Chapter 21:
Graduation Party and Carrie's 18th Birthday:
(Friday June 2nd, 2017; afternoon)
"And wherever each of you all may go in life…I wish each and every one of our senior students a very successful future and the very best of luck all the way. Give yourselves a cheer!" Principal Morton announced from where he stood at the podium in the middle of the stage, and all the senior students before him stood up from their chairs and threw their black mortarboard hats into the air and cheered loudly as their hats fell back to them. Off to the side, the school band, numbering about 60 students in total, began playing the school theme song to end the graduation ceremony.
It was a bright and sunny early summer afternoon, and as such the main graduation ceremony for the seniors of Ewen High School was being held outside on the main sports field behind the school.
Standing off to the side watching the graduation ceremony were all the parents, relations and friends of those graduating as well as the teachers of Ewen High, and of course Jack's three sisters, and they were all very happy to see Ewen High's senior students graduate. All of them were cheering as well, pleased to see the seniors of the school graduating with honours.
For Jack, it was the end of his time in Ewen High School and he had graduated with full honours in all the classes he had taken part in, which would go towards his Leaving Cert back home. He was very pleased that all his hard work here had paid off so handsomely.
Carrie had also graduated with high honours too. And she was also just as pleased as Jack was that all her hard work had paid off so handsomely, despite the difficulties she'd gone through for much of the year with the bullying.
Not long after the graduation ceremony came to an end and everyone was dispersing from the seating area in front of the stage, Jack and Carrie went over to where Rita and the triplets had been sitting off to the side watching the ceremony.
"Well big bro…how does it feel to know that you've finally made it through your two months here and graduated with full honours?" Catherine asked.
"It feels great, I'll be honest. I wasn't sure if I'd ever make it to this point or even see it when I first arrived here." Jack said.
"Well, congratulations all round to you and Carrie, as well as to your friends, for making it to this point. So, what's on for later today?" Rita asked.
"Well, we've all got that graduation party to attend to here at the school, Rita…and then later this evening, we're all going out to have a good dinner at one of the restaurants at the mall to celebrate." Jack said, as he smiled while holding his diploma in his hands.
"And of course, there Carrie's 18th birthday to celebrate tomorrow too." Louise added.
"And what are you gonna do for that, Jack?" Rita asked.
"Whatever Carrie wants to do, and we'll eat wherever she wants to dine at." Jack said, as Carrie smiled at the thought of doing things she wanted to do on her special day.
"I think that's a fine thing to do, Jack." Rita said, as she smiled.
"We're also gonna be having a small graduation gathering celebration over at Jack's apartment after dinner for all our friends, with drinks, snacks and even some cakes and brownies we baked just last night." Catherine said.
"Would you like to attend, Rita? I mean both dinner this evening, and the little party over at my apartment afterwards?" asked Jack.
"Certainly, I'd be pleased to. And, of course, I'd love to try some of those brownies you made." Rita said, knowing how nice they were.
Jack smiled, and remember back to three days before when Carrie had shown off her telekinetic powers to the triplets, Rita and their friends. It involved Carrie using her powers to lift up Rita's minivan about three feet into the air, and then turning it round 180, so that the front pointed back out onto the street, and then lowering it back to the ground again. The triplets and the others, amazed by what they saw, all said that Carrie was now officially the coolest person in the world before they all asked her questions about what she could do.
Rita, of course, was a little freaked out by this, but she quickly got over it and said to Carrie that her powers, in her eyes, made her a much more special person. And that statement made Carrie hug her guardian really tightly, and it was a hug Rita had no problem returning.
Soon, all the newly graduated students were socialising with each other and their families, enjoying the good selection of snacks and drinks that had been laid out to enjoy while talking about their favourite memories of the last four years of high school. There were bright flashes from cameras or iPhones as pictures and selfies were taken, and some people even exchanged small gifts with each other while promising to keep in touch with friends in the future.
Jack and Carrie, along with their friends and the triplets, were socialising together in one part of the hall with some of the other students.
"Do you think you'll ever miss these people or even high school, Carrie?" Catherine asked, as she sipped a cup of punch.
"Well…I probably won't actually, Catherine, to be honest." Carrie said.
"Why not?" Louise asked, curiously.
"Because of the rough times I had here, with being bullied and made the school's outcast. I'm looking forward to taking on the future, especially since my confidence is now much better a few months ago, thanks to Jack." Carrie said, with a smile.
