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Post by kaijafon on Sept 2, 2017 6:09:57 GMT -6
just a wonderful and sweet chapter! thank you! makes me wonder what nasty surprise you got cookin' ....
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Post by gipsy on Sept 2, 2017 8:23:36 GMT -6
Great update.
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Post by freebirde on Sept 2, 2017 11:20:08 GMT -6
just a wonderful and sweet chapter! thank you! makes me wonder what nasty surprise you got cookin' .... Makes me want to write something like one of the "Clark" stories where everything goes right and end it with "Clark, time for your morning meds. I want you to be on your best behavior because today is visitor day at Sunnyside Care Home."
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Post by kaijafon on Sept 2, 2017 11:58:26 GMT -6
I miss scrachline! and his Clark stories. I wish I knew for sure what happened to him.
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Post by headlesshorseman on Sept 2, 2017 16:27:21 GMT -6
I will admit to never trying an apple pie without cinnamon.
There may be trouble brewing with Kit and Troy's iron willed self control. They are unlikely to decide "That was not all it has been talked up to be. You won't catch me wasting my time like that again."
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Post by cutter on Sept 3, 2017 12:41:08 GMT -6
What iron willed self control? Not a lot of trouble in this chapter, but a little. Mark's as stubborn as they come. Come to think of it, all of the Marshall/Waters kids are. Here's the next installment. Enjoy.
Chapter 4
“Hi Mark. How ya’ feelin’?”
“Like only one of our mules kicked me this time. That’s a real improvement. The first time they got me on my feet in the hospital, it felt like all four of the mules kicked me at the same time. I thought maybe I wasn’t going to die, but I was a lot less sure that was a good thing. After a half hour of trying to take a real step, and failing, my hair even hurt.”
“I’m just glad you’re walkin’ again. I meant to tell you, I heard Mr. Graham called National and sent them a letter.”
“About what?”
“About us. I was being nosy, but if I heard what he said to Papa Smurf right, he’s putting all twelve of us Scouts in the lunchroom up for some award with National Council.”
“We were just doing what we swear to do every time we say the Scout Oath.”
“Yeah, and we saved a lot of lives doing it. Thanks to you and Billy, none of us went nuts and we did our job.”
(Mark makes a little nod toward Kit) “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Yeah. This is a really great place you got here.”
“You ought to see the rest of it. We have all summer off, why don’t you come out more often?”
“I think I’ll try to talk Mom into letting me do that.”
“I’ll ask Morgan to talk to her, maybe it’ll help. Hey, there’s my girl!”
(Stacy sits in Mark’s lap) “Well, Uncle Pete isn’t dragging you away in handcuffs, thanks Skyler.”
“Oh, he’s stirring up trouble; he just didn’t get caught.”
“What did you do?”
“Not tellin’.”
“Hey Munchkin, it’s time.”
“Time for what? What are you up to now?”
“Thanks, Brian. Come on Anastasia, let’s dance.”
(Going to the dance floor) “Are you sure you can do this?”
“No, I might fall on my ass.”
“I’ll catch you. I still don’t know what I did to make you love me.”
“You asked me to be your friend, then you made me see just being your friend wasn’t enough.” (Glory of Love starts playing and they start slow dancing)
“Kit, feel like dancing?”
“You bet! You need to hang around Mark more often, you’re gettin’ all romantic and stuff.” (Troy and Kit go and start dancing)
“Looks like it’s just you and me, Sam. Wanna’ dance?”
“Yeah, maybe it’ll take my mind off Kat.”
(Dancing) “I didn’t know you two were together.”
“We weren’t. I ran out of time. I never got the nerve to ask her out.”
“I’m sorry, Sam.”
“My fault. Too late now. This is nice. Thanks for asking me to dance with you.”
“I thought maybe it’d be good for both of us. Is it working?”
“A little, yeah. I never thanked you.”
“For what?”
“Getting Kat out.”
“Kat was my friend. All of us fosters are really close. There isn’t much we wouldn’t do for each other.”
“Wish I could be one of you.”
“No you don’t and I’m glad you can’t. My foster Mom is the only mother I have ever known. My birth mother is in prison for the rest of her life because the stupid bitch murdered a woman over drugs. She wanted to get high more than she wanted me. I don’t know who my actual father is. Kit-Kat’s parents are both dead. Stacy’s parents were killed in that terrorist attack in Bowling Green. Jacob and Emily’s mother gave them up because she was still in high school and couldn’t take care of them. Troy’s Dad was in the Navy and was lost at sea. His Mom couldn’t deal with it and committed suicide. Micah’s like me. Nobody knows who his father is and his birth mother is in a mental hospital because all the drugs she did fried her brain. Mark’s Dad died in a car wreck a couple years ago and his Mom is in a nursing home and can’t remember who any of them are. I know your Mom and Dad are divorced, but you still have them. I’m glad you do. All of our foster parents are good to us, but it’s Hell to know they aren’t your real family. Being fosters, we don’t know what’s going to happen to us. As old as all of us are, we’ll probably never be adopted, but it could happen. Except for Kit, all of us have been with our foster families so long, it would be like losing everything all over again. At least Stacy and her brothers will be safe soon. I think Kit may be too. The song’s over.”
“There’ll be another one. Dance with me.”
“I need some help here!”
“What?”
“Mark can’t stand. I can’t hold him, Sam.”
“Thanks Sam, Troy. Help me over to the table so I can sit down.”
“You pushed too hard, didn’t you? You ok?”
“I don’t know, Brian. It feels like my back is on fire! It hurts like a mother! It hurts too bad to stand, even with help.”
“Let’s get him laying down…..Ok, stay still, Mark. I’m going to go get Aaron.”
“I’ll just lay here and wait, if you don’t mind.”
“You’re still a smart ass, so it can’t be that bad.” (Brian goes to get Aaron)
“I’m sorry, Mark.”
“For what? I asked you to dance, remember? It was worth it. Damn, this hurts! My back hurt a little, before I went to PT this morning and a little worse after I got done with PT, but nothing like this.”
“It’s going to be ok, Love. Try to relax. I’m right here.”
“Where exactly does it hurt, Mark?”
“It feels like a little left of my incision, but it’s hurting so bad Aaron, I can’t tell for sure.”
“Can you feel this?”
“You’re squeezing my left leg just above the ankle. Now you’re doing the right one.”
“Move your left foot. Good, now your right one. That’s good. Brian, here’s my keys. Go get my car and drive it up as close to here as you can. I want to take him to the hospital for some x-rays and some tests.”
“Back in a minute.”
“Aaron, what are you thinking?”
I think it’s likely you just pulled a muscle really bad. I hope that’s it. There’s not a big risk of it, but worst case is you somehow managed to cause the fusion at L4/L5 to start separating. I really don’t think that happened but there is a slim chance. Can you sit up?”
“I’ll try. AAAHHHGGG! Not on my own, Doc. Give me a hand and don’t stop until I’m vertical, no matter what I say. Let’s do it. AAHHHGGG! DAMNDAMNDAMN! (panting) Please...tell me...we’re done!:
“Not yet, and this is going to hurt too, but it shouldn’t be as bad. Does this hurt?”
“A little touchy, but not bad.”
“How about this?”
“That hurts, but I don’t think that’s where the problem is.”
“Me either. Let’s try this.”
“DAMMIT AARON! Whew! I think you found it.”
“So do I. Good news, I didn’t feel anything that indicates your fusion is damaged. More good news, I’m fairly sure you pulled a muscle. That, on top of all the damage that isn’t fully healed, is most likely causing your problem. Bad news, If I’m right, only time is going to heal it. You may have to stop your PT until it does. Worst news, I can’t be sure that’s what it is without tests. We’re going to the ER.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No you’re not, Anastasia. You are staying here and explaining to the boys what’s going on. We are not going to have a repeat of last time. If Aaron has to put me in the hospital, we’ll talk about you staying with me some. Right now, I need you here.”
“Somebody else can tell the boys. I belong with you.”
“No, it has to be you. I’m not going to deal with all the trouble I had this week with you and Noah, again. You will stay here and explain to Noah if he asks. I don’t want his day ruined with my problems. Our friends are here. They came here, in part, to see us. You need to spend time with them, especially since I can’t right now. Anastasia, I’m depending on you. I need you here.”
“Fine, but you better let me know what’s going on when you know.”
“I will. Brian’s back with the car; we gotta’ go. I’m not looking forward to this Aaron, but how do we get me up?”
“Will you two gentlemen help me?”
“Yes Sir.”
“What are your names?”
“Troy.” “Sam.”
“Ok,I’m going to stand behind him and lift him straight up. Troy, I want you in front of him, outside the table bench. When I get him up, I’m going to start turning him toward you. Sam, I want you to lift his right leg over the bench as I turn him. Troy, at some point, I’m going to be out of position and won’t have the leverage to hold him. You are going to have to support him and finish the turn. You are going to have to back up a step while you support his weight. Mark, you are going to have to take a step then, no matter how bad it hurts. I’ll get back behind him to support him and you two will get on either side and support him to the car. We need to get him in the back seat without twisting his back.”
“Sir, we’re both Scouts; we know how to do what you want.”
(in the car) “Well THAT was freakin’ fun! Damn that hurt!”
“Mark, when we get to the hospital, I can give you something to help the pain; I just don’t have anything with me. I guess I’m going to have to start carrying my little black bag again.”
“Whatever. Let’s get this done and over with. I’d like to get back before the party breaks up.”
“I’ll do the best I can. Let’s roll, Brian.”
(ER, an hour and a half later)
“Well, here’s what we’ve got. Your spine is fine. It looks to be healing very well. Because the disk is gone and the vertebrae are fused, you are always going to have some stiffness there. As you get older, arthritis will develop in that part of your spine and you will have some pain from time to time. The pain will vary according to the weather, your activity, and your weight. Your surgeon will be able to tell you more accurately, but after you heal, you should be able to do most anything you want. I suggest you don’t take up skydiving or bungee jumping.”
“Aaron, I’ll fly your airplane, but I’ll be damned if I’ll jump out of one. I can’t see me doing either of those things.”
“Good. Now, what you do have right now is a couple of badly strained muscles. I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but you need to figure it out and stop doing it for now.”
“I’ve been trying to do some Tai-Chi, walking without my walker, and today, dancing. I’ve been falling down a lot.”
“Stop with the Tai-Chi and the dancing until your PT is completed. Use the walker until your therapist says to stop using it. I want you to take 800 mg ibuprofen every eight hours, only as needed, for the next three days. Do not take more than four and do not take them closer than eight hours apart. I want you to stay ahead of your pain curve. If it has been eight hours or more since your last dose and you feel any pain, take another dose. I strongly suggest you time your doses so that you take a dose when you go to bed at night. I want you to take that one whether you’re hurting or not. That will hopefully help you sleep through the night and give your body a chance to heal while you sleep. I’m also going to give you some lidocaine patches. You apply them directly over the spot that hurts. Only use half a patch at a time. If your pain comes back before you can take another dose of ibuprofen, use a half patch. Do not apply a half patch more often than every twelve hours. Do not wear one to bed at night. With the patches too, only use them if you have to. I know you hate it, but bedrest is your best treatment right now. I’m going to send your updated medical record to your therapist so she knows what’s going on and can alter your therapy accordingly. I’ve already written your release orders and Brian’s already settled the bill, so let’s get back to the party. Mark, no kidding, you need to take it easy.”
