Chapter 17:
A day at the mall with friends:
(Saturday May 13th, 2017; morning)
Jack and Carrie were sleeping peacefully under the quilt with their arms round each other; Carrie, who was sleeping on her right side, had her right arm round Jack's shoulder and her left arm over Jack's chest, with her head resting against Jack's left shoulder. Jack, sleeping on his back, had his left arm around Carrie's waist and his right hand resting on Carrie's left arm. But then, they were woken up by someone gently shaking them. They slowly opened their eyes and looked up to see Catherine standing on Jack's side of the bed and shaking them awake with her hands on their shoulders.
"Wakey, wakey you two. Come on, it's time for you both to get yourselves up." she said, as her brother and his girlfriend slowly groaned and, throwing the duvet aside, got themselves out of bed. From the doorway, Grace and Louise watched them for a few moments before they went back into the kitchen.
"Oh...what's the time?" Jack groaned, as he stretched his arms out and yawned.
"8:00am on the dot." Catherine said, as she opened the curtains, flooding the master bedroom with light and showing it was full daylight outside.
"Why are you waking us up for? I wanted to spend a little bit longer sleeping." Carrie said, as she went into the bathroom after stretching her arms and legs out and pulling herself out of bed.
"Because the three of us have already been up for about half an hour now, and it's about time you two got yourselves up too." Catherine said, as she turned and went back out into the kitchen.
Going over to the window and looking out, Jack stretched his arms out and watched as the local residents went about their normal Saturday routines on the street outside. The sun was shining in a clear blue sky and there didn't seem to be any wind blowing, as the leaves on the trees weren't moving in the air.
Looking like it would be a perfect late spring - early summer day out, Jack turned away from the window and set about getting ready for another day in Chamberlain.
After a few minutes, where they took the opportunity to use the bathroom, Jack and Carrie, still wearing their pyjamas, stepped out from the master bedroom and into the kitchen, where the triplets, who were also still in their pyjamas, were already having breakfast at the swivel stools along the kitchen island.
"Morning you two, sleep well?" Louise asked, as Carrie sat opened a drawer and grabbed two spoons from it as Jack took two glasses out from a cabinet.
"Yeah, I did. Just like for the last few nights that I slept with Jack." Carrie said, as she took two bowls out from one of the presses and grabbed the box of cornflakes on the kitchen island before going over to the table.
"Yes, I slept quite well; though I just wish I'd been allowed to sleep for a little bit longer." Jack said, as he took a box of bran flakes out from another cabinet and the milk and orange juice from the counter.
"Sorry about that big bro, but we three were just really eager to start our first full day here in the States, and we couldn't do that with you and Carrie still fast asleep." Grace said, as she took a bite of toast.
"It's all right." Jack said, as he and Carrie sat down beside each other at the kitchen table and set about having their breakfast.
"So, at what time are we meeting your friends over at the mall, Jack?" Catherine asked, as she took a sip of orange juice. Jack, having poured some orange juice into his own glass, turned to look at his sister.
"At about 9:30am, at the main entrance to the mall. We made the arrangements with them in school yesterday afternoon while we were at lunch." he said
"Can't wait to meet them." Louise said, as she took in another spoonful of cereal.
(A little later, at 9:28am)
After finished breakfast, they set about getting ready for the day; they all had showers, while Jack shaved before he went and had a hot shower, and then got dressed. Once they were all ready for the day, they left the apartment not long after 9:20am. Now Jack, Carrie and the triplets stood outside the mall's main entrance and waited for Jack's friends from Ewen High to arrive.
"When do you think they'll get here?" Grace asked, as she looked around.
"It shouldn't be too long. They don't live that far away from here." Jack said, as he looked round. Then, looking down the parking lot, he could see Tommy and Sue, Heather and Roy as well as Norma and Freddy coming towards them.
"Ah, here they all are now." Carrie said to the triplets. Catherine, Grace and Louise each took in a very deep breath and readied themselves to meet their older brother's American friends.
