Sometimes your past catches up with you. Sometimes it it bad. This time it's good.
I had been working at my job of 10 years building heavy equipment. We had been putting in over 80 hours a week, for the past 6 months. With only Sundays off my time was limited. But our 2 week shutdown was coming up next week. And that meant vacation. 2 weeks to decompress. I was 45 years old and exhausted.
Finally. Monday. Day 1 of vacation. There were a few things I had been planning around the house. The major project was to upgrade the garage. I had purchased pretty much all the lumber and other necessities and got started. My power saw, however had other plans. I plugged it in and the smell and smoking testimony told me it just died. Oh, well. It was old anyways.
Locking up the house, I pegged the useless device into the recycle bin and climbed into my truck. I headed to the nearest hardware store, a Lowe's. I grabbed a buggy and proceeded to the power tools section. I chose a DeWalt power saw. I waited in line. Behind me I heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, Wayne!"
I turned and behind me was a Black man about my age. Confusion turned to recognition. It was Tony. One of my buds from High School. Muscular and athletic, Tony had no problem with the ladies
"Tony!! Man, how are you? How long has it been? 1982? Graduation?"
We shook hands.
"Yeah, it's been a while."
After telling him I was on vacation and other small talk in line it was my turn. My purchase completed I waited by the door. He headed my way and we walked to the parking lot. Tony had bought 3 window sets and was installing them in his house. He was adding a room addition and was almost finished with the big stuff.
"Tony, how is Tia doing? Man, I haven't seen her since school."
Tia was Tony's sister. She was a demure, wonderfully curvy and voluptuous girl with large boobs. A year younger than me, a bit shorter she put me through torments all through High School. She had the prettiest smile. We were good friends and I had a big crush on her. Some of the guys at school gravitated toward her because of her chest. Some would talk about her spreading rumors. Most of us that knew her would defend her, violently sometimes, getting into fights, mashing them into a pulp, me included. Tia was a girl I loved to talk with. The times when she was having a bad day, she would sit by me. and we'd chat. I would encourage her. And then I would make her laugh. Hysterically.
It seemed to brighten her day.
I tried to get the courage to ask her out on a date, but I was a bit of a geeky White boy back then. Plus I didn't have a car. So I never did. I always felt I could never get a wonderful girl like her.
"She's doing good, but she's been through a lot lately. She lives at my house. She became a nurse at St. Joe's a few years after graduation."
"Really!"
"She got called in this morning on her day off."
Bummer. I know how much having a day off means.
"I'm glad she's doing well." I said, remembering the things I told her long ago.
In the middle of our senior year she was considering what to do after graduation. During lunch she said she wanted to go to school and become a nurse but was afraid of failing.
"Nonsense, Tia! You can do this. Don't sell yourself short. And don't let anyone tell you different. You know, it's better to shoot for the moon and miss, than to aim for nothing and get it."
Tia smiled. A smile that melted my heart. Her eyes glowed. She looked so beautiful. It looked like she was gonna cry.
"Thank you, Wayne. You have always been so sweet and respectful to me, You always encourage me when I am down."
Tia gave me a big hug. I thought I was gonna melt! I felt the firmness of her breasts against my chest. I smelled her scent. Felt her softness, so warm and wonderful. She kissed me on the cheek.
Some of our friends saw us and began teasing us playfully.
"Get a room, you two!!"
We both laughed.
"Yeah, yeah guys...give it a break!!" I told them.
I was in Heaven for days.
All during school she was always sweet to me and had beautiful eyes. A face I could look at for hours!
Tony had parked not far from me. I had loaded the saw in the back of my truck and was finishing securing the tonneau cover.
I walked over to Tony's truck and helped him strap the windows down.
"Thanks, man."
"No problem Tony"
"Hey Wayne, you said you were on vacation, right? I could use your help. The guy I hired bailed on me. I'll even pay you."
"Don't worry about paying me, I'm glad to help. One condition though. You buy lunch!"
Tony laughed, Deal!! Pizza good enough??"
"Let's go!"
I followed Tony to his house. We unloaded the windows and went to work.
We worked for a few hours. Tony called Domino's.
45 minutes later lunch arrived.
We sat and ate, talking about the past.
I told him how my plans went south after school. I joined the Marines but didn't make it through boot camp. Due to my asthma I was released with an honorable discharge. For the next few years I had travelled about. I moved around after that to California and then Texas and finally settling back home in Georgia. I spoke of how for 7 months I was married to a woman named Wendy who turned out to be a vindictive shrew. She left and went back to her ex husband. She got very little out of the divorce. I kept my home.
Tony had got a job with the city, straight out of High School. He inspected houses and helped rehabilitate the historic buildings around the area. He married his High School sweetheart, Inga. A girl I knew. They have 6 kids. Five were grown. The youngest, Mark was 15. Inga became a bank manager after college.
After lunch we went back to securing and reinforcing the window frames. Then we installed the window sets which didn't take very long. We had finished and Tony turned on the window unit on the other wall. The room began to fill with cool air.
Around 330pm, we began cleaning up, regaling in our carpentry success. Glad I learned how to install a window today.
