Chapter 3

Tina's shut the door and reentered her old, now seemingly unremarkable life.

Her mother did not call, and as soon as the bell rang the end of the day she rushed out of school and headed home. Her jump start was halted at the school grounds' fence when she suddenly ran into Herbert.

"Hi Tina, I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up yesterday. Band practice held over too long. By the time they quit y-you had left. Are you mad?"

"What?" Tina said interrupted from her direct journey home. "Oh, of course I'm not mad at you. You just made a mistake, that's all." She said this with full sincerity. Over the past twenty four hours, her understanding of relationships had been permanently shattered. Whatever her boyfriend had done, be it mild or malodorous, paled in comparison to her recent experience.

"Oh good. I wish I could have warned you. Uh, can I make it up to you? I could take you out to dinner tonight." He asked in his meek, charming way.

"We'll maybe we shouldn't... " she started, then she paused to consider. She really did like Herbert. If he had been faithful then she ought not condemn him and her to separate just because she felt she had to spend every minute watching over her mother. "... but, okay. Pick me up at six-thirty okay? I can't be out late at all tonight though. all right?"

"Gee, that's just terrific. I'm going right home and get ready." He hugged her and kissed her briefly. "See you!"

"Later Herb." She smiled back, somewhat cheered. The boy probably had been kept in band class. Tina continued her original route.

She approached her home with new precaution. There were no strange cars outside. She opened the door noisily and announced loudly, "I'm home mom!"

"What are you shouting about?" Her mother replied from the nearby kitchen. "I'm troubled but not deaf."

"Oh, nothing. Herbert's taking me out to dinner tonight." Tina went straight to her mother.

"That's good. You need to get out of the house. I know I'm causing you too much worry, I just wish you wouldn't."

"Yeah, right mom. Do you know the half of it?"

"Well, I guess not." Her mother looked sad, knowing she had, in a serious way, failed her daughter. "I've been thinking, wondering actually. How did you feel, being there, this morning? Wasn't it terrible for you?"

"Yes mother, it was awful. I'll never understand, but do you realize the danger you're putting yourself in?"

"No." Cynthia admitted freely. "When I'm in that state I don't think of anything at all, just desperate for sex. I can't imagine what I look like, but you saw it today, all of me, every nook and cranny. You heard every foul word. You saw my darkest life. How can you even stand to look at me?" She was in tears.

"Aw, mom, i-it wasn't unbearable. You needed somebody. I know it now. That's why I kissed you." Tina went to her mother and hugged her.

"You did?" Her mother barely spoke aloud.

"Huh?"

"It was nothing. I'm so overwhelmed you can still love me. I know I'd die if you didn't understand. You're father will be here soon. I'm glad you're going out tonight, but soon I'll need somebody again. I promise you Tina, I'll let you know."

"Yes, I'm sure." Tina added her tears to her mother's.

They wept together for a while then they began preparing the meal for two. Afterward, Tina went and dressed for Herbert.

"Hulloo my dearest daughter." Her father hugged her blithely as she returned to the living room. "All dressed up? Are you taking me out tonight?" He winked.

"I'm your only daughter, dad. In fact I'm your only child, and no, mother is taking you in tonight. I'm getting out of your ways."

"Are you sure you're my only offspring? I'm not even sure."

"Yeah, yeah, make jokes. How was your day?"

"The company is a bastard child and I'm a son of a bitch. We have reason to get along. You and your mother won't starve this winter as least."

"Ooo, mighty hunter make big kill?" Tina asked, her eyes twinkling.

"We may have to expand the larder, yes."

"That's great dad! Tomorrow you can take both of us out."

"Oh yeah? Women! They'll chain a man to their pleasures until he runs dry." Mr. Brady laughed.

The metaphor Tina heard quickly dampened her spirits. "Uh, yeah. I guess so. I-I'm glad you had a great day." She feigned her former cheer.

Fortunately, a car blasted its horn outside.

"Darn those kids, can't they muster the will to meet a girl's folks once in a while?" Tina's dad cursed humorously.

"Gotta go, dad. Love you." Tina kissed her father and ran outside. She hopped into Herbert's miraculously surviving VW Bug and waved goodbye at her house.

"Drive on Herbert, my dad may get his shotgun."

"What?" The easily startled Herbert gasped?

"Go, silly go."

Herbert nervously floored the accelerator and promptly stalled the Bug. "Oh, shit. Sorry." He restarted the engine and they haltingly rode up to speed.

"Burgers okay?" Herbert asked in his usual brief way.

"Uh, sure. Whatever." Tina absentmindedly bit her nails.

They drove on. Tina was thinking she should say something about Anna. She knew it was silly, but she new that bitch hated her too. Herbert was a good boy, kinda dull, but didn't pressure her either. Anything she did made him the happiest sophomore in the world. She liked that kind of compliment.