"Good morning, you lot." Jack said, as the group approached.
"Good morning, Jack." or "Morning, Jack." all six of them said, as they came within a few feet.
"Everyone, we've got some new additions to the group today…" Jack said, as he turned to the triplets. "…these three girls are my sisters, Catherine, Grace and Louise. They flew in from Ireland yesterday." Jack said, as he introduced his sisters to his other friends, and they all stepped forward and introduced themselves, with a lot of hand shaking as well as introductions.
"It's so nice to meet you three!" Sue said with a smile, as she shook Louise's hand, before reaching to and shaking Grace's hand.
"It's nice to meet you too." Louise said to Sue, as she then reached for and shook Tommy's hand.
"Jack has told us quite a bit about you, and it's nice to meet you three face-to-face." Tommy said.
"Thanks, and he's told us quite a bit about you guys too." Louise said, while smiling.
"Welcome to the United States of America, and to Chamberlain. Is this your first time over here?" Heather said to Catherine.
"It is, it's the first time all three of us have been over to this side of the Atlantic." Catherine said, as she then shook Roy's hand.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, but why are you three over here in America?" Roy asked.
"We'll explain everything to you as to why we've come over here when we're in the restaurant. It's a bit of a long story." Grace said, as she shook Norma's hand and then Freddy's.
"Don't worry, there's plenty of time for you three to tell us everything. It does look like it's gonna be a long day, after all." Norma said, while giving her usual peppy smile, as she shook Louise's hand warmly.
"Yeah, it does indeed." Louise said, as she smiled at Norma before she then reached for and shook Freddy's hand.
"Well, shall we all get inside and up to The Paddy Leprechaun before it gets too busy?" Jack said, and agreeing with that, they headed inside.
(In The Paddy Leprechaun)
They were lining up at the buffet line and filling up their plates with what they wanted to eat, as the triplets, having already filled their plates, were already at the station with the waffle irons and toppings, including chocolate chips, different syrups, whipped cream, blueberries and slices of strawberries. Having already poured small bottles of waffle batter onto the irons, they were waiting for the waffles to finish cooking so they could put the toppings they wanted on top before going over to the table.
Once they had gotten everything they wanted, including drinks, they went and sat at a long table against one wall. As they began eating breakfast, they started talking; in particular, the triplets talked with their brother's newly made American friends.
"So, you three are over here to experience an American prom night?" Norma said, as she leaned forward, while taking a sip from her glass of fruit juice.
"Yes, and we've already finished our summer exams in readiness for it." Catherine said, as she took in a bite of toast she had topped with a slice of bacon and a fried egg.
"When are you going to collect your tickets?" Sue asked.
"We and our parents have made the arrangements to collect them at the school on Monday. The office already has our details, including payments, and what we look like." Louise said.
"And we're gonna need prom dresses, and shoes, for the event too." Grace said.
"I know a very good dress shop not too far from here where we can get them. There's a huge selection of dresses and shoes to choose from." Heather said.
"It's where we bought our own prom dresses recently. And the people who work there are also very good." Norma said, as she took in a bite of Belgian chocolate batter waffle, which she covered with whipped cream and slices of strawberry.
"Great! Well, after what Jack told us about this place from the Skype calls we had with him, we're very glad we're here. I've never seen a place like this before." Catherine said.
"Yeah, this mall makes all the other shopping centres we've been to in Ireland seem tiny by comparison." Louise said.
"Yeah, I'm quite sure it does." Sue said.
As he listened to his sisters speak to his friends while he ate, Jack couldn't help but smile at the similar thoughts he had thought when he first set foot in this mall on the first day he arrived. Smiling to himself at his own memories of that, he tucked into his American-style breakfast, with pancakes dripping maple syrup, scrambled eggs, thick sliced fried bacon and potato hash browns, while listening to his sisters talk with his friends.
