okay?  I got
homework to finish."

   "Okay," I said.  We got up and let the older couple in the gate as we
left.  Walking up the road, she took my hand.  "Oh, you're going to make
this difficult, aren't you?" I said.

   And got a giggle in return.

   Back in the trailer, and sad that only one of us could fit in the shower
at a time.  She was out first, sitting with her blow-dryer as I soaped
quickly and rinsed off.  I was shaving as the phone rang.  My phone.  Hers
had a different ring.  "Can you get that, babe?" I called.  I was scraping
whiskers off my face and listening.

   "Oh, hi, Deputy Hurley.  Uh ...  yeah, we got all that taken care of. 
Exactly what we needed.  Yessir, I'm back in high school.  Yessir.  It's
great!  I wish we had a bigger place, but this is working good enough."

   Since I didn't have to bother with dressing for modesty, I stepped out
of the bathroom naked.

   She said, "Here's Alan.  And thank you SO much, okay?"

   I took the phone.  "Hi, Bill.  I guess Tina caught you up?"

   "Yeah, she's back in school?" he asked.

   "Yeah.  Damnedest thing.  Since she was a dropout, they had to give her
tests to see what grade to put her in."

   "And..."

   "And Miss Tina is in college level classes."

   "Really?  Great," he said.

   "Did you get your check?" He'd said that fees and cost for filing our
legal documents as seventy-five dollars.  I'd mailed him a check.

   "Hey, I was kidding..."

   "Then put it in the coffee kitty.  Extra donuts..."

   "Hey!  That's a stereotype." Laughing.

   "Uh ...  any news on the disposition of our "friends"?"

   "Momma's still in jail here.  Couldn't post bail.  So's the boyfriend,
pending a hearing for extradition.  They ain't getting' out, Alan.  And if
Momma was to get out, she has no legal standing for you an' Tina, what with
Tina being seventeen."

   "That's good to know.  She's ...  Tina's good people."

   "Uh ...  we did a check on her.  Nothing.  Clean record.  Not even a
traffic ticket."

   "I know.  We talked.  She likes to talk." The little girl who 'Liked to
talk' was laying on the sofa with her head in my lap, her cheek pressed
against the hardening lump of my dick.

   "Well," Bill continued, "She's legal, and she's out of my jurisdiction,
and I was surprised when you called ME back to get the paperwork to put her
in school.  And now she's IN school, so I'm not surprised any more."

   "I quit being surprised, myself..." I said.

   "Okay, Alan, I'll let you go.  But hey!  Keep in touch, okay?  And if
you're ever back through Armpit, Louisiana, stop in and say hi!"

   "Okay, Bill.  And thanks again.  Here's Tina." I handed the phone to
Tina.  "Say bye to Deputy Hurley."

   "Bye, Deputy Hurley.  Yeah, you've done VERY good.  Uh-huh.  We'll take
care of each other.  Yeah.  Bye!" and she disconnected.  She rolled over
onto her stomach and smiled.  "He said to take good care of you." Her head
bobbed downward.  Several seconds of slurping and sucking ensued.

   I dragged her naked, complaining "Why'd you make me stop????" body up
and sat her in my lap, kissing her.

   "See, babe?  That's a nice person.  I wouldn't want to have him think
less of you."

   She kissed me.  "I know, babe," she said.  "but in a few months..."

   "A year.  When we can say "Mr.  & Mrs.  Addison"."

   "You're serious about marrying me?" Squeal.

   "I am.  Are you?"

   Long kiss.  "Most definitely."

   My hands roamed freely over her sleek body, lingering at places where a
touch produced a shiver or an "Mmmmmm."

   "Let's not play cards tonight, babe.  I need to finish homework.  And
then..." she smiled, blue eyes twinkling below auburn, burnished bangs.

   "You're the boss," I said.

   "I'm NOT the boss.  I was thinking about this in study hall today.  I
own Part A.  You own Part B.  But we BOTH own what happens when we put 'em
together." Giggle.

   "I never thought about it like that.  But I sure do like your Part A."

   "And your Part B feels soooo good in so many ways." She smirked.  "Stop
that.  I NEED to do the homework first, and I'm gonna be sitting in a
puddle if we keep this up."

   "Do your homework, little brown-haired girl!" I laughed.

   She tossed her head, her hair bouncing.  She knew that this drove me
wild.  "Okay.  But I need to make an appointment to get a trim." She
giggled.  "And I may dye it orange." Her eyes flashed.  "Like whats'er name
in that movie..."

   "Don't tease an old man, lover..." I laughed.

   "Well, maybe not the "orange" thing.  Mizz Lillian knows a hair salon.
They'll do me Saturday morning."

   "Sounds like a plan.  Wanna do another "both us in the same shower"
weekend somewhere?"

   "Mmmm-hmmm ...  and we can hold hands in public."

   "Yeah.  Do your homework."

   She smiled and went through the exercises.  English and social studies
she critiqued.  We talked about the ideas behind the science.  And numbers
were numbers.  I was on the laptop checking private email.  One needed an
answer.  My sister.

   "Dear Sis," I wrote.  "I haven't heard from you in a month.  What gives?
Are they charging postage in Louisiana for email?"

   "A lot of water has passed under the bridge since we talked last." Sis
and I were not the "talk on the phone every day" siblings.

   I continued typing, describing briefly the incident at the diner and the
friends I found, including the one currently doing homework wearing only
panties.  I didn't mention that detail.

   "And Sis," I wrote, "This may come as a shock, but what started out as a
friendship has become more.  We are getting married as soon as she turns
eighteen.  I hope this doesn't disturb you too much.  I've been alone
entirely too long, and genius females who like classical music are entirely
rare creatures."

   I signed it, "Love, big brother" and hit "send".  I surmised a few days
before I got an answer back.  Apparently I need to rethink my "surmise"
routines because a minute and a half later my cellphone rang.  The sound
shocked Tina and she put her pen down.

   I punched the "answer" button.  And got ready.  "Hi, Sis," I said.

   I held the phone away from my ear.  "You did WHAT?!!?!  Have you lost
your ever-lovin' mind?!?!  SEVENTEEN?!?!  You old goat!  You have nieces
that age!"

   Tina could hear the voice.  She slid beside me and I held the phone so
it was speaking to both our ears.

   "Tina," I said, "Say hi to your new sister-in-law, cutie.  She sounds
very excited at the news.  You remember?  Her name is Elise."

   "Hi, Elise," chirped Tina in her cheeriest voice.  Elise was still
sputtering.  Tina took it upon herself to fill the conversational void. 
"He's wonderful and I love him very much.  We are so alike in so many
ways..."

   "Babe ...  uh, okay, Tina," Elise paused.  "he's been beat up about
women for a long time.  He's MY brother.  Don't you dare hurt him.  I have
a garden.  I can HIDE bodies..."

   Tina's laughter pealed.  "Oh, Elise, he was RIGHT.  You're just like
'im..."

   Elise feigned outrage.  "He told you THAT!?!?"

   "Uh-huh," Tina said.  "And that you're his only sister and he loves and
respects you.  And you'd understand..."

   "I understand ...  might take a while to fit my mind around it."

   It was my turn to speak.  "Well, Sis, get your mind around it.  This is
the real thing."

   "Okay ...  if you say so.  Send me pictures..."

   Tina's turn.  "We'll take some pictures.  Huh, babe?" Giggle.

   "Not THOSE pictures, doll..." I laughed.

   Elise's outrage was mostly still feigned.  "Well, okay, brother," she
said.  "ya'll need to come down and visit.  Let me know when, and I'll get
your house all aired out."

   "Okay, sis.  We'll talk to you later.  My fiancée has to finish her
homework..." I laughed.

   "Gahhhh," said Elise.

   "Bye, Sis," Tina said.  I ended the call.  "Well," she laughed," that
was rather painless."

   "If I can get my eardrum back in its socket," I laughed.

   Giggle.  "Eardrums don't have sockets, silly."

   "And I have a perfect mate who knows that," I said.  "Finish your
homework!"

   "Beast!" she laughed.  Ten minutes later she closed the books and
stuffed her backpack.  She looked at me, smiling and said one word: "Bed!"

   She stood for me to remove her panties.  My reward for performing this
task was permission to kiss her on her "muffin", the name we'd given her
pubic mound.  We rolled backward onto the bed together.  Her fingers found
me erect and a couple of slow, squeezing strokes and she giggled.  "You're
leaking." Her fingers came to her lips and she made a show of licking them.
Then she kissed me.

   "Babe," she said, "you know how many times you've made me come with your
mouth?"

   "I hadn't been keeping count.  A bunch?"

   "Mmmm-hmmm," she purred.  "and we've, you know, licked each other clean
after we came together, so I have a good idea of what you taste like."

   "Yeah, and you're delicious."

   "We taste good together.  And you've made me come so hard with your
mouth.  You..."

   "I like your taste, babe.  And the way you wiggle when you're coming."

   Giggle.  "I'm glad.  I love that.  But ...  I want to make YOU come. 
With MY mouth..."

   I smiled.  "And that's something you think you have to ask permission
for?"

   Her bright-eyed face nodded.  Smiling.

   "Babe, I belong to you.  As long as we both enjoy, anything, okay?'

   "Then scoot up so I can lay between your legs."

   I scooted, arranging pillows behind me.  "You're the sexiest creature in
the universe.  I want to see you..."

   Her eyes revealed her love.  And lust.  "Then watch, babe.  I need to
learn how to do this."

   Her head eased forward and she sucked my dick's head into her mouth, her
tongue prodding and swirling.  "Mmmmmm," she moaned.  Muffled, "Good?" she
asked with me still in her mouth.

   "God, yes..." my hands stroked her hair.

   She pulled back, releasing me, and rubbed her hair against my balls and
thighs.  Smiled.  "I wanna bite, Alan.  Can I?  Does that feel good?"

   "I think it does, babe ...  nobody..."

   "But ...  it's MADE for my mouth..."

   I sighed.  "That's YOUR mouth, baby.  Apparently everyone doesn't..."

   Petulant.  "But I want to bite.  How hard?"

   "I think I can show you."

   "How can you show me?"

   "I can bite you..."

   That thought got interpreted in that pretty head quickly.  "Oh, like ...
I LOVE when you bite my titties..."

   "That's how hard.  Just like Sunday.  And be careful.  The head's a lot
more sensitive."

   Giggle.  "That's what this ridge is for.  So I'll know where to keep my
teeth!" The feeling of my dick disappearing between those lips was
exquisite.  As was the feeling as her white teeth playfully caught me
behind my coronal ridge.

   "Ohhhhh, god, yesssss," I hissed.

   I felt the giggle as well as heard it.  My dick popped out.  "That's
better than I imagined it." Her hand continued to work up and down the
shaft.  "So if a guy's doin' himself, this is what he does, huh?" She
looked at me, smiling, questioning...

   "Yeah."

   "Show me."

   I replaced her hand with mine and began the old, familiar stroking.  It
wasn't as exciting when I did it, even though twenty-eight years of
practice made me sure of what I was doing.  "Like that," I said.

   "Uh, yeah.  You're holding the skin and sliding it up and down."

   I passed my hand over the head.  "And the head..."

   She interrupted, " ...  is made for my mouth.  And you REACT..." She
stopped smiling.  "One of Mom's guys did that in front of me one time.  I
guess he thought I'd get turned on and want his toothless ass ...  Mom
walked in and hollered at 'im."

   "So he didn't..."

   "No," she interrupted.  Smile came back with little sucks on the head of
my dick.  "I've never seen it.  But babe, when you're IN me, I can FEEL
it." Giggle.  "And I want to feel it in my mouth.  And taste what I made
YOU do."

   And a brilliant, if inexperienced mind put hand and mouth together in
concert.  And teeth.  Wonderful teeth.  Stopped.  Licked my balls.  Giggle.
"I love how they're all wrinkly.  And they move when I kiss 'em."

   "Just be careful..."

   "Yeah.  I know.  Excruciating pain.  Neat trick." She smiled wickedly.
"Funny how just a little change in pressure can make it feel good..." her
lips closed over one ball and she gently sucked and washed with her tongue.
"That okay?"

   I shivered.

   "Wanna make my guy happy while I'm enjoying him." She moved up from my
scrotum to my dick, nibbling and sucking, then tilted it toward her mouth
and sucked me in, her lips, tongue and teeth working magic on the first two
inches as her hand, a couple of fingers of it, jacked my shaft in time with
lips and teeth and tongue.

   I was ...  pressure was rising fast.  I stroked that sassy hair
lovingly, causing her to turn her face to me, smiling wickedly with my dick
in her mouth.

   "Mmmmmm" and then a giggle.  "Something's happening," and then she was
back on me.

   "I'm ...  uhhhh ...  Nnnnghhhhh!  I'm comingggggg!" I shook
uncontrollably as the first huge spurt erupted.

   "Mmmmphh!" she reacted.  I felt her swallow and suck.  Second spurt. 
Swallow.  Third, fourth spurts.  Swallow.  Then she sucked the remainder of
my coming into her mouth.  I went from pulsating orgasm to hot continuous
ecstasy and she kept sucking.

   I realized that I was curled up with my hands on her head, not holding
her, just touching this girl who was pushing me to the stars.  I relaxed,
falling backward.  The mattress shook.  Tina looked up.  Grinning.  A
droplet of my semen had escaped her mouth.  Her pink tongue slipped out,
collecting it.

   My breathing returned to normal.  I knew that if I never received oral
sex again in my life, I could die knowing that I'd been DONE.

   Giggle.  "I get the idea that what I did worked..."

   "Like using a steamroller to crack walnuts, babe," I said.

   She crawled up my torso, folding her arms on my chest and resting her
chin in her hands, smiling.

   I had to ask.  "Did you..."

   She interrupted, "I LOVED it." Her finger wiped an imaginary drop. 
"Every last drop." She kissed me, lips closed.

   "Nuh-uh," I said, putting a hand behind her head, pulling her to me. 
"Real kiss." Our lips met and parted, our tongues wrestling, dancing
together.  Yes, I detected a taste.  Me.  In the mouth of the girl who
loved me so wondrously just a minute before.

   Our kiss broke.  She smiled for me.  "Did it REALLY feel good?  I mean,
it's my first time ...  you're the only one ...  only one there will ever
be, babe..."

   "Babe, it was ...  beyond my imagination.  What you are is what I want.
Forever."

   "You know, Alan, I wondered.  I guess girls do that.  I mean, I know you
were married, and I know you've been with other women, too.  And I wonder
how ...  I mean, am I as good?"

   I kissed her gently.  "Baby.  Precious Tina.  The first time you kissed
me, history disappeared.  Making love with you, it was like I'd never
touched a woman before."

   "But Alan," she asked, "Us ...  I"

   "Let's put it this way, cutie.  Before, I had fantasies.  Even when I
was married, it was like 'If she'd do THIS or if we did it like THAT', or
'it's good but it could be better.' And then there's you.  And I find out
that my most vivid imagination couldn't compare with reality with you." I
kissed her for punctuation.

   "Mmmmm, she purred.  "I know I LIKE what we do, babe ...  and it's part
of love.  The way we LOVE each other."

   "That's the way it's supposed to be, sweetie," I said.  "I hope it stays
that way."

   "Stop worryin', Alan," she said.

   "I do worry, Tina.  You're in school with a few hundred people your age,
and in a week you already had a date with a cute guy ...  and it probably
wouldn't have taken that long..."

   "Yeah ...  a guy.  I thought "smart" meant decent and civilized.  I was
wrong.  And the rest of them?  besides, after news got around, people
travelled from one end of school to the other to get a peek of ol' lover
boy walkin' funny.  And he's whinin' that all he tried to do was kiss me.
So it'll be a while before one of 'em's brave enough to ask me out.  And
I'm, well, I'm playin' things differently."

   "Differently?" I asked.

   Six inches from my face, she grinned.  "Yeah.  Next one asks, I'm
tellin''im I have a boyfriend.  And I do, you know..." she kissed me on the
nose.  "Right?"

   "Right!" and I kissed her back.  I wanted to kiss her for each of the
freckles that spread across her cheeks and nose.  That's a task for another
day...

   "What'd your friend Susan have to say?" I asked.

   "Susan was sorry.  At least she says ...  and she told people that
Jeffy's lyin', that he'd bragged to HER boyfriend that he was gonna be
doin' me before the night was over..." She giggled.

   "That's funny?" I asked.

   "Yeah.  Supposedly he told his parents that he got kicked playin'
soccer, that's why he's walkin' funny.  And when I saw him in class, he
stayed on the other side of the room.  Didn't say nothin'." She smiled. 
"You know, I'm really glad the whole thing happened, just the way it did."

   "You're glad?" I mused.

   "Yeah.  If it had gone the way it was supposed to go, I don't think I'd
have had the same thoughts I had Friday night.  At least not for a while.
And I would have missed a chunk of the life we have together." Her smile
was sublime.  "And besides, now people are going to have to deal with me as
a person who's different and not to be played with.  And by the way,
calculus?  I aced the first quiz." Chapter 6

   Okay, we got into a new routine.  No, not an "I'm bored" routine, but
rather an "I can't wait to get home to connect with my soulmate" routine.
Yes, the afternoon swims were part of the routine.  The exercise kept us
both fit, and at forty, it would have been too easy to spread out, as many
of my contemporaries and co-workers had done.  Besides, I had a hundred and
twenty pounds of incentive.

   Another part of the routine was the homework.  I took an active part in
Tina's education as I noted it usually took her longer to write her
assignments than it did to derive answers.

   Meals were another routine.  Some mornings found us eating cold cereal
in the trailer, and other mornings we ended up at the diner up the road in
the direction of my project.  We usually sat at a corner table.  The
waitresses knew us as regulars, and often, we were joined by one or more of
my co-workers.  Everybody was indeed getting used to Alan 'n' Tina.

   Our weekends ...  Sometimes we took off on Friday.  Sometimes we waited
until Saturday morning, but most weekends we were on the road, laughing,
talking, and searching parks and concerts and culture.  And we found it. 
On the advice of Mizz Lillian, we went to a bluegrass festival and Tina
found pure acoustic folk music to be something that meshed with our love of
classical music, and heaven knows, Tennessee has a lot of bluegrass.

   But Mizz Lillian.  She saw the Alan 'n' Tina thing real quick.  "You two
look like you belong together," she'd told Tina one afternoon.

   Tina related that conversation to me that evening, and the next day,
when I stopped in to retrieve my sweetie, she was sitting in her chair in
her customary spot.  There was nobody else in the place, me, Tina, Mizz
Lillian.  Almost two months of visiting every day had me and Mizz Lillian
as more than passing acquaintances.  We'd shared gossip and laughter about
some of the stories from her years of managing this RV park, and I guess
she thought we were at a point where she could get a little personal with
us.

   I guess that's why I didn't hit the floor when she suggested that just
maybe, Tina and I were a couple in the more traditional sense.  "So the
truth, Alan Addison, and don't bullshit an old lady.  I have eyes, you
know..."

   Tina's the one who answered.  "Yes ma'am.  We are.  And the day I turn
eighteen, I'm marrying him!"

   Lillian laughed.  "Good for you, darlin'," she said.  She looked at me.
"Alan, I know what you were thinkin' but this is Tennessee and we've got a
history of girls marryin' young.  Even to older men.  I've seen stranger
stuff than you an' her.  At least she ain't pregnant.  And you have a good
job.  An' she's in school.  That's a lot of "right".  And I can't see much
wrong." She grinned at me.  "But if I was you, I'd buy her a ring."

   That got a giggle from Tina.  And got me to thinking.  Tina and I headed
out the door to our separate cars and we drove to the trailer ...  Ring? 
If she wore a ring and I wore a ring, we'd have US happy, but what would it
be to others around us?

   She'd been thinking, too, when we walked in the trailer.  The door
locked behind her, she was already stripping, preparatory to putting on her
bathing suit for our afternoon swim.  She got down to the "completely
naked" part and stopped, waiting for me to get to the same state.

   The naked embrace was wonderful.  As were the kisses and the fondles. 
They didn't last, though, as we knew that sunlight was waning.  Back out
the door we went, towels in hand, holding hands.  Alan 'n' Tina.  "So what
do YOU think?  The ring thing?"

   "I dunno, babe.  Part of me says 'yeah, right NOW!' But then I think
about what we talked about the other day, about having to live in a world
where the people we want to accept us might need a little time to get used
to Alan 'n' Tina."

   "The ring's already around my heart, Alan.  I'd love to wear your ring.
And I will.  But right now, in school?  That might open up a lot of
trouble." She smiled.

   "I know," I said.  "Just as long as you know how I feel..."

   "But," she said, "what about when we're NOT at work or at school?" Cool
blue eyes.  "Our weekends 'n' stuff..."

   "You know," I said, laughing, "there you go being right again..."

   "You know you were thinking it, too..." Giggle.  "I mean, you want
to..."

   I laughed.  "That's our goal for the weekend.  Go find us rings..."

   We continued our walk to the pool, waving, saying hello to the regulars,
laughing.  It was indeed Alan 'n' Tina.  At the pool, the towels went on
two adjacent lounges and we splashed in, making our laps for the evening,
ending up our exercise cooling off, hanging on the side of the pool.  After
a cool-down we moved to the lounges and were joined by a sixty-something
couple from Ohio.  They were regulars, having been at the park when Tina
and I moved in.  We chatted about work (mine) and retirement (theirs) and
school (Tina's and their grandkid's) for a while and then they slipped into
the pool and Tina and I headed back to the trailer for homework and pasta
carbonara.

   The homework was just about over when the carbonara hit the table.  We
ate, talking about her school experiences.  "I'm old news," she announced.
"Susan's still my friend, and there're a few kids I talk to, but now people
just walk past me in the hall instead of stopping and staring."

   "Yeah," I said, "that's pretty much human nature, babe.  Something new
and exciting will attract their attention.  Another shiny object.  And
life's back to normal."

   "Oh, I love this normal," she cooed.  "I love being loved." Giggled,
too. "And I love our life together.  How about a game of rummy?"

   And that was usually preparatory to me getting a good workout at cards.
I flipped through the steno pad we used to keep score and over that last
month we were tied for winning the most games.  And it was, after we became
intimate, a bedtime thing.  She was dressed in one of my t-shirts and
panties, and I was in a t-shirt and drawers, and I don't know if that
get-up did anything to her, but her in a simple t-shirt, those delightful
nipples poking against the cotton fabric were visual candy.  We played to
five hundred points, a number she reached about a hundred points ahead of
me.  I put the cards and scorepad up and she turned back the covers on OUR
bed.

   In five minutes we were naked in the soft glow of a little night light;
enough light to make out her face, her eyebrows, the way her hair framed
her face, the soft curve of her waist.  Loving her was pure joy, sometimes
soft and tender, sometimes fast, hard, wet, but always exciting.  Tonight
loving Tina was the perfect cap to the day, easing from consciousness to
ecstasy to blissful sleep.  And wonderful sleep it was, rolling over in the
night, regaining semi-consciousness to find a sweet, soft female form in
the dark bed beside me.

   Equally priceless was being disturbed in my sleep, waking to find that
Tina had shifted positions and it was her arm or her leg pulling me closer
to her.

   We had the morning routine almost down pat, combining getting dressed
with preparing and eating breakfast, and heading to separate destinations.
To be factual, it wasn't uncommon for us to drive to a neighborhood
restaurant and eat breakfast there; joined quite often by people I worked
with.  And some mornings my Tina was just a little bit wet between her legs
from the remnants of early morning lovemaking.

   That weekend we disappeared from the RV park to travel to the big city
nearest us, and after an afternoon at the mall and a visit to a jewelry
store, we left with a simple gold band on each of our ring fingers, her arm
wrapping mine.

   Chamber music.  We stayed on the mailing list for the local university's
orchestra and didn't miss a performance.  There were several others like
us, people who had never seen either of us without the other, and we knew
several of them by name.  After the concert we accepted an invitation to a
late night visit to a restaurant for a light meal.  The other couple sipped
wine, but I explained Tina's age and she and I had soft drinks.

   "But you can have wine, if you want, Alan," she cooed.  "I can drive."

   "Sugar," said Sandra, the wife of our friendly couple, "I'm sorry!  We
ordered wine without thinking!  We didn't mean to be rude!"

   "Oh.  Mizz Sandra, that's alright!" smiled Tina.  "Alan and I aren't the
conventional couple.  You couldn't know..."

   Brad, the husband, contributed, "Yeah, Tina, we're sorry.  Not trying'
to be a snob or anything, here..." to me, he said, "Alan, I'm sorry,
buddy."

   "No," I said.  "nothing to worry about.  We enjoyed the concert sitting
with ya'll, and this is perfect.  I mean, a few appetizers, chat among
friends ...  perfect evening."

   Sandra said, "Well ya'll have to come over for a visit one day.  We
could do a barbecue on Saturday and then go to a concert."

   Tina answered for both of us.  "That would be wonderful, Mizz Sandra..."

   "Please, sugar, don't call me Mizz.  Makes me feel so old..." Sandra
smiled.

   "Okay, Sandra," Tina said.  "We can certainly do that.  It's good to get
away from the park for the weekend."

   "Park?" Brad asked.

   "Yeah, let me explain our circumstances." And I told him about how I
worked these projects and added that Tina was in the local high school. 
And the part about being several hundred miles from home.  "Fourteen
hours," I said.

   "If you have to drive," Brad said.  "Pity you can't fly."

   "Oh, I can fly.  I just don't have a plane.  And renting one, well, they
got real expensive since I got my license."

   Brad grinned.  He was an attorney.  Mostly family and business law.  But
he was also a lover of the music and he and his wife were bright, bubbly
people who you just knew were going to be fun to be around.

   "Alan," he said, "I might be able to do a couple of people a favor."

   "What's that?" I asked.

   "I just finished up the disposition of an old guy's property.  He passed
away, left a bunch of money and stuff to his kids, stock portfolio, house,
land, you know ...  And an airplane.  Cessna 182.  His kids don't want to
mess with it.  They want it sold, in their words "NOW!" I advised them that
a more timely approach might net them a bunch more money, but you know how
some people are."

   "Cessna 182's a nice practical plane," I said, "but a good one's six
figures."

   "That's the fun part," Brad said.  "The old guy loved to fly.  Treated
that plane like his personal friend.  Tip-top shape, all that, the plane,
that is, and then he died.  Aneurism took him.  Bang!  He'd been flying the
weekend before, so I'm thinking it's current.  I flew with him a time or
two and he loved it.  Said he wanted to sell it when the time comes, as he
put it, "To somebody who'd love it like he did."

   "Wow," I said.  "I've often thought about it.  But I just never pulled
the trigger." I looked at Tina, who was looking at me, her chin propped up
in her hand.  "When can we see it?"

   "We can meet tomorrow." To his wife he said, "Hon, reach into that
Grant's Tomb that you call a purse and get me something to write on."

   Sandra slapped a small note pad on the table simultaneously with Tina's
notebook.

   "Ah, Alan, you're lost, you know," laughed Brad.  "You're in the hands
of a practical woman." He took Tina's notebook, whipped a fountain pen from
his pocket and scribbled information in it.  "You guys show up here
tomorrow.  What?  After lunch?  One o'clock?"

   "Sounds good," I said.

   Tina's turn.  "Alan, you never stop amazing me.  You're thinking about
buying a plane?"

   "No, babe," I said.  "We're LOOKING at a plane.  There's a lot more to
buying one.  Inspections and stuff."

   Brad added, "Alan seems to know what he's doing, Tina.  Let' see."

   The remainder of the evening was spent in convivial conversation.  At a
bit after ten PM we all said our goodbyes in the parking lot and Tina and I
headed to a slightly upscale hotel for the night.

   We walked into the room knowing that the king-sized bed, and more
important, the HUGE (in relation to the tiny closet in my travel trailer)
shower was a happy indulgence for us.  We indulged in the unlimited hot
water and the space for two happy people to turn a sanitary function into
an exercise in erotic stimulation.  And pure fun.

   After a half an hour shower, we finally got out and bumped into each
other happily as she dried her hair and I shaved.

   "Who gets to smell good tonight?" I asked.  We'd had a discussion of her
perfume being overwhelmed by my aftershave.  That conversation had
collapsed with me saying, "So what YOU'RE saying is that in any situation,
ONE of us is supposed to smell like a goat..." Which brought us to
tonight's decision.

   "Me," she said.  "I'm gonna put a dot of it in two places, and you get
to find them."

   "That's a happy task, cutie," I said, entirely meaning it.  Chapter 7

   "Find the perfume" is a fun game when the playing field is seventeen,
freshly bathed and giggly.  It is soft, warm, tasty, and rife with sudden
bursts of ecstasy, and at the end it is very difficult to discern the
winner from the loser.  In our case, you couldn't have slipped a business
card between us when we went to sleep.

   In the morning I was drifting along between asleep and awake with
outside light filtering into the room and the sound of Tina moving in the
bathroom.  The running water stopped, and I heard soft footsteps on the
carpet.  Then a soft touch and a shake.  "Alan, baby," she whispered, then
her lithe form slid into the bed beside me.

   I was totally awake now.  We kissed.  "Good morning, love," I said.

   "Mornin', babe," she said.  "Let's shower and go find breakfast.  You
have to go look at my new magic carpet today."

   "Magic carpet?" I shook a little grogginess off my brain, and it dawned
on me.  I replayed last night's conversation.

   "Yeah," she giggled.  "Come on!  Get it in gear, dear!"

   Oh, that I had to suffer through the horrors of a shared shower with
Tina.  An hour later we were being seated at a little restaurant for
breakfast.

   "Does this airplane thing make sense, babe?" she asked.

   "Uh, well, depends on how you look at it.  Do we NEED it?  No.  But it
adds four hundred miles to our long weekend range.  And takes us home in
six hours.  And the country is ours.  A ten-hour day is almost fifteen
hundred miles in that thing.  That model is as close to a flying mini-van
as you can get.  But upkeep, well, there's insurance and annual inspections
and maintenance, and that's expensive, so if you just run down the columns
in a spreadsheet, maybe not."

   There was a twinkle in her blue eyes.  "Sometimes there are things you
can't put numbers to, you know..."

   I caught that.  "Yeah, like seventeen and forty-one."

   "Bingo," she said.

   "So I take it that you're in favor of us doing this."

   "If it's a good deal," she said.  "You can fly?  Really?"

   "Really.  It's been a while, but I flew that model before.  I can fly
it."

   "I think we should do it, babe." Her eyes sparkled.

   "And I'm thinking that just maybe a certain young lady might be
interested in learning to fly?"

   "It might be useful, don't you think?" She was propped on her elbows,
smiling.  Waffles and bacon showed up.  And coffee.

   After breakfast we had hours to burn, an easy task with a map of scenic
highways and me driving and an analytic young mind plotting a circuitous
route that would have us near the airport that was to be our after lunch
destination.

   We chiseled our way into a restaurant with the after-church crowd and at
ten minutes to one we drove into the rural airport.  Brad and Sandra and an
unidentified third person were gathered in front of an open t-hangar. 
Inside was an unexpectedly sparkling jewel of a single-engined airplane. 
Okay, from a hundred yards a LOT of older planes look good, just like older
women in dimly lit bars.  I knew all too much about both.

   We pulled up alongside Brad's SUV.  Tina eagerly bounced out to stand
beside Sandra.

   Brad and the guy with him came to me.

   "Alan, this is Charley Staples.  He's the..." Brad started.

   Charley stepped forward, extending his hand, "FBO, owner, flight
instructor, mechanic, etc., etc."

   "Hi," I said.  "I'm Alan Addison.  Brad wanted to show me this plane."

   "And I'm the guy who's been taking care of it for the last ten years.  I
wish I had the cash to pull the trigger on it myself," Charley said.  "Look
'er over."

   I did.  I poked around.  I opened covers, peered underneath, inside the
cowling, examined logbooks.  To my eye, it looked good.  But I wasn't the
expert.  And the expert in the immediate vicinity was Charley, who just
MIGHT have a little too much interest in the sale.  Still, I'd been in a
lot of these things.

   We walked aback to see Brad.  "Brad, Charley, no doubt, that's a
good-looking plane."

   Charley beat me to my point.  "Mister Alan..."

   "Just Alan," I said.

   "Alan.  Okay.  Look, if I was you, I'd get another mechanic to look 'er
over."

   "Yeah," Brad said to me.  "Do you know one?"

   "No, I don't," I admitted, but I was also thinking that this thing was
priced well below market, too.  "So what's YOUR recommendation?"

   Charley said, "I already told you.  If I was a little more liquid right
now, we wouldn't be having this con-versation."

   I looked at Tina.  She was doing that smile thing again.  I looked at
Charley, then Brad.  Gears were turning in my head.  I don't usually take
risks, and when I do, I do it on things I know about.  Time for a risk. 
"Brad, can you help me with the paperwork?"

   Brad 's eyes darted back and forth between me and Tina and Charley. 
"Are you sure?  I mean, you're not going to get another mechanic?"

   "Nope," I said.  "Somebody takes the care on the outside that this thing
has seen, they're not gonna neglect the inside." I slapped the logbooks
against my hand.  "Charley..."

   "It's everything you want, Mister Alan.  But..." He shrugged.  "Most
people would want a second..."

   "He's right, Alan," Brad said.  "Most people would..."

   I looked at the two of them.  "Because nobody wants to trust anybody
else?  I have an idea ...  Let's go fly this thing.  All three of us, right
now..."

   "Sounds fair to me," Charley said.  "Brad?"

   Brad said, "Well, guys, that sort of puts it in perspective, then."

   Charlie jangled the keys.  "You gonna leave Tina and Sandra here?"

   "Yeah," I laughed.  "If you guys are wrong, we need to leave survivors."

   Charlie and Brad both laughed.

   Tina said, "We can wait in the office if you're not gonna be long."

   "Are you okay with that, sweetie?" Brad asked his wife.

   "Sure," she answered.

   We rolled to plane out of the hangar onto the apron.  Yes, it was indeed
a while since I'd played with a Cessna 182, but it WAS a pretty simple
plane, and the preflight routine came back to me.  Charlie tagged along
beside me, listening to my running commentary on what I was doing.

   "Just in case you wonder if I really know what I'm doing," I said.

   "You seem to," he said.  "Alan, between you and me, it IS a good plane."

   "Yeah, I ran some numbers in my head.  Even if I had to do an engine
overhaul, it'd be a pretty decent deal.  If the wings don't fall off..."

   "I'll be sitting in the right seat beside you when they do," he laughed.

   Brad took the back seat, Charlie took the right, and I took the pilot's
seat on the left.  Charlie handed me the laminated checklist and I ran down
it, item by item.  Finally, I opened the window and hollered "Clear!", then
cranked the engine.  It caught immediately.  I watched the gauges. 
Everything worked exactly as expected.

   We taxied to the end of the little country runway and I ran through the
run-up checks.  Okay, it's time.

   "Last chance," I said.  "If ya'll duct-taped the wings on..."

   "Let's do it," Charlie said.

   "Follow me close, Charlie.  I'm out of a physical and a biennial
review."

   "I'm right here with you, Alan."

   I ran the throttle forward and we rolled, then lifted off.  At a
thousand feet above ground I asked Charlie, "Where's the practice area?"

   "Oh, south, about five miles.  Give us five thousand feet above ground."

   "Okay," I said.  I trimmed us for climb, feeling for any unexpected tugs
or unbalance in the controls, listening to the engine at full throttle,
watching gauges.  All good.

   In the practice area, I trimmed for cruise, looking, feeling.  Then slow
flight.  I dropped the flaps.

   "Okay, I've seen enough." I turned to look at Brad.  "Brad.  Help me
with the paperwork." And to Charlie, "Who's a good doctor for a physical,
and when can I get my biennial?"

   Ten minutes later I was on short final, working up the landing,
Charlie's hands hovering, just in case.  The landing wasn't as smooth as
mine USED to be, but we were on the ground, all in one serviceable piece.

   Sandra and Tina were walking out to meet us when I shut the engine down
at the hangar.

   Tina said, "If I can read that smile..."

   I shook Charlie's hand.  "Nice plane, for sure, Charlie."

   "Told you so, Alan.  And if you have anything major for the next six
months that doesn't involve smacking stationary objects, well, Brad's a
lawyer, so I won't say warranty, but..."

   "I believe you, Charlie."

   "Let's go in the office.  I have that doctor's card." The group followed
him into the office and I got the offered card.  "Look," he said.  "If you
get your physical this week, come by Saturday and we'll get your review out
of the way.  Now that I've seen you fly, all we need to do is the oral
review.

   "I can do that."

   Brad's turn.  "And if you can get me a cashier's check and come by the
office any day this week..."

   Tina was giggling.

   Sandra said, "Bradley, I think I was that excited when you bought me my
BMW."

   "So," Tina said, This next weekend?  Wings?"

   "Sounds like it, sweetie." I turned to Charlie.  "Charlie, I hate to ask
this, but you're two hours away from where we live."

   "Oh, I understand that, Alan.  Don't worry.  I have a waiting list for
these T-hangars.  There's an airport twenty minutes from where you're at. I
know the guy.  It's got one of those big ol' world War II hangars.  He's
got plenty of space in it out there in the boondocks.  I'll call 'im
myself."

   "Well," I said, "You're being awfully nice to us."

   "Not a problem at all."

   Tina HAD to sit in it.  She did, after we rolled our new acquisition
back into the hangar.  And after a round of happy handshakes all around, we
left.

   In the truck, Tina was giggling.  "Aren't you excited, Alan?"

   "Yes, brown-haired girl, I guess I am.  It felt good to fly again.  And
the idea of you and I being able to get away even further on weekends,
well..."

   Another giggle.  "Alan, you said something about ME learning..."

   "You're seventeen.  You're old enough." I went through the procedure. 
"Most people, though, learn in something smaller, lighter, and simpler. 
But it's not unheard of to use one of these."

   "Well, I don't expect you to buy me my own..." she giggled.

   "Actually, that's NOT unheard of, little one.  Planes like this are
pretty much bottomed out and on the way up in value.  You buy one, use it
for whatever, like getting your license, then you sell it for what you
paid, maybe a bit more.  But I'm thinking, no, we won't do that."

   "It's all just crazy, when you think about it, Alan.  A month and a half
ago, I was rock bottom, headed to Arkansas with a couple of criminals, and
now I'm discussing learning to FLY." Her face was in 'full smile' mode,
blue eyes atwinkle.