"Herbert?" She started.

"Yes, my bright little garden flower?" He said sincerely.

"What?" Tina asked startled. Herbert never said anything romantic!

"Uh, I called you a little flower. Did I say something wrong?" He immediately took the defensive.

"No silly, that was nice. I like you Herbert." She quickly kissed his cheek, and he blushed almost until he was purple. "I was going to ask if you knew Anna Wyse."

"Uh... uh - no!" Herbert jumped in his seat at her question, and Tina's heart suddenly sank.

"Herbert!" She cried, louder than she expected. "Why are you acting guilty? Do you know her?"

"Uh... y-yes." He dropped his head and admitted it, again guiltily. "I saw her yesterday. I'm so sorry. It was awful!"

"Herbert. Stop the car. Pull over right now!" Tina shouted. She was too angry to be merely upset at him and simply make him driver her home immediately. "You're going to tell me everything."

"Can't we just get some burgers?" He whined miserably.

"Now Herbert, or I'm going back home."

"Okay." He pulled off the road on a dirt patch near some trees. Night had completely fallen, and after he shut the engine off and doused the headlights, only the interior light illuminated the cab. "Where should I begin?" He asked meekly.

She had to tell him everything. "At the beginning, Herbert, and don't 'forget' anything. What did you do?"

"Well, I was late for band practice. I was. Really. She was waiting for me outside the door. She said 'hello', and I nodded back.

"Well she followed me for a second as I headed for my car, then she asked me to follow her. Well, she told me really. I thought if I didn't I was going to get into trouble. She lead me to some bleachers, and went under them. It was kinda dark, and I really didn't want to go in there, because there were probably spiders and worse in there. But she demanded that I go. Well. I didn't. Maybe she had some of her football friends in there and they were going to beat me up. Then she said that some of her friends were waiting on top of the bleachers and they would beat me up if I didn't go in. Gosh, Tina, I really didn't want to." Herbert interrupted himself.

"Okay, Herbert. Then what." Tina was surprised at her calmness. The boy was a total nerd. Maybe she didn't like him. No. She did. She was afraid she was going to have to kill him though.

"We'll I went in, and I found her sitting on a crossbeam. She was looking down at me, giggling. 'Well, what are you going to do now stupid?' I looked around, but I didn't see anything to giggle about. 'Huh?' I asked.

'Gee, your really are dense. Look up here.' She opened her legs above me, and I saw it. She wasn't wearing, uh, she didn't have any, uh, er..." He stuttered.

"Go on." Tina spurred him, not terribly suspenced.

"... she didn't have any underwear." He whispered. "The light was dim, but I could see... everything. I froze. I didn't know what to do. I said. 'I better go home.' She called me a little shit head, and I wanted to run, but then she said. 'Does Tina have one of these?' She asked it like an insult. 'Do you want to touch it to make sure you know what it is?' She dared me. Gosh, I was so angry I said 'Yeah.' I'm sorry Tina, I don't know what came over me. I was terrible."

"No, Herbert, that's all right. What happened next? I want to hear everything."

Herbert visibly gulped. "Well, she said I could only touch her if I wasn't queer. She said I had to prove myself first. God, how I hate her! I opened my pants. If she could, then I wasn't going to back down. I'm sorry."

"What happened Herbert? Tell me."

"Well, she laughed. She just sat up there and laughed. She said I was a toy balloon without any air. Then she called out to her friends. I tried to put my pants back together, but I was so miserable and confused, I jammed the zipper. Three guys dropped down from the bleachers and started laughing. 'Look at the empty weenie. Look at the empty weenie.' I just buttoned my top button and ran. They just laughed. I'm a jerk Tina. I'm sorry. I should just take you home."

"You are a jerk." Tina said deliberately. Then she cuffed him playfully. "You're a funny kind of jerk. I don't hate you Herbert. Just don't ever do that again!"

"Are you kidding? I couldn't even face her again. I didn't even want to go to school again. I was so stupid!"

"Stop kicking yourself." She grabbed him. "Herbert, it' okay. I forgive you." She told him then her face turned dark. "I just want to know how that bitch gets off trying to say I don't have a cunt!"

"Huh?" Herbert recoiled at the word 'cunt'. Tina ignored his shyness. She was just gearing up.

"Herbert, if you ever want to see a cunt. You ask me, okay? You're my property. I suffer your endearing stupidity happily, because I know you're a good guy. If I catch that creep trying to say I'm some idiot virgin I'll paste her ass to the floor tiles." Tina didn't even notice how hard she was grabbing Herbert. He winced, but she kept squeezing him like a doll. Neither did she realized where she was leading and what was driving her. All Tina could see was that cunt's face, Anna, and how she wanted to drive her fist through it. Finally she desisted, and released Herbert, but an odd calm had draped across her.