AUTHOR'S NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY EVERYONE I HAD TO SUDDENLY GO OUT OF TOWN FOR A COLLEGE EDUCATION. TO MAKE UP FOR IT I'M GOIN GOT TRY TO POST EITHER TOMORROW OR THE DAY AFTER. THANKS EVERY ONE FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER. HERE'S THE NEXT ONE.
CHAPTER 42: VISIT FROM AN OLD FRIEND
July 20, 2004
2:43pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
"Russell Residence," Alley said cheerfully into the phone.
"Yes make I speak to Mr. Russell."
"Um could you be more specific?" Alley replied as she leafed through the newspaper.
"Jarod Russell." The woman replied.
"Of course. Whom should I say is calling?"
"Zoë."
Alley walked across the hall to where the nursery was being built. "Dad some woman is one the phone," Alley said her hand over the mouthpiece of the telephone.
"I'm busy with this damned contraption right now Alyssa. Take a message," Jarod told his daughter as he attempted to piece together a baby bassinet.
"Some genius you are." Alley mumbled waking back to her room.
"I heard that." Jarod said gritting his teeth.
"He's busy right now can I take a massage?"
"Yeah just tell him I was in the area and deiced to stop by for a visit."
"Will do."
"Thanks," Zoë said and hung up the phone.
Alley laid back down on her bed and returned to her newspaper. A few minutes latter she went back to the nursery where her father was cursing the bassinet under his breath.
"I love you Daddy," Alley said sweetly
"What do you want Alyssa?" Jarod sighed.
"Now Daddy why would you ever assumed that I would want anything from you besides your unconditional love?" Alley replied. Jarod looked at his daughter as though she had grown an extra head.
"Yeah right," Jarod snorted. "What do you want."
"Can I have twenty dollars for the movies?"
"Twenty dollars for the movies! You've got to be kidding me."
"But Daddy, once you add the price of the ticket, and pop-corn, and a drink, maybe some candy..."
"Who are you going with?" Jarod asked interrupting her.
"Who else? Will, Chris and Deb," Alley replied.
"Fine," Jarod said reaching for his wallet and pulling out an assortment of bills.
"Thank you Daddy." Alley said as she quickly took thirty dollars from her father's wallet and kissed him on the cheek."
"What happen to twenty dollars?" Jarod asked.
"Will needs money too," Alley replied. Jarod just shook his head bewildered and mumbled something about being dirt poor.
"Oh Alley who was on the phone?" Jarod called after his daughter.
"Some woman named Zoë. She said she was gonna stop by latter on today." Alley yelled over her shoulder.
Jarod dropped the wrench he was holding. "Shit!" Jarod cursed as the wrench fell on his foot. Jarod then abandoned his attempt with the bassinet and went to find his wife. He found her at the lake, she and Joanna were teaching Adam and Peter how to swim.
"Come swim wit us Daddy," Peter called to his father. Jarod delighted his son by taking of his shirt and diving off the pier and into the water. The two small children clapped in both joy and admiration.
"Teach us Unca Jarod." Adam said.
"Maybe some other time squirt." Jarod said tousling the boy's hair. "Morgan, I need to talk to you for a moment. Joanna could you watch the boys?"
"Sure Jarod." Joanna replied.
Jarod and Morgan walked towards the house grabbing a towel and drying themselves off.
"What's wrong?" Morgan asked her husband, sensing that his was tense.
"Oh nothing, I just recently found out that my ex has deiced to drop by for a visit.
"What!" Morgan said trying not to laugh.
"Yes. From what you're daughter told me. Zoë is in town and wanted to see me."
"This is going to be hilarious," Morgan said bursting in to a fit of giggles.
"I fail to see the humor in this."
"Jarod am I correct in assuming that she doesn't know about us or the kids?"
"Yes."
"Jarod that poor woman is going to arrive here thinking that you are still single and that the two of you still have a chance of hooking up."
"Zoë is just coming to visit," Jarod told his wife.
"Jarod, sweetheart, for all your brains and your abilities at being romantic, you know very little about the minds of women. It a very good thing that most of our children are boys."
"You really think that..."
"Trust me," Morgan replied as she turned around and walked back towards the lake. Jarod sighed and went back to the house.
Zoë arrived two hours later just a Will, Alley, Debbie and Chris were returning from the movies.
"Hi Chris." Zoë said getting out of her red convertible.
"Zoë what are you doing here?" Chris asked nervous of how her visit was going to turn out.
"I stopped by to visit your brother. I've seen you've made some friends since I've been gone. Care to introduce us?" Zoë said eyeing Will, Alley and Debbie.
"Uh Yeah, This is Debbie, Will and Alley." Chris said pointing to the three beside him.
"Are you the one I spoke to one the phone?"
"Yeah. Why don't you come in I'll tell Dad that you're here."
"Dad?" Zoë said confused.
