Tim and Brit seemed to hit it off. They had us drop them off at Tim’s house. Tracy’s car was at mine, so we drove back to my apartment, and Tracy followed me inside. I wondered what she was up to, but kept my mouth shut—right up to the point she kissed me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“You really are a ‘stupid boy’ sometimes. I’m horny, and I expect you to help me out.”
I pulled her into my arms and smiled down at her. Tracy and I had tried twice, but my mom had been right: we weren’t ready for a relationship. That didn’t mean we hadn’t thought we were. Looking back, I’d been an idiot when I was a freshman. If my mom saw a disaster approaching, I should have listened. Turned out Tracy had a lot of hidden issues.
We’d both changed over the last two years. She’d worked through most of her demons. She would probably always face depression, she was simply much better at coping with it now. While I had worked through my anger towards her, I was a firm believer in forgive, but don’t forget. I would never put myself in a position where Tracy could hurt me again.
What I hadn’t unforeseen was we’d surprisingly become friends. Tracy was one of the few people who never seemed to expect anything from me and gave of herself unselfishly. With how my life had changed, that was something I valued.
There were only a handful of people I trusted as much as Tracy. Outside of my family, the only other people I could think of who I trusted that much would be Cassidy and Beth.
Beth had known me all my life, and I always felt I could tell her anything. Cassidy had slowly grown on me. When I first met her, I thought she was just a goofy little girl. I understood from the beginning that in many ways, Cassidy was naïve. Then I would remember that she grew up around Marines, and boys would be boys. There wasn’t much that would shock her. What I found was there was an inherent goodness about her and an inner strength that I admired.
What I’d discovered was that Tracy might actually be my best girl friend. Jim, Tim, Wolf, and Yuri were all good guy friends, but I’d always had a female best friend. I still felt Tami was an important friend, but no longer my best friend. Too much had happened in the last couple of years that seemed to put me on guard and keep a bit of distance in place.
So if Tracy needed some sexual relief, I was willing to accommodate her. We were always good together in bed. I gave her a big smile and guided her to my bedroom. We easily fell into a comfortable place. Tracy had always been a vocal lover, and if her cries were any indication, I outdid myself.
◊◊◊ Saturday April 16
Tracy and I came down for breakfast to find my uncle, Tim, and Wolf had joined the family. Tracy blushed, and I gave my two friends looks that dared them to embarrass her. They just got busy eating pancakes. I noticed Coby was in a bassinet next to Little David’s high chair. Pam wandered out of the bathroom and spotted Tracy.
“Slut!” Pam exclaimed.
That seemed to calm Tracy down, and everyone laughed.
“I see you got a t-shirt,” Peggy added.
“You have to work for these,” Tracy said proudly.
I think my dad, uncle, and two guy friends choked on that one. I stepped over to the refrigerator and got Tracy and myself glasses of orange juice.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked Tim and Wolf.
“We’re doing their plan this morning. They wanted to do it together,” Uncle John said.
I guess I had given him permission to work with me.
Tracy told everyone about Mike and Harper. Pam told me she was dropping Coby off for the weekend because she needed to get some sleep. Peggy and Mom seemed up to the task.
◊◊◊
Uncle John took us to the office and showed us each other’s goals. It was interesting to see how they differed. Wolf had grown up in a family where money was tight. His parents had a strong work ethic, but they’d gotten married very young and had never really had a chance to get any kind of education beyond high school. They’d made sure Wolf had grown up with the same values they had, but money was still tight for them.
Wolf’s Goals:
Be the first one in my family to get a college degree.
Play college football and possibly make it to the NFL.
Become a contractor and own my own business with my friends.
Earn enough to stand on my own.
Tim’s family was more like mine. While we weren’t rich, we always had enough money, with both Mom and Dad working. Tim’s mom managed a grocery store and was the primary breadwinner of the family. His dad had gotten a novel published and had decided to try writing full time. His dad was also something of an electrician, and Tim, an only child, had once told me his mom called his dad ‘my mad-scientist inventor.’ They were good people. They had a decent, happy life without having, or needing, a lot of money for what they called ‘crazy things.’
Tim’s Goals:
Become an architect.
Rehab so I can play football and possibly play college ball.
Enjoy every day and seize opportunities as they come to me.