“I will, Doc. Those patches work good. I barely have any pain at all.”
“Just remember, they only suppress pain, they don’t protect and they don’t heal. Let’s get your brace back on and get out of here.”
(A little while later, back at the party. Stacy is standing at the back door of the car with Mark’s walker and everybody else is quiet) “Mark, I figured out two things while you were gone. I love dancing with you and I would have been just as happy today with a kiss and a cuddle.”
“That’s good, because kissin’ and cuddlin’ are all you’re gonna’ get until I get healed. Let me have my walker, please.” (As Mark stands up out of the car, the whole crowd cheers)
“It’s nice to be a rockstar.”
“Well Love, at least you didn’t break your smartass bone. Come on, I’ll get you some food.”
(...)
“Give me your plate.”
“Why?”
“So I can fill it up again.”
“I had enough.”
“Love, I have talked with you, camped with you, eaten with you, and slept with you. You inhaled that food so fast I’m not sure you even tasted it. I know you didn’t chew it. You’re still hungry, don’t try to con me. I’ll be right back.” (Stacy goes to get Mark more food)
“You got wound up about me and Kit this morning and you two have slept together!?!”
“Yeah, the key word here is slept. That’s all we did and you notice we were fully clothed.”
“Then what was that about when you were in the hospital?”
“This I gotta’ hear!”
“Skyler, if you want to know about this morning, Troy or Kit will have to tell you. If you want to know about the thing at the hospital, you’ll have to ask Stacy. I’m not tellin’, about either one. Here comes my girlfriend with more food for me. Let’s go to another topic, shall we?”
“Here you go, Love. What are we talking about?”
“Mark was just telling us how great you are in bed.”
“I said new subject!”
“No Love, let’s talk about this. I love sleeping with Mark. When we cuddle up together, we talk for hours about everything. He never laughs at me or judges me about anything I tell him. We’ve told each other our secrets, our hopes, our fears, everything. We know each other better than anybody else knows us. We trust each other. I feel safe in his arms. I have nightmares all the time, but not when I sleep with my head on his shoulder and his arms around me.”
“That’s all cool, but how’s the sex?”
“I’ll tell you when we have it in a few years. We’re not ready for that yet. That’s why Emily and Jacob are two of us, instead of being loved and cared for by their birth parents. Troy, Kit. is that what you want, to make more of us? You want your babies growing up always worrying how CPS is going to screw ‘em up next? Your babies, gone forever; you’ll never see them again. Is that what you want? That’s where you guys are headed. Mark saw me in my underwear by accident. I took a shower. I thought he was asleep. He woke up while I was getting dressed. He was honest, but he showed me respect. He admitted he liked what he saw, that it turned him on, but he turned his head to give me privacy and basically told me he didn’t know if he could behave himself, seeing me like that. Kit, you deserve a man that will respect you as much as Mark does me. Troy, we’re friends, but can you be that man? Skyler, do you want a man who will love you or just screw you?”
“Why so serious? We were just having a little fun. It felt really good too!”
“I know it feels good. When Mark kisses me on the back of the neck, it about sends me into orbit! I get so turned on and that turns him on, but we know not to go any farther. Don’t think we don’t want to; we do want to. Someday, I’ll marry Mark. Someday, I want to give Mark a baby, but I want us to be able to keep our child. We’ve talked about this. We want to raise our children. We want to help them grow up. We don’t want them to be us. Our kids will be Marshalls, not fosters. Don’t your kids deserve to be yours? Ask Mom about Joanna. Tell her I said you need to know the whole story. Maybe then you’ll understand what I’m telling you.” (Stacy stands up and starts to walk away)
“Anastasia, wait!”
(Stacy stops, turns around and holds out her hand) “Walk with me?”
(Mark struggles to his feet and joins her) “Always, but walk slow.” (They walk away, at Mark’s pace.)
“Damn! She’s sure full of herself!”
“No she isn’t. Kit, she was trying to save you and Troy a ton of hurt. You two do what you want to, but I’m going to take what she said serious. Skyler, you were right and wrong. My folks are my real folks and I’m thankful, even though they can’t get along and I get caught in the middle. I still wish I was one of you. No friend I ever had, has ever cared about me enough to tell me off like that. No friend I ever had, worried about me like Stacy does y’all. Skyler, we barely know each other, but you were a better friend to me while we were dancing than any of my other friends ever have been, except maybe Billy and Stephanie. You guys need to get your shit together and figure out just what you have with each other. I’m going for a walk.”
“Mind if I come with you?”
“Up to you. Come on, if you want.”
(...)
“It’s beautiful here.”
“Yeah. I hope they invite me again.”
“I hope they do too, both of us.”
“Skyler, I can’t.”
“I wasn’t asking you to. I know you wanted Kat. It’s ok. You need time and you need a friend. I’d like to be that friend. I still say you shouldn’t want to be one of us, but it means the world to me that you treat me like one of you. It’s enough.”
“Thanks for understanding, Skyler. And Skyler, being a foster doesn’t make you worth less than me, it’s made you worth more. Look at this, wild roses. (Picks one) Here.”
“It’s beautiful, but the thorns are sharp.”
“Kinda’ like life.”
“That was really deep.”
“I have my moments.”
(---)
“Mark, I’m sorry I blew up back there.”
“Don’t be; I couldn’t get through to them. I thought it was really sexy. Did you mean what you said about your neck?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No, I had no idea.”
“Mark, when you kiss that spot, all I want is for you to not stop. I want you to kiss every inch of me that way. I want to feel your hands all over me. Mark, before you came back and before Mom and Daddy died, I had a crush on Jimmy Tillman. He kissed me on my neck once. It didn’t do anything for me. I liked him, but I didn’t love him. I love you. Just being in the same room with you winds me up. Mark, I know about sex. When they got drunk, I saw Mom and Daddy do it. Sometimes they did it with each other and other times, they did it with their friends. Sometimes, they would do it with each other and their friends at the same time. I know it feels good because I heard Mom beg whoever she was doing it with not to stop. That just doesn’t seem right, though. Someday, I want to do it with you, but not now and I don’t want to share. When we do it, I want you all for myself. I don’t ever want anybody else to have you and I don’t want anybody else to ever have me, just you. Mom and Daddy always acted like they had fun, but I want more than that. I want it to be special with us. When it happens, I want it to be something really special, just between us. When it’s over, I don’t want you to look at me like Daddy did Mom. When it’s over, I want you to look at me like Larry looks at Erin. I don’t want us to be like Mom and Daddy; I want us to be like Mom and Dad. That look, right there. I know what you’re thinking.”
“What am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking you love me more than anything. You’re thinking you want to spend the rest of your life with me. Am I right?”
“I guess Erin’s right; we really can read each other’s minds. I want you too, but I’ll wait until you’re ready and be thankful you’re mine.”
“Mark, don’t depend on me. I can’t do the waiting thing alone. It’s going to take both of us to say no until it’s the right time to say yes. There are going to be times, a lot of them, that I’m going to want to give in. One word from you then, and I will. You have to be strong for us then. If I do my girlfriend job right, you’re going to want to give in sometimes. When you do, I have to be strong. I just hope we never both want to give in at the same time before we’re ready.”
“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it. You’re an incredible woman, Anastasia Elizabeth. I thank God every day that your mine. I’m sorry, but I have to stop and rest for a minute. I’m not going to be able to do much more walking today.”
“Sit down here, Love. I’ll go get the gator and come back for you. I needed the alone time with you, but let’s get back to the party.”
“That sounds like a plan. Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Always. You do it for me. I’ll be back.”
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Post by gipsy on Sept 3, 2017 13:33:34 GMT -6
Deep update. Thanks
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Post by headlesshorseman on Sept 3, 2017 14:28:41 GMT -6
Thanks for the chapter. Maybe Kit and Troy will take Stacy's advice.
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Post by kaijafon on Sept 4, 2017 7:38:27 GMT -6
Thank you for the MOAR!
Yes there are some mature kids out there who would be like Stacy and Mark; sadly not enough.
Here in my school, sex is like a game with both guys and girls. It's sad to see so much suffering by those who don't even know they are suffering.
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Post by cutter on Sept 4, 2017 22:18:28 GMT -6
And the next one. Enjoy!
Chapter 5
Skyler, where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Sam and I took a walk and talked.”
“Uh huh. You’re a little young to be slipping off with your boyfriend.”
“I wasn’t slipping off anywhere, he’s not my boyfriend, and you just stuck your foot in your mouth.”
“And just what do you mean by that?”
“I mean Sam wanted Kat to be his girlfriend, but she died before he could ask her. He’s upset about it and needed a friend. I wanted to be that friend. Now, why were you looking for me? Are we leaving?”
“I’m sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I’m still getting used to this new you. No, we aren’t leaving yet. I wanted to give you the good news.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“I got the job! I start here in two weeks unless Walmart cuts me loose when I give notice. They do that, and I start Monday.”
“That’s great, Mom!”
“It gets better. Morgan offered me double what I make at Walmart and they’re going to give us good health insurance. We still have to pay copays and deductibles, but they’re small and Rubycon pays the whole premium! I get vacation, a few personal days, and 401(K) too! The best part is that you don’t have to go to daycare anymore. You get to come here when you’re not in school. Would you like that?”
“I’d love it! I’d get to hang out with Mark and the gang! Congratulations, Mom! You did good for both of us!”
“Thanks. Sam, I’m sorry for what I said. Are you gonna’ be ok?”
“Gonna’ have to be, sooner or later. I can’t bring her back.”
“No, but you can remember her. You keep a little piece of her alive that way. Keep your friends close, you’re going to need them.”
“I don’t have many friends, but the ones I do have are good ones. I may have lost a couple today, but I made a new one with Skyler.”
“You didn’t lose anybody today. You were the friend they needed you to be. They’ll figure that out.”
“What happened?”
“Mom, I need you to trust me and not ask that question.”
“Then I’ll leave it alone. You want to stay for the bonfire?”
“Well, yeah! Can we?”
“We don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow. I was planning on it.”
“Cool!”
“Go on, both of you. I’m going to talk with the adults some more.”
(Waters homestead, pond)
“Hi Uncle Larry.”
“Hey Kit. Hi Troy. Where are you guy’s swimsuits?”
“We’re not going swimming. I need to talk to Noah and Jordan for a minute.”
“Hang on. NOAH, JORDAN, COME OUT FOR A MINUTE. TAB AND JESSIE, BUDDY UP TILL THEY GET BACK. Here they come.”
“Why’d you call us out Dad?”
“Kit needs to talk to both of you.”
“Whatcha’ need?”
“I need to borrow Stacy tonight, but I didn’t want to ask her before I made sure you two were ok with it.”
“You gonna’ give Sissy back tomorrow?”
“Sure I will. I just need to talk to her about some girl stuff tonight.”
“I guess it’s ok then.”
“You ok with it Jordan?”
“Fine by me. If I need her, all I gotta’ do is call her. She’ll come.”
“Ok. Thanks guys, that’s all I needed.”
“Can we go back in now Dad?”
“Go on, but hook up with your buddies as soon as you do.”
“Will do. Thanks Dad.”
