"How can that be?" Franny asked, wearing a look of pure fear. "I thought
that he was going to be in for 25 years."
"Good behavior got him out early." Her mother said, holding onto her husband for support.
"Where'd Janine go?" Harry asked, showing great concern for his sister.
"She went up to her room, she was pretty upset."
"I'm gonna go check on her." Harry said standing up and leaving the table.
"I'll come with you." Fran said standing up and following her brother into the house.
"What's going on Grams?" Asked Danny.
"Did your mother ever tell you about why your Aunt didn't go to college?"
"No."
"Well. When Janine was a teenager she was very popular; star basketball player, honor student, and she was set for a basketball scholarship to a great college. During her senior year they brought in a new coach for her team, Ricky Adler. Everyone thought that he would do a great job coaching, all the girls thought he was quite a looker."
"So one night after a game Janine was told that she needed to stay after for some practice for the next game. Well all of her team mates left before her. She was there by herself and Ricky came back into the gym..." Tears began to form in Betsy's eyes. "He forced her... to... do things..." She couldn't bring herself to say the word.
Morty finally spoke. "He beat her and raped her." John and Danny exchanged looks of dread. Egon, Ray, and Peter didn't know what to say, so they just sat there in silent shock.
"She couldn't continue playing, so she lost her scholarship. They finally convicted Ricky, he had done the same thing to two other girls in Jersey." Betsy fell silent on the return of her two children to the picnic table.
"How's Aunt J?" Danny asked.
"She's fine, just resting. We calmed her down." Harry said.
"Yeah, after Harry promised her a ride on his new motorcycle."
"Your sister always did love motorcycles." Morty said, passing a plate of food to Ray. The guys didn't feel right continuing to eat when Janine was by herself. Peter and Ray gave Egon a look that seemed to tell him "Go check on her."
Egon stood and excused himself from the table. Betsy watched him walk into the house, then turned and exchanged looks with her husband who just smiled knowingly.
"Egon made his way up the stairs to the room that he and Janine had been assigned to. Slowly he opened the door and saw Janine lying on her bed.
She looked up when hearing the door opening slowly and let her eyes fall upon the sight of the tall form of Egon Spengler.
"Hi." She softly whispered, giving him a half smile.
"Hi... I just wanted to check and make sure that you were okay. Your mother explained to..." Janine cut him off.
"I really don't want to think about that right now." She said, trying to remain calm.
"Okay... d'you wanna come down stairs and have some dinner with everyone?"
"I guess." She said, standing up and straightening her clothing. They went down stairs and back out to the table.
"Wanna go for a ride now Jeannie?" Harry asked his sister after dinner was over and cleaned up.
"Sure. You three be good." Janine said to Ray, Egon, and Peter who were playing basketball with John and Danny.
They watched Harry and Janine get onto the motorcycle and pull out of the driveway. "The girl looks good on a bike, huh Spengs?" Peter said walking up beside him.
Egon just smacked him in a joking matter, they went back to playing their game.
About 20 minutes later when Harry and Janine returned the driveway was empty. They went into the house and found everyone sitting around the living room.
"Hey ma whadda doing with those photo albums? Harry asked, almost panicking for a moment.
"Oh Dr. Venkmen had asked to see some." Betsy said sweetly. Janine reached over and smacked Peter upside the head.
"Oww... I don't have to take this abuse." Venkmen joked.
"Quit your whining Venkman."
"Hey ma, we're gonna get going." Fran said, coming out of the kitchen.
"Okay. I'll see you at temple on Friday. Won't see your brother or sister there though."
"You know we're only half Jewish ma. So Jeannie and I could be making up for it by going to church on Sunday." Harry said, exchanging glances with his sister before breaking out laughing.
"We don't go to church either." Janine laughed. Their mother just shook her head.
"Are you hearing this Morty?" She asked, giving Fran a hug, then Danny and John.
"Don't give ma a hard time." Fran said, giving Janine a hug.
"Don't start with me Franny." Janine said, moving to give her nephews each a hug.
"Well we should get going too." Skye said, standing up and going to Harry.
"Yeah." Harry agreed, he gave each of his sisters a hug and then his mother. After everyone left Betsy and Morty said good night and left Janine and the guys down in the living room.
"I'm going up to bed." Janine announced standing up and going to the staircase. "Night Venkman, night Ray."
"Night Janine." Ray called back to her. As soon as they heard the door close upstairs they began to talk.
"Can you believe that 'that' happened to Janine?" Venkman said, still awestruck by the story Betsy had told them.
"It's hard to tell what a persons past has been like by their appearance." Ray said thoughtfully.
"I think I'm going to go up to bed." Egon said after a few moments of silence. He stood and began to go towards the stairs.
"No funny business Spengs." Peter said to him.
"Night Egon." Ray said, stifling a laugh.
Egon just shrugged off what they said to him. If anything was going to happen between he and Janine, it certainly wouldn't in her old bedroom with her parents down the hall.
