Chapter 4
Jacen, Jedi's, Jacuzzi's, and Jackie
[Part One]
'It's amazing' Jackie thought, 'you give him a piece of candy and he fallsasleep like a cute little puppy.'
and she wasn't talking about the nine year old who was happily playing his hand held
Pac-Man game in the backseat.
"How are you doing back there, Jacen?"
"Good, Jackie."
"You don't want to stop for something to eat?"
"No, thank you."
She was amazed at how much he looked like Eric. The only difference
was that his eyes were a dark blue.
"It finally stopped raining," Jackie thought out loud, "We're almost there."
It felt good driving the rental compact sky blue VW Gulf then it did her beige
Mercedes with the chrome detailing. Even if there wasn't enough room for all of her
luggage and she had to leave one suitcase behind back at Eric's and was able to
get by with throwing all of her cosmetics and skin care products in her expandable
plastic tote.
Leaving both the father and son to playfully roll their eyes.
She had the radio on a low volume so it wouldn't wake Eric up and Jacen was
too wrapped up in his video game to be paying attention. Jackie almost lost her grip
on the steering wheel when she heard the commercial. The voice over was done by
a male in a laid back voice.
Out now: "Stupid High School Promise" the self-help book for teenage girls by
Donna Pinciotti.
"Fuck."
Oops. Jackie briefly forgot about her little passenger in the backseat.
"I'm sorry, Jacen."
"We have a swear jar at home."
"I know, dear, and you got to go to Funland because your Daddy couldn't assemble
the bookshelf in his room without cursing."
Jacen's face twisted when he saw where Jackie was parking the car in the Crowne
Plaza Allerton hotel in Chicago, Illinois.
He couldn't get over some of the idiots in too perfect, too much time on their hands
costumes.
"Oh, can I give you five bucks, Jackie so I can say the 'f' word too?"
Jackie laughed. "No, honey. And don't slam the car door when you get out your
Daddy is still sleeping."
Jackie let Jacen wait by the entrance as the baggage handler took their suitcases
and put them on the trolley.
"You've slept enough, wake up, Eric."
She slightly shook his shoulder.
"It's a boy, Donna."
Why was he tormenting himself like this? She shouldn't talk; there were times when
she still wondered What If? regarding Steven and sometimes even Michael.
But Eric was one to talk about closure one minute and wonder where his Christmas
card was the next. She didn't want to ruin his happy family dream and was about to
wake him up again when a food services truck had a minor fender bender with one
of the cars in the parking lot and that woke Eric out of his slumber.
"Oh," he stretched his legs almost forgetting that he was in a car, "Where are we,
Jackie?"
"I thought I'd surprise you," She opened up her purse, "Where's that envelope?"
"I must be sleep deprived," he rubbed his eyes, "I think I saw an ewok walk by."
"Eric, hold my Cosmo, and Elle...."
He couldn't help but to laugh. Eric was too tired to sit up right to get a better view of
the goings on outside the hotel.
"It's quiet in here. Is Jacen sleeping too?"
"No. I told him he could wait outside by the entrance. Here!"
She handed an Eric an airline ticket sized envelope as she put her magazines back
in her purse.
"A Star Wars convention?" He raised an eyebrow and sat up to get a closer look,
not at the people who chose to come in costume but to make sure his son was still
waiting for him by the entrance.
The poor kid out of his element.
"I know you haven't been to one in years so I got you and Jacen tickets."
"Thank you very much, Jackie, it's not often that people think of me and my son. I
appreciate it, but I think I just want to get settled in our room and skip tonight's
convention activities. Oh, and I'd lock your car doors."
Jackie went back around to the drivers side as Eric exited the car. He grabbed his
laptop carry on bag that he was resting his feet on for most of the car trip. She
followed behind him with her purse and her plastic tote.
"I know how much these cost and I'd like to reimburse you."
"Eric, they are a gift, you don't have to pay me back."
"Dad, I'm bored!" Jacen said as short man dressed in Greedo garb walked by.
"I know, son."
"I'll check us in, Eric."
"JediEric60 from Point Place, Wisconsin?" asked a grown man in a very baggy
Luke Skywalker costume from A New Hope.
"Yes? LarrySkywalkerMN from Minnesota?"
"This must be your son, Jacen. Louise, Eric Forman is here!"
"Dad...."
Eric held his hand.
