Okay, people, please be kind to me, English isn't my first language, I live
in Brazil, my first language is Portuguese.
What used to be true
Dinner table-
Mrs. Ryan opened the front door. There were Laura and her father Robert. Grams had invited them to dinner, with Jack and Jen. Laura kissed Mrs. Ryan's chicks.
"Hello darling, come in" she smiled " Mr. Taylor, so nice to meet you."
"It's nice meeting you too, Mrs. Ryan" Robert and Grams shook hands. He was a big man, taller than Jack, maybe. Not fat, in shape, he looked old, graying hair, with glasses.
"Jennifer and Jack are upstairs, Laura, if you'd like to join them." Mrs. Ryan smiled closing the door.
Laura smiled shameful, and looked at her father. He smiled with his hands in his pockets.
"She's gonna stay with me, right honey?" Laura laughed, and nodded her head.
"Oh, right, then I'd better call Jennifer, to join us all." She walked to the stairs and yelled their names.
"We'll be right there, grams" Jen's voice could be heard.
Robert had his arm around Laura's shoulders.
"Jack would be Jennifer's - boyfriend?" He looked disgusted. Laura looked another way.
"Oh, no, her friend" Grams smiled. "Dinner's almost ready.
At the table, Mrs. Ryan talked to Robert about New York, Boston, and his work. Robert laughed and ate. Jack and Jen participated on the subject; Laura only smiled when her father talked about her. Constantly, he'd bring the subject about her college and rub her back, or slap her shoulder. Jack smiled to Laura, but she wouldn't smile back all the time.
They were talking about Roberts's transference to Boston, when Mrs. Ryan asked Laura:
"How do you like Boston so far, Laura?"
She lifted her head, like if snapping out of her trance.
"I - I love it"
Jen noticed her father looking at her as if she'd say something wrong. His eyes were green and big.
Mrs. Ryan laughed to Mr. Taylor, who smiled while she talked.
"Jennifer took her out to have fun Friday night."
Laura paled suddenly looking at her glass of water. Her father stopped moving and looked at her, this time as if she had already said something wrong, as if waiting for her to give an explanation. She wouldn't move. Jen was also tense and quiet, looking at Mr. Taylor and Laura. Jack looked at Jen, and he'd swear she knew what was going on. On the other hand, Jack and Mrs. Ryan looked blank.
Jen, who was sitting in front of Laura, still looking at her, talked to her father.
"We went bowling on Friday night."
Laura took a deep breath, and lifted her head, but kept looking down.
"Yes, we went bowling"
Robert nodded her head, and looked at Mrs. Ryan smiling.
"Well, bowling."
"Okay" Jack asked when he entered Jen's room later that night. "What was all the tension about?"
"What?" Jen sat in her bed, where she was laying.
"That weird, uncomfortable silence during dinner." He sat down in front of her. "What was that about?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Jack."
"Oh, come on, Jen. Bowling?" He dramatized "We went bowling?"
"Oh, that" Jen laughed. "Well, her father wouldn't be so happy if he knew she went out to dance and party with us. It was her first day here!"
"No." He said, " Wasn't because of that."
"Jack, I told you her father's weird, he is kinda violent- " She talked low so that her grandmother wouldn't hear. "He just doesn't want her to get out of his control, that's all."
"What about her mother?" Jack asked
"She moved away" Jen lay down. "Two years before I went away"
"How come?"
"I told you, they had huge fights. " Jen said looking at the ceiling. "He'd come back drunk and yell at her. She gave up and went away"
"Well, it was very loyal of her to leave Laura behind."
Jen sighed and so did Jack.
"Her father scares me. He always did"
"Why" Jack looked at her again.
Gazing the ceiling, Jen rubbed her hands.
"This uh- one night when I lived in new York, we, Laura and I, we got home a little late, and-"
"You mean the next morning" Jack interrupted
Jen lifted her head looking disappointed at Jack.
"Will you please, not interrupt?" She asked not smiling.
"Okay, sorry" Jack lowered his head
"And when we got to her house, he was drunk, and he yelled at us, like, I thought he was going to attack us. " Jack said nothing; just looked at her weirdly "He screamed, threw stuff, grabbed her arm and yelled me to go home."
Jack looked at Jen waiting.
"Like I said, he's too violent"
The phone rang loudly and Laura answered it lying on the bed, reading something. It was past eleven and Laura had gone to bed. The hotel secretary told her she had a phone call from Jack and she accepted it.
"Jack?" She chuckled
"Yeah"
"What do you want?" She said still chuckling.
Jack, in the kitchen, in the dark, played with a coin.
"Just wanted to check on you"
"What?"
"Just uh - wanted to know - are you going out today?"
Laura laughed
"Jack, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"I'm all right," She said with a laughing face "I'm not going out today, are you?"
"Nope"
Silence
"Oookay, Jack, gotta go to sleep now, all right?"
"Yeah, okay"
"Okay, bye"
"Bye"
They hung up
All right. I'm still thinking, please help me.
