Commencement Exercises

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And here is chapter six as well for people who didn't want to read the smut

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8

They made it, flushed and breathless to their seats in the High School hall a mere twenty seconds before the ceremony began. Kirsten gave Sandy a pointed look as the introductory speech filtered out over the PA system but her simply grinned and leant to kiss her until his sister dug him with her elbow. Kirsten flushed beetroot but smiled as her husband took her hand instead, lacing their fingers together and gently rubbing her thumb. She loved how he couldn't sit beside her without touching, whether it was reaching for her hand, tangling their feet together under a table, an arm around her shoulders or her waist, or a hand sliding dangerously up her thigh. And she relished the touch, the comfort, the tingles that would flood across her skin. She had thought that was something that soon faded; Sandy seemed set to prove her wrong.

Sandy squeezed her hand momentarily before the clapping began and they relinquished their hold to applaud as the graduating class began to file out to receive their diplomas. There wasn't long to wait before Cohen, David was called and Sophie clicked away furiously with the camera.

'Go Davey!' Sandy hollered, making his brother duck his head in embarrassment as he left the podium clutching his diploma, a shock of black hair so like Sandy's falling into his eyes.

'Imagine when our kid is graduating,' he murmured to her as the list of names continued, lips brushing her ear and making her want him all over again. How the hell could he do that with the lightest of the touches, the softest voice, the most innocent words?

Kirsten struggled with the idea her husband had mentioned. She could barely process the idea of having a child and being a mother, never mind imagining them finishing High School.

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'Well Davey-boy, you made it!' Sandy pulled his little brother into a bear hug. 'Aw my baby bro is graduating, it makes you fill up,' he declared, pretending to weep dramatically. Kirsten slapped him playfully and Sandy released Dave.

'Congratulations,' Kirsten said, kissing the boy on the cheek.

'Thanks Kirsten,' he mumbled, flushing red.

'Actually you just make me feel old,' Sandy told his brother. 'So now you're in big trouble.'

'Trouble?' Dave retorted, 'Don't think I didn't see you sneak in late.'

'Kirsten wasn't feeling well, it delayed us a little.'

'Uh…yeah right. The pair of you had grins the size of Manhattan across your faces. I can't believe you have a kid on the way and you're still at it.' It was Kirsten's turn to blush.

'Aw bro, look at her,' Sandy countered, slipping an arm round his wife's waist. 'How could I not?'

'Sandy!' Kirsten exclaimed but her protest was cut short by his lips meeting hers.

They were interrupted by his mother, shooing them apart and insisting on photographs. First the graduate was subject to endless pictures by his mother and friends, much to his embarrassment and Sandy grumbled that he and Kirsten could have been left to kiss in peace. But of course, that wasn't Sophie Cohen's style. He settled for drawing her close again and pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. They stood, lost in each other until Sandy's mother coughed impatiently and they discovered that family pictures were in order. Bill and Kirsten were graciously allowed to be in a couple of photos before being relegated to the sidelines whilst every possible composition of Cohens was photographed.

'Would you mind watching these two for a minute,' Bill asked a while later, 'I gotta head to the bathroom.'

'Uh…' Kirsten began nervously but her brother-in-law didn't seem to notice her reluctance, manoeuvring the pushchair beside her and propelling his daughter with it.

'Thanks,' he said before disappearing into the crowds.

'Oh God,' Kirsten muttered glancing frantically from the moody four-year-old to the baby who was currently awake and therefore ten times more terrifying than he had been the night before.

'I'm bored,' whined Massie, sitting down on the tarmac.

'Massie, please don't sit on the ground, you'll get all dirty,' Kirsten pleaded to no avail, the little girl ignoring her completely. 'Uh…how about we go sit back on the chairs just there?'

Without an answer Massie flounced off to sit on the nearest row of chairs, Kirsten attempting to follow but the pram refused to move. She tried to force it for a moment, jerking forwards, much to Max's displeasure, before realising with a rush of warm embarrassment that the brakes were locked on. Glancing around she hurriedly flicked them off and hushing the child inside, pushed the chair cautiously to where Massie was waiting.

'Not long now,' she told her, 'then you can go back to Grandma's and have tea.'

'It's Nana not Grandma,' was the curt response.'

'Oh, well, go back to your Nana's for tea. What's your favourite food?'

The child glared at her, 'I'm not talking to you.'

Kirsten gave another soft, 'Oh,' before being distracted by Max. Whilst Massie might be giving her the silent treatment, Max was making his discontent known; his grizzling rising in volume.

'Hey Maxi,' Kirsten cooed awkwardly, leaning into the pram. 'What you making all that noise for?'

The baby, confronted with a stranger, began to cry. Kirsten's face fell. 'Please don't cry,' she begged, reaching in to rub the soft cheek, 'please.'