"And that's a very good thing too, Carrie. You don't have to see any of these people again if you don't want to, and you can focus on achieving what goals you want to accomplish in life." Grace said.
"Thanks, Grace. I'm gonna do just that." Carrie said, as she sipped her punch before they went over to talk with some of the other students.
(Later that evening, at the mall)
Jack and Carrie, along with the triplets, Sue and Tommy, Heather and Roy, Rita, Norma and Freddy were together at one of the mall's best restaurants, the Liberty Kitchen, and enjoying a fine dinner, including such things as steak and lobster, in celebration of the successful graduation ceremony, as well as each other's company.
They weren't the only group seniors from Ewen High who were there; there were quite a few other seniors from Ewen High School enjoying dinner in the same restaurant with their family and friends. Among them were geeks, sports jocks, members of the senior cheerleading team and many other different cliques, and even a few of the teachers as well. Almost all of them were dressed in their best clothes and were enjoying the restaurant's fine food too. From where he was sitting, Jack could tell many of the tables had more than a few empty, or partially empty. glasses sitting on them among the dirty dishes and used napkins.
Jack and Carrie were sitting beside each other and eating their dinner while it was still hot while they watched the triplets and their fellow classmates eat away and chat with other, and occasionally laughing about something every now and then. And now and then, Jack and Carrie would add to some conversations.
"So, are you both looking forward to the future?" Rita asked at one point.
"I am, Rita. I really want to see what it'll bring, and see if I can be successful at whatever I want to do." Carrie said with a smile.
"What is it you want to do for the future, Carrie?" Jack asked.
"I really want to open my own clothes design and fashion business, and to design the most fashionable clothes for people. Maybe ever get them displayed on the front of fashion magazines." Carrie said.
"I think that's a great idea, Carrie. And, considering how good a job you did on your prom dress recently, I think you'll make a great living as a clothes and fashion designer." Rita said.
"Thanks, Rita." Carrie said.
"And what about you, Jack? Apart from setting up your hoped for business for building new full sized steam locomotives?" Rita asked.
"Well, I've always wanted to start my own model railway and model kit business, basically as a lot of the model kits I wanted to build, or model trains I wanted, just aren't, or weren't, available for me or for others to buy." Jack said.
"And you wanna try change that and bring more…variety to that market?" Carrie said.
"That's exactly right. The more variety there is, the better I think, as it's something people will appreciate more than just sticking to a limited number of products." Jack said.
"That sounds like an interesting idea, Jack. I'll certainly keep an eye out in the shops for your future products." Rita said.
(Later on; in Jack's apartment)
Once fully satisfied with a good dinner and having had dessert, some in the group even had a second, the group left the mall and went back to Jack's apartment to socialise for a while and unwind after their long and eventful day. Jack and the triplets had spent some time preparing for this gathering; they had a selection of soft drinks, including Coca Cola and Sprite, with plenty of ice, snacks like Pringles and popcorn, and even butterscotch brownies, chocolate chip cookies, two butterscotch self-saucing puddings and two apple pies baked just the evening before. They even had ingredients set out for making s'mores in the microwave, including marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate and graham crackers.
After arriving in the apartment, everyone settled down to enjoy their choice of soft drinks and snacks before they sat down and socialised.
"Well, you've certainly prepared well for us coming together tonight." Tommy said, as he picked up a can of Coca Cola as well as some cookies.
"Hey, we thought it would be best to do so, considering that there's 12 of us here in here this evening, Tommy." Jack said, as he too picked up a can of Coca Cola.
"This is certainly a good spread, but don't you think this is a bit much, Jack?" Carrie asked, as she and Rita prepared s'mores to prepare in the microwave.
"It's all right, Carrie. There's plenty of time between now and next Wednesday to go through all this; so, it won't go to waste." Jack said.
"And anything that isn't used by then, we can always take home with us." Catherine said, as she served Norma and Freddy some apple pie or some self-saucing pudding.
"And if any of you want to bring some stuff home with you, you're more than welcome to." Louise said, as she opened a can of Coca Cola.
"Sounds like a plan." Tommy said, as he went over to the couch to sit down. Sue chose what she wanted, a can of Sprite and two brownies and two chocolate chip cookies on a plate before going over to join her boyfriend on the couch.
"Hmm, can I just say…these are gorgeous brownies." Heather said, after taking a bite.
"Thanks, Heather. They're our mother's own recipe." Grace said.
"And it's a very good one too." Sue said, as she took another bite.
Rita and Carrie sat at the kitchen island, now their s'mores were finished in the microwave, and tucked in.
