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."