“So what was that all about?”
“I really do need to talk to Stacy tonight for a long while. I just didn’t want things to go bad with Noah again. It was too hard on Stacy and Mark. I don’t know if she’ll stay. I think she’s mad at me right now.”
“What about?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it, but I did something without thinking it through and she isn’t too happy with me about it. I want her to spend the night so I can try to make amends.”
“If she gives you any trouble about staying or working it out between you two, tell her I said to remember the day she came here. Ask her to call me too, either way.”
Thanks, Uncle Larry. I’ll have her call. We’re gonna’ head back now.”
“Safe travels.”
(Walking back) “Did we really just walk all this way to ask Stacy’s brothers’ permission for you to ask Stacy to spend the night?”
“We most certainly did! The day Mark came home, I screamed at him that he was no better than Bobby Jones and told him to go to hell twice, then I slapped him in the face. I’m lucky he didn’t knock me on my ass. After I did that, I about ripped our back door off the hinges on my way out to Stacy. I found her hugging her adopted sister’s headstone in the family cemetery where we are going to...to lay Kat to rest this week, crying so hard she could barely breathe because Mark wouldn’t talk to her. Noah was mad at him because Stacy had stayed with Mark the whole time he was in the hospital and Noah had convinced himself that Stacy wasn’t home with him because Mark took her away and she didn’t love her brothers anymore. We walked to her house along this very same path, into her bedroom and we laid down on her bed together. She didn’t eat that night, neither one of us slept a wink that night, and she cried nonstop from the cemetery until she yelled at me to leave, late the next morning. I kid you not, she cried nonstop for 24 hours straight! I’m not going through that again and I will not, WILL NOT put them through that again.”
“So let me get this straight. Stacy butts into our love life because she and Mark don’t like that we took our shirts off and made out last night and you are going to apologize to her for it?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. After that, I want to have a really long talk with her about what she said. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I see they were trying to tell us something for our own good and I want to make for damn sure I understand what that something is. Baby, if you’re smart, you’ll have a long talk with Mark tonight too. Sam was right. They are trying to help us and keep us from ruining our lives. Kat’s not here anymore to keep me from screwing up. Stacy is all the sister I have left now. She and Mark are both younger than we are, but they act much older than us. I don’t know, and may never know, what happened to those two to grow them up so fast; but I’m damn sure gonna’ listen to them. They’ve got their shit together. I see it and you should too. (Kit puts her hand on Troy’s arm and stops them) Troy, Baby, help me make this right with them...please.”
“Ok, I’ll talk to Mark tonight. I can’t believe I’m taking advice from a twelve year old about my love life.”
“You heard Stacy, he drives her crazy just by a kiss on the neck. You had my top off last night and were rubbing on everything from my waist up and I managed to tell you to stop, barely. I think the boy knows what he’s doing. Stacy told me she kissed him for five minutes straight at his birthday party. She said she’d have gone for ten but he had her so turned on she was about to scream...from a kiss! Baby, I love you, but I’m about to loan you out to her so you can learn how to do that to me!”
“Well excuse the hell out of me for not being good enough to satisfy you!”
“Troy don’t get mad. I was teasing you more than anything. You’re good enough and you do keep me satisfied, but five minutes for one kiss? Damn!”
“Ok, ok, I get the picture! Let’s get back so we can try to start working this out with them.”
(Marshall firepit)
“Glad you finally made it. Nice Jeep.”
“That’s part of what took us so long. I bought it so I wouldn’t have to keep borrowing Sarah’s car and leaving her stranded at work.”
“Don’t let him kid you, Brian. He wanted a new toy.”
“He’s my brother. I figured as much.”
“So? How does your dress look?”
“Oh Morgan! It’s better than perfect! Carol threw us a curveball, too. You know how the bodice buttons up? Well, I don’t know where she found them, but the buttons are blue rhinestones that are the exact same color as Todd’s dress blues! She acted like she was worried I wouldn’t like it, but I loved, loved, loved it! So, I’ve got a new dress and blue buttons. Now all I need to find is something old and something borrowed.”
“I can help you with those two if you’ll let me.”
“Of course I will, Erin. What do you have in mind?”
“When we opened Mom and Dad’s safe, we found Grandma Porter’s brooch she wore for her wedding. Gramps gave it to her the day before the wedding as a wedding gift. That was around seventy years ago, so I think it qualifies for the old part and I want it back, so that makes it borrowed. If things go with Kit like I think they will, it’ll be hers someday. If you want it, you’re welcome to wear it.”
“That would be perfect! It would let me walk down the aisle with something from both families in the clan.”
“What about your bouquet?”
“I talked to Bert. He’s going to provide all the flowers as a wedding present. Amos said he personally is going to make Sarah’s bouquet.”
“Amos made my bouquet too. Ask me about the colors before you get upset.”
“Why would I get upset?”
“You’ll see. Trust me, you’ve been through enough with this family that you’ll appreciate it when I explain it to you.”
“Oooookay. Now you’ve got me worried.”
“Don’t be worried. I kissed him when he gave mine to me. He will give you a great gift of wisdom in that bouquet. Do you have the rings?”
“Todd has had my wedding band for the last seven years. I’m picking his up Monday. I had it inscribed.”
“Vows?”
“Standard. Everything special we need to say to each other, we’ve already said.”
“You got things together quick, but not as quick as Larry and I did.”
“How long did it take you?”
“If you count from when we got the license, two days. If you don’t count the license, four hours.”
“Four hours! Justice of the Peace?”
“Craig Greene, Room 218, Franklin hospital.”
“You got married in the hospital!?! Why on Earth would you do that!?!”
“That’s where Larry was. He was shot twice while saving all our lives the night before. He needed his wife and I needed my husband. We couldn’t go to the wedding, so we brought the wedding to us.”
“That’s a story I have to hear.”
“In time. The memories are still too fresh and the emotions are still far too raw, for all four of us. Larry still has to comfort me and calm me down almost nightly from my nightmares.
“Still, so devoted to each other that you two couldn’t wait until Larry got well. Talk about a love story!”
“You have one of your own. Two lovers, waiting seven years to be reunited? The broken hero and his longsuffering fiancee. We’ve all got our own love story to tell, and they are all good stories.”
“Is it ever boring in this family?”
“Never.”
(...)
“Stacy, will you stay the night with me? I really want to talk to you.”
“What’s the point? It isn’t like you’ll listen to me. I said everything I had to say.”
“You did, but I didn’t. Stacy, after you and Mark left, Sam and Skyler finished the job. Sam said a couple of things to us that really hit me. He was pretty mad at me. I don’t think Skyler was too happy either. He got up to take a walk and Skyler went with him, left me and Troy sitting. Stacy, our group is so tight, I’ve come to take it for granted. What Sam said, really brought it home to me just how special the friendships between us fosters are.”
“I need to go home and spend some time with the boys. I couldn’t help it, but I really neglected them when Mark was in the hospital.”
“Troy and I went to the pond. I asked the boys’ permission to invite you to stay. Uncle Larry was there. He heard me. He asked me to have him call you no matter what you did.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do. (Phone) “Hi, Dad. Kit’s here and just told me she asked the boys’ permission to invite me to stay here tonight. Is that true?....Oh, it is! And they said?”...Noah, seriously!?! Wow!...I guess I was pretty stupid that day, wasn’t I?...Well, I’m not afraid anymore. Yeah Dad, I’m staying….No, I don’t mind at all, just change my sheets tomorrow….Dad, I’m twelve, not two! Mom and Daddy were freaks, all over the house and in the back yard too, when they were drinking. Those two are getting married in July, don’t think I don’t know what they’re going to do in my room tonight! If Kris is anything like Mom, you better still have the boys double up in Noah’s room or Jordan’s gonna’ get an earful and you are going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow. I’m sure not gonna’ do it!...Ok Dad, see you at the bonfire. Bye.” (Click)
“You thought I was lying to you.”
“No, I didn’t. I’m just really pissed off at you and Troy right now and wanted to get a dig in. I’m staying tonight, but you better not be wasting my time!”
“I guess I deserved that. I promise, Sister; I want to understand what you were trying to tell us and why. I’ll really listen. I’m probably going to have some questions; I want straight answers, don’t sugar coat it.”
“I guarandamntee you I won’t sugar coat anything tonight. You started pissing me off when you tried to stir something up between me and Mark with your ‘great in bed’ comment. You should know by now that Mark and I know each other way too well to think either one of us would talk behind the other’s back like that, much less lie! You really pissed me off when you blew off what I was trying to tell you. I heard you when you said I was full of myself! I am royally pissed off now. If you’d have listened the first time, this conversation could have waited for another day and been much more civil, but noooo, you had to get all butt hurt, thinking I was just being all holier than thou! I will try to get it through your and Troy’s thick heads one, and only one, more time! If you don’t listen this time, you two are on your own! You end up getting pregnant before you two are ready to raise and care for your child, and truly committed to each other, Mark and I are done with the both of you! You got that!?!”
“You really mean that, don’t you; and Mark really would back you on it?”
“Yes I do, and yes he will! I mean it, Kit. I love you like the sister I never had. I don’t ever want to lose that, but this is bringing a child into the world that we’re talking about! This is more important than us, or you and Troy, or me and Mark! When Dad agreed to foster us, he told Mom that we are more important than they are. He said that everything they did from that moment on, they do for us! Think about that until we talk tonight! I’d appreciate it if you and Troy gave me and Mark some space until everybody goes home. I need him to help me cool off between now and then, or this conversation’s liable to go straight to Hell.”
“Ok. Sister, I’m really sorry.”
“I know, I’m just not ready to accept that yet. Give me a little while to get my temper under control. It’ll all work out as long as you and Troy do your part.”
“I will. If Troy won’t, there won’t be a Troy in my life much longer.”
“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day, but don’t be too quick to kick him out. Sometimes we all need a little time and help to let things sink in. I’m going to go to Mark. We’ll see you after everybody goes home.”
“Ok. Thank you.” (Stacy walks away without answering)
(---)
“Mark?”
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you about earlier.”
“You’re here almost all week, we’ll talk about it later. I really don’t feel like talking to you right now.”
“Come on, Mark. Don’t be that way.”
“Don’t be that way? Let me draw you a picture. Kit isn’t just my friend anymore, she’s family. You ever put a ring on her finger, you’ll be family too. Until you do, you will always be second place to me. We’re friends, close friends, but my family always comes first. I’d put my life on the line for you, but I’d kill and die and do everything else but turn on my God for Kit, because she’s family. You want to talk, you can wait till I’m ready. Right now, I’ve had about enough of you for one day. You two have Anastasia so red royally pissed off she can’t see straight! I’m the one who has to clean up that mess! If it makes you feel any better, I’m not real happy with Kit right now either. You’re older than we are and we get it, why don’t you? Do us both a favor and walk away before I say something I’ll regret.”
“Whatever. So sorry I bothered you...buddy!” (Troy stomps off)
“That doesn’t look good.”
“Think we should go find out what’s going on?”
“Yeah…..Hey Mark, what’s up with you and Troy?”
“Brian, you and Morgan don’t need to know right now. Whether you need to know later, I haven’t decided yet.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means trust me and stay out of it.”
“That didn’t work out too well for you last time.”
