Where You Hang Your Hat: Part XVI
"Anne, have you seen the kids?"
She looked up from the vegetables she was cutting as her husband wandered into the kitchen, his tie partially undone and a newspaper half folded in his hand.
"Which ones? The love-birds, the boys or sour puss?"
"Oh, so you've noticed it too?"
She put her knife down and wiped her hands on her apron. "Well, if you noticed it, I sure would have?"
James sat down at the table and buried his face in the paper. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, dear, you have a tendency to be slightly oblivious, and since Kim and Ron have been lovebirds for over four years, the boys have always been boys, it stands to reason you would be referring to Jocelyn."
"Well, I'm just kind of surprised there's nobody in the house but us."
"That's because Kim and Ron are over at Roy's office going over their lease. The boys got dragged to the mall by their girlfriends and Jocelyn left for an early date with that Bobby guy."
James looked around his paper, scowling. "Monday nights are not exactly date nights in my book."
"They are until school starts in three weeks. Ease up on the poor girl, James. That's part of why she has been in such a foul mood since she got here."
"Well I don't trust this guy. Did he bother coming inside to introduce himself this time?"
"No. Joss just headed out the door wearing her red dress saying she was getting an early start of it so they would have enough time before curfew."
"Enough time for what?" James asked coldly.
"Enough time to get some dinner and go to a movie or go out dancing. Really, James, she's seventeen. You have to trust her to some extent."
"Anne, it's just…Slim sent her here because he didn't think he could be strict enough with her, and I don't want to screw up by letting all the same things happen here."
She leaned on the counter, facing her husband. "So what are you going to do? Forbid her from dating? Lock her up in the house when she's not at training? Don't forget, when Kim was that age, you let her take an overnight train trip to Go City on Valentines day."
"That was completely different. We're talking about Ron and Kim. When he asked me if they could do that, I knew deep in my heart I could trust him. Joss is a completely different person."
"Wow, you actually realized that?"
He put his paper down and shook his head. "Just because I can sometimes be an absent-minded rocket scientist, that doesn't mean I'm stupid when it comes to my own family. The fact of the matter is I don't even know if this guy she is seeing is a blonde or a brunette, has tattoos or not, wears a nice sports jacket or leather and chains. I know nothing about him and I feel like I'm being remiss as her uncle and defacto guardian by not knowing these things."
"Then you sit down and tell her, she's not going out with a guy unless he has the decency to come inside and at least introduce himself. Honey, you were spoiled by Kim and later by Jim and Tim. Even though you've known him since he was a toddler, Ron still knew he was supposed to come inside to pick up Kim for their dates, and the boys knew they should bring their dates by to meet us because of his example. Joss is an only child being raised by a single parent. She doesn't know these things. All she knows is what she sees with her friends and what little bit she has seen from a distance about our kids."
"Yes, but I'm just afraid that if I were to say something to her about that, all she'll do is shut me down for being a square."
"James, you know better than that. We're not here to play popularity contests with the kids. If you've got to lay down the law, then do it. It's not like you're forbidding her from going out, it just means you're insisting that her dates behave like proper gentlemen. Don't you remember how much fun you had tormenting poor Ronald with the black hole deep threats?"
"Those were the days, alright. Sure had that boy about to…"
"He was not. That whole thing lasted, what, two dates before he figured out you didn't mean it?"
"Ron sure thought I meant it when I said if he ever did anything to hurt Kimmie I would be the worst son-of-a-bitch in the universe."
"Then do the same thing with Joss. I think it's looking more and more like I need to have a long sit down with her as it is, but you know that when I start talking about these things, my doctor's hat tends to slip onto my head and things get a little mechanical in nature. That's the way it was with Kim. I'm sure if it had not been for you, she might have been somewhat freer with the boys at a much younger age, and if that had happened, there is every possibility that she would not be with Ronald today."
"Just feels kind of funny to have to say all that over again. Kimmie was, what? Fifteen when she started dating for real?"
"If you call school dances a date. She went out with Ron more the first few weeks than she had all her other dates combined, which really isn't normal until you consider Ron took up that place in her life, though they didn't call it dating."
"Speaking of them, you said they were over at Roy's office? I thought Kimmie had that presentation today."