"Hmm, this is nice." Carrie said, as she enjoyed the texture of the s'more, the crunchy graham cracker, soft marshmallow and melted chocolate.
"This reminds me of going out camping with friends or even family when I was younger; we'd sit round the campfire enjoying the s'mores we had cooked over it." Rita said,
"Really?" Carrie asked.
"Of course, it was one of the many activities I fondly recall doing when I was in my preteen and teen years." Rita said fondly, as she took another bite of her s'more.
A few minutes later, Sue went up to get something else from the inviting selection spread out on the kitchen table and she was nearly up to the table when suddenly she stumbled, lost her footing and nearly fell. Luckily, Carrie, herself standing right by the table, was quick enough to be able to catch her and steady her, one hand of Sue's shoulder and the other on her stomach. But before she let go of Sue, Carrie suddenly felt a faint pulse around Sue's stomach with her powers. For a moment she was confused about why that was, and then suddenly her eyes opened wide when she realised.
"Oh…my goodness." she said, when she realised what it was.
"What is it?" asked Jack.
"Is something wrong with Sue?" Tommy asked in concern, as he stood up and came over.
"It's…it's a girl." Carrie said after a long moment, and the eyes of everyone in the living room or kitchen widened, or their mouths dropped, in shock and surprise. And Sue was the most surprised of them all.
"W-w-what?" she asked in shock, as her own eyes widened and jaw dropped.
"It's a girl. You're pregnant. You didn't know?" Carrie said, after repeating what she'd said a moment before.
Sue was very quiet for what seemed like ages as the information she'd just been told sank in, yet it was only for about ten seconds or so. Then, as her hand came up to her mouth, she was about to collapse in shock but Tommy and Jack managed to catch her before she could hit the floor. They quickly brought her over to the table and sat her down on one of the chairs. Her face was pale and she was hyperventilating a little.
"Oh, my goodness!" Sue said, now that the news she'd been told had fully sunk in. "This can't be happening…we didn't plan for this. What are we gonna do?" she said, as she started to the verge on panic attack, but then Tommy put his arms round her and gently hugged her, which calmed her down a little.
"Listen babe, it's all right. Everything'll be fine. I know this is quite a shock for us both, but…I couldn't be happier." Tommy said to Sue, as she calmed down a little.
"You're…you're not mad?" Sue asked, as she saw Tommy smile broadly, which helped to calm her fears a bit.
"Hey, how could I be? You're gonna be the mother of my child, and I'm gonna be a dad. Sue, this is the happiest day of my life…and I love you, Sue." Tommy said, as he gently put her arms round Sue again and gave her a loving hug. Sue happily returned the hug with all her might, relieved her boyfriend had willingly accepted the fact she was pregnant and wanted to have the baby.
"I'm gonna be a father!" Tommy said with happiness, as he put his arms around Sue and lifted up off the ground before he swung her round, and the others around them clapped for them, very happy for the young couple and their unexpected newfound happiness.
"So, that was the reason you were putting more baked goods on your plate. The cravings were setting in." Jack said.
"Yeah but…how far along are you?" Heather asked, as Carrie put her hand back on Sue's stomach again and used her powers to answer that question.
"You're about six weeks along." Carrie said, as she pulled her hand away.
"Six weeks?!" Sue said.
"So, that means we've got until the middle of January next year at the latest until the baby comes along." Tommy said, while doing a quick calculation in his head.
"Yeah, it certainly sounds like it." Jack said, also doing a rough calculation in his head.
"That leaves you plenty of time to get ready until she comes along." Freddy said.
"Congratulations all round you two! I know you'll both make great parents." Norma said, as she went up to them and gave them each a hug.
"Thanks, Norma." Sue and Tommy said, as others in the apartment also went up to them and gave them their congratulations and to wish them the very best with their new bundle of joy.
But Rita stayed back a moment with Jack and Carrie, before she went over to congratulate the happy couple and future parents.
"Looks like they've got a lot of happiness coming to them in their immediate futures." she murmured to her surrogate younger brother and favourite student.
"Yeah, they do." Jack said, knowing deep inside that one day he'd like to be a parent. He then reached for his camera.
"Hey Sue, Tommy…do you mind if I get a photo or two of you?" he asked.
"Sure." they said, as they posed with Tommy standing behind Sue and placing his hands lovingly onto Sue's stomach. And then, it was a few more photos with everyone else in the apartment posing with them. Once done, Jack, Tommy and Sue looked over the photos.