“And it may not work out too well this time either; in fact, it may go straight to Hell in a barbed wire handbasket, but I don’t know yet. Trust me guys. This is a big deal, but if I jump the gun, I’ll make things worse. Just trust me.”
“Ok, but don’t get in over your head.”
“Brian, that’s about a stupid thing to say. When haven’t I been in over my head since I got back?”
“I see what you mean. Ok, your call, but we’re here if you need us.”
“I know, that’s why I’m not afraid to be in over my head.”
“Bonfire’s in about an hour. You and Stacy comin’, or are we going to catch you two neckin’ somewhere?”
“Brian, you’re not funny. We’ll be there.”
“Ok. See ya’ later.” (Brian and Morgan wander off)
(---)
“What’s the matter, Baby?”
“Mark’s an asshole!”
“No, he’s not! Troy, we screwed up today! Stacy and Mark are two of our closest friends! If they’re mad at us, we gave ‘em reason! We’ll see ‘em at the bonfire tonight; we’re gonna’ ask ‘em to talk to us together, all four of us, together! I don’t know what’s got into you, but you best get that chip off your shoulder before there’s a real problem between you and me! I love you Troy, but I’m startin’ to wonder if you are who I thought you were! We didn’t listen to Stacy and apparently you didn’t listen to Sam. You damn well better listen to me! Mark and Stacy are here for us, they always have been! I want to make this right. (Kit in tears) If you don’t, there’s the door!”
“You don’t really mean that.”
(Crying harder) “Yes, I do! God, I don’t want to, but yes I do!”
(Troy starts to pull Kit into a hug) “Come’ere Sugar.”
(Kit pushes him away) NO! Kissin’ and huggin’ aren’t going to make this right! I love to be held by you, but you pawing all over me right now isn’t gonna’ fix this! I don’t need your lovin’ right now; I need your help! I’m scared Troy! I’m scared we’re gonna’ do something awful we can’t undo! I love you Troy! Please don’t make me choose between you and doin’ what’s right!”
“Kit, come here. No kissin’, no rubbin’ just come here and cry on my shoulder. If they’ll talk to us tonight, I’ll listen. I’ll listen and ask questions until I get it. I never thought I’d make you mad enough to break up with me.”
(Still crying) “I’m not mad. I need you and you weren’t here! I need you and you were too busy being mad at Mark over something we started! Troy please, help me make this right.”
“I will Sugar; I promise I will.”
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Post by headlesshorseman on Sept 5, 2017 5:43:04 GMT -6
I think Mark is playing this hand correctly. Thank you for the chapter.
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Post by gipsy on Sept 5, 2017 7:57:11 GMT -6
Good job
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Post by freebirde on Sept 5, 2017 15:05:01 GMT -6
Troy was starting to look like one those jackasses that graze one field until they get what they want then moves on to the next field.
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Post by cutter on Sept 6, 2017 10:39:49 GMT -6
Thank you for the MOAR! Yes there are some mature kids out there who would be like Stacy and Mark; sadly not enough. Here in my school, sex is like a game with both guys and girls. It's sad to see so much suffering by those who don't even know they are suffering. Sex isn't a game, a truth these four are going to learn in due time.
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Post by cutter on Sept 7, 2017 21:01:15 GMT -6
Finally! I didn't think I'd ever get this one finished! Every time I thought I was getting to a good stopping point, one of these strong willed kids would tap me on the shoulder and say, "you forgot this". I didn't know I was taking them to raise! Anyway, let the games begin! Enjoy.
Chapter 6
“Stacy, I’m sorry, but can I talk to you alone for just one minute?”
“Mark, I’ll be right back….Where’s Troy?”
“He went to the bathroom. Stacy, I want us to talk about this. I want all four of us to talk about this. Troy said he and Mark got into it a little while ago. Please Stacy, I’ll understand if you can’t, but try to convince Mark for us to all four get together tonight after everybody leaves and all talk about it. Stacy, there’s more going on here than I know about. You two are more angry with us than makes sense to me, and I want it to make sense to me. Troy is, I don’t know what Troy is, but it bothers me a little. I told him if he doesn’t want to make things right between you and us, to leave.”
“Leave here?”
“No, leave me.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“No, that’s not what I want! Stacy, I don’t know what’s happening with Troy. He’s not the man I fell in love with anymore. He hasn’t hurt me or done anything to me, but he’s just not the same. I’m worried about him.”
“I’ll talk to Mark. He’s beyond mad at Troy, he’s really and truly angry with him, so I won’t promise, but I’ll try to get him to agree for all of us to talk together tonight. You and I will talk about Troy, later, in private. I don’t think our men need to hear our conversation.”
“I know Mark’s mad, but why is he so angry with Troy?”
“Because of you and me. Kit, you don’t get it; you’re family now. The only thing Mark puts above family is God. He wouldn’t tell me exactly what he was talking about, but he told me earlier he didn’t like Troy’s attitude about this morning. I do know he had a huge problem with the fact you two did what you did with the boys around. Sometimes, I think he forgets that they aren’t his sons. I’m the other reason. Mark has only seen me as angry as I was this afternoon twice before. He knows I have a real temper, but he doesn’t see it very often. I don’t get all the way to angry that often, but when I do, God help you, because I won’t. I’ll talk to Mark. It’ll be ok, Sister.” (Stacy goes back to Mark)
“What was that all about?”
“Mark, I know you’re really angry, but I need you to do something. I need you to put it aside long enough for all four of us to talk together tonight after everybody leaves. I’m not asking you to do it for them; I’m asking you to do it for me.”
“Do we have a problem? Because if we do, I need to know.”
(Stacy reaches out and touches Mark’s cheek) “No Love, our only problem is we’re not ready for what we both want. Mark, I dream of the day you are my husband. I dream of the day when we have children together. I dream of the day WE are Mom and Dad; happy together, with our children, our family making a life for ourselves. I can dream of those things because I know I’m safe with you. I know I can trust you with everything, just like you trust me. No, I’m worried about Kit and I’m worried about Troy. Somehow, I know that out of everybody, even the fosters, we’re the only ones who can help them. I need to help them. Mark, I can’t do it without you.”
“You won’t have to; I’m here. We’ll talk here, after everybody leaves, so the four of us can have the privacy to say exactly what’s on our minds.” We’re not sleeping up here tonight though. I don’t want those two together tonight. I want Kit with you and Troy with me. I want to keep an eye on him for a while. I don’t know what it is, but something’s bugging me about him right now.”
“Kit said something like that too. Figure it out for us, Love. It may make a difference. Are you ok here for a little while? I really need to talk to Mom before the bonfire.”
“I’ll let you go if you kiss me first.”
(Kisses Mark) “Small price to pay. I’ll be back.” (Stacy goes looking for Erin)
(To himself) “Tonight may work out ok, but I just have a feeling this isn’t going to end well. What the Hell am I missing?”
(....)
“Mom, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, Sweetheart.”
“Alone...please?”
“Ok, let’s take a walk.”
(...)
(Marshall / Waters family cemetery. Stacy leads Erin to Joanna’s headstone)
“Stacy, what’s wrong? You didn’t say a word all the way here and why did you bring us to Joanna’s grave?”
“Mom, I hate this. I really, really hate this because I know I’m going to hurt you, but I have to know. Mom, tell me the whole story about Joanna.”
(Tears welling up in her eyes, Erin takes a deep breath and lets out a long sigh) “Anastasia, you’re asking me to relive three years of my pain and lay it all on you. I know you came here when you and Mark were having trouble. I don’t understand how it happened, but I know there’s something inside you for Joanna. I know you feel a bond with her that even I can’t understand. Anastasia, I don’t want to tell you. If I do, it will break your heart almost as much as it did mine. I don’t want that for you.”
(Taking both Erin’s hands in hers) “Mom, I feel like I took Joanna’s place. I didn’t know about her until you told me, but when I found out, I never wanted her place. I wanted my own place. I wanted her. All I can do now is carry her with me. Mom, I’m sorry, but I have to know. If my heart breaks for a sister I never knew, it’s a price I’ll willingly pay, but I have to know. Please Mom, please.”
(And as her first tear falls, Erin begins telling Stacy the whole, terrible story. She holds nothing back as Mother and Daughter are both crushed with the cruel sorrow of it, as their tears fall on the grave of a child, a daughter and a sister they both love, but neither ever knew, except in their dreams.)
(......................................................................................................)
(Walking back to the party) “Sweetheart, why did you have to know today?”
“Mom, I won’t do it if I don’t have to, but I may have to tell her story tonight.”
“I trust you. Do what you have to do, but tell me why you might have to tell Joanna’s story tonight.”
“Mom, please don’t tell anybody else. Troy and Kit aren’t thinking straight. They’re headed to trouble if they don’t straighten up. I don’t want to tell you everything now because I think you and Dad and Uncle Brian and Aunt Morgan might overreact, but I will before I let them screw up their lives.”
“Six months ago, I would have never believed I would ever trust a twelve year old with anything important. I still wouldn’t trust most. You and Mark have taught me to trust you both implicitly. I know you’ll do right by Kit and Troy, and I know you’ll do right by Joanna. Still, don’t get yourself backed into a corner. Don’t be afraid of what we will do if you ask for help. Kit’s family and Troy is one of us.”
“Mom, does Dad ever kiss you on the back of the neck?”
“Yeah, all the time. Why?”
“Do you like it?”
“Sweetheart, I melt when he does that! I feel it all the way to my toes! Why do you ask?”
“Do you ever tell him to stop?”
“I’ve never had to. The first time he did that was the night we got engaged. By then, it didn’t matter. What are you trying to tell me?”
“He doesn’t do it very often, but once in awhile, Mark will come up behind me, move my hair out of the way, and kiss me on the back of the neck, just above my shoulder. He’s so gentle and tender when he does it. The first time he did it, I thought I was gonna’ cry, it felt so good, and so, so…”
“Intimate?”
“Yeah. I just wondered if I was the only one.”
“No, you’re not the only one. Sweetheart, it’s ok for you and Mark to do the things we’ve seen you do, but be careful. I told you last week when you started your first period, you can get pregnant now. You aren’t ready for that.”
“I know, and so does Mark. He and I talked a long time about it. We both want kids, but we want to raise them ourselves, together. Our time will come, but it’s not here yet. We’ll talk about this again Mom, but I need to get back to Mark right now. We have a lot to talk about too.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to try to save the world.”
“I’m not, just my little piece of it.”
“Anastasia, I love you.”
“I know. You show me all the time. I love you too.”
“Go on. I’ll see you at the bonfire, and thank you.”
“For what?”
“Loving Joanna as much as I do, and trusting me.”
“We never met, but she’s still my sister...And Mom, if I can’t trust the people I love, who can I trust?”
(....)
“Erin, is Stacy ok?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“They’re happy tears. I’ll tell you tonight, when I have your shoulder and your arms.”
(---)
“Anastasia, you’ve been crying. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just a little heartbroken. Mom just told me Joanna’s story, all of it, and more.”
“Tell me?”
“Someday I’ll have to because I know I can’t bear it forever, alone. I’ll probably have to tell parts of the story tonight, but I hope not. Mark, let me keep this, at least right now.”
“When you’re ready. Are you going to be ok?”
“As long as you never let me go.”
“Not as long as I live.”
(---)
“Skyler, I asked Morgan. She said you could spend the night if you want to.”
