Chapter 07 - Thanks "For Nothing" Giving


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Jackie was working on the upcoming Holiday schedules. Every employee in all six stores wanted off on both Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after. "But that's when all the good shopping is….." whined Annie from the Union Grove store. "My wife is having a baby that weekend, "complained Monty from Racine. Jackie had it on good authority that Mrs. Monty was only six months pregnant.

Settling on the old adage that 'seniority rules', Jackie gave the longest working employees the coveted holiday off, then, she added a rule that if the newer employees wanted to work Christmas Eve they could have the day after Christmas off. That seemed to work well among all her staff.

The office phone rang shrill near her ear and she nearly jumped in her chair. "Print Masters, may I help you?"

"Hello." A somber voice greeted her over the telephone. "My name is Jacob Calhoun and I work in the Art Department at Kenosha High School. "

Jackie settled in her chair and grabbed an order tablet. She opted for the more personal greeting. "How may I help you…Jacob?"

"Well, our school is going to have one of those Career Days over at the Kenosha Hilton's Pecan Room and there are some brochures we'd like printed up. I'm inquiring about the cost…of course, and what kind of templates you could use for the art work."

Jackie rattled off a list of font types and per word price and just about everything available in the Print Master's inventory. When Calhoun seemed convinced that she knew what she was talking about he replied, "I think we can work with this. Next week, I'll send down our Guidance Counselor and he can show you what we have drafted and your business can make it viable….agreed?"

Jacob couldn't see Jackie smiling over the phone. "Mr. Calhoun? It will be a pleasure doing business with you."

She hung up the telephone and hugged herself. A telephone sale – how much easier did it get than that? Her Christmas bonus was going to be a whopper this year!

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Red looked at his wife and grinned, "You'll never guess who is on the phone."

Kitty smiled, "Is it that handsome physical therapist? He has such strong arms." Kitty teased gently.

Red scowled and put his palm over the speaker of the telephone receiver, "No and there better not be any handsome men putting their hands on you." He thrust the telephone towards his wife, "its Paula…your sister."

Kitty uttered a little squeal and Red rolled his eyes. Of all the things she couldn't remember, why wasn't his sister-in-law one of them? He walked over to the window and looked out at the cold grey sky. Snow was imminent and so was a visit from Paula. His own brother Marty had been making noises about coming for a visit. Haven't seen Kitty in a long time and you know this might be her last Thanksgiving, blippity blah blah.

Red hated that it was a possibility however remote, but this could be the last Thanksgiving Kitty would remember. He had to do something to make it unforgettable and if it included bringing in some dumbass family members….well, that's what he, would do. Red shook his head sadly at the idea of Paula and Marty sniping at each other. But then again, when were Forman holidays ever normal?

"I made your favorite stuffing and the baby peas with pearl onions…." Red choked up at the memory of the last time they had a meal as a family. Steven was there and Eric had brought his friend Taylor from school. Kitty was so happy to have people to cook for - she just went all out. It was a spectacular meal. He leaned against the window seal and half listened to Kitty talking to Paula. What if he could get Paula to cook a meal at the old house….Eric and Marty could remove all the furniture covers and tidy up so it looked almost normal…..What a pipe dream that was! In her current condition, Kitty couldn't even suffer a 20 minute car ride!

Red turned as he heard the telephone called winding down. Kitty was wiping a tear but she was smiling. A kiss-kiss into the receiver and the call was ended. "Paula is coming to see me at Thanksgiving. When is that?"

Red pointed to the calendar on the wall. "Two weeks sweetheart. Thanksgiving is in two weeks. Did she say how long she's staying?"

Kitty frowned, "We need to put clean sheets on Eric's bed. You know that room has the better mattress."

Red only nodded. She was thinking about *home* and forgetting she was in Serenity Palms. "Sure doll, I'll make sure the house is all cleaned up."

"Good because Paula's my favorite sister and I….and I…." another tear fell down her cheek. "I can't go home….Red, why can't I go home?"

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Lydia was stretching into a "downward facing dog" lotus position as Jackie collapsed on the sofa. "Of course there are no flights to Colorado….you need to make reservations months in advance." Lydia explained.

