Chapter 6

Posted: July 30, 2008 - 12:19:37 pm

Harold Fricke shared Tommy’s request with his wife as they drove home from church. He wasn’t about to do anything that Rita disapproved of, at least not where Tommy was concerned. Especially not since Tommy started calling her Momma Rita. Harold did not worry about the conversation bothering or embarrassing Rita, even though it was about sexual matters. Prim and proper in public, Rita Maude Fricke was a wanton hellion in the privacy of her bedroom.

Rita was not as surprised by Tommy’s request as her husband had been. In fact, she had pretty much expected it, although Tommy was asking a little earlier than she had anticipated. She chalked that up to Betty Lou’s daughter getting stirred into the mix. She already knew about Tommy’s date last night, because Ruth had called her first thing this morning. Ruth’s reluctant admission that she was so inexperienced was the one thing that really surprised her. Who would have thought that a liberal peace and love New Yorker would still be a virgin at the age of twenty-six?

Harold had been right to suggest that a woman should teach Tommy all about sex, but that woman sure wasn’t going to be Conchita Delgado, no matter how qualified she was. No, the person to teach Tommy needed to be someone who loved him and would be considerate and understanding of his special circumstances. Rita grinned, thinking that she, herself, was the perfect someone. Too bad she was a one man woman. There was someone else, though, that was almost as perfect. She was even pretty sure that Margie Wilcox would not be a bit against the idea, judging by her comments the night of the VFW dinner-dance. All they needed was a plan. She picked up the phone and called Margie to rectify that.

While Rita was on the phone with Margie, Tommy was in Melody’s bedroom playing spin the bottle with Melody and Regina. The game was Melody’s idea, and she had prepared for it in advance. The game was simple, the person who spun the bottle and the one it landed on went into Melody’s closet for three minutes of anything they wanted. The person left out kept the time. Melody had even cleaned off the floor of the closet and thrown down a couple of quilts. Melody and Regina liked the idea because the dark closet would make everyone less inhibited, while the time limit would keep things from getting out of hand. Tommy loved the idea because at least half of the time he was going to be in a dark closet with a pretty and adventuresome girl.

Melody was correct about them being less inhibited in the dark closet. Tommy was aware of that as soon as Melody impatiently pulled him into the closet for the first time. Once inside, she put her lips to his ear and whispered to him.

“Do anything you can think of, Tommy. I’ll tell you if I don’t like it.”

Melody’s plan seemed excellent in theory, but the execution turned out to be slightly frustrating, especially for Tommy. See, Melody and Regina, both being girls, at least knew what felt good to them, so they could try it on each other. Tommy did not know what they liked, and clumsily pawed at the girls in the dark closet, and they did not know enough about boys to know what he liked. The next time it was his turn to spin the bottle, he made a suggestion that changed everything.

“Hey, let’s do something different. How about if the person the bottle chooses shows me how to make them feel good? That way I’m not just fumbling around.”

When the bottle stopped at Melody, she smiled and shivered in excitement. Everything she’d hoped for was coming to pass. She jumped up and shocked the hell out of Tommy and Regina by shucking out of her blouse and skirt to stand proudly naked in front of them.

“This is so much better than getting groped in the backseat of some dork’s car,” she sighed huskily as she flopped back on her bed.

Tommy went home an hour later, but the girls stayed to ‘talk’ some more they said. By the time Tommy returned to his room, he was much more familiar with a woman’s intimate anatomy, having received a guided tour of both Regina and Melody’s nubile young bodies. He was very proud that he had made both of them climax with his fingers, following the instructions they gave him. He was also happy with the orgasms they gave him. It was much better when a pretty girl rubbed one out than when he did it himself.

Harold kept his promise to Tommy Monday afternoon, when things had finally quieted down at the feed store. He did that by driving Tommy over to the Walgreens located in the Brownwood Mall. Tommy wasn’t the least bit embarrassed as they stood in front of the contraceptives display, while Harold explained the pros and cons of various means of pregnancy and disease prevention. Tommy was not embarrassed, because he didn’t know he should have been. To him, it was the same as Rita helping him pick out a suit.

Surprisingly, it was Rita who finally gave him the lecture on losing one’s virginity. She did it because she felt Tommy would do better if he knew what it was like from the woman’s perspective. Besides, both Rita and Harold knew Tommy would take whatever Rita told him as the absolute gospel truth.

One unexpected, but very pleasant, result of educating Tommy was a revival of the Fricke’s love life. For their age, Rita and Harold would have already been considered very active. With this thing with Tommy going on, they were going at it as if they were teenagers.

Betty Lou Grimes received a telephone call from Margie Wilcox while Tommy was at the library Monday night. Margie was calling to let Betty Lou know that Tommy needed to come in to the medical center for a check-up, since he’d been out of the hospital over six months. Margie said the tests were routine, but necessary. Margie also casually mentioned that Tommy could stay at her place so he would not have to be by himself.

Betty Lou passed the word on to Tommy that night. Margie would be picking him up on Wednesday afternoon, and bringing him back sometime Saturday.