(a short while later)
Once finished their breakfast in The Paddy Leprechaun, the friends split up for a while but agreed to meet up in one of the food courts once they were finished; the girls went off upstairs to get prom dresses for the triplets in one of the dress shops, as the boys went to stroll about and look in the different shops while they waited for the girls to finish up. Jack and Tommy went into a nearby hobby shop where Jack had bought some model kits a few weeks earlier, to see if there were any more models there that caught his interest.
"So how did you become involved in building model kits?" Tommy asked, as he and Jack went along one of the shelves, looking at all the different plastic model kits from different model manufacturers on offer.
"When I was about…ten years old, I think. It was something I got from my dad, as he built quite a few model kits as well when he was my age and younger. The very first model that I ever built, with my dad helping me of course, was an Airfix Supermarine Spitfire, and I still have that in my collection to this day." Jack said.
"And from there you built other models which were more…complex to build?" Tommy asked.
"That's right…and many of the ones I've built since have taken up quite a lot of time, effort and paint to put together. But I always finish the models I build, including painting and putting on the different decals." Jack said.
"And have you been to any model shows at all?" Tommy asked.
"Oh quite a few actually over the years; they're usually held in hotels in or around Dublin, because they have those large interconnecting rooms used for big events. I haven't missed too many yet. When I go to model shows, I always try and buy models that are the real rarities, basically ones I'm not likely to find in the shops." Jack said.
"And I suppose you're gonna try and find some more of those rarities in here today." Tommy said, as he looked over the shelving unit lining one whole wall of the shop, and which was filled with plastic model kits of all different brands, sizes, companies and different kits, ranging from tanks, fighter planes and twin-engine medium bombers and four-engine heavy bombers all the way up to battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers and beyond.
"Indeed I am." Jack said, as he began looking for new model kits to buy.
(a little over an hour later)
As the boys met up near to one of the nearby food courts after looking in some of the nearby shops, Tommy received a text from Sue on his iPhone.
"Ah, the girls have just finished up getting prom dresses for the triplets." Tommy said, as he texted a message back to Sue to let her and the other girls know where they were.
"I wonder if my sisters got the dresses and shoes they were hoping to get." Jack said, as he looked in the direction of where the dress shop was to see if he could spot the girls among the people coming and going along the mezzanine.
"It looks like you got a few things too." Freddy said, noticing the bag Jack had in his hand.
"What did you get?" Roy asked.
"A few model kits in 1/72 scale I've been wanting to have in my collection for quite some time." Jack said, as he reached into the bag. "I got two F-82F Twin Mustang night fighters, two F7F Tigercat twin engine fighters, the 3N and 4N night fighter versions, two AD-4 Skyraider attack aircraft and lastly two Sho't Kal tanks." Jack said.
"Sho't Kal tanks? I've never heard of them before." Tommy said, raising an eyebrow.
"They're an Israeli development of the British Centurion tank, which was upgraded with thicker frontal armour, a more powerful, fuel-efficient diesel engine put into the back and a very powerful 105mm cannon fitted in the turret." Jack said.
"Oh." Freddy said, as he looked over down the mezzanine. "Hey, there's the girls now." he said, as he indicating to the group of girls coming towards them. The triplets each had a bag in their hands and big smiles on their faces, which clearly indicated to Jack they had gotten what they wanted to buy.
"Well, did you three get what you wanted to get?" Jack said to his three sisters, as they and the other girls arrived before them.
"Yes, we did. We got the dresses we wanted to buy, as well as new shoes to match and some make-up as well." Catherine said, as she raised up her bag.
"But no peeking until prom night. We don't want to spoil things before then." Louise said.
"All right." Jack said.
"We did offer to pay for the dresses and things your sisters wanted, but they paid for their purchases themselves." Heather said, looking somewhat astonished.
"Did you?" Jack said, looking to his sisters.
"Yep, we've got our own VISA cards." Catherine said, as the other two girls smiled.
"They…told us about the vast fortune your family won recently." Norma said, as she looked at Jack, who's face suddenly looked a tad worried on hearing that.