“That was really sweet Mom, and I do want to, but not tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Kit and Troy are having some problems. Mark and Stacy got dragged into it. The four of them need some space to work everything out. Besides, I’d really like to talk with you.”
“If they’re still open, do you want to go get an ice cream when we leave, like we used to?”
“We haven’t had a girls’ night in a long time. Yeah.”
“Do you want to invite Sam? We can take him home afterward.”
“With us? What, are you trying to marry me off?”
“No Silly, home to his house.”
“No, just you and me tonight.”
(Larry and Erin, in their bedroom)
“You know, I really did good.”
“Well...yeah, but exactly which ‘did good’ are you talking about?”
“That robe. I think you have worn it every night since I bought it for you, except a few where I didn’t give you the chance to put it on.”
“Humf! Yeah, you usually manage to wait until I take it off. I love this robe. It feels so soft on my skin and you gave it to me. It makes me look good too.”
“No it doesn’t; you do that all by yourself.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere Love, including in my robe.”
“Maybe later, maybe not. You were upset earlier. I could see that even though you did a really good job of lying about it to everybody else. You need your husband tonight, not your lover.”
(Erin takes off her robe and slips into bed, right into Larry’s waiting arms) “I have both, every night.”
“Erin, tell me the truth, what happened with you and Stacy today?”
“We went for a walk and talked.”
“Stop it! There’s a lot more to this story than you’re telling me. No secrets between us, remember?”
“She led me to the cemetery, to Joanna’s grave. She asked me to tell her Joanna’s story. She said she had to know.”
“What did you do?”
“I told her the story, the whole story, just like she asked of me. I told her everything. I told her about Kyle, and how he manipulated me into his bed. How he was oh so careful to not push too hard, just enough to guilt me into going a little farther each time until I finally let him take me. I told her about all the nice things he did for me, but never freely, there were always strings attached. I told her how by the time he took me and my virginity, he had convinced me that was what I really wanted, that it was love. I told her how terrified I was when I found out I was pregnant with Joanna and how certain I was he would stand by us. I told her how cruel and cold he was when I told him, how he just threw us away without even a hint of remorse. I told her what Morgan said to me about my options and how I couldn’t bear the thought of an abortion or giving her up. I told her what my father did to me and how he ordered Joanna’s murder while I could only watch helplessly. I told her how I buried my pain and how it tortured me. All I told her about what happened to Kyle was that he’s dead now. I told her how I finally took a chance and fell in love with Mike. Larry, I loved Mike. He was good to me, as much as he knew how to be. He really did try to make me happy, but it was always work for us, loving each other. He didn’t play any mind games with me. When I joined him in his bed, he didn’t take me; I gave myself freely to him. I told her how Mike just left me without even saying goodbye and how my pain doubled. I told her how much it hurt that my father had taken Joanna from me, how he had so cruelly taken her life. I told her how much worse it hurt because I had finally figured out how Kyle played me just for sex and how he betrayed me when I needed him most, and how Mike’s betrayal had made it so much worse yet. I told her about the crushing despair I suffered in silence, always hiding it from everybody, even Morgan. I told her about Toby, and how Dad and Mom sold me out, my coming here, and meeting you. I told her how I didn’t want to even notice you, but I couldn’t help but be attracted to you the first time we met. Morgan noticed. She teased me a little bit but didn’t really say much about it. I told her everything that happened between us and how our trip back to Stamford brought Joanna back to the surface for me. You asked me why I insisted on burning the bed from the pool house apartment when we got back. I’ll tell you now. Joanna was conceived in that bed. That’s why I couldn’t go up there; I couldn’t bear it. The whole time we were there, I kept it hidden, even from you, but I was always just one heartbeat from falling apart. I told her about my plan to end my own life, just to stop the pain, and how you and Brian and Morgan saved me. I told her everything that happened and every word you said to me and did for me, that night and the next morning. I should tell you that our daughter’s opinion of you is now high above the heavens. I should also tell you that she believes Mark would do the same for her if she needed him to. I think he would too. Larry, I told her almost everything about my life since Joanna was taken from us, and everything about Joanna. Larry, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to tell her, the words were already out of my mouth before I realized I said them, but she knows you killed Conlin to save us. She also knows you almost died yourself, doing it. All she said is that there is no sin in loving your family. All she cares about it is that it not haunt you and that you saved us. When we were done, Joanna’s grave was soaked with our tears, but some of my pain is gone. I hope I did not lay that pain on her heart.”
“You did, just as she intended you to do. Love, you did not give her your pain, she took it from you. She asked for it, understanding what it was she was taking. Our daughter is an incredible woman, very much like her adoptive mother. You did right, telling her. Did she give you any reason why she had to know, today?”
“She did, but Larry, it’s not my secret to tell. That is her secret and I will not betray her. I know how that feels.”
“I don’t guess I really need to know. I’ll hold you tighter and let’s try to sleep.”
(---)
(Marshall firepit, after the party)
“Ok, it’s just us. Let’s get started so we can get done.”
“Troy, if all you’re going to do is have an attitude, there’s the house. You know where my bedroom is. Stacy and I are here to help, against my better judgement. I hope you want it. If you don’t, get the hell out of the way so we can help Kit. She does want it.”
“No, I want to hear what you have to say.”
“Just hearing won’t help, you have to listen!”
“Fine! I’ll listen. Let’s get started.”
“Here’s the deal, we all say exactly what’s on our minds tonight, no holding back or protecting anybody’s feelings. Who wants to start?”
“I will. What was the big deal? Kit was still wearing her bra. She was just as covered as she would have been in a bikini.”
“Kit, do you own a bikini?”
“No, they show off more skin than I’m comfortable with.”
“You should! You have a great body and incredible tits!”
“Troy, you're not helping here.”
“What!?! Even Mark likes her tits, he’s said so!”
“Yes I do, but you have never once heard me call them that, and you never will. I enjoy the sight of a beautiful woman, but there’s always respect. The difference is that a bikini is considered clothes, underwear is private. Troy, my big problems with this morning were that the boys were there and you two were somewhere you could have easily been caught. If Brian or Morgan would have seen you two like that, all Hell would have broken loose. My only other worry is if you two lose control and go too far.”
“Ok, we weren’t careful enough about where we were, but how can we go too far? If we want to do it, how is that bad?”
“And what happens when Kit gets knocked up? That’s how I got here. One of the few good things I can say about Daddy is that when he got Mom pregnant with me, he manned up and married her. Are you going to be like Daddy, or are you going to’ be like Joanna’s father, or are you going to be like Larry?”
“Who’s Joanna?”
“Joanna was Aunt Erin’s daughter. She passed away before Aunt Erin came here. Erin was just a year older than us when she got pregnant. She’s buried in the family cemetery here.”
“I thought that too, but she’s not. Mom just told me today. Joanna’s grave is just a headstone; her remains were not preserved when Mom’s father forced her to have an abortion. Mom told me they put up a headstone for her and had a funeral just to prove to the world that she existed and she mattered. CPS wouldn’t let Kit keep y’all’s baby. At best, she would be allowed to have your baby and then CPS would take him and put him in a foster home. The other thing that could happen is that they could get a judge to order an abortion. Kit would either cooperate, or they would drag her to the hospital and restrain her, or drug her, while they murdered your child. Either way, you would lose him, forever. Mom said today that we were never meant to outlive our children. She said it changes us in ways we can’t imagine unless we have lived it. It almost drove Mom to suicide. It took Dad, Uncle Brian, AND Aunt Morgan to save her. I don’t know if all of us together could save Kit again, especially after something like that.”
“Kit’s not going to get pregnant.”
“That’s what Mom thought too, until she did.”
“Troy, I know it’s tough. When I saw Anastasia in her underwear at the hospital, it was all I could do not to tell her to take it off and get in bed with me. I still had a catheter in, but all I wanted was to put my hands all over her, just like you did to Kit last night, only all of her, with nothing in my way. It took everything I had to turn my head. Now that I’m out and everything’s working again, more or less, I’m not sure I could resist the temptation if I saw her like that again. I’ll just be honest, all four of us know how sex works and I don’t know if I could stop before we went all the way, and I sure as Hell wouldn’t want to! That scares the living Hell out of me! I love Anastasia. She keeps saying she’s going to marry me someday. I pray every night she never changes her mind. Every single time we touch, I want to do more, but I know if I do, there’s a very real chance we won’t be able to stop. Both of us can only resist so much, before it’s too much. Neither of us knows what too much is. If y’all want to play, we can’t stop you. It isn’t our place to anyway. Kit’s family to both of us; you are one of our closest friends. We just don’t want to see either of you hurt. You’ve both been hurt more than enough already.”
“Troy, it’s as much my fault as it is yours. I could have said no; I just didn’t want to. You wanted to so much and so did I. I know it’s going to be hard, but let’s take a step back. Let’s start over. It’s only four more years. We’ll be 18 then and can get married. We can build a life together then. We can have children and keep them then. Please Troy, let’s try to start over.”
“Fine, we’ll start over. How do we do this?”
“I don’t know. I think maybe we need to keep all of our clothes on around each other for starters. Troy, I’m sorry, but I really didn’t want you to stop last night. I didn’t want to admit it, but Stacy’s right; I can get pregnant. I have a really hard time saying no to you. You’re so good to me; I feel guilty when I do.”
“Then I guess we’ll keep all our clothes on and our hands to ourselves, see how it goes.”
“Troy, we don’t have to stop everything; we just have to stop before we can’t stop. I don’t know where that is, do you?”
“No, I don’t. We’ll do it your way and maybe we can put all this shit behind us.”
“You’re still mad.”
“No, I’m not. I just feel like it’s somehow all my fault! I wasn’t the only one there, you know!”
“No, I was there too. I took your shirt off and then mine too. You asked me to, but I could have said no. I know I started this. I’m sorry, Baby.”
“Forget it, we’re starting over, remember?”
“Thanks, Baby. It won’t be forever, just for now.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I hope so.”
“Are we all ok now?”
“I think so.”
“Troy?”
“Yeah, I’m good for now. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, tomorrow.”
“Then let’s call it a night. My back’s hurtin’ bad and I’m exhausted.”
“We didn’t bring any blankets or pillows up with us.”
“Sister, we need to stay in the house tonight. Mark’s back won’t take sleeping on the ground right now.”
“Fair enough. Let’s head back.”
“You two go on. I’m going to be slow and I want Anastasia with me in case I fall.”
“See ya’ at the house, Buddy.”
“Yeah, but the way I’m hobbling along, Heaven knows when that’ll be. We’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“Want us to stay in case you need some help?”
“No Kit, I have Stacy if I get in trouble. She’ll help me or call for reinforcements if it’s too much for her to handle. You two go on and enjoy a nice, moonlit walk together. I expect you need some time alone to talk.”
“Thanks, Mark. We’ll see you at the house. We’ll wait on the back porch for you.” (Troy and Kit leave)
“Ok, let’s hear it.”
“Hear what?”
“Something didn’t seem right to me about that conversation we just had, so I KNOW something didn’t seem right to you.”
“Several things didn’t seem right to me. What tipped you off?”
“You lied to them, that’s what tipped me off. You’re not ready to run any marathons, but with your walker, you’re moving just fine, you’re far from ‘hobbling along’. You wanted to talk to me alone and you didn’t want them to know.”