"Those are good photos, Jack. Would you send them onto me and Sue please?" Tommy asked, as Jack went through each photo one by one.
"Certainly, if you and Sue could give me your e-mail addresses, I'll send them onto you as soon as I possibly can." Jack said.
"Agreed." Sue said.
(A little later that evening)
After Sue, Tommy, Norma, Freddy, Heather and Roy left, Rita stayed behind a little longer with Jack, Carrie and the triplets.
"So, you three…" Rita said looking at the triplets, "…have you told him yet?"
"Told me what?" asked Jack.
"We will now." Grace said, as Jack suddenly looked a bit surprised.
"Well, big bro…" Catherine said, "…Rita and Carrie will be coming over to Ireland with us next Wednesday for a vacation to our home country."
"Really? You're doing that?" Jack said, as he looked to Rita and Carrie, both of whom nodded as they smiled.
"Your sisters asked us at prom, Jack. And they said it would be no trouble at all." Rita said.
"And do mom and dad know about this?" asked Jack, as he turned back to his sisters, all three of whom nodded.
"Of course. We had a Skype call with them a little earlier on this week, and they said it wouldn't be a problem, so both Rita and Carrie have their tickets for the flight. Also on Wednesday morning, we made arrangements for a bus to take us all from outside the apartments over to Bangor International Airport." Grace said.
"And what time is the private jet leaving?" Jack asked.
"Our flight is scheduled to leave at 10:00am on Wednesday morning…that's 3:00pm Irish Time, and the flight is due to land in Dublin at about 7:30pm Irish Time after a flight of about four and a half hours. But if we can get into the jet stream and fly along with it…we'll be back home much quicker." Louise said.
"And will there be enough space on it to store all our luggage?" Carrie asked.
"Of course, there's a large space at the back of the aircraft where we can store our bags…and anything else we might bring along." Catherine said.
"Good." Carrie said with a smile.
(Next morning, Saturday June 3rd; 8:05am)
Carrie's eyes fluttered open and she sat up in the bed, before she noticed that Jack wasn't sleeping beside her as he usually did. Then, after stretching out, she could hear the sounds in the kitchen and could smell breakfast cooking.
"Hmm, breakfast." she said, as she climbed out of bed and put on her slippers. Going out into the kitchen, she saw Jack and the triplets busy preparing breakfast within the kitchen.
"Morning!" Carrie said as she stepped out of the master bedroom.
"Morning, Carrie!" they all said together.
"Happy 18th birthday, Carrie!" Louise said, as she finished setting the table.
"Thanks. What's for breakfast?" Carrie asked, as she sat down at the table and poured herself a glass of orange juice.
"A traditional Irish breakfast, along with American style pancakes." Jack said, as he placed the final pancake from the frying pan onto a plate by the side of the hob.
Catherine and Grace took plates of sausages, bacon, black and white pudding, eggs and hash browns out of the oven, where they were being kept warm, and put them onto the table. After Jack put a pot of tea onto the table, they sat down and tucked into breakfast.
"It's a different morning for my birthday than it was for yours, Jack." Carrie said, noticing the weather outside; it was very foggy, with a dense grey-white cloud floating over the land. It was so dense, they couldn't even see the mall, or any other nearby buildings.
"Don't worry, Carrie. I'm sure the sun will burn much of this off in about an hour or two, and then we'll be able to go out enjoy the day." Catherine said.
"Did you book us any place for dinner this evening, Jack?" Carrie asked, as she started on her breakfast.
"I did…I booked a table for just the two of us over at The Red Grill at 6:00pm." Jack said, as he sipped his tea.
"Just the two of us? You mean you three aren't coming along?" Carrie asked the triplets, before noticing they were smiling.
"Jack did ask us if we wanted to attend, Carrie, but it's your birthday and we felt you and Jack would like some time alone together this evening." Grace said.
"We'll get dinner at one of the fast-food places across the street." Louise said.
"And we've made arrangements for a birthday cake for you, Carrie. We're due to collect it at around midday in the mall and we'll bring it back here, ready for when both of you get back after dinner this evening." Catherine said.
"Thanks very much." Carrie said.
(Later; 9:30am)
After finishing breakfast, the five got ready to go, including showering, and Jack having a shave, and dressing into clean clothes. Once done, they left the apartment and headed over to the mall. And, as usual, Jack brought his camera along. By now, most of the fog had burned off and the sun brightly from a clear blue sky.
"So, what do you want to do first, Carrie?" Jack asked, as they arrived.