"But don't worry Jack, we won't tell anyone else in school about it." said Sue, as Jack's face showed obvious relief on it.
"Yeah, Jack's already told the three of us about all that too." Tommy said.
"Well shall we head over to the food court and get some refreshment? Like a hot drink or something?" Grace said. And all giving their agreements, they headed towards the food court they could see not too far away from where they were.
Soon they were sitting at three tables quite close to each other, by the railings where they could look up to the glass ceiling and down to the ground floor, and the various mezzanine levels.
As they were on the fourth floor, they had a good view of the floors below them. And, just like Jack a few weeks before, the sight, along with escalators and stairs going to the different mezzanines on the different levels, and the glass canopy overhead, reminded the triplets very much of St Stephan's Green Shopping Centre back in Dublin, only on a much larger, more impressive scale.
Sitting on the tables before them were hot drinks along with pastries, slices of cake or doughnuts, and they then began discussing the upcoming prom in less than two weeks from now, and they were all buzzing with excitement as they ate and talked.
A lot of the group were talking with Norma, as she was one of the main organisers of the prom, and they all wanted to know what was being planned for the big night. However, and always bearing her peppy, good-natured smile, Norma simply told them to be patient and wait until prom night to see what events she and those helping her were organising for prom. That way, as she said to them, the surprise wouldn't be spoiled.
"I also can't wait for the military re-enactment show next weekend. It's something I've never missed yet." Roy said, as he sipped his cup of coffee.
"Yeah, I've never been there before. It'll be nice to go to something like that." Tommy said, as he took a bite from his glazed Canadian maple donut.
"And, just to jog my memory, your nineteenth birthday is taking place on that very weekend, isn't it Jack?" Norma asked.
"Yes, it is." Jack said, taking a sip of his tea.
"Anything planned for then, apart from going to the military re-enactment show?" asked Sue.
"Well…um…" Jack said, but then he was interrupted by the triplets.
"Our big bro's the exact opposite of us when it comes to celebrating our respective birthdays." Grace said.
"Really?" Freddy said, as he ate another forkful of cake.
"Yes, while the three of us like our birthdays to be big events, like our fifteenth birthday was a few weeks back, Jack likes his birthdays to be smaller, quieter affairs." Louise said.
"Yes, that's true. It's…just something that changes in you as you get older." Jack said.
"Well…would you be prepared to make an exception to that?" Heather asked. Jack was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. The others looked on, waiting for the verdict. Then Jack looked up at them.
"Yes, I suppose…exceptions to that can be made." he said.
"What have you got in mind?" Norma asked.
"How about we all meet next Saturday morning out in the parking lot where the show is being held and spend the morning there? And then later on we could…maybe go bowling before going to get dinner at one of the restaurants here." Jack said.
"All of us gathered here?" Carrie said, trying to sound casual.
"Sure, why not? It'll be my last birthday as a teenager, so it might be worth making it something to remember." Jack said.
"So, does that mean you'll have a party…of sorts…next weekend?" Heather asked.
"Yes, but I'll speak with you all about the arrangements later during the week about where we may go bowling after the re-enactment show and what place we'll go for dinner." Jack said, and they all agreed with him before they carried on with their drinks and pastries.
(a little later)
Once they finished at the food court, where the rest of Jack's friends talked with his triplet sisters and got to know more about them, the group split up. Heather and Roy left the mall and went over to the park for a stroll, and Norma and Freddy headed off too, leaving Sue and Tommy behind with Jack and Carrie and the triplets. The group left the food court and headed off to show off the mall to the triplets.
"And here's one of my favourite shops." Carrie said, as they paused in front of the candy store before they all went inside. This was the very candy store Jack had bought the Hershey bars from so he could make his mother's hot chocolate for Carrie. The triplets were astonished by this store; there was all sorts of chocolates and candies filling all the shelves, and all in many bright colours, as were the walls and ceiling.
"Wow, this is quite a place!" Grace said, in awe and amazement.