“No, what tipped you off that something wasn’t right?”
“I can’t put my finger on it. They both said some things that just sounded off to me, but I’m not sure why. Mark, I know you too well. It’s all over your face that you see a problem. I don’t think they noticed; I just know how to read you. That alone was enough to make me worry.”
“Some of the things Troy said didn’t sit well with me. The way Kit reacted to some of those things set off some alarm bells too. I haven’t put it all together yet, but I don’t trust Troy anymore. Anastasia, I want you to keep Kit close as much as you can while Troy’s staying here. I intend to do the same with him.”
“What are we looking for?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think Troy’s done trying to get into Kit’s pants. If I find out he’s playing her for sex, his ass is mine!”
“Love, you have a long way to go before you’re healed. Don’t pick a fight you can’t win.”
“Anastasia, nobody ever wins a fight, but if I find out he’s doing Kit wrong, that’ll be one fight I guarandamntee you I won’t lose.”
“Mark, did you mean the things you said about us and how much you want me?”
“Every. Last. Word. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“I don’t guess I did, but I do now.”
“Like I told you and the girls in the hospital; I’m a man, not a saint.”
“It’s going to be a long five years, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, might as well be five hundred.”
“We’ll manage.”
“I hope so. My hopes aren’t high, but I have them. Let’s head for the house before they figure out that I just wanted you all to myself for a few minutes.”
(Stacy kisses Mark) I won’t have another chance to do that tonight, so I thought I better do it now, while I could.”
“I love you too. Come on.”
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Post by catspaw65 on Sept 8, 2017 3:15:51 GMT -6
Troy better behave or he might get something important tied in a knot.
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Post by gipsy on Sept 8, 2017 7:50:15 GMT -6
I feel that th end has not yet arrived.
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Post by headlesshorseman on Sept 8, 2017 8:16:29 GMT -6
Wonderful writing. Thank you.
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Post by cutter on Sept 8, 2017 10:22:32 GMT -6
Kit and Troy are at intermission
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Post by cutter on Sept 10, 2017 1:01:27 GMT -6
Chapter 7
(Tuesday, May 30, funeral home 5 PM)
“Hi Morgan. Hi Erin. How’s Kit holding up?”
“About like we expected. She holds it together for a while and then starts to lose it. When she does, the kids swoop in and bail her out. I didn’t expect to see so many kids here or for them to stay so long. Skyler is the last of them, but the rest of the fosters have been here since noon.”
“Skyler wanted to be here at noon, but I couldn’t get off work today and tomorrow too. I was half hoping they would tell me to go on and leave when I gave my notice. It’s going to be so much better, working with y’all. Skyler’s looking forward to being able to hang out with the gang too.”
“It wouldn’t break our hearts if you started Thursday. We’re closing the office tomorrow for the funeral.”
“Yeah, about that, let’s go outside for a minute so we can talk in private. Skyler told me some things Saturday night that you two need to hear.”
(outside)
“What’s up?”
“I think you are going to be overrun tomorrow. They don’t want Kit to know, but it sounds like most of the kids who were in the lunchroom are going to be there for the funeral tomorrow. Skyler said she’s helped arrange rides for at least a dozen kids whose parents couldn’t take them.”
“I never expected that, but I’m not going to complain. Our Precious Girl is going to need all the support she can get tomorrow.”
“If Skyler’s right, she’s going to get it. You do realize that , allowing for the kids and their parents, we’re talking about maybe three or four hundred people, don’t you?”
“I don’t care if it’s a thousand! I don’t care if the whole damn town shows up! If they’re there for Kit, they’re more than welcome. We’ll manage.”
(---)
“Kit, where’s Troy?”
“He’s here. He can’t stay in here very long though. He said it brings back too many bad memories.”
“Well, we’re here for you. I’m sorry I’m late; we came as soon as Mom got off work.”
“You came, that’s all that matters. You wanna’ go see her?”
“I don’t know if I can. I don’t want to make a scene.”
“She looks really good, like she’s asleep. A lot of the kids have started crying when they saw her, a lot of the adults too. Don’t worry about it. Even Bobby Jones cried a little. He came for a few minutes; who would have ever thought Bobby would have bothered to come? Come on.”
(..)
“She...she looks so pretty. Who picked out her dress?”
“I did. It was her favorite. Daddy gave her a dress that was almost like it our last birthday he was still alive.”
“You did good. I’ve never heard you call your father Daddy, just Dad. Kat was the one who always called him Daddy.”
“This is her day; I’m doing it her way.”
(---)
“I’ll be back in a few.”
“Everything ok, Love?”
“No, not a thing’s ok. It’s taking everything Kit has to almost hold it together. I want to know where Troy is. He belongs at her side.”
“Take it easy, Mark. Troy’s having a hard time too. He lost his little sister when CPS put them in foster care.”
“Who told you that?”
“Troy did.”
“Anastasia, Troy’s an only child; he told me that himself.”
“Why would he lie about that, either way?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. I’ll be nice, but I’m going to go find him.”
(outside)
“Troy, Kit needs you.”
“I’ll be in, in a minute.”
“Kit needs you now. She’s starting to lose it.”
“Fine, I’m coming. Jessica, I’ll be back.”
“Really Troy?”
“What? She’s in my class. We were just talking.”
“Yeah, and Kit’s just trying to survive today and tomorrow. That’s why you came to stay with us this week, to help Kit, remember?”
“Yeah, I’m just having a hard time just sitting in there.”
“So’s Kit.”
“Alright, I get it. Let’s go.”
(---)
“Sissy, can I talk to you?”
“Sure you can. What’cha want to talk to me about?”
“Kit’s really sad. Maybe you better go take care of her tonight.”
“Noah, that’s really sweet of you. You know, she’s going to be even sadder tomorrow.”
“Maybe you should take care of her until she’s not so sad anymore.”
“That means I can’t be home with you and Jordan.”
“That’s ok. I can come see you if I miss you too much.”
(Stacy hugs Noah) “I love you, Little Monster. You’re growing up and I’m proud of you. Thanks for letting me take care of Kit.”
“I was mean to you and Uncle Mark. I don’t wanna’ be mean no more. Kit’s nice to me. I don’t want her to be sad.”
“I’ll do the best I can.”
“Ok. They have pie in that other room. You wanna’ go get a piece with me?”
“Hang on just a minute. Kit, do you mind if I go get a piece of pie with Noah?”
“No, he’s a great little guy. Go get him some pie so he can get even sweeter.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
(Marshall homestead, back porch, 10PM)
“Here Love, I made us some hot chocolate. Too late for coffee.”
“Yeah it is, thanks. Mmm, this is good, and really hot! What’d you put in it?”
“Ancient Chinese secret. I’m glad you like it.”
“What are Kit and Troy doing?”
“Sitting on the couch, not quite arguing.”
“About what?”
“Best I can tell, somebody saw Troy outside at the funeral home sitting way too close to Jessica Malone and said something to Kit.”
“Yeah, I saw that too. I am about done with Troy.”
“YOU didn’t tell her, did you?”
“No. She didn’t need that right now. I wasn’t going to tell her. I wonder how she’ll handle it.”
“What were they doing?”
“They were just sitting together, drinking a Coke and talking; but if Jessica had been any closer to him, she’d been in his lap. The whole point is that he should have been at Kit’s side. Put it this way, if it had been Todd instead of Kat, where would you be?”
“Close enough to touch you, every second until it was over and for as long after as you needed me to be.”
“Just like you were when I was in the hospital. The only reason you left at all is because I told you to. You didn’t really want to go, even then. That is my whole point, Troy isn’t being there for Kit like he should be. Add that to his attitude, his spending time with other girls when Kit needs him bad, and him just flat refusing to get it about the sex thing; and I’m starting to think he’s going to be real trouble for Kit. I just don’t see any way we can stop her from making a huge mistake.”
“There’s nothing we can do, except be ready to help her pick up the pieces if things go wrong.”
“What about telling Brian and Morgan?”
“And they’ll do what, forbid him from coming here? That might work for a little while, but we have to go back to school in a couple of months. They’ll be going to the high school together then. The only way that would fix it is if he moved on to another girl before school started. I don’t think Kit would let that happen right now. Think about it. What would we do if it was us instead of them and Brian and Morgan told you that you couldn’t see me anymore? Let’s make it fair and say Mom and Daddy were still alive and I still lived in town.”
“We’d find a way. The difference is that WE are fighting for all we’re worth to not go too far. I’ll be honest; I think we could handle going as far as they did the other night. I would rather we didn’t try, in case I’m wrong, but still. We could probably go a little farther than that and still handle it, but it isn’t worth finding our we’re wrong.”
“I can’t argue with any of that, but you just made my point; we would find a way. Mark, they’d find a way too. You know full well that any of our friends would help us, and would help them, see each other, in spite of what Brian and Morgan said. The only thing I see we can do is keep working on Kit to stop things before they get out of hand.”
“And try to keep them from being alone together somewhere they won't get caught. I need you to quietly tell the boys to not mention the back forty campsite around Troy.”
“What about Kit?”
Talk to her tonight, after you go to her room. Find out if she’s already told Troy. If she hasn’t, tell her to keep it quiet. If she has, tell her I’m not healed enough to go up there. Either way, make her understand that it’s too much temptation for them to be way back there, even if we are with them. We need to avoid the fire pits here and at your house and the campsite by the pond too.”
“I’ll take care of it. What if he gets his head on straight? Do we not do the things we enjoy and not enjoy our time together, within our limits, just to keep them from screwing up? I’m not sure I’m willing to do that. I love ‘em to death, but just because they don’t know when to stop doesn’t mean we don’t.”
“No, you’re right. I don’t want us to pay for their stupidity. Honestly, if we give up everything we like, just trying to keep them from screwing up, we’ll both end up resenting it and will throw Kit to the wolves, in this case, just one wolf. No, we are not going to change who we are, separately or as a couple, but we’re going to have to find our center, just like when I do Tai-Chi. I don’t do it to forget my anger or frustration or whatever. I do it to help me balance out the bad with the good, so I can get my head on straight and deal with it like I have some sense. We are going to have to pick and choose what we do and when we do it, and we’re going to have to be more private about it. We do what we do in front of Brian and Morgan, and Erin and Larry, because we know they trust us and they know they can trust us. None of us wants to lose that trust so all of us give a little. We don’t go too far and they don’t say anything when we push the limits a little. All Kit and Troy will see is an invitation to do whatever the hell he wants them to do.”
“Mark, you’re not being fair. You heard Kit; she wanted to do what they did.”
“And you heard her say she has a hard time saying no because she feels guilty when she does. Troy’s playing games with her. If he stops messing with her head, I’ll reconsider. Unless he convinces me different, I’m not going to trust him.”
“She did say that, didn’t she? I guess I just trust people too much.”
“YOU didn’t have my Dad telling you to never underestimate anybody since you were two. You didn’t have my Mom and Dad teaching you how to read people your whole life. YOU had royally screwed up parents that made you super paranoid and then, when they were gone, got blindsided by this family. None of us knew everything about how Jake and Susan were, until you told us about it. You didn’t tell it all at once and I don’t think you’re done telling it. You went from their extreme to ours. Now, you have to find your center, and I’ll help you all that I can.”