"Let's just have fun! That's what we're here for." Carrie said, with an excited smile on her face. And agreeing with her, they set off to the amusement park to try out the rides and attractions there. For most of the morning and into the early part of the afternoon, they tried out many of the rides, including the bumper cars, the bungee trampolines, riding on the carousels and merry-go-rounds, going down the Helter skelter, throwing coconuts at the coconut shy and riding the adrenaline fuelled roller coaster.
They even went into the hall of mirrors before they left the amusement park, and really enjoying seeing themselves and each other change shape in the mirrors from long and thin to short and fat and everything else in between.
For Carrie, this was one of the best days she'd ever had in her whole life, enjoying everything there was on offer and having fun! Certainly, things like this were not sinful as her mother had once said, and thus wouldn't allow her to do.
By lunchtime, the five left the amusement park and went over to one of the food courts on the fourth floor to get a bite to eat. They'd had a blast on all the different rides and were very keen to enjoy the rest of the day after some lunch.
"That was great fun! I really should do it more often!" Carrie said, with a smile as they arrived at the food court.
"Not to worry, there's plenty of time for you to have more days like this…now that your mother's not gonna be constantly on your shoulders anymore." Grace said.
"Yeah, you're right. I guess I just really want to make up for all the lost chances from when I was a kid." Carrie said.
"And do it by all means, Carrie. You only live once, so it's best to live life to the fullest and take every little chance you can get." Jack said.
"I will, Jack. I certainly will." Carrie said.
A few minutes later, they sat down at one of the tables with the food and drinks they wanted from the different eateries. From where they sat, they had a good view over the others floor down to the ground, and they could see people going about their daily business on the different floors below them.
"So, what's the plan for you and Carrie, Jack…once we've finished here?" Catherine asked, as she tucked into her lunch.
"Very simple actually; we'll just wander round the mall and go into whatever stores Carrie wants to go into." Jack said.
"And will you buy me whatever I want to buy for my birthday, Jack?" Carrie asked.
"Of course, or at least anything within reason." Jack said, with a smile.
"Thanks, and what about the birthday cake you three said you'd get?" Carrie asked, turning to the triplets.
"We're gonna go and collect it straight from the bakery as soon as we're finished eating here, and then we'll bring it back to the apartment. Don't worry." Louise said.
"Thank you." Carrie said, and they went to eating their food.
(After lunch)
Once they finished their lunch, which took about half an hour, they left their table and headed out of the food court.
"So, we're gonna go to the bakery, get the cake and take it back to the apartment." Grace said.
"Fair enough, and we'll be here wandering about and going into different shops and all that." Jack said.
"Okay, we'll see you two a little later." Louise said, as the triplets turned and headed off to the escalators, as Jack and Carrie went off in the opposite direction.
"So, where to first?" asked Jack.
"I'd like to go to that candy store, you know the one where they have all the big hampers of chocolate." Carrie said, without a second's delay.
"Certainly, let's go there." Jack said, and off they went down the mezzanine. They arrived at the candy store a few minutes later and went inside, to be greeted by the usual sights and smells of chocolate and candy.
"So…what do you want to buy?" Jack said, as Carrie looked round expectantly at the different shelves for something she really wanted. Then her eyes fell on the different sized hampers against one wall, and she saw one that caught her eye.
"I'll take this one." she said, going over to the hamper and picking it up. Jack looked over the hamper; it was about two feet wide by a foot and a half long, and full of different chocolates and candies, most of which Jack liked too and all wrapped up in bright wrapping.
"Excellent choice, Carrie. And will there be anything else before we go?" Jack said, as Carrie took another look round the shelves.
"I can't go without taking at least one of these." Carrie said, as she reached for a five-pound bar of Hershey's milk chocolate.
"Okay, let me pay for these and then we'll go to the next stop." Jack said, as they headed for the checkout at the back of the store.
(Later on; 4:30pm)
Jack and Carrie, with quite a few things, arrived back at the apartment to drop off Carrie's present and to have a rest before they went out for dinner. After leaving the candy store, they went round to other stores Carrie wanted to go to, including a jewellery store, where Jack paid for a silver necklace the birthday girl wanted, as well as one of the book stores, where he paid for two books Carrie wanted to have, as well as a book for himself about the Battle of Normandy in 1944 that caught his eye. They also went to one of the electronic shops and got Carrie her very first iPhone.
"What an afternoon we've had together." Carrie said, as they stopped in front of the door.