Jackie groaned, "I just wanted to go skiing….you know, maybe fly down the bunny slopes….drink hot cocoa in front of a fire with some handsome guy….now my Thanksgiving is ruined."

Lydia lifted her leg and rolled into a "standing forward bend" and she exhaled as her fingertips touched her toes. From this upside down position, she smiled at her friend and co-worker, "What's wrong with skiing locally? I mean is Colorado snow really that much different than Kenosha snow?"

Jackie shrugged her petite shoulders. "It just sounds more glamorous I guess." She sighed softly. "I suppose I could go visit my dad."

Lydia stood up and shook out her arms and legs from the restrictive pose. "That is a great idea. Seriously, he's probably lonely and you are the only family he has and his crime was ages ago…hell, there are people that bribe and embezzle openly and get caught and nothing happens to them. Your father has paid his dues…go see him."

A sparkle lit those big eyes as an idea formulated, "I could take Michael and show him what would happen to him if he keeps doing all those drugs and stealing….it might be like therapy."

Lydia smiled sadly, "Honey, he would probably steal your car and make you walk home. I mean, do you even know where he is right now?"

"No. I only had enough to keep him in that motel for a week – I don't know where he goes after that. I could go driving around, I mean it's cold out there – he might be near a soup kitchen or something."

Lydia stretched like a panther and grinned, "Or something? How many times are you going to bail his ass out of trouble?"

Wrapping her arms around a chevron striped pillow, the brunette replied, "I still care about Michael. I mean I'm not in love with him or anything but you know…."

"You have a big heart." Lydia filled in the words Jackie didn't say. "I hear you 'say' you want to help Michael but Jackie….seriously, if he doesn't want help…"

She threw the pillow across the room. "I know!" It was so frustrating to find her old boyfriend sleeping in blankets in someone's garage. Or see him scavenging food from a dumpster. Jackie had tried to appeal to the Kelso family about helping their son but he had caused nothing but anguishes among the Kelso clan and was basically banned from Point Place. Then one spring day, Laurie Forman came waltzing into town with some money, influence and a gram of coke and Michael Kelso was *gone* again.

In the beginning, when it was just liquor, Jackie had exhausted her savings sending Michael to rehab so he could still see Betsy. Brooke was hesitant about visits but Jackie made sure father and daughter were well supervised and after a few weeks….until he fell off the wagon.

Again.

Michael started smoking something that was more potent that the old circle times. He would wake up against a tree somewhere in Mt. Hump. Sometimes he would break into his old bedroom window and his father would call the police.

Rehab again.

Over and over and over again.

Jackie wiped a tear from her eye and sighed, "You are right. I'll go see my dad and the best I can hope is Michael is somewhere safe."

Lydia sat on the little sofa beside her friend, "There you go. I'll bring you back some of my mom's double chocolate cake." She leaned down and snagged the pillow from the floor. "Remember, it's single's night at my yoga class tomorrow…if you're interested."

Jackie rolled her eyes, "I was a cheerleader Lyd….I can already get into those positions."

"Honey, I'm talking about meeting a new Walter."

Jackie bumped her shoulder against her friend and laughed, "You need to go home and take this Walter crap with you."

Lydia smiled and reached for her coat. "Jackie…. Romeo will never meet Juliet if she hides in her house. What about Mr. Car Accident?"

Jackie made a gagging noise and walked to the door opening it for her friend. "Lydia, you are too kind – now go home." Her friend laughed lightly and patted Jackie's cheek. "Think about it…it's gonna be a lonely winter all tucked away in the dark…."

She closed the door behind Lydia and leaned against the wood. "Ugh….why does she always have to be right?"

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"Kelso! Kelso, are you listening to me?"

Through bleary eyes and with the sound of horse hooves thundering through his head, Michael Kelso waved his hand but the white haired face wouldn't float away. He groaned.

Laurie shook his shoulder hard enough to rip the thin fabric of his shirt. "Kelso, get up! It's your turn to find lunch."

Kelso hunkered down further into his tattered sleeping bag. It was warm and the air around his aching head was chilly. "N-n-not hun...not hungry." He whimpered.