   "Yes, little one, it does seem crazy.  There I was, headed off into the
woods for a few months work, all alone, and here WE are.  Us.  A couple."

   "And that's a good thing, huh?"

   I bent sideways and kissed her cheek.  "The very best of things." And we
drove out the gate, headed to the place we called home.

   We took advantage of the return in late afternoon to take advantage of
each other.  The aftermath left me lying on my back with this auburn head
of hair resting on my chest, fingers tracing patterns in the hair on my
belly.  She raised up and turned her face toward me.

   "Dinner?" she said.

   "I was considering it, sweetness," I answered.  "Got a preference?"

   "Shall we grace the halls of the local fried catfish emporium, sir?" she
said.

   "Oh, yes, why not?  I hear there's this REAL cutie that shows up there
from time to time with some old goat."

   Giggle.  "Let's get dressed and go, old goat."

   "Okay, cutie!"

   We managed to eat and get back to the park in time to get a couple of
laps walking in the waning light of dusk.

   Back in the trailer, I played on the computer while Tina ran through her
schoolwork.  She glanced up at me.  "They had me sweating on this trig
stuff last week, but I think I got a handle now."

   "You didn't ask for help," I said.  "I can help if you need it."

   She chuckled.  "If I hadn't gotten it on my own, I would've asked,
Alan."

   "Don't get in a bind, sweetness.  You're in advanced placement classes.
Catching up would be tough."

   "I know," she said.  "But according to the guidance counselor, I get
three semester hours credit if I pass this class, and I AM passing this
class."

   "And the others?  Science, English?"

   "Piece of cake.  I'm having fun in those.  Physics?  Come on.  YOU do
this stuff."

   "I'm sure I do some of it, but you're a high school student."

   "And I'm doing in it a classroom, and making a mistake means a bad
grade. If you muff something..."

   "It happens, baby.  Some of the good ones make the news."

   "Have any of yours?" She turned in her seat to look at me.

   "Nope!  The time I've had problems on my jobs is where they didn't build
the way I drew it or they didn't install what I wanted the way it was
supposed to be installed.  Now I make good money making sure that those
things don't happen any more.  I don't do the designs myself, but I make
sure that they're good and that they're installed correctly.  And that's a
whole lot different than your physics course."

   She smiled.  "So how many traps do you find because you know physics,
and how many do you find because you know how things are supposed to be put
together and how they're supposed to work?"

   "Oh, little one," I said, "Part of it's physics and math and most of
it's knowing the right way to do things because I've learned it from wise
men who've gone before me."

   Eyebrow arched.  "No wise women?"

   "There might've been some, but I never met them.  I've known some female
engineers, even electrical engineers, but not at the level we're talking
about.  Not that there couldn't be.  Just weren't.  For me, anyway."

   "Maybe I ought to fix that." She smirked.

   "Huh?"

   "I was SAYING, just maybe I ought to fix that." She tossed her head.  "I
think I could, you know..."

   "You could what?" I was grasping her intent.

   "I could be an electrical engineer.  Female, too." The smirk was
replaced by the derisive extension of a pink tongue.

   "Ohhhh, I see ...  dumb ol' Alan can do it, then Miss Christina can
certainly do it better..." I stuck my tongue out in return.

   Giggle.  "Seriously, baby!  I've been thinking about a major.  One of
the heroes in my life happens to be an engineer, therefore just maybe
that's what I might want to do myself." She closed her book and stowed it
in her backpack, then crossed the little aisle to plop down in my lap.  Her
arms encircled my neck and her lips met mine for a peck.  "And you're the
smartest person I've ever known, anyway."

   "Thank you, my Tina can do anything she sets her mind to do," I said,
and I meant it.  "I'll be at your side the whole way, and I will be sitting
there watching when you graduate." That got me more kisses.  I considered
it fair trade, really.

   "You know," she said, "Grandma wanted me to get an education.  When she
died and I ended up with Mom, I didn't know how that was gonna happen.  I
didn't know how anything was gonna happen, Alan." Her head rested on my
shoulder.  "And then we stopped for breakfast..."

   "Yeah, funny how life hinges on one thing, isn't it?" I mused.

   "Funny ...  That's a good word.  Spectacular is another," she answered.

   "Nope!  Can't use 'spectacular'.  I save that one for you." I kissed the
top of her head.

   "You're so good to me, Alan." She snuggled into my chest and purred. 
"Why don't we get our showers out of the way?"

   "One more kiss, and I'll let you go, little one." I saw her face from
four inches in front of mine.  My lips pushed her bangs aside and I brushed
her forehead with my lips.  She turned her face up a tiny bit and our lips
met, softly, tentatively at first, then just melting into each other, our
tongues teasing.

   She pulled away, almost reluctantly.  "One more like that, buddy, and
we'll be showering late..." She bounced lightly.  "And apparently part of
YOU is having the same thoughts."

   "Uh-huh," I admitted.  "But..."

   "But I'll be more comfortable if we're both bathed." She got up off my
lap, undressing in front of me, allowing me to marvel at her youthful
figure.

   Okay, maybe just a little more than just marveling.  I had to kiss and
touch and caress.

   "You make me quiver," she smiled.  "Just keep that idea..." giggle.

   Ten minutes later she was standing outside the tiny bathroom, drying off
with a fluffy towel.  When I stepped past her to get my own shower, she
gave me a gratuitous squeeze.  I responded with a kiss, then finished off
the hot water for my own ablutions.  Crap!  I forgot.  Now I get to shave
with cold wa-ter.  Oh, well, not like that's the first time.  My
complaints, though, were answered with only slightly sympathetic giggles as
she stopped drying her hair to see what I was griping about.

   When I stepped away from the bathroom sink, she was now clad in her
nightshirt, stowing her hair dryer.  I slapped her playfully on her
upturned butt, causing a squealy giggle.  When the cabinet door closed, she
stood and turned around, wrapping me in her arms.  I reciprocated.

   "Poor baby," she chuckled.  "Had to shave with cold water..." she kissed
my cheek.  "But I'm glad you shaved." Her nostrils flared.  "Mmmmm!  You
smell good."

   "Thank you, young lady!  So do you!"

   "Come sit down.  Let's see what's on TV for a little while," she smiled.
"Then nine o'clock.  Bedtime..."

   We were at opposite ends of the sofa, legs intertwined in the middle, TV
on, me with a book at my end, her with a book at hers, both reading and
watching something about whales on a nature show.  The end credits were
rolling when her foot started jiggling things.  She closed her book and put
it in the little bookcase.

   "I suppose we need to go to bed, huh?" I smiled.

   "You betcha, babe!" she stood up and stretched, her palms touching the
trailer's ceiling, the nightshirt pulling taut over perky nipples.

   I felt a familiar and happy stirring in my groin and closed my own book,
standing up.  I killed the lights at that end of the trailer as we filed to
the bed at the high end of the gooseneck trailer.  The little fixture over
the head of the bed lent enough light so that loving this auburn-headed
doll was also a visual experience.

   That was a good thing, because I was pushed onto my back and straddled
by a young female who was in the process of stripping a nightshirt up over
her head and tossing it aside.

   "Hah!  YOU still have clothes on!" she giggled, sliding sideways off me.

   Took me seventeen seconds to correct that error.  Then all my senses
were overloaded by what hap-pened next.  Twice.

   Still wrapped in each other's arms, Tina sighed.  "Alan, I sooo much
love you."

   "Miss Tina, I love you too, you know..."

   "Mmmm-hmmmm ...  d'ya love me enough to hand me my nightshirt?"

   I retrieved the shirt and passed it to her.  I pulled my own t-shirt
over my head, then we settled back into each other's arms.

   Her nose wiggled.  Giggle.  "We're gonna need a quick shower in the
morning, baby.  I think everybody's gonna know what you've been doing..."

   "And I do so love who I'm doing it with, sweetness."

   "Put us some music on to sleep with." And a gentle kiss, and I rolled
onto my back with Tina's leg thrown over me, and we slipped into slumber.

   Six o'clock alarm.  Two quick showers, a couple of bowls of cereal, a
pot of coffee, and we headed in separate directions for the day.  I climbed
into my truck with the taste of her kiss on my lips and the sweet scent of
a tiny drop of perfume still in my nostrils.

   Twenty minutes later I was in my parking spot and heading to my office.
Monday morning staff meeting, then out into the project's guts, talking
with the electrical foreman and the crew and a couple of technicians, then
back in my office, scratching notes on some field drawings, then copying
them, one copy back into the field for the guys to work with, another copy
for the record stack, and for me, a scanned copy on my computer.

   Then a phone call to the bank.  Something about a five-figure cashier's
check made out to a lawyer in Tennessee.  Easy enough.  The administrator
waited for my fax, I signed it, and faxed it back.  The check was now in a
Fed-Ex envelope headed to Brad's office.  I called him and told him it was
on the way.

   Next phone call was to the doctor.  Okay.  Physical, Tuesday after
lunch. That was enough of taking care of my own business on company time. I
grabbed a coke from the refrigerator in the office trailer, took a long
swallow and headed back out the door.  The day's most interesting and
critical activity was a short ride away on my golf cart.

   Big hole in the ground.  Well, an engineered hole.  Here was one end of
a set of pipes, a duct bank, through which cables as thick as your arm were
supposed to be pulled.  I stopped a safe distance away and climbed out of
the cart.  The foreman saw me and started walking towards me, his face
grim.

   "Mister Addison, we can't get a line though the pipes." The idea with
these things was to actually blow a thin string from one end of the pipe to
the other, several hundred feet away, then use that string to pull a
heavier line, then that line pulled a strong rope, and the rope was used
with a winch to drag the cable into the hole.  And they couldn't get the
line through.

   This was matter of simple mechanics.  "You tried ALL of them?" I asked.

   "Hell, yeas," he said.  "Can't get but a trickle of air.  And no line."

   "Crap!" I said.  "Let's take a walk!" I had a suspicion.  We put the
stuff in the ground and supposedly the area was restricted to ONLY light
vehicular traffic.

   "You're thinkin'..." the foreman said.

   "That some asshole ran heavy equipment over my ductbank, Jeff." It
didn't take much walking to locate the heavy tracks across my route. 
"Shit!" I said.  "Here's a week's delay, right here."

   The foreman shook his head.  We carefully paced to the next manhole, and
I said, "three hundred feet.  Do you have something you can push up the
pipe to measure?  If you find the obstruction three hundred feet from this
end, we're going to have some fun..."

   His chuckle came through clenched teeth.  "Yeah!  Fun!  Because some
asshole took a shortcut to save an hour ...  Lemme get some fishtapes
hooked together.  I'll call you on the radio when we're done."

   "Great!" I said.  "I won't say anything to anybody until you get me a
measurement."

   "Uh-huh," he said.  "Some days it sucks to be us..."

   I hopped back onto my golf cart and rode back to the office.  I was
reviewing some reports when the radio broke squelch.

   "Mister Alan, come in." I recognized the voice.

   "Go ahead for Alan," I said.

   "That measurement?  Three hundred feet."

   "That solves the mystery," I answered.  "I'll be out there in a few
minutes with the project manager.  He's gonna love this..." I walked into
the project manager's office.

   He read my face.  "Ohhhh, shit!" he said.  "That's NOT a 'happy
engineer' face.  This cain't be good..."

   "It's not, Carl," I said.  "Looks like somebody ran the heavy crane
across the main ductbank from the utility substation between our first and
second manholes.  It's collapsed.  Wanna come look?" There were a dozen
reasons every day that this guy lost his smile, and I dearly hated anything
of mine to be one.

   "Sure," he said, grabbing his hard hat.  "Why the hell not!"

   Five minutes later we were looking at the telltale tracks and the
electrical foreman had laid out his tape, showing the obstruction was under
our feet, right there where the tracks crossed.

   "So I guess you have a path forward already?" Carl looked at us.

   "Yep," I said.  "We're gonna dig down to the concrete in both directions
to where we find no damage, cut this section out, put a new section in,
pour it again, and then cover it back up." I looked at my fore-man.  "What
do YOU think, Jeff?"

   Jeff rubbed his chin.  "It's not rocket science.  Three, maybe four days
from when we start diggin'."

   "There's your answer, Carl.  I don't like it.  It's a delay.  But if we
don't screw up any OTHER big thing, we're not going to be your critical
path."

   Carl shook his head.  "That's good to know ...  You want to get with the
civil bunch and get a trackhoe over here?"

   "Got it," I said.  "Jeff, I'm gonna let you put your crew back in the
substation.  You wanna make sure that trackhoe doesn't collapse anything
else?"

   And we went on from there.  As they say, "That's why I get the medium
bucks."

   Driving Carl back to the office trailers, I told him that I was going to
be out on Tuesday after lunch.

   "Not a problem," Carl said.  "Doctor?  Something wrong?"

   "Nope," answered.  "Flight physical.  Me and my cutie are getting a
plane.  I need to get myself current."

   "Oh, yeah, your cutie.  What the HELL are you doin' with a seventeen
year old girlfriend?" The story had gone around and was common knowledge.

   "Waiting until she's eighteen so we can get married.  And having the
time of my life."

   Chapter 8

   I was in trouble and didn't know it.  The guys I talked to, they were
like me, from various locales around the country, brought together for this
job, so news of my happy circumstance with seventeen year old Tina was a
matter of interest, and with my obvious happiness, a bit of good-natured
ribbing, and I was rocking away happy in my ignorance.  How ignorant? 
You'll see...

   Tuesday I got Tina out of school to meet me at the doctor's office.  You
see, student pilots need physicals, too.  We walked out of the doctor's
office, me with a valid physical, Tina with a combination physical AND a
brand new student pilot license.  I called Brad's office.

   "Hey, Brad," I said after I'd gotten past his office manager.  "D'you
get my check?"

   "Sure did," he said.  "Ya'll come by tomorrow afternoon and I'll have
the paperwork for you to sign."

   It didn't dawn on me that he wanted both of us there, but hey, a moment
is a moment, so I made plans to meet Tina there immediately after school.
That put me leaving work a little early, but I didn't see a problem.  Tina
and I had a perfectly wonderful Monday with not a care in the world.

   The next morning I and several other people were looking in the
excavated hole at cracked concrete.  I shook my head.  My electrical
foreman shook HIS head.  The project manager strung together some
expletives in an innovative and extraordinary manner.  There wasn't much
engineering to the problem, though.  It was pretty straight forward, and
crews went right to work to fix it.  The rest of the day?  Routine.  At
three I took off and met Tina at Brad's office an hour away.

   We're in the office, signing a bill of sale and a title transfer and
Brad asks the question: "D'you want both of you to sign this?"

   "No," I answered.

   "Normally, a man and wife..." he started.

   Tina gave the answer.  "Mister Brad, we're not officially married.  In a
year we will be."

   "Oh," he said.  "I never asked.  I just saw the rings and assumed..."
His brow wrinkled.  "Uh, Alan, Tina ...  We have a problem."

   "Problem?" I asked.

   "Alan.  Tina.  I thought ya'll were married.  Tina, you said you were
seventeen.  In Tennessee, the age of consent is eighteen.  Alan, you know
what that means."

   Tina's eyes widened.  But we thought it was seventeen, Mister Brad."

   "It is," he said, "in every state around us, even sixteen in some of
'em. But it's eighteen here in Tennessee."

   "Dammit!" I paused.  "Sorry, Brad.  I'm an engineer.  I know I lot of
things about a lot of stuff.  I guess it's the wrong stuff.  I can't
believe that.  I mean, seriously, Brad ...  where'd you and Sandra first
meet me and Tina?"

   "At that chamber orchestra concert."

   "Yeah.  Common haunt for us child molesters, right?  And what was she
wearing?"

   "That darned little black dress.  Sandra commented to me about it."

   "Uh-huh ...  Brad..." I started.

   "It's not a big deal, is it, for you two to get married?  You need a
parent or guardian's signature, is all." He sat back.

   Tina's face was ashen.  I hadn't seen that look since the first day I
met her.  "Mister Brad, you don't understand.  Alan is my legal guardian."

   That statement caused Brad's look to change.

   "It's not like THAT, Brad.  Can we tell you the story?"

   He leaned back in his chair, bridging his fingers together.  "Go ahead.
I've heard lots of stories."

   I said, "It all started at a little restaurant in the middle of
Louisiana..."

   He did ask questions.  We answered.  Tina's tears probably aided our
case.

   "Dammit, Alan," he said, "Sandra just thinks the world of Miss Tina. 
And you.  Said ya'll were different, but in a happy way.  And the rings. 
That threw us both off.  We just assumed..."

   "And I assumed that every state was seventeen or less..."

   Tina asked the obvious next question.  "B-but Mister Brad, you mean that
they could put Alan in jail?"

   Brad nodded his head.  "Theoretically, if some prosecutor wanted to make
a case ...  It makes me scratch my head, just thinking about it, you know
...  I think of all the crap that goes on today, pregnancies with no daddy,
no job, no nothing ...  and then this ...  But it's the law."

   Tina folded her arms and got that little crinkle above her nose, her
"I've decided" look.  "I don't want to do without Alan.  He's more husband
to me than you can begin to imagine."

   "Oh, no, Miss Tina.  I can imagine a lot.  I've seen you two together.
But if you're in Tennessee, you're taking a risk.  A BIG risk.  Unless you
get married."

   I took a deep breath.  "Brad, let me sign these papers.  And then Tina
and I have some thinking and talking to do.

   "God dammit, you two, please forgive me.  I never wanted to mess ya'll
up." Brad's expression looked sincere.  "I mean, as far as I'm concerned,
ya'll ARE married.  But the state..."

   I signed the papers.  I, that is, me and my not quite wife, were owners
of an airplane.  I wish I could say we were happy when we left.  We drove
back in separate vehicles.  I had a million lines of thought going at once.
Somewhere on the hour drive I lost sight of Tina.  I was about ten miles
form the RV park when my phone rang.  I retrieved it from my pocket
thinking it was my little girl.

   "Hello, Alan Addison!  Sounds like YOU have a problem." the voice was
that of Deputy Bill Hurley.

   "Bill..." I started.

   "Don't get started, Alan.  I told you I didn't want you draggin' Miss
Tina to Tennessee and turning her into a sex toy."

   "It's ...  I..." Words weren't coming.

   "Tina just called me cryin' her eyes out, Alan.  In her words, she
thinks she's losin' her best friend in the whole world, and her husband. 
And she explained to me some things."

   "Bill, I didn't start out to do this..."

   "And I believe her.  And I guess that means I have to believe you, too.
So she called me because I helped ya'll the first time, getting' her set up
in school."

   "And now?" I asked.  "What can you do?  Really..."

   "I can call my uncle, the judge, and talk with him and see.  But you
probably need to get out of Tennessee for a few days.  Go to Mississippi.
Heaven knows, they won't care..."

   "Bill, if you can help..." I started.

   "Oh, hell, Alan.  Miss Tina asked me.  Lemme see what happens.  I'll
call you back."

   I pulled up next to our trailer a few moments ahead of Tina.  She got
out of her car, shaking, tears in her eyes.  I pulled her inside the
trailer.

   "Alan," she sobbed.  "I just CAN'T lose you..."

   I wrapped her in my arms, cradling her against me.  "I can't lose you
either, dearest one."

   "What're we gonna do?" she wept.

   "If push comes to shove," I said, "I'll leave the state.  I can find us
a place where we can be together.  Hell, this is the ONLY one like it that
I know of."

   "What about your job, Alan?" she asked through tears.

   "I can get another job with a phone call." I was truthful.  I could play
that card once or twice, but part of my reputation was built on
dependability.  "I can't get another you.  Never.  You're an anomaly in my
universe, sweetness."

   "Oh, Alan..." I was being ripped apart, seeing those blue eyes with
tears in them.

   I called the project manager.  He answered.  "Carl, I hate to tell you
this, but I've got an emergency situation to take care of.  I'm gonna come
in for an hour in the morning, and then it's liable to be a few days..."

   "Oh, shit, Alan," he said.  "Is there anything we can do to help?"

   "No," I said.  "Jeff's gonna be fixing that duct bank, and I'm in good
shape on the rest of the project, so I won't put you in a bind.  Not yet,
anyway."

   "Is it that bad?" Carl asked.

   "Yeah.  It might be.  It's kind of personal, Carl.  I'll explain when I
get some things straight."

   "You're a big boy, Alan.  You haven't let me down yet.  Do what you
gotta do."

   Tina looked at me.  "I love you," I said.

   Next phone call was to Charlie.  "Charlie," I said, "I hate to bother
you this late, but d'you think you could do me a flight review in the
morning.  Like about ninish?"

   "Sure," he said.  "You in a hurry?"

   "Yessir," I answered.  "I might have to go somewhere in the next day or
two."

   "Just bring your logbook in the morning, Alan.  I'll have your plane
gased up and waiting for you."

   "Thanks, guy," I said.

   I turned to Tina.  "In case we need to go somewhere."

   Her eyes were still wet.  "You don't think somebody'll, like, turn us
in? Do you?"

   "Mizz Lil knows about us, and some of the guys at work.  But I told
Mister Carl that I was going to be married to you in a year.  So I don't
know who he might've told.

   Neither of us had any appetite that evening.  Or any joy.  We sat
together on the sofa, clinging to one another, my mind still running
through one scenario after another.

   And the phone rang.  Deputy Hurley.

   "Alan, I talked to my uncle," he said.

   I was hoping.  "And..." I asked

   "I told him what was going on.  He said it was an easy fix.  When can
you come down here and present yourself and Miss Tina?  Can you do
Thursday?"

   Tina was leaning her head against mine, sharing the phone.  "Yesyesyes,
Mister Bill.  We'll be there."

   "Can we get a rental car at your airport?  We're flyin' in tomorrow
afternoon," I said.

   "Uh, Alan, we don't have commercial flights..."

   "I know, Bill.  Me an' Tina just bought an airplane today.  That's when
all this crap came out."

   "You just get you two here, and I'll make sure you have transportation.
There's a motel in town..."

   "Yessir, I got that much." I paused.  "Bill..."

   "Yeah?"

   "Thanks!"

   "Yes!  Thank you, Mister Bill," Tina said, finally getting a little of
the lilt back in her voice.

   "We'll call you when we're getting close, okay?" I said.

   "Ya'll do that," Bill said.  "And if you're up to it, plan on dinner
with me an' my bunch.  If you can stand a couple of rug rats."

   "That would be wonderful," Tina said.

   "There's you an answer, buddy!" I added.  "We'll talk to you later!"

   "'Kay, Alan.  Tina.  See ya tomorrow!" He hung up.

   I fell back against the sofa and Tina fell into my arms.

   "Baby," she asked, "What do you think all this means?"

   "It means, little one, that you probably need to make very very sure
that you want to be married to me.  Because if I'm working in Tennessee,
that's the only way we can do it and stay together."

   Squeal!  And a kiss.  A long, hot, hungry kiss.  "You'd've left this job
to stay with me, Alan?  Really?"

   "Oh, little princess, I'd've got me a bag and started collecting cans
off the side of the road to stay with you.  This job?  You?  Oh, come on
... no choice at all." And I meant it.

   I looked at my watch.  "D'you have an appetite now?"

   she smiled.  "I could eat something."

   "Get your shoes on.  Let's go." Fried catfish soothes the stomach quite
well.  Back at our little home, we packed bags for the next adventure.

   We got up the next morning.  "Don't bother to go to school today,
sweetie," I said.  "I'll be back here in an hour and a half.

   "No, Alan.  I'm going to go and get my assignments and tell 'em I might
be out for a couple of days, okay?" Her eyes had life in them again.

   "Okay, baby.  You know best." I kissed her and headed out the door.

   I was still knotted up from the day before, though, despite the idea
that there was a way out.  I wouldn't be happy until we crossed the state
line.  I guess I would've made a horrible criminal.  Paranoia?  I had
buckets of it.

   My dash through the job site was mainly to talk with Jeff about his
repair job and to make sure that they didn't fall behind any further.

   I knocked on Carl's door.  He looked up.  "Alan!  Come in.  Close the
door!"

   I did.  "Carl, sorry to jerk you around, buddy..."

   "Look," he said.  "You an' me's been on too many of these things
together to not trust each other.  Do what you gotta do, okay?"

   "Thanks, buddy.  Just so you know, I've gotta fly back to Louisiana with
Tina.  I didn't know that us livin' together was illegal in this state."

   "She's seventeen, ain't she?  Old enough?  I mean, it's your business.
You're what, forty?"

   "Close enough.  But in this state, eighteen's the magic number."

   "Oh, crap ...  Can you fix things?" Carl asked.

   "I'm thinking so.  Back in Louisiana, though.  We should be back Friday.
I'm on my cellphone if you need something.  Everybody's got my number."

   Carl stood and offered his hand.  I shook it.  "Take care of yourself
an' Miss Tina, 'kay?"

   "You got it!  Thanks, buddy!" And out the door I went.  I picked up Tina
at the RV park and told Mizz Lil that we'd be gone a couple of days.

   And hour later we were at the airport.

   Charlie looked through my logbook.  "How many hours in this thing?" he
asked.

   "Eight hundred total, at least forty in a 182," I said.  "Was in a club
in Arizona."

   "Oooooh," he said.  "I saw you handle this the other day.  That takes
care of the flyin'.  Now let's review some rules an' stuff."

   Tina sat in the office as I was questioned about a variety of procedures
and regulations.  Charlie opened my logbook to the last page I'd used and
signed me off.

   "You're good to go," he smiled.  "Since Miss Tina's sitting there, I
assume you two are flyin' off?"

   "Yeah.  Louisiana.  Should be back either late tomorrow or early
Friday."

   "Be careful," Charlie grinned.

   "Come on, baby," I said to Tina.  "Let's go teach you something."

   I talked her through the pre-flight inspection and then saw that she was
strapped in, big headphones on for the intercom.  It was going to be her
first flight.  Ever.  Her hands were folded nervously in her lap.  I knew a
sure-fire way to get rid of the nerves.

   "No, Tina.  We do this together.  Put your hands on the yoke and your
feet on the pedals and follow me through this."

   "B-but, Alan!  I've never..." she stammered.

   "You've never been bashful with me, little one," I said.  "This is
easy."

   We went through the run-up with me explaining every step.  I checked the
frequency on the radio and made a call to any aircraft that might be
interested in what was going on at this little field, and we taxied onto
the runway and I pushed the throttle forward.  And we were in the air.  As
I banked us onto a course headed southwest, her grin was huge.

   "You like?" I asked.

   "I like." So our four hour flight was instructional.  Tina was a quick
study, and for somebody who found no problem with high school physics, the
general principles of flying light aircraft were no trouble at all. 
Eighty-five hundred feet over the countryside, the miles slid away at a
decent clip.

   By early afternoon we were close.  I opened my cellphone and called
Hurley up.

   "Where are you at?" he asked.

   "Eighty-five hundred feet over a cotton field, about twenty minutes
out."

   "I'll be there waiting for you."

   I had a picture of us returning to the little town in the back seat of a
patrol car, but I wasn't about to complain.  Deputy Bill Hurley showed up
in a departmental SUV as we were tying down our plane.

   "Man, you guys travel in style," He said, shaking my hand then getting a
chaste hug from Tina.  "Come on!  Let me get ya'll to the motel."

   "That would be great!" I said.  I let Tina take the front seat for the
short ride.

   In the car, we started talking.  "So Tina tells me that she's in
advanced placement classes in her senior year, now."

   "Yeah, you should've seen the expression on the guy's face when he
showed us her placement test results.  I was worried.  I worried about what
I could do to help a high-school drop-out." I admitted.

   Tina picked up the thread.  "I told Alan that the reason I dropped out
was that mom kept moving us every time I'd start school.  The first thing
we did was talk to the school board about me getting back in."

   Bill admitted, "Yeah, ya'll kinda surprised me with that phone call. 
But it worked out well, didn't it?"

   "Yes," I said.  "We got her in school and I figured I was going to be
the foster dad or whatever to a teenaged girl in high school.  I mean, her
first week, she'd already been asked to..."

   "That's what I was tellin' you, Mister Bill.  Alan was perfectly serious
about taking care of me.  He got me back in school.  Bought me a car..."

   "A car?" Bill queried.

   "Yeah, the preferred automobile of child molesters everywhere, a Honda
Civic." I said.  "Actually, it just made sense.  She could run errands
after school and go out and do whatever, and I wouldn't have to worry about
transporting her or her depending on people I didn't know."

   "Okay," he said.  "When you put it like that, it makes sense."

   "So anyway," Tina continued, "my first week back at school and I'm
getting into the classes and since it's all AP, you know that the kids are
some of the serious students, so it's pretty good.  And at the end of the
week, one of the girls asks me if I want to come over on Friday night to
watch movies, and there's gonna be a few other kids, and this guy in one of
my classes and he's smart and he's asking her if I'm coming over, and I
asked Alan if I could go."

   "And what could I say, Bill?  I told her to be careful and to be back by
midnight and let 'er go."

   We pulled into the motel.  Bill said, "Look, can I pick ya'll up about
five and bring you to the house for dinner?"

   "We don't want to put you out, Bill.  I could just as easily take you
and your wife out for dinner.  Uh ...  and the kids..."

   Bill smiled.  "I appreciate that, but with the kids, it'd be a trial. 
Best you come over to the house.  We used to have a good restaurant in
town, but it's been closed for a year.  That little diner where ya'll met,
it's about the only other place.  Or McDonald's."

   "We're your guests," Tina asserted.

   "Uh, one more thing.  I hope you don't mind.  Uncle, the judge, he might
stop by after dinner.  Wants to talk to you both."

   I guess my face gave away my thoughts.

   "Oh, no, nothing bad.  He got part of the story from me.  He knows what
he needs to do.  It's just he wants to meet ya'll."

   "Okay," Tina said.  "We'll be happy to meet him.  I mean, you guys have
already helped us out so much."

   We checked in and hauled our bags into our room.  Tina made a show of
falling backward onto the king-sized bed.

   "Just come lay by me, Alan.  I need you near me." she turned her face
toward me, those azure eyes boring into my heart.

   I lay beside her on my side so I could touch her face.  She was smiling.

   "It's gonna be okay, babe," she said.  "We're going to STAY together. 
That makes it okay."

   I bent over and kissed her.  "just 'okay'?"

   "Well, then, how about 'a little piece of perfect'?"

   "That would be you, cutie!" The next kiss was better.  Longer, hungrier,
hotter, and so comforting to be delivered by this doll.  Her hair was doing
that thing where it was either mahogany or walnut, depending on the light.
In this room ...  mahogany.  I buried my face into it at her neck.

   I felt her stir, then heard twin thumps as her shoes hit the floor.  She
scooted away from me, higher in the bed and motioned for me to come up with
her.  I sat up, untied my shoes and took them off and lay down, finding
myself in her arms.  Fully clothed, we kissed a few times and then snuggled
together for a nap to make up for a couple of horribly sleepless nights.

   At four-thirty we were up, showered and ready for dinner.  Ten minutes
out, Hurley called us on the phone and warned us, so we were waiting in the
motel lobby when he pulled up.  There was a little tow-headed boy in the
front seat with him.

   "Hi," Bill said.  "This is my son, William junior.  He's Billy.  Billy,
this is Miss Tina an' Mister Alan."

   Billy offered his hand politely.  We both shook it.  "I'm gonna get in
the back seat.  You gonna ride back here with me, Miss Tina?"

   "I certainly will, Billy," she said.  Tina and Billy buckled into the
back seat and I slid into the front with Bill.

   "Hope you can stand fried pork chops," Bill said.  "Sharon's teaching
school, and pork chops are fast."

   "Pork chops sound wonderful." Tina turned to Billy.  "What's your
favorite, Billy?"

   Little Billy didn't mis his cue.  "Today?  Pork chops!  An' Mom has
mashed p'tatas an' gravy!  And a pie!" he smiled broadly.  "I like it when
she cooks for company!"

   Bill followed, "Folks, we don't starve our kids.  The only difference
between company and a regular meal is the pie!"

   Billy said, "I LIKE pie!" Tina giggled.

   We pulled up at the Hurley place.  It was one of those homes from a
bygone era, huge, wood-frame, two story, and obviously the subject of a
huge amount of restoration.  I commented on the age.

   "My great-grandparents' house.  It got it passed down to me along with a
pretty good inheritance and we put a lot of it back into this house." He
sounded happy and proud.

   When we walked in, I saw why.  The restoration was meticulous and well
thought out, combining modern efficiencies with the character of the old
home.  And we met Sharon, Bill's wife, a diminutive lady with a few extra
pounds and blonde hair and blue eyes and that explained where Billy got
that golden shock of his.  And Billy's little sister, a year younger, and a
couple inches shorter, and obviously Billy's sister.

   Billy handled that introduction.  "Miss Tina, Mister Alan, this is my
sister.  Her name is Bridget."

   Tina squatted to Bridget's level.  "Hi, Miss Bridget!  What a pretty
name!  You're a cutie!"

   Bridget smiled bashfully and said softly, "Thank you Miss Tina!  You're
cute too!"

   Tina stood up.  Mizz Sharon, can I help you in the kitchen or
something?"

   Sharon smiled.  "That would be lovely, Tina." She turned to us.  "We'll
be ready in about ten minutes." The two of them disappeared.

   Bill gave me a quick tour of his castle, including a running commentary
on the history of the house and his family.

   We returned to find the table set and ready for us.  Bill sat at the
head of the table, his wife on his right, I at the opposite end with Tina
on my right, and the two kids on opposites sides of the table.  Bill
offered a brief blessing for the food and friendship and we dug into a
quite decent and happy meal.  I was pleasantly surprised that the two kids
were well mannered.  And I enjoyed watching Billy's eyes when he got his
piece of chocolate pie.

   Sharon and Tina and the kids cleared the table following the meal and
Bill and I were talking when the doorbell rang.  "That's gonna be Uncle
Jimmy," he said.

   Uncle Jimmy was tall, bald, dressed in slacks and a business shirt with
a tie.  "I'm Bill's Uncle Jimmy," he announced, extending his hand.

   I shook it.  "I'm Alan Addison.  You've already rescued us once!"

   "Yes, son, and if I'd have been a little bit more on the ball..." he
started.

   "Uncle Jimmy, ya'll come sit in here so we can talk!" Bill guided us
into the living room.

   We sat down.  Uncle Jimmy continued.  "Like I was sayin', we could've
done an emancipation on 'er if I'd given it more thought, but when Bill
here gave me the story, I thought that giving you guardianship was a better
approach, especially with you wanting to put her back in school."

   Tina and Sharon walked in.  Sharon introduced Tina to Uncle Jimmy.  He
smiled.  "Alan, she's a charming young lady.  Miss Tina, I've heard good
things about you."

   It was Tina's turn to smile bashfully.

   Tina sat next to me on the sofa and Sharon joined Bill on the love seat.

   Uncle Jimmy repeated what he'd just said for the ladies' benefit.

   "Mister Jimmy..." Tina started.

   "Uncle Jimmy.  Please!" he smiled.

   "Uncle Jimmy, when we called about that school problem, that's all we
thought we needed.  Really." she sighed.  "Alan was just takin' care of me
and giving me a place to live and helping me."

   I interrupted.  "Like a little sister.  Or a daughter.  Or ...  I don't
know.  When I found 'er, she didn't have too many options.  I just wanted
to help out."

   Uncle Jimmy nodded.  Bill had heard the story up to this point.  Tina
went through it from the beginning to the point of her first week of
school, and the party.  Sharon was following every word.

   "See, Bill, THAT'S I was telling you last week.  One of my straight A
students, bright, smart, with a future ...  She's turned up pregnant.  The
daddy's a senior and has a scholarship to play football in college.  It's
like all the stereotypes in the world piled on top of them." Sharon looked
at Tina.

   Tina read the question in Sharon's look.  "No, ma'am.  I'm not pregnant.
I want to marry Alan because we're just RIGHT for each other.  Look!  This
is how I'm being exploited here!"

   I looked and almost fell off the sofa.  The piece of paper in Tina's
hand, that she was shoving towards Sharon, was her brand new student pilot
license.

   Uncle Jimmy laughed, relieving a tension.

   Sharon stammered, "Oh, Tina, I DIDN'T mean that you HAD to get married.
That YOU were pregnant.  I was just sayin' that kids can get off the track
so easy." She inhaled.  "And you two walked in here with wedding bands an'
I looked at you and you act like you belong together."

   Billy wandered into the room.  "Hi, Uncle Jimmy!" he said.  He hugged
his great-uncle.  "When we goin' to your camp?"

   Uncle Jimmy mussed Billy's hair.  "Just as soon as your daddy decides he
wants to do you some fall catfishin'," he said.

   Naturally, little Bridget was next.  She perched briefly on Uncle
Jimmy's knee and kissed his cheek then came over and squeezed next to Tina.
Tina put her arm around Bridget.  Big sister - little sister.  Should've
taken a picture.

   "I love seein' your kids, Bill.  Sharon sure shows in 'em, too." He
smiled at Sharon.  "You kep' 'em from getting those squinty Hurley eyes,
Sharon!"

   We all talked for a while longer.  Finally Uncle Jimmy said, "Look,
Alan, Miss Tina, here's what we're going to do.  You two want to be
married. So tomorrow I'm gonna do some magical judge things, sorta like
that magical electric stuff you do, Alan.  And we're going to emancipate
Miss Tina from the horrible bonds of having you as her guardian.  Under
state law, if she's emancipated, she's free to act as her own agent, as an
adult." He grinned.  "If, upon execution of her emancipation, she doesn't
high-tail it out of the parish, you two can do us a marriage license, and
if you have no religious reservations, I will personally perform the
wedding in my office.  Then the State of Tennessee can go pound sand. 
Where ever it is they might need to have sand pounded."

   Squeal!  That was Tina's commentary on Uncle Jimmy's speech.

   He laughed.  "I wish I could say that this puts me on the plus side of
the marriage game, but I sign more divorces than I get to marry folks. 
There's something wrong there.  Seems to me that if two people wanna get
married in front of a church full of people, then they should do the same
damn thing for the divorce."

   Bill laughed.  "Alan, you have to understand.  I've heard this speech
before."

   Sharon smiled.  "And we're still married."

   Uncle Jimmy wasn't finished.  "How long did it take ya'll to fly down
here?  Four hours?"

   "Yessir," Tina chirped.

