"Okay Jeffery! Come on an' show us!" Emily sang out.
Jeff looked at himself in the full-length mirror and considered running away. No way would he ever wear this stupid outfit! He sighed shakily and pushed open the dressing room door. He frowned at his mother and the seamstress who had put the ridiculous thing on him.
They smiled. "I think 'e likes it!" She said cheerily.
He turned to his mother, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing. Jeff cracked a small smile.
"My little sailor..." She said, on the verge of a belly laugh. She saluted him. "Aye, aye cap'n!"
Jeff's smile grew wider as he blushed and looked at the floor, digging into the carpet with the toe of his shoe. "Jeff, this isn't working."
/You're tellin' me. /
She turned to the store employee. "Do you have anything else?"
-----
Two hours and ten outfits later, Jeff was ready to drop.
"There, I think we're done now." Emily motioned to her son. "Come on Jeffery. Let's go home."
He smiled weakly and followed his mother out the door, promptly falling dead asleep in the backseat of their car.
Emily pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and gazed at her son as he slept peacefully. "Such sweet an' interrupted innocence." She whispered.
"'Ju say something mum?" Lawrence asked from the driver's seat.
Startled, Emily turned to the front. "Hmm? Oh...no Lawrence."
"Home then?" Emily nodded, not really listening. She rested her chin on her gloved hand and gazed out the window, watching the stores fly by. Pretending to push a stray hair back, she wiped a tear from her cheek.
-----
The years flew by for Jeff, the complete opposite holding for his mother. Day by day she grew older, bags forming under her once flawless eyes, wrinkles appearing where there once were none.
It's truly amazing how fast the human body shuts itself down. In a mere five years, Emily looked older than she had ever thought possible.
Jeff heard his mother cry at night, and he also heard his father sneak out early in the morning. At 16, he now understood the things that he hadn't as a child. It broke his heart to hear his mother cry night after night, and it didn't help that his once loving father now snuck out of the house whenever he pleased.
The family business was crumbling, and what money they had was being constantly squandered away.
Somehow, despite all this, Jeff had a positive outlook. In his mind, everything would be okay, one way or the other, and when his mother mysteriously became pregnant, it seemed as if he was right.
-----
The night he found out, he rushed to Lucy Peters' house, a mixture of excitement and worry coursing through his veins. He stopped under her window and picked up three small pebbles from the ground, his heart beating madly. He threw the first one.
/Poifect aim, as usual. /
He grinned to himself; thinking about his mother's feeble, now non-existent attempts to rein his accent. He threw the second one. It hit the wooden window frame. Jeff grimaced, his wide mouth turning into a frown. He reeled his arm back and launched the last one, not realizing that the window was now open.
The small stone flew by Lucy Peters' head; she followed it with her eyes, then gazed down at Jeff, her chin in her hands. "What now?" She hissed.
Jeff looked up at her, a smile on his lips and in his eyes.
Her hair curled around her face and rustled softly in the gentle breezes that blew in from the harbor. "Ya gonna stand dere all nite or tell me what's wrong?" She furrowed her brow at her best friend.
Jeff shook his head, clearing it. "Sorry. Look, me mudda's gonna have a kid!"
Lucy furrowed her brow further. "How?!" She asked, incredulous.
He shrugged. "Come on down...I need ta tawk."
Lucy nodded and shut her window.
Jeff wandered over to the stairs in front of her small apartment and leaned against the railing. He stared up at the black sky and began mindlessly counting the stars.
The door behind him opened and shut quietly.
Lucy sat of the step closest to him. She shivered, clutching her over- sized coat tightly.
Jeff turned, having heard her teeth chattering. Given it was a cold night, but it wasn't that cold. "Ya okay Luce?" He grabbed two metal bars with his fists and rested his head in-between, looking at her through the opening.
She faced him, her eyes sparkling. "Mm-hmm, yeah." She stamped her feet against the cement stairs and looked up at the pitch sky. "Da stars get dimmah every yea." She noted.
Jeff followed her gaze with his eyes and tried to nod. "Yeah...it's a shame. I really liked dose stars." He said, referring to the constellations as if they were old friends.