Anne practically beamed. "She did. It went off without a hitch and she got the go-ahead for her thesis."
"Fan-tastic. At least that's some good news in their life. Such a shame what's happening with their apartment. Has there been any news on that front?"
"Not so much. They're still trying to find a moving company who will agree to go in there and pack things up for everybody, though I'm sure the insurance companies are pitching a fit over that. They still won't let anybody in to get anything else, though there is now an independent engineer who says the buildings are actually safe."
"Then why won't they let anybody in?"
"Because once the city engineer pushed the panic button, the city was legally obliged to do what they did. It would take a court order at this point to reverse that decision, and nobody that lived in that complex has the money to force the issue. They best anybody can hope for now is to recover their property and move on."
"That still really grinds my beans." He clenched his fists over the table. "Imagine what that would have been like if that happened in that apartment we moved into when we got married."
She rolled her eyes. "I would have cheered. You know I hated that place, James."
"You only hated it because we never really did anything with the place since we were waiting for this to be built."
"Same thing with the kids."
"Yes, but Kimmie just wasn't going to stand for that. Their place really looked like a home there, at least for a few days."
"Well, they can find another place and do it all again. It's not like they got all that settled in. It hurts right now, but with only three weeks under their belt, it will fade."
He folded the paper up and set it aside, having already read it cover to cover that morning. "Personally, I would just as soon have Kim and Ron stay here until they get married now. That way they will have a stable place to live up to that point, without having to deal with noisy neighbors or termites or hot water heaters that don't work."
Anne shook her head. "I really think it's too late for that now. We've all already been through the emotional rollercoaster of them moving out. They've gone from living here to feeling like they're guests, and you should hear the rest of the kids. Jim and Tim are griping about sharing a bathroom, and Joss has already laid claim to the one downstairs and won't let them in it any more."
"But they're not guests. They're out kids, Anne."
She tapped herself on the head. "We know that up here, but down here." Her finger moved to the middle of her chest. "The change has happened, and I don't think it can ever really be undone. Kim and Ron have grown up and moved on. We came to terms with that already, and it's not fair to them, or to the younger kids to make their current situation more than temporary. They're going to go out looking again just as quick as the rent situation is resolved."
"They damned well better be getting that money back." He groused, lightly pounding a fist on the table.
"I don't see why they wouldn't. Roy is pretty confident they'll get the majority, if not all of it back"
His teeth were clenching. Every time they discussed it his frustration built until he was ready to bite nails. The worst of it was that they couldn't do anything besides open their home back up to the couple.
"It just pushes my peeve button so hard that all that had to happen on Kimmie-cub's birthday, and her twenty-first, no less."
"That's just Kimmie for you. She's spent her fair share of birthdays off doing something else. Seventeenth spent down in the Caribbean. Nineteenth off somewhere in South America, twentieth chasing after that Demens fellow. At least this time she got to stay here and she got to spend some quality time with Ronald."
"You know, Ronald's birthday is Wednesday." He was slowly calming down. "Maybe we could call some of their friends in for a big get-together."
"Careful what you wish for, dear. You remember what happened when they thought just a few of their friends were coming over that one evening after they graduated."
"I think I would have a little better control over who was coming."
"That's what Kim thought, and still the house was full of people, and the fridge out in the garage got emptied."
"Grrrrrrrr, if that Mankey boy only knew how much that lager costs."
"Settle down, James. He's the Matthew's problem now. Personally, I don't think that would be workable anyhow. They've been drifting away from their old friends for some time and I don't think they've ever gotten as close to anyone at college. There's another reason for them to have their own place. It will allow them to socialize with their friends more, plus, they will never admit this, but I don't think they feel it's very cool for them to be living 'at home' like this."
"Point taken. So, what are we going to do for them?"
"Well, unless they have private plans Wednesday night, I think the entire family, Jocelyn and the boys included, should go out to dinner for both their birthdays. What's that really nice Italian restaurant out by the mall?"
"Mandola's? I guess that would be nice, though I'm sure the waiters would all run and hide if they saw the twins coming."
"Now James, Jim and Tim are a lot more grown up than that. It's not like we're taking them to JP Bearymore's."
James winced. His leg still ached from time to time, especially when it was cold and raining out. "That sounds like a plan. What's more, I think we'll get one of the boys to drive. That way both Kim and Ron can enjoy being twenty-one. We can all share a pitcher of Italian Sangria."