These entreaties didn't have the desired effect; the cries becoming louder. She looked round helplessly; Bill was nowhere in sight, the Cohen clan were now a good distance away, still engrossed in their pictures and greeting friends, and Massie was steadfastly ignoring her.

'Ma-ax,' she crooned, gently rolling the pram back and forth in the hope it would soothe him. No such luck. Oh no, at this rate she was actually going to have to attempt to pick him up. 'There's a good boy, mummy will be back soon, I promise.'

Max shifted pitch, cries becoming wails and the impromptu nanny bit her lip. 'Massie,' she tried desperately, 'Massie! Look, I'm really sorry about earlier, that I upset you, scared you…'

'Wasn't scared.'

'That I hurt your arm then.'

'Didn't hurt.'

'Well, I'm still sorry. I was scared, that you'd get hurt and your mom and g-Nana would be really, really mad with me.'

'They don't like you anyway.'

'Yeah…and I'd rather not make it worse.'

'You're sorry?'

'Really sorry.'

'O.K. You're forgiven.'

'Thank you. Now please help me make your brother stop crying, what do I do?'

'You don't know what to do?'

'No.'

'I thought you were having a baby.'

'I am but…please?'

Massie looked at Kirsten in askance for a moment before standing on tip-toe and peeping into the pram. 'Peek-a-boo Max,' she shrieked, ducking out of sight and then back again, 'peek-a-boo!'

This gave a brief respite where Kirsten could breathe several deep sighs of relief as Max quietened, chuckling a little at his sister's antics. However the baby was hot, tired and hungry and a game of peek-a-boo wasn't enough to settle him in the long-term. Much to Kirsten's anguish, several minutes later the baby began shrieking again and wouldn't be quietened. She looked desperately at Massie who shrugged.

'You're gonna have to pick him up or he'll just get louder.'

Silencing a groan Kirsten reached tentatively into the pram, almost as though she expected to be bitten, and slowly lifted Max up and into her arms, breathing a giant sigh of relief when she managed not to drop him. She sat awkwardly on a chair and rocked woodenly. Max responded by increasing the volume of his cries by a notch.

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Covertly watching what was happening was Sophie Cohen, smirking slightly at her daughter-in-law's struggle between her 'proud mother of the graduate' activities. Sandy was the next to notice his wife's discomfort but his mother caught his arm when he tried to sidle off. 'She's got to learn,' she pointed out.

'Like this? Leaving her with a screaming baby? That's really gonna help her confidence.'

'Oh so you've noticed how nervous she is.'

'I'm not stupid.'

'And?'

'And what?'

'That girl is not going to make a suitable mother for your children, what are you going to do about it?'

'Kirsten will be fine.'

'Well in that case, let her prove it; stay here.'

'Ma…'

'There's nothing like hands-on experience.'

Sandy chewed on his lip, glancing from his mother to his flustered wife and back again. 'But…'

'Yes?'

'There'll be two of us.'

'Not all the time. Just let her struggle, I mean, try for a little while. Then we'll see if she has the makings of a decent mother or if she comes over defeated.'

'You can't judge her on whether she can stop Max crying,' her son argued.

'I can and I will.'

'Will what?' Jess asked, appearing beside them. 'Oh, Max is getting stroppy, I'll be right back.'

Sophie repeated her earlier tactic and prevented her daughter from leaving. 'You stay here, I'm doing an experiment.'

'What?'

'She's testing Kirsten.'

'With Max?'

'Why not?'

'That's cruel on both of them,' Jess said, surprisingly kindly.

'Don't be so pathetic,' her mother snapped, 'it's not gonna hurt him. You leave him to cry usually.'

'That's different.'

'When you can tell me how it's different I'll let you go,' was the response, Sophie demonstrating the steely hold she still had over her children by the fact they both folded their arms angrily but didn't move.

'Oh for God's sake mother,' Jess complained when her son's cries became gratingly audible even from a distance and people began muttering. Both she and Sandy headed towards the source of disturbance leaving their mother defeated behind them.

'I'm so sorry,' Kirsten sighed as Jess relieved her of the screaming bundle that was her nephew.

Mindful of her brother's close proximity, Jess bit her tongue. 'It's alright. He'll be fine once he's eaten.'

'I didn't mean to…'

'You don't have to explain anything, just…take some pre-natal classes okay?'

Kirsten flushed and nodded as Sandy rushed towards her. 'Aw sweetie, I'm sorry my mom was being…'

'Yes Sanford?' The Nana's voice cut in.

'Nothing ma.' He reached for Kirsten's hand and squeezed it, saying everything that needed to be said. 'Things will be different with ours,' he whispered, 'I promise.' She wasn't sure she believed that. All babies cry, but she wasn't about to refuse her husband's reassurance. Or ignore her sister-in-law's suggestion.

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Sooo, wazzup?

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