"Good behavior got him out early." Her mother said, holding onto her husband for support.
"Where'd Janine go?" Harry asked, showing great concern for his sister.
"She went up to her room, she was pretty upset."
"I'm gonna go check on her." Harry said standing up and leaving the table.
"I'll come with you." Fran said standing up and following her brother into the house.
"What's going on Grams?" Asked Danny.
"Did your mother ever tell you about why your Aunt didn't go to college?"
"No."
"Well. When Janine was a teenager she was very popular; star basketball player, honor student, and she was set for a basketball scholarship to a great college. During her senior year they brought in a new coach for her team, Ricky Adler. Everyone thought that he would do a great job coaching, all the girls thought he was quite a looker."
"So one night after a game Janine was told that she needed to stay after for some practice for the next game. Well all of her team mates left before her. She was there by herself and Ricky came back into the gym..." Tears began to form in Betsy's eyes. "He forced her... to... do things..." She couldn't bring herself to say the word.
Morty finally spoke. "He beat her and raped her." John and Danny exchanged looks of dread. Egon, Ray, and Peter didn't know what to say, so they just sat there in silent shock.
"She couldn't continue playing, so she lost her scholarship. They finally convicted Ricky, he had done the same thing to two other girls in Jersey." Betsy fell silent on the return of her two children to the picnic table.
"How's Aunt J?" Danny asked.
"She's fine, just resting. We calmed her down." Harry said.
"Yeah, after Harry promised her a ride on his new motorcycle."
"Your sister always did love motorcycles." Morty said, passing a plate of food to Ray. The guys didn't feel right continuing to eat when Janine was by herself. Peter and Ray gave Egon a look that seemed to tell him "Go check on her."
Egon stood and excused himself from the table. Betsy watched him walk into the house, then turned and exchanged looks with her husband who just smiled knowingly.
"Egon made his way up the stairs to the room that he and Janine had been assigned to. Slowly he opened the door and saw Janine lying on her bed.
She looked up when hearing the door opening slowly and let her eyes fall upon the sight of the tall form of Egon Spengler.
"Hi." She softly whispered, giving him a half smile.
"Hi... I just wanted to check and make sure that you were okay. Your mother explained to..." Janine cut him off.
"I really don't want to think about that right now." She said, trying to remain calm.
"Okay... d'you wanna come down stairs and have some dinner with everyone?"
"I guess." She said, standing up and straightening her clothing. They went down stairs and back out to the table.
"Wanna go for a ride now Jeannie?" Harry asked his sister after dinner was over and cleaned up.
"Sure. You three be good." Janine said to Ray, Egon, and Peter who were playing basketball with John and Danny.
They watched Harry and Janine get onto the motorcycle and pull out of the driveway. "The girl looks good on a bike, huh Spengs?" Peter said walking up beside him.
Egon just smacked him in a joking matter, they went back to playing their game.
About 20 minutes later when Harry and Janine returned the driveway was empty. They went into the house and found everyone sitting around the living room.
"Hey ma whadda doing with those photo albums? Harry asked, almost panicking for a moment.
"Oh Dr. Venkmen had asked to see some." Betsy said sweetly. Janine reached over and smacked Peter upside the head.
"Oww... I don't have to take this abuse." Venkmen joked.
"Quit your whining Venkman."
"Hey ma, we're gonna get going." Fran said, coming out of the kitchen.
"Okay. I'll see you at temple on Friday. Won't see your brother or sister there though."
"You know we're only half Jewish ma. So Jeannie and I could be making up for it by going to church on Sunday." Harry said, exchanging glances with his sister before breaking out laughing.
"We don't go to church either." Janine laughed. Their mother just shook her head.
"Are you hearing this Morty?" She asked, giving Fran a hug, then Danny and John.
"Don't give ma a hard time." Fran said, giving Janine a hug.
"Don't start with me Franny." Janine said, moving to give her nephews each a hug.
"Well we should get going too." Skye said, standing up and going to Harry.
"Yeah." Harry agreed, he gave each of his sisters a hug and then his mother. After everyone left Betsy and Morty said good night and left Janine and the guys down in the living room.
"I'm going up to bed." Janine announced standing up and going to the staircase. "Night Venkman, night Ray."
"Night Janine." Ray called back to her. As soon as they heard the door close upstairs they began to talk.
"Can you believe that 'that' happened to Janine?" Venkman said, still awestruck by the story Betsy had told them.
"It's hard to tell what a persons past has been like by their appearance." Ray said thoughtfully.
"I think I'm going to go up to bed." Egon said after a few moments of silence. He stood and began to go towards the stairs.
"No funny business Spengs." Peter said to him.
"Night Egon." Ray said, stifling a laugh.
Egon just shrugged off what they said to him. If anything was going to happen between he and Janine, it certainly wouldn't in her old bedroom with her parents down the hall.