"Boy, I'll be glad to put these down! My arms are killing me, especially carrying this hamper!" Jack said, with a smile as he opened the door.
"Yeah, me too. And I want to rest my feet for a while before we go out this evening." Carrie said, as they went inside.
"Hello! We're back!" Jack called as they entered the kitchen area.
"Hey there!" Louise said, as she and Grace stepped back inside from the balcony where they'd been sitting out in the warm early summer weather and reading.
"We're just dropping off the stuff Carrie wanted today." Jack said, as he and Carrie put her presents onto the kitchen table.
"And coming back to have a rest before we go out for dinner." Carrie said, as she sat down and took off her new baseball cap.
"And you certainly got a few things." Catherine said, as she stepped out of the bathroom.
"Yeah, and Jack paid for this necklace for me." Carrie said, as she took out the box and opened it, showing the triplets a silver heart and chain.
"Aw, that's nice. But how much was it?" Catherine asked.
"Only $200." Carrie said, as she put the necklace on.
"That's quite reasonable, but how much was this hamper of goodies?" Louise asked.
"$120, and this big chocolate bar which cost $75." Jack said.
"Will you be getting any more of those big chocolate bars or hampers before we fly off home?" Grace asked.
"Absolutely, after all we need to bring back some gifts we can give to the others at home. It'd be a terrible shame not to." Jack said, as he went into the master bedroom.
"Fair enough." Louise said.
"And we also got my first iPhone, and Jack's gonna help me to set it up." Carrie said, as she pulled the box out from the bag and looked at her new iPhone with happiness.
A little while later, with the kettle boiled up, Jack and Carrie settled down on the balcony with cups of tea in their hands and their shoes off their tired feet.
"So, have you three gotten Carrie's birthday cake?" Jack asked as he settled down on his chairs and stretched his feet out.
"We did, and it's currently stored in one of the other two bedrooms. It's a very different cake to what we got for your birthday, a two-tiered pink velvet cake, which is what Carrie wanted us to get her. And the icing on the outside of your birthday cake is in different colours, just as you asked." Louise said.
"Thanks, Lou." Carrie said, as she sipped her tea.
"I'm glad the weather's nice for today. It's gonna be raining heavily for much of tomorrow." Jack said, as he looked up at the sky.
"Yeah, I know; after all we did see the weather forecast last night." Catherine said
"Oh, that reminds me; Jack, did you hand back all your school books and locker key at the school yesterday?" Grace asked.
"I did, Grace; I handed in all my books at the library, as all other seniors were doing, and then I went to Principal Morton's office and handed him back my locker key. Afterwards, he shook my hand and wished me the best of luck for my future and to getting home safely." Jack said.
"And you cleaned out your locker?"
"I did, from top to bottom. There was nothing left in there when I handed my key in yesterday, I assure you." Jack said.
"Starting from tomorrow, we'll need to start our preparations to head home. Going through every drawer, press and cabinet to be sure we haven't forgotten anything." Catherine said.
"And doing all our laundry too." Louise added.
"All right." Jack said, as he carried on sipping his tea.
(A short time later; 5:40pm)
"Are you nearly ready to go Carrie?" asked Jack, calling towards the open door of the master bedroom.
"Yes." Carrie said, as she stepped out into the kitchen. She had changed into a new dress that went down to her knees and she was also wearing new shoes that matched her dress. Jack had also changed into something a little more formal; long brown trousers, white shoes, a fresh t-shirt and blue cardigan with his waist jacket on over that.
"You look fine this evening, Carrie. Shall we get going if you have everything?" said Jack.
"Yes, I've everything I need." Carrie said, showing her new handbag. Jack smiled before turning to his three sisters, who were sitting on the couch and watching as they were about to leave the apartment.
"And are you sure you three don't wanna come and eat with us?" he asked to his sisters.
"We're sure big bro. You just have a nice evening with Carrie, and we'll get dinner at one of the fast-food places across the street." Catherine said
"We'll be back here waiting for you when we're done." Louise said.
"All right then, we'll see you three later. Come on, Carrie. Let's go." Jack said, as he reached for Carrie's hand.
"Okay." Carrie said, as she and Jack held hands and went out the door.
(At The Red Grill)
Once they arrived, they were led to their table, which was by a window overlooking the park across the street, and were comfortably seated. They were soon handed their menus by one of the waitresses and looked through them, trying to decide what to order.
"I'm very glad we have this time to have dinner together, Jack. I was hoping we could have dinner in one of these restaurants at some time." Carrie said, as she smiled at him.
