“Well….there was summer camp…..tree houses……Gracie’s backyard…..and the big tree at……my dad’s place……is that……(hmmm) a lot?”

“Some would say so.” I tell her after pulling away to catch my breathe. I feel that it’s more her presence and the passion I have for her, than the need to fill my lungs. But my comment still earned me a slap on the arm.

“Bette! Are you saying that I’m some sort of Tree *****.” I smile and take a moment to enjoy this moment of levity.

“I’m not sure if I can answer that Tina. But I did notice that you did circle Arbor Day in red pen the other day.” I say teasing her a little more. Another slap, a little harder this time. When I start laughing at my joke a little more, she starts really trying to swat at me.

“Tina, Tina” I try to get in between laughing and defending myself, “stop, we’re going fall. Stop I have to get my balance.” But she wasn’t giving up.

“No, I will not, until you take it back.” She stops swinging waiting for me to accept defeat and apologize. When nothing came, she raised her hand again, preparing for round two.

“Ok, ok. I take it back. You don’t celebrate Arbor Day like that.”

“And?” She asks with that familiar smile reappearing.

“And if you did celebrate it, I would hope that you celebrate it with me.”

“Maybe.”

“That’s if you didn’t already book time in this tree here with another person.”

“Bette!!!!” But it’s too late. I’m already out of the trees, free from the leaves and away from those swinging arms.

After a few seconds of running, I realized that she’s not behind me, in fact she’s no where to be found. So I retraced my steps and found her still perched apprehensively on the same branch.

“Tina,” I say looking up towards her. “What’s up? Besides you I mean.”

She sighed and reluctantly looked down to me. “I’m stuck.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t get down.”

“What, are caught on something?”

She sighed in irritation. What? I don’t get it.

“I need help getting down. I’m scared, ok?” Geez she didn’t have to say it with such attitude. Maybe I should just leave her there. To be funny.

“Bette!!!” uh-oh I was in my head too long again. Now she’s not only pissed that she can’t get down, but that I’m unwilling to help her.

“Tina, how is it that you’ve been in so many trees and you never learned how to get out of them?”

“You want to have this conversation, now?” I thought that was a reasonable question. But I guess not, she still looks irritated and a little frightened. I finally ‘moved my *****’ as she would say and helped her down. After she safely reached the ground, she turned to me again.

“Thank you. You’re my hero.” Gee, I think I should rescue her more often. It earned me a small peck on the cheek. It’s simple, but I’ll take it.

“So, what’s the deal with the tree fear?” I ask as we begin walking back to our abandoned picnic site.

“It’s not a fear, exactly. It’s just that I’ve always been in the company of people that were willing to help me down.”

“You mean boys?” I couldn’t help but get that good natured dig in.

“And they weren’t slow about it, either.” she added, ignoring my comment completely.

“Yeah, but I’m the first to make you blush after a rescue mission.”

“Bette Porter of course grabbing a handful of my ***** and groaning like a sailor with his first lap dance is going to make me blush.”

“Whatever you say Tina. You liked it.” I know she liked it, she didn’t have to say anything. The look of recalling that incident shining in her eyes as she regarded me was enough to let me know. She laughed and I smiled because that is a sound that keeps me glad. After a few seconds of clean up, she grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into her.

“Bette, baby,” she whispered to me as she stopped to hug me, “when will you ever learn?”

I couldn’t help but smile into her shoulder all the while breathing in her intoxicating scent.

“If you’ll have me, T. I hope I never learn.”

TBC>>>> More Good Times or on with the Present Day Drama?