"There you go." She turned her attention back to her cooking. Yes, it would be a good plan, if they could get to all the kids in time.
Joss looked out the window of the small pickup, wondering exactly what it was she had gotten into. In the few weeks she had been in Middleton, she had yet to learn her way around that well. The little town near the ranch she had grown up on was little more than a sleepy main street. Even that was fading fast, since the Smarty Mart out by the highway was becoming pretty well entrenched by that point. Most of the storefronts were empty by then, with only the few who were able to hang onto the slow but steady stream of tourists coming to stay at The Crooked D were still able to make ends meet. The hardware store was gone, as was the old hunting store and even the old, tiny grocery had closed its doors because of the onslaught of the massive discounter. The formula worked just like it did everywhere else the big box opened. Most of the people in the sparsely populated former frontier town were relatively poor, and simple economics sent them where they could buy the cheapest. Only the fact that most of the work-force tended the ranches around there kept the local economy afloat.
"Bobby, where exactly are we, anyway?"
Her date was not especially tall, nor was he muscular. In fact, he wasn't exactly the greatest specimen of teenaged manhood the Tri-City had to offer. Yet he appealed to her. He had dark blonde hair, brown eyes and was prone to slightly goofy expressions. It never occurred to her that he vaguely resembled Ron Stoppable.
He parked his truck and set the brake. "It's called Logging Camp Road."
"Um, what exactly is the point?" She looked around at the other vehicles parked there. The road simply ended there on a bluff overlooking the part of town where she was living. The lights of the Middleton Mall dominated the visible landscape, though if it were daylight out she thought she might be able to see the Possible abode.
"Heh. I guess in the old days, they'd call this 'the point.' It's just a nice, quiet place to park for a while." Without a warning, he put his hand behind her head and pulled her in for a kiss.
She pulled away after a couple moments. "Hey, slow down, Bobby."
"Sorry. Thought that's what you wanted. We could still go to that dance club."
"No…no. It's too close to Middleton College. I'm afraid we might run into my cousin there. She likes going out dancing with her fiancé."
"Okay. Don't you want to make out or something?"
She blushed, though it was impossible to see her do so. She had been thinking about the moment for the last several days, daydreaming about kissing her new beau, but there, sitting in his truck, at what apparently was the big make-out place of Middleton, she was having second thoughts.
He took her hand, gently squeezing it. He was a rising senior at Middleton High, just like her, and actually the youngest guy she had ever gone out with, though he was still a month older than she was. His hand was a little rough, considering he worked at a local garage, but his touch was gentle.
"Maybe we should have just gone to a movie." She suggested, returning the squeeze.
"It's a bit too late. Don't I have to have you home by ten? It's eight forty-five now."
"You're right. Okay, just a little kiss." She puckered up, wrapping one hand behind his neck. It certainly did feel nice. She had already gone out with him twice, not counting an afternoon spent out at the lake and she did really like him. She wanted to kiss him that first night, but considering her history, she wanted to go a little slower. Mistakes had been made in the past she didn't want to make again.
As nice as the kiss was, as good as it seemed to feel, she couldn't help but feel nervous about the situation. About a month before her father sent her to live with her Aunt and Uncle, she had been in an almost identical situation. Only then she had been in a larger, king-cab style pickup with a nineteen year-old hand who worked at a neighboring ranch. They were on a remote part of the Lazy C, where they thought they could have some privacy.
That morning she had a long, rather loud fight with her father, mostly about her boyfriend. It ended with her storming out of the house and driving her own small pickup to his place. That evening had started with kissing, but quickly went further…
…much further.
Then she had been willing. So was the guy. In fact, he was more than willing, though, halfway through the process she realized that she was doing it more because she wanted to get back at her father than the fact she was really ready to give up her innocence. Even though tears were running down her face, she was afraid to put a stop to it. The point of no return had already been passed.
The worst of it came when the pickup's door was suddenly wrenched open and her boyfriend was dragged out of the truck. There were a couple sharp cracks as fists connected with his chin. The next thing she knew, her father's enraged face was in the doorway, screaming at her to put her dress back on.