"I'm very happy to give you this chance, Carrie. I think you deserve it too." Jack said, as he gently reached over and put his arm round Carrie's shoulders and pulled her a little closer and kissed her on her left cheek. She smiled at him and then they looked through their menus.
They soon had placed their drink and food orders for dinner; Carrie had ordered leek and potato soup followed by a burger with bacon and fried onions, while Jack ordered a plate of slow cooked BBQ ribs with a dipping sauce which would be followed by a 14oz ribeye steak, well done of course. With their orders placed, they settled down to talk to each other and to enjoy each other's company.
"You looking forward to going to Ireland for the first time?" Jack asked.
"Yes Jack, I am. And when we land in Dublin next Wednesday evening…what'll we do afterwards?" Carrie asked, as Jack smiled.
"Well Carrie…we'll probably all go out to dinner with my parents not long after we get back safely, and then afterwards I'll show you and Rita many of the places I know round Dublin, including the Guinness Storehouse, the most visited tourist site in Dublin." Jack said.
"Sounds like an idea." Carrie said.
"And if you and Rita are gonna be in Ireland for a while, I might as well take you round to many of the places I've been to, including Cork, Galway, Limerick and up to Belfast to name but a few places I've been to, and the different sights they have." Jack said.
"Thank you, and I hope you'll show us a good time while we're over there." Carrie said.
"I will, Carrie. I promise." Jack said.
It wasn't too long before they were served their starters, and they tucked into their food once the waitress had left the table.
"Hmm, this is a very good soup. Very creamy and delicious." Carrie said, as she savoured the taste of her soup while Jack tucked into his BBQ ribs.
"And these rips are fantastic, especially the dip that goes with them." he said, dipping his second rip into the small bowl by his plate. Carrie paused a moment and took a sip from her glass of Coca Cola after swallowing another spoonful of soup. This was the first birthday she'd ever had, and she was hoping that she could have many more birthdays like this in the future, either in places like this restaurant or in her own home, just her and Jack.
As she ate, Carrie looked round the steakhouse; she could see many of the tables were occupied with other people enjoying their evening meals or waiting for their next courses to arrive. Many of the other diners were chatting quietly with each other or laughing quietly while sipping their drinks. The sight of these people enjoying their evening brought a smile to Carrie's face, and then she continued with her soup.
Jack and Carrie soon finished their starters and, once the waitress took the dishes to the kitchen, just sat around and chatted with each other while waiting for their main courses. They didn't have to wait for very long, as 15 minutes later their main courses arrived from the kitchen on hot plates.
"Enjoy your food." the waitress said, as she left the table.
"Thanks." Jack and Carrie said, as they tucked into their food. Carrie picked up her burger and took a bite out of it; she savoured the tenderness and juiciness of the beef, the saltiness of the bacon and flavour of the caramelized onions.
"Hmm…this is delicious. Very nice. How's your steak?" Carrie said, after she swallowed her first bite.
"It's delicious…well done, just as I'd ordered it and the peppercorn sauce goes really well with it too." Jack said, as he cut another piece off the steak with a sharp steak knife before dipping the meat into a small bowl of sauce and popping it into his mouth. And for the next few minutes, there was silence among them both as they ate their main courses, pausing every now and then to take a sip from their drinks before they carried on.
(Later; after dinner)
After finishing their desserts, both of them had hot fudge sundaes, and draining their glasses, Jack paid for their food and they left the steakhouse and headed back to the apartment, with Jack sending a text to his sisters that they were on the way back.
"So, how did you enjoy your 18th birthday dinner, Carrie?" Jack asked.
"I loved it, Jack. Thank you giving me another nice evening." Carrie said, as they walked, hand in hand, across the street to the apartment.
"And now it's time for your birthday cake." Jack said.
"Yeah, come on let's get back to the apartment and have it before the night is out." Carrie said, as she and Jack entered the apartment block and headed for the elevators.
Jack opened the door to the apartment and they walked to the kitchen, when suddenly there was a call of "Surprise!" and the triplets and Rita Desjardin jumped up from behind the kitchen island. Carrie jumped back in surprise, while Jack just smiled.
"Welcome back you two. Carrie, we asked Rita to come along this evening and celebrate your 18th birthday with a little evening get-together." Louise said, as Carrie then noticed the four pink balloons floating by the kitchen table with "Happy 18th Birthday" on them. And on the table was Carrie's birthday cake, two tiers covered with icing, in white mixed with different shades of pink, and swirls of icing round it, as well as white chocolate shavings on top.
