Author's Note: This story is based on the CBS television series The Jeffersons and as far as I know, it is the property of Columbia Pictures Television, Sony Pictures Television, TAT Communications Company, Embassy Television, Shout! Factory, and of course, CBS. No infringement is intended.
I also want to assure everyone who is still interested in my Horizon series that even though I have begun this new story with The Jeffersons, I am NEVER going to abandon my work with Horizon. I realize that I barely got any work done on Horizon last year and I am SO sorry about that, but I will never stop working on it, even if it takes me another ten years to get the stories done, lol! Anyway, thank you all very much for stopping by and checking out my new story, In the Blink of an Eye. I appreciate it. ((HUGS)) to everyone who needs one in these insane times. Happy reading, and God bless.
Chapter Summary: After having a big fight with his wife and son, George Jefferson's life is suddenly changed forever.
Chapter 1: Critically Injured
It had been raining on and off for the past several days now, but on this Friday morning, rain was pouring and lightning was flashing and thunder was booming. The thunderstorm outside really dampened Lionel Jefferson's mood as he began making a big pot of coffee for himself and his parents. He'd really been looking forward to going out with his fiancée, Jenny Willis, after their college classes ended today, but it looked as though the weather was going to spoil his plans. To make matters worse, Jenny's birthday was tomorrow, and Lionel really had his heart set on inviting Jenny and her parents downstairs to their apartment for a special dinner to celebrate her birthday, but he knew beyond a doubt that his father would throw a monkey wrench into the works. While Lionel's hardworking, wealthy, successful father George did have his good points, he was racist to his core, and he made no secret of the fact that he hated Lionel's racially mixed fiancée and her white father and black mother, Tom and Helen Willis, who lived in an apartment two floors above theirs. Ever since George Jefferson had left his home in Queens for his high-rise apartment on the East Side with Lionel and his longsuffering wife Louise nine weeks ago, he had been an unrelenting thorn in the Willis family's side. Every time Tom, Helen, or Jenny was downstairs in the Jeffersons' apartment, George never missed an opportunity to call Tom a honky or Jenny a zebra, and he was always making distasteful racist jokes at their expense. Lionel had already talked to his mother about Jenny's birthday dinner two days ago, and naturally, Louise, the sweetest living soul on the planet, had no problems with it at all. She was looking forward to making a special birthday dinner for Jenny tomorrow night and she was also very much looking forward to spending some time with Tom and Helen, both of whom she had quickly befriended after moving into the apartment building. The problem, of course, was convincing George to go along with it, and as the thunder clapped and the rain poured outside this morning, Lionel became concerned that the weather was a bad omen. He'd been hoping that when he asked his father about Jenny's birthday dinner this morning, he would, for once, be willing to be a good sport about having the Willises over, but he had a bad feeling that there was going to be a big fight between him and his father that would lead up to another big fight between his father and his mother – as usual.
"Good morning, Lionel," Louise said sleepily as she came walking into the kitchen in her silk lilac-colored gown and robe.
"Good morning, Mom. Would you like some coffee?"
"Love some," Louise replied with a yawn, and then she sat down at the kitchen table while Lionel poured some coffee for both of them. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yeah, I slept like a log. How about you?" Lionel asked as he set the cups down on the table, and then he sat down across from Louise.
"Yeah, I slept alright," Louise replied.
"How was Pop when he came home from that dinner with Clive Anderson last night? Was he in a good mood?" asked Lionel.
"He was as grumpy and angry as ever. He didn't get that account with Mr. Anderson like he was hoping to, and when I finally fell asleep last night, he was still fuming about it," Louise told him. Clive Anderson owned a couple of French restaurants in the neighborhood, and George, a dry-cleaner, had really been hoping to get his business, so when the potential business deal fell through last night, George was not happy to say the least.
"Oh, man. I was hoping that that deal would go through just as much as Pop was. I was hoping he'd be in a good mood this morning so that maybe I'd be able to invite the Willises over for Jenny's birthday dinner tomorrow night without any hassle."
"When is there ever not any hassle with your father? Listen, Lionel. Your father may be working hard running his business in order to support us, but he doesn't own us, and he is not the only person who lives in this apartment. We live here too, and we have rights just as much as your father does. Jenny is your fiancée, and this is your home, and if you want to invite your fiancée and her parents over here for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate her birthday, you have every right to do so."