Laurie unzipped the bag. "Look, I've been out all night, I'm starving and there is only one sleeping bag in this shack. My turn to go to bed and you are going to find some food."

Kelso was rolled unceremoniously onto the concrete floor of the abandoned garage. When he exhaled, the air formed vapors in front of his mouth. He shivered. "Where am I going to f-f-find food?"

Laurie slid into the warm flannel, "Don't care, just get something." She flipped her oily hair over her shoulder, "Try that house on the next block...the second one from the corner. I heard they went out of town for the holidays."

Kelso's eyes got big. That might mean he could take a hot shower and get some fresh clothes! Laurie wagged a finger, "Remember to wear your socks on your hands so you don't leave finger prints."

"Oh yeah...b-b-but my feet are gonna get c-c-cold!"

Laurie shrugged, "Get some socks while you're there and see if they have extra blankets and pillows. This garage sucks."

Kelso sighed and walked to the side door and peered out to make sure no one would see him leave. "B-b-back in a b-b-bit." He opened the door and the cold wind took his breath away. "Damn Laurie! It's s-s-snowing out here!"

As the wind whipped the door from his hands, Michael Kelso could only hear Laurie Forman's laugh.

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The ride to Concord County Correctional Facility was not as long as Jackie thought it would have been. She hadn't any idea of what to expect – it had been years since she had seen Jack Burkhart, ex-lawyer, and criminal. Still, he was Daddy and she was his kitten.

The parking lot was filled with other visiting relatives. Apparently, Thanksgiving weekend was a popular day to visit the inmates. Jackie was shuffled through the intake process to make sure she was free of weapons and contraband and left to wait in a cafeteria-like room.

It was just minutes later that 26 year old Jackie Burkhart was wrapped in a big tear filled hug and spending Thanksgiving day with her dad.

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Paula and Marty bickered like an old married couple. Kitty was sitting in the communal room of Serenity Palms smiling at the ruckus. Red leaned over and bumped shoulders with his wife, "What are you laughing at?" he asked in a low voice.

Kitty whispered, "This was just how I imagined this day would be."

Red pretended to look aghast. "You mean I didn't have to pick them up from the airport and listen to those dumbasses squabbling all the way back? Just imagining them would have been enough?"

Kitty giggled, "You're half right. If they weren't here, I wouldn't have all my family fussing about me. It's nice." She leaned sideways and kissed Red's scruffy cheek. "When are you going to shave that beard?"

Red rubbed his whiskered chin and grinned, "I'm thinking about keeping the beard...I think I look a little more...dignified."

A large colorful bouquet of Delphiniums, pink Peonies and blue Irises were placed in Kitty's lap along with a kiss on the top of her head. "Happy Thanksgiving mom." Eric grinned at his dad and walked around the table to shake Uncle Marty's hand while Aunt Paula slipped a fifty dollar bill into his shirt pocket.

It was just minutes later that a couple of orderlies were bringing plates of hot baked turkey with mashed potatoes (with the correct caloric content) and a side dish of green beans with a soft warm dinner roll. That was how the family was spending Thanksgiving Day with Kitty Forman.

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Cold bologna sandwiches and rice cakes were set out on the crate Laurie used as a table. A thermos of whiskey was tucked away for later. Kelso had taken the time to clean up and change out of his dirty tattered clothes and he smelled much better. He felt much better.

Laurie was sitting on a new sleeping bag while wishing Kelso had smuggled in a hibachi so they could have a little heat. He did find a warm sweater that nearly fit her and it brought as close to a smile that he could remember Laurie ever having.

Carefully sitting on his own bag, Kelso picked up a sandwich and sighed, "Happy Thanksgiving Laurie."

Laurie bit into a tasteless rice cake and grimaced, spewing out the cardboard-like fiber. "Thanks...thanks for nothing Kelso, you could have got us something hot– didn't they have a toaster or a stove? Couldn't you have microwaved something warm? Bologna? No cheese? Thanks for nothing!"

Laurie was complaining about something else, but Kelso could only hear the sound of food being chewed in his in his ears and it was like music. That was how the drug addict and grifter spent Thanksgiving Day in an empty garage.

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