Page 8 of Shelter for Tanna

God, she was hoping.

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“Can I talk to you for just a minute?”

The young woman’s smile was bright as she met Tanna’s gaze. “Sure! What’s up?”

“Look, I know you work all day, but I was wondering… Could I pay you to babysit Max for a couple of hours?”

Nita shrugged. “You don’t have to pay me. I’d be glad to.”

“No, I want to pay you. It’s not fair for me to expect you to?”

Nita fixed her with a stare and crossed her arms over her chest. “Where are you going?”

“Um… I have a date.”

The shock that broke across Nita’s face almost seemed mocking to Tanna. “No shit! Really?”

“Yeah. He’s a municipal firefighter.”

She was sorry in an instant that she’d even question Nita. The woman’s face was aglow. “Well, yeah! I’d love to babysit Max for you! You should go, have a good time. Is he good-looking?”

“Oh, god, I can’t even describe him. He’s amazing. I can’t believe he wants to go out with me,” Tanna gushed.

Nita’s smile turned to a frown. “Why? You’re sweet, cute, funny, very nice. Why wouldn’t he want to go out with you?” Before Tanna could answer, Nita said, “Oh. Max. Does he know about…”

“Yeah, and he says he’s not afraid and he doesn’t run.”

Nita chuckled. “Brave guy!”

“I’ll say! So would Thursday evening be okay?”

“Sure would. Just let me know what time to be there and I’m your girl,” Nita said, then laid a soft hand on Tanna’s shoulder. “This should be fun for you. Try not to be down on yourself. He obviously sees something in you that he finds valuable. Maybe it’s time you found it for yourself.”

Those were sage words of wisdom from a twenty-something. “I suppose you’re right. Okay. I’ll try. And thanks, Nita. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. Talk to you soon.” As she ambled away, Tanna smiled. Nita had always been a source of inspiration for her. Even with cerebral palsy, she had a full, rich life. She had never let her disability get in her way, and Tanna respected that enormously. That she’d choose to work with disabled children was no surprise, but she constantly delighted Tanna with her quick wit, sense of perseverance, and kindness to everyone she met. She’d have to do something nice for Nita since her friend wouldn’t take pay.

She was headed back to the tow truck when she heard a voice call out, “Mom!”

“Hey, son!” Tanna chirped as Daniel ran up to her and hugged her. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. I’ll just get on the bus. What are you doing here?”

“I was checking with Nita to see if she could stay with you and Max on Thursday night.”

“What’s Thursday night?”

Tanna grinned. “I have a date.”

A suspicious stare instantly caused his eyes to squint. “A date?”

“Yeah. With a firefighter.”

His brow dropped. “Where did you meet this guy?”

“At an accident site while I was helping clean up. Nice guy.”

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