The night ended with her pleading with her father not to press charges against the boy. He reluctantly agreed, but only if she would agree to go live with her cousins and their parents for a while.
"Stop." She said suddenly, putting a hand up between herself and Bobby.
"What's the matter?" He kept his hands on her waist, kneading.
"Please, let's go do something else. I'm not com…"
He cut her off, mashing his face against hers. He kissed her on her mouth, moving down to her neck, slowly pushing her down on the bench seat of his truck.
Kim was sitting in the family room, quietly paging through one of her fashion magazines as yet another Fearless Ferret marathon played out on the TV. The sound was turned low, since she really wasn't paying all that much attention to it. The satellite listings said episode fourteen, That Stinking Feeling would be coming up shortly, and she didn't want to miss it. The show had terrible production values, even for the sixties, but Rudolph Farnsworth, the man who played the villain White Stripe, had passed away earlier that year and she felt she owed it to him a little to catch it whenever it was on.
Ron was going to be tweaked that he missed it, but it was his idea to have a 'guy's night out' with Paul and some of their other friends. Her parents had gone to a movie themselves and she had no idea where the Tweebs were, so she decided to spend some nice quality time alone. It wasn't until that had gone on two hours and she had accomplished absolutely nothing in that time save reading the same magazines over and over that she realized she just wasn't used to spending her time by herself. She liked and needed human contact.
Her mind was much more at ease than it had been over the last few days. The family lawyer, Roy Epps, was completely confident they could get their rent back without going to court over it. That in itself was pleasant enough news. With her Thesis proposal accepted, there was nothing left to do but enjoy her remaining weeks before school started. Well, not nothing. They still needed to find a new apartment. Even though there were rival engineers saying the building could be saved, there was no way she was going to live in that place again. It was a nice apartment, but she knew she could never have real peace of mind thinking it could collapse at any time. She also had serious doubts the building would survive.
That also left the issue of their belongings. She had gone to the thesis board that morning wearing a dress she borrowed from her mother. They clothes they brought with them were more of the practical variety. The rest were still hanging in their wardrobe, along with a great deal of other things she wanted back, not the least of which was her beloved Pandaroo. Even if they did find a new apartment, they were going to have a tough go of it without their furniture. It was looking more and more like she would have to borrow what little furniture was left in her room, or perhaps some of Ron's from his house.
That would be interesting as well. His parents had already returned the larger full bed to the guest room, putting his tiny twin bed back in its place, taking the room back to how it looked for most of his life, save there were no longer any toys strewn about the shelves, and all the stickers had been peeled off the mirror of his chest-of-drawers.
Getting a new apartment really was a foregone conclusion. Sure, she was welcome to stay in her former home as long as she needed to, but all the reasons they had for moving out still applied. She had started a life together with Ron and the longer she was a guest in her parent's house, the longer that new life was being put on hold.
Still, she was able to relax a little bit. She was actually looking forward to a big family dinner out on Ron's birthday, especially the chance to get a little out of control with him afterwards. The two times she had been drunk before, he was the consummate gentleman, never once thinking of taking advantage of her. It wouldn't be taking advantage if that was what she wanted. She didn't want to be actually drunk, knowing how she felt the morning after, but she did want to get slightly tipsy.
The thoughts of the upcoming evening were playing in her head when she head the Kimmunicator go off. Sighing, she put the magazine down and went hunting for it. Since she was in the house for the evening, she wasn't wearing her bulky bracelet version. Fortunately, the doors were all open, so she could hear it two floors above her.
She punched the accept button. "What's the sitch, Wade?"
The screen didn't wink to life as usual. That's when she noticed the indicator said the call was coming from another Kimmunicator unit, not from Wade's master panel. The signal was audio only and she noticed it was coming from Joss' unit. Cold fear gripped her as she realized it had been the emergency tone.
"Kim?"
"Joss, what's wrong."
"Kim, please, can you come out to get me?"
"Joss, honey, what's wrong?"
"Please, just come get me. I'm out at some place called Logging Camp Road."
She grabbed her purse and dashed down the stairs to the garage. She knew full well where and what that place was, having been there many, many times with Ron.
The cold fear wouldn't leave her. She heard what was in her cousin's voice and she knew not every guy was a perfect gentleman like Ron. "I'll be there in a few, just hang on."
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