What used to be true
Dinner table-
Mrs. Ryan opened the front door. There were Laura and her father Robert. Grams had invited them to dinner, with Jack and Jen. Laura kissed Mrs. Ryan's chicks.
"Hello darling, come in" she smiled " Mr. Taylor, so nice to meet you."
"It's nice meeting you too, Mrs. Ryan" Robert and Grams shook hands. He was a big man, taller than Jack, maybe. Not fat, in shape, he looked old, graying hair, with glasses.
"Jennifer and Jack are upstairs, Laura, if you'd like to join them." Mrs. Ryan smiled closing the door.
Laura smiled shameful, and looked at her father. He smiled with his hands in his pockets.
"She's gonna stay with me, right honey?" Laura laughed, and nodded her head.
"Oh, right, then I'd better call Jennifer, to join us all." She walked to the stairs and yelled their names.
"We'll be right there, grams" Jen's voice could be heard.
Robert had his arm around Laura's shoulders.
"Jack would be Jennifer's - boyfriend?" He looked disgusted. Laura looked another way.
"Oh, no, her friend" Grams smiled. "Dinner's almost ready.
At the table, Mrs. Ryan talked to Robert about New York, Boston, and his work. Robert laughed and ate. Jack and Jen participated on the subject; Laura only smiled when her father talked about her. Constantly, he'd bring the subject about her college and rub her back, or slap her shoulder. Jack smiled to Laura, but she wouldn't smile back all the time.
They were talking about Roberts's transference to Boston, when Mrs. Ryan asked Laura:
"How do you like Boston so far, Laura?"
She lifted her head, like if snapping out of her trance.
"I - I love it"
Jen noticed her father looking at her as if she'd say something wrong. His eyes were green and big.
Mrs. Ryan laughed to Mr. Taylor, who smiled while she talked.
"Jennifer took her out to have fun Friday night."
Laura paled suddenly looking at her glass of water. Her father stopped moving and looked at her, this time as if she had already said something wrong, as if waiting for her to give an explanation. She wouldn't move. Jen was also tense and quiet, looking at Mr. Taylor and Laura. Jack looked at Jen, and he'd swear she knew what was going on. On the other hand, Jack and Mrs. Ryan looked blank.
Jen, who was sitting in front of Laura, still looking at her, talked to her father.
"We went bowling on Friday night."
Laura took a deep breath, and lifted her head, but kept looking down.
"Yes, we went bowling"
Robert nodded her head, and looked at Mrs. Ryan smiling.
"Well, bowling."
"Okay" Jack asked when he entered Jen's room later that night. "What was all the tension about?"
"What?" Jen sat in her bed, where she was laying.
"That weird, uncomfortable silence during dinner." He sat down in front of her. "What was that about?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Jack."
"Oh, come on, Jen. Bowling?" He dramatized "We went bowling?"
"Oh, that" Jen laughed. "Well, her father wouldn't be so happy if he knew she went out to dance and party with us. It was her first day here!"
"No." He said, " Wasn't because of that."
"Jack, I told you her father's weird, he is kinda violent- " She talked low so that her grandmother wouldn't hear. "He just doesn't want her to get out of his control, that's all."
"What about her mother?" Jack asked
"She moved away" Jen lay down. "Two years before I went away"
"How come?"
"I told you, they had huge fights. " Jen said looking at the ceiling. "He'd come back drunk and yell at her. She gave up and went away"
"Well, it was very loyal of her to leave Laura behind."
Jen sighed and so did Jack.
"Her father scares me. He always did"
"Why" Jack looked at her again.
Gazing the ceiling, Jen rubbed her hands.
"This uh- one night when I lived in new York, we, Laura and I, we got home a little late, and-"
"You mean the next morning" Jack interrupted
Jen lifted her head looking disappointed at Jack.
"Will you please, not interrupt?" She asked not smiling.
"Okay, sorry" Jack lowered his head
"And when we got to her house, he was drunk, and he yelled at us, like, I thought he was going to attack us. " Jack said nothing; just looked at her weirdly "He screamed, threw stuff, grabbed her arm and yelled me to go home."
Jack looked at Jen waiting.
"Like I said, he's too violent"
The phone rang loudly and Laura answered it lying on the bed, reading something. It was past eleven and Laura had gone to bed. The hotel secretary told her she had a phone call from Jack and she accepted it.
"Jack?" She chuckled
"Yeah"
"What do you want?" She said still chuckling.
Jack, in the kitchen, in the dark, played with a coin.
"Just wanted to check on you"
"What?"
"Just uh - wanted to know - are you going out today?"
Laura laughed
"Jack, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"I'm all right," She said with a laughing face "I'm not going out today, are you?"
"Nope"
Silence
"Oookay, Jack, gotta go to sleep now, all right?"
"Yeah, okay"
"Okay, bye"
"Bye"
They hung up
All right. I'm still thinking, please help me.