"Uh yeah long story." Chris said obviously uncomfortable as he escorted Zoë into the house.
"Daddy that lady is here!" Alley yelled as she entered the house.
"He's out side with Mom and Pete, Alley." Aaron said he and the other Black Files were on the floor in the living room playing monopoly. Zoë looked at them shocked.
"Chris who are all these kids?" Zoë asked him.
"Uh. Escaped Centre projects, friends of the family, not to mention my nieces and nephews.' Chris said quickly his voice cracking.
"Okay Chris what's going on?"
"I think I can explain that." Jarod said from the doorway his hair still damp from swimming. "Kids why don't you all go up stairs to play."
"We'd rather stay down here. This looks as though it will be loads more entertaining than anything upstairs."
"Now Andros." Jarod warned.
"Come on guys lets go." Alex said grabbing her money and token form the board.
"Thank you Katie," Jarod replied. The group of children gathered the rest of their belongings and slowly walked up the stairs in hopes of catching a part of the adults' conversation.
"Jarod are those kids...."
"Mine? Some of them are, yes. The oldest set of twins Will, Alley, are mine along with Aaron, Andros and Alex, the set of triplets to whom I just spoke to."
"And dare's me." Peter said padding across the wooden floors dripping water and leaving behind muddy footprints.
"Of course Zoë this is my youngest son Peter." Jarod said picking up the soaking wet boy.
"I'm 'dopted case you were wonderin'." Peter told the red head. "My first name was Peter Simon Vincent Parker. It's what my Momma named me. Only she was my sister den." Peter said scrunching his forehead in slight confusion. Zoë just stared at the small boy in shock.
"Parker," she finally managed to say. "Your last name is Parker."
"No it was Parker. Now it Russell," Peter told the woman as though her were speaking to an incompetent child.
"Let me guess your sister is Miss Parker."
"Nooo she's my Momma." Peter said exasperated. "Honestly." The boy mumbled and Jarod had to stop himself from bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Peter sweetheart do you realize you just tracked mud through three rooms?" An obviously pregnant Morgan said as she entered the living room.
"Holy shit I've just entered the twilight zone." Zoë said after catching sight of Morgan.
"Uh oh. You gotta put a dollar in da swear jar." Peter said looking at Zoë.
"Um Peter baby, why don't we go up stairs and get you changed. That way Daddy can talk to his friend." Morgan said taking the still dripping Peter from Jarod's arms and walking up the stairs.
"Jarod you have got to be kidding me. I'm one for six months and I return to find you married with six kids and one on the way."
"Actually we're expecting twins." Jarod said failing miserably to lighten the mood.
"I think that I'll be going now." Zoë said and headed towards the door.
"No Zoë wait you don't understand. Let me explain what happened."
"Fine." Zoë said sitting down. Jarod stated from the beginning, from the discovery of the children, learning that they were his and Morgan's. Finding out about Alley, and believing that she was dead. The triplets kidnapping. The newest editions to the family and his new friendships with Centre personal.
"Wow!" Zoë said. "That has got to be the biggest load of shit I've ever heard in my life. You know I came to see if we still had a shot at being together. You just could have come straight out and told me that you weren't interested. But no you had to go and construct one of your elaborate pretends revolving around some cock-and–bull story about a group of children who just so happen to be your kids and their mother is the same woman who chased you around for the past six years. You have some real issues Jarod you know that. I mean it is just sick to pretend that you are married to some woman how want to lock you up in some cell. Where did you find that cheep looking tramp form any way."
"Now you wait one second. You can insult me all you want. But don't you ever insult my wife."
"You're wife. Please. If she's really your wife then I'm the bloody Queen of England."
"Well then your highness forgive me but I must demand that you take your royal ass out of my home."
Zoë looked at the pretender in disgust. She then stormed out of the house hopped into her little red convertible and speed off. Jarod watched the red head drive off in a mixture of disgust and amazement. He could not believe that he had actually wasted years of his life with a clearly delusional woman.
"Women," Jarod sighed. Jarod then head a muffled sound from the stairway. Curious he walked over to the banister to spot his wife and the children all trying desperately hard not to laugh. Morgan had tears streaming down her face from trying so hard not to laugh. Jarod's expression of annoyment was enough to send the whole group in to a roar of laughter. Realizing the humor of the situation, Jarod too found himself laughing along with the rest of the group.
After a while the laughter had subsided to the occasional giggle.
"Oh, man." Will said still trying to catch his breath. "You mean to tell me that that woman had a chance of being our step-mother. Dad she was clearly delusional. Granted Mom has her own issues, she hears voices and all. But come on that woman was crazy." Will's comment drove the group into another round of laughter.
ALRIGHT SO NOT MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER. DON'T WORRY IN THE NEXT THE KIDS GO TO SCHOOL AND SOMEONE DIES.
Anyway you guys know the drill the little purple button is calling out to you saying "Click on me" "Click on me".