Outside was the flash of reflected sunshine and the crunch of gravel as a car pulled up.
The front door to the house opened and closed.
Then I heard her voice.
"Tony? Are you here? Whose truck is that outside?"
Tia walked into the room, still in her nurses uniform, Still looking as beautiful as ever. She had grown a bit.
Wow.
"Tony, who is your friend?
Our eyes met.
"Hey there!" I said beaming.
For a moment she said nothing. Then her eyes grew wide.
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen we have recognition!
"Wayne?!? Is that really you? Oh, my goodness!"
"Yes!"
She rushed to me, threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. After all these years, I thought I would melt again! And then she kissed me on the mouth! Oh, my God! I was about to burst! For 10 seconds she kissed me with lips that were soft as silk. And her kiss tasted incredible! I hoped she didn't notice the rise between my legs.
"Well, hello to you too!"
Tia laughed. That wonderful laugh I would never get tired of hearing.
"What are you doing here?"
I told her on the events of the day and how I wound up at the house and we were finished for the day.
Tia and Tony exchanges the usual pleasantries only a brother and sister can have.
After, her attention returned to me.
"Well. We. We gotta talk!"
She saw him rolling up the extension cords and piling setting them in the corner.
"Tony, can I borrow him for a few minutes?"
"You two ahead. I am done for the day. I have to pick up Inga and Mark. I'll be back. Wayne, thanks for your help, man. Couldn't have got it done with out you."
"My pleasure, Tone. Anytime."
We shook hands.
"I'm outta here. Bye."
Tia took my hand and guided me to the kitchen table. As I sat, she asked if I wanted something to drink.
"Iced tea, if you got it."
"I do."
She brought our glasses and sat next to me. We began to talk. She rested her head on her hand looked at me as I talked. I told her how I joined the military after Graduation. I remembered all my bluster during senior year about how I was gonna be a KATN Marine and save the world. And how utterly crushed and disappointed I was when I was discharged for my asthma. I really didn't have a plan B. I told her how I bounced around for some years and what I did before coming back home. I worked a few places before I got my current job. How I had a few girlfriends but they never really got serious. Then buying a house, getting married only to have it fail. And how I was currently alone. Content. But alone.
Tia looked radiant as I spoke. The look she gave me made all those old feelings return.
She refilled our glasses and brought snacks for us to munch on.
And then, she began her tale.
After Graduation she went to nursing school and became a nurse, though difficult remembering all my encouragement.
"And here I am!!" She said as she waved her hands over her uniform "Tada!!"
We laughed.
Tia spoke of her younger step-sister Kira who died of Leukemia. I remembered Kira as a vivacious girl who had a streak of playful mischief about her. So sad. She was married for 5 years to a guy named Kelvin she met while working at the hospital. For a while, things were great. Then he became sexually demanding, insisting she blow him and he go down on her, Before their relationship turned physical she told him that she found it to be disgusting. She said she would never do it and will never have the desire to. He seemed to accept that, for a time.
She became pregnant, but after 4 months had a miscarriage, Her doctor urged her to have a hysterectomy as another pregnancy could very well kill her. Tia was devastated. Kelvin, was less than sympathetic. It seemed he cared more about extending his line instead of the heath of his wife. Even worse, Kelvin had been cheating on Tia for years. Kelvin filed for divorced not long after that. His infidelity among everything else broke Tia's heart. From what she told me Tony had to be physically restrained from kicking the living shit out of him. It was Tony's not too subtle insistence that Kelvin should just walk away with nothing.
And he did. Good riddance.
Me? I would have killed him. In the most diabolical way.
I never took my eyes off of her as she spoke. I could see she was starting to cry. She dropped her hands in front of her on the table, as if praying. I took a tissue from the box nearby and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes. I then gently took her hands in mine.
"Tia, I am so sorry what he did to you, He broke your heart. That's inexcusable. But you are better than him, Babe. Don't let that asshole continue to hurt you. Don't even think of him. He's not worth your tears. Sweetheart, you made your dream of becoming a nurse come true! You did it. That's great, baby. I am so proud of you!"
She looked at me and saw my eyes were getting wet.
"Wayne, are you crying?"
"Yeah, I am Tia. I get upset when people I care about are hurting."
Tia stared at me for a minute, studying my face.
She then leaned over and kissed me. I reciprocated, lightly tasting her lips. Reaching down I took her hand. I softly kissed the back of her hand and fingers.
'Tia, you are gonna be fine. Please be strong."
Getting out of her chair she got in my lap, put her arms around my neck and kissed me. Gentle at first, it quickly turned to a kiss full of desire. I kissed her back as well, moving my hands up and down her back. She moaned her pleasure, pressing her boobs into my chest. Heaven!! After a bit she looked at me in the eyes. I smiled at her. She rested her head atop of mine while I rested my cheek right above her breasts. She looked at me again, smiling her eyes sparkling. I kissed her neck.
"Tia, are you gonna be okay?"
Softly touching my face she said, "I'll be okay, Wayne. Thank you. Thank you for being a friend. For being so kind".
"It's alright hon. I want to give you my phone number. Can I do that?"
"Of course."
