Try a Little Tenderness-Ch 5
Summary: Tim gets some gifts small and large. But can he trust them? Spoilers: through 5.2. Note: These characters are not mine.
They pulled up outside the halfway house 20 minutes earlier than Tim had predicted. He had to call his parole officer from the house phone by a certain time, or he’d earn a demerit. Enough demerits and the board holds a hearing on prolonging your parole.
Becky started to open her door, and Tim grabbed her wrist.
“Wait,” he said quietly. “Let’s just sit here for a few. I got like 15 minutes.” He gestured to his ankle bracelet.
He pulled Becky close and kissed her softly, pulled her face into his neck and hugged her.
“What’s that for?,” she giggled. “Not that I’m objecting…”
He shrugged. “I dunno… this is gonna sound dumb, but I think it’s, uh, happiness? I haven’t really felt this way for as long as I remember… maybe a little bit when Billy & Mindy tied the knot, or when I first held Stevie, or I thought I’d bought that land…” He trailed off.
“I remember when you took me to see your land,” Becky said. “You deserve that kind of happiness always, Tim,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“Yeah. Well, this feels sorta like that,” he said. “I mean, my mom’s back in my life, she’s recovering, I got this great little sister, my dad’s gone for the time being, I potentially got a job doing what I love, and the chance to be part of an actual family - hell, my real family, not some people adopting me out of pity!” He shook his head, running his fingers through his ghost hair again.
He faced her. “What about you, Becks? What’s going on at home and school?”
She grimaced. “My mom interviewed for a job as a blackjack dealer on a riverboat casino. Looks like she might get the gig. It’d be for three months.”
“And what about you, kid? You be alright staying alone?”
He did the math, and realized he was actually even younger when left to stay alone at home for long periods of time, when Billy was working on an oil rig for a year.
But it was different. It was always different when it came to himself. Like the normal standards just didn’t apply.
“Well if that’s not bad enough, looks like my dad and his new family might stay in the house while Mom’s gone. Dad wants to relocate to be closer to me than Seattle,” she said. “Never met his new wife and baby, but they’d come too.”
She looked at the horizon and bit her lip. The thought of being the discarded first child in her own house made her queasy.
“She might be alright,” Tim guessed. “And a baby… as much of a nuisance as they can be, they’re also sort of fun to have around.” He thought of his brief time at home with Stevie, and playing with Gracie Belle when the Taylors took him in long ago.
“And I told you… mi familia es tu familia,” he said, stumbling over the Spanish, giggling. “Seriously. Any prob, you go to Billy and Mins. Promise?” he took her hands.
She smiled and nodded. He could always make her smile, even in the worst circumstance. And even though she’d heard him say it that first time, him saying it again made it seem more real as an option.
He wiped away a tear, and kissed her again, slow and long. God, she could do that all day long.
“I gotta thank you Becks,” he murmured. “You’re literally the only person who’s believed in me and helped me through this rough spell.”
He’d watched as this curly-haired kid who was sort of bratty at first had matured into a level-headed young woman. Sure, she’d seen her share of problems… an unwanted pregnancy… a family nearly as wack as his own. Yet she was smart, talented, and kinda cute.
Plus, she put up with him and saw his potential, even if it was in the form of a tiny glimmer of hope. He felt it in himself every now and then, and mainly on the gridiron, but it almost always got tamped down.
They hugged until he looked at his watch, saw it was time to go.
“See you in a couple days?,” he asked, getting out the car and walking to her open window.
“How bout tomorrow?,” she replied, smiling, elbows leaning on the windowsill.
He gave her another big kiss and walked toward the house.
“Hey Becks!” he shouted as she’d begun to drive away. “You got a quarter for the phone?” They both laughed. Some things never changed.
They pulled up outside the halfway house 20 minutes earlier than Tim had predicted. He had to call his parole officer from the house phone by a certain time, or he’d earn a demerit. Enough demerits and the board holds a hearing on prolonging your parole.
Becky started to open her door, and Tim grabbed her wrist.
“Wait,” he said quietly. “Let’s just sit here for a few. I got like 15 minutes.” He gestured to his ankle bracelet.
He pulled Becky close and kissed her softly, pulled her face into his neck and hugged her.
“What’s that for?,” she giggled. “Not that I’m objecting…”
He shrugged. “I dunno… this is gonna sound dumb, but I think it’s, uh, happiness? I haven’t really felt this way for as long as I remember… maybe a little bit when Billy & Mindy tied the knot, or when I first held Stevie, or I thought I’d bought that land…” He trailed off.
“I remember when you took me to see your land,” Becky said. “You deserve that kind of happiness always, Tim,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“Yeah. Well, this feels sorta like that,” he said. “I mean, my mom’s back in my life, she’s recovering, I got this great little sister, my dad’s gone for the time being, I potentially got a job doing what I love, and the chance to be part of an actual family - hell, my real family, not some people adopting me out of pity!” He shook his head, running his fingers through his ghost hair again.
He faced her. “What about you, Becks? What’s going on at home and school?”
She grimaced. “My mom interviewed for a job as a blackjack dealer on a riverboat casino. Looks like she might get the gig. It’d be for three months.”
“And what about you, kid? You be alright staying alone?”
He did the math, and realized he was actually even younger when left to stay alone at home for long periods of time, when Billy was working on an oil rig for a year.
But it was different. It was always different when it came to himself. Like the normal standards just didn’t apply.
“Well if that’s not bad enough, looks like my dad and his new family might stay in the house while Mom’s gone. Dad wants to relocate to be closer to me than Seattle,” she said. “Never met his new wife and baby, but they’d come too.”
She looked at the horizon and bit her lip. The thought of being the discarded first child in her own house made her queasy.
“She might be alright,” Tim guessed. “And a baby… as much of a nuisance as they can be, they’re also sort of fun to have around.” He thought of his brief time at home with Stevie, and playing with Gracie Belle when the Taylors took him in long ago.
“And I told you… mi familia es tu familia,” he said, stumbling over the Spanish, giggling. “Seriously. Any prob, you go to Billy and Mins. Promise?” he took her hands.
She smiled and nodded. He could always make her smile, even in the worst circumstance. And even though she’d heard him say it that first time, him saying it again made it seem more real as an option.
He wiped away a tear, and kissed her again, slow and long. God, she could do that all day long.
“I gotta thank you Becks,” he murmured. “You’re literally the only person who’s believed in me and helped me through this rough spell.”
He’d watched as this curly-haired kid who was sort of bratty at first had matured into a level-headed young woman. Sure, she’d seen her share of problems… an unwanted pregnancy… a family nearly as wack as his own. Yet she was smart, talented, and kinda cute.
Plus, she put up with him and saw his potential, even if it was in the form of a tiny glimmer of hope. He felt it in himself every now and then, and mainly on the gridiron, but it almost always got tamped down.
They hugged until he looked at his watch, saw it was time to go.
“See you in a couple days?,” he asked, getting out the car and walking to her open window.
“How bout tomorrow?,” she replied, smiling, elbows leaning on the windowsill.
He gave her another big kiss and walked toward the house.
“Hey Becks!” he shouted as she’d begun to drive away. “You got a quarter for the phone?” They both laughed. Some things never changed.