"This reminds me of that bright and colourful sweet shop we visited the first time we went to Brussels a few years back. Do you remember Jack?" Louise said.
"Yeah, I remember that shop. That was one of the largest I'd been to up to then." Jack said, as he glanced towards Sue and Tommy.
"Oh, Jack's shown me the pictures he has of that shop." Carrie said.
"And it also reminds me of those really fantastic candy shops, as well as those patisseries, that we visited when we were in Stockholm, Bratislava, Copenhagen, Paris and a few other European cities as well." Catherine said.
"And not to mention those coffee shops in Southern Germany, in Vienna and a few other places as well." Louise said.
"Also, you know mom's famous hot chocolate recipe? Well, I bought some chocolate from this very store to make it with, and I served some of it to Carrie as well." Jack said.
"And how did you like it, Carrie?" Catherine asked.
"It was delicious. Actually, the nicest hot chocolate I've ever had." Carrie said, with a smile.
"Could you show us how to make it sometime?" Sue asked.
"Certainly, I'd be happy to." Jack said.
A short while later, having bought some things they wanted in the candy store, including a few large milk chocolate Hershey bars so Jack could use them to make his mother's hot chocolate recipe, they left and made their way down the mezzanine towards the next shop.
"Do you think you'll buy any of those big hampers full of candy and chocolate?" Sue asked Jack, as they made the group made their way to the next store.
"I certainly will, but only when I'm closer to finishing up here. That way the candy will be fresher when it's brought home…and I won't have fallen for temptation in the process." Jack said. Sue felt herself smile when Jack said that; she knew the feeling of falling for temptation at the thought of her favourite chocolates and candies.
"And how are you getting home? Have you booked your flight yet?" Tommy asked.
"When I'll be going home, it'll be on the private jet my sisters flew over on, so there's no need for me to book a ticket home in advance. It's been done already for me." Jack said, with a smile.
"Well, that's handy; no need to spend such a long flight with lots of other passengers or even wait for a long time at the airport for the flight." Tommy said, truly astonished and unable to believe that his friend was now the richest man on the planet.
(Later on; 2:45pm)
When they finished up at the mall, where they showed the triplets the whole building and all the different attractions it had on offer, including the aquarium, the different restaurants, the amusement park and bowling alleys, the group, including Sue and Tommy, went back to Jack's apartment. Once they arrived back, Jack set to work and showed Sue and Tommy how to make a different version of his mother's famous hot chocolate recipe. This version was a Viennese style hot chocolate which had two egg yolks added into the mix.
After beating the two egg yolks and some sugar in a small glass bowl, Jack mixed in some of the melted chocolate, cream and milk mix into the eggs so as to temper them, but always keeping mixing in a little bit at a time so as to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Then he added the egg yolk and chocolate mixture back into the pot, put it back on the hob and stirred for another two minutes over a low heat until he was sure it was done.
"And there we are." Jack said, as he ladled some of the finished mixture into two good-sized mugs beside the hob before gently pushing one each to Sue and Tommy. He watched as they each took the can of whipped cream, squirted some onto the hot chocolate before they clinked the mugs together before bringing the mugs to their lips and sipped.
"Well?" Jack said, somewhat anxiously.
"That's delicious." Tommy said, as he took another sip.
"Hmm, I think that's the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life." Sue said, as a smile drew across her face before she took another sip of the hot thick mixture.
"This is a Viennese hot chocolate, a variant I first tried last year when we went to my cousin's wedding in Vienna. I liked it the moment I tried it." Jack said.
"And I can see why. This is a really fantastic hot chocolate...it's really rich." Sue said, as she and Tommy went out onto the balcony as Jack served the triplets and Carrie a mug each of the hot chocolate before he had some himself.
Stepping out onto the balcony, Jack and Carrie sat on the chairs beside Sue and Tommy where they could enjoy the warm weather and the very gentle breeze.
"So, when's Ms Desjardin due to come over and pick you up, Carrie?" Tommy asked.
