Chapter 1
My father had repeatedly told me as I was growing up, to be careful of the decisions and subsequent actions you make in life. Because there is no fate, no destiny. Nothing is pre-ordained. Our lives are the sum of our decisions and actions. Nothing more, nothing less. As a teen, that was just more blah blah blah from my old man. I would nod my head and say, "Yes sir," in the hope he'd wrap up the philosophy lesson so I could get on with whatever he'd interrupted when he decided we needed to talk.
As I got older, my father seemed to get a lot smarter, as one after another, his dad-isms came back to haunt me.
I was never going to be the college type. I hated school and was generally bored to tears. I put forth minimal effort in school, but even so, managed to graduate with a 3.2 GPA. My folks were happy, but Dad always knew I had it in me to do better, if only I'd try.
"Gabe, if you'd only study for an hour a night, you could bump those up to straight A's and then the colleges would come looking for you!" was his frequent mantra.
The one time I saw real pride in his eyes was when I announced I was entering the Coast Guard. My grandfather had been a Coast Guard enlisted man and my dad had tried to enter as well but had been deemed medically ineligible due to a range-of-motion loss in his right shoulder. From a surfing accident when he was my age. One of his own decisions and actions, he'd point out to me, which changed his life.
***
I entered the Coast Guard two years after high school. Certain things change when you become reliably employed. I was stationed in Portsmouth, Virginia at the time. I'd just finished my culinary specialist school and was working at the base dining facility. I was promoted to petty officer third class, got a pay bump, and then the credit offers came rolling in. And then ... I met a girl. An insidious combination of circumstances, I am here to tell you.
Two years later, I was ready to transfer to my next duty station. I was also single and deep in debt. How deep? Well, let's just say that it made the Coast Guard more than a little concerned. I stopped home in Jacksonville on my way to my next unit in Port Canaveral, Florida. I really needed to talk to my folks.
***
"No Jimmy. I won't call her." My mom's voice was highly agitated. My dad sighed. I was listening to them from my room upstairs. The kitchen was at the bottom of the stairs and my room was at the top. Well, it wasn't really my room anymore, it was the guest bedroom now. All my stuff was boxed and stowed in the garage.
"She's a stripper for Christ's sake," Mom exclaimed.
Dad cleared his throat. "Dee, please listen. She lives just a few miles from that base. The Coast Guard will pay Gabe a monthly stipend to live off base. If he could live with her, for a few hundred a month, he could pocket the rest and pay off his debt that much faster." His voice was pleading. "And you know as well as I do, she only did that for a little while after her first divorce. Your mother told us so."
"No Jimmy, you don't know her the way I do, what she di..." Mom cut her statement short. "Tina is not to be trusted!"
I think my dad realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. "Okay, babe. Okay. It was just an idea."
The problem was that it was a really good idea.
Tina is my mom's older sister, by three years. To call them estranged is the understatement of the century. I do not know the whys and wherefores of it, but when there is a family reunion or party, my mother won't get within twenty feet of her. It's been that way my whole life.
The last time I saw Aunt Tina was when my cousin Frannie and I graduated high school. There was a big party. Tina was very attractive, medium height like my mother, but curvier. Bigger in the bust and the hips. Apparently fond of high heels. I could definitely imagine her shaking her ass on a stage, but I don't seem to recall her as flirty or brazen.
After such a party, Mom would always rant all the way home about everything about Aunt Tina. Her slutty make-up, her shoes, her clothes, the way she walked, how she liked to touch everyone. It would go on and on until my mild-mannered dad would finally lose his temper and tell her to shut the hell up about it. Mom would get quiet and wouldn't mention her again until the next party.
Before I left, for the sake of family peace, I told them I would live in the barracks on base. By far the least expensive alternative. But by then I'd already peeked into my grandmother's phone. I had Aunt Tina's phone number and what my mother didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
***
My Aunt Tina walked into the diner a few minutes late. I'd called her that morning and asked to see her. She looked nervous. She was dressed in a knee-length, floral-patterned halter dress and wedge sandals. I rose and gave her a hug as she approached the table.
"You look very nice," I said honestly.
Tina looked around as if expecting to be ambushed. "I'm guessing your mother doesn't know you called me," she said wryly.
I shook my head. "No. I wouldn't have bothered you, but I'm in a tough spot. I got your number from Grandma's phone."
Tina relaxed in her seat. She looked up and our eyes met. Her hair was dark brown, wavy, and hung to her shoulders. Her eyes were light brown with flecks of gold and her makeup was light and perfect. Her lips were full and shone with lip gloss. I had some very un-nephew-like thoughts at that moment. She was very attractive. My mother is too I suppose, but in a different way. My mother is pretty. Like Julie Andrews. But Aunt Tina is more ... sultry, like Lauren Bacall. I bet the boys were lined up around the block, back in the day and probably still are.
"So, you've gotten yourself in some money trouble, huh?" she asked softly. I nodded and then filled her in on the whole sordid tale. Our food was ordered and served before I was done. Tina didn't take long to think about it.
"Okay, you can use the guest room. Kick in for food and utilities, clean up after yourself, do your share of the chores, and we're square."
I was surprised. "No rent?"
She shook her head. "The house is paid for. How umm ... how long do you think you'll be staying?"
I tapped my fork nervously on the plate. "I think about ... a year." Tina blinked hard. "But ... I'm stationed on a cutter and we'll be deployed more than half that time. When we're at home port, we work Monday through Friday and I'll have overnight duty every three or four days, so you won't see me every day."
She looked into my eyes again and then dropped her gaze to examine my upper body. She smiled. "It might be nice having a man in the house again."
I wasn't sure of what to make of the look on her face. She looked me in the eye and grinned. "The girl that got you into this mess ..."
I mhmm'd around a mouthful of food and her smile got mischievous. "Was the sex worth it?"
Thinking back, I grinned back at her. "Yeah, it was."
***