   "Seems to me," he said, "That ya'll oughtta fly back one weekend and
meet us at my camp.  It's on the river.  We'll barbecue, an' catch some
catfish and have a fish fry, and feel guilty for the next two weeks about
eatin' like that."

   I was thinking that this old guy was a hoot, and good company is good
company.  Tina spoke for us.  "We'll make that happen.  We need to kinda
know when."

   We rode back to the motel with Uncle Jimmy, talking, listening to him
assail us with stories of courtroom shenanigans.

   The next morning Hurley picked us up for breakfast.  "Sorry, Alan, but I
had to give the shift sergeant back his SUV.  You'll have to ride in the
back of this thing."

   We went to breakfast in his squad car.  I was in the back, behind the
screen, and Tina was giggling.  "Mister Bill, you shoulda put 'im in
handcuffs!"

   "Evil little woman you got there, Alan," he said, laughing.

   We walked into the restaurant where the whole thing started a couple of
months before.  Bill jogged the waitress's memory.

   "Oh, YEAH!" she said.  To Tina, "Hon, are ya doin' okay?"

   Tina's answer was to show her ring finger.

   After breakfast, we were first ones into the judge's office.  Uncle
Jimmy was waiting.

   "Hi, folks!" he said, "Mizz Mary's got the paperwork ready.  Come on
into the office."

   We went in and sat in some really nice leather chairs and signed papers
which his secretary duly stamped.

   "There!" he announced.  "Miss Tina, you are, in the eyes of the state,
an adult.  Able to make your own decisions.  So, here's this piece of
paper..." He pushed an application for a marriage license across his desk
and raised an eyebrow.

   Her squeal could be heard to the street.

   We both filled it out.

   I noticed Bill eye-balling his watch, nervously.

   "Something wrong?" I asked.

   "No, just that Sharon wanted to be here for your wedding." As he was
finishing the statement, we heard the front door open.

   "They're in the judge's office," the receptionist announced.  Sharon's
face peered around the corner.

   "As I was sayin'," Bill continued, "If me an' Sharon are at THIS
wedding, then that's one LESS wedding I'll have to go to this year..."

   "Pffftt!" as Sharon stuck her tongue out at her husband.  Then she took
his hand in hers and kissed his cheek.

   Uncle Jimmy hollered to his staff.  "Ya'll all come in here!  We're
doin' a wedding.  No shotguns involved!"

   The office filled up.  Tina and I slipped our rings off and traded, and
amid smiles from some people we hardly knew, we were married.  A camera
flashed.  I kissed my bride.

   Chapter 9

   Married!  And Tina wrapped around my arm as we shook hands and smiled
and received congratulations from a happy little crowd.

   I shook hands with Bill Hurley and got pulled into a manhug.  "Man, you
don't know how much I owe you, Bill," I said.  Next hug was from his wife,
Sharon.  "Congratulations, Alan," she said.

   Tina was in the middle of the office ladies receiving similar noises,
and worked her way out to Bill and Sharon.  Uncle Jimmy waited his turn to
kiss the bride, and I shook his hand.

   "Alan, I was serious about you two comin' down for a weekend.  Keep in
touch with me and Bill so we can get together." He smiled.  "I feel good
about today.  You two will do well together."

   "Thank you, Uncle Jimmy!  You don't know how much we appreciate you
helping us."

   "Yeah I do, son.  I really think I do." He smiled.

   "Folks," I announced, "this has been a great day for Tina and me.  I
wish we could stay and do more, but we have to get back to Tennessee
today."

   Bill clapped me on the back as Tina attached herself to my arm.  "You
know, ya'll bring excitement every time you hit town..."

   Tina giggled.  "Maybe our next visit will be sane, Mister Bill." She
kissed him on the cheek, and then when Sharon popped into range, tagged
her, too.  "Mizz Sharon..."

   "Please, Tina.  Just 'Sharon', okay, sweetie?" Sharon smiled.

   "Okay, Sharon, tell Billy and Bridget that I'm sorry they were in school
today and we didn't get to say 'bye'.  But we'll be back."

   Sharon smiled.  "Oh, I know, Tina.  They'll be sad that they missed
this." She sighed.  "I need to get back to school myself.  I so much
enjoyed meeting you two."

   Sharon left, and Bill did taxi service, running us by the motel to
retrieve our luggage and then to the airport.  We gave Bill a tour of our
little plane and waved bye as he took off back to work.  Before I climbed
in the plane, I flipped my phone open and punched up my boss's number.

   "This is Carl," he answered.

   "Carl!  Alan.  We're getting ready to take off in Louisiana.  We'll be
home in four hours or so.  Any problems?"

   "Nope!  Not on my end.  How about you?"

   Tina was in earshot.  "I'm the proud possessor of a seventeen year old
wife, Carl.  Tina and I got married."

   "Congratulations, I guess, bud," he said.

   I chuckled.  "No guessing to it.  We would've waited until she was
eighteen, but it was gonna happen anyway.  Tina, say hi to Carl."

   Tina took the phone.  "Hi, Mister Carl.  I'm bringing him back to you.
Thanks for letting him loose like this, on short notice."

   "Not a problem, Missus Addison.  You two take care of yourselves.  Tell
'im I'll see him Monday."

   "'Kay," she said.  "Bye!" she handed me back my phone.  "Carl says see
ya Monday."

   After the pre-flight ritual, she started to walk around to the passenger
side of the plane.  "Oh, no, little girl.  You do the left seat today!"

   "Serious?!?" she squealed.

   "It's not that big a deal.  First, the plane controls equally well from
either side.  The left seat just has a better view of the instruments. 
Second, we're gonna take off, climb to seventy-five hundred feet and head
northeast.  Nothing fancy.  No maneuvers to speak of, unless you want to do
some, and in four hours we'll see our airport."

   "You make it sound simple.  Okay, then," she said.  "If you say so.  I
mean, you're my husband an' I gotta be all obedient and submissive an' all
that..." Her eyes laughed.

   A few minutes later our wheels left the Louisiana runway.  We climbed
straight out, looked around, then banked left to our final course.  I
guided her into setting up a neat 'cruise-climb', cranking away miles as we
gained altitude, and then we leveled off.  I helped her trim us up. 
"That's pretty much it.  A little care that you don't get too low or too
high.  Or too far left or too far right."

   Her eyes sparkled.  "Wow!  I'm doin' this!"

   "If you get tired or confused, let me know." I folded my arms.  Okay, I
unfolded them and reached over and stroked that auburn hair, held oddly in
place by the headband of her headset.  "You married me.  You REALLY married
me."

   She glanced over, smiling.  "Yeah I did, Alan.  One of those forever
things.  You..."

   "I will watch the stars blink out in the night sky before I leave you,
Tina."

   "The way it should be."

   The seat of my pants felt a surge.  "You're cruising, baby.  Just tiny
little pressures.  If you're low, a little back pressure and you'll see the
speed drop a tiny bit and you'll climb.  Same thing if you're high.  Or
left or right.  Tiny changes.  And if you keep having to correct high or
low, a little turn on the trim will get rid of some of that."

   "Uh-huh.  Just new, that's all..." she smiled.

   We ate up miles at a satisfactory pace, crossing the Mississippi River
angling across Mississippi and into Alabama.  Our destination in Tennessee
was half an hour ahead.  I talked Tina through pulling back the power and
lowering the nose to keep the speed up for our descent.  A radio call on
the 'Unicom' frequency alerted anyone who might care of our intent to land.
Nobody cared.  Traffic was sparse at little rural airports during the week.

   Okay, ONE person cared.  "Uh, Cessna 6-5-6-7 Golf, this is Tulla County
Airport.  No known traffic."

   "That's Mister Charlie," Tina said.

   "Good!  We can top off the tanks before we put her up for the day." I
thumbed the 'transmit' switch.  "Tulla County, 6-7 Golf.  We're gonna need
fuel service in ten," I said.

   Radio broke squelch.  "Roger, 6-7 Golf.  You know the drill."

   Tina followed me through a standard landing pattern and the wheels
touched down with only the tiniest of bounces.  "Okay," I told my wife,
"Steer with your feet.  No faster than a fast walk.  Pay attention to your
wingtips.  You're forty feet wide."

   I followed her on the controls, giving a couple of helping nudges here
and there.  As we approached the fuel pumps, I took over.  She sighed in
relief.  "I thought you were gonna try and make me do that," she said.

   "You learn at YOUR pace.  You've done great so far.  Now, to stop this
thing, pull the mixture back all the way.  Then when it stops, turn the
mags off.  That's the key there."

   Our engine stopped as Charlie sauntered out of his office.  He was
amused to see Tina climbing out of the left door.

   "You don't waste time, do you, Alan?" he said.

   "Thought she should get a taste of it from the left seat," I laughed. 
"I know we can't log those hours, but practice is practice."

   Tina was beaming.  We topped off the tanks.  Charlie and I pushed our
little chariot back into its nest after Tina pulled my pickup out of the
hangar.  When we walked into the office, Tina's eyes scanned his display
case.

   "Student pilot manual.  I need that, Alan!"

   "Put it on the card with the gas, Charlie."

   "You know, Alan, she's got to log twenty hours with an instructor, forty
hours total, and what isn't with the instructor has to be solo..."

   "Yeah, I know."

   "But that doesn't stop you from flyin' with her.  Just means that when
she gets with an instructor, she's gonna probably have more practice."

   "Sorta what I figured.  You got a problem with doing it that way?"

   "No," he said, "but I've never did a student in a 182.  I know a little
152, over at regional, that a guy's trying to sell." (A Cessna 152 was a
popular two-seat trainer.)

   Tina said, "TWO planes?"

   "Remember when we talked about that, baby?" I turned to Charlie.  "Okay,
buddy, that 152, what kind of deal is it?"

   "Pretty good one, actually.  Just about what I imagine YOU want to do.
He bought the thing to get his hours in, now he's commercial and all the
other tickets, and he doesn't need the plane.  He bought it for fifteen,
he'll take fifteen.  And when Miss Tina's licensed, you can turn around and
sell it for fifteen.  All her license costs is fuel and an instructor."

   I looked at Tina.  "If you're serious..."

   Squeal!

   "She's serious," Charlie laughed.

   "When can we look at it?" I asked.

   "Well, if we lock up this office, it's a forty-minute drive.  And you're
going in that direction anyway."

   "We'll follow you," I said.

   Tina skipped out to the truck.

   Forty minutes later we were looking at the little trainer.

   "It's so little," Tina said.  "I thought ours was little.  THIS is
little."

   Charlie said, "This was the most popular trainer around.  Still probably
is.  Burns half the gas of yours.  Weighs half as much.  Goes two-thirds as
fast.  More responsive."

   "You know this plane?" I asked.

   "Yep," Charlie said.  "I finished the annual on 'er last month. 
Engine's got three hundred and eighty hours on a complete overhaul.  She's
used, for sure, but like I said, it's a good buy.  And good resale."

   "Fifteen thousand's a good price," I said.  Call the guy.  Tell 'im to
get with Brad.  We'll make it happen."

   "Boy, you're a trusting soul," Charlie said.

   "You've been good so far," I said.  "How much do you get if you sell
this thing?"

   "Ten percent," Charlie admitted.

   "Yeah, and if I'd approached the owner and talked him down fifteen
hundred bucks, I'd still have to pay YOU a thousand to do the inspection.
I'd rather just pay him fifteen and let him pay you."

   "You wanna fly it?" Charlie asked.

   "That'd be nice," I laughed.  I turned to Tina.  "Babe, you wanna wait
here?"

   "I'll sit in the truck while you're gone," she smiled.

   She walked with us as we preflighted the little red and white plane. 
"Just about like ours, except littler," she said.

   "Yep!  Pretty much."

   Forty minutes later Charlie and I were taxiing back to the tie-down and
there was another car next to my pickup truck.  A guy was standing there
with his arms folded, talking to Tina.

   "That's the owner," Charlie said.  I called him while we were on the
road.

   He and Tina met us when the engine stopped.  "Alan, this is Dexter
Stevens.  It's his plane.  Dexter, this is my husband," I caught the extra
smile with that admission, "Alan Addison."

   "Hi, Dexter.  Heard you just got all your tickets.

   "Yessir," he said.  "Looks like I'm in agricultural aviation now."

   "Great!" I said.

   "Meh, it's a living.  I'm hoping for something in the airlines, but
this'll put money in the bank until then.  You wanna buy my little bird?"

   "Yeah," I said.  "Tina's gotta learn to fly..."

   "And you've got a 182.  She told me.  This'll do fine.  And when she's
finished..."

   "Just like you did," I said.  "Can you get with our lawyer to do the
transaction?  Charlie said fifteen..."

   "I'm not going below fifteen, Alan." Dexter looked serious.

   "I realize that's a good price.  I do my research.  And Charlie says he
just did the annual."

   Dexter rubbed his chin.  "I'll call the guy Monday.  We got a deal!"

   We shook hands.  I handed him a business card.  "Just in case," I said.

   "Thanks," he answered.

   So finally Tina and I got in the truck, headed back to the RV park.

   "You're nuts, you know," she giggled.  "Two days ago you were a criminal
in Tennessee, and now you're my husband and I'm married to a guy who just
gave me an airplane."

   Laughing at the absurdity of that statement, I pulled my cellphone out.
"Here," I said.  I think we need to share our nuptial news with my sister.
Wanna give Elise a call?"

   "You're gonna defend me, right?"

   "Of course," I said.  "I don't think it'll be too bad."

   As I drove, I heard Tina.  "Hi, Elise." Pause.  "Yeah, he's drivin'.  He
asked me to call you and tell you the news." Pause.  "Remember how we were
gonna get married when I was eighteen?" Pause.  "We didn't wait." Pause. 
"Oh, thank you!  Yeah, here!" She passed me the phone.

   "Hi, Elise," I said.  "Well, lemme have it..."

   "I ain't sayin' nothin', brother.  You're a big boy now."

   I spent a couple of minutes explaining why we'd moved things up.  She
was laughing.  "So when do we get to meet her?"

   "Well," I said, "that's another thing..." I told her about ONE plane.  I
didn't think her psyche could handle the idea of two.

   "So ya'll could fly in on Friday or Saturday and leave Sunday and get
back in time?"

   "We could."

   "Then you need to do that.  I wanna see the girl that made you lose your
mind..." at least she was laughing when she said it.

   "We'll have to look at the weather, Sis," I said.  "We'll call you
back."

   "Bye, Sis," Tina said, loud enough so Elise could hear.

   "Bye, brother.  Tell Tina..." Elise said.

   I closed the phone and turned to Tina.  "She wants us to come down next
weekend."

   "If the weather's good, let's do it.  She sounds fun!" She tossed her
head, bouncing that auburn hair.

   "She's okay.  All the family I had after Mom and Dad passed away.  Now I
have you."

   "And your daughter.  OUR daughter."

   "That's another thing, sweetie.  She's usually with me at either
Thanksgiving or Christmas.  It wasn't a big deal last year.  I was between
projects.  But this year..."

   "This year it's us, and I can help, if she accepts me."

   "That's a phone call I hate to make, dearest.  Terri's not scary, but I
hate dealing with the ex."

   "It's not going to get easier, putting it off, babe," she said simply.
"And NOTHING she can do is going to hurt US.  We have each other."

   "Yeah." My Tina.  Getting ready to attack things head-on.  "Okay.  After
dinner."

   We stopped at a road-side diner for dinner, then finished our trip home.
Entering the trailer, first order of business was showering.  Forty minutes
later we were on the sofa.  She was snuggled beside me, smelling sweet.

   She handed me my cellphone.  "Don't you need to make a phone call,
baby?"

   "I hate to," I said.  "There's a high chance of getting pissed off."

   She smiled.  "First, I've never seen you pissed off, even when you had a
gun in your hand, and second, if she gets to you on the phone, get to you
HERE.  Remember?  Me and yoy?  Makes galaxies fade in the distance..."

   "Okay." I sighed and scrolled through the contacts on my cellphone. 
"Here goes..." I dialed.

   I was pleasantly rewarded by the voice of my seven year old daughter,
Terri.  "Hi, baby," I said.

   "Hi, Daddy.  Are ya still in Tennessee?" she asked.  Her voice was all
'squeaky little girl'.

   "Uh-huh, baby."

   I heard Carole's voice in the background.  "Who is it, Terri?"

   "It's Dad," Terri said.

   "Lemme talk to him," Carole said.

   "I miss ya, Daddy," Terri said.  "Here's Mommy."

   "Hello, Alan," Carole said.

   "Hello, Carole," I said.  "Terri sounds good."

   "She IS good, Alan.  We take good care of her.  So you're still in
Tennessee?" Her voice sounded a little 'off'.

   "Yeah," I said.  "Project won't be finished until late spring.  I may
hang around longer, June or so..."

   "Are you going to be home for Christmas?  So Terri can come stay?  She
misses you."

   "We ought to be home for Christmas..." I said, wondering how alert she
was.

   She was alert.  "We?  Like you and Terri?"

   "And Tina.  My new wife." I paused to see how THAT would fly.

   "Oh!" I could see her lips tighten in my mind's eye.  "When did this
happen?"

   "A couple of days ago," I fibbed.  Tina was sitting tight beside me,
listening.  She stroked my arm and smiled.  I continued.  "We were going to
wait a while, but decided not to.  Would've been inconvenient when Terri
came over, us not being married." That was a little dig.  Carole had
started running around on me while we were still married, and ran off with
her present husband and my daughter before the divorce was final.  They
actually got married the day after the divorce was signed by the judge.

   "Anyway," I continued, "I'd like to introduce her to Terri."

   "Supposed I don't WANT Terri talking to her," Carole snipped.

   "Look," I said, "it's hard enough trying to be a dad to my daughter with
her in California.  Don't be like this.  You have no reason to do this,
Carole."

   "You could sign off your parental rights, Alan," she said.  "Jeff would
adopt her..."

   "Look, Carole.  That's NOT going to happen.  We've had this talk.  Let
me talk to Terri." I felt my face changing colors, but I was trying hard
NOT to come unglued.  It wasn't easy.  I don't know why Carole thought that
she needed to jerk me around, especially over Terri.

   "Okay, Alan," she hissed.  "Terri," she called, "come talk to your dad."

   I heard the thumps of my daughter's approach.  "Hi, Daddy!  Again!"

   "Hi, punkin, again!  I got news for you, baby."

   "What kinda news, Daddy?" she asked.

   "I've gotten remarried, sweetie," I said, as Tina's ear listened in.

   "You did, Daddy?  D'you still love me?" She sounded almost scared.

   "Of course, baby!  You're my precious little girl.  I will ALWAYS love
you!" I wondered what she was getting from her mom and step-dad on this
subject.

   "I'm happy for you, Daddy.  I miss you, though."

   "I miss you too, baby," I said.  It was an honest statement.  This
little brown-haired girl had permanent hold on a chunk of my heart.  "All I
get to do is talk to you.  But if you want, you can come be with us at
Christmas.  I'll pay for you to fly back to Louisiana and we'll stay at our
house."

   "I'd love that.  Is your new wife there with you?"

   "Yes she is, baby.  Do you want to talk to her?" I looked at my Tina and
smiled.

   "I would.  What's her name?"

   "Her name is Tina.  Here she is." I handed the phone to Tina.

   "Hi, Terri," Tina said.

   "Hi, Miss Tina," Terri answered.  I was listening in, my head against
Tina's, sharing the speaker.

   "Terri, you can call me just Tina, okay?" Tina said.

   "Okay," Terri said.  "You sound young.  How old are you?"

   Tina let the cat out of the bag.  "I'm seventeen, sweetie.  We can be
like sisters, huh?"

   Little girl squeal.  "I'd LOVE that, Tina!  Do you have to go to
school?" Terri asked.

   "Yes, I graduate this year, though.  What grade are you in?"

   "Second," Terri said.  "School's neat.  I can read good, too.  I like
reading an' stuff."

   "That's good," Tina said.  "Your dad said you were smart."

   "I love my dad.  I miss 'im so much."

   "I love 'im, too, Terri.  We'll have fun when we get together, okay?"

   "Okay," Terri answered.  "Uh ...  is it okay if I call you an' him more
often?  Dad calls me every few days, but I wanna talk to 'im more.  An'
YOU, now..."

   "We'll do that, sweetie," Tina said.  "Now that I've met you, huh?"

   "Uh-huh," Terri said.  "I'd really like that."

   "Okay, then," Tina said.  "You want to talk to your dad some more?"

   "Yes, ma'am," Terri said.

   Tina handed me the phone and I put it between our heads again.

   "So now you've met Tina, huh, sweetie?" I said.

   "Dad, she sounds nice.  I'm happy for you an' her.  I tol' 'er to call
me more.  I miss you, Daddy."

   "I miss you too, sweetie," I said, feeling a bit of my heart being torn
off.  "We'll call you more often."

   "Okay, Daddy," she said.  "I guess I'll go now.  But don't forget to
call me.  Lots!"

   "Okay, princess," I said.  "I love you."

   "I love you too, Daddy." And the phone clicked.

   Tina smiled.  "You know, babe, I feel better now.  All those times you
talked to her and I just sat there, I didn't feel right."

   "I know, baby.  But what could I tell her to explain our situation?  I
didn't want to lie to Terri.  She's already got a strike against her living
with her mom and the sleazoid."

   "We're past that now, baby," Tina said.

   I thought we were free and clear, but my cellphone rang.  I retrieved it
and saw the display.  The ex.  Not good.  I flipped it open.  "Hello,
Carole..." I said.

   "She's SEVENTEEN?  What're you doing, trolling playgrounds, Alan?!?!" I
recognized the voice as it brought up unpleasant memories.

   "Yes, she's seventeen, Carole.  A high-school senior," I said.  "And an
honor student.  And my wife.  And Terri's step-mom.  Or friend.  Or big
sister."

   "So, like, her parents signed for you to marry her?" I could hear the
sarcasm, as could my auburn-haired wife.

   "Nope.  She's emancipated.  She signed for herself.  100% legal."

   "Your business, Alan," she said tensely.  "You seem to like 'em young."
Carole was ten years younger than me.  I thought it was part of our
problem.

   "I LOVE Tina.  She's amazing in so many ways.  Come to think of it, ALL
the ways I can imagine.  Now is this gonna keep me from getting Terri at
Christmas?"

   "No.  I guess not.  Jeff an' I can go on vacation without the kid..."

   The tone of that statement was incongruous when compared with her
earlier 'sign over your parental rights' move.  But that was the Carole
that used to drive me to the edge of criminal behavior.

   "You're gonna send us a ticket, right?  I mean, so she can fly there?"

   "Yeah, when the time comes," I said.  "Anything else?"

   "No." CLICK!

   "Wonderful woman, Alan," Tina said.  "Does she have some sort of mental
issue?  I mean, in ten minutes she went from 'sign over your kid' to them
going on vacation 'without the kid'."

   "You caught that, too, huh?"

   "Strange," Tina said.  She ran her hand over my head.  "Uh, guy ... 
We're home, and we got married.  Today.  So..." Her grin was enticing.

   I kissed her.  "Yes, I know." She took my hand and tugged in the
direction of the bed.  Chapter 10

   Saturday morning.  It was somewhat comforting to be home for the weekend
after the week we'd had, even if 'home' was thirty-odd feet of travel
trailer.  "Uh-huh," she said.  "But what a week to be tired from." Squeal!
"WE'RE MARRIED!"

   She rushed to me.  At least I had time to open my arms.  We were twisted
together.  "Yes, we are, little one." I kissed her.

   "Alan, let's go somewhere ...  Next weekend."

   "And does my new bride have someplace in mind?"

   "Uh-huh.  I think we should visit your sister." And she smiled.

   "So do we leave Friday after work or Saturday morning early?" I knew if
she was proposing something, she already had her version of a plan.

   "Saturday morning early," she said.  "That way we can have a good
night's sleep here, instead of getting to Louisiana at eleven and then..."

   "Good idea, baby," I said.  "Of course, the weather..."

   "Of course, silly," she said.  "There's always that.  But ...  Let's
call Elise and make sure she's gonna be there."

   "She's ALWAYS there, babe," I said.  "Sitting in her house, bein' all
domestic."

   Pouty lips.  "Alan, if I'm not the domestic goddess type..."

   "Tina, so far in our relationship, have I found you lacking in anything?
You can be as domestic as you feel like.  I'll be as domestic as I feel
like.  And somehow, we'll manage."

   "But..."

   "But nothing, sweetness.  We've been living together in the trailer for
what, two months, and we've kept it clean, we've both cooked, done laundry.
I think we do pretty good, you know..."

   "When you put it like that, yes we do..." She kissed me.  "You know I
love you!  I just want to be everything..."

   I smiled.  "Oh, you are, sweetie.  You know that.  Besides, you can cook
bacon!"

   She punched my shoulder.  "Beast!  We were having a MOMENT!"

   "Life with you is a string of moments, little brown-haired girl," I
said.

   She then leaned her head against my chest.  I nuzzled the top of her
head.  "Mmmmm, I love it when you hold me like this.  I feel safe," she
said softly.

   "You should.  You're my life."

   "I'm sorry I'm a little weepy, Alan.  I think it's that time ...  you
know."

   "I know.  I almost keep track, cutie.  So, aside from that little
detail, what do you want to do today?"

   Giggle.  "Since I won't actually START until tomorrow, how about we
molest each other..."

   "We can't do that ALL day..." I said.

   Another giggle.  "We could try, couldn't we?"

   We tried.  At six we finally got dressed and left the park for dinner.
One of the restaurants within a half-hour's drive served a soup and salad
combo.  That's what we had.  Returning to the park, we took a walk, a
couple of laps around the place in the deepening darkness.

   Back inside, I stripped my light jacket off.  When I turned, she was
kicking off her shoes.

   "You know," she said, "that was just brisk enough to break a sweat.  Now
I need a shower."

   "I was thinking the same thing, little brown-haired girl.  You first?"

   "Yeah, because by the time I finish drying my hair, you'll be done
shaving, and we can relax on the sofa."

   "So much for that 'all day' thing," I said.

   "Oh, don't get smug, baby.  I think we're good for another round before
we go to sleep.  After all, this is still our honeymoon." She hauled me in
for a kiss.

   I caught her face between my hands and kissed her again, lips, nose,
forehead, and lips again.  "You, dearest one, are some kind of outrageous
dream..."

   "Yeah, well, buster, I am now your little wifey, too, so treat me nice."
She slid out of my grip and started stripping as I watched.  Presented
herself to me, statuesque, nude, her body a feast for my eyes, and then she
stepped inside the little bathroom.

   A few minutes later she was out, rubbing down with a fluffy towel, and I
took my turn.  Yeah, rubbing.  And getting into the shower.  Fifteen
minutes later I was finished showering and was shaving.  I saw her face in
the mirror.  She rested her chin against my bicep.

   "Sofa?" she grinned, "or bed?"

   "Surprise me," I said.

   It was little surprise that when I stepped out of the little bathroom,
the lights were out everywhere except the elevated bedroom.  She was on her
hands and knees, looking back over her shoulder at me.  "Your last shot,
Alan," she said.  "I'm about to start." Giggle.  "An' I want..."

   When I climbed onto the bed behind her, I was hard.  I took a moment to
regard the shapely ass turned up to receive me.  Couldn't resist.  I bent
over and kissed the rounded cheeks and she dropped her chest to the
mattress presenting me with an even more advantageous angle.  The engorged
lips of her pussy opened slightly, showing delicious moisture that I
couldn't resist.  I fell on her with my lips and tongue and rolled her onto
her side.  Between the giggling and the fact that her left leg spread to
give me complete access to my sweet goal told me that she liked this idea.
She curled up, her hands on the back of my head.

   "Ohgod!" Her giggle became a hiss.  "YESSS!" It was just about that
fast. Her juices flowed, the taste a little different than usual, and I
lapped happily as she came down off a quick orgasm.  Her hands left my
head, and I moved up between those taut thighs.  The head of my dick slid
between moist lips, straight into nirvana.

   "Ohgod ...  Alannnnnn!  Hard!" She hissed through her clinched teeth.

   I could do 'hard' now because this was my third orgasm of the day and
she bucked against me, urging me on.  If this would've happened for the
FIRST one, I doubt I could have held on for a few seconds.  She fastened
her mouth on one of my nipples and sucked.  Then I felt teeth.  And a
tongue.  And all that, in combination with the feelings that were happening
as I plunged myself into her, that was all it took for me.

   "Mmmmm!  Nnngghhhhh!  Baaaa-beeeeee!" I surged against her and tried to
do a couple more strokes before I lost total control.  I lost it.  She lost
it.  Her arms pulled me on top of her, and I had the foresight and the tiny
bit of control necessary to roll sideways, pulling her on top of me.

   When I finally opened my eyes, there hers were, clear blue.  "Perfect!
Words fail me!  I love you, Alan!"

   "I love you, my Tina," I answered.  I could feel my dying dick fall from
her with a plop, and our combined juices started oozing over me.

   "I felt that," she tittered.  "You don't let THAT go to waste!" She had
enough energy to turn around and start licking my genitalia clean.  That
gave me the treat of another go at that pink, happy pussy, and as I found
to often be the case, in licking and sucking her clean, she shook through
another orgasm.

   We ended up snuggled into each other's arms for some wonderful minutes
before she got up.  When she came back she was wearing panties and carrying
a warm washcloth.

   "In case things start tonight.  I don't want to deal with the mess," she
said, wiping my face clean.  The washcloth went back to the bathroom and
she pulled the covers over her, climbing in beside me.

   Sunday was a day dedicated mostly to domestic pursuits.  Laundry had to
be done.  The place needed a good cleaning.  We made a run to the grocery
store.

   Monday was back to work.  I had my wedding band on, noted by several
co-workers, including the boss, who nodded knowingly.  Staff meeting. 
Report that last week's hurdle with the caved in ductbank was fixed.  A few
little pokes at potential problems, being all proactive.  A few
good-natured jabs about getting married, and one sotto voce question: "Uh,
dude, she's not, you know..."

   "Nope," I said.  "We just wanted to do it sooner or later, and the Great
State of Tennessee sort of urged 'sooner' on us..."

   I got home to the smell of frying pork chops.  "What is THIS?" I asked.

   Tina giggled.  "Oh, a bunch of things.  First, since I'm havin' a
period, I figure I better feed you good to keep your mind from wandering.
Second, I just thought that I oughtta exercise the stuff Grandma taught me.
Third, I love you and I wanted to do something from me to you..."

   "All perfectly valid reasons, baby," I said.  "And I appreciate it, but
you know you don't have to." I stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

   "Oh, and Wednesday is open house at school, so if you want to meet
teachers and see the place, you get your chance." She flipped the pork
chops.

   "Sounds interesting."

   "I oughtta put you in a cage and sell tickets, honey," she said.  "I
wore my wedding band to school today.  I got questions ALL day.  Half of
'em were 'Are you pregnant?' and the rest were 'Who?" and "Can we meet
'im?"

   "Oh, boy," I said.  "That ought to be interesting."

   "We can get through it, don'tcha think?" She smiled.  Uh, kiss the
cook!"

   I complied.

   After dinner, we showered and were sitting on the sofa engaged in the
eternal search for something worthwhile on TV.  As was often the case, it
was a nature documentary.

   Commercial break.  She flipped open her cellphone.

   "Who're you calling?" I asked.

   "Elise.  Unless YOU called 'er."

   "No, but I need to."

   "Just a second," she said.  She punched a couple of times, and held it
to her ear.  "Hi, Elise.  It's me, your new sister in law." Pause.  "No,
he's still alive." Giggle.  "Yeah, he's listening." Pause.  Tina looked at
me.  "Your sister said she accepts ME.  You're another story."

   I could hear Elise's laugh from the phone.  "Gimme the phone," I said.

   Tina was smirking when she passed it to me.  "Plotting against me with
my own wife, ' I told Elise.

   "Nah, just telling her that she's probably closer to normal than YOU
are. What's up?"

   "Me and my cutie're planning flying in on Saturday before lunch.  Wanna
pick us up at the airport?"

   "Sure," she said.  "Ya'll gonna stay at your place?"

   "I guess," I said.  "Tina needs to see it anyway."

   "Okay.  Lemme laugh with her a little bit."

   I handed Tina back her phone.  "She'd rather talk to you..."

   They chatted for a few minutes before she hung up.  "I like 'er!" Tina
said.

   Tuesday went without a hitch.  As did Wednesday.  I got home, finding
Tina at the front office chatting with Mizz Lillian.  I walked in.

   "So you two DID tie the knot!" she laughed.  "Mizz Tina tol' me about
that.  You know, I didn't know about that 'seventeen' thing, or I'da tol'
you myself."

   I sighed.  "It caused us a bad day or two.  But I like the solution just
fine." I put my arm around Tina.  She swung her hip against mine.

   "Open house starts at six," she said.  "You gonna change?"

   "What!?!?  This is my 'real live engineer uniform'."

   "Shucks, Alan.  You're several steps up from bib overalls.  I think he's
okay, Tina." Mizz Lillian said.

   "No, she's right.  I got a little mud on these pants.  I'll try to look
dapper.  Dapper sounds good." I laughed.

   "I'll pick you something," Tina sighed.

   "You need to.  You gotta train 'im early so it'll take..." Lillian said.

   We left.  Two quick showers, a couple of changes of clothes, and off we
went.

   "Your truck, babe!  I want to impress 'em!  A gray Honda ain't gonna do
it!  A big pickup truck with both doors the same color, that will!"

   She sat tight against me, belted into the center slot of the bench seat.

   I remembered the diorama from my own youth as I eyed the crowd at the
high school: Parents, many uncomfortably out of their elements, kids, many
of which tried to maintain a specific distance to convey aloofness.

   "And that's mostly the GOOD families," Tina observed when I commented.
"You gotta realize that the really messed up families aren't going to come
to this."

   "Interesting idea," I said.  WE got out of the truck, and I noted that
she slid out the driver's side door.  I closed the door and clicked the
remote lock.  She took my hand.

   "The way it's supposed to be," she said as we walked into the
auditorium.

   Did heads turn?  More than a few.  We found a pair of seats a couple
rows back from the stage, listened to a greeting from the principal, a
couple of numbers by the school band, and another couple by the chorus, and
then we were turned loose upon the school.

   We got to the aisle and got accosted by a short, plump blonde girl
towing her parents.

   "Mom!  Dad!  This is Tina!"

   Tina said, "Alan, this is Susan.  Susan, this is Alan."

   "Hi, Susan," I said.  "I've heard a lot about you!" I had.  After first
episode, Susan's name came up often in the 'what'd you do at school'
conversations.  As a friend.

   Still, Susan looked a little sheepish.  She turned to her mom and dad.
"Tina's new this year.  And this, uh ...  Mister Alan, he's her husband."

   Oh, boy ...  Let's see how this was gonna fly.  I was in the same
general age range as Susan's parents, and here I was, introduced as the
husband of one of their daughter's age group.

   "Alan, I'm Mike.  Mike Carter.  This is my wife, Kathy!" His hand came
out and I shook it.

   "Happy to meet you, Mike!  Mizz Kathy." I did my best grin.

   Kathy finally regained composure and worked up a smile.  "Pleased to
meet you, too.  And just Kathy, okay?  Susan says that Tina has been very
helpful in her calculus classes."

   "Tina seems to have a grasp of calculus that I wish I'd had at her age,"
I said.

   Mike said, "Well, look, ya'll.  We need to go talk to teachers.  I'm
sure we'll see you around again!"

   "I'm looking forward to it," I said.  Tina smiled beside me.

   There!  Survived that FIRST collision.  There were several others.  Most
of the adult expressions were in the range from confusion to bewilderment,
but one was a little more into the 'disapproval' range.  Tina saw it too,
and tugged my sleeve, moving me up the hall towards a classroom.

   First teacher.  "Mister Timmerman, this is my husband, Alan." She
smiled. "If you didn't catch a clue from the classroom, Mister Timmerman
teaches us calculus."

   I extended my hand to shake his.  "I'm pleased to meet you.  You have a
tough job."

   He smiled.  "Please, Alan..." He looked at Tina.  "What'd you say your
last name is now?  Addison?"

   "yessir," Tina answered.

   He continued, "we can keep this at 'mister', or I'm Russell."

   "Okay, Russell," I said.

   He smiled.  "Tina told me she got married.  It's rather a shock," he
said, 'but from her ...  she's a lot of surprise anyway."

   "Tina?  A surprise?" I laughed.

   "She's more like an aide than a student, Alan.  Very impressive."

   "I'm proud of her," I admitted.  She hadn't told me about the 'aide'
part.

   "I wish the others made my job as easy.  Sometimes we get a little loose
with screening for advanced placement classes."

   "I can imagine," I said.

   "You're an engineer, Tina says?"

   "Yep.  Just here for the new plastics plant.  Ought to make the end of
the school year, though, so she can graduate with you."

   "Great!" Russell said.  "I hate to run, but..." Another couple and a
lanky boy were waiting.

   Physics teacher.  Wayne Graham.  A generation older than me.  "Son, I'm
glad to meet you.  Tina says you're an engineer?"

   "Yessir," I said.

   "I retired from an engineering company.  Decided I'd get all 'kumbayah'
and help the future generations.  D'you KNOW that I was a licensed
professional civil engineer, designed bridges all over the South, and I had
to go to college to be a TEACHER?" He shook his head.

   "I've heard that," I said.  "I thought I'd kick back off the road and
teach a semester or two, and I ran into the same hurdle.  So, look, if you
want a field trip to my job, let me know." I pulled out a business card. 
"Here!  I'm serious."

   "Oh, you know, that might be a thought.  My kids're pretty good.  They
oughtta get something out of it."

   We also survived social studies and English and computer lab.

   We were easing towards the door when I spotted a couple of guys in
suits. One was the principal.  All I knew was his last name.  Brady.  The
other was a more familiar face.  Dan Jenkins from the school board.  He'd
been the guy who we had to deal with in putting Tina in school.  When Tina
was Tina and Alan was Alan, not Alan 'n' Tina, married couple.

   Inwardly I was cringing again.  Outwardly, hell, I'd lived through
combat.  I could get through this too.

   "Dan Jenkins!  Good to see you again!" I shoved my hand out.  If
somebody was going to be an asshole, it wasn't starting with me.

   "Alan Addison!  And according to Mister Stewart here, it's Mizz Tina
Addison now!" He was smiling, but it was a rather wry smile.  "Mister Brady
said that Tina was already on his radar screen before she showed up
married."