Jacen almost laughed on the floor when he saw Louise dressed as Princess Leia
with the most exaggerated hairpiece he has ever seen.
"We brought our daughter too, Jaina Solo Marie Lutz." Louise announced proudly.
"Hi," she said to Jacen
She was wearing the costume that was familiar in the drawing that Jacen made of
Jacen and Han Solo for Eric's birthday. When he had to work by a picture from the
internet. A brown sort of flight suit with ribbing on the front and carrying a white
plastic lightsabre that was painted lavender Jacen's was green.
"Hi."
"How come you aren't wearing your costume?"
"Because I don't like Star Wars."
He almost wanted to say it loud enough so every adult geek in the room would hear
them.
"Oh." The little girl looked at the ground.
Jackie was glad to see Eric because some six foot tall man dressed as a
stormtropper tried to pinch her on the bottom.
Eric introduced Jackie to Larry and his family. If his son was a fish out of water, then
Jackie had to be a whale out of the ocean.
"Well, if you excuse me, Larry, Louise, and Jaina," Jackie liked it that Eric always
did want to make children feel included. "We'll see you later this weekend."
Everyone said their goodbyes.
"You're in room 314 and I'm in room 316." Jackie handed Eric his room card keys.
"Thanks. Oh look Jacen, there's a room for non-Star Wars activities."
They got into the elevator and thankfully they were the only three in it.
"I'm tired."
"Me too."
Which Jackie thought was strange because Eric just woke up from a two-hour nap.
"Thanks again, Jackie for the tickets, but I think Jacen and I are just going to hang
out here for tonight. You're welcome to join us, we'll get a pizza delivered."
"With pepperoni?"
"Yep and root beer."
"No, you two have your guys night in. I think I'm going to take a shower and head out
to Marshall Field's. There's a BIG shoe sale."
"Okay, we'll see you later. We'll order a movie."
"Maybe."
Eric kissed Jackie on the cheek as Jacen put the card into the slot for room 314.
"See you soon, Jacen."
"Bye, Jackie!"
It took him three tries to get the door open.
"Dad, how come you don't want to do any Star Wars stuff?" Jacen asked
as Eric helped him put his suitcase on the bed so he can take all of his clothes out
and put them in the drawers.
"I'm not feeling the force today."
What he was feeling was a memory long past. He and Donna were lying on
their backs on the Vista Cruiser as the car radio played the Todd Rundgren
song, "Hello, It's Me".
can do for you. I mean, there's-there's a whole world that's waiting to be
driven to. We could go to...Canada! We got a new battery, what's stopping
us?"
"You know, I think Canada closes at nine thirty."
"You know I never would have done this if you hadn't talked me into it"
"I didn't talk you into anything. Well, I'm gonna call it a day. Goodnight."
"Goodnight"
"By the way, thanks for the ride."
Donna leans in to give Eric a soft kiss on the lips.
"What was that for?"
"I just wanted to see what it was like"
"What was it like?"
"You were there!"
"I...I wasn't ready for it!"
"What would you have done differently?"
"I don't know. Something with my lips".
"Sounds good. Let's try that next time."
"When exactly is next time?"
"Goodnight!"
"Yeah, I'm really gonna sleep after that!"
"Dad, are you okay?" Jacen noticed that he was folding the same black
and gray checkered printed shirt three times.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Eric patted him on the shoulder, "How about you take
an early bath and I'll order the pizza?"
"And don't forget the pepperoni and root beer."
"I won't, son. Let me turn on the water for you sometimes the water comes
out very hot in these hotel bathtubs. I'll find the bar of soap I packed..."
"I'll use the mini one."
"Okay," Eric grabbed a towel off the rack, "I'll put your towel on the
counter for you."
He put Jacen's dirty clothes in one of those plastic laundry bags as a
makeshift hamper. Happy Birthday, another memory."Oh, a sand candle, this is very cool".
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Dad!"
"Oh, I don't know where my head is today, Jacen. If you need anything
holler. I'll order the pizza now."
As Jackie so wisely told him not too long ago 'Kids are smart.' If Jacen
wasn't here he'd have curled up on the musty hotel bed and slept for days,
but he tried to repress his feelings in that special Red 'soliders don't cry'
Forman way and went to the desk to find a phone book so he call out for a
pizza.
Eric only wanted his son to be happy. He was beginning to think that his
son would be a hell of a lot happier if he wasn't here at all.To Be Continued