When Love Takes You In
Author's Notes: OK… I went back and changed one of the major spelling errors in the last chapter. Spell check ain't worth shit… because if it's an actual word still… it won't change it for you. We can't have Jack going at Ennis's sock now can we? Eww… stinky socks. We want Ennis's cock, right? Well… you know what I mean.
Chapter Twelve
Jack and Ennis stood outside of Alma and Monroe's house, presents filling their arms, waiting for someone to answer the door.
"Daddy!" Junior was the one to greet them. She was dressed up and had an apron protecting her dress. She wiped her hands on it before reaching up to hug each of them. She took their presents and had the guys follow her to the living room where everybody was sitting. Then she put the presents by the tree and left for the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas, Ennis… Jack." Alma greeted from her seat next to Monroe.
"Thanks for inviting' us, Ma'am." Jack smiled back at her, politely removing his had from his head. Ennis did the same and straightened his bolo tied as they stood there awkwardly. Kurt and Monroe each said their hellos.
"Where's Fr-"
"Francine is getting Dylan." Alma told him. Dylan was the little boy she'd had with Monroe. Ennis was glad that they had a child that was theirs. He did want Alma to be happy with Monroe and he also wanted not to have to share his girls with Monroe.
"Hi Uncle Ennis!" Little Dylan, nine years old, came bounding into the living room with Francine following behind. He hugged Ennis before running to his parents and sitting between them.
"Dylan, he's not your uncle." Monroe muttered while Alma smiled apologetically at Ennis. Like Ennis, Monroe never liked sharing his child with the other man.
"Hello Daddy." Francine said quietly, drawing his attention to her.
Ennis hadn't seen her for a long time, at least two months before he'd gone to Texas to get Jack. If he'd seen her on the street, he probably wouldn't have recognized her. She had on faded jeans with what seemed like a thousand holes in them, a bright pink t-shirt which had been cut and pinned back together for reasons he couldn't figure out, and a painted denim jacket over that. Her hair was blonder than usual and it was crimped, teased, and feathered while her face was coated in make-up of colors that were not natural for any human.
"Francine, wha- you look like-" Ennis was cut off by a sharp elbow in his ribs from Jack.
"You look more like a big city gal than anyone I've ever seen." Jack said. Ennis turned to him and mumbled softly.
"That ain't what I was gonna say." What Ennis had wanted to say was that it looked like Francine had stuck a finger in a light socket and her clothes into a garbage disposal.
"Um… thanks." Francine nodded to Jack's comment. She gave him a strange look, trying to figure out why her mother had invited a friend of her fathers. It was supposed to be a family affair.
"Dinner's ready!" Junior called from the dining room, cutting the tension in the air. She'd set everything out on the table and everyone congregated to the table.
"This all looks delicious, lil' darlin'." Ennis complimented as they all took their seats.
"Thanks Daddy." She blushed.
"It really is, honey. You did a wonderful job. I sure am looking forward to your wonderful cooking for the rest of my life." Kurt said, holding her hand and pulling her chair out for her to sit down.
Dinner conversation started out slow with everyone a little nervous about being in new company, Kurt and Jack. But everything became a little more relaxed as the meal progressed.
After dinner, Alma decided to do the dishes and Kurt, wanting to stay on her good side, volunteered to help. Monroe put on Christmas movie for Dylan and sat down with him to watch until his wife was done cleaning up.
Ennis and Jack thought it'd be the perfect time to have a little meeting with Junior and Francine, so Ennis called them both outside while he and Jack had a cigarette.
"Daddy, it's cold. Why are we outside?" Francine asked as she shivered in her thin denim jacket, arms wrapped around her torso.
"Cuz yer mama won't let me smoke in the house no more." He answered.
"Daddy, you know they had to make that rule because of Dylan's bad asthma." Junior chided.
"Yeah well, we (Jack and me) also wanted to have a small talk with ya both."
"What could your friend possibly have to say to me?" Francine rolled her eyes. She received a shove from Junior and shut her mouth.
"Listen, darlin'… Jack 'n me wanted to tell you something." Ennis started out awkwardly. He shifted from one foot to the other as he flicked his cigarette over the porch railing. Francine managed to look like she was about to literally die of boredom and Ennis tried to hurry and get the words out of his mouth.
He felt Jack's hand find it's way onto the back of his neck and give a reassuring squeeze. That's when Francine changed. She uncrossed her arms and her facial expression fell.
"Jack here… he's more'n just my fishin' buddy or friend." Ennis gestured to the man standing silently next to him. "He's my… um… I don't rightly know the word for…" Ennis trailed off, uncertain.
