Nine: Mine! Mine! Mine!
The Reverend led Jill from his office, wiping the tears from his eyes as he did, sniffling a bit and occasionally looking skyward. Jill resisted the urge to glance up and see what he was looking at, afraid at what this might reveal.
Perhaps she should have, though, considering the alternative that presented itself.
A girl was descending the stairs by the front door, singing happily to herself. She looked to be about Jill's age, but her demeanor was much younger. Jill caught a few of the words from her song.
"I'm getting married in the morning...."
At the word "marriage" a chill ran down Jill's spine. Eric smiled blankly.
"Jill, have you met my daughter Lucy?"
"Uh, do I have to?" Jill answered.
Eric smiled and led her to the banister.
The girl wasn't ugly, but her blouse was at least three sizes too small and her hair struck Jill as being flat and rather badly cut. Eric spoke to her.
"Lucy, this is Jill. Jill, my daughter Lucy."
Lucy's face screwed itself up into a hostile sneer.
"You stay away from him. Don't think I don't know what you're doing!"
Jill stepped back. "What?"
"He's mine! Kevin's mine! I know your type, you seductress!"
"Who's Kevin?" Jill managed.
"Don't play stupid with me! I'm a Religion major at Crawford University! It's a real university, NOT a college! I'm going to be a Minister! You with all your sex looks, trying to take him away from me! You just stay away from him, do you hear me?"
"Isn't she cute when she's jealous?" Eric put in.
"She's a psycho," Jill said.
There came another laugh then, a male laugh that belonged to a young man coming out of the kitchen. Lucy looked at him and her face turned from rage to a blissful innocence.
"Yeah," the man said, "she is. But God, I love her!"
"Oh, Kevin! I love you too!" Lucy babbled.
Jill watched as Kevin approached. He had an odd way of carrying himself, rather stiff but more than that. It was almost as though with every motion he would freeze for a second, like he was posing for a camera. He extended a hand to Jill.
"I'm Kevin. I'm a police officer."
Vice-squad, Jill remembered Ruthie saying. He's loaded. She hesitated, then took his hand.
"It's not often I get to meet such a beautiful woman when I'm not arresting her for making terrorist threats," he said.
Jill squirmed a bit. "I'm Jill," she managed.
"Don't think I didn't see that!" Lucy exploded. "He's mine! You slut!"
Kevin laughed, then moved to Lucy and kissed her patronizingly on the forehead. "Oh, don't trouble your pretty little self, Luce," he said. "If you think too much it'll just give you wrinkles." He looked back at Jill. "You're the one in love with my brother Ben, aren't you?"
"Huh?" Jill stammered.
Eric had been staring up at the ceiling through this exchange. "Oh," he said now. "Ben's quite a catch, Jill. Have you seen his chest? It's the second most beautiful chest I've ever seen on a man." He sniffled, wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, Robbie, where art thou?"
This little moment was interrupted by a sudden shout from the kitchen that made Jill jump.
"Ben is in love with Mary! Ben is going to marry Mary, do you hear me, Eric? Don't make me come out there! Oh, and dinner is ready."
The Reverend led Jill from his office, wiping the tears from his eyes as he did, sniffling a bit and occasionally looking skyward. Jill resisted the urge to glance up and see what he was looking at, afraid at what this might reveal.
Perhaps she should have, though, considering the alternative that presented itself.
A girl was descending the stairs by the front door, singing happily to herself. She looked to be about Jill's age, but her demeanor was much younger. Jill caught a few of the words from her song.
"I'm getting married in the morning...."
At the word "marriage" a chill ran down Jill's spine. Eric smiled blankly.
"Jill, have you met my daughter Lucy?"
"Uh, do I have to?" Jill answered.
Eric smiled and led her to the banister.
The girl wasn't ugly, but her blouse was at least three sizes too small and her hair struck Jill as being flat and rather badly cut. Eric spoke to her.
"Lucy, this is Jill. Jill, my daughter Lucy."
Lucy's face screwed itself up into a hostile sneer.
"You stay away from him. Don't think I don't know what you're doing!"
Jill stepped back. "What?"
"He's mine! Kevin's mine! I know your type, you seductress!"
"Who's Kevin?" Jill managed.
"Don't play stupid with me! I'm a Religion major at Crawford University! It's a real university, NOT a college! I'm going to be a Minister! You with all your sex looks, trying to take him away from me! You just stay away from him, do you hear me?"
"Isn't she cute when she's jealous?" Eric put in.
"She's a psycho," Jill said.
There came another laugh then, a male laugh that belonged to a young man coming out of the kitchen. Lucy looked at him and her face turned from rage to a blissful innocence.
"Yeah," the man said, "she is. But God, I love her!"
"Oh, Kevin! I love you too!" Lucy babbled.
Jill watched as Kevin approached. He had an odd way of carrying himself, rather stiff but more than that. It was almost as though with every motion he would freeze for a second, like he was posing for a camera. He extended a hand to Jill.
"I'm Kevin. I'm a police officer."
Vice-squad, Jill remembered Ruthie saying. He's loaded. She hesitated, then took his hand.
"It's not often I get to meet such a beautiful woman when I'm not arresting her for making terrorist threats," he said.
Jill squirmed a bit. "I'm Jill," she managed.
"Don't think I didn't see that!" Lucy exploded. "He's mine! You slut!"
Kevin laughed, then moved to Lucy and kissed her patronizingly on the forehead. "Oh, don't trouble your pretty little self, Luce," he said. "If you think too much it'll just give you wrinkles." He looked back at Jill. "You're the one in love with my brother Ben, aren't you?"
"Huh?" Jill stammered.
Eric had been staring up at the ceiling through this exchange. "Oh," he said now. "Ben's quite a catch, Jill. Have you seen his chest? It's the second most beautiful chest I've ever seen on a man." He sniffled, wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, Robbie, where art thou?"
This little moment was interrupted by a sudden shout from the kitchen that made Jill jump.
"Ben is in love with Mary! Ben is going to marry Mary, do you hear me, Eric? Don't make me come out there! Oh, and dinner is ready."