"Later this afternoon, just after four o'clock." Carrie said, as she sipped her hot chocolate.
"Are you nervous at moving in with a new person to be your guardian, even though it's someone you know?" Sue asked.
"I am a little, but I'm looking forward to having Ms Desjardin as my new guardian." Carrie said, as a small smile appeared on her face.
"But it'll be different that you'll be sleeping over at her place instead of over here. I've gotten used to you sleeping with me each evening." Jack said, as Carrie smiled; she felt the same as he did. Sue and Tommy felt themselves smile too as they looked to each other; they'd both slept together on more than a few occasions since they first met at the start of high school and so knew what Jack meant by that statement.
"Hey, don't worry, you two: you'll still be seeing each other at school and during the weekends." Tommy said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Tommy." Jack said.
Then Catherine stepped out onto the balcony.
"That mall was amazing! There's so much more there than I expected!" she said.
"Yeah, it is. But Catherine, can I just say one thing; since you, Grace and Louise have finished your second year in high school, including your end of the year exams as you've mentioned, what are you three gonna do to pass the time over here, seeing as you haven't come over here to study in Ewen High like your brother?" asked Sue.
"Well, our mother suggested to us that we should just stay in the school's library and just read or work on our laptops. Although, I suppose that won't stop us from venturing out of the school to go to the different parks in this town or the nearby coffee shops at times. Or maybe even go over to the mall on certain days." Catherine said.
"Yeah, I suppose there's no harm in doing that." Jack said.
"But it'll be long and boring at times, just so you know." Tommy said.
"Oh, we don't mind that. Just as long as we've got something to do while the three of us are over here." Louise said, as she emerged at the balcony door.
Then Jack remembered something and turned to look at Sue and Tommy.
"Would you two like to sample some of my mother's baked goods? The triplets brought some good-sized boxes of them over from Ireland yesterday. We had some last night, but there's still plenty left." Jack said, as he stood up from his chair.
"Sure, that sounds good to me." Sue said, as she and Tommy stood up.
Going into the kitchen, Jack lifted the boxes out from the cabinet under the kitchen island and placed them on the counter, one at a time, before opening them up. He reached for two plates in another cabinet and two forks from the cutlery drawer and brought them over.
"Now these looks nice." Sue said, as her eyes travelled over the sight of the baked goods in the boxes, while she tried to decide what to have.
"They are. Some of the usual products my mother sells in her bakeries. And available every day. So, help yourselves." Jack said, as he pushed one of the boxes towards them.
"Thanks, but not too much for me. I'm trying my best to stay in shape." Tommy said.
"Fair enough, Tommy." Jack said, as he handed Tommy one of the plates before handing another to Sue. Jack noticed the tip of Sue's tongue was just peeking out from her lips and going from one side of her lips to the other.
"And do you happen to like baked goods as well, Sue?" said Jack with interest, as he watched Sue placed a chocolate cupcake, topped with a light chocolate frosting and chocolate shavings as well as two cookies and a brownie slice. By comparison, Tommy only put one brownie slice and one cupcake with a light buttercream frosting on his plate. Seeing the difference between what Sue and Tommy put on their plates made Jack think a bit.
"I do. I love baked goods. Cakes, brownies and such." asked Sue, with a smile.
"Hmm…I wonder." Jack thought, as Sue and Tommy tried a taste of butterscotch brownie, topped with a thick and rich butterscotch maple frosting. Jack watched them chew with slight interest, as he noticed Sue's eyebrows rise up and eyes open a little wider.
"Hmm, this is delicious! It's so moist and dense, yet rich, sweet and chewy." Sue said, as she savoured the brownie before taking another bite.
"I agree. My mom has made plenty of good brownies over the years, but these are a cut above. But…just don't tell my mom that." Tommy said, almost sheepishly.
"Don't worry Tommy…I won't" Jack said, with a somewhat amused look on his face.