   I turned to Mister Brady.  "Alan Addison," I said.

   "We share first names, Alan," he said.  We shook hands.  "Miss Tina's
showing herself to be quite a student.  I wish we'd had her for her whole
high school career."

   "She speaks highly of your school," I said.

   Dan said "Mister Graham says she's got a student pilot license.  You
guys own a plane?"

   "Yeah, for about a week now.  An old Cessna 182.  And tomorrow afternoon
we're adding a 152 to the stable so she'll have something to train in. 
When's the last time you flew, Dan?"

   "Too damn long ago, Alan."

   I pulled another business card.

   "No," I still have yours at the office..."

   "Call me if you get the itch.  We're gone this weekend, though, but..."

   "I just might do that," he said.

   "Ain't the same as a chopper, though.  None of the parts move faster'n
the rest..."

   He laughed.  "An itch is an itch."

   As we were walking to the parking lot, I heard, "Hey, uh, Alan!" I
turned to see Mike and Kathy and Susan.

   "Hey!" I answered.

   "Ya'll got time for a cup of coffee and a donut?  The diner's right up
the road." He was smiling.  Kathy was mostly smiling.

   I looked at Tina.  Raised an eyebrow, questioning.

   "Sure," she said.

   "Sounds like a winner, " I said.

   We pulled into a parking spot at the diner immediately after they did.
"NIIICE truck," he said.

   We went inside and got a table.  Started small talk.  My work.  His work
was an equipment rental business that had taken a decided uptick with the
construction business from my project.  Hers was an accounting business. 
There was some slightly awkward conversation about school, since it was
their daughter and my WIFE.

   Kathy said, "We thought it was difficult enough raising a high school
daughter.  I mean, she invited friends over.  We went to dinner and a
movie..."

   "Mommmm!" Susan whined.

   "Oh, baby," Kathy said to her daughter, "we've had this conversation and
we're over it."

   "I heard about it.  At least Tina's side," I admitted.  "I was trying to
let her be a high school girl."

   "I understand she had an altercation with a young man." Kathy wasn't
smiling.

   Mike was grinning.  "Tina seems to be able to take care of herself,
Susan says."

   "Mike!" Kathy said to him.  To us, "But yes, Tina seems to take care of
herself."

   "Look," I said.  "I know it's ...  we're an unusual couple..."

   Kathy said, "In this day and age, yes, but you're aware of it.  At least
you're married.  Oh, I didn't mean it like that.  'At least'.  That sounds
BAD.  I meant it good.  Really."

   "Thank you," Tina said.  "We belong together."

   Mike looked at his wife.  Kathy continued.  "I'm sorry, I don't mean to
come off as judgmental.  Our daughter talks about your Tina a lot.  Says
she wishes she did school as easily."

   Tina took a shot.  "Susan, you KNOW you're no slouch at any of that
stuff.  You almost have straight A's in calculus, and you do in all your
other subjects.

   Mike shook his head.  "I'm just glad she got that from her momma.  I did
good in basketball and track and made C's."

   Kathy softened and relaxed, patting her husband's arm.  "He used to be
quite impressive." She winked.

   "Whaaaaat?!?!?  I'm STILL impressive!"

   "Daaa-aaad!" Susan whined.

   We finished our snack and split ways.

   "See ya in school tomorrow, Tina," Susan said.

   "Glad to meet you folks," I said, mostly meaning it.  Tina and I walked
hand in hand to the truck.

   Inside, I leaned back and closed my eyes for a second.

   "What was THAT?" Tina asked.

   "That was people trying to figure out exactly how to deal with us," I
said.  "Susan admires you.  That's good, her mom thinks.  But here YOU are,
in a relationship that obviously involves sex..."

   "But we're MARRIED," Tina blurted.

   "But you're the same age as her daughter, baby.  And she's trying to
keep her daughter from getting into a relationship she's not ready for..."

   "A relationship WHO'S not ready for?  Susan?  Or her mom?" Tina was
always interesting to converse with.  She had a lot of insight.

   "Actually, punkin," I said, "a bit of both, I think."

   "You know, Susan and I HAVE talked about that.  Sex and love and
relationships.  I think I pretty much told her that love better come first,
or people were going to get hurt.  She''s not stupid, but she's unsure
about herself.  I told her that there were plenty of guys who'd be glad to
let her prove herself as a woman, if you know what I mean."

   "Kind harsh," I said.

   "I wanted her to know how serious that stuff is, Alan.  Some people seem
to be able to handle it better'n others.  I don't think Susan is one of
those who can.  I told her it was just perfectly fine to tell a boy NO."

   "Like you told Jeffy?"

   "And then some," she said.  "And do you really think you can do a tour
for my physics class?"

   "I've already talked to Carl about it."

   We drove home, her head on my shoulder.

   "So," she asked, "success?"

   "Success?" I asked.

   "Yeah.  Tonight."

   "Success.  I learned that my Tina's made a bigger impression at school
than she told me.  'Aide' indeed..."

   "'S not that big a deal.  I finish my work and I help those who're
struggling.  That's all." Giggle.  "I tutor algebra in study hall.  Two
guys are still on the football team because I helped 'em pass some tests.
Girls who have the football team on their side don't get bullied."

   "I did the same thing, babe," I said.  "Same results.  I'm proud of
you."

   We walked into the trailer, brushed our teeth, and went to bed.  "Leave
the light on," she whispered.

   "Okay." That was a sign that SOMEBODY wanted to play.  She was on her
period.  After kissing me, she said, "I wish to reward you for YOUR good
behavior." And she slid down in the bed.

   Yes, I felt rewarded.

   I took off a couple of hours early from work and went to Brad's law
office.

   "Another plane, Alan?" he laughed.

   "Man owes his wife a wedding present..."

   He smiled widely.  "I was trying to ask without being nosey, buddy. 
Wife?  How'd you pull that off?"

   I explained about friends and Louisiana judges and uncles.  "She should
be showing up here any minute," I said.  "And I need to get you to help me
out with a will."

   "I'm gonna have to think about that one, Alan.  Your home of record is
Louisiana, and that's a whole different planet as far as wills are
concerned.  You might want to talk to that judge."

   "I'll do that.  Thanks for the advice." I smiled.

   "You can buy dinner next time we get together, in lieu of a bill," he
laughed.

   His receptionist ushered Tina into the office.

   "Hi, Mister Brad, ' she chirped.

   "Hi, Missus Addison," he countered.  "You ready to put your signature on
your wedding gift?"

   She giggled.  And signed.

   Brad handed me the keys.  "It's yours.  Mister Stevens said he'd rather
not be there when you flew it off.  It don't suit a grown man to cry in
public like that, he said."

   "I can understand that," I said.  "Tomorrow Tina's gonna drive me over
there and I'm gonna fly it to Charlie's field."

   "Sounds like a good deal.  Say, there's a concert weekend after next in
Nashville if you two want to meet us..."

   "It's a deal!" Tina answered for both of us.

   Back on the road, Tina was thinking.  She told me, "I'm thinking!"

   "Ooooo-kayyyy," I said.  "That's usually good..."

   "Just USUALLY?!?" she punched my arm.

   "Owwwww!  Domestic violence!" I whined.

   "Just wait till I get done with this period, I'll SHOW you violence,"
she laughed.  "No, listen!"

   "Listening," I said.

   "Ass!" she continued, "Tomorrow, how about we get somebody else to drive
us to the airport to get my new plane, then meet us at Charlie's airport?
That way I can fly with you."

   "I could get one of the guys from work," I mused.

   "Or I could get Susan..."

   "Tell 'er we'll bring 'er home and take her and her folks out for
dinner."

   "That'll work!" Tina smiled.

   Of course, the next day's trip took place in Tina's little Honda instead
of my big truck.

   When we pulled up at the flight line, our new little plane was tied
down. Tina was beside herself with glee and it rubbed off on Susan.

   "I've never HEARD of somebody getting an AIRPLANE for a gift," Susan
said.  "I don't even KNOW anybody who owns ONE.  And ya'll got TWO!" Yes,
she spoke in capitals.  Actually, on the trip over, I listened to her talk
to Tina and me, and she sounded intelligent, if a bit flighty.

   "Susan," I asked, "are you SURE you know where' you're goin?"

   "Oh, yes, Mister Alan.  'Sides, you put it on your GPS, right?"

   "Right.  But sometimes things like GPS fail."

   "I know where I'm going.  I'll watch ya'll take off, then I'll leave."
She smiled.  And ya'll need to take me flyin', too, you know..."

   "It's part of the deal, Susan," Tina said.

   "Pre-flight it, Tina," I said.  And I watched.

   Susan was still kind of incredulous.  "She really knows what she's
doin'?"

   "It's not rocket science, Susan," I said.  "She's making sure everything
is in the right place and still tied on.  You'd hate to take off with
something broken."

   "Yeah, really," Susan said.

   "It's good, Alan," Tina said.  "See ya in a little bit, Susan." And
darned if Tina didn't climb into the pilot's seat.  And stuck her tongue at
me.

   It was a short hop for us at a hundred miles an hour.  We had the plane
tied down and locked when Tina's grey Honda pulled up.  And true to the
agreement, I took her to dinner with me and Tina.  Susan's parents met us
at the restaurant.  Chapter Eleven



   "Mom!  Dad!  They've got TWO airplanes!" Susan squealed.

   I shook hands with Mike.  "It's not that big a deal.  Really.  The big
one's four seats, and less than an RV, and the little one's two seats and
less than a new bass boat.  Or a good used pickup truck."

   "Still, it sounds impressive," Mike said.

   We sat around the table and ordered fried seafood and talked while we
were waiting on its arrival.  Kathy dove right in.  "Susan said you RESCUED
Tina at gunpoint?!?"

   "It's not nearly as heroic as you make it sound," I said.  Tina and I
recounted part of the story.  "She ended up with no place to go, and I
offered her a place to stay until she got sorted out."

   "I was stuck.  No relatives.  Evacuating ahead of a hurricane.  And Alan
offered.  The deputy sheriff talked to me.  Told me that if Alan treated me
wrong, to call 'im.  Alan..."

   Kathy looked at me.  "Just out of the clear blue, you offered?"

   "Yeah," I said.  "If it would've been a boy her age, I would've offered.
I was just trying to help somebody who needed helping."

   "Just sounds kind of... you know..."

   "Oh, believe me, I DO know... Last thing I wanted was to take advantage
of her.  If you think it looks strange, you oughtta see it from my side..."
I looked at Mike.  "What would YOU do?"

   Mike smiled.  "I like to think I'm that honorable."

   "You weren't when you were eighteen," Kathy said.

   "Uh..  Mommmmm!" Susan squealed.

   "I'm sorry, Alan.  Tina.  It's just, you know..." Kathy admitted.

   "I know," I said.  "The age thing..."

   "Just numbers, Mizz Kathy," Tina said.  "I've seen some absolutely
HORRIBLE relationships in my life, and the people involved were the
'proper' age for each other."

   "He bought her an airplane, Mom.  She's in high school, an' she's at the
top of her class, an' she's learning to fly.  Obviously we need to see that
he gets some pointers on exploitation." Susan folded her arms.

   I was thinking 'Way to go, Susan!"

   Mike chuckled.  "Yeah, I'd say he's missing that whole 'exploitation'
thing."

   "Okay... okay..., ya'll made your point.  I am just wrong..." Kathy
said.

   "No, Kathy,' I said.  "You're just cautious, and that's not a bad
thing."

   "Thank you for your generosity, Alan," Kathy said, "but I'm afraid my
motives weren't as pure as one would hope."

   ""But you're over it," Mike said.  "Besides, here's fried catfish. 
That's sure to bring on benevolent thoughts."

   "Tell me again why I married you?" She laughed.

   Susan rolled her eyes.

   "I think it's cute," Tina said.

   Dinner became a lot more relaxed.  We talked about college choices for
Susan and Tina and my work and Mike's and Kathy's.

   "And they're flying to Louisiana this weekend," Susan said.

   Tina smiled.  "I get to meet my sister-in-law for the first time, face
to face."

   I told Kathy, "If you think YOU had reservations, you oughtta hear what
my sister told me..."

   That got a giggle from Tina.

   "My sister is woefully conventional," I said.

   Mike snickered and got punched in the bicep.

   "Lacking in imagination..."

   Kathy eyed Mike.  "Don't!"

   He snickered anyway.  Got punched again.  "So you're flying down there
in your plane?"

   "Yep!" Tina grinned.  "We'll leave at seven and get there before noon.
And fly back on Sunday."

   "Heck of a way to travel," he said.

   "Sounds FUN!" Susan said.  "They're gonna take me flying..."

   "Is it safe?" Kathy asked.

   "Mooo-ommm!" Susan whined.

   "Safer than the drive to the airport, Kathy.  Really."

   "Safer than Cousin Robby's four-wheeler," Susan said.

   Mike said, "My nephew flipped his four-wheeler horsing around.  Broken
arm.  Caved in face."

   "Horsing around?"

   "Yeah," Mike said.  "You know the saying?  'Hold mah beer an' watch
this!'?  It was like that..."

   "There's a lot of truth in that joke," I said.  "Sometimes I look back
an' wonder how I made it this far..."

   "Him too," Kathy laughed.  "You're looking at Mister Dirt Bike... into
the door of a pickup truck." Giggle.

   "Wasn't too bad.  Twenty-eight stitches!  That scar right here." He
pointed to his forehead.

   We finished our meal pleasantly and parted ways with Tina driving us
home since we were in her car.

   "That was interesting," she opined.

   "'Interesting' is a good word for it.  I thought Kathy was getting wound
up."

   "Me too," she said.  "But she's not a MEAN person.  I think she just
wanted to understand..."

   "Maybe that's it," I said.

   The week went well.  Mid-week, Tina went to the airport and came back
giggling, showing her logbook with her first hour of instruction toward her
private license.  Milestone!  Studying for her written exam became
something we interspersed between her schoolwork.

   Friday night we got an invite from the Carters, Susan's parents, for
dinner.  Kathy told Tina, "We figured you'd rather not cook the night
before your trip."

   We accepted and had a very pleasant meal with new friends.

   Saturday morning we were up early and on our way to the airport.  Our
wheels left the ground at five minutes to seven.  With Tina in the pilot's
seat.  And me with my arms crossed.  "Just tell me when I need to take
over," I said into the headset microphone.  I saw her turn to me, smiling.

   "Just don't let me get in trouble," she said.

   At eleven fifteen we were on the ground in Louisiana and tying down when
I saw Elise's car pull up.

   "Damn!, Brother!  The pictures don't do HER justice!  Hi, Tina!" and a
hug.

   Tina was grinning.  She bobbed her head sideways near Elise.  "Honey,"
she said to me, "I don't see where they cut the horns off!  You said she
used to have horns!"

   "See, darlin'," she said.  "You lived with 'im too long already.  You
might be ruint!  "

   "OH, that's okay, Elise!  I'm ONLY your brother.  I don't mind being
ignored."

   "Oh, I already KNOW you.  I'm tryin' to see what you did to Tina!" Elise
laughed.

   I finished tying down the plane.  We got in the car.  Oddly, I was in
the back seat with the two of them giggling in the front.  "I personally do
not mind being ignored by my lovely wife and my only sister," I said.

   Half an hour later, Elise pulled into MY driveway.

   "This is OUR house?" Tina squealed.  "It's nice!"

   "Smells," I said.  "When we come down for Christmas, I'll call Elise and
get her to air the thing out."

   "I'd do that for Tina.  If it was you, I'd turn a possum loose in it."

   "Ni-ice!" I laughed.  "Let's see if our car starts." The car in the
garage was the diametric opposite of my big diesel pick-up truck.  This was
a sub-compact about the same as Tina's little Honda.  A trickle charger
should've kept the battery charged.  I retrieved the keys from the key rack
by the door from the kitchen into the garage and gave them to Tina.

   "Lemme get the charger disconnected, baby," I told her.  "Then you can
start it." It cranked right up.

   Elise said, "We'll see ya'll at the house around four or five, okay?"

   "Sounds good," I said.

   "See ya in a bit, Elise," Tina added.

   Elise left.  I showed Tina the house.  We opened windows to let the
stale air out.  I went to the bathroom and when I came out, Tina was
sitting on the bed with a lascivious grin on her face.

   "Don't'cha think we oughta..." It had been entirely too long since there
was real love in that house.  Tina brought it back.

   Afterward, we were lying nude together, drifting in the afterglow.

   "Baby, why aren't you living here?  This is a nice place.  You have
family..." She rolled onto her side and propped up on an elbow.

   "I wanted to get out of town for a while after my wife left.  I wasn't
handling things real well.  And there's good money out there.  Besides, if
I wasn't running the roads, I would have missed the love of my life..."

   "Is there a university close by?" she asked.

   "Close enough.  Why?"

   "You know why," she smiled.  "Next fall, I need to start college.  Can
you handle it?  From here?"

   "There are options," I said.  "I could keep being a road warrior, but
only go after short-term jobs, like a week or two at a time, and spend a
lot of time here."

   "I don't like that one, baby," she said softly.  "I'm not tryin' to be
greedy or clingy, but I want to be with you."

   "That's why that's a last resort," I said.  "It's always an option,
something to fall back on, if we needed to.  But another option is to get
onboard with one of the local engineering offices.  If I get on staff, the
work is steady, the pay is only okay, but out of town travel is low.  They
do contract engineers, too, the pay is better, but it's dependent on their
workload, and there are no benefits.  Or I could go to work in one of the
local industries.  That's a little more exciting than the engineering
companies."

   "But you do have options here?" she asked, her blue eyes soft.

   "Or someplace else.  There are a lot of people I know, companies that
would give me a job."

   "Look, baby," she said, "I want us to be together.  I want to go to
college, and I want to get my own engineering degree, and I want us to be
together after that, too.  I mean it.  Forever."

   "Forever," I repeated, and I kissed her.  That precipitated another
soft, tantalizing interlude, not as long, but very satisfying.

   "It's almost four," she said.  "We have someplace to be."

   "If you insist."

   Giggle.  "You promised Elise.  Don't get her an excuse to abuse you,"
she laughed.







   Chapter Twelve



   Tina was dressing in jeans, just right fit, and a long-sleeved dark blue
cotton shirt that set her hair and face aglow.  We pulled into Elise's
driveway, got out, and knocked on the door.  Brother-in-law Joe met us at
the door.

   "Damn, Alan, she's a cutie.  Hi, Tina, I'm Joe.  Elise's husband.  Ya'll
come in!"

   We walked into the house, smelling the wonderful aromas of the foods I'd
been raised on.  "What's she doin, a pork roast?" I asked.

   "Smells like my grandma's," Tina said.

   Joe laughed.  "Smells like everybody's grandma's.  She's gotten good
over the years."

   Elise stuck her head around the corner.  "I heard that!" she said.

   "Deb!" Joe yelled.  "Come out here!  Your Uncle Alan an' yer new aunt
are here!" He turned to us.  "Deb's here.  Haley's at a friend's, but
she'll be here in a bit.  We tol' 'er to be home for supper."

   Sixteen year old Deb popped around the corner, smiling.  Her smile
broadened when she saw me and Tina.  Tina was two inches taller, and Deb's
hair was a curious arrangement of brunette and blonde streaks, and they
could've been schoolmates.

   She bounced up to me and hugged me, kissing me on the cheek, then she
turned to Tina.  "Hi!  I'm Deb.  Deborah, actually, but Deb works better."
And she hugged Tina.  "Mom says you're graduating this year?"

   "Uh-huh," Tina said.  "You?"

   "I'm a sophomore,' she sighed.  "Haley's a senior."

   "Let's go sit," Joe said.

   "I'm gonna see if Elise needs help," Tina said.

   I looked at her and winked.

   Tina and Deb went to the kitchen.  Joe looked at me.  "Wow, bud!" he
said.  "Elise told me, but I didn't quite believe it.  Seventeen?"

   "Uh-huh," I said.  "Damnedest thing I ever saw.  Out of the clear blue."
I told him how we met.

   The women came back into the living room and Tina sat beside me.  "I
heard you talking about me, baby," she said.

   "I was telling him about the day we met," I said.

   She smiled.  "Wasn't one of my better days, Mister Joe," she said.

   "Please don't call me mister," Joe said.

   "Okay, Joe, then," she said.  "But Mom an' her boyfriend and I were
evacuating from the hurricane, and we stopped for breakfast..." She told
the story.  "And after the deputies showed up, I didn't have any place to
go.  And Alan offered..."

   "In that trailer of his?" Joe asked.

   "Yeah, but you know, he didn't... he was a perfect gentleman.  I was a
high school dropout 'cuz of my mom, and he got me back in high school, and
got legal responsibility for me so he could do it, and treated me like,
well, he never tried anything.  Like he told the deputy, he was just my
friend."

   Joe and Elise looked at me.  "I was.  Seriously."

   "Yes.  He was.  Got me into school.  Bought me a car so I didn't have to
ride the bus, and so I could run errands after school while he was still at
work.  You know, so we'd have an easier time.  And I thought I was just
gonna be a normal school girl.  But the first time I went out, I got
shocked back to reality.  And I asked myself what a REALLY wanted." She
looked at me.  "And I decided it was Alan.  So here we are."

   I tugged her against me.  "And we're gonna stay this way."

   Deb looked at her mom, eyebrow raised.

   Elise snorted, "You go right ahead, little girl.  You bring home a guy
with a six-figure job, we'll talk about it." i The front door opened and my
oldest niece walked in.  "Hi, Uncle Alan," she said, hugging me.  "An' you
gotta be Tina!"

   "I am.  And you're Haley, right?"

   Haley smiled.  She was Tina's height, carrying twenty more pounds, her
hair shoulder-length, the dark brown that ran in our family.  "Mom says
you're a senior?"

   "Yep.  You too, huh?" Tina smiled.

   "Oh, god, yes!  Finally!" Haley smiled.

   "Sit down!  Tell me about your plans!" Tina replied.

   "Plans?  I guess, college, huh Dad?" Haley looked at Joe.

   Joe shrugged.  "Baby, we've been through this.  Do you have any idea
what you want to do?"

   "Oh, I dunno," Haley said.  "I think I'm going in for mass
communications.  My friend Kayla's doin' that..."

   "And you're thinking it's a good idea to spend five figures on 'I'm
thinkin' 'cuz this friend of yours is 'doin' that'?"

   I surmised that this conversation had been run through before.  Haley
decided to enlist a new ally: Tina.  She turned to Tina, her brown eyes
showing hope.  "So, Tina, do you, like, have a solid plan?"

   Tina perked up.  "Yes, I do.  I'm hoping for scholarships, but it
doesn't matter.  In the fall I'm starting on electrical engineering.  Four
years." She turned and smiled at me.  "Like Alan."

   Joe smirked.  "That's a plan.  And she actually KNOWS somebody that's
making a living as an engineer.  Do you know anyone with a 'mass
communications' degree that's not living in their mom's house?  I mean,
really?"

   "But it's a college degree, Dad," she whined.  "What'd'ya think, Uncle
Alan?"

   "I think it's between you an' your daddy," I waffled.  "But I do see his
side.  Don't you think it would be nice to go after something that makes
you employable?"

   "But isn't important to LEARN?  Isn't that what college is about? 
Learning?"

   "Learning is certainly honorable," I said, "and I've never stopped
learning.  But I had my eye on paying for my own future when I got out of
high school.  The wrong college degree just means you're going to have a
better chance at being under-employed than somebody with a high school
diploma.  So you're working for ten bucks an hour after you paid a hundred
thousand for the privilege."

   She was a bit somber-looking.  "uh..."

   "No, sweetie, don't be sad.  You're at the door to your future, like a
few million other eighteen-year-olds are." I drew a breath.  "I went right
into college and then the army.  Your dad went into the navy, then got out
and fought a job AND school, and raising a family.  It wasn't so easy. 
He's probably tried to explain, but I know how you are.  I was eighteen
once too, you know."

   "Well, it's hard, Uncle Alan," she said.

   "So think about it, baby.  And don't just talk to your friends, because
most of them are as confused as you are.  And remember, a lot of people at
the school are in the business of education, and you're getting out of
their world into the REAL world."

   Elise peered around the corner.  "Looks like a funeral in here.  I need
help setting the table."

   The girls jumped up.  Joe sat back.

   "You didn't go easy on 'er," he said.

   "Was I supposed to?" I asked.

   "Oh, god, no!  She's been talking about it all year.  And I've been
tryin' to tell 'er, but I'm just poor ol' dumb Dad, you know... You're her
successful uncle.  Maybe she'll listen." He sighed.  "And do what the hell
she wants."

   Tina came into the room.  "Dinner's ready," she said.  "An' it looks
GOOD!"

   Joe looked into the dining room.  "Oh, sure," he picked, "Set the table
for your BROTHER.  Me, I eat off a TV tray."

   Elise caught that comment easily.  "Dear husband," she said, dripping
sarcasm and humor, "I didn't do it for HIM, either.  I did it for Tina,
just to show her that I am on a higher plane of existence than the two of
you."

   We approached the table and Elise handed Joe the carving tools.  "See,"
he said as he sliced up the roast.  "She even got meat without bones in
it."

   "I'm just showin' how successful you are, babe," Elise quipped.

   The meal was great, the roast tasty, and dessert was home-made pies.  We
managed to keep the conversation light and friendly.

   After the meal, Joe and I got out of the way and let the dining room and
kitchen be cleared out.  When the last door closed and the dishwasher
started making washer sounds, the family ended up at the table playing
Trivial Pursuit.

   Elise laughed.  "Now, Tina, the only way we let HIM," pointing at me,
"play is that he spots everybody two pieces."

   I caught Tina's eyes as they flashed at me with a little twinkle that I
instantly recognized.  "Let the games begin," I said.  I wasn't married to
a dummy, seventeen or not.

   A couple of hours later Tina answered the last question and won and I
sat back with my arms crossed, smiling.

   Elise said, "Get that grin off your face.  You look evil."

   "I married 'er for her BRAINS, sis," I laughed.

   Tina giggled.  "Well, we get to pull that stunt ONCE, huh?"

   Haley was propping her chin in her hand.  "How do you KNOW that stuff?"

   "I read a lot.  Alan and I talk about everything under the sun.  D'you
know I flew us here?  Yeah, he's... I'm learnin' to fly."

   "But what'd'ya do for FUN?" Haley asked.

   Tina smiled.  "I LIVE!  Life is fun.  Sometimes.  And when it's NOT fun,
you just do your best, thinking of when it was good, and hoping that it'll
be good again.  The day Alan rescued me; I thought it might've been my last
day on earth.  It got better."

   Haley hadn't heard the story, or at least much of it.  After all, it was
about an uncle who was gone most of the time.  "So he rescued you?"

   "Mom's boyfriend was getting ready to slap the crap out of me in a
restaurant, and Alan stepped in.  Mister Jeff had me by the shirt and when
Alan told him to stop, he dropped me and started to pull his pistol.  Alan
was faster.  Then the sheriff department got there and arrested him an'
Mom. And I didn't have a place to go."

   "And so you married him?" Haley said.

   "Oh, no, it's not like that at all.  He just gave me a place to stay,
and it took me a while to figure out that he needed me and I needed him and
here we are."

   "Amazing," Haley said.  She looked at me.  "Mom always said Uncle Alan
was good for some unusual things."

   "I'm a 'thing'?" Tina giggled.

   "No, that came out wrong," Haley backpedaled.  "He just does some
curious stuff.  D'you know he has a CANNON in his garage?"

   Tina looked at me.  "Uh, Alan, you never told me THAT!"

   "Oh, it's NOT a cannon.  It's a bowling ball mortar.  Me and a buddy
each made one on a project a couple of years ago.  It shoots a bowling ball
into the air.  Not a big deal."

   Joe laughed.  "Unless you're under the bowling ball when it comes down.
We had fun with it one afternoon.  And Haley's right.  Alan has always been
different like that."

   I patted my wife's hand.  "And you're a wonderful part of that."

   "Awwww," Elise said.

   We returned to the living room and talked until after ten, then it was
time to go.  We left with plans to meet at a restaurant for a late
breakfast.

   In the car, Tina pulled as close to me as she could with the console
between us.  "Well, husband, how'd we do?"

   "Good," I said.  "You're a curiosity to the girls, though."

   "I figured that.  I am at school, too, you know... being married and all
that." She sighed.  "But they just sort of accept me, don't they?  Your
family?"

   "Our family," I corrected.  "And yes, I think they do, sweetie."

   The bed at OUR house took another work out, as did the shower, and back
in bed, we were in each other's arms, very happy.

   Walking out to the car the next morning to go to breakfast, I waved to
my neighbor, walked over for a quick chat, introduced Tina to him, and then
we met the family at the restaurant.  During breakfast, we promised to be
back down for Christmas.

   They followed us home and I stowed the car back in the garage, made a
pass through the place to make sure everything was in the configuration I
desired for our extended absence.  We collected bags and everybody squeezed
into Joe and Elise's big SUV.  They drove us to the airport.

   Tina gave her two new nieces a tour of our plane while I did the
pre-flight inspection, then she slid into the left seat.  She waved as we
taxied to the runway, and after completing the pre-departure checklist, we
lifted off for our return trip to Tennessee.

   The next several weeks were a blur of her school, my work, her flight
lessons.

   Oh, yeah, you know how hard it is for a parent to watch his kid drive
off on his own for the first time?  Add an order of magnitude one Saturday
when I stood on the apron with Charlie as Tina taxied the little plane away
for her first solo.

   "You knew it had to happen, Alan," Charlie said.

   "Yeah, but it's still scary."

   "Come on.  Let's go get a cup of coffee.  She's gonna do a couple touch
and goes and then she'll be back here.  And I'm gonna sign her off to go
take her written, too.  She gets that, some practice, a little more dual
instruction and she'll get her private license."

   "Yeah, I know.  But still... my wife..."

   "She's plenty good, Alan.  She says you let her fly all the time, and
she translates what she does in the 182 to the 152."

   "Yeah," I said.  "she pretty much pushed me out of the left seat when I
told her she should learn." I poured us each a cup of coffee.

   In twenty minutes I watched her taxi up.  I was walking out when the
engine stopped and she bounced out, ran into my arms, and gave me a
wonderful hug and a kiss.

   "Okay, enough of that, young pilot," Charlie said.  "Let's have the
shirt-tail!"

   Tina's grin was epic as she turned away from Charlie and pulled her
shirt out of her jeans.  I held her shirt-tail as Charlie made the cut, the
tradition for a first solo.  The three of us pinned the bit of cloth on the
bulletin board in the little office.

   Charlie smiled.  "It's been a long time since I did one of those," he
said.

   "Alan, you wanna let her go have an hour to herself?  I usually do that
after a first solo.  Let 'em go play by themselves."

   I looked at Tina.  She was grinning and her eyes were atwinkle.  "Don't
get lost," I said.

   Off she went.  Preflight, crank up, and she was gone, a little white and
red speck receding into the distance.  Charlie and I piddled around an old
aircraft he had open for inspection in the back of his hangar..

   In an hour we heard her on the radio over the speaker, notifying the
non-existent traffic that she was returning to the field.  This time we
fueled the little plane up and tied it down on the flight line.  Before we
left, he laid out the plans for the next lesson.

   We got that part behind us, and a week later she went to a testing
center to take her written test.  As expected, she passed, so now it was
just a matter of time.

   The rest of life was good, too.  We had friends we could visit, and we
stayed on the road or in the air on weekends, looking for new things,
concerts, festivals, whatever.  With four seats available on the Cessna
182, we took Brad and Sandra on one trip with us, and on another we brought
Susan.

   That was interesting.  Don't get me wrong, Susan's a cutie, even if her
conversation does come off as a little addled at times.  She's very smart,
in the same classes as Tina, but sometimes I wonder about her thought
patterns.

   We flew into a general aviation airport outside St.  Louis, picked up a
rental car, and checked into a nice hotel where our room had two queen
beds.

   "Uh, is this gonna be a problem?" Susan asked.

   "What kind of problem?" I asked.

   "Us all in the same room.  I mean, like, you two are MARRIED!"

   Tina fielded that one.  "Come on, Susan!  I spent the night in the same
room with Alan the first day we met, and he and I managed to be very proper
and chaste."

   "Did you ever stay in a hotel with your mom and dad, Susan?" I asked.

   "Of course," she said.  "But that's Mom and Dad.  Ewwwww!"

   "We'll be okay," Tina said.

   "Do I need to go to the lobby for a while, or like, the GYM?"

   "WHY?" I asked.

   Susan smirked, "So... You KNOW..."

   "Uh, Tina and I can probably make it a day or two without ravishing each
other.  Relax, little girl..."

   We did enjoy our concert, and Mike and Kathy had a laugh when we related
the events on Sunday evening when we brought her home.

   Work rolled right along, too, pretty well, actually.  A worker from a
specialty contractor made a mistake and caused THEM to eat the costs of a
very expensive piece of cable that failed from incorrect test procedures.

   One of the engineers from another discipline walked in one day and
announced he was quitting for a lucrative job overseas.  I put my 'rotating
equipment' hat on and picked up the slack until they brought in a new guy.

   I got to exercise my patience AND my rudimentary German when a couple of
engineers from the Fatherland showed up to commission some
material-handling equipment.

   And through all this, Tina and I were inseparable.  Except when I
watched her fly off on one of her flying lessons, or for solo work.  She
was on track for her private license in time for Christmas.

   December came, bringing with it cold weather.  We kept up our walks
around the park, but added a membership in a little gym in town.  After a
couple of weeks we were settled in as regulars.  That meant that everybody
knew us and placed us together.  The first couple of trips, though, well,
leggy, athletic-looking, cute brunette, and she was new to the gym, and the
best I can say is that more than one guy walked up to her with a winning
grin on his face, spoke a few words to her, then looked in my direction
with a sheepish grin.

   Christmas was nearing, and life was pretty good, actually.  Regular
phone calls with Elise kept her updated as to plans, and we called Terri
twice a week, too.  She was anticipating Christmas with Daddy, and I think
that she was developing an affinity for Tina, too.

   We started watching the weather a week out from Tina's last day at
school.  That was a Friday, and it coincided with the Friday that we shut
the project down for the holidays.  As it drew closer, we saw that Saturday
was going to be our departure day.

   A call to the ex-wife confirmed the travel arrangements for Terri. 
She'd come in late Saturday to the big airport forty miles from home.  The
schedule was do-able.  Tight.  I made another phone call to Elise and lined
her up as a backup to pick up Terri.  We had a plan.

   On the last Friday, we were all packed and ready to go.  Dinner was a
trip to a local restaurant, and we were back home before seven, the next
day's clothes laid out, and we hit the shower in sequence.  When I finished
shaving and exited the tiny bathroom, the lights were out in the trailer,
except beside the bed.  And in the middle of it was Tina, the light turning
her hair on the cusp of brown to red.  And she was smiling.  And completely
naked.

   I figured it made no sense to get dressed, then.

   Giggle.  "Tomorrow night we'll have our daughter in the house, so we'll
have to be more... restrained.  Tonight?  Not so much."

   She wiggled and I was in bed with her and she was pulling me down beside
her.  We knew each other.  And we were already aroused.  When my fingers
found her slit, it was juicy, slick, her lips pink and turgid and I tore my
mouth from hers to kiss my way down her body to a whole new dimension of
taste, texture and smell.  When my tongue touched her clit, she threw her
head back and moaned, her hands on the back of my head, encouraging me.

   Like I needed encouragement.  She squealed through her first orgasm,
recovered, and pushed me onto my back and I saw that auburn head in my lap,
her mouth working pure magic on me, fingernails scraping lightly on the
underside of my scrotum, her other hand gripping my shaft to keep me from
plunging too deep into her mouth in my enthusiasm.

   "Mmmmm," she said, pulling me out of her mouth.  "I love getting you
like this!" Her head bobbed back down and she bit me lightly, her teeth
right behind my coronal ridge, tugging.  I didn't last long before her
tongue was stripping the last vestiges of my orgasm from my dick.  She
released me and climbed up my torso, lying atop me, smiling.

   "Love me forever, Alan." She kissed me lightly on the lips, and then
harder, more insistent, her tongue in my mouth where mine caressed it.  She
lifted her face.

   "I will love you always, princess." I ran my fingers through her short
hair, relishing the soft texture, stirring up wisps of perfume, sweet in my
nostrils I felt her small, firm titties pressing against my chest.  My
hands left her head, slid down her sleek form, and cupped the cheeks of her
firm ass, pulling her against my hardening dick.

   "I feel that, lover," she said.

   I felt the soft hair of her pubic mound brush against my hardness as she
raised up and shifted position, spreading her thighs, rising astraddle me.
Only the smallest of movements and I found myself as deep inside her as I
could get and she was looking down at me with her blue eyes, biting her
bottom lip, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

   "This is where we're supposed to be," she said.  "Mated."

   My hands grasped her waist, pulling her down on me, my hips thrusting
hard up into her, listening to her breathing and tiny whimpering sounds,
gradually gaining in volume as she approached her orgasm, her hips
delightfully mobile, eager.  I curled up and took her right nipple into my
mouth, sucking like I wanted to merge her lifeforce with mine, and I came.
Hard.  And as my second spurt went into her, accompanied by an upward
thrust of my hips, she said, "Ohgodohgodohgod... Nnnnnghhhhh!  Alannnnn!"
and collapsed into my arms.  I eased back onto the pillows, holding her.

   A soft towel was positioned on the nightstand beside the bed.  I reached
over and retrieved it.  She identified the motion.

   "No, love," she said.  "I'm still hungry for you." She turned around as
I watched, skin flawless, well, except for a mole on her left asscheek that
was absolutely NO distraction whatsoever.  Her mouth went down over the
entire length of my soft dick, sucking, lick, cleaning up the vestiges of
our mutual rapture.

   I found a perfect pussy in my face, a mix of milky and clear fluids
oozing from between still puffy lips, and I savored every drop of me and
her as I licked and sucked, taking care to apply only the lightest of
flicks to her clit, no matter how much I wanted to attack it.  No, she was
good for a third orgasm, but she needed to be brought to it gently.  When
she came again, she was whimpering against the base of my soft dick.

   Finally I helped her into her nightshirt and donned my own, and we went
to sleep clinging together.

