Chapter 2

It was the next Tuesday before Tabitha caught me alone, again.

"I did it. What you said. I don't think he's gay."

"Not surprising, but what do you mean 'don't think'? Did he get an erection or not?"

"Well, yes. He got one right away, but that started us talking. I told him I was so forward because I wanted to know if he really wanted to make love to me, and we talked a long time. He said he did want to, but he didn't want to."

I nodded my head. "You have to understand, Tab. Sometimes guys believe in abstinence, too."

"He said it wasn't just because he was brought up that way, or his religion ... he said it was because he was afraid it would screw up his life."

On that, she looked almost like she was going to burst out in tears.

"Did you ask him why? Pregnancy ... what?"

"He thinks he has a good chance to get an appointment to West Point or Annapolis. He's a really good student, you know."

"But there's more, right?"

"Yes. He said if we did it, he might really fall in love with me and not be able to go through with us being separated all that time. And he talked to a friend of his father's who's an officer from the Academy and the guy counseled him to not get tangled up with a girl before he got there."

I nodded in understanding and her eyes glistened even more. The boyfriend might be a real straight-up guy. Or else, he was shining her on ... just keeping his conscience clear.

I told Tabitha that she had probably found a real honest guy. He had ambition and knew, either instinctively or from having it drummed into him, that he might end up losing his dreams if he let himself follow his urges. I told her that there were movies made about that and the woman always ended up bearing the brunt of his frustrations.

She wasn't, at all, cheered up by that. I suggested that it was time to talk to her mother about her feelings. And she said her mom wouldn't understand. I asked if big families were the norm in her family. She nodded. And did the women tend to marry young? She nodded again.

"I think your mom will understand, trust me"

Three days later...

"I told mom."

"And... ?"

"She started crying and hugged me, then said to keep my knees together."

I shook my head in sympathy though it was about what I expected.

"But next day, she sat and talked with me and said I was no different than her. She had the same problem ... that the women in her family were cursed with the need to mate."

I'd heard it put that way before. And I had no reason to dispute that view of it. I'd seen it too many times ... and it made no difference whether it was psychological or pure biology driven by genes and hormones.

"What did she say to do?"

"She's getting me on the pill. And told me to find a new boyfriend. A nice one that's not going to go off and leave me."

A slightly bitter smile.

"One who's not going to think I'm an anchor on his ambition."

"What do you want?"

"I want to go to college, too."

"All the more reason to not get pregnant, then." I patted her shoulder. "Or get caught up in the nesting urge."

"She says I'll never make it."

"You can if you want it badly enough. Look what you do here, you're carrying a 30 hour work schedule, and I assume you make good grades."

"I know ... but Mark is the first real boyfriend I ever had and I think I love him."

"Tab ... he has a real ambition, a drive. If he was just doing it because his family wanted, he would cheat on his promise to them behind their backs."

She nodded.

"If you tricked him, he would always resent you if you changed that ambition."

She thought a minute.

"Vince, could you talk to my mother?"

I was caught flat-footed by that.

"What about?"

"About me ... about this."

I had a bad feeling about this. But, what the hell ... it's not like I was trying to take advantage of the girl, or the situation. And, besides, my curiosity on people and what made them tick got the best of me.

I reluctantly agreed.

Tabitha set it up for the next Saturday afternoon. I arrived promptly at 4, the house being only a mile or so from mine in a plat laid out for low income factory workers and couples starting out.

Tab answered the door and took me out back to the small patio which had an aluminum awning over it. The woman sitting in a lounge, I assumed to be her mother, was in nicely pressed shorts and cotton blouse, and sipping on what I assumed was an adult beverage.

"Mom, this is Vince. Vince, I'd like you to meet my mom, Candace."

She got up and swung around to greet me. She was younger than I thought she would be ... or should I say 'younger looking'. She seemed to be about 35 at the most. Short, about 5'2" perhaps and a nice figure ... ample though small bust, very little stomach pooch, and nice hips.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Brock. Tabby's told me so much about you."

"You have a nice and charming daughter, ma'am."

"Would you like a drink?"

I asked for a beer, Tabitha went for it and Candace dismissed her once I popped the top.

We did a little small talk about the weather, my family, the town, and some mutual acquaintances, then she got to it.

"Tabby says you've helped her out a lot on this Mark thing she has."

I smiled and replied; "Only relayed the facts of relationships that I've seen and experienced ma'am."

"And she says you agree with me ... that she should give him up."

"Well, I hate to put it this way, but it seems to me the boy has character and an ambition and, no matter how much he likes Tabitha, I think it would be better ... especially for her ... if she didn't tie herself to him."

She nodded and took a sip of her drink, I'm assuming it was a Margarita. Not exactly a 'working class' drink, but common enough. Then she let out a sigh.