“I’m gonna’ need the help. Mark, it’s almost midnight and you are in pain. Your meds were due an hour ago. Let’s get you inside to take your meds and then let’s call it a night.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“Only to me. Come on, we all need some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be Hell.”
“I wonder how many people will really show up.”
“If it’s anything like today, we’re going to have a lot of people here.”
“I hope so. Let’s go to bed. Humf, I really wish I hadn’t said that.”
“Doesn’t matter, I was thinking it. Love, I’ll have your arms and shoulder again, just not as soon as I want. It’ll all work out.”
“I hope so, because I’m already missing it.”
“Me too. Come on.”
(...)
“Kit, let’s go get some sleep.”
“You go on. Troy and I still have some things to talk about.”
“No, she’s right Sugar. Tomorrow’s going to be a hard day for all of us, especially you. Go get some sleep. We’ll be together tomorrow.”
“Ok Baby, and I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I should have been with you. You needed me and I messed up. Go get some sleep. We’ll see each other in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Baby.” (Kit kisses Troy)
“Night.”
(Stacy takes Mark’s hand) “Goodnight, Love.”
“Sleep well. See you in the morning.” (Mark winks at Stacy, who understands the “attagirl”.)
(A few minutes later, Kit’s bedroom)
“Why didn’t you and Mark kiss goodnight?”
“We didn’t need to, the touch was enough. Kit, we know each other so well that a touch tells us everything we need to know. We wished each other a good night, but the way he looked at me told me everything he didn’t say, all by itself. That’s real trust. That’s really knowing somebody. Kit that’s real love.”
“You don’t like Troy, do you?”
“I don’t trust Troy. I did, but something you said made me wonder. Kit, there’s nothing wrong with saying no. Please Kit, don’t ever repeat this, but I wanted Mark to touch me when he saw me in the hospital. I didn’t want him to see me naked, but one word from him right then and he would have. He told me no, in his own way. He gave me an out so he didn’t have to say the words, but still kept things from going too far. Looking back on it, we worked together to keep things from getting out of hand. That’s what you and Troy have to learn how to do.”
“I know, but I feel so guilty when I stop him.”
“Stop. Feeling. Guilty. This is your body, not his. He’s your boyfriend; he doesn’t own you. Mark and I are equals; you and Troy should be too. Does he respect you?”
“He loves me.”
“Does. He. Respect. You?”
“I don’t know.”
“You need to figure that out first. If he won’t, you will never be more than his playtoy. You’ll be like my mother was.”
“What do you mean?”
“Daddy and Mom didn’t respect each other. They shared each other with other people. In Mom’s case, Daddy shared her with other men, and sometimes, other women. I guess that’s ok if that’s what somebody really wants; but I don’t. I don’t care if Mark likes your boobs, or thinks you have a hot body. It’s a compliment to me that he likes what he sees but doesn’t want you; he only wants me. You were right. Troy is really sexy without his shirt, but I don’t want him. I only want Mark, who is sexy as all hell without his shirt, by the way. We both enjoy the views, but we only want each other. We respect each other too much to hurt each other by doing anything with somebody else.”
“You saw him with Jessica too, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t. Mark did and told me about it, but I didn’t see it. Mark said they weren’t doing anything wrong, just talking. He wouldn’t have thought anything about it, except that you needed him with you. He wasn’t where he belonged. Kit, it was probably nothing with him and Jessica, but he should have been with you. Troy may just be thinking with the wrong head, but he needs to get his act together with you, if he’s gonna’ do right by you. Try not to worry about it right now. Right now, worry about yourself. Right now, concentrate on getting through tomorrow, one breath at a time. Just remember, whatever happens, you’re not alone. We’re here for you.”
“You said you had a pair of shoulders if I needed one when Mark came home. Can I have one tonight?”
“Come here, Sister.”
“That’s what Kat used to say when I asked her.”
“I’m sorry, Kitty.”
“Don’t be. She was the only person who ever called me Kitty too. It helps that you do. We’re not twins, but somehow, you know me as well as she did. I need that, and I want it. I love you, Stacy. Thanks for being my sister, and not trying to replace Kat.”
“I couldn’t do that if I wanted to. I would have liked for all three of us to be this close.”
“I would have liked that too. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
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Post by gipsy on Sept 10, 2017 8:13:16 GMT -6
Looks like Troy might get some educating real soon
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Post by headlesshorseman on Sept 10, 2017 9:30:36 GMT -6
"That felt good, I wonder what the next step will feel like?" makes load to sense to a teenager.
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Post by papaof2 on Sept 10, 2017 9:30:45 GMT -6
Does Bobby Jones man up and deck Troy when he does something inappropriate at the funeral? Mark's not really able to and anything Bobby does won't cause dissension in the group of friends.
If I just wrote a chapter, Cutter owes me lunch ;-)
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Post by cutter on Sept 11, 2017 5:04:59 GMT -6
Oh Bobby is going to show up at the funeral and do something unexpected. He is not going to get involved with Troy. I promise you sir there will be dissension in the group
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Post by cutter on Sept 13, 2017 7:56:35 GMT -6
Real life and writer's block, what a combination. Add to it that this bunch has decided they needed a little boring in their lives and this one took a while. Never fear, storm clouds are on the horizon, and this bunch is well equipped to handle the storm. Enjoy.
Chapter 8
(Wednesday, May 31, 7AM, Kit’s room)
“How’d you sleep?”
“I was dreaming about Kat. For a second, I thought you were her.”
“I’m sorry, Sweetie.”
“I’m not. It happens a lot. Usually, I get really confused for a second when I reach out to touch her and there’s only an empty spot. This was different. I thought it was her, but at the same time, I knew it was you. It’s kind of comforting. We had to share a room when Daddy was alive, because he couldn’t afford a bigger place, but we slept in separate beds. When CPS put us in our first home, we had separate bedrooms, but I don’t think there was one night that we didn’t sleep in the same bed. It’s been that way ever since. Even at the Oller’s, we had separate beds in our room, but we still slept together. The day of the explosion was the first time in three years I had slept alone. It’s getting a little easier, but this is still comforting.”
“Anytime it gets to be too much for you, all you have to do is say so. I’ll come here or you can come to my house and we’ll have a sleepover. Our parents have had enough misery in their lives; they’ll understand.”
“I know. What happened with Aunt Erin and Joanna was terrible!”
“You don’t know even half of it. Mom told me the whole story night before last. It took over an hour and we both never stopped crying. The grass on Joanna’s grave was wet from our tears.”
“I just wish I knew who Mason was. All Mom would tell me is that he is someone special to her and he isn’t her brother. Do you know?”
“Yeah, I know the whole story.”
“Will you tell me?”
“No. When Aunt Morgan is ready, she’ll tell you. It’s bad Kit, and it’s still really fresh. Give her and Brian some space. You’ll know in time. We better get up.”
“God! Help me through this day.”
“He will.”
“I know. That’s why I was asking. He already has. I think waking up alone would have made it worse.”
(---)
(Back porch)
“I wish we could go back to bed and when we woke up, this would all be just a bad dream.”
“So do I Love, but our bad dreams seem to have been all too real, ever since that day at the lake.”
“That nightmare turned out better than this one will, I think. I got the girl, then. Kit’s going to need a lot of support today and for quite a while after.”
“If what Erika told me and Erin yesterday is true, she’s going to have it.”
“I didn’t hear about this. What’d she tell you?”
“Brian, it sounds like most of the kids that were in that lunchroom are going to be here this morning, with a good many of their parents and probably some of the school staff and other folks too. We may end up with a few hundred people here.”
“I can live with that. As long as the hearse can get up to the cemetery, we can park ‘em anywhere. I’ll take all the help we can get to support Kit.”
“Are we still going to talk to her tonight?”
“Let’s see how it goes. It might be better for us to wait until tomorrow, after Troy leaves. This is something that should probably stay in the family for now.”
“You know Troy is probably the first person she’ll tell, unless she tells Stacy first.”
“I expect she’ll be shouting it from the rooftops as soon as she finds out, but I think it’s best if it’s just you, me, and Mark. You know, there IS a chance she won’t want to.”
“Yeah, but I think she will. What do we have to do yet for the funeral?”
“Get dressed and show up. Everything’s done. The funeral home is bringing Kat’s casket at 10:30 and Craig said he’d be here about 9. Bert and Sue said they’d be here with fresh flowers about 10 too. There’s nothing else to do.”
(7:30 Mark’s room)
“Wake up, Troy.”
“Too early.”
“It’s 7:30, the girls are up and eating breakfast. If you want to eat, get up.”
“What’s your problem?”
“We don’t have enough time for me to get started on what my problems are. I’m up and dressed and going to go eat breakfast with the girls. See ya’ when I see ya.”
(..)
(Mark goes to Kit first and kisses her on the cheek) “How you holdin’ up, Hun?”
“I’m ok right now, it’s later that worries me. You know, it’s a bad idea to be kissin’ other girls in front of your girlfriend.”
“It’s a worse idea to kiss ‘em behind her back. Anastasia, are you jealous I kissed Kit?”
“Only if you don’t kiss me too, and I’d like your aim to be a little better.”
“I put it where I wanted it on Kit. You’re next and I’ll put it where I want it with you too.” (Mark kisses Stacy lightly on the lips and sits down next to her.)
“Where’s my man?”
“Still in bed, I guess. He didn’t want to roll out when I woke him up, so I left him there. If he wants to eat, he best get his butt out here.”
“How late did you two stay up?”
“I went to bed a few minutes after you girls did. Troy finally came to bed a little after two.”
“What was he doing up so late?”
“I don’t know and I didn’t really care; I was beat and my back was killin’ me.”
“How you feelin’ now, Love?”
“I’m ok right now. It’s uncomfortable, but not bad. I’m going to eat and then take my meds. Hopefully, that will keep it under control for a while. I’m going to keep one of my lidocaine patches with me today. If I need it, I may need your help putting it on.”
“I can do that. Hey, look!”
“What?”
“Skyler and her Mom are here! It’s not even eight o’clock yet!”
“Can’t say I’m surprised. Could I have the ham, please?”
“I swear, always thinking with your stomach! Here, Love.”
“No, I don’t always think with my stomach, but it gets me in less trouble.”
“SKYLER, MS. CARMICHAEL. OVER HERE.”
“Hi guys. Man, this place is so beautiful!”
“You’re welcome anytime. Me or Kit one will put you up. Y’all want some breakfast?”
“We ate already, but what’s that?”
“Some of Morgan’s homemade hot pepper jelly. It’s an acquired taste. I haven’t managed to acquire it, but Mark likes it sometimes.”
“Pepper jelly? I never heard of it, can I try it?”
“It’s your stomach. Here’s a plate and a biscuit. Go easy on it.”
“Oh wow, this is really good! What’s not to… OH DAMN! That’s HOT! My mouth is on fire!”
(Mark’s smirking but doesn’t look up as he passes his milk to her.) “Drink this; it’ll help.”
(Skyler downs the whole glass in one shot.) “My mouth’s still on fire, but at least I can breathe now!”
“Give me the other half. Get another biscuit and just use butter. That should calm it down.”
“Thanks, that’s better. Wow! Don’t spill it or it’ll eat a hole through the table! Mark, how do you eat that stuff?”