   The alarm went off as the merest hint of dawn tinged the sky. 
Yesterday's frontal passage left us with clearing skies and we grabbed a
fast food breakfast sandwich on the way to the airport.  She was sitting in
the pilot seat of the 182, the engine warming up, as I backed her little
car into the hangar and then pulled the doors closed.  I climbed into the
right seat, buckled myself in and put on the headset.

   "You know," I said, Just because you have your private license doesn't
mean you get the left seat ALL the time."

   "You started this," she giggled.  Ten minutes later she eased back on
the yoke and our wheels cleared the runway, Louisiana bound.

   An hour out from home, I called Elise up on my cellphone and told her
when we were going to arrive.  As Tina rolled into the landing pattern, I
saw Elise's SUV pulling onto the apron to wait for us.  As I loaded the
last of our cargo of luggage and gifts into the back the car, Tina and
Elise were already in the front seats.

   Climbing into the seat behind them, I said, "I should've known THIS
wouldn't be any different.  She didn't let me touch the controls the whole
way down here."

   Elise laughed.  "You've met your match, huh?"

   Tina smiled.  "We ARE a match, huh, babe?"

   At the house, we ran the load inside, promised Elise that we'd see her
the next day, and then checked the groceries in the fridge.  Elise had us
stocked.  Air freshener overcame the staleness of a closed up house, and we
took advantage of a couple of hours to lay together on the bed and hug.  A
bit before three we got in our car to go get Terri.

   We were half an hour early so we walked the terminal and then sat to
watch people coming and going.  The arrival of Terri's flight was
announced. We eased toward the arrival gate, waiting.  And we saw her, hand
in hand with a middle-aged flight attendant, all four feet something of
seven year old Terri, blonde hair in a ponytail, blue eyes searching.

   And she saw us.  "Daddeeeee!" she squealed.

   The flight attendant asked for my ID.  "Procedure," she said.  "She's
too cute to let loose to some random dude at the airport."

   "Thank you for helping her," I said, fishing out a driver's license. 
"C'mere, sweetie!"

   And I got to hold my daughter for the first time in months.  She
plastered herself on my hip and looked.  "Are you Tina?"

   Tina smiled.  "Yes.  And I assume you're Terri, right?"

   "Umm-hmmm," Terri said.  "You're pretty!"

   "Thank you.  So are you, sweetie." Tina said.

   Terri slid down off my hip and grabbed my hand on one side and Tina's on
the other.  "We have to go get my stuff," she said.

   We navigated to the baggage claims and got two bags full of whatever it
takes for seven year old girls to live for two weeks.  With me loaded down
with the two bags, that left Terri and Tina holding hands as we exited to
walk to the car.

   Terri's head swung.  "Miss Tina, you don't mind holdin' my hand, do
you?"

   "Of course not, sweetie.  And we've been over this before.  You don't
need to call me 'Miss Tina'.  Just 'Tina', okay."

   "But it doesn't sound right.  You're my step-mom." Her blue eyes
twinkled.  "I call my step-dad 'mister'."

   "Yes, but your step-dad's older than I am.  I'm closer to 'big sister',
okay?"

   Terri smiled.  "Okay.  Dad, you're okay with that, aren't you?"

   "I'm happy if you two are happy." I was, too.  They were walking ahead
of me, seven year old Terri in jeans and a sweatshirt, her blonde ponytail
swinging, the tip just below her collar, and my Tina, almost two feet
taller, also in jeans and a sweatshirt, reaching into her pocket to
retrieve her keyfob for the car.

   I loaded the bags into the cargo compartment of the SUV, got in the
driver's side, and Tina started to get in the back seat.

   "No, Tina.  I get the back seat.  You sit next to Dad.  That's where
wives are s'posed ta go."

   "You sure, sweetie," Tina asked.  "I don't mind."

   "Nuh-uh!  This is fine, really!" And Terri got in the back seat.

   "Okay," I said.  "Now where do we want to eat dinner?"

   Tina was twisted sideways in her seat.  She looked at Terri.  "Terri,
how about you pick something?"

   Terri grinned.  "Pizza?  That place that has the buffet?"

   And the game room.  Inwardly I groaned.  Nothing like buffet pizza.  But
I realized that sometimes it wasn't about me.  "That'll work," I said,
knowing full well that two slices of pizza and Terri was going to tap me
for a five dollar bill to buy tokens for the kid games.

   Tina giggled.  "I used to drag Grandma to one of those places, you
know."

   "No doubt," I opined.

   Okay, it wasn't THAT bad.  Well, the pizza was, but the sight of Tina
and Terri playing games together was pretty much a fair swap for the bad
pizza.  We left and drove home.

   Terri walked in, head swiveling.  "Looks the same, Daddy," she said.

   "We don't hardly live here, sweetie," I said.  "We're just here for the
holidays."

   "Place needs a Christmas tree, Daddy." She turned to Tina.  "Don't you
think so, Tina?"

   Tina grinned.  "Can we, Alan?  Grandma had a Christmas tree.  I didn't
have one last year with Mom."

   Okay.  Two bright, expectant faces.  How could I refuse?  "Okay," I
said. "tomorrow we go get the first Christmas tree this place has seen
since your mom moved out.  And all three of us will decorate it."

   Squeal!  Twice.  Terri's hug was totally little girl, unrestrained. 
Tina wrapped the two of us together in hers.  "Thank you, Alan.  Families
do that."

   "They do, Daddy," Terri affirmed.

   I made hot chocolate while Tina and Terri pulled out a Monopoly game.

   "Alan, she wants to play Monopoly." Tina was a little skeptical.

   "Tina!" and the pouty lip came out.  Terri said, "I can count better
than anybody in my class.  And I can read better, too."

   "Okay, baby," Tina conceded.  She looked at me as I brought a tray in,
bearing mugs of hot steaming chocolate.  "We'll try it out."

   Tina and I were pleasantly surprised.  Terri could count quite well, and
with us helping her with the math, we had a lot of fun playing, but at
nine-thirty we called the game a draw and put it up.  I let Tina and Terri
commandeer the big bathroom and I made do with the smaller one.  When I
finished shaving, I saw the bathroom door open and Tina was behind Terri,
brushing and drying her blonde hair.  Terri was in pink flannel pajamas and
Tina was wearing her favorite nightshirt.  And panties.  I saw an
uncharacteristic panty line.  Oh, well... we had little Terri and decorum
was advised.

   It was bedtime.  Terri's room was a shrine to little girls.  Every time
she came to stay with me, we added more of the trappings of little girls
everywhere, and there were stuffed animals and a few dolls and cute
pictures and now there was a little blonde girl-child sitting on the bed
with her new step-mom/big sister and I looked in.

   Tina spoke up.  "Alan, I think we can make room in our bed for her
tonight.  She misses her daddy."

   Blue, pleading eyes.  "Not EVERY night, Daddy.  I know you an' Tina are
married an' you s'posed ta sleep together.  But just SOMETIMES?"

   "Okay.  Just sometimes."

   Tina rested her chin on Terri's head, holding the little girl wrapped in
her arms.  She mouthed, 'thank you' silently to me.

   Tina and I could've been perfectly happy in a twin bed.  In a normal
night we entwined and snuggled and spooned and caressed, sleeping together.
Adding Terri to the mix, though, the king-sized bed was barely enough
geography.  She was an active little thing when awake, and didn't slow down
much when sleeping.  I remember seeing her bed in the morning, the covers a
knot.  Our night of 'sleep' was punctuated with elbows and knees and legs
and when I got up in the morning, she and Tina filled in the gap I'd left
between them.

   I made a pot of coffee and started biscuits and gravy and when things
were stabilized in the kitchen, I went back to the bedroom and woke the two
females I loved most on the planet.  Two hugs.  Two kisses, one a little
longer and deeper.

   We sat at the table eating.

   "I miss your cooking, Daddy," she said.  "Mostly I just have cereal at
home.  This is sooo good!"

   Tina was grinning.  "I like it when we cook, too, baby.  In that little
trailer where we've been living, it's kinda hard sometimes."

   After breakfast came coffee for Tina and me, and Terri got coffee milk,
a little coffee and a lot of milk and some sugar.  After that, we put the
house in order and I was shoved out the door by two young girls in search
of a Christmas tree.  We visited a department store first, and loaded up on
lights and ornaments, and then we found the perfect tree, and amid giggles
and smiles, the smell of fresh conifer filled our house, making it a home.

   While they were busy decorating, I put together the quintessential Cajun
get-together dish, a pot of gumbo, and called Joe and Elise to come over
for a visit.





   Chapter Thirteen



   This was one of those completely informal occasions, done the way my
family had done it as far back as I could remember.  There was a stack of
bowls by the stove, the big cast iron pot of gumbo was barely simmering,
and there was the requisite pot of rice next to it.  People served
themselves and went to sit at the dining room table.

   That was how evenings with family were supposed to be, food, laughter,
conversation.

   Elise started with Terri.  "Baby, you've grown so much since last time
we saw you."

   "Thank you, Aunt Elise," she said.

   "Did you an' Tina decorate that tree?"

   "Uh-huh.  Yes, ma'am.  I love it.  Don't you?" she smiled.

   "It's very pretty.  Tina, I know that's you an' Terri.  Your husband has
NO sense of style.  Not when it comes to that stuff, anyway."

   "My skills lie elsewhere.  I have two beautiful females in my life to
help me with my aesthetic shortcomings."

   "And it's a good thing," Elise laughed.  "I've watched what he wears. 
Scary!"

   "Did he tell you what we got married in?" Tina giggled?

   "No, what?" Elise asked.

   "Work clothes.  He had a knit shirt with a pocket, cargo pants like
these, THESE exact shoes."

   "Don't leave out the rest of the story, baby," I said.  "You were
wearing that blue and gold rugby shirt that I like, and jeans, and, uh,
these shoes."

   She slid over and kissed my cheek.  "But it still counts, doesn't it?"

   "Yes it does, princess.  And Tennessee won't put me in jail, either."

   "Yeah, about that," Joe asked.

   "I honestly didn't know.  I mean, me and Tina, we were going to get
married when she could sign for herself, and..."

   Tina raised her hand.  "Mister Joe, you need to realize that we'd
already exchanged marriage vows.  It was just a formality."

   "Uh, yeah, so we were rockin' along, and then a friend of ours who's a
lawyer broke the news.  He thought she was my wife.  We acted like that
when we met him and his wife at a concert.  So that was that mad flight
from Tennessee, so we could get the judge who'd given me guardianship to
fix the paperwork.  And he married us."

   "I never got the whole story," Joe said.  "I wasn't prying..."

   "Oh, no, Mister Joe," she said.  "It's okay.  We're kinda like a fairy
tale, happy ending an' all." She stroked Terri's sleek blonde tresses. 
"Complete with our own princess."

   The next day was pretty, one of those clear, crisp winter days.  Terri
and Tina were cooking breakfast.  Terri came running to me.

   "Daddy!  I want Tina to take me flyin'."

   "Can I go with you?" I asked.

   "Of course," she said.

   "Okay, then if Tina wants to take you, we'll go." I smiled and held my
arms to receive my daughter.  She was a giggly feather in them.

   "Thanks, Daddy!" she called over her shoulder, "Tina!  He said yes!"

   That pretty much defined part of our day.  After breakfast, we dressed
for the chilly air and drove out to the airport.  I went into the office
and arranged payment for fuel while Tina taxied the plane to the pump.

   "She's licensed?" the manager asked.

   "Yep!  Seventeen.  Been flying for what, like three or four months. 
Just got her private a week and a half ago." I patted Terri.  This is my
daughter, Terri.  That's Tina out there.  We've been married for a month
now.  We're taking Terri flying.  First time for her in this little plane."

   "Have fun, Miss Terri," he said.

   We went out to the plane and I handed the fuel nozzle up to Tina as she
stepped on a little ladder to reach the wing tanks.  Refueled, we pushed
the plane clear of the pumps.  I buckled Terri in the rear seat and showed
her how the intercom headphones worked so she could carry on a
conversation. Tina climbed in the left seat.  I got in the right.

   "Am I ever going to get to fly the left seat again?" I asked, laughing.
"I created a monster."

   She turned her head, the headphones doing something whimsically alluring
to her hair.  "Uh-huh.  And I'm YOUR monster!" She taxied us to the end of
the runway, completed the checklist, and we were off.

   "Are you okay, Terri?" Tina asked.  I looked back at Terri.  Her nose
was stuck against the window, looking at the ground below.

   "It's like, magical, Tina!"

   "I'll take that as a 'yes'," I said.

   I directed Tina's route, carrying us over the fields of south Louisiana,
over wintering flocks of geese numbering in the tens of thousands, over
marshlands tawny in their winter phase, down to the coastline and then
looped back, heading home.  After landing, we pulled up to the pumps and
topped the tanks off.  Terri sat patiently in her seat.

   When we pulled up on the flightline, I exited and unbuckled Terri,
lifting her out of the door to the ground.  Her grin was a mile wide.  She
ran around to the other side of the plane where Tina was tying down the
left wing.

   "Dad had his arms folded the WHOLE time!  You REALLY did fly!" Terri
squealed.

   "I told you I could, didn't I, baby?" Tina returned.  "You dad did that
for me!"

   "Dad's pretty cool, huh?" Terri said.

   "Yeah, he really is," said Tina.  "We're luck y to have 'im."

   "An' he's lucky to have us, huh?" Terri said.  "That's what makes us a
real family."

   We got back in the car and headed to the house.  "What about lunch," I
said.

   "Grilled cheese sandwiches," Tina suggested.

   "Uh-huh," confirmed Terri.  "You must've had Dad's grilled cheese
sandwiches."

   "Uh-huh, we live in his little trailer in Tennessee.  And I've eaten his
grilled cheese.  And maybe we can make some soup?"

   "Chicken noodle?" Terri squeaked.  It didn't take much to impress a
seven year old, and grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl of canned chicken
noodle soup was more than enough.

   The remainder of the Christmas vacation followed in much the same vein.
Tina made my two weeks with Terri a much bigger pleasure than previous
sessions where it was me and a seven year old, and two days after Christmas
I actually regretted seeing her depart on the flight back to her mother. 
It was a bit of nasty winter weather, and that was enough to delay me and
Tina from flying back to Tennessee.

   "No sense in pressing our luck, baby," I'd told her.  "My instrument
rating is old and I don't want to have to go that way."

   "I can't imagine it myself," she said.  "And Mister Charlie says that
this isn't the plane to go busting fronts with."

   "Charlie's a retired air force transport pilot.  He knows," I said.  "So
I guess we'll just have to spend a night or two down here with the house to
ourselves, big shower an' all."

   "Oh, I fear I am sooo abused," she tittered.

   My cellphone rang.  Elise.  "Hi, Elise," I said.

   "Well, did you get 'er on the plane?" Elise asked.

   "Yes, and I was crying an' she was crying and Tina was crying and hell,
the flight attendant was sniffling too," I said.  "She really fits in with
me and Tina."

   "I was worried," Elise said.  "Daddy's little girl and all that.  So
when are ya'll comin' over?  I got plenty for dinner."

   I turned to Tina.  "Elise has food, baby."

   "Imagine that," Tina laughed.  "Let's go."

   "We'll be there in a little while," I said.

   "See ya then," Elise said.  Click.

   "Elise was worried about you an' Daddy's Little Girl," I said.

   "Me too, honestly.  But it was actually a lot of fun.  She's a good kid.
A little exuberant at times, but a good kid."

   "I'm glad it went so well," I said.

   "Yeah.  Maybe we can do something special with 'er this summer."

   "Let's think about that some," I said.

   She held my hand as we drove back, ending up in Elise's driveway.  We
walked in.  I sniffed the air.  I looked at Elise.  "Sausage, steak and
gravy?" I asked.

   "Just like Momma used to make," she said.  "Joe'll be here in a few
minutes and we'll eat." I was sitting on the sofa with Tina on my left and
niece Haley was on my right and other niece Deb was between her and the arm
of the sofa.

   Haley was the gutsy one.  "So Tina, my Uncle's a little OLD, don't'cha
think?"

   Elise's face dropped and she started to say something, but Tina jumped
right in.  "Oh, yeah... Old.  Smart.  Stable.  Funny." She paused.  "An' if
you're thinkin' about..." she left the word unsaid.  "Don't.  gosh... Any
better and I'd DIE!"

   Elise said, "HALEY!  I can't believe you..."

   "It's okay, Elise," Tina said.  "If I was in her shoes, I'd have
questions too." She turned to Haley.  "We have a perfectly normal life,
Haley, except that we live in that little trailer.  He goes to work.  I go
to school.  When we get home, we either cook or go out to eat.  On weekends
we have places to go and friends to go with.  Just like everybody else. 
Except I'm seventeen and he's a little older."

   "Mom," Haley said, "She makes it sound normal."

   "It IS normal," Tina said.  "We're partners.  Friends.  Like a marriage
is supposed to be.  It's about love and friendship." Tina drew a breath. 
"Everybody wants to think about the sex, but it's not about sex.  Sex is
easy to find.  Try looking for love and friendship and appreciation between
two people.  We're lucky!"

   Elise said, "I should be taping this.  Joe needs to hear it for damned
sure!"

   "Oh, yeah, Mom," Deb interjected.  "Like you an' Dad have a horrible
marriage..."

   "Your dad is a beast, I tell you," Elise laughed.  And that's where Joe
walked in.  He knocked, actually, and Elise let him in, and when he entered
the living room, we all looked at him and laughed.

   "What?!?!  Do I have toilet paper stuck to my butt?" He asked.

   "No, dad," Deb said.  "Mom was just tellin' us how horrible it was being
married to you."

   "Was not, baby," Elise said.  "Your elder daughter was nosing into Alan
an' Tina's private business and Tina gave 'er both barrels.  You should've
heard it.  And when I SAID you should've heard it, YOUR daughters gave me
crap about how horrible you treat us."

   Haley giggled.  "Dad, you KNOW how we are about you an' Mom.  I was
curious about Tina an' Uncle Alan.  They look different, is all."

   It was my turn.  "Believe me, ya'll, Tina and I talked about this before
we came down here.  I know some folks can't handle it."

   "But we CAN handle it, Uncle Alan.  I was just curious..." Haley said.

   Joe looked at her, "So you just popped up and asked in general
conversation?  You got your momma's sense of tact."

   Elise huffed.

   "I would've asked her in private, but I never got a chance," Haley said.
"Tina, I wasn't tryin' to be nosy.  I'm sorry if it came out like that."

   "I didn't think it was tooo nosy, Haley.  It was a good question,
really. Mister Joe, she wanted to know how things work between Alan an'
me."

   Joe looked at his daughter.  "I thought your mom gave you that whole
'Tab A - Slot B' speech."

   "Daaaa-aadddd!" Haley whined, "That's not what I was wondering about.  I
mean, like music.  You an' Mom are stuck in the Eighties..."

   Tina jumped in.  "Oh, Haley, that's the easy part for us.  We're
hopelessly lost two or three centuries ago."

   Deb caught the inference.  "You mean he's still on that classical music
thing?"

   "And I discovered it on Day One, before we even started thinking about
an 'us'.  What are the chances?" Tina smiled.

   "Pretty slim," Deb admitted.  "Although I do like some of it.  Just not
a steady diet."

   "Bottom line is, Haley, we KNOW each other.  We don't have to escape or
take a break or whatever."

   "And that's a good thing in a thirty-something foot trailer," I
injected.

   "Yeah," Tina said.  "Like that!" And she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

   "Yeah, but like I said before," Joe said, "before you get any ideas,
Alan's got a job an' Tina's got a plan that doesn't involve magic like
winnin' the lottery."

   "Are we gonna talk or are we going to eat the meal that's sittin' on the
stove?" Elise asked.

   "Put me down as voting for eating," I said.

   The food was good.  Elise managed to replicate the dish we'd grown up
on, and I said so.  The conversation continued.

   "I'm sorry about my nosy daughters," Elise said.

   "Oh, don't think anything of it.  It's not the first time I've been
asked.  I go to high school, you know, and everybody there knows I'm
married now."

   "Yeah, how's that working," Deb asked.

   Tina finished chewing a forkfull.  "The best ones were like this...  But
you don't have any idea how many times I've been asked if I was pregnant.
And how many times I just smiled and walked off, because I knew somebody
wanted lurid details or a chance to go off on me about my morality."

   I'd heard all this before.  Sometimes it was related to me with giggles
and laughter, a few times sadly.

   "One of the teachers wanted to know if I needed to go to a shelter for
troubled girls and victims of domestic violence." Tina smiled.  "It was so
hard for me not to laugh when she said that.  But I just told her that I
was very happy and wasn't being beaten or exploited..." she looked at me.

   "Much," I said, getting giggles.

   "See," Tina said.  "Exploited!"

   "I got the same thing," I said, "except some of 'em weren't very subtle
at all."

   "Yeah, I can imagine," Joe said.  "Guys on a construction site?  Not
exactly noted for sensitivity."

   "Uh-huh.  And sometimes all I do is smile... But I have HER picture on
my desk.  And Terri.  And the few of them that have actually MET Tina, they
stopped asking questions." I smiled at her.  "She doesn't fit that whole
'teen bimbo' mold very well."

   Tina giggled.  "An' I offered to bleach my hair and wear a push-up bra
an' a mini-skirt to the Christmas party..."

   "You're bad," Haley said, giggling.

   "Nope," I said.  "I think she's pretty much perfect as she is."

   Tina's nose crinkled with her grin.  "Yep!  That's pretty much us!"

   Elise said, "Just wait, babe!  The 'new' will wear off."

   "Maybe so," Tina retorted, "But it's darned good right now."

   "Gets better every day," I added.  "Seeing her with Terri, that was a
revelation.  Like they connected."

   "Terri's a good kid," Tina added.  "We had fun!  I held her up to put
the star on the Christmas tree and Alan took the picture.  Ya'll saw it..."

   "Yeah," Elise said.  "It's cute!  Of course, her momma's gonna die..."

   "Her mom's crazy," I said.  "She bounces from one extreme to the
other... I think the lady has issues."

   "Yeah," Tina said.  "She almost went off the deep end when we wanted to
keep Terri an extra couple of days.  Alan...uh...  we were going to pay the
fee to get the ticket changed and everything."

   "Sweetie," I told Tina, "Don't sweat it.  Terri knows what went on.  She
asked her mom and her mom acted like we put her up to it.  Terri knows
better."

   "Still," she said, "I feel bad for Terri..."

   "That's a battle for another day, little one," I said.  "When her mom
left with her, I was not exactly in a stable place in my life.  And right
now we're in a travel trailer in Tennessee..."

   "Won't always be that way," Tina stated.

   "No it won't, baby doll,' I said.

   Elise looked back and for the between the two of us.  "Ya'll are
thinkin' about Terri living with ya'll?"

   "It's been discussed," Tina admitted.  "When Alan finishes this project
and I get out of high school, we're talking about moving back here so I can
go to college.  And that'll be more stable.  Real house an' all..."

   Joe checked in.  "Hah!  That's a battle you can't win, Alan.  I know
guys who've tried to get custody of kids, and you could have film of mommy
dearest givin' blow-jobs for a dollar apiece on a street corner downtown at
noon, and the judge'd still give 'er custody."

   "JOE!" Elise blurted.  "Your LANGUAGE!"

   "Daaa-aadddd!" Deb squealed.

   "It's true," he said.  "Dads get a bad break in the courts."

   "Yeah, but if Mommy Dearest agreed..." I said.

   Elise spoke, "This is the same person that wouldn't agree to let her
daughter spend two extra days..."

   "And I'm thinking that she's going nuts.  You never know..." I said. 
"Her mom called me..."

   "And..." Elise prodded.

   "We'll just leave it at that for now," I said.

   "If it happens, I get a little sister an' a stepdaughter all at once,"
Tina smiled.  "Not what I expected.  Just a possibility of a pleasant
surprise."

   "Wow!" Haley said.  "Havin' Terri full-time won't cramp ya'lls
marriage?"

   "Oh, come on, Haley," Tina said.  "People HAVE kids.  Your mom an' dad
survived havin' you an' Deb..."

   "And YOU didn't sleep a whole night until you were three," Elise tossed
in.

   "Yeah," Joe laughed.  "We could've been world travellers..."

   Deb spoke up, "But instead you ended up with two spectacularly beautiful
daughters..."

   "For which I am truly blessed," Joe said.  "Now, if you'll take your
Uncle Alan and Aunt Tina's model for your weddings, I would be much
appreciative."

   "Mom, d'you have the video of Princess Di's wedding?  I wanna look at
some ideas..." Deb giggled.

   "Owwww!" Joe feigned pain.

   We finally got up to leave.  "We're gonna look at the weather tomorrow,"
I said.  "If it's good, we may fly out."

   "If you don't, we'll get together tomorrow evening, then," Elise said.
"Either way, I'll empty out your fridge for you..."

   "Okay," Tina said.  "We had a good evening.  Thanks for dinner!"

   "Oh, hon, thank YOU for draggin' him over here," Elise said.

   We were on the road for the ride to the house, Tina's hand holding mine
on the console of the car.

   She was giggling.

   "What?!?!" I said.

   "I just enjoy sitting there with that bunch.  The conversation.  It just
jumps around."

   "I'm glad you like 'em, baby," I said.  "I thought you'd decide they're
insane."

   The weather was clearing when we woke up in the morning and we both
looked at the forecast maps.  I had an opinion.  I wanted to hear hers. 
"What'd'ya think, Miss Pilot?"

   "We're going northeast.  Looks like we'll parallel the back of the
frontal weather.  Our destination shows medium level overcast, but the
visibility is good, and the ceiling will probably raise by the time we get
there.  I say we go for it."

   "You don't see a risk?" I asked.

   "No... Am I missing something?"

   "Not that I can see," I admitted.  Her thoughts mirrored mine.  "Let's
see if Elise can get us out of here."

   Two hours later, two hours that gave the cold front additional time to
move off to the southeast, and we were taxiing to the departure end of the
runway.  With Tina in the left seat.  The trip back north was a little
slower as we flew into headwinds the whole way, but we were lining up for
landing before dusk.  The setting sun was a spectacular view from our
altitude.

   That put us driving into the trailer park in the dark on New Year's Eve,
our trip punctuated by fireworks from celebrating families all along our
route.

   We unloaded bags into our little nest and turned the heat up from a
"keep things from freezing" forty degrees to a more comfortable sixty-two.

   "Ya know, guy," she said, throwing arms around my neck, "it's New year's
Eve an' Grandma used to say whatever you were doing on New Year's Eve at
midnight, you'd do for the rest of the year..." And she kissed me.

   "Am I to understand that you wish to stay up until midnight?"

   "Uh-huh.  Old movies.  Hot chocolate.  Me.  You.  US at midnight, and
then we can start the New Year off in each other's arms.

   "I can't think of a better way," she said, her blue eyes sparkling.

   We got up in the beginning of a new year the next morning, me looking at
the tousled auburn hair next to me in bed.  I got up and hit the toilet and
was headed back to bed when she stood.

   "You think we could find us a breakfast somewhere, baby?" she asked.

   "After you kiss me, anything is possible," I said.  I got my kiss. 
Fifteen minutes later we were walking out into the crisp winter air,
shivering in the front seat of the truck until the heater kicked in, and
soon we were nursing steamy mugs of coffee, waiting on breakfast to show
up. Afterward, back in the truck, I turned in a different direction than
the park.

   "Where're we going?" she asked.

   "To satisfy the old folks, cutie," I said.

   "Huh?"

   "I don't know about YOUR grandma, but MY grandma said you had to eat
cabbage and blackeyed peas for prosperity in the New Year."

   "Uh, I wasn't gonna say anything, but you're right.  Wal-mart's open."

   "That's where we're heading," I replied.  "No sense crossin' tradition,
you know..."

   "I just wonder what I did LAST year to end up like this," she giggled.
"Somethin' with Chee-tos, no doubt..." My baby liked her Chee-tos.

   "Ooooo-kay, then," I chuckled, "Cabbage, black-eyed peas, and Chee-tos."

   And that was Saturday.  New Year's Day.  With the sun out, the afternoon
was pretty, although a little on the brisk side, but we donned coats and
walked a couple of circuits around the park in the mid-afternoon sun,
meeting a few of the other denizens, stopping on the leeward side of
trailers to chat.

   Back in the trailer, we called Elise to exchange New Year greetings.

   "Ya'll did your blackeyed peas an' cabbage," she asked.



   "Yep," Tina said.  "Your brother makes horrible noises, though..." She
giggled.



   "Oh, yeah, and you, like, whistle little happy tunes and smell like rose
petals on a summer day," I countered.

   Elise laughed at the two of us.  "Ya'll are beginning to SOUND married,"
she tittered.

   "Well, I'm familiar with him eating beans and rice, but this is beyond
the limit, Elise."

   I said, "That's why you do it on New Year's Day.  Makes the rest of the
year SMELL better, at least..."

   After a few more minutes of banter, we hung up and pulled out computers
to check email.  Seeing nothing earth-shattering there, the computers were
turned off and we searched for something to occupy a little time.  TV had
nothing, but iPods did, and we settled in for a little music while we
played cards before retiring for a happy coupling and then restful sleep.

   Sunday morning marked an official 'lazy day': breakfast at a restaurant,
sandwiches for lunch and a drive around the countryside for the afternoon.
Dinner was a mid-scale restaurant an hour away from home.  Home was a walk,
then early showers and a head-to-head battle of Trivial Pursuit.

   "We'll never get anyone to play against us again," I laughed.

   "I notice they NEVER cut you any slack," she giggled.

   "Yeah, and my cutie-pie wife is a sleeper." I had to work to beat her.

   We crawled into bed before nine-thirty, curled up in each other's arms.

   "You know," she said, "I'm not a person to dread school, but I don't
remember ever wishing tomorrow wasn't the end of vacation like I do now."

   "I'm like that about work.  I've enjoyed our time together, sweetie. 
It's gonna be hard getting back in the groove after these two weeks."

   She rolled atop me.  "Just maybe we should have a really GOOD one
tonight to help us sleep, huh?" She tilted her head as if to listen for my
answer, her auburn hair swinging, eyes aglitter.

   "They're always good ones with you, little one," I answered, drawing her
down to me for kissing.



   Chapter Fourteen Oh, the horrors of Monday after vacation.  When you
like your job, Mondays aren't as dreadful.  I liked my job.  But I liked
spending time with Tina more.  She was about as excited about school as I
was about work.  I was positively reluctant to go out the door, even absent
the freezing temperatures.

   Still, we did what we must.  I arrived, finding that my boss was
snowbound up north, half the crews didn't show up for similar reasons, and
as the "responsible senior engineer" on site, I presided over a rather
miserable meeting.  We looked at where we were on the project for all the
different disciplines, who among us actually had enough workers on site to
do anything useful.  I put my fractional crew to work, having many tasks
that needed one or two knowledgeable technicians.

   Only one of the crane operators made it back, and the steelworkers were
not the least bit disappointed to be relegated to inventory duties instead
of hanging off I-beams in twenty mile an hour north winds and freezing
temperatures.

   An extra coffee pot in my main substation and passing the word around to
the work crews that hot coffee was available made my techs a little set of
heroes.  They needed credit.  I didn't.

   Home was a drive through gray dusk and when I turned the corner into the
park I saw Tina's little car parked at the trailer.  I walked in to
something that smelled good.

   "Soup," she said.  "I dumped stuff into the pot an' added a little of
this and a little of that, and cut up some of your precious Cajun sausage
in it.  I hope you like it."

   "It's a soup kind of day, little one," I said, collecting a kiss from a
girl in a sweatshirt with a spoon in her hand.  "How was your day?"

   "Nobody wanted to be there.  Lots of giggling and story-telling and the
teachers just sort of went along with most of it.  "Mr.  Barnes told us in
math to just go ahead and get it out of our systems because tomorrow was
'buckle down and get it' day." She grinned.  "So I guess it wasn't bad. 
Yours?"

   I related my sad tales.  The coffee pot deal made her smile.

   "It'll get better.  I know we built time into the schedule for this
stuff."

   Bleak January passed us.  There was a bit of flying, a destination on a
weekend, or not, as in Alan, can we just go buzz around the state?  I mean,
there's SNOW on the ground.  Us Louisiana kids never see snow."

   There were a couple of evenings with Susan and her parents.  Susan was
an only child and actually quite attached, despite my initial assessment of
her from Tina's party episode.  Having dinner with them meant five of us
socializing, Tina handling the transition between being Susan's
contemporary and best school friend and being my wife and friend of her
parents.  Of course, Susan was a case herself, funny, sometimes sounding a
bit flighty, but quite intelligent and the absolute apple of her dad's eye.

   Five of us playing some silly board game as an excuse to laugh and be
sociable made for pleasant evenings.

   Of course, relating such forays into a wild life of debauchery to some
of my co-workers was always interesting, as in, "Man, if I had a seventeen
year old that looked like that, I DAMNED sure wouldn't be visiting people
an' playin' board games!"

   "There's more to life and love than continuous sex," I laughed.

   "But that'll do until that other stuff comes along," my buddy answered.

   "Uh-huh..."

   Life rumbled along as life does.  On bright sunny days we got out to do
SOMETHING, if only a walk, and a young girl with a pilot license and
yearning to fly, well, that was a frequent goal too.  I considered selling
her little trainer, but we just hadn't gotten around to pushing it hard.  I
left word with the other flyers, Charlie and a couple of other active
pilots, that we'd entertain offers on it.

   Tina's school business stayed good.  She brought home an application to
take her ACT, preparatory to college aspirations.  I found humor in that.
The Tina I knew was not going to have a problem getting into college.  I
only wished she'd have had more time in Tennessee, just to benefit from
some of the scholarships.

   It wasn't a matter of needing the money.  I had that covered.  It was
just the idea that I thought that Tina was outstanding enough that she
should be recognized.

   One day I came in from work to find another car next to the trailer.  I
walked in the door and saw Tina and Susan sitting on opposite sides of the
little booth that served as our dining room table, a laptop open, papers
spread around.

   "What's up, ladies?" I asked.

   "Navy bean soup and a social studies paper," Tina said.

   "Hi, Mister Alan," chirped Susan.

   "Hi, Susan," I said.  "You stayin' for dinner?"

   "If you don't mind.  I helped Tina cook it."

   "She's a good cook," I said.

   "Dump soup," Tina snorted.  "Grandma called it 'dump soup'.  Open cans,
dump it in a pot.  Stir."

   "You chopped up onions and ham," Susan said, "an' cooked 'em first."

   "It's quick, and sometimes it's nice to sit at home with a bowl of hot
soup instead of driving up the road to a restaurant."

   "I know," chirped Susan, "I love it when Mom cooks a whole meal.  But
she had to work late today."

   "You're always welcome," I said.  "It's little, but it's home."

   "I think it's CUTE!" Susan giggled.  "Kinda like camping!"

   Tina snorted, "Uh, Susan, that's why they call it a 'camper'..."

   "Oh, yeah!" Another giggle.

   Life.  As it is supposed to be lived.  I always heard about it, and now,
for once the joy was there every day.

   I didn't mind seeing Tina and Susan hanging out together.  It gave Tina
the ties I thought she needed between her life as wife of an older man and
life as a high school girl.  Like when Susan took a battering from the
comings and goings of teenaged love, and Tina was the shoulder to cry on.

   "I don't know that it's something I miss at all," Tina told me. 
"Susan's devastated."

   "She'll go okay," I said.  "She's cute and smart and her family loves
her and that's ground that you can build on.  She knows what relationships
are supposed to look like."

   "That's what she said about us, baby," Tina replied.  "That it works
when you find the right one."

   "But the guy she split up with, what's the deal?"

   "He liked the way Susan looked.  But her mind..."

   "Oh." I scooped Tina up in my arms.  "The best part of you.  And that's
saying something, because the other bits are pretty damned good."

   Her arms went around my neck and the tip of her nose touched mine.  "I'm
glad you don't mind her hangin' around.  She feels like she has to dumb
down with a lot of other kids."

   "Ah," I said.  "I understand that."

   "You've been there," Tina purred.  Little kiss.  "Me too.  And if
Grandma was still alive and I was in the world I left with her, I'd
probably be in the same boat.  I had a taste of it.  It's tough being the
'smart kid'."

   And other serious discussions.

   And quiet times.

   "Look what I found," she said on one evening when we were lounging in
the trailer after dinner.

   "What's that?" I asked.

   "This chamber orchestra from Germany is doing a tour in the USA.  They
have a date in Charlotte, North Carolina in February.  That's in range, you
know."

   "What's the menu?" I asked.

   "Oh, gosh!  Brandenburg Concerto.  The third one!  You love that one! 
And so do I.  Live!  D'you think..."

   "Get us tickets, then... When is it?"

   "Saturday evening, like most of 'em."

   "Well," I said, "We can shoot for me getting you out of school early on
Friday and flying in on Friday afternoon, huh?"

   "Weather permitting.  Should I make hotel reservations?"

   "Some place nice, okay?" I said.

   "Always," she said.  "But remember that you promised we'd go camping
when the weather warms up."

   "Oh, yes, I remember," I said.  "Wonder what warm weather feels like?"

   "Oh, you remember all too well," she smiled.  "We both do.  Louisiana,
you know..."

   "Sure, you pick a day when it's fifteen degrees outside to remind me."

   "So when is this thing?" I asked.

   "Oh, it's like perfect," she giggled.  "It'll be my reward for not
coming unglued when I take the ACT's.  It's the Saturday after the tests."

   "Buy the tickets.  Make the reservations.  Worst thing that'll happen is
things go off track and we have to eat the tickets.  And I've never had an
excuse to go to Charlotte, so we'll have fun exploring on Saturday before
the concert."

   "We need to spend an extra session at the gym, too, baby.  You know how
we tend to pig out on those little adventures.  You don't need a plump
little wife, you know..."

   "And you don't need a fat old husband either.  And forty year old guys
can put on weight really easy.  Especially when one of their great joys is
sitting across the table with a laughing cutie, enjoying good food."

   She smiled.  "Monday Wednesday Friday at the gym, then, hon.  And walk
around the park every day it's not raining.  Gotta keep your strength up."
And she stuck her tongue at me.

   "Hold that thought!" I laughed.

   She giggled.  "Why should I HOLD that thought?  Are you lacking in a
sense of adventure, guy?"

   "I do believe I'm up for a bit of adventure..."

   Squeal!  She was shoving me back towards the bed at the far end of the
trailer.