Lucy laughed lightly, a small cough following.
"Youse sure ya okay? Ya can tell me, Lucy." She hesitated before saying anything.
"Youse is so good ta me Jeff." She said, keeping her eyes skyward. "Well yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He shifted his weight.
A tear trickled down her cheek.
Jeff's eyes widened and he momentarily forgot all about his mom and her pregnancy. "Lucy, what happened?"
When she didn't reply, he moved over to the front of the steps and sat next to her, draping an arm across her narrow shoulders. "Lucy, what's wrong?" He repeated, his voice growing softer.
She sniffed and ground the tears out of her eyes. "Nothing, it's jus' dat...I take youse for granted sometimes...how special ya are ta me an' all."
Jeff's smile returned to his face. "Oh Luce, ya don't need ta tell me all dat. I'se know how ya feel 'bout me!"
Lucy faced him, their noses barely three inches apart. "Do you?" She whispered.
Jeff tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Anyway, what was dat 'bout ya mom?"
"Oh, well, she's pregnant...God knows how."
Lucy smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Dat's great Jeff!" She held him at arm's length and looked him in the eye. "Ya gonna be a big bruddah!"
Jeff laughed at her sudden mood change. "I'se t'ink youse is more 'cited 'bout dis den I am!"
"It's possible!" She exclaimed. "'Sides, it means dat we'll both have a sistah or bruddah!"
"Oh?" Jeff raised an eyebrow in question. "How do ya figga dat?"
"Well, I mean, I'm already always wid ya anyways—" She blushed suddenly. "So it'll be like it's my siblin' too!"
"I guess ya right." He grinned at her again. "I jus' came by ta tell ya da good news...so I guess I'se gonna go now." He stood and Lucy grabbed his arm. He helped her to her feet and ran a hand through his ever-growing brown hair. "See ya tammarra?"
She smirked. "Coise."
Jeff watched her turn and walk back inside her house; she turned at the door. "'Bye Jeff." She flashed him a smile and quickly shut the door.
He backed off and watched the light come on, then go off again in her room. He sighed, then shivered and started his way back home. But even after he returned home, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.
Jeff looked at himself in the full-length mirror and considered running away. No way would he ever wear this stupid outfit! He sighed shakily and pushed open the dressing room door. He frowned at his mother and the seamstress who had put the ridiculous thing on him.
They smiled. "I think 'e likes it!" She said cheerily.
He turned to his mother, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing. Jeff cracked a small smile.
"My little sailor..." She said, on the verge of a belly laugh. She saluted him. "Aye, aye cap'n!"
Jeff's smile grew wider as he blushed and looked at the floor, digging into the carpet with the toe of his shoe. "Jeff, this isn't working."
/You're tellin' me. /
She turned to the store employee. "Do you have anything else?"
-----
Two hours and ten outfits later, Jeff was ready to drop.
"There, I think we're done now." Emily motioned to her son. "Come on Jeffery. Let's go home."
He smiled weakly and followed his mother out the door, promptly falling dead asleep in the backseat of their car.
Emily pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and gazed at her son as he slept peacefully. "Such sweet an' interrupted innocence." She whispered.
"'Ju say something mum?" Lawrence asked from the driver's seat.
Startled, Emily turned to the front. "Hmm? Oh...no Lawrence."
"Home then?" Emily nodded, not really listening. She rested her chin on her gloved hand and gazed out the window, watching the stores fly by. Pretending to push a stray hair back, she wiped a tear from her cheek.
-----
The years flew by for Jeff, the complete opposite holding for his mother. Day by day she grew older, bags forming under her once flawless eyes, wrinkles appearing where there once were none.
It's truly amazing how fast the human body shuts itself down. In a mere five years, Emily looked older than she had ever thought possible.
Jeff heard his mother cry at night, and he also heard his father sneak out early in the morning. At 16, he now understood the things that he hadn't as a child. It broke his heart to hear his mother cry night after night, and it didn't help that his once loving father now snuck out of the house whenever he pleased.
The family business was crumbling, and what money they had was being constantly squandered away.
