Chapter 5: Tina, Angel of Our Hearts

For several weeks after I received the news about Birdie. None of the girls on the swim team left me alone for long. It wasn’t until I met Tina that they felt it was safe to let me be on my own.

Tina was a total opposite of my girls. She was pretty but due to leg deformities she had endured over a dozen surgeries, with months of therapy. She was under four feet tall with badly bowed legs. But her mind and spirit were unstoppable, her energy was infectious, and she just couldn’t be stopped. While she was my age, she was only in the eighth grade, because of her medical issues.

They denied it but I’m convinced the girls set me up. I met her at the What-A-Burger, and we hit it off right away. It was a few days before what was to be her last surgery and she spent a month at the Shriner’s Children’s Rehab Center in a nearby town. I went every other day to visit her and one of the girls went with me. Tina became just one of us. We brought her homework and mentored her so when she got out of rehab, she would be able to test out of the eighth grade and start the new year as a freshman. The last weekend in January, I asked her out for the first time

I picked her up and took her to Orlando for a meal, then we went to a teen disco----not the disco of the 70’s---for a while then to the groves.

When we sat in the back, she plopped onto my lap. “I’ve never kissed anyone, so I need you to teach me.” We went slow, and she soaked it in.

When I started to kiss her neck, she immediately started to take her clothes off, but I stopped her. “That’s my job, let’s just take it slow and enjoy the process.” As I slowly kissed my way down her body, I would remove each clothing item as it impeded my progress. Her breasts were small, kind of conical with large areolas, almost as sensitive as her nipples. The first time I made contact, my mouth made her grab my head and pull me in to her breast and signaled me that I was to give them special attention. Eventually I continued my exploration of this little pixie, and soon she was naked with my head between her legs.

“I never dreamed that I would ever be here with any guy like this. Specially with a guy like you. I’m not like the other girls.”

“And the other girls are not like you. We are all the product of the scars we accrue in life. Yours are right out there for the world to see, theirs are deeper, hidden, but still there. Some scars are more painful than others. The jerks of the world only look for the surface beauty, a pretty face, good body, and so on. My girl’s saw the beauty within you, that’s why they got me to meet you.

“You think those pretty girls, that have all been here like this, selected me to meet with you so we can do this?” She started to get upset. “Do you send them out to get girls into your bed?”

I sat up and moved beside her. “First of all, when I use the term my girls, it’s not me with a possessive attitude toward them. Collectively, they have claimed me as there’s. It took a while for me to understand that they are ‘my girls’ because they are in controlmade the decision of that.that I was there guy.” I had to laugh. “They seem to be far more possessive of me than I them. They chose you because they liked who you were and thought we would be good together. I love them and they love me. We have ... all of us have started to develop feelings for you. You wouldn’t be here otherwise. We need to call it a night until you are comfortable that I am here for you, and not just for this.”

She started to protest but I placed a finger on her lips. “As much as I love being here with you, it wouldn’t be right if you had the slightest reservations about my intentions, which you obviously do.” I started to help her get dressed. “If you don’t mind, I think you should talk to one of the girls. Do you have a preference?”

“Wanda, I think, if you don’t mind.”

We went to Barbara’s house, who called Wanda. She was knocking at the door within fifteen minutes. Wanda came in and gave me a little kiss. “What’s up.”

“I suggested that Tina have a little talk with you guys about this wacky relationship that all of us seem to have, and who owns who.”

“Oh, That talk.” Wanda looked at Barbara, who looked at her mom.

“Don’t look at me, daughter. Tina dear, if you have any questions that you think I can help you with, I will always be here for you.” She laughed. “I’ve sort of become the den mother of this crazy group. I will tell you this. There is not a person on the face of this earth, I would trust my little girl with more than that klutz.

“HEY, Just because I tripped over your tulips...”

“Anyway, if this guy says something, he means it. You will always know where you stand with him.”

“Wanda, Tina you can use my room. Would you like me to join you?” Tina gave a little nod, and they headed off to Barbara’s room.

“Tom, can we talk?”

“Sure, anytime ... mom.” I got hit with a dish rag.

“I’ve talked to some of the mothers that know Tina’s family. Her dad has some religious Ideas that Tina’s medical problems are a judgement from god, and any treatment is just delaying that judgement. Her mother has just given up hope for Tina’s future, and she shouldn’t bother to have any hope for herself. You’re going to have an up-hill battle to get her to realize she deserves a meaningful life regardless of how long she may have.”

“Well, your girl doesn’t call me the Don Quixote of Central Florida for nothing. All we can do is the best we can. Barbara has told you about my change in fortune, hasn’t she.”

“Yes, she said you gave her permission, she also said that you’re having a hard time accepting that her mother wants you to have that money. Do you realize that your Birdie is giving you the tools to be the best you can.” Nancy walked over and took me in her arms. “You know I’m good friends with Chief Simmons.” I nodded. “He said that you were instrumental in Becky and Carol getting out from under Carol’s husband’s thumb. Then there is Wanda in there, yes, she told me the whole story. Then there is Sandy, and my girl. Because of that young woman coming into your life, you have had a profound impact on at least five young women, and I can guarantee you’ve changed the lives of every girl on the swim team. Their mothers tell me all the time how their girls standards in who they date have risen. What can you do when you don’t have to worry about money. Bill also said that you had struggles of your own with your parents. I noticed that no one had asked about your whereabouts the last few weeks while you were struggling with this.”

“I nodded, we have come to an armistice of sorts they don’t ask, and I don’t tell.”

“Well, we have a five-bedroom house, one of those is yours if you want it.”

I thought about it for several minutes before answering. “I appreciate that, and I may stay once in a while and keep my stuff here. Only if you let me pay rent. That is not negotiable. Also, we are kind of using your place as a club house, so I insist on paying for some of the food we scarf down. The grocery bills must be staggering. Maybe adding a pool.”

“I have to hand it to you; you are a consistently stubborn young klutz.” All I could do do was sshrug hrug my shoulders.

About an hour later Wanda and Barbara wandered out of her bedroom. “I’m fairly sure we’ve straightened things out with Tina. That was our fault. We never really explained our relationship. Everyone in our group, so far, has been extremely close because we grew up together, so trust wasn’t an issue. The next time we’ll do a better job.”

“The next time. Was Tina right, y’all are going around finding girls for me?”

“That’s not it at all. We saw Tina and saw her through your eyes. I’m ashamed to say that if we hadn’t, Tammy and I would never have tried to get to know her, and that would have been our loss. Tina is a force of nature when she allows herself to be herself. As far as the next time goes, we aren’t on the lookout for other girls, or women.” Barb gave her mother an evil grin. “We have made a point of meeting different types of people than that we normally would have. We had our own little click going and were missing out on knowing some great people.”