(a little later)
For much of the rest of the afternoon, the group stayed in Jack's apartment and just talked with each other about their previous school memories, including those they remembered most fondly, as well as their hopes and dreams for the future. Jack even showed Sue and Tommy some of the photos on his laptop of events he remembered the most fondly, including his cousin's wedding in Vienna the previous August and his trips to different countries round the continent of Europe and what those countries were like.
At one point while they were talking, Sue turned to Jack.
"Say Jack…what do you think you'll do with your share of the money your family won recently?" she asked.
"Well, I've been doing a little thinking about that. One of the things I may certainly do is buy that large Central European style mansion with all that land just about a mile and a half to two miles outside of town and turn it into a private home." Jack said.
"Would that be that really enormous mansion with those wide-open lawns, covered gate houses at each entryway, wide driveways and high walls round it as well as the motor-court in front of the main entranceway?" Tommy asked.
"Yes Tommy, that's the very place I had in mind." Jack said.
"Oh yes, the three of us saw that place when the three of us were on our way in from the airport just yesterday afternoon." Louise said, as Grace and Catherine agreed with her.
"Yeah, I first saw it when Rita and I stopped in front of it for a short time because of some road works that were taking place up there on the day I arrived here. She told me how it was on the market for some years due to the previous owners packing up and moving away out west. And I'm not too surprised that no one in Chamberlain has bought it yet…that massive building, along with the over 1000 acres of land it sits on, costs about $150 million." Jack said.
"Do you think a place that big would make a good home? The place does seem a bit on the massive side…though I see why you'd want to do it." Sue said.
"I see no harm in doing it…especially when there are similar sized homes owned by famous people all over the country, particularly over in California." Jack said.
"Ah well, I suppose if you've got so much money which makes you the richest person on Earth, you might as well put a little bit of it to good use." Tommy said, with a slight chuckle.
"Yes indeed. It's at least something to use with that money. The cost of buying that place and doing it up would only be a very tiny drop in the ocean for me." Jack said.
Then, not too long later, just a little after 4pm as they were talking, looking at pictures and enjoying each other's company, there came a knock on the door. Catherine went over to open the door, as she was sitting closest to it. They heard Catherine exchange a few words and a moment later, Rita Desjardin stepped into the apartment.
"Hello, everyone." she said, as she stepped in.
"Hi, Rita" or "Hello, Ms D." everyone said, as they stood up from the couch or armchairs.
"Sue? Tommy? What are you doing here?" Rita asked, a little surprised to see them here.
"It's all right, Ms D, Jack invited us here." Tommy said.
"Yes, it's true. I've trusted them enough to invite them here." Jack said, as he stood up.
"I see." Rita said, before she turned her attention to Carrie. "Well Carrie, are you ready to go over to my house?" she asked.
"Yes, Ms Desjardin. My bags are packed and ready in the master bedroom." Carrie said, as she stood and went into the master bedroom to get her bags.
Rita turned her attention to the triplets sitting at the kitchen island beside her.
"And you three, as you're over here in America…what are you going to do to pass your time while you're over here? Besides collecting your prom tickets at the school on Monday morning?" Rita asked, as she raised one of her eyebrows. And, without wasting a second, the triplets told Rita what they planned to do while they were here, which included the places they hoped to visit while they were passing the time.
"And Jack's told us about the different coffee shops that are here too which he's been to with his friends." Louise said.
"Well, that seems fair enough you three. But…just please be careful if you do go out and about outside the school." Rita said.
"Don't worry, Rita. We will. Just like our brother, we've taken classes in wrestling and self-defence, so we're more than able to hold our own against anyone who takes an interest in us. As more than a few unfortunates have already found out in the past two years." Catherine said as she looked towards her sisters, who chuckled at the memories of that.
"All right, that seems fair enough." Rita said, as she felt herself smile at what the triplets may have done to those unfortunates they mentioned.
Carrie stepped out of the master bedroom with her suitcase at her side and schoolbag on her back, having double checked to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Rita turned her head when she heard Carrie step out.