   We loved each other enthusiastically, happily, eagerly, joyously.  In
the afterglow, she purred in my ear, my arm holding her soft form next to
me.

   "Only bad thing is that NOW we have to get up and shower, sweetie," she
said.

   "Oh, I know," I admitted.  "Just a little while longer..."

   She rolled halfway on top of me and kissed me.  "Now, babe!  We can get
back to bed when we finish."

   "Oh, you're right, but this sure feels good."

   "Uh-huh.  It's s'posed to."

   Showers.  One for each of us.  One shave, one dried and brushed short
auburn head of hair, and back to bed for cuddling and giggling and
laughing. And sleep.

   Thursday and Friday went well.  It should have.  We, the team at work,
were professionals, and we were up to speed, looking down the road to head
off difficulties.  Sure, that's not going to stop all the tight-jaw
moments, but it lessens their number.

   Home.  We called it home.  We knew how to keep from bumping into each
other when were were trying to get things done.  I knew how she was when it
was THAT time of the month now, six months into living together, and I
determined that it wasn't worth the battle to try to get my own way.

   On and on.  Dozens of little vignettes reside in my head about how two
people meet and commit and begin the process of fitting together.  Some
people never get through this process.  Some get through it and end up with
resentments and hurts that color their lives forever.  And some find that
the whole process is too difficult and not worth the benefit.

   We laughed and frowned and giggled and fretted.  And grew closer.

   The period thing?  I wasn't sure how manage it, if indeed it could even
be managed.  She got moody.  She was on her period when we first met, but I
figured that the emotional roller-coaster of her evacuating with mom and
mom's loser boyfriend, the incident in the diner where we met, and the
whole 'new life' thing sort of shoved any mood swings off the table.

   Since then, though, sometimes she got really giggly, sometimes something
would turn her somber, but we both recognized the hormonal change as the
cause and as for me, I just backed off and let things go for a day or two.
Usually, if she was a bit brusque to me, she'd come back later and
apologize.

   I found out that SHE got grossed out when I trimmed my toenails,
something I used to do while sitting cross-legged in bed.  The first time I
attempted that after we'd committed to one another, I thought she was going
to lose it.

   "No, I don't CARE when I cut MINE!  I can't stand to watch you cut
YOURS!" she yelled.

   "But, baby, that makes no SENSE!" I tried reason.  Logic.  And decided
it wasn't worth the fight.  I mean, she was very careful about her own
conduct.  I was too many years a bachelor.  And DAMNED sure didn't want to
go back to being one just so I could trim my toenails at my own leisure.

   "So exactly WHERE does a guy have to go to trim his toenails, Tina?" I
looked at her.

   "He DOESN'T have to go anywhere.  All he has to do is trust the person
who loves him most..." She wasn't smiling.

   "Wai-wai-wait!  You mean to tell me that you can't STAND to watch me sit
in the bed and trim my own toenails, but YOU will do it for me?"

   "Yes," she said.  "Grandma had arthritis.  I used to do hers for her."

   "You know how to do it right?  Straight across?"

   "I THINK I can trim your toenails, Alan.  Give me a foot." And for the
first time in my adult life, somebody else trimmed my toenails.  And kissed
me after it was over, saying, "Now, was it THAT bad?"

   It wasn't.

   Make-up sex.  Sometimes it's REALLY good, even if you didn't REALLY
fight.

   On a rare mall trip, I was patiently waiting as she perused the perfume
counter for another bottle of scent.  I loved the tiny hints of fragrance
she used, catching a sweet aroma wafting in the currents as she walked near
me.

   She motioned me over, extending a sample of a MAN's cologne.  "What'd'ya
think?" she asked.

   "I've been wearing the same one for ten years, baby.  What's wrong with
it?" I asked.  I should know better.

   "I think this one's nice," she said.  Her blue eyes twinkled to
accompany her little smile.

   Hooked.  Now I smell different.  I was in my office signing off purchase
orders when the project administrator bent over to swap stacks with me. 
"You smell different," she said.  "Tina?"

   "Yep," I admitted.

   "She's got good taste," she said.

   "Yeah," I admitted.  "I think she does."

   I learned that Tina did not like her hair touching her neck when she was
sweaty.  That meant that when we went to the gym for a serious bit of
exercise, she put her hair up in a couple of tiny, short ponytails, one at
each ear.  That just drove me wild.  I told her so.

   "You know I love you, Alan, but that's just STRANGE!" Giggle.  And then
we got finished and went home to shower.  When I got finished shaving, I
stepped out of the tiny bathroom and looked at the sofa, Tina's usual
destination after she dried her hair.  She wasn't there.  She was kneeling
in the middle of the bed naked, hair in two little ponytails.  And
grinning.

   As I rolled onto my back with this sweet thing in my arms, she was
giggling.  "Just thought I'd humor you... Looks like it works, huh?"

   "You could wear a burka, baby doll," I laughed, "but you KNOW I
appreciate you paying attention."

   "I can tell," she tittered, eyeing a very obvious sign of my
appreciation.

   I think that somewhere in the ensuing forty-five minutes I had multiple
out-of-body experiences.

   I walked into the trailer one day to an unusual smell from the stove.

   "What IS that?" I asked.

   She said, "Hamburger Helper.  I had a craving." And I collected my usual
'welcome home' kiss.

   "Baby,' I said.  "I understand cravings.  But Hamburger Helper?"

   "Hamburger Stroganoff, to be exact," she said.  "Call it a weakness."

   "Most people get a little more, oh, I dunno, 'exotic'," I said.

   "Grandma made it when she didn't feel good enough to spend a lot of time
in the kitchen, you know, when she was sick."

   "Okay.  I'll buy that," I said.  "Just surprising."

   "Oh, I know," she admitted.  "But it IS fast, too.  I stopped by the
grocery store on the way home and got the stuff."

   "Well, I'm glad, baby doll," I said.  I shrugged, the thoughts of a
nicely prepared meal at the little family restaurant in the next town dying
in my mind.

   "Tomorrow's 'pork chop day' at Grannie's," she said, naming the
restaurant I had in mind.  "Let's do THAT tomorrow."

   I laughed.  "Unless **I** get a craving for sardines and crackers."

   She put a lid on a little pot of vegetables, turned and wrapped her arms
around my waist, pulling me to her.  "You just do what you want, guy," she
smiled.  "I owe you one..."

   And we grew together.  We had our quiet evenings, even more enjoyable in
the cool air of winter, lounging at either end of the sofa, each reading,
our legs tangled between us under a cozy blanket.

   We had the evening after a hard cold front moved through, dumping snow,
then the clouds cleared, leaving us to walk around the park after dark in a
snow-covered wonderland by the light of a full moon.  I'd seen snow before,
but sharing this scene with a sweet young lady from south Louisiana who'd
never seen real snow, that was a bit of magic that made life worth living.
Even better, we were both bundled up.  She had the hood up on her parka,
her face was pinkened by the harsh chill, and the kiss?  Pure heaven!

   Oh, back to the story...

   ACT day for Tina.  We got out of bed and threw together a quick set of
pancakes for breakfast.  I drank half my cup of coffee with her.

   "Are you nervous, baby?" I asked.

   "Not really, Alan," she answered.  "You know schools are about tests. 
My math teacher suggested that I try some sample tests in one of those prep
books.  I should do okay.  But Susan's a nervous wreck.  And SHE shouldn't
be worried either."

   "I know.  She's no dummy."

   I poured the rest of my coffee into a travel mug, put the lid on it,
bent over and kissed her and headed out the door to work.  She didn't have
to leave for school for half an hour.  I was in my office by that time.  As
I went through the stack of drawing changes on my desk, I paused to think
of my sweetie and what she was facing on this day.

   When I came home, I found Tina and Susan watching a movie.

   "Susan's mom is in the middle of income tax season and her dad has some
inventory thing to do.  I told her she could have dinner with us.  That's
okay, huh?" Twinkly blue eyes.  Two pairs.

   Like I was going to say 'no'...

   The three of us went to dinner.  "How'd the test go?" I asked.

   Susan went first.  "I was SOOOOO nervous, yaknow, but when they told us
to open the booklet an' start, it's, like, 'Susan, you can DO this stuff.'
An' I did.  At least I THINK I did."

   Tina jumped in.  "That's pretty much the way it was for me.  Nervous. 
And then it started.  And I got in a zone and 'ZOOM', off we went."

   "Ya'll feel good about it, then?"

   Two heads nodded affirmative.

   "Good!" I said.

   "Tina says ya'll are flyin' to Charlotte for a concert this weekend,"
Susan said.  "Sounds like fun."

   Oops!  I started worrying immediately.  I desperately wanted a weekend
off somewhere with Tina, and as much as I enjoyed having Susan pop in and
out of our lives, I didn't particularly want her with us this weekend.  But
how was I going to gently convey that point?

   Susan saved me the trouble.  "I'd love to go, but we're goin' to visit
Grandma in Jackson."

   Tina said, "We'll do another one sometime, Susan."

   "I'd love to go with ya'll, but I feel like a third leg or somethin'."
She sighed.  "It's just not Dad's thing, ya know... Maybe Mom could go with
me one weekend."

   "That's a thought.  Does your Mom ever go places without your dad?"

   "Every now and then we go do a girl's shopping trip an' a movie."

   "Then maybe you and your Mom can do a concert with us one weekend.  Like
that time you came with us, when we flew to St.  Louis," Tina said.

   "Oh, yeah, that was FUN!  An' this time, Mom an' I can get a room,"
Susan said.

   "Yeah.  We'll see what's coming up," I said.  I didn't want to
monopolize Tina.  I wanted her to have some normality in her life, the
sorts of friendships that a seventeen year old girl would normally have.

   Our meal was as pleasant as we were used to at this restaurant.  The
conversation between the three of us flowed easily, although there were
times that I sat out and let them carry on about some of the goings on at
school, the relationship dramas, the academic battles, things of that
nature.  They thoughtfully tried to bring me into some of the discussions.

   "It's a different world," I said.

   "That's what Mom an' Dad say," Susan opined.  "An' Mom said that Grandma
told HER the same thing..."

   Tina laughed.  "Plato's dad probably told HIM that!"

   "I guess," I laughed.

   We dropped Susan off at her house and watched her go in the front door,
then turned to drive home.

   "Everything set for leaving Friday?" Tina asked.

   "Uh-huh," I said.  "I'm getting out of there at lunch.  We'll be packed
and ready to go.  Take your car to the airport.  Do I need to write you a
note to get out of school early?"

   Giggle.  "Yeah!  I like that!  'Dear teacher- Please excuse my wife from
classes early so I can haul her off to Charlotte and have my way with
her...'"

   "Oh, yeah, especially when 'having my way' includes her in a neat black
dress, and a concert without a mosh pit." I laughed with her.

   She smiled.  "And the weather's horrible tonight," she said.  "and the
forecast is for the front to slide through tomorrow, so Friday will be
perfect for flying."

   "Yeah.  But Sunday might not be.  It's gonna be close." I'd already
given the boss a warning about the possibility.

   "Uh, that'd be absolutely horrible, you know... three nights in another
city, in a nice room, just you an' me..." she thought for a second.  "I
know Susan wanted to go, but I really wanted US to have this one..."

   "I know, baby," I said.  "I'm looking forward to it..."

   "Long, hot showers together.  UNLIMITED hot water.  New restaurants. 
US. Bach." She smiled, eyes twinkling.  "You were serious about doin' a
weekend with Susan and her mom, weren't you?"

   "I feel bad about leaving her dad out..." I was truthful.

   "We can do a trade.  One weekend we steal her mom, then another weekend
you an' him go do something guyish..."

   "Guyish?  You mean, drag our knuckles on the ground, scratch ourselves,
slay a beast..." I grunted.

   "Hunting season' over, butt!" she laughed.  "Soon be spring though.  Fly
him down to Louisiana an' do one of those guided fishing trips or
something."

   "Now that's something I hadn't considered," I said.  "Where'd you get
THAT idea?"

   "I used to go to school with a girl, her dad guided fishing trips. 
Sounded like fun."

   "Fun?" I asked.

   "Yeah, sounds like fun," she affirmed.  "You fly in, show up, they give
you everything you need, take you out, you catch fish, and they clean and
pack 'em up for you.  Then you come home."

   "You'd like something like that?" I mused.

   "I might.  You go try it with Mister Mike.  And if it works, you an' I
can do one, maybe." She looked at me.  "I used to fish with Grandma.  From
the bank of the lake."

   "Every day I learn something about you."

   She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek as we drove.  "You know
EVERYTHING about me, Alan."

   "Not yet, baby," I said.  "You're like a kaleidoscope.  Every day is
different and beautiful."

   We pulled into the RV park and went into our cozy little home.

   "Showers," she said.  "Then bed." With a telling grin.

   "No hot chocolate?" I asked.

   "Nope.  Me.  You.  Bed." Giggle.  "I desire stress relief."

   Thirty-five minutes later I was wiping the remains of shaving gel off my
face as she stowed her hair dryer.  The long flannel winter nightshirt she
was wearing came off before she crawled into bed.  She piled it on the
nightstand.

   Kneeling in the middle of the bed, she faced me.  On our knees we
kissed.

   "Mmmmmm," I moaned.  "You are so perfect, little one."

   "I wanna be perfect, Alan.  For you.  Nobody else.  Ever."

   I stroked her auburn hair, my hand releasing tiny wisps of delightful
perfume.  I kissed her neck below her ear, reducing her to wiggly delight.
Her hand reached down.

   "Somebody's interested in me, baby," she giggled.

   "Always.  Even when I wasn't supposed to be."

   Her eager lips met mine, my hand sliding up her slim waist, around, to
cup a small but perfect breast.  I teased a nipple with my finger.

   "Ohhhhhh, baby..." she moaned, her hand pushing my head downward.  What
she wanted, **I** wanted.  My mouth suckled her lightly, my tongue
circling, flicking, teasing her pert, erect little pink nipple.  I eased
her gently onto her back and then moved my mouth to the other nipple.  When
I released it, she released a pent-up breath.

   "Oh, Alannnnnn," she whispered.

   I moved lower, kissing the tiny well of her navel, not lingering,
because her hands guided me further downward.  I brushed my lips through
the fine hair on her pubic mound, delivering a soft bite, and then I
covered the pink lips of her pussy with my mouth.

   "Mmmmmm, delicious," I said.

   "Me... do it to me..."

   I did.  It was pink.  Wet, delicious, savory, my tongue feeling,
tasting, reveling in the uncontrolled wiggling that my attentions caused in
my young lover.  Her legs wrapped me, her heels digging into my back,
spurring me on as I happily licked her to orgasm.  After her first, she
sighed as I kissed her pussy lightly and her breathing evened out, then my
tongue dipped back into the musky juices and she had another.

   "Come up her, lover," she said.  "You're going to KILL me... And I might
let you..."

   I crawled up between her legs, considering this to be a perfect place,
but she gently pushed me onto my back.

   "Nope!  Me on top this time!"

   Okay... I lay back and let her straddle me and impale herself on my
hardness.

   She looked down on me, smiling.  "I love how you fit me, baby," she
said, gently rocking.  I knew the gentle rocking was a prelude to the
abandon that soon took her.  She knew she could make me come fast like
this, and if she timed things right, she would reach another for herself.

   I struggled to hold my own orgasm back until I saw her biting her bottom
lip, the sign that she was getting close again, her eyes closed tight, the
corners of her mouth turned upward in a little smile.  A couple more mutual
thrusts and I was over the precipice.  When I shoved upward into her in
time with my first surge, her mouth flew open.

   "Ahhhhhhhh!  Nnnnnnnghhhhhhh!  Babyyyyyyy!" She rode me down, falling
into my arms.  I breathed deeply, savoring the sweet perfume of my young
love.

   "Alannnn, every time it gets better..."

   "You're amazing, little brown-haired girl." I held her, loving her atop
me, and the hair wasn't brown, it bordered on red, a warm, rich auburn, and
she was breathing softly and she was beautiful and I loved her.

   Finally we had to move.  Neither of us wanted cold shoulders, and there
was a lot of juice that needed to be taken care of, and we moved
lethargically to tend to these items, but the afterglow was more than
sufficient to carry through.  The music came on, the lights went out, and
no dream would ever match what I had in real life.

   After work the next day, I found Tina at the front office talking with
Mizz Lillian.

   "Ya'll flyin' to Charlotte," Mizz Lillian said.

   "Yes, ma'am.  Concert for me and Tina." I answered.

   "Weather's s'posed to be good until Sunday," she said.

   "Yes, ma'am," Tina interjected.  "We're watching.  Might not get back
until Monday."

   "I'll watch your place for you.  Not like there's a lot of people here
in February, anyway."

   "We appreciate it," I said.  I turned to Tina.  "You ready to go get
dinner, then pack up?"

   She smiled at me.  "Okay, baby!  Bye, Mizz Lillian.  You really oughtta
think about coming with us one of these weekends."

   "Oh, thank you, baby," Mizz Lillian cooed.  "But that's just not my kind
of music.  But I might just try..."

   "We'll pick something, you an' me," Tina said.

   "Okay Tina baby!" Mizz Lillian said.

   We drove our vehicles to the trailer and went inside.

   "I'm serious," Tina said.  "Mizz Lillian reminds me of Grandma.  I can
talk to her and she listens and talks to me like you do, like I'm an adult.
I wanna do something nice for her."

   "I understand, baby," I said.  I was always happy to find this young
lady considering how to make others happy.

   We opened a hard suitcase and carefully packed her dress and my
'respectable engineer' suit and the accoutrements to go with them, and all
our regular knocking about clothes went into our soft weekender bags.  That
had us essentially set up for the trip.

   "Let's go find something to eat," she said.  We did.

   The next morning we both followed the morning routine.  In late morning,
I shut my computer down and picked up my coat, heading for the door.

   I stuck my head into Carl's office.  He looked up.  "You gone?" He
asked.

   "Yep!  Everything's lined up for today and Monday."

   "You're not sure about the weather Sunday, are you?"

   "It's iffy," I admitted.  "But Tina's... We're looking forward to this."

   "Don't sweat it.  We can handle things.  Ain't much happening with your
electrical stuff yet."

   "Yeah.  Just don't let anybody... Oh, never mind.  My lead tech'll beat
somebody to death if they try to do something stupid..."

   "Yeah, that Bobby's a big ol' boy," he laughed.  "Go on!  Have a good
time!"

   "Okay, buddy!  I'll see you Monday or Tuesday." I headed out to the
truck and as I was pulling into the park, I saw Tina's car already there,
the hatch open, and she was hauling bags out.

   "Anxious ain't we," I laughed as I got out of the truck.

   "You betcha, guy!" she laughed.  "I got plans!"

   I went inside and took care of offloading the morning's coffee and made
a pass through the trailer, making sure everything was secure, the electric
heat turned on to save propane, the thermostat set at a 'don't let anything
freeze' number.

   She popped in the door.  "Quick stop, and I'll be ready, baby," she
said. Practical.

   We locked the door and headed to the airport.  She backed her car into
the hangar after we pulled the plane out.  Preflight.  And we were off. 
She actually let me fly.  "I get to fly home, though,' she said as we
climbed into the clear skies, eastbound.

   We watched the mountains pass beneath us.  She was cute, sitting there
beside me, her hair pulled in odd patterns by the bulky intercom headset,
as she tracked our flight on a paper chart.

   "I'm glad we're taking this trip.  I love flying over this terrain," she
said.

   "It's different, isn't it?" I said.  "Blue Ridge Mountains."

   We flew on, Asheville, passing off to our left, and in a bit over two
hours we were on final for a little general aviation field outside
Charlotte.  We taxied up to the fuel pumps, topped off, and then tied down
at the transient line.  Our rental car showed up as planned.

   We loaded up our bags and got in to drive off.  As I turned the car away
from the field, I saw another lightplane on final.  I pointed it out to
Tina.  "Isn't that a Cessna?" she asked.  "Taildragger.  Maybe a 180?"

   "Yeah, I get them and the 185's confused.  Let's go get that shower," I
said.

   "Can we stop at a convenience store or something,' she said.  "I'm
thirsty."

   "No problem, baby doll," I said.  "I could use a drink myself."



   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.



   Chapter Sixteen



   There was an IHOP just a bit up the road.  I'd noted its location on the
way to dinner.  We loaded up in the car again, the girls in the back seat
giggling in the delightful way that somehow disappears from females as age
advances.  Hearing it from the girl I loved and her friend was very
pleasant.

   I looked at Dan.  "Didn't expect to be on the road at this hour."

   "Me neither," Dan said.  "But I learned a long time ago that hanging
around with Cindy was gonna result in a few random situations.  She's never
done this late night snack thing, though."

   Cindy made a cute remark, a little double entendre.

   "Tina has been talking about Cindy most of the evening." I paused.  Dan
looked at me, knowingly.  I continued, "well, you know..."

   "Cindy's been the same way," he said.  "She says it's like finding the
big sister she never had."

   I laughed.  "You know, Bud, I never figured that you and I would be
marrying sisters."

   "Beginning to look that way," Dan said.

   "Tina, they're talking about us," Cindy giggled.

   "That's because we're the most important thing in their lives," Tina
replied.

   "You got that right!" I said.

   Cindy smiled.  The kid had a sweet smile.  "We'll try not to take
advantage of you too badly," she said, giggling at her own joke.

   I glanced at the pair in the rearview mirror.  Yeah, it didn't take much
of a stretch of the imagination to see them as sisters.

   Dan was apparently been reading my mind.  "They do look like sisters."

   We pulled into the parking lot and walked into the little restaurant. 
We found a booth and I scooted in with Tina next to me.  The waitress came
up.

   Dan said, "it's too late for coffee for me."

   I noticed that Cindy nodded in agreement.  They ordered hot chocolate,
and a pastry, apiece.  The waitress looked at me and Tina and I told her
that we wanted the same thing.

   Cindy and Tina started back up on the sisterhood thing.  Tina looked at
me.  "Uh, Alan we're not gonna let this thing drop, are we?" She looked at
Cindy.  Cindy was smiling.



   I said, "Yep, sometimes guys are like that.  But if Dan had stayed in my
back pocket, we might've missed you two.  It's almost like Dan and I were
supposed to meet only for one job and then take off in separate directions,
meet you two, and then run into each other.  I mean, if I was sitting here
at the table with all of us, I'd think this was some kind of fiction."

   "I gotta agree with that," Dan said.  "If we'ed been working together,
we'd've been doing just like last time, running the roads and stuff.  I
would'nt've been hanging around the swimming pool..."

   Cindy giggled.  "Yeah, hanging around the pool, scoping out babes."

   Tina looked at me.  I know she could tell that Cindy was joking but she
feigned a slight outrage.  "Uh, Dan!  You were at the pool to pick up
fourteen year old girls?!?"

   Dan took a swipe at that one.  I think he handed it out of the park. 
"Oh, no, Miss Tina, she was thirteen when I met her." Cindy punched himin
the bicep, playfully.

   "There you go, Dan, coming off like some kind of child molester."

   Dan put his arm around her and squeezed.  "Truth is, we ran into each
other at just the right point in time when we both needed someone.  I
didn't know I needed someone, but Cindy popped up.  You know, sometimes you
need stuff you don't even know about." Dan looked at Cindy with adoring
eyes.  "Even cute little redheads."

   Cindy sort of filled in the story.  "I was livin' in an RV Park.  The
only time I saw kids my own age that summer was on weekends.  And then they
only stayed for couple of days.  I needed a friend.  I wasn't even sure
what a real friend would look like.  In school, it was hard to have
friends. A lot of the kids knew about my momma.  And even in Alabama,
living in a travel trailer puts you at the bottom of the list.

   Tina reached across the table and patted Cindy's hand.  "You an' me both
had mommy issues." She continued, "I had it good as long as I stayed with
Grandma.  But when Grandma passed away, I had to start living with Mom. 
Yeah," she snorted.  "Supermom.  Didn't let teenaged daughter get in the
way of her life!  We moved every couple of months, so I had to drop out of
high school because I kept changing schools.  And when we evacuated for the
hurricane I didn't think I'd get back alive.  Mom's boyfriend was crazy.  I
hate to use the term 'batshit' but if it was in the dictionary they'ed've
had his picture next to it.  And what was worse, some of her 'friends' were
already making little comments about doing things with me."

   "Yep," I said, "that's what I'm talking about.  If me and Dan had been
working on the same job, I would've been driving up the road bitching about
the hurricane traffic and I would'nt've stopped for breakfast.  You don't
know how aggravated I was, first the driving, stop and go for three solid
hours, an' then I stopped for breakfast, and some asshole wanted to make a
scene.  Then I almost got arrested.  I figured it was just what I needed to
put the finishing touches on a perfect day." I saw Tina smiling.  "And
that's one of life's little twists, because what started out as a tragedy
turned into a really good thing."

   Cindy slid up closer to Dan and held his arm.  She smiled and said, "You
know, best possible outcomes.  It's kinda like some weird fairytale where
the little castle is thirtysomething feet long and has wheels."

   Tina change the subject.  "Cindy, tell Alan about your college stuff."

   "I'm afraid I sound like I'm bragging," she said demurely.

   "It's not bragging, Cindy.  It's really neat.  He won't think you're
bragging."

   Cindy told us that she had two 'gifted' scholarships.  "An' I've already
interviewed with the deans of two engineering schools in Alabama.  It's
hard decide which one to choose."

   A part of a previous conversation came to mind.  I smiled.  "It's that
'Engineer's Apprentice' thing, ain't it?" I could see the pride in Dan's
eyes.

   Cindy continued, "Yes, it is," she said smiling.  "The first time I saw
Dan in his element, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  An' every time I
visit the site, it kinda reinforces that.  One day I hope to be an engineer
like Dan."

   I laughed, "Baby doll, you need to set your sights higher than that."

   Dan looked at me with a wry grin.  "Jealousy is a terrible emotion," he
said.  "You know, that's not the worst of it.  She got letters of interest
from a lot of different schools.  Even MIT and Stanford."

   "But I want us to stay in Alabama," Cindy said, looking at Dan.  "I
think it would be easier for him to work down here." She smiled and gave
Dan a playful bump.  "I think either one of these two universities are just
fine."

   Tina looked at me then said, "See, that's another one of those
coincidences!  Me and Alan have been talking about my college.  I gave up
on college after Grandma died.  But now, with Alan, and being back in
school, well, when he saw how I was doing in school, we started talking
about college.  Before I met him, I had no clue about a major.  Guess
what?!?" She looked at me, grinning.  "I got a clue now!"

   "See, Dan," I laughed.  "You ain't the only one that can delude a young
lady!" I continued, "Tina's an honor student, too."

   Dan looked at Tina.  "Tina, how's your math?"

   Tina smiled.  "Straight A's.  And I'm taking the advanced placement
classes."

   He smiled, saying "That's great!  The math is the toughest part.  If
you're in AP math, then you're on your way."

   Cindy is the one that tossed the challenge on the table.  "I think you
guys should move to Alabama," she said.  She had a big grin on her face. 
"If you do that, Tina an' I can go to school together.  I think that would
be the most amazing thing."

   Dan looked at me, a little dazed.  Then he looked at Cindy.  "Sometimes
you amaze me, little girl.  No!  Just about every day, you amaze me."

   Taking that as encouragement she kept on.  She looked at me and her
husband and said, "Doesn't that make sense?  You guys, maybe y'all can work
something out, you know, where you workand what you do." She continued,
"Dan's kinda got a job lined up with a new powerhouse.  So that's an
option. He says it's enough money to keep him in the area, but you guys are
good at what you do.  Maybe there's a way that y'all can keep on doing what
you're doing, you know, going where people need you to get them out of a
bind." She paused.  Addressing me and Tina, she said, "Dan was gonna do
that so he could be around while I was in college.  But with me and him and
you guys, we'd have our own little community..."

   "You know," I said, "she might be onto something."

   A giggle came from Tina.  "That's my little sister!" Big smirk.

   Dan was just shaking his head.  Cindy saw that and said, "We don't have
to make a decision tonight." She giggled, "I was just thinking.  I thought
I'd just throw it out on the table."

   "Cindy, that's an interesting idea, you know.  Like you said, though,
wedon't have to rush into a decision.  We can talk about it, and we can
think about it, and we can talk some more.  Me an' Dan know a bit about the
business, so we can talk to see if we come up with a model that makes
sense."

   "There you go, talking like an MBA," Dan picked.

   This was a hangover from our last job together.  I think I'm a bit more
organized and methodical, a little bit better administrator then Dan.  "You
know exactly what I mean," I laughed.

   "Yeah," he said.  "Let's think about it."

   I saw Cindy and Tina exchanging looks.  Something told me that a
decision was being made right now.

   The conversation changed to the upcoming concert, and some of the other
concerts that we'd been to in the recent past.  Tina was telling Cindy
about the live bluegrass music that we'd heard.  She smiled at Cindy.  "I
love the live music," she said, "but I guess that's not the same as being
up on the stage." She elbowed me.  "Don't you wish you played a musical
instrument?"

   Actually I did regret that, but I said, "I play several instruments."

   Tina looked a little bit surprised.  "What instruments, baby?"

   "CDs, iPod, and a bunch of ancient instruments that Dan knows about. 
Things like cassette tapes and vinyl records."

   That got Cindy to giggling, got me a dig in the ribs, and Tina said,
faking sadness, "I fear that I have married a smart-ass!"

   Everyone had finished their chocolate and pastry.  It was time to go. 
Dan and I did our customary arguing over who got to pay the ticket.  I won,
this time.  We were all in a good mood for the short ride back to the
hotel. In the lobby, we agreed to meet for lunch the next day at about
eleven, then we headed to our rooms.

   Tina was ahead of me in the hall, key card in her hand.  She opened the
door, and I walked in.  She closed the door and backed up against it.  I
don't know what she wanted but I knew what I wanted.  I pressed her back
against the door and kissed her.  The way she put her arms around my neck
and held me against her confirmed that she desired same thing.

   I locked the chain lock and the deadbolt on the door.  When I turned
around, she was standing beside the bed stripping off her clothes.

   "Baby, what'd you think of Cindy's suggestion?" she asked.

   "It's actually very interesting," I said, "if Dan and I can figure out
how to make a living, I think it's a great idea."

   "I was just thinking," Tina said, "if we had our little community, like
Cindy said, then if you or Dan had to go out of town to work for a few days
or whatever, we'd have each other, me an' Cindy, to sort of back each other
up.  That way, maybe y'all wouldn't feel bad about abandoning us for a few
days to go off on a project.  What d'you think?"

   "You know, little brown haired girl, that sort of makes sense.  I can't
see you and Cindy take'n more than four years to get a BA in engineering."

   "Got a question, Mister Engineer..."

   "A question?"

   "Yeah." Pause.  "Why'd'you still have all your clothes on?" She was
completely naked now.  And she had a delightful grin and a twinkle in her
eye.

   It didn't take me long to match her nakedness.  I laughed.  "Well, there
goes any chance of clear thought.  Seeing you naked just wiped out half my
blood supply to my brain."

   She giggled, eyes twinkling.  "You know, sweetie, when we're both naked
we don't need to do a whole lot a deep thinking." She smiled.  She put her
hands on my waist and tugged me sideways, laying down on the bed facing me.

   We wrapped up into a full body kiss.  I let my hands explore her, my
fingertips relishing every bit of her silky skin.  If she purred under my
touch, I shuddered under hers.  She had her right arm under me pulling me
against her while her left hand was down at my crotch, her fingers curled
delightfully underneath my balls.  I would've said 'expertly', but it
wasn't a matter of expertise.  No, it was a matter of her enjoying the
sexual exploration and happily reading my reactions to it.

   Withher fingers wrapped around my shaft, I was hard as a rock.  She
pulled back from a kiss, her sweet face inches from mine.  "You make me
feel so good, Alan."

   My answer wasn't a word, it was a shudder.  She started sliding downward
in the bed, while gently pushing me onto my back.  When her cheek got down
to my navel, she kissed, teased it with her tongue, then turned her eyes
towards me.

   "D'ya have any idea what I have in mind?" She said, flicking her tongue,
knowing that she was driving me crazy.

   "I don't know what you have in mind, but I have some ideas of my own."

   Giggle.  "What kind of ideas, sir?"

   "That hot chocolate and that pastry was nice, but there's a taste I
really crave.  Sadly, there's only one place in the WHOLE universe that I
can get it.  It's totally controlled by this young lady."

   She giggled, playing the game.  "And if this young lady was, like, if
she'll let you have that, is there, like, some kind of reward she can have
in return?"

   "I don't know," I said.  "Just maybe, she can find something to
entertain herself while he's tasting." I brushed her sleek auburn hair away
from her face.  What I saw was, in my mind, perfection.

   "I think the young lady is willing to accept your offer," she giggled.
She slid further down the bed, tossing a leg over my face, presenting me
with an engorged, juicy pussy.  I was starting to move close enough to lick
her when lightning shot through my body, caused by her mouth covering my
dick.  "The young lady says that compensation is adequate," she said with a
giggle, her head bobbing downward to return to my dick.

   After the initial surge of ecstasy, I had enough presence of thought to
start enjoying the pussy there in front of my face.  I knew she was
enjoying herself because she pushed back against my face, wiggling her
hips, urging my tongue to her favorite spot.

   If it was just about her, I would've left my tongue right there.  But,
you know, sex is about both partners, and part of the pleasure I derived
was from the sweet, musky taste of her juices, so in between little
sessions of teasing her little pink pea-like clit with my tongue and lips,
I moved a little further downward on her sweet, pink pussy and helped
myself to the juices that I loved.

   It didn't take much of this kind of attention for her to start losing
control of her hips.  I clasped the cheeks of her ass with my hands so I
could continue my attentions.  I knew she was getting close to the stage
when she pulled her mouth away from my dick and held it against her cheek
as little mewing sounds came from her mouth.

   Finally, she said, "Oh God, Alan, I'm THERE!  Nnnnnnggghhhhhh!" And she
went over the edge, her body collapsing on me.

   Knowing that I could bring my baby this pleasure was immensely
satisfying to me.  I gave her a few seconds to ride her orgasm down, then
lightly started teasing her with my tongue again.

   "Oh God, Alan!  Another one!" she said, releasing a long hissing breath.

   Again I let her ride her orgasm, lightly kissing the engorged, juicy
lips of her pussy, savoring her juices.

   Finally, my sweet Tina regained her senses.  She rolled sideways off of
me and looked at me.  "You know, baby," she sighed, "I think I die a little
bit when you do that."

   "I know exactly how you feel, sweetness," I said.

   She looked at me with an adorable grin on her face.  "I don't know if
you know exactly how I feel," she said with a lilt.  "I think you need a
reminder."

   I smiled back.  "Maybe I do, little one," I said.  I watched her auburn
hair swaying as her head bounced down, engulfing me.  This was another
thing that wasn't necessarily 'expert'.  I preferred other words, words
like delightful, ecstatic, enthusiastic, and words they haven't written in
the dictionary yet.  It wasn't long before her attentions had me feeling
rising surges.

   She recognized this by the taste of my pre-come as she sucked me, and
then as I got closer, the hand that was working on my scrotum detected the
tightening.  This time, she didn't stop to tell me anything.  She just
moaned.  I felt her "Mmmmmmm" resonate through my body.  Lips, teeth, and
tongue worked in concert with her happy fingers, drawing me ever closer to
orgasm.

   My baby knew that I lost control as I went over the edge, too.  She kept
her right hand encircling the shaft of my dick, making sure that in my
ecstasy, I didn't lose control and thrust uncomfortably deep into her
mouth.

   As I lost control of the movement of my hips, a little giggle escaped
from around my dick, and then she continued her efforts, little moans from
her signaling that she was enjoying herself.  I went over the edge.  I
could feel her tongue working as she swallowed the first of several spurts.
My fingers lightly stroked that short auburn hair as the orgasm coursed
through my body.  Her hands kneaded my balls and stroked my shaft, working
in concert with her sucking mouth, relieving me of every bit of juice.

   Every muscle in my body seemed to relax as I floated in the
post-orgasmic bliss.  Tina read this sign too, sliding up in the bed beside
me.  It took a huge effort on my part for me to roll over and scoop her
into my arms.  She brought her face close enough to mine so that a tiny
effort let me kiss her on the tip of her nose.

   "D'ya really think a kiss on the nose is gonna do it?" she purred.

   "Who says I was gonna stop with a kiss on the nose?" I said.  Her face
turned up as our lips met, parted, and our tongues played together.  Once
again I let my fingers savor the feel of her soft, smooth skin, relishing
her form, not grotesquely muscled, but certainly edging towards the
athletic.

   We didn't stop with a kiss on the nose.  However, I reached over, turned
out the light, and then the two of us wiggled together finding a mutually
comfortable position, and from there we went to sleep.

   Neither Tina nor I were particularly late sleepers.  I was drifting
blissfully along in the morning in that pleasant zone halfway between sleep
and wake when I felt Tina stirring next to me.  She rolled onto her back
and as is customary for her, stretched.  People who are stretching are not
asleep.

   I rolled towards her and as I started moving, she perceived the motion
and rolled towards me.  We had a happy meeting in the middle of the bed. 
After a few good morning kisses she backed away and said, "Why don't we go
up the road to that place and get some breakfast?"

   "Sounds like a good idea, little one," I said.

   We got a couple more kisses before we rolled out on opposite sides of
the bed, taking turns in the bathroom.  I came out with my face washed and
my teeth brushed.  And a few minutes later, Tina was out, her hair shining
beautifully.  We got dressed.  Five minutes later we were out the door and
in the car.

   We retraced last night's path to the pancake house and had breakfast. 
Our next move was to get back in the car and go back to the hotel.  No, we
didn't go inside.  Tina giggled at my plan.  I had her enter the address
for the concert venue.  Then we timed our trip from the hotel to the
destination.

   "Baby," she said, "we won't be leaving from the hotel.  We're gonna go
out to eat and then we're gonna go to the concert hall."

   "Yeah, you're right," I said.  "But we'll get some idea of the time, and
we'll get a lay of the streets, and while we're there, we can look at
parking."

   "Okay," she said.  "I'll buy that.  And while we're out, we can kinda
look around for a while.  We did that, but around 10 o'clock, we pulled
into the hotel parking lot and went inside.  We knew that we would be going
to lunch at around 11 so we took advantage of the hour of free time to work
each other up into a state of excitement.