Betty Lou also called Rita and filled her in. Rita smiled when she heard the plan. Margie was a smart and resourceful woman. She was going to be a big asset to McCulloch County, once she was out of the Army and settled here. Margie had signed on to Rita’s idea about Tommy’s sexual education quickly and completely. The idea of seducing Tommy excited the tall statuesque nurse to no end. Margie’s excitement was fueled by equal parts of love and lust.

Betty Lou did not understand why she was so sad about Tommy going to San Antonio. After all, it was only for a few days. But sad she was as she stood by his bed Tuesday night and helped him pack the suitcase on it. Tommy picked up on her somber mood as she packed a shirt neatly into the suitcase. He stepped over behind her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him tightly. This reverse hug was different from any others they had ever shared. She stiffened in his arms then sagged back against him.

“I’m going to miss you,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

He kissed the top of her head and put his lips near her ear.

“I’m going to miss you, too,” he said softly. “But I’ll be home Saturday.”

She nodded and unexpectedly spun around in his encircling arms. Then she shocked both of them by planting a desperately intense kiss on his lips. It was the most forward thing she’d ever done in her sheltered life. When she pulled back and looked at him, a tear was sliding down her cheek.

“You better be, Mister Bledsoe, because I suddenly can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Tommy nodded and gently wiped her tear away with his thumb.

Margaret Wilcox arrived in Brantley at noon on Wednesday. She had lunch with Rita at the Bluebonnet, then headed over to Betty Lou’s to pick up Tommy. By one-fifteen, they were rocketing down the road towards San Antonio. In contrast to Ruth’s little VW Beetle, Margie drove a big four door 1969 Thunderbird luxoboat. It even had ‘suicide’ rear doors just like a Lincoln. Tommy loved that car. He thought it matched Margie’s personality perfectly.

They cruised into San Antonio around five-thirty in the afternoon. Margie stopped at a pizza place and picked them up a large pepperoni pie to go, before heading home. Margie’s place was a mile from the gates of Fort Sam Houston and two miles from the big medical center.

As soon as they polished off the pie, Margie gave Tommy some forms and medical questionnaires.

“I brought this paperwork home for you to fill out so your day will go faster tomorrow, and also so I could help you if you needed it,” she said.

The hospital appointments were part of a full re-evaluation of Tommy’s case for which Margie had lobbied. She had to call in a few favors and promise one date to a psychologist, but she eventually made it happen.

She explained all that to Tommy.

“Tommy, I arranged for these tests and interviews tomorrow to get your status changed with the Veterans’ Affairs and the retirement branch. As it stands now, you are permanently medically retired for a mental disability that keeps you from holding a meaningful job. We both know that’s not the case. You also don’t need that ‘mentally disabled’ label stuck to you when it obviously doesn’t apply.

“I believe you should be placed on the Temporarily Disabled Retired List with the cause listed as resolving head trauma. Being on the TDRL means you are reexamined every few years and a determination is made to keep you on the list or change your separation code to Medically Discharged. You’ll lose some of your disability compensation, but I know you wouldn’t want it if you weren’t qualified for it anyway, right?”

Tommy emphatically shook his head.

“Heck no, I don’t need it anyway. Did you know I’m the warehouse manager of the feed store now?”

Margie gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek. She loved how he was boyishly enthusiastic one minute and grown-up serious the next. She hoped he never lost that.

“I’m very proud of you, Baby, congratulations!” she said.

They slogged on the paperwork together until Margie stood up at about eight o’clock.

“I’m going to take a quick shower. When I finish, you can jump in next.”

Tommy absent mindedly acknowledged her as he reached for the last two forms.

Fifteen minutes later, Margie called out the shower was all his, so he went to her guest room and pulled out his pajamas and a clean pair of Jockeys and headed towards the bathroom. He was in and out of the shower in fifteen minutes, including brushing his teeth.

He pulled open the bathroom door and started to walk out, when he saw Margie standing in the doorway of her bedroom, holding a wine glass. He stopped dead in his tracks and his jaw almost literally dropped to the floor. Tommy’s first thought was that he had never seen a woman look as beautiful or as sexy as Margie did in her diaphanous white nightgown.

Margie gave him a coy smile as he stood there dumbstruck. She hadn’t seen Tommy when he wasn’t wearing a shirt for almost a year. She had to admit that he had filled out nicely since he was a patient up on the ward. She leaned back against the door frame in a sultry pose, and gestured with her hand so his eyes traveled down her negligee.

“Like it?” she asked unnecessarily.

Tommy’s fixated eyes finally blinked, then he gulped and bobbed his head up and down.

“You are s-sp-spectacular,” he stammered.

Margie took a sip of her wine and held her hand out to him.

“I’m glad you like it, baby, because I wore it just for you. And in a little while I’m going to let you take it off me and demonstrate what a fast learner you really are,” she said seductively.

Tommy followed her into the bedroom, eager as a puppy. Margie gracefully sat on the edge of her queen sized bed and gestured Tommy towards her. When he was in front of her she deftly reached for him.