"Thanks, Mom," Lionel said with a big smile. He really did appreciate how loving and supportive his mother had always been of him and Jenny in spite of all the heat that she, too, had to take over it because of George's racism.
George then burst into the kitchen and yelled, "There ain't no way in hell I'm lettin' Mr. Day and Mrs. Night come over to dinner with that zebra daughter of theirs tomorrow night, so you two can just forget it!"
Louise instantly rose to her feet, turned to face her husband, and told him, "Oh yes they are coming over for dinner tomorrow night, George!"
"No they ain't! I am the man of this house and what I say goes, woman!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I hate being called 'woman'?!"
"And how many times do I have to tell you that I hate havin' the Willises here?!"
"George, whether you like it or not, Lionel and Jenny will be married someday, and the Willises will be our family."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
Lionel got up in that moment, approached George, and said, "Now look, Pop. I'm not asking for much. I'm just asking to have Jenny and her folks over here tomorrow night for dinner to celebrate Jenny's birthday. That's all. Can we not have one simple dinner party together in peace?"
"No! There ain't never gonna be no peace as long as you are engaged to that zebra!"
"Oh, that's it, Pop! I've had it! I have had it with you constantly calling the woman I love a zebra!"
"What are you gonna do about it?!"
"What I should've done in the first place! I'm moving out! And this time, I'm not moving next door to Archie Bunker's house for a couple of days like I did the last time! This time, I'm leaving for good! I'm going to go pack my things right now!"
Lionel stormed out of the kitchen in that moment, and Louise ran after him, with George following them both into the living room.
"Lionel, wait! Hold on a second!" Louise cried out, and then Lionel turned to face her.
"I'm sorry, Mom, but my mind is made up. I'm outta here."
"I know. I'm not going to try to change your mind about leaving home this time, son, and you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because I'm leaving with you!"
"Weezy, you ain't goin' nowhere!" George shouted.
"Oh yes I am, George! Lionel is absolutely right, and you know it. Jenny is a bright, beautiful, sweet girl, and there isn't any good reason for you to be against her and Lionel getting married. Lionel loves Jenny, and what you don't seem to realize is that every time you insult Jenny, you also insult our son. And even though you do pay the bills around here, that doesn't mean that Lionel should have to tolerate you constantly insulting him and the woman he loves. And speaking as Lionel's mother, I shouldn't have to tolerate having my own son insulted all the time under my own roof, either. Enough is enough, George! Come on, Lionel. Let's go pack our things."
"Right, Mom," Lionel agreed, and then he and Louise went to their bedrooms to pack, leaving George Jefferson standing alone in the middle of his living room, fuming inside at his family.
Louise and Lionel immediately went upstairs to the Willises, and they were willing to let them stay with them for a while. Lionel was so furious at his father that he didn't even think about class that day; he and Louise both just spent the day venting to Jenny and Helen about all their hurt, anger, and frustration with George. Then when Tom came home from work that evening, Helen brought him up to speed on everything that had happened that day down at the Jeffersons' apartment.
"It's a good thing you two came up here," Tom told Louise and Lionel as they all were sitting together in the Willises' living room that evening. "A few days away from George will do you both a lot of good. You can relax and clear your heads, and after everybody has calmed down, I'm sure you'll all be able to work this out."
"I don't know, Tom. Can anything ever be worked out with someone as unreasonable as George?" asked Helen.
"I've been asking myself that same question all day long," said Louise.
"Well listen, you guys. With all due respect to Pop, I am tired of talking about him right now. I'm even tired of thinking about him. Can we please talk about something else?" Lionel asked.
"That's a good idea, Lionel," Jenny agreed.
"Yes, why don't we talk about something pleasant for a change? Like Jenny's birthday tomorrow," Helen suggested.
"I'm really sorry we weren't able to have your birthday dinner down at our place, Jenny," said Lionel.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Jenny assured him. "It isn't your fault that someone who shall remain nameless is being so impossible."
"Hey listen, you guys. I've got an idea," Louise told them. "Tom, Helen, since you're being so kind as to let us stay with you a few days, why don't Lionel and I repay your kindness by going out and getting everything we need for Jenny's birthday dinner tomorrow night? Helen, just tell me all of Jenny's favorite dishes, and Lionel and I will go out and get all the food and ingredients and everything we need. Everything will be on us."