“We grew up eating it. Mom’s maiden name was Delacroix; she’s Cajun. Dad met her when he was stationed in Louisiana. I like it once in a while, but Brian and Todd both love it.”
(Erika laughing) “Mark, you’re terrible. You could have warned her.”
“Ms. Carmichael, Stacy DID warn her, but she didn’t listen. That batch is pretty hot, but Morgan has some that is milder. I’ll bet Skyler develops a taste for it, eventually.”
“You just tried to poison my daughter and I’m standing here laughing about it. I think we can go with y’all calling me Erika.”
“If that’s the way you want it.”
“Beats calling me Grandma.”
“Wanna’ borrow my walker?”
“Very funny. You guys visit; I’m going to go see the big kids.” (Leaves)
“Kit, where’s Troy?”
“He was up late last night. He’s still in bed.”
“No, he’s not. Mornin’ Sugar. Sorry it took me so long. I had a lot to think about last night. I was having trouble getting started this morning.”
“That’s ok, the gang’s been keeping me company.”
(10:15AM)
“Kit, can you and Skyler give me a hand clearing this stuff up?”
“Sure.” “I’m in.” (The girls clear the table and go in the kitchen)
“What, you two tryin’ to keep us apart now?”
“Troy, stop being an idiot. They are coming with Kat’s body. The hearse is five minutes out. It’s still forty-five minutes before the funeral. Kit doesn’t need to see them bring her in. Stacy, Skyler, and I worked this out Saturday.”
“How come you didn’t tell me?”
“Because you were being a retard, now you know. Troy, you’re going to have your hands full with Kit today. We’re just trying to help. You know, it’s different, but we love her too. Stacy and I want you two to work.”
“Then why’d you tell her about Jessica? That was a cheap shot.”
“I didn’t. I don’t know who told her, but it wasn’t me and it wasn’t Stacy. You pissed us off, but we wouldn’t do that to either one of you. If you’d been making out with her, that would have been different, but you two weren’t doing anything wrong. I told you the only problem I had with it, you weren’t there to help Kit hold it together. What the Hell is he doing here?”
“What? Who?”
(Mark gets up without answering Troy and heads off the porch) “What do you want?”
“Mark, I’m here for Kat’s funeral, that’s all. You can go back to hating me again tomorrow, but leave it alone today.”
“Bobby, I never thought I’d say this, but if that’s really why you’re here, you’re welcome.”
“I lost every friend I had because I messed with you. Haven’t you had enough payback?”
“Never wanted payback; just wanted you to leave us alone. I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you. We’ll probably never be friends, but if you’re serious, I’m willing to give you another shot.” (Mark offers his hand, Bobby shakes it)
“We’ll worry about that later. Right now, let’s just worry about getting Kit through today.”
“Sounds like a plan. How’d you get here, anyway?”
“School bus. Mr. Dunkirk fixed it so anybody that wanted to come could catch a bus at the middle school. He was freakin’ out this morning. So many people showed up that one bus wouldn’t fit all of ‘em. He managed to get two more and drivers for ‘em. I figure we brought almost two hundred people.”
“I have to know, who told you?”
“Sam. He had a thing for Kat and I liked Kit, still do, but she’s Troy’s.”
“Bobby, don’t start anything today.”
“I’m not. I like Kit, but she can’t stand me. I don’t guess I can blame her, I really was an asshole. I’m trying to change that.”
(Mark writes his phone number down and gives it to Bobby) Call me Friday.”
“Why?”
“If you really want to change your ways, least I can do is try to give you a fighting chance. It doesn’t help me to have you as an enemy. It doesn’t do much for you or anybody else, either. Right now, let’s just try to get everybody through today. Do us a favor today and don’t mention that you have a thing for Kit.”
“All that would do is start a fight, hotheaded as Troy is. Kit doesn’t need that. She’s going through enough. I’d like for her to be with me, but I guess I just want to see her happy.”
“Thanks Bobby, and thanks for coming. You surprised me; I never would have expected this out of you.”
“Surprised me too, and shocked the shit out of Mom. Where’s the funeral?”
“Follow this gravel road past the fire pit. We have the way marked. There’s some chairs, but not near enough. Would you do me a favor?”
“Tell me what you want first.”
“Micah, Emily, and Jacob are already back there. Would you tell them to try to keep the chairs for the older folks and the front row center section of chairs for family? Have them ask the kids and maybe some of the younger adults to stand.”
“I’ll tell ‘em you said so. Maybe then they won’t tell me to go to Hell.”
“Thanks, Bobby. Bobby, we’ll see what we can manage between us, after this is over.”
“Helluva’ lot more than I expected outa’ you. Thanks, Mark. I’ll head on over.”
(...)
“What’s Fat Ass doing here?”
“Lay off him today, Troy. He’s here to pay his respects. He doesn’t start anything, we don’t either.”
“Your place, but if he does anything I don’t like; I’m kicking his double wide ass.”
“If you’re looking for a fight, stay at the house. You’re right, this is my place and I’ll handle it.”
“You can’t do shit with your back like it is.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that, if I were you. I mean it, leave Bobby be.”
“Whatever. It’s time.”
(Walking into the cemetery clearing, Kit suddenly stops.) “Oh my God!”
“What, Sugar?”
“Why are all these people here? There must be hundreds!”
“Sister, they’re here for you and Kat. Your sister mattered, and so do you.”
“Did you know?”
“We thought this might happen. Troy said something to us about it and we all made a few phone calls, then they made a few phone calls, and it just snowballed from there.”
“I...I...Th...thank all....of...of...you…………………...All these people, here for me and Kat. I don’t...I don’t know what to say….Even Bobby came. He was at the funeral home last night too. I didn’t know he was there until I saw him at Kat’s casket. He put his hand on her shoulder and said something, I couldn’t hear what. He turned around and walked over to me. He put his hand on my shoulder and told me he was sorry. He had tears in his eyes. I was so shocked, he had already walked away before I could say anything. I feel bad about that. I should talk to him.”
“Afterward, Kit. Right now, let’s get you through this.”
“All these people…”
(Graveside, 11AM)
(Kit is surrounded by the foster kids with Troy on her right, holding her hand, and Mark, with Stacy in his lap, on her left, each touching her. Skyler, Micah, Emily, and Jacob are all seated on the ground, close enough for each of them to touch her. Billy, Stephanie, Scott, and Lisa are behind her, each with a hand on her shoulders. Sam walks up to the casket and lays a single white carnation on top, next to the roses, and sits on the ground next to Skyler. He too puts a hand on Kit’s leg as he takes Skyler by the hand. Noah and Jordan sit beside Mark.)
“Friends and loved ones, we gather today to pay our final respects to Katherine Marie Johnston. Her passing is a terrible loss to us, a space in our lives that was once filled with the gentle smile and glorious laugh of our precious Kat. But even her passing offers us joy, if we will but accept it. Kat and her father are now together, with our Lord. She is beyond the reach of the pain and sorrows of this world. She left us memories enough to give us faith and strength and joy for a lifetime. She did not know it, but her last gift of love, she gave to her sister, Kitty. In the tumult and sorrow of Kat’s passing, Kit once again came to know the joy of a loving, caring, devoted family around her. Kat could not stay among us, but she did not leave us; she went to her reward. Kat will always walk with us. She will go with us, always a part of our hearts, and so, our lives. Those who knew her best, tell me she would be overjoyed with such a gathering of friends as this. She would not want sorrow among us. She would want us to see the richness of our families, our friendships, the bonds we share between us. In talking with Kit, she said something that I cannot forget. She said that Kat isn’t here anymore, so she has to live for the both of them. I think Kat would want that, not just for her and Kit, but for all of us. Today, we celebrate the life and mourn the passing of one so dear to us. I say to you that there are many who have gone on before us, who are dear to us. They want us to really live, for in living, a part of them still lives within us. Let us pray….”
(After the service. Kit takes Sam’s hand) “Walk with me.”
(Away from the crowd, as it happens, at the foot of Mason’s grave)
“How did you know?”
“I don’t understand.”
“The carnation you put on Kat’s casket, how did you know white carnations were her favorite flower? That wasn’t an accident.”
“She told you once and I overheard her. Kit, I shouldn’t say anything now, not here, but I was crazy about Kat. I wanted to ask her out, but I ran out of time before I could find the courage to ask her.”
“I know. It sounds crazy, but Kat talks to me sometimes in my dreams. She told me you liked her. She told me before she died that she wanted to go out with you but she was afraid you would turn her down. Sam, she told me Friday that you would move on, but that you’d never forget her. She said you would fall in love with a really sweet girl who would make you very happy. I want you to do a few things for me. I want you to always remember Kat, don’t ever forget her. I want you to let her go. I want you to move on with your life, take her with you, but move on and live. I have no idea who this sweet girl you will fall in love with is, but if you do, don’t wait. Don’t waste a minute. If you don’t know, find her. Find her and win her heart. Make her your own. Please Sam, you and Kat both made the same mistake with each other and it cost both of you some happiness. Don’t make that mistake again.”
“But Kat was special. It just doesn’t seem right, like I’d be betraying her.”
“Sam, she was never yours and you were never hers, because neither one of you took a chance. Don’t miss out on what could be, over something that never was. Sam, you lost your way for a while, but you’re a good man. You and I may never have in our relationships what Mark and Stacy have, but somewhere close is still a blessing compared to not at all. Remember the past, don’t live in it.
“Thanks, Kit. You know, your family has seen so much misery in a really short time. Too many of these markers are new. Too many of them belong to kids.”
“What do you mean?”
“Erin’s daughter, Joanna, is buried here. Now Kat’s here. Look at this one, Mason Tyler Marshall, April 6, 2017 ‘A life not lived, a love not lost’. Is this Mark’s brother?”
“I don’t….no! Thanks, Sam.”
“For what?”
“Now I know who Mason is.”
“You’re not making any sense, but ok. We better get back; Troy doesn’t look too happy.”
“Troy can get over himself. I needed to say what I said to you and you needed to hear it.”
(Marshall Kitchen, 11PM)
“Kit, I thought you guys all went to bed. Are you ok, Precious?”
“I was just thinking about our special someones.”
“I know you miss her and it hurts.”
“Mom, Mason is your son.”
“Who told you about him?”
“Nobody. I saw his marker today and figured it out. I lost a sister, a twin sister, but you lost your son!”
(Morgan sits heavily. Sighs) “Kit…”
“Mom, I don’t need to know. I know Mason is your son, your someone special. I know he’s with God and Kat and Dad and Joanna. I know you love him and miss him. If you need to tell me, I’ll listen and be grateful you trust me enough to tell me, but I don’t need to know.”
“Kit, I love a son I know only from my dreams, but I also love a daughter who is right in front of me. There’s pain, there’s loss, there’s sadness; but even in those things, there is blessing. Dad often says that family is everything. I have gradually learned what he means, but it took you to make me finally understand. You weren’t our first child, and God willing, won’t be our last; but you are a special gift to us. No matter what happens, don’t ever forget that.”
“I can’t forget that; it’s in my face every day. I like it there. You ok?”
“Yeah, but shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“You know? I really think I am. You feel like getting some sleep?”
“Sounds like a good idea. Goodnight, my precious girl.”
“Goodnight, Mom.”
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