"So ready to go, Carrie?" she asked.
"Yes, Ms Desjardin." Carrie said, as she smiled.
"And…when we're outside of school, Carrie…just call me Rita please." the gym teacher said, with her peppy smile.
"Ah okay…Rita." Carrie said, as she then turned to look at Jack. "So…I'll see you and the triplets in the park tomorrow morning, Jack?" she asked.
"Of course." Jack said, as he stepped over to her and they gave each other a hug and held it for a few long moments before they pulled away from each other.
"It's gonna be a bit strange to be sleeping in a bed by myself. I've…gotten so used to sleeping with you." Carrie said, as she looked into Jack's eyes.
"Yeah, me too." Jack said, as he too looked into Carrie's eyes. Behind them, the triplets, Tommy and Sue looked towards each other and smiled. Tommy and Sue understood what it was like to sleep together, having done it many times over the last two years.
"Well…come on, Carrie. Let's head on home. I'll have a good dinner ready for later." Rita said, with a smile.
"Okay, Ms Desj…eh, Rita." Carrie said, quickly correcting herself, as she took hold of her suitcase before turning to Jack as she and Rita walked to the front door. "I'll see you all tomorrow morning."
"Okay, see you then." Jack said, as did Tommy, Sue and the triplets, as the Rita and Carrie walked out the door before it closed behind them.
"Well, I think we'd better be heading off too. After all, my parents and younger sister are expecting me to be home in a short while. I said I'd be there." Sue said, as she and Tommy stood up from the couch and prepared to leave.
"That's understandable." Grace said, with a smile.
"Yeah, and besides…it looks like it's gonna rain again." Tommy said, looking out the windows. Jack and the triplets looked; in the distance, they could see very dark gathering storms clouds in the distance and getting closer by the second. Even though there was no lightning to be seen or thunder to be heard, at least as of yet, those clouds still presented quite an ominous sight.
"Yeah, that's probably not the worst idea in the world right now." Jack said, as Sue and Tommy stood up and stepped before him.
"We'll see you in the park tomorrow morning." Sue said, as she smiled at Jack.
"Yeah, we'll see you there…as long as the weather is reasonable." Tommy said.
"Okay, then. See you tomorrow morning." Jack said with a smile, as Sue and Tommy left the apartment leaving Jack and his three sisters behind.
For a few moments, there was silence before Catherine spoke.
"Hey big bro, don't worry too much about Carrie. She'll be fine with Rita."
"Oh, I know that. It's just that…well it'll be very different for me in bed each night without her sleeping beside me, knowing that she's safe and secure in my arms." Jack said with a sigh, as the triplets smiled.
"Hey, don't worry big bro. You might get the chance to sleep with her sometime again in the very near future." said Louise.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway, shall we start getting dinner ready?" asked Jack.
"Of course, what have you for tonight?" Grace said, as Jack turned and went to the fridge.
"Well, I've got some steaks in the fridge, and we can have mashed potatoes with them." he said, as he went over to the fridge and took two packs with two steaks each out from the bottom level.
"Okay, I'll make a start at doing the potatoes." Catherine said, standing up and taking a sharp knife out from the knife board, before taking the bag of potatoes from the side and bringing them over to the sink.
"I'll make a start on the steaks when the potatoes are nearly finished." Jack said, and he knew how he and the triplets liked their steaks; well done.
"And I'll make a start on dessert; I think it'll be a chocolate self-saucing pudding for this evening." Louise said.
"Sounds like an idea, and I have all the necessary ingredients in the kitchen." Jack said.
"Good…but do you also have any whipping cream or ice cream to go with it once it's been made?" Louise asked her older brother as she went into the kitchen to start work on preparing dessert.
"Sure Lou, I've got a full two litre tub of bourbon vanilla ice cream in the freezer and a carton of whipping cream in the fridge. So, you can have your choice of which you want to have with dessert." Jack said.
"Excellent. Let's get started then." Louise said, and they started work on preparing dinner.