"Hey, yeah, that's a great idea, Mom," Lionel said happily. He then looked over at Tom, Helen, and Jenny and asked, "How about it, you guys? What do you say?"
"I think it's a lovely idea," Helen responded.
"I think that's exactly what we all need," Tom concurred. "We'll just forget all about that certain someone downstairs who shall remain nameless, and we'll focus on giving Jenny the best birthday she's ever had."
"Aw, thanks, Daddy," said Jenny, and then she kissed her father on the cheek. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Jefferson. This is all very sweet of you. But I don't want you to go any trouble."
"It's no trouble at all, dear. Believe me; I'm more than happy to do it. And, it's a surefire way to help get my mind off that certain someone whose name shall not be mentioned."
Helen chuckled at that, and Tom cried out, "Hear, hear!"
Then after getting out a pen and paper and writing down everything Helen and Jenny told her that would be needed for the dinner party tomorrow night, Louise and Lionel left the Willises' apartment to go shopping.
"Tom, it's a quarter past eleven," Helen told her husband six hours after Louise and Lionel left their apartment, as more lightning flashed and rain continued to pour. "I don't like this," she complained as she paced up and down her living room floor. "I don't like this at all. Louise and Lionel should have been back a long time ago."
"I don't like it either, Daddy," Jenny said with dread. "I'm worried about them. I'm really worried. What if there's been some kind of accident?"
"Don't worry, you two. I'm sure they're fine," Tom told them, not really believing it himself.
"I pray you're right," said Helen.
It was in that moment that there was an urgent knock at their door.
"I'll get it," Tom said, and then he opened the door, hoping and praying to see Louise and Lionel standing there with a bunch of shopping bags in their hands. Much to his dismay, it was a cop.
"Excuse me, sir," the tall slim black cop said to Tom. "Does Jenny Willis live here?"
"I'm Jenny Willis," said Jenny as she walked up to the doorway.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid I have some bad news. There was an accident tonight. Your fiancé, Lionel Jefferson, told us how to contact you."
"Oh God," Jenny gasped. "Is Lionel alright?"
"A drunk driver hit the cab your fiancé and his mother were riding in head-on. The cab driver was killed instantly, and Mr. Jefferson and his mother have been critically injured."
"Critically injured?" Helen said in shock.
"I'm afraid so, ma'am," said the cop.
"Oh, my Lord," Tom gasped.
The cop then told the Willises which hospital Louise and Lionel had been taken to, and after telling them all how sorry he was to have to deliver such terrible news, he left.
"Tom, Jenny, come on. We've all got to get to the hospital. Now," said Helen.
"Helen, you go to the hospital with Jenny. I'll go downstairs and tell George and then we'll meet you both there."
"Right," Helen said with a nod, and after she and Jenny grabbed their purses, they left for the hospital together. Meanwhile, Tom went down to the Jeffersons' apartment, and after loudly banging on the door numerous times, thinking that George needed to be awakened out of sleep, he finally realized that George wasn't home. He then got the idea that George might be in Charlie's Bar, which was down on the first floor of the apartment building, and he rushed down there.
"Boy, Charlie, I tell ya, kids these days are so stupid," a very drunk George complained to Charlie the bartender, slurring his words. "They're so ungrateful," he whined as Tom came running into the bar. "And wives ain't no better!" George yelled. "Wives these days are stupid and ungrateful, too!"
Tom then gave George several hard taps on the shoulder and cried out, "George! I have to speak to you right now! It's urgent!"
"Leave me alone, you dumb old honky!" George shouted back. "Get outta here!"
"No, George! You have to listen to me!"
"I ain't gotta listen to nothin' you say! Just get outta here!" George yelled while shoving Tom away.
In that instant, Tom literally grabbed George Jefferson and pulled him off the barstool to his feet. Then with him still having a firm grip on George's coat, he got right in his face and yelled, "Louise and Lionel have been in a car accident tonight! A terrible car accident! They're hurt, George! They're very badly hurt! They've been rushed to the hospital by ambulance!"
That was enough to slap George into reality, and from that moment on, he was stone cold sober.
"Oh God," George gasped.
"Helen and Jenny have already left for the hospital, George. Come on with me. I'll go there with you now."
Without uttering a word, George silently stumbled out of the bar, holding onto Tom for support. Not because he was drunk, but because Tom's words had literally knocked the wind out of him.