   As expected, just before 11 o'clock, Tina's cell phone rang.  She looked
at the display, then looked at me giggling.  "That's my little sister!" She
flipped the phone open.  "Hi, sis!" Pause.  "We're in the room." Pause. 
"Tee-hee!  Noooooo!  Not right now!" Pause.  "Okay!  We'll see you in the
lobby in just a bit!"

   Tina turned to me.  "Put your clothes on, baby.  My sister's waitin' on
us!"

   As I was getting dressed, I asked, "You sure you're not carryin' that
'sister' thing too far?"

   I got the 'you know I'm right' stare in reply.  "Alan Dean Addison!  I'm
surprised.  The GUY was your friend.  He has a unique wife and we hit it
off.  I feel a connection.  Don't you?"

   "I didn't want to push something on you, baby.  I didn't expect THIS to
happen."

   The expression hadn't changed.  "Okay, baby doll," she said, "exactly
WHAT part of our WHOLE relationship did you EXPECT to happen?" Her face
broke into a smile and she stuck her tongue at me.

   "You have a point there, little one," I admitted.

   Bigger smile.  "Two of 'em, actually." She was bra-less.  "And if I
remember from ten minutes ago, YOU seem to like 'em..."

   "Oh, sure, use sex to control the old guy..." I quipped.

   That statement got me two arms filled with a delightful
seventeen-year-old.  I could've put lunch off for an hour, but people were
waiting on us.

   We got dressed and walked out to the lobby just in time to catch a guy
questioning Cindy about her orange University of Alabama sweatshirt.

   She and Dan saw us walk up.  I said, "What's wrong, Cindy?  Get caught
wearing the enemy colors?"

   She smiled at the guy, then me.  "I forget that people get SERIOUS about
this stuff."

   "Yeah," I said.  "During football season, you can get the crap beat out
of you for wearin' the wrong shirt."

   Dan said, "Nah!  They exempt cute redheads."

   Tina asked Cindy, "Ya'll think of something light for lunch?"

   Cindy answered, "You bet!  I think we can get serious for dinner, before
the concert.  And after the concert, we can do like last night."

   Tina looked at me.  "See, babe?!?!?  Like sisters!" Cindy crossed the
short distance separating them and stood beside Tina.

   Yeah, I admitted to myself, they could pass for sisters.  "We need to
get a camera and take some pictures of this group.  Nobody'll EVER believe
it!" I said.

   Dan said, "Yeah, remember how ol' Bill Carmody used to accuse us of
collusion?  When he sees OUR wives together, he's gonna figure he was
absolutely right!"

   "Yeah, he will," I said.  "How'd he take finding out about you and Cindy
getting married?  They already knew her out there, didn't they?

   Dan's face darkened a little bit.  "Yeah," he said.  "We'd been out
there a couple times.  I wasn't the one that named her 'Engineer's
Apprentice', that was somebody else.  Bill and a couple of the other
engineers gave her the name.  I mean, she'd been out there couple of times
by herself.  Well, you know, I brought her out there.  And one time she
came out with a whole science class.  But when we got married, I lost sleep
because I thought it might've ruined the relationships I had on the job,
but even worse, I was afraid what they would think of Cindy."

   Cindy said, "Yep, Mister Bill treated me like his granddaughter and the
rest of the guys treated me like a little sister or something like that."

   Dan continued, "I mean, they were used to see us together.  They see us
having breakfast together several times a week.  But after we got married,
I walked into the Monday morning staff meeting wearing a wedding band.  I
wasn't gonna say anything until somebody asked, but you know how things go,
somebody asked.  I came right out and told 'em.  I halfway expected to get
run off the job right then, but ol' Bill just looked kind of surprised.  He
said, 'Well stranger things have happened.  Cindy's bright and smart, and
you an' me been working together long time.  I know you'll take good care
of her, 'cause if you don't, I'm gonna save five bucks on the concrete and
the foundation somewhere when they stash your body.' And then he kinda
laughed.  After that, it was hard for the rest of the crew to say anything"

   Cindy said, "The one that had the most problem acceptin' it was my
guidance counselor.  That's Mister Jim.  That's the people we do music
with. And before we got married, me and Dan ate at their house.  But Mister
Jim saw my ring at school an' it shook 'im up, I think."

   Dan continued, "When he called me he sounded stressed.  I told him that
I wanted to keep him as a friend and that I understood how me and Cindy
getting married would look.  You know, his wife, she's a music teacher at
the same school.  She said Cindy was married and WASN'T pregnant and they
both knew several pregnant middle-schoolers and he oughtta be grateful that
Cindy wasn't one of them."

   Cindy giggled.  "Mizz Ann asked Mister Jim when he'd ever seen Dan
without me right there with 'im.  She told 'im we make a cute couple."

   Dan finished, "Jim Hardesty's my good friend.  He's gone the extra mile
taking care of Cindy, testing her, working with the school board so she can
rise to her potential.  I would've hated losing his friendship."

   "So he's over it?" Tina asked.

   "Talk about!" Cindy said.  "We flew with 'em to Atlanta in Sissy."

   "Sissy?" I asked.

   "Our Cessna, 'Sissy'," Cindy said.  "Just us two COUPLES.  We left their
kids with their aunt and uncle.  Had a great weekend."

   I told them about some of the questions and the looks at Tina's open
house at school.

   Cindy smirked.  "We had an open house.  Dan got nailed by the librarian.
Let him tell you about that."

   I listened to Dan's story.  "SO that helped?"

   "Yeah," Cindy said.  "Before that, I was a cross between the devil's
spawn an' a poor little troubled child.  Now she treats me normal."

   I said, "Look, we can continue this conversation in the car, can't we?"
and I herded us out the door.

   Nearing the car, Tina said "Applebee's?  We can do 'light' there."

   "My first time at Applebee's," Cindy said.  That started a whole new
conversation about who did what for food, and our wives mutually recognized
that Dan and I had a bit of adventurous tastes in cuisine.

   "Alan's adventurous," Tina announced.

   "Ain't nothing adventurous about an Applebee's, I said.  The place
wasn't TOO crowded.  We got seated immediately, in a booth, Tina and me one
one side, Dan and Cindy on the other.  We ordered drinks and entrees.

   Dan said, "Alan, I'm not being nosy, but how's this work with your
daughter?"

   "I was worried," I said.

   "I wasn't," Tina said.  "She and I talked on the phone quite a bit.  I
was a little nervous, but it was actually FUN!  Like (she looked at Cindy)
ANOTHER little sister.  She's smart, an' she's a cutie, too.  I guess a lot
of those movies about evil stepmoms and horrible stepkids are wrong.  Every
time she pushed the rules, though, I pushed back, and we got along fine."

   I filled in a bit.  "Tina made it a good situation.  I mean, I can't
think like a little girl.  Last year, I took vacation and just did
everything she could think of.  This year, her and Tina did things together
and then we ALL did things together.  I think she was happier seein' Tina
than me." I explained a few other thoughts.

   "How's the relationship with the ex?" Dan asked.

   "Bitch be crazy," I blurted.

   "Alan!  That's coarse!" Tina chided.  Then, "But I concur with your
evaluation!"

   Cindy giggled.  Dan said, "It's that whole 'blended family' thing.  I
hope it works out for Terri."

   I looked at Tina.  She had a far-away look.  "I wish there was a way..."

   I sighed.  "Her mom'd have to agree to it."

   Tina said, "That goes back to your previous statement, baby."

   We talked about my family and Dan's family and how they received our
non-standard brides.

   Tina talked about her life with her grandmother and how she fell in with
my family.  Cindy was even more enthusiastic.  Tina said, "looks like we
both ended up with new families."

   "Uh-huh," Cindy chirped.  "An' THIS weekend, I met my SISTER."

   Tina's face glowed at that statement.

   I looked at Dan.  "IF they're sisters, that makes you an' me
brothers-in-law, doesn't it?"

   Dan laughed.  "Yeah, now I can borrow your tools..." Chapter Seventeen



   We were scheduled to meet again for dinner before the concert.  Tina had
her blue dress.  Navy blue.  Her hair fairly glowed with that color. 
Makeup?  A touch of perfume.  This was a healthy young girl.  I guess some
misguided 'consultant' might've wanted to tone down her freckles and
highlight something or emphasize something else, but what I saw standing
before me when it was time to leave the room, that was perfection.

   Me?  A guy in a suit.

   We met Cindy and Dan in the lobby.  Cindy was wearing some sort of
forest green dress that did for her hair what navy blue did for my Tina. 
She was a stunning little thing.  Tina pulled her camera out of her purse.

   "Pictures," she said.  "Take pictures of me and Cindy!"

   I did.  And then we roped the desk clerk into taking pictures of the
four of us.

   Reservations got us into the restaurant without a hitch, and we ate a
pleasant meal, not too filling.  We enjoyed our conversation, with an eye
on the clock.

   We arrived at the auditorium and as I'd scouted out before, a decent
parking spot.  I think Dan and I looked acceptable.  I mean, nobody pointed
and giggled.  Actually, I did 'respectable engineer in a social venue'
pretty well, part of the politics of the jobs I'd been on.  But that was
just us guys.

   We walked in with Tina and Cindy.  And heads actually turned.  It didn't
take hours of primping and thousand-dollar dresses and three-hundred dollar
coiffures.  It took two young girls of natural beauty, dressed tastefully,
carrying themselves with poise and grace.  Even though Dan's little darling
looked like she was on the verge of skipping.

   We escorted our wives to prime seats, twelve rows back from center
stage. Tina looked at me when we sat down, then at Cindy seated on the
other side of her.  "This is more than I ever expected in life."

   Cindy tittered softly, answering, "Me, too, Tina."

   We talked softly among ourselves until the curtain rose on the
orchestra. I held my breath as the conductor raised his baton, only
exhaling when the first notes sounded.  I actually shook with the emotion
of the music.

   In the midst of the performance, I looked over at Tina.  She was
smiling, her eyes closed.  Her hand reached for mine and I closed it in my
own.  She gave me a little shake.  I looked at her again, this time meeting
her eyes, knowing that she was not feigning an interest.  Not one bit.  I
glanced past Tina to Cindy's face.  Dan's little darling had a tear sliding
down her cheek.

   The concert ended to roaring applause and we made our way out of the
building with the crowd.  I could feel the dampness on the breeze, now
coming from the south, presaging the coming front.

   Dan was walking hand in hand with Cindy, and I had Tina's arm in mine.
"Rain.  Tomorrow.  We won't be flying," he said.

   We loaded into the car, the girls chattering excitedly about the
concert.

   "I cried.  I ACTUALLY cried," Cindy said.  "It MOVES me..."

   Tina retorted, "It's gonna be hard going back to hearing it off the iPod
now." She playfully punched my shoulder.  "You just ruint ANOTHER thing for
me, Alan!"

   "Sorry," I said.  "I feel that way, too.  Y'know what it means to bring
YOU to a concert and see YOU enjoy it, for real, not just putting up with
my weird tastes?"

   Tina giggled.  "I'm PART of your weird tastes, baby doll!"

   Dan was laughing with Cindy.  "Just like US," Cindy said.

   We pulled into the pancake joint a bit after ten and walked in.  Late
nights in places like this don't usually see the likes of people dressed
like our two girls.  We were seated in a booth.  The waitress passed her
eye on our group and said, "Lawd, don't you look GRAND!"

   The girls happily replied "Thank you!" at the same time, then giggled at
each other.

   Dan said, "She could've been talkin' about me an Alan."

   The waitress laughed.  "Wasn't though." She smiled broadly.  "Might've
just blown my tip, though."

   Cindy said, "We'll make sure you're covered."

   Tina was bobbing her head in agreement.

   The girls chatted happily about the concert.  Dan and I talked about
work.  I knew Dan, and I knew that look.  One part of his mind was on the
conversation and the other part was running down lists of possibilities
opened up by the idea that our WIVES had apparently connected in a special
way.

   As a matter of fact, Cindy kept using the word 'sisters'.

   Tina said, "We're not letting this thing drop, are we, babe?" she asked,
fixing me in the gaze of those blue eyes.

   Cindy backed her up.  "Yeah, you two didn't do a good job, last time."

   "I know," I admitted.  "We sort of let things slide." I looked at Tina.
"You're a civilizing influence.  We'll keep track."

   Following our late evening snack, we returned to the hotel.  Drips and
drizzles of rain speckled the windshield.  Flying out on Sunday was getting
pretty unlikely.  In the lobby, the girls agreed to breakfast together and
then some sort of touristy museum day.

   Tina and I walked into our room.

   "So, baby, what do you think NOW?" she asked, a little smile on her
lips.

   "What do **I** think?" I asked.  "I think you and Cindy are sisters. 
Apparently Dan and I broke into some parallel universe to get to you."

   Giggle.  She was reaching to undress.

   "No.  I get to do that.  You look so beautiful.  I saw heads turn
everywhere we walked, baby."

   She came to my waiting arms.  "Thank you, Alan.  Doesn't matter what
anybody else thinks.  If YOU think I'm beautiful, if YOU love me, I have
what I need."

   "Still, little one," I countered, "You're pretty.  You were stunning to
other people."

   She wrapped her arms around my neck and we kissed.  Her lips next to my
ear whispered, "Undress me."

   As beautiful as she was in her dark blue dress, she became MORE
beautiful as her clothes were removed.  "The music was beautiful, sweet
one," I said.  "But you exceed that."

   She smiled.  "Sweet words, sir, will get you... ME!" Grinning, she
tugged at my trousers.

   Another session of epic joy that was our love-making, then a quiet few
moments resting in each other's arms.  Finally, we got out of bed,
showered, and ended up in bed again, this time the session more relaxed, my
lover more giggly and less urgent, and sleep overcame us as we were in
sexual exhaustion.

   Yes, there was a wet spot.

   We got up at eight and showered together, teasing, laughing, and at five
minute to nine the phone rang.  Tina answered it.  "Hi, Sis!" Pause.  "No,
not this morning!  You?" Giggle.  "Okay!  We'll see you in the lobby!" Tina
turned to me, smiling.  "My sister!  And her husband!"

   We met our friends in the lobby for a run to breakfast.  We were loading
up into the car to go and Dan looked at me and said, "Us sad puppy dogs
have to stick together." I had no earthly idea as to the meaning of that
comment, but it caused two young girls to laugh.

   We sat down for breakfast.  I looked out the window at the low clouds.
Wasn't a day to fly, not with a range of mountains between us and the
destination.  After breakfast we returned to the hotel.  Dan and I stayed
in the lobby watching the news while the girls went to our room to put
together an itinerary.

   They had it planned out.  A museum.  A German restaurant, per Cindy,
because "Dan was in Germany.  Said he liked the food." A movie.  Dinner.

   At the end of the day we simply went back to our respective rooms and
enjoyed the full-sized surroundings, knowing that tomorrow would have us
back into eight feet wide and thirty-something feet long and a shower for
one.

   We were up and checked out before heading to breakfast together, this
time in two separate cars.  After breakfast, our two-car convoy headed to
the airport as the cloud cover broke and slid off to the east.

   We turned in our rental cars and did a little turn at looking at each
other's airplanes, and then we loaded up.

   I saw Cindy doing her pre-flight under Dan's eye, and as soon as she
finished checking fuel levels, Dan brought me the ladder so Tina could
finish our own checks.

   "Who's flying home?" Dan asked.

   "Me!" Tina chirped.  "Alan flew us here!"

   Cindy giggled.  "I'm flyin' us, too!"

   Our wheels rolled before Dan and Cindy's.  They trailed us by a safe
distance to the run-up ramp.  As Tina taxied onto the runway and lined up,
she turned to see Cindy's head barely above the instrument panel of her
plane.  Tina waved, mouthing, "Bye, Sis!" and then pushed the throttle
forward.  We lifted off and departed, turning to the northwest and home.

   After a leisurely climb to altitude, we set up for cruise.  "Right into
the wind," Tina said.  "Gonna add an hour to the trip."

   "We have plenty of time, baby," I said.

   "Uh-huh.  So what do you think about my new little sister?"

   "Second-biggest surprise I've had in the last year," I answered.

   "Second?" she questioned.

   "You are the first," I countered.  "Dan, him I figured I'd run into
sooner or later, somewhere.  Guy's good.  And he does these things like I
do.  But Cindy caught me by surprise."

   "She's young, huh?" Tina said, glancing at me for my reaction.

   "We talked about that already," I said.  "He could've been in jail over
her."

   "Like a certain husband of mine who was consorting with an under-age
girl, huh..."

   "Yeah, but that was just in the state we were living.  Fourteen is
illegal everywhere."

   Tina smiled.  "They love each other, Alan.  You didn't catch the way she
looked at him?  And he obviously adores her."

   "Like I adore you," I said.

   "Yeah, like that," she said, doing 'smug' with a smile.  "D'ya think me
an' her could go to the same college?  I think that'd be neat."

   "I can see where it would be, baby doll,' I said.  "But the 'work'
angle. That's gonna take some thought."

   "Baby," she said, "Cindy said a community, you know, me an' you an' her
an' Dan.  I can imagine Dan didn't want to travel if it meant pulling Cindy
out of school, and didn't want to leave her alone, and I know you'd be the
same way about me.  But if we were all together, then if you an' him were
out of town for a bit, working, then me an' Cindy would have each other to
lean on."

   "That's a good point, Tina."

   "And the whole idea of the TWO of us both studying the same courses..."

   "You start out with your own study group."

   "And a couple of interested males who've already done it." She reached
over and touched my sleeve.  "You ARE giving it serious thought, aren't
you?"

   "Yes, I am, sugar.  I have some ideas."

   "Good!  You know your business.  I think Dan does, too.  You two should
be compatible.  I mean, look at your choice in wives..." another sassy
smirk.

   For the remainder of the flight we talked about a wide range of
subjects, as was normally the case.

   Snow.  Little girls from south Louisiana don't know about snow.  We flew
over miles of it, result of the cold front that provided us with the clear
skies - good, and the headwind - not so good.  The bare trees of winter
stood in stark contrast to the white blanket on the ground.  The winter up
to this point had been a revelation to her.

   We landed in early afternoon, topped off the fuel tanks and put the
plane away.  She had the car idling , warming up as we closed the hangar
up.

   When I got in, she flipped open her cellphone.  "Callin' my sister to
tell her we made it home okay." She held it to her ear.  "Hi, Sis!  We're
home, too." Pause.  "Yeah, it was a good flight." Pause.  "Okay!  Email. 
Phone.  Keep in touch, 'kay?" Pause.  "Yeah, Love ya, sis!  Bye!"

   Leaving me to parse the 'Love ya, Sis' comment.  The girls just MIGHT be
serious.

   Her car.  She drove us home.  Mizz Lillian was at the office.  We
stopped in.

   She smiled when she saw us.  "You got stuck from the weather, I guess,"
she said.

   "Couldn't fly home yesterday.  Little plane doesn't do rain an' ice."
Tina smiled.  "You gotta know it killed us to stay an extra night." She
gave Lillian the short version of the story of our unexpected meeting.

   "That's really somethin'," Lillian said.

   We retired to our little trailer and unloaded our bags., making the
needed effort to put things away in their proper place.  Her dress and my
suit, those went into the hanging closet with the promise of hauling them
off to the dry cleaner's early in the week.  The heater finally brought our
little trailer up to living temperature and we sat on the sofa.

   "How about some coffee?" she asked.

   "Wonderful.  Then we can decide about dinner?"

   She was puttering around, making kitchen noises, making coffee.  "Do you
mind if we do dinner at that catfish place tonight?  I don't feel like
cooking..."

   "Neither do I," I said.  "that sounds like a good idea."

   "We can go back to bein' all frugal tomorrow," she said.  "I can put
some beans on to soak tonight, and put 'em in the slow cooker tomorrow
before I leave for school."

   "That'll work," I said.  "How're we sitting on that good sausage we
brought back with us?"

   "I think we have a couple of links left.  We may have to fly back and
import some more."

   "Two hundred dollars' worth of gas for ten pounds of sausage." I laughed
at the thought.

   "My guy deserves his luxuries."

   "You are my luxury, little one," I laughed.

   To kill the hour or so before we could go to dinner, we dressed up for
the twenty-degree air and the wind chill and made a couple of laps, walking
around the park.  This time there were no denizens outside to greet us.

   "We need to do a couple of nights at the gym, sweetie," she said.  "We
sort of indulged this weekend.  You don't want a fat little wife."

   "I could stand a fat little wife a lot better'n you could stand a
middle-aged engineer with a heart attack," I said.  "Yeah, let's plan on
that tomorrow, before dinner.  An hour, then come back home and eat beans
and rice."

   "Exercise kills my appetite," she said.

   "Just for food, I hope," I said, exaggerating a leer.

   "Just for food.  That other THING..." she giggled, "I NEVER stop wanting
YOU."

   Finishing two laps, we went into the trailer, warmed back up, stretched
out on the sofa together for a while, then it was time to hit the road for
dinner.

   "Let's take the truck," I said.  "I need to drive it."

   "'Kay, baby doll," she said.

   "Okay," I said.  "Lemme go get it warming up." I ducked outside, started
the truck up, then came back in.  We sat for a few more minutes, talking,
then got in the truck for the drive to the restaurant.

   Tuesday evening wasn't a big crowd night.  Half the dining area was
empty, the staff trying to concentrate their attentions on the few tables
in the other half.  We were frequent clients and ordered quickly, then
conversed with the half-busy waitress during the course of our meal.

   I kept turning my attention to the noise coming from another table.  The
occupants were three males, the oldest maybe early twenties, a big guy, the
next one younger, obviously a relative, judging from the hair and face,
probably a brother, and the third was about the same age as the second,
slighter build.  And they were loud.

   I could see a pretty good reason for them getting loud.  The oldest one
kept producing a pint bottle of clear liquid, dumping it liberally into
their glasses.  And they kept getting louder and rowdier and the language
became a little bit too coarse for a family restaurant.

   "That loud one's in school with me," Tina said.  "Real trash.  Always in
trouble."

   That was the middle one .  He turned to our waitress.  "Where's our
gahdamned food?" He looked at his partners and added, only slightly lower,
"bitch!"

   That was all it took.  The manager came out.  "You boys need to leave.
You disturbin' my other customers actin' all loud like that!"

   "Ain't got our GAHDAMNED FOOD!" the middle one said, obviously the most
inebriated of the trio.

   The manager stood his ground, though.  "You boys need to leave.  Just
go. Don't make me have to call the law!" Behind his back he wiggled a
finger.  The waitress caught the signal and stepped behind the partition
and picked up the phone.

   I passed my hand around my waistband under my jacket and felt the grip
of my little carry pistol.  If...

   The older of the three looked at the manager and saw enough resolve to
make a decision.  "Len," he said, "Let's just git outta dis chickenshit
place." He stood.  The third guy got up, then finally, the middle one.

   I was tensed.  Tina saw it.  Her hand touched my arm, her eyes watching
mine.  I shook my head imperceptibly.  She caught the tiny movement.

   The loud guy stood up and jerked the tablecloth off the table, bringing
the settings to a crash on the floor.  "Assholes!" he spat.  "Le's git
outta here!" His walk out the door was erratic.

   We gave them a few minutes, then paid our own check and got up to leave.
I should've waited longer.

   When we walked out into the parking lot, the trio were standing by a
jacked up pickup truck, passing the glass bottle around.  My truck was on
the opposite side of the lane through the parking lot.  I thought that we
were safe, but I still motioned Tina to walk on my left, putting me between
her and them.

   They saw us.  The mouthy one waved and elbowed the big guy.  "See
thet?!?!?  Thet's thet Loosey-anna gal!  She's too damn' good to talk to me
at school." He started walking in our direction.  I turned to face him.

   "Friend," I said, "Why don't you go back over with your buddies."

   "Naw, mannnn," he said, slurring his speech.  "I wanna just talk wit'
dat Loosey-anna gal!"

   "She's with me, and she doesn't want to talk," I said, trying to defuse
the situation.  I let him get too close.

   He reached out, grabbing the front of my jacket.  He was my height, my
weight.  Younger.  And pretty darned drunk.  When he reached, he spread his
legs for a bit of stability.  He had his right hand on my jacket.  And his
legs were spread.  I stepped back, slapping his arm away and picking up my
right leg vigorously.  The toe of my boot connected with his crotch.

   The sneer on his face disappeared as he folded double.  I did a second
kick, connecting with the side of his head, laying him out on the pavement.

   His big (same height, carrying another thirty pounds of flab) buddy came
my way, fast.  I could imagine that these two never had much resistance
from their bullying, because he came at my with his arms spread, intent on
some sort of wrestling, bear hug, sort of move.  Arms spread.  My right arm
extended, the knuckles of my hand fitting neatly beneath his chin, striking
solidly on his larynx.  His shout of "Motherfu..." dissolved into strangled
gurgling noises and he was down.

   The third guy was standing with his back against their pickup, his hands
raised.  "Ain't done NOTHIN', mister!"

   And the blue flashing lights entered the parking lot.

   "Back away from me, baby," I hissed at Tina.

   As the second police car pulled into the lot, I stood VERY still, my own
hands up.

   The officer in the first car was out, his pistol drawn.  "What's going
on here?" he yelled.

   Tina took that one.  "These three guys attacked us in the parking lot!"

   The second officer was out now.  Doofus number one was still writhing on
the ground, holding his groin, groaning.  Doofus number two was another
story.  He was gasping, his hands scrabbling at his throat.

   "Better get him an ambulance," I said.  "He got punched in the throat."

   "Brad, cover those guys." The first officer spoke into his radio mike,
calling for an ambulance and emergency services.

   Brad stayed vigilant at a distance.

   The officer approached me, gun still drawn, a fact that made me VERY
nervous.  "Who're YOU?"

   "Alan Dean Addison.  And I'm carrying.  It's in my waistband on my left
side."

   The officer's eyes got wide.  "Brad, cover this guy.  He's packin'." He
approached me very cautiously.  "Hands behind your back, sir." As he worked
around behind me.

   I complied.  Felt the cold steel as he cuffed me.  Then he reached under
my jacket and pulled my pistol.

   "Round in the chamber.  Safety's on," I said.

   He dropped the magazine and ejected the chambered round, picking it up
off the pavement.  He looked at me.  "ID?"

   "In my wallet.  Right back pocket.  Louisiana driver's license and
concealed carry permit."

   "Ma'am," he said to Tina, "You with this guy?"

   "Yessir," Tina said.  She was standing there, shaking, her arms wrapped
around herself.  The crowd was filling the parking lot.  Alan and Tina had
emptied another restaurant.

   Emergency services arrived, two guys in turnout gear piling out of a
rescue truck.  "Big guy got puched in the throat.  He's gonna need help
quick," I said.

   "Mister, you should've let 'im strangle.  That's Quincy Hossle.  An' his
brother, Len."

   "So these two..."

   He looked at the blonde guy by the truck.  "Don't go away, Sammy.  You
gonna get some a'this, too, yaknow..."

   Sammy looked sad.

   By this time, the ambulance had arrived, too.  Now there was a crew
working on ol' Quincy.  I always wondered how pleasant it was to get one of
those airways inserted while you were conscious.  I guess I could ask ol'
Quincy.  He had one.

   Len was cuffed, sitting on the pavement in a puddle of his own aromatic
puke.  I didn't know how much of that was from too much drink, and how much
was from a vigorous tap in the cods.  I hoped it was more of the latter.

   Sammy got a pair of plastic tie cuffs for his trouble.  He was sitting
in the back of one of the patrol units.

   Brad walked up to my officer.  "Willie," he said, "We need to call
somebody to go to the hospital with Quincy.  They think he may be there for
a while."

   They were loading Quincy into the back of the ambulance.

   Uh, Willie, is it?" I asked.  "D'ya think you could get me out of these
things?" I turned my back toward him.

   "Oh, yeah, sorry!" he said.

   A few seconds later I was massaging my wrists.  Tina pushed up next to
me.

   "So what's the story?" Willie asked.

   I explained.  Tina added her version.  The restaurant manager was there
too, and he knew all the parties involved.

   "We were on our way," Willie said.  "If we'd've got here a little
faster..."

   "I'm just happy they didn't start more crap in my restaurant," the
manager said.  "Mister Alan might've done us a favor, though..."

   "Mister Alan," Willie said, "can you come down to the station and give
us a statement?  And you too, Miss, uh..." Willie looked at Tina.

   "Tina Addison.  Alan's wife." She said.  Her arms were wrapped around my
left arm.  "We'll be there.  Follow you?"

   "Yes, ma'am, that'll do.  Ya'll excuse me while I get this stinky
bastard in my car.  Gonna have to get a trustee to hose the damn thing out,
now.  I hate the smell of puke."

   I watched Willie 'encourage' Len into the back seat of his patrol car.
Len seemed to have a bit of trouble walking.

   When Willie got into his car and killed the flashers, Tina and I turned
to get into our truck.  I had to shake hands with the manager and the
waitress.  Tina got a hug from the waitress.  I got a smile.

   We followed the patrol car to the police station.  Inside, I collected
the forms to fill out for statements, and happily retrieved my pistol from
Willie.  He looked at me as he handed me the magazine and the single
cartridge.

   "Wouldn't've hurt my feelings too bad if you'd'a shot 'im," he said.

   "Oh, yeah?" I asked.

   "Yeah.  Bully.  Troublemaker.  His brother..."

   "I know 'im from high school," Tina interjected.

   "No, not any more," Willie said.  "Got expelled last week.  I don't
think he's goin' back.  Two years in the tenth grade, an' that makes 'im
the scholar of 'is family."

   "What about that third guy?" I asked.

   "Sammy?" Willie said?  "You watch those nature shows?  What's that
little fish that hangs around sharks?  Got a suction cup on 'is head?"

   "Remora?" Tina said.

   "Yeah, that's it.  Remora.  Hangs around for the scraps from the big
fish.  Loser.  He'll be out in the morning.  Misdemeanor public
intoxication."

   "The Hossle brothers?" I asked.

   "Your statement.  Miss Tina's statement.  Folks in the restaurant. 
Public intoxication.  Aggravated assault.  An' I'm sure that when we get
their truck over here in the lot, we'll find us a little weed, maybe some
meth, that kinda thing.  Keep 'em off the street for a couple years, at
least."

   "I'm relieved," I said.  "Bozos like that sometimes decide to get
even..."

   "Know whatcha mean," Willie said.  "You know how to use that gun?"

   "Yessir," I said.  "And others."

   "What about you, Miss Tina?"

   Tina looked at me.  "No.  Alan's been meanin' to teach me."

   "Teach 'er, Alan.  Lemme tell you where our range is at." Willie
sketched me a map.  "Not that she's gotta worry about the Hossles.  But you
never know."

   "I'll do that," I said.  "Hey, thanks!  For everything!" I shook his
hand and we left.

   We got in the truck.  The adrenaline rush was over and I was shaking a
little.  Tina punched me in the arm.

   "Alan!  What IS it with you and restaurants?"

   "I dunno," I said.  "Maybe I should stop meeting you at 'em!"

   She flopped back against the seat of the truck.  "You did that with your
hands..."

   "And my feet," I said.  "Don't forget my feet."

   "I didn't know... I mean, you don't, like, take classes..." she said.

   "Used to.  Army days.  Kept it up for a long time.  Decided there were
other things to do with my time."

   "Baby, that's the second time you've saved me."

   "You saved me right back, Tina."

   "Not the same thing, baby.  And as far as THAT, we saved each other. 
Wait'll I tell my SISTER!"



   Chapter Eighteen.

   It was the next evening before Tina and Cindy were on the phone together
again.  Tina excitedly related the experience to her friend.  It wasn't
until later that evening that Dan and I talked about the incident.

   It was a standard week, at least as far as work.  Things were rolling
along pretty much as planned.  Tina's reports from school were happy ones.
I was glad.  I reflected back to the time when we first met, and I was
wondering what I was gonna do with a high school dropout.  Now, was
wondering what I was gonna do with an honor graduate who wanted to go to
engineering school.  And not only that, she and her newfound 'sister'
wanted to go to the same school.  The whole situation was amusing, if a
little bit unsettling at the same time.

   This far into the game, though, I couldn't imagine being happier with my
little auburn haired partner.  We'd been together for six months now and
the worst argument we've had to date was over where to eat for supper.  And
it wasn't because she just automatically gave in to my demands.  It seemed
that as many times as I was the one who suggested something, there were
equally as many times when she took the lead.  That was with everything. 
Where we ate.  What the evening's entertainment was.  What we had planned
for the weekend.  Truth was, Tina was just easy to get along with.

   Middle of the week.  We got home.  That is, I got home.  She'd been home
an hour before me.  I walked in and smelled something cooking on the stove.

   "How 'bout this," I laughed, "I'm the guy that married Susie Homemaker."
Note to self: stay out a range of the big spoon.

   "Just some of Grandma's dump soup." She smiled.  "It's a 'soup' kind of
day, ain't it?" She gave the pot a stir and put the lid on.  "Let's give it
half an hour.  Gives all the flavors time to mix."

   We went and sat on the sofa.  She picked up her laptop and opened the
screen, looking at me.  "I'm looking at the weather," she said.  "The way
it looks, we might be able to make a run down to your home this weekend."
Giggle.  "We need to stock up on sausage anyway."

   "You sure you're up to it?" I asked.

   "Not like we're gonna walk there," she smiled.  "600 miles.  That's a
nice flight.  And if you're really nice to me, I might let you fly some of
it."

   I stuck my tongue out at her.  "Dan was right!  We created monsters. 
What happened to barefoot and pregnant?"

   It was her time to stick out her tongue.  "We don't do 'barefoot' until
after Easter in Louisiana.  And as far as that 'pregnant' thing, we'd have
to get you replumbed.  But if that's what you want to do..." She had an
enigmatic smile.

   I was tempted to let that comment slide, the 're-plumbing' thing.  But I
didn't.  "Have you been thinking about that?" I asked.

   Those clear blue eyes gazed into mine.  "Yeah, I guess every girl thinks
about it.  Some.  But I really don't know.  I mean, after seeing my mom in
action, the idea of parenthood..." She sighed.

   "You are NOT your mom!" I declared.  "I don't PRETEND to know what
might've motivated HER, but I see you as a wholly different person."

   "I don't wanna be, Alan," she said.  "But she didn't start out like
that..."

   I looked at the serious young lady in front of me.  The Tina I knew was
thoughtful, logical, intelligent.  And at this point in her life, she had
options.  GOOD options.  I told her so.

   "Alan," she said, "I understand what you're saying.  I just get scared.
I don't want to put another child through what I went through.  If it
hadn't been for Grandma... then YOU..." she was in my arms, weeping.

   "Easy, little one... everything's okay.  You an' me, right?  Forever..."

   She turned a tearful face to me, taking a deep breath.  "I love you,
Alan."

   "I love you too, darlin'" I said.  "What's all this got to do with soup?
Or babies?"

   "I'm sorry," she said.  "I think I know what just happened..."

   "What?"

   "Period.  'Bout to start... You know how I get..."

   "I only know that I adore you, period or not," I said.

   "Good answer," she retorted, still in my arms.  In kissing range.  She
landed a couple of good ones.  "Sit on the sofa.  I want in your lap."

   I wasn't about to refuse that.  I sat and let her insinuate herself into
my arms, her firm rounded butt securely in my lap.  "Grandma had confidence
in me, Alan.  I don't think Mom gave me more than passing thought as to
what I'd turn out to be.  YOU have confidence in me, though."

   "I absolutely do, Christina Addison." I used her formal name when I
wanted her to know how serious I was.  I was serious.  "I think YOUR limit
is how much YOU want to do, if we can line you up for it.  It won't be your
intelligence." I put my face at the curve of her neck and shoulder, a
particularly sensitive spot on Tina, and kissed and nibbled.  "You're more
than pretty enough, too..."

   She did that delightful shower of little kisses on my face.  I was
easing her back onto the sofa when her senses returned.  "Not right now,
baby.  Let's wait'll after the soup and we take our shower.  And take our
time.  I promise I'll be VERY good..."

   'Dump soup' was a sad replacement for what lechery was in my head
minutes before.  Tina read my face.  "I love that I can get you that
excited.  What YOU don't know is that you do that to ME!" she smiled
sweetly.  "Always have.  I wasn't s'posed to think like that when I got in
your truck that day.  But I kinda did."

   "You never told me that.  I thought I was just 'some guy' to you, you
know, until..."

   "I couldn't tell you, baby," she said.  "I didn't wanna act like Mom,
you know, just throw myself at you on Day One.  And you tried to be so
nice..." she looked deep into my eyes, a little smile on her lips.  "I
thought you weren't attracted to me.  You were just a nice guy..." she
planted a soft kiss on my lips.  That kiss carried every good emotion we
shared together.  And that is a LOT of good emotions.

   Then she bounced off my lap.  "Dinner.  Then shower.  Then fun.  'Cuz
period starts tomorrow..."

   We didn't rush dinner.  Well, maybe just a little bit.  It was only
seven when I stepped out of the shower.  Her hair dryer was going while I
shaved.  After I toweled off my face, I took her hairbrush and brushed out
that sassy auburn head of hair.  I finished with a little kiss on the nape
of her neck.

   She stood up giggling and took my hand.  "Bed, mister!" she said. 
Naked. Smiling.

   I crawled in behind her.  Couldn't resist the delectable curve of that
butt.  I grabbed her hips and bit her on her right buttock lightly.  Reward
for that was a squeal.

   "Dammit!" (Her language got only slightly salty in the midst of our sex
play) "There's nothing in range for ME to bite!"

   "I can fix that," I said, turning in the bed.  She KNEW that I liked her
biting me, and exactly WHERE I wanted to be bitten.  My arms gathered her
to my chest and her teeth fastened onto my left pectoral.  Hard!  Then she
released me and immediately kissed me.  I clasped her head in my hands. 
One of her hands slipped down and tugged at my dick.

   "I love how you wiggle when I touch you, baby," her voice was husky with
desire.

   I pushed down a bit and sucked a nipple into my mouth, producing a set
of wiggles in her.  And a purr.

   "Mmmmmmmbabe..." she gasped.  "You make me crazy..."

   I kissed my way lower, stopping to plow my lips through her pubic hair,
relishing the soft brushing against my lips for a bit before my tongue
slipped into the forwardmost part of her cleft.  She was already twisting
around to get to my dick as we rearranged ourselves into a happy
sixty-nine.