"Ohh…" the small noise escaped from Francine's mouth as she understood what he was trying to say. The blood drained from Francine's face leaving colored splotches where her make-up stood out. She nodded silently as the tears welled up in her eyes.
Ennis could see she was taking it hard and wondered for a moment if she might end up reacting like Bobby Twist when the shock wore off. He almost didn't hear Jack start speaking to Junior.
"Junior, we don't want your marriage to start off with any untruthfulness… so we thought you shouldn't lie to Kurt on our behalf. So… you can tell him if you want or not." Jack told her. She bit her lip with a small smile.
"He sorta already knows. He asked me once when we saw you together at your place. You were in the backyard and we'd just come around the corner and saw ya." She admitted.
"Wait… you knew?" Francine stared as her sister, feeling betrayed. Tears streamed down her face. "How could you not have said anything? How could nobody tell me until just now?"
"Daddy didn't want you to know. The way you avoid him, nobody knew what your reaction would be." Junior argued.
"That's no excuse to-"
"Girls, stop. No arguin' on my- our account." Ennis interrupted.
"Francine, this is my fault. I was scared that you'd be like my son. He hates me now and… well, Junior already knew all along. We never had to tell her." Jack tried to take on the blame.
"Francine, don't be mad at them because they are together. It's a good thing that Daddy found love." Junior tried to say. Francine ran her jacketed arm across her face.
"Them bein' together's not what I'm upset about!" She ran away from them into the house.
"Someone should follow her… talk to her." Junior said.
"What do I know about talkin' to a teenager?" Ennis muttered, a little shaken up by Francine's response.
"Maybe she'll talk to me." Jack suggested. "She wouldn't have any expectations from someone she barely knows so…"
"Give it a try." Ennis shrugged. Jack tossed his cigarette butt into the snow and went into the house, leaving Ennis and Junior on the porch.
"She fuckin' hates me, I know it." Ennis muttered.
"No Daddy."
"Did ya see her face?"
"It wasn't full of hate. I don't know what she's thinkin' right now." Junior admitted.
When Jack went into the house, Dylan and Monroe were still in front of the television and they pointed him to Francine's room. He approached with caution and knocked on the door.
"What?"
"It's Jack. Can I talk to you?" He asked. The response was the clicking of the lock and he twisted the door handle slowly, entering quietly. He was surprised at the room. Francine was so different from Junior and other girls out in the country. He knew already that she was not the typical country girl who would settle to get married and have a family like she was expected to. She was meant for something else. The walls were covered in rock posters and of artwork. She had a talent, he could see that clearly as he looked around.
"These are good…. Very good. You could go to college for this stuff, you know." Jack said, hand running over a particular drawing that stood out to him. It was an abstract charcoal drawing with soothing shapes and shades being overlapped by conflicting shadows and it seemed as if the paper was being torn apart.
"I know. My art teacher has been talking to me about art schools out east." She shrugged. She was looking through a book but when she looked up at Jack, she jumped.
"Don't touch that one!" She yelped. Jack drew his hand back.
"Sorry. So why were you upset out there if it's not because I'm with your dad?" He asked.
"I wish I hadn't pushed Daddy so far." She started crying again.
"He understands, I think. Teenagers do that sort of thing."
"But I coulda used him. Needed him to talk to…" She said. Jack looked at her and she sighed. "I wish I knew how to say this. It's so hard to say it out loud." She pulled at her hair in frustration.
She stood from her bed, reached behind her dresser and pulled out a small photograph that had crease marks from being folded and unfolded repeatedly. She looked at it for a moment, a small smile gracing her tired face, before handing it to Jack. He glanced at it and looked up at her.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"How could I? That's why I started avoiding Daddy. I thought he'd hate me for sure. You're the first person I've told." Francine confided. She looked over at the drawing that Jack had been looking at earlier.
"That's you, isn't it?" He asked about the conflicted drawing. She nodded as she ran her hand over the charcoal.
"I never quite fit in right. I couldn't figure out why and then when I did… that's when I stopped going to visit Daddy. I thought him and Ma would just…"
"Your parents love you no matter what, Francine. You might wanna tell them. You're Daddy'll understand. He has too." Jack encouraged her. He handed the photograph back to her after a moment of silence.
"So… that's your girlfriend, then?" He commented.
"Yes. Clara." Francine smiled fondly at the picture of her being kissed by a fiery redhead girl. "My heaven and my hell."
End chapter
Hehe. Did ya see that coming? My friend was reading this in my notebook and kept saying "Oh, I know… I know what's up with her." because I had told her that something major with Francine was on the way. Then she read the chapter and was like, "I was wrong… I wasn't expecting that. I thought she was preggers."
Ha.