Somehow, despite all this, Jeff had a positive outlook. In his mind, everything would be okay, one way or the other, and when his mother mysteriously became pregnant, it seemed as if he was right.
-----
The night he found out, he rushed to Lucy Peters' house, a mixture of excitement and worry coursing through his veins. He stopped under her window and picked up three small pebbles from the ground, his heart beating madly. He threw the first one.
/Poifect aim, as usual. /
He grinned to himself; thinking about his mother's feeble, now non-existent attempts to rein his accent. He threw the second one. It hit the wooden window frame. Jeff grimaced, his wide mouth turning into a frown. He reeled his arm back and launched the last one, not realizing that the window was now open.
The small stone flew by Lucy Peters' head; she followed it with her eyes, then gazed down at Jeff, her chin in her hands. "What now?" She hissed.
Jeff looked up at her, a smile on his lips and in his eyes.
Her hair curled around her face and rustled softly in the gentle breezes that blew in from the harbor. "Ya gonna stand dere all nite or tell me what's wrong?" She furrowed her brow at her best friend.
Jeff shook his head, clearing it. "Sorry. Look, me mudda's gonna have a kid!"
Lucy furrowed her brow further. "How?!" She asked, incredulous.
He shrugged. "Come on down...I need ta tawk."
Lucy nodded and shut her window.
Jeff wandered over to the stairs in front of her small apartment and leaned against the railing. He stared up at the black sky and began mindlessly counting the stars.
The door behind him opened and shut quietly.
Lucy sat of the step closest to him. She shivered, clutching her over- sized coat tightly.
Jeff turned, having heard her teeth chattering. Given it was a cold night, but it wasn't that cold. "Ya okay Luce?" He grabbed two metal bars with his fists and rested his head in-between, looking at her through the opening.
She faced him, her eyes sparkling. "Mm-hmm, yeah." She stamped her feet against the cement stairs and looked up at the pitch sky. "Da stars get dimmah every yea." She noted.
Jeff followed her gaze with his eyes and tried to nod. "Yeah...it's a shame. I really liked dose stars." He said, referring to the constellations as if they were old friends.
Lucy laughed lightly, a small cough following.
"Youse sure ya okay? Ya can tell me, Lucy." She hesitated before saying anything.
"Youse is so good ta me Jeff." She said, keeping her eyes skyward. "Well yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He shifted his weight.
A tear trickled down her cheek.
Jeff's eyes widened and he momentarily forgot all about his mom and her pregnancy. "Lucy, what happened?"
When she didn't reply, he moved over to the front of the steps and sat next to her, draping an arm across her narrow shoulders. "Lucy, what's wrong?" He repeated, his voice growing softer.
She sniffed and ground the tears out of her eyes. "Nothing, it's jus' dat...I take youse for granted sometimes...how special ya are ta me an' all."
Jeff's smile returned to his face. "Oh Luce, ya don't need ta tell me all dat. I'se know how ya feel 'bout me!"
Lucy faced him, their noses barely three inches apart. "Do you?" She whispered.
Jeff tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Anyway, what was dat 'bout ya mom?"
"Oh, well, she's pregnant...God knows how."
Lucy smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Dat's great Jeff!" She held him at arm's length and looked him in the eye. "Ya gonna be a big bruddah!"
Jeff laughed at her sudden mood change. "I'se t'ink youse is more 'cited 'bout dis den I am!"
"It's possible!" She exclaimed. "'Sides, it means dat we'll both have a sistah or bruddah!"
"Oh?" Jeff raised an eyebrow in question. "How do ya figga dat?"
"Well, I mean, I'm already always wid ya anyways—" She blushed suddenly. "So it'll be like it's my siblin' too!"
"I guess ya right." He grinned at her again. "I jus' came by ta tell ya da good news...so I guess I'se gonna go now." He stood and Lucy grabbed his arm. He helped her to her feet and ran a hand through his ever-growing brown hair. "See ya tammarra?"
She smirked. "Coise."
Jeff watched her turn and walk back inside her house; she turned at the door. "'Bye Jeff." She flashed him a smile and quickly shut the door.
He backed off and watched the light come on, then go off again in her room. He sighed, then shivered and started his way back home. But even after he returned home, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.