   I love this.  Tina's pussy is beautiful and really juicy when she's
excited.  And she was excited.  I could taste a subtle difference in her
wetness, something I've noticed in sessions immediately before her period.
It wasn't unpleasant, just different.  And it certainly didn't slow down my
desire to lick her senseless while satisfying my hunger for her.

   And happily, this did not occur in a vacuum.  Okay, well, there was this
little bitty vacuum, the suction of her mouth on my dick.  Her tongue was
tapping on the head, her head bobbing, her teeth dragging the sheath skin
of my shaft with just the right pressure.

   Much more of that and I was going to unload in her mouth.  But I wanted
in that pussy that was oozing juice on my tongue at this moment.  I knew
how Tina worked.  My tongue flicked her button lightly, then I caught as
much as I could between my lips.  She couldn't hold herself back with this
attention.  I felt her pushing herself against my tongue.  In a few more
sucks of that little pea of a clit, she pulled her mouth off my dick and
held it tight, her mouth fastened against the base of the shaft, breathing
in rapid pants.

   "Nnnnnghh, ohgodAlan!  Nnnnnghh!"

   My Tina was close.  I maintained my efforts, receiving rewards in the
form of more juices for me to savor and swallow.

   "Ohgodohgodohgod!  Yessssss!!!!" she hissed.  A final spasm filled me
with a mouthful of plump pink flesh.  She collapsed on me.  I kissed my
prize lightly.  The head, yeah, the one that had my dick clutched against
it, THAT head, started breathing regularly.

   "Baaabyyyyyy," she sighed.  "Gets better an' better..."

   "You certainly do..."

   Languorously she turned around to kiss me, despite the fact that my face
HAD to be glistening with her juices.  I was still hard, a situation that
provided a goal for a hot, wet, searching pussy.  Her lips were locked on
mine as her hips moved, her pussy looking for something to fill it.  Found
it, too.  I gasped as her opening found the head of my erection.  I was
leaking pre-come and she was still wet from her own orgasm and one little
push and she had me inside her up to the hilt.

   She rocked back, astraddle my hips, and looked down at me, smiling. 
"All the way in," she said.  "I love it.  I feel it right here!" She
pressed above her pubic mound.  Then she bounced up and down lightly.  "And
I feel your balls." She stayed sitting vertically for a minute, enjoying
her ability to feel everything connecting us, then she bent forward, her
auburn hair framing her soft, rounded face.

   I looked at the vision above me.  Blue eyes, smile.  Her breasts had no
sag or droop.  At this angle, they just showed a bit of a different
fullness, begging for me to cover them with my hands.  I did, playing with
her nipples before I grasped her by the waist.  Her hips were working magic
on me.  She read my face and bent over to kiss me.

   "Both of us this time, babe," she said softly, then proceeded to make
that happen, sliding me in and out of her, her pelvis twisting to get her
clitty where it needed to be.  Her smile stayed, though it changed to
include biting her bottom lip, a sure sign she was getting close.  I
believe this is the point with Tina where my toes turn luminescent.

   "OhgodogodohgodAlannnnnn!" she slammed her pubic bone down against mine
and shuddered.  And I spurted.  God, I spurted.  Again and again...
accompanied by little involuntary hip movements.

   Her second orgasm was generally more intense than her first.  She
collapsed into my arms.  I stayed inside her for a while, relishing the
spasms of her pussy as she completed coming.  As I softened, it was those
same spasms that squeezed me out in a sticky, wet plop.

   I gently turned her face up toward mine and kissed her face lightly,
gently, until her eyes opened and a soft smile appeared on her lips.

   "If I ever lose you I'll KILL myself, Alan.  I love you.  All my life I
wondered what It would be like to be in love.  Now I really know... It
feels like US!"

   "Yes, little one," I said softly.  "It feels like us."

   I could feel the chill as our combined juices leaked out of her and
slowly flowed over me.  I guess I wiggled slightly from the feeling.  "Wet,
babe?" she asked.

   "Somebody seems to have gotten juicy all over me."

   She propped up on my chest, grinning.  "I had help, lover!  I think you
gave me a gallon.  I think I'd slosh if I tried to walk!"

   "Wanna trade ends, cutie?"

   "Uh-huh!  There's this NEAT thing to suck on..." she said, giggling, as
she turned back to sixty-nine.

   "I love how you do that, Tina," I said, as her mouth and tongue started
sucking me clean.  And then I lapped her and me off the outer lips of her
pussy, then placed my mouth in a seal over it, letting my tongue retrieve
the results of our coupling from as deep in her as my tongue and some
suction could get.

   Several benefits came from this.  First, it was pure joy for me.  Tina's
enthusiasm and love had an erotic content that was very pleasurable when
she took care of me.  Second, I terrifically enjoyed eating my young doll
under any circumstance, but when her pussy was still hot and turgid and
soppy after we'd made love, it was even better.  And third, Tina had
another orgasm.  Finally, we both ended up at the right end of the bed,
satisfied, kissing each other to collect the last vestiges of our mating.

   "Prob'ly won't be able to do anything like this for a few days, baby,"
she sighed.  "Y'know, as good as this one was, you'd think I'd be
satisfied. But I'm not.  I want you every day..."

   "You can have some of this," I said.

   She rubbed her face against mine.  "Nuh-uh.  Not on my period.  But
there's this neat thing I can play with to pass the time..."

   Time had a way of passing.

   One of the things that passed the time was Tina working with her
school's guidance counselor to put together application packages for both
The University of Alabama and Auburn.  "Cindy says she's not sure right
now. I want our options open," she told me.

   I couldn't disagree.  I suggested that she look into scholarships, too.

   "Done!" she said.  "But I dunno.  A lot of scholarship money is pointed
at going to colleges here in Tennessee.  I'm tryin', though."

   The other thing was her eye on the weather.  Evening phone calls to "my
little sister" were interspersed with phone calls to my sister.  And I was
the one who broke the news about Tina's new 'little sister'.  She and Elise
talked at some length.  Made plans for us to pop in before noon on
Saturday.

   "It's gonna be a flyin' trip," she told Elise.  "Your brother ran out of
sausage."

   At work, the word got around concerning our adventures on our weekend
previous.  I showed a few pictures of me and Tina, and the four of us, our
unconventional little group.  And I added the photos to the set loaded into
the electronic picture frame on my desk.  Well, one of 'em.  The one
dedicated to family and fun.  The other had two people on it: me and Tina.
The pictures were either Tina alone, or the two of us.  I was the adoring
guy in those.

   Saturday morning started inordinately early for us, a sort of 'Dawn
Patrol' takeoff, headed south-southwest for home.

   Once we settled into cruise mode at altitude, Tina called Cindy up on
her cell phone and gave her a progress report.  "Yeah, we have about three
hours of flyin' time to go.  I'll call you when we get there." Pause. 
"Uh-huh.  That's a GREAT idea!  I'll tell Alan.  I'm sure he'll like it!"
She hung up.

   "I'll love what?" I asked over the intercom.

   "Cindy says we oughtta figure out one house or the other an' have us a
Louisiana weekend together."

   "That's an interesting idea.  Wonder if Dan's house has a guest room?"

   "And a bed at LEAST as good as the one at OUR house!" she giggled.

   "Uh-huh," I said.  'And nice, sound-proof walls,' I thought.  Of course,
I knew that Dan and Cindy... that 'fourteen' thing hit me again.  Damn,
Dan! What went on in YOUR head?  I imagined all the thoughts that I fought
over my precious Tina, and she was seventeen.

   We flew on under high, thin overcast as the previous weather system
receded southeast, miles clicking away, two and a half in each minute,
passing the time chatting about the scenery we enjoyed from our vantage a
mile in the sky.

   Eventually we were letting down over the farmlands of south Louisiana.
Our landing pattern around the periphery of the home airfield gave a chance
to spot Elise's SUV as she awaited us.  While I attended to the need to top
off the plane's fuel tanks, Elise and Tina chatted amiably.  After I put
the plane on the transient line, the two walked over, Tina helping me tie
our wings down.

   "I remember you talkin' about that 'Dan' guy, Alan," Elise said.

   "Yeah," I said.  "Didn't figure runnin' into 'im again, especially not
away from work.  Maybe a conference or something, but we walked up right
behind 'im out of the clear blue..."

   "And his WIFE!  My new SISTER!" Tina grinned.

   Elise smiled.  "Yeah, you sent me pictures."

   Tina didn't give Elise time to ask the question.  "Cindy's fourteen. 
And she's legally married.  She's a certified genius, too."

   I could tell from Elise's expression that the 'fourteen' thing was a
shocker.  She looked at me.  "And I thought YOU were crazy." She looked at
Tina.  "No, baby, now that I KNOW you, I know you an' Alan belong together,
but I thought he was crazy when he first told me.  Remember?"

   Tina giggled.  "'Course I remember!  You called im an old goat an' told
me to be good to 'im or you'd hide my body in your garden." Tina giggled.

   "Wellll," Elise said, "so far, so good.  Ya'll seem happy together.  But
fourteen?"

   Tina looked at me sitting in the back seat.  "See, babe?  That's why
they need to come down here one weekend with us.  So we can all get
together."

   "That'll be an interesting weekend," Elise allowed.

   "Cindy's idea," Tina chirped.  "Dan's home is what babe?  Thirty miles
up the interstate?"

   "Something like that," I answered.

   "I know," Tina said excitedly.  "Easter holiday.  We can do it on the
Easter weekend.  You get a long weekend, don't you, babe?"

   "I assume so, little one.  I'll have to check.  Construction jobs aren't
like regular jobs.  If we're running tight for time, we won't get a long
weekend." I neglected to say that if we were running behind schedule, we
wouldn't get a weekend at all, but that was just part of the game.

   "I hope so." I saw that Tina had a plan.  I knew the daily phone call to
'little sister' would solidify things.

   Elise dropped us at our house.  For the short weekend, actually just an
overnight stay, the house was just a place to shower and sleep, the same as
any of the dozens of hotel rooms that had provided the same functions for
us in the last six months.

   "Ya'll gonna be over for dinner, right?  'bout five?  Seafood gumbo. 
Tater salad.  And pecan pie."

   "You didn't have to do that for me, Sis," I said.

   "Don't flatter yourself, bubba," she laughed.  "I did it for Tina!"

   "And I love you TOO," I laughed.

   Tina had her arm around my waist, identifying me as HER possession.  She
smiled.  "We'll be there.  Thanks, Elise."

   As Elise's SUV disappeared up the road, Tina was gently guiding me back
into the house.  The door had barely closed before she kissed me.  Long. 
Hard.  Sweet.  "Damn period!" she said.  "One more day."

   "It's okay, little one," I said.  "I can wait."

   She pulled my face down to hers and kissed me.  "I don't want you to
wait.  I'm the one that has to wait." Her hand slid over my erection.  Yes,
I had one.  After those kisses, damn right I had one.

   "Mmmmmmm," she purred after a kiss.  "We got up so early... Let's go
take a nap, hmmmm?"

   "Okay," I said.  I WAS tired.  The nap would be restorative.

   In the bedroom, she turned the covers down.  "I sleep sooo much better
if I get rid of some of these clothes." She smiled.  "Wouldn't YOU?"

   As a matter of fact, that was true.  I was down to my underwear in a
matter of seconds.  I looked at Tina.  She was in bra and panties.  She
stepped into my arms.  "Undo my bra," she said.  The flimsy fabric dropped
to the floor.  That left her in panties, her concession to that 'period'
thing.

   We crawled into bed and snuggled into the crisp, cool sheets, our bodies
quickly warming up a spot as we laid in each other's arms, cooing and
kissing.  Her hand visited a familiar lump.

   "Are you relaxed, baby?" she purred.

   "I WAS getting that way..." yes, it was a game.  I knew it was a game.
She wanted to play with it, and I happily played along.

   "Well, we just need to see if we can get this relaxed again," she
smiled, playing innocent and demure.  Thing was, it wasn't that much of a
stretch.  She WAS innocent and demure only a few months ago.

   Her fingers slid into the fly of my briefs, guiding my dick out.  "It's
CERTAINLY not relaxed, sir," she said.  Her blue eyes and sweet smile
heightened my arousal.  She giggled.  "Sir!  I think there's MORE of it!  I
need to free it from this clothing!" She pushed my hard shaft back inside
my briefs and started tugging them downward.  "Sir," she said, "You must
raise yourself to assist me in my task."

   I raised my hips and she tugged my drawers downward.  My dick popped up
at its usual angle, hard enough to chip granite.

   She slid her fingers gently over its surface.  "Sir, it's SOOO tense..."
Her fingers circled it, sliding the skin up and down.  She looked at me,
her eyes twinkling.  This was the farthest her little game had EVER gone
before she'd plunged my dick into her mouth, but she played on.

   "I fear that I am only making matters worse, sir..." as she stroked me.
"Perhaps if I manipulated these..." as her free hand's fingers curled under
my sack, gently rolling my balls back and forth.  She gave her pretty head
a shake.  "Oh, no!  That only makes it WORSE!"

   She was right.  I was at the 'scratch a diamond' stage of erection.  It
wouldn't take much more.

   "Oh, sir, help me.  I'm sooo unsure of what to do..." she laid her head
on my stomach, her soft, moist mouth inches from the head of my throbbing
dick.  "Oh, look," she said.  "It's sad, like me.  I see a tear.  Let me
kiss it away."

   The bob of her head to kiss the purple cap of my erection was erotic
enough, but the actual contact of her lips was nerve-shattering.  And she
kept going.  Her moist lips spread to encircle me, providing tongue and
suction.  "Mmmmmm," she said.  "I fear I am only making thing worse.  Does
Master wish me to continue my feeble efforts?"

   "Ohgodyesssss," I said.  "Master wishes..."

   "Then your humble servant girl will comply." And she went to work.  Took
less than two minutes before I was squirting uncontrollably into her sweet
suctioning mouth.  The spurts gave way to the final fiery flow.

   "Mmmmm," she said, releasing me.  She dropped the game.  "D'you know how
powerful, how GOOD it makes me feel that I can do THIS to you..." She went
back to gently sucking me.

   I stroked her short auburn hair.  "Angel, you... words fail me. 
Nobody... Nothing compares with you..."

   She came up to kiss me.  I tasted the tinges of my own semen inside her
mouth as we traded tongues.

   Giggle.  "Relaxed now?"

   "God, yes, little one.  I have YOU." We kissed again, and snuggled into
a comfortable configuration, dragging the covers up over our bare
shoulders. And took a wonderfully blissful nap, her hand idly squeezing and
fondling me.  I fell asleep after her, and I know that in her sleep, her
fingers still touched me lovingly.

   It was nearing four when she stirred, waking me up.  She raised her head
and looked at me, hair tousled from sleep.  "We must've REALLY been tired,
guy," she said, smiling.

   "That, and the most amazing kindness done to me by a simple young
maiden," I said, knowing that she liked to hear a little encouragement over
her improvisation.

   "The maiden thanks you for your indulgence, sir," she giggled.

   "I feel guilty, though... I did, you didn't..."

   She propped up on an elbow.  "How many times..." Kiss.  "Do I have to
tell you..." Kiss.  "That I LIKE, no, I LOVE doin' you like that.  Alan, I
LOVE suckin' you." Kiss.  "Who started this, anyway?"

   "WE did.  I was just getting' ready for a nap and this sexy doll
undressed in front of me... and after that..."

   Kiss.  "My pleasure, sir." Giggle.  "Alan.  Really.  It IS!"

   I wrapped her almost nude body (just panties!) in my arms.  "One more
kiss.  Then we get dressed."

   "It's a fifteen minute trip to Elise's.  Takes two minutes to get
dressed.  Maybe just a few MORE kisses."

   We fell back on the bed.  Loved each other.

   We got up and got dressed and hit the road.  Fifteen minutes later we
were knocking on Elise's front door.  Brother-in-law Joe answered it.

   "Come in.  Hi, Tina.  You're STILL too cute for this guy."

   "Hi, Joe," she smiled.  "Where's Elise?"

   "I trained 'er right.  She's in the kitchen." He smirked.

   "Does that lotion work?" Tina asked him.

   Joe looked quizzical.  "Lotion?"

   "Yeah, the stuff you use to protect your knuckles when they drag the
ground..." She stuck her tongue at him and headed to the kitchen.

   Joe looked at me.  "Still a cutie, huh?"

   "Oh yeah, bro," I answered.  "Amazing.  Six months.  Biggest argument is
who decides what's for dinner."

   He nodded.  "Good for you, man."

   Joe knew how my divorce had hit me.  He and Elise were most helpful
during those dark times.

   "Life is good.  Was pretty good, you know, but Tina makes me realize how
much I was missing.  She's... I dunno, it's like we complement each other.
I think life is better with her in it."

   He leaned close and whispered, "I'd tell Elise that, you know, but she'd
take advantage of me..." He laughed.



   Christina

   Chapter 19

   Sunday mid-day saw us back at the airport, loading up to go home,
including an ice-chest with my precious stash of Louisiana smoked sausage.
After Elise dropped us at the plane, Tina giggled, "Louisiana is KNOWN for
good sausage..."

   "What's with you, my pretty young wife?" I asked.

   "Period's over.  We're gonna be in OUR little house tonight." She
smiled. "YOU'RE the one that started me on THIS." She walked purposefully
to the left side of the plane.  "I'm flyin' back..."

   "Okay, little one," I said, thinking to myself, 'Why not?" After all,
her pilot's license was one of the bright accomplishment since we'd been
together.  The flight back was absolutely routine.  Miles passed as we
chatted.  The wheels touched down in late afternoon and we were home just
before dark.

   It was just our little trailer in Tennessee, but it felt like our nest.
I was unpacking bags.  She flipped her phone out and said, "I'm gonna let
my sister know we're okay!" She grinned.  I mulled over that.  Sister.

   While she was on the phone I sorted laundry and started a load in the
little combo washer-dryer.  I heard her ending her conversation: "'Kay,
Sis! Love ya!  Bye!" She looked at me and grinned.  "Dinner?  Where?  Here?
Up the road?"

   "Choose," I said.

   "Catfish place," she said.  "An' I hope we don't have to fight our way
out of the parkin' lot."

   "Sheriff Department says our friends didn't make bail, so we're prob'ly
okay," I said.  "Let's go."

   She was in the driver's seat of her car, warming it up, as I locked our
trailer.  I slid into the passenger seat.  "Saves gas," she said.  We drove
off.

   "So what're you an' Cindy laughing about, baby?" I asked.

   "She's bein' recruited.  Somebody from Auburn is s'posed to visit her at
her school tomorrow..."

   "Oh, that'll tickle ol' Dan," I said.  "He always did have a sense of
the absurd.  A college recruiter at a middle school oughtta do it for 'im."

   "I sent an application to Auburn," she said.  "Can we do that?  I mean,
if that's where she goes?"

   "I think we can, baby," I said.  "Money's not a problem.  It'd be nice
if you got scholarships, but even without 'em, we can do it."

   We walked into the restaurant and got immediately recognized as the guy
who took on the Hossle brothers in the parking lot.  The manager and the
cashier that were at work the night of the incident were there tonight, as
was one of the waitresses.  We were greeted and seated amid quite a bit of
fuss, something that was amusing to Tina.

   "You're smilin' awful big tonight, hon," the waitress noted.

   "Uh-huh!  This is the second place Alan rescued me at..."

   The waitress looked at me.  "You?" I guess I didn't look like the 'ninja
warrior' type.

   Tina laughed, touching my arm.  "Hon, he's a BEAST!"

   The waitress walked off, shaking her head.  It was bad enough, I was
married to a seventeen year old girl, but to have that same seventeen year
old girl refer to me as 'a BEAST' might've been overload.

   Maybe not.  We got good service, although that was customary at this
little place.  And the manager came by and snagged the ticket.  "Just wanna
thank you for the other night," he said.

   "We appreciate it, but I'd'a fought off a grizzly bear in my skivvies to
take care a'her..."

   The old guy laughed.

   We drove home.  Period was over.  I had catching up to do.  I did my
very best.  Monday was back to work for me.  I answered the usual questions
about me and Tina's flying (literally!  Hah!) trip back to Louisiana and
went through the routines of bringing equipment on line for tests and trial
runs.  I ended up seeing where I was going to be running a bit late.  I
watched my watch and as soon as I thought Tina was on her way home, I
called her.

   "Hi, sweetie," she said.

   "Hi, cutie pie," I answered.  My technician made gagging noises.

   "What's that sound?" she chuckled.  She'd met Grady.

   "Me stranglin' Grady.  He's bein' an ass again." We'd been joined by
Grady on more than one occasion, meeting him at the breakfast joint.

   "Jealous, huh?" she giggled.

   I turned to Grady.  "Tina says 'jealousy is a terrible emotion.  And..."
I stuck my tongue at him.

   "Uh, dude ...  how'd she do THAT over the phone..."

   "You know how Tina is..." I returned to the phone.  "Babe, I'm gonna be
an hour or so late."

   "You're dyin' for another round of dump soup, ain'tcha!"

   "Either that or we go back to the catfish joint so I can be worshiped by
the waitstaff..."

   Does "I love you" count if it's proceeded by a raspberry?

   Later, as soon as I got in the truck, I called her.  "Tina, I'm on the
way home."

   "Okay, baby," she said.  "I'll be waitin' for you..."

   I hurried home.  Well, NOT too much of a hurry.  Several of my
co-workers had contributed to the coffers of local government, courtesy of
a local police officer whose girlfriend had moved in with a construction
worker.  It was dark when I pulled into the park.

   When I unlocked the trailer door, Tina was ladling soup into bowls for
us.  "Talked to Cindy after school, baby," she said.  "Sounds like she's
goin' to Auburn."

   "She met the recruiter?"

   "She did.  An' Dan."

   "Might still change 'er mind, baby," I said.  "It's a big step."

   "So what'd you have to work late on?" she asked.

   I explained.  We finished our meal.  That left showers and then...

   On Friday we had a chance to meet with Mike and Kathy, and of course,
Susan at a local restaurant.  That made for a pretty good evening.  Mike
and Kathy were a happy couple, and bright, genial, blonde Susan was an
added amusement.  Two couples?  Tina and me, Mike and Kathy?  And Tina
filled in the conversation between us, her friend's parents and her teen
contemporary friend.

   Of course, there was a second purpose to the evening: another concert
and permission from Mike and Kathy to bring Susan along with us again. 
These weekend jaunts were fun, and one night in a hotel in a city a mere
two flight hours away was fun, even though Susan cut into the 'alone in a
big room' time for me and Tina.

   I regarded it as part of the cost of marrying a seventeen year old girl,
and I didn't want Tina to miss out on having friends in her own age group.

   Tina and Susan left the table for a girls' room visit.

   Kathy waited until they were around the corner.  "Alan, you don't mind,
do you?  I mean, ya'll live in that little trailer, an' I KNOW you wanna
get out every now an' then.  Susan's not a bother?"

   "Not in the least.  Tina loves havin' her around.  And I want Tina to
have friends.  It's weird enough that we're married.  She needs friends her
own age, too, you know..."

   "Susan talks about you an' Tina all the time.  Mostly Tina," Mike said.
"I think that Tina having a plan for her life, Susan's tryin' to figure out
one for hers now.  At least college." He smiled.  "That's a good thing, we
think."

   Kathy stepped in.  "And what I was worried about," she cast eyes
downward momentarily, "that Tina being married at seventeen, well, seems
Tina and Susan talk about THAT too."

   "I've heard about some of that," I said.

   "I was worried," Kathy said.  "I don't think Susan's ready for anything
like that.  I was afraid..." she sighed.  "I was afraid that Tina might
influence Susan the wrong way.  Not intentionally, of course, but just by
example.  But Susan says that Tina is the most sane and chaste girl she
knows..."

   "Sane.  And chaste.  That's my Tina.  You have to understand, Kathy ...
Tina was ...  well, I was her first..."

   "I didn't mean to be nosy, Alan..."

   "I wasn't trying to say otherwise, Kathy.  Just that Tina is a GOOD
girl. Like your Susan."

   Mike looked almost amused.  "Susan hasn't been falling in love ever' two
weeks since her an' Tina started hangin' out."

   "Tina told me that.  Said Susan still has friends, guys AND girls, but
she seems to be handling herself better."

   "More confident," Mike said.

   "Well, good!" I said.  "Susan's Tina's best friend at school, and I LIKE
her myself.  I want things to go good for HER sake."

   We saw Tina and Susan approaching, so we switched the conversation back
to college choices and school issues.

   "It's beginning to look like I might be goin' to Auburn," Tina said.

   "Go ahead, ' I said.  "Tell 'em how you arrived at that decision."

   "I decided I wanted to be an engineer, like Alan, but I wasn't sure what
college.  And then we took that trip to Charlotte." Tina told the story of
her new 'sister'.

   The Carters listened, somewhat amused, until they heard Cindy's age. 
Tina read the expressions on their faces.  "Oh, Mizz Kathy, sometimes age
isn't more than a number." And both parties let the topic drop.

   "You knew about this Cindy?" Kathy asked Susan.

   "Of course.  Tina's my best friend.  We talk about ever'thing.  She
showed me pictured of their trip, and the group, an' how WONDERFUL the
concert was ...  I wish I coulda gone with 'em."

   "You should know that Dan and I worked together on a big project.  He'd
lost his wife and daughter in a car wreck.  He's a nice guy.  They make a
great couple.  Kinda strange-looking though."

   "And ya'll're talking about going into business?" Mike asked.  "I mean,
you can do that?"

   "We're both professional engineers.  Both have good reputations.  We're
looking at how to make it work.  I have some ideas."

   Tina smiled.  "And that way we can have it ALL!  Dan an' Alan can do
their engineering thing, you know, if they have to be on the road, an' me
an' Cindy can stay home an' stay in school."

   And Susan was smiling, too, and darned if I didn't think I saw a wink
between her and Tina.

   We parted ways in the parking lot after our meal, promising to pick up
Susan for the concert in the morning.  Arriving at the airport, we rolled
the plane out of the hangar.  Tina smiled all TOO sweetly as I was securing
our baggage.

   "Whaaa-aattt?" I asked.  I love my Tina, but I can recognize when I'm
getting ready to be manipulated, too.

   "Can YOU sit in the rear seat for this one, baby?  So I can let Susan
try flying up front?"

   "Okay," I said, "but don't you think you'd be better off doin'' that in
the little plane?" We hadn't sold her little 152 yet.

   Susan smiled.  "I don't have to, Tina..."

   "No," Tina said.  "My first time was in THIS plane, just like this..."

   At least they let me drive the rental car.  Tina pointed out that the
rental agreement didn't allow for drivers under the age of twenty-five.

   We enjoyed the concert and the late night snacks afterward, then retired
to our room.  I was the last one out of the shower, and when I marched my
pajama-clad self out of the bathroom, Tina and Susan were sitting
cross-legged on one of the two queen beds, giggling.

   "Okay..." I said, "Tina, I've been married to you for six months.  I can
tell when you've got something up your sleeve.  And Miss Susan, you
couldn't lie if your life depended on it.  So one of you needs to spill the
beans."

   "YOU tell 'im.  He's YOUR husband..." Susan said.

   "No, YOU tell 'im.  I'm his wife.  He may beat me..." Tina giggled.  She
grinned at me.  "So, okay, don't say anything until you hear us out."

   I sat on the chair next to the bed.  "This is gotta be good..."

   "I present to you Miss Susan Carter, Student of Engineering at Auburn
University..."

   Susan's rounded face was smiling.  "D'ya think I can do that, Mister
Alan?"

   Tina continued, "Since she won't be livin' with family, she'll be in the
dorm her first year, anyway, but her an' me an' Cindy..."

   "Oh, come on," I said.  I looked at the TWO of them, both bright, happy,
and EXPECTANT.  "You two are SERIOUS!"

   Susan giggled.  "Me an' Tina's been talkin'.  I mean, I work with Dad in
his business, so I'm NOT ignorant about how things work, an' Tina tells me
about YOUR stuff, an' how she wants to be an engineer..."

   Tina interjected, "Uh, Alan, baby ...  Know who ELSE thinks it's a good
idea?"

   "Lemme guess..."

   "Cindy!  All three of us talked." She smiled.  "An' Dan's gonna find out
from Cindy."

   "Oh, this oughtta be GOOD!" I said.  "Susan, have you talked to your mom
and dad about this?"

   "Not in any sort of detail.  But I have talked about where Tina was
applying and said that I wanted to apply too.  I think I'm gettin' a couple
of scholarships that'll help ...  Plus, Grandpa an Grandma put back some
money in a fund for my college."

   "Neat!" I said.  I looked at Tina.  "You don't have to ALWAYS be so
right, you know..."

   She bounced across the gap between the two beds and kissed me.  Susan
was grinning too.

   "See!" Tina squealed, "I told you he'd understand..." She looked at me.
"You DO understand, don't you?"

   "Yes, I do, baby, but realize that college is going to put both of you
in contact with a lot of different people.  It is likely that you will meet
new friends and your world will expand." And when I said, that, a dark
cloud drifted across my own mind ...  Tina ...  meeting all those people,
including a horde of young, intelligent males.  That was ONE way I didn't
want her world to expand.

   At the same time, though, I looked at the smiling, plump blonde Susan
and hoped sincerely that she'd find somebody who matched her and deserved
the obvious gem she was.

   Tina, though, is a perceptive little thing.  "You, dear husband, had a
dark thought."

   "No."

   "You did.  I saw your face.  Tell me.  If it's not too personal to tell
in front of Susan." Blue eyes.  Loving blue eyes.  Her hand touched my
face. "Okay?"

   I sighed.  "I just had a thought that I was turning the love of my life
loose on a campus full of men her age who'd love to..."

   "And they don't stand a chance.  None of them risked their life for me.
Twice.  None of THEM risked jail for me." She turned to Susan.  "Susan,
excuse me for a second.  My Alan needs a GOOD kiss." And she kissed me.  "I
remember a conversation once, about the meaning of 'forever'..."

   Susan said, "Gosh..."

   "We LOVE each other, Susan," Tina said.  "Doesn't mean we're perfect, or
that we always get along, but Alan's my best friend an' husband, an' you're
my best friend, who's not my husband, and..."

   Susan giggled.  "Cindy's your sister."

   "Yeah," Tina said.  "An' I guess we're all gonna be a community. 
Together.  Right, babe?" she looked at me and kissed me lightly.

   "Looks like it."

   Tina fished a deck of cards out of her bag and we played a game of
rummy, three-handed, laughing at each other's misfortunes, at least at
cards.  I struggled and got pretty soundly trounced.  Bad luck, more than
lack of skill, but beaten is beaten.

   We finally turned out the lights and went to sleep.  The next day, we
checked out and ate breakfast on the way to the airport.  We turned in our
rental car and got a courtesy trip to the flightline.

   Susan started into the rear seat but Tina tugged the rear of her jeans.
"No.  You do front seat.  Let Alan talk you through a take-off..."

   Two and a half hours later we were back in the car, driving Susan home.
It was early afternoon.  "Come on in," she said.  Her cell phone had
notified them of our impending arrival.  She barged through the door.  I
got the idea that Susan had been barging through that front door for most
of her eighteen years.

   "Mom!  Dad!  I'm BAAAACK!  Got Tina 'n' Alan!"

   Mike was the first one to show up.  "Come on in, buddy!  Let's have a
beer!  How was the concert?"

   Classical music wasn't Mike's thing, but he was personable enough to
want to hear about people enjoying themselves.  Kathy came in right behind
Mike, and she wanted details.  I let the girls (girls?  ONE of them was my
WIFE!) take the lead in talking about every detail.  Well, MOST details. 
Including the drubbing I'd taken at cards.

   And I charged in afterward.  "Has Susan said anything concrete about her
college?"

   Mike took on a knowing expression.  "Uh ...  Auburn, right?"

   "How much do you know?"

   Kathy said, "'Nother thing about her hangin' around with Tina.  I didn't
say much the other night because she said THEY wanted to tell you..."

   I sat back.  Tina knowingly slid a little closer and patted my knee.  I
looked at her, then Susan.  "I guess that makes me the LAST to know..."

   "'Cept maybe Dan," Tina giggled.

   I sighed.  "So you two are..." I asked Mike and Kathy.

   Kathy said, "Y'know, Alan, we knew that next fall, Susan was goin' off
to school somewhere.  Mike's been just dyin' that she was gonna major in
Medieval Literature or somethin', and me, bein' a mommy, I thought about my
baby girl goin' off to college somewhere by herself, a sheep among wolves."

   Mike grinned.  "When these two popped this idea out on us, we actually
felt relieved.  I mean, man, YOU are a 'responsible individual' that'll be
right there in town for our Susan.  And she'll have Tina right there, too.
And she seems to indicate that your friends Dan and Cindy will be there for
her.  Best world I can build, man!"

   "You make it sound like it makes sense." I stammered.

   "It does.  Really," Kathy said.  She stroked her daughter's hair. 
"She's eighteen.  I can't keep 'er forever.  And I don't think she'd
appreciate us moving to whatever city she's goin' to college in, just so we
can watch 'er."

   "Mooo-oommmm!" Susan whined.

   "Don't whine, dear," Kathy chided, smiling.  "You'll ALWAYS be our baby.
Alan.  Tina.  Susan.  Works for us.  She gets away from mom and dad, but
she's got a safety net.  Ya'll."

   Tina said, "That's what Cindy said when we came up with the idea.  It
was her that popped up with it first, and it just made sense.  We have a
little community.  Sure, we'll meet other people and make friends, but
we'll have us a core support group.  From Day One."

   "There she goes again," Mike said.  He'd heard Tina get on a roll
before. He smiled.

   "Oh, Mister Mike, I don't mean..."

   "'Sokay, darlin'," he said.  "I been livin' with two women tellin' me
how to live for long enough that another one won't matter.  An' me an'
Kathy're okay with this, if that's the way it goes down."

   "You know Susan gave your shop as one of the reasons she decided on
engineering..."

   He smiled like a true doting dad.  "Yeah, she's all sweet 'n clean now,
but Kathy used ta yell at me..."

   "For turning my precious little daughter into a grease-stained
tom-boy..." Kathy laughed.

   On the way home, Tina poked me.  "It's gonna be good, baby.  LIFE is
gonna be good." She paused for a second, thinking.  "Alan, you really
worried that I'd meet somebody ELSE at college?"

   "I worry, baby.  I love you more than the air I breathe.  I ...  a year
ago, I didn't know you existed.  Now I can't imagine ever living without
you."

   "Oh, Alan, I'm THAT way with you ...  You're the only man I know that
really loves me for ME!"

   "I do."

   She snuggled against me as we drove home.

   As I watched her naked form go into the bathroom, I heard her say, "Only
BAD thing about the weekend was I missed us showering together."

   "Could've sent Susan down to the hotel gym," I said.

   "We couldn't do THAT," she said.  "But I miss our showering together."

   "Me too, baby doll.  Me too."

   "Then don't put any clothes on after your shower." Giggle.  She came out
of the shower quickly, wrapped in her bathrobe against the chill, and
started drying her hair while I showered and shaved.  I finished shaving
and finished brushing her hair out.  Yeah, uh ...  playing with her hair
was approaching a fetish for me now as she threw her head back to assist
me, and I got to see those bright eyes and that smile.

   Her hand reached behind her and found me naked.  She spun around on the
stool and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest.
"MmmmmmI love you, Alan!"

   "I love you, Tina.  Wanna play cards?" I smiled.

   "Nope.  Not even close.  Wanna keep ya nekkid and have my way with
you..."

   Wasn't gonna argue with that one.  Not a bit.  Lusty, happy,
enthusiastic, orgasm lovemaking ensued.  Final score, Tina - 3, Alan - 2.
And of such things is nirvana achieved.

   I guess I was smiling inordinately broad the next morning.  Comments
were made, some rather lewd comments.  One of my more extroverted
co-workers said something.  "Louis, ol' buddy, d'ya know the most fantastic
sex you ever imagined in your feeble little mind?  Hmmm?  Well, it's BETTER
than THAT!" And applause was heard around the coffee counter.  I would've
shown him the picture of me standing between Tina and Susan, but I think
his head would've exploded.

   My two technicians disappeared and returned with a donut carefully
centered in a plate.  "In recognition of Mister Alan Addison, Chief
Engineer, for a put-down, above and beyond the call of duty!" Mackey said,
making a flourish of a presentation.

   Seven o'clock.  Tina and I were just leaving a restaurant after dinner.
Cell phone rang.  I looked.  Dan.

   "Hey, brother-in-law," I said.

   "Don't start," he said.  "I'm used to it now..."

   "Me too.  So what's new?"

   "Three more weeks on the project.  We do our forty-eight hour full load
run starting tomorrow.  After that, it's nothing but paperwork."

   I knew my buddy.  His fun stuff was almost over.  "I have at least
through May," I said.  "I get to see Tina graduate."

   "Yeah, I'm staying here until Cindy graduates, too.  But that's not what
I called about."

   "Lemme guess.  Cindy has introduced a girl named Susan..."

   "So you already know..."

   "You should've seen the two of 'em giggling over their bright idea."

   "I get the feeling," Dan said, "That somehow, Cindy's at the front of
this."

   "I dunno about 'front', but definitely in the middle," I said.  "If it
helps, Susan is Tina's best friend up here.  Terrific kid.  Every bit as
bright as you'd hope.  Gonna be in the top ten of her class."

   "Engineer?  Another one?  Do we, like, have a QUOTA?"

   I heard Cindy giggling in the background.  "I guess we just go with the
flow here, buddy."

   "Hi, Mister Alan," I heard Cindy's voice.

   "Hi, Cindy!" I answered.  It was easy to picture her snuggled into Dan's
side.  After all, Tina would be welded to mine if we didn't have a table
between us.

   "Hi, Mister Dan!" Tina said.

   "Tell 'er 'hi!" Dan said.  "Then you know that Cindy's leanin' real hard
towards Auburn," he said.

   "So I've been told," I said.  "Have you SEEN a picture of Susan?"

   "Yeah."

   "Evil-looking little thing, ain't she," I laughed.  "Her mom and dad are
great people.  And THEY know about it." I snickered.  "Found out before YOU
did..."

   I heard movement over the phone and then Cindy's voice.  "Mister Alan,
me an' Tina are makin' plans for us all to get together.  And Susan's
s'posed to come with ya'll."

   "Tina," I said to her, "your sister needs you to get with her for
planning again."
   Plans and more plans.