"You got balloons too?" Carrie asked, as a smile drew across her face.
"Yep, we got them earlier on today at a party supplies shop in the mall just after we picked up your birthday cake and we hid them in the closet of the spare room with the double bed." said Catherine, as they went over to the table as Louise brought a pot of tea over as well.
"So did you three enjoy your fast-food dinner while we were out?" asked Jack, as he went into his master bedroom to get his camera.
"Yeah, we did. We went to the K.F.C. just across the street." Louise said, as Jack stepped back out of the bedroom, camera in hand.
"You didn't bring your camera with you when you and Carrie went out for dinner?" Rita said, a little surprised.
"No, Rita. I decided to leave it here for the evening for a change instead of taking it out with me." said Jack, as he turned the camera on.
"Come on, big bro. I'm sure you wanna get a picture or two of Carrie with her cake before we all eat it." Grace said, as she put some plates, a knife and six forks on the table.
"Sure." Jack said.
After Carrie sat down at the table, Louise moved the cake so it sat in front of Carrie and Jack took a few pictures of Carrie with her cake. Rita was a little surprised they hadn't put any lit candles on the cake, but then again, they had to think of the smoke detectors on the ceiling.
The birthday girl had a big smile on her face, especially when the triplets brought out a special present for her; opening the small box, Carrie gasped in delight at what she saw. It was a silver tiara.
"Oh, thank you, you three. Thank you." Carrie said, as she gently took the tiara out of the box and placed it on her head, as Jack took a few photos of her with it on.
"You're more than welcome, Carrie. We thought you'd like that." Catherine said, with a smile.
"And it really suits you too." Louise said, as she admired Carrie wearing her new tiara. Jack and Rita both smiled, as they could see the tiara really suited Carrie.
"Thank you again. Thank you." Carrie said, as she smiled.
"Well, shall we cut the cake now, and pour the tea before it gets too strong?" Rita asked
"Certainly, let's do that." Carrie said, as she picked up the knife and slowly cut it into the cake.
Soon, with the cake cut and the tea poured, they settled down on the L-shaped couch and armchairs to enjoy it.
"Hmm, this cake is good. Just as nice as Jack's birthday cake was two weeks back." Carrie said, as she savoured the rich sweet strawberry flavour.
"This is a good cake, but I've never heard of pink velvet cake before, though I have heard of red velvet cake." Jack said, as he took a bite.
"Oh, velvet cake can come in all and any colours you want, Jack. Not just in red." said Rita, as she took in a forkful of cake.
"And, although I do love chocolate fudge cake, Jack, it's a little heavy and so…I wanted something a little lighter for my birthday." Carrie said.
"Fair enough." Jack said, as he took a sip of his tea.
"So, Jack and you three…" Rita said, looking to Jack and then each of the triplets in turn, "…what are you gonna do between now and Wednesday when we leave for Ireland?"
"One thing we're gonna do is get all the laundry we need to do done, and thankfully we don't have too much to do." Louise said, as she took a sip of her tea.
"Yeah, we've been doing it, including ironing, as we've been going along." Grace said, after swallowing a bit if her cake.
"Most of the work will involve packing our bags, and thoroughly checking the apartment, every nook and cranny, to be absolutely sure we don't leave anything behind." added Jack.
"And we'll also probably go to the mall to get some gifts and souvenirs for our family back home, including some of those big hampers in our favourite candy store." said Catherine.
"And what about you, Rita and Carrie? Will you be making your preparations for the trip too?" Grace asked.
"We will. In fact, earlier this week Carrie and I brought some of the suitcases down from the attic and have already started on getting ready." Rita said.
"Great, so that means you've less to do before Wednesday." Louise said, as she took a sip of her tea after swallowing another forkful of cake.
"Indeed, that's why we started earlier." Rita said, as she took in another forkful of cake.
"I'm gonna miss this apartment when we leave. It's become a home away from home for me." Jack said, as he nostalgically looked over the living room and kitchen area from where he sat.
"I know how you feel, Jack. I felt the same when I first moved out of my home to where I currently live." Rita said.
(Later; 9:30pm)
"Well, Carrie…I think we should head back to my house now." Rita said, as she stood up from the couch and stretched out.
"Okay, let me get my bag." Carrie said, as she went into the master bedroom.
"Ah Rita, would you like to bring the cake back with you?" Louise asked, as she stood up and went over to the table.
"Sure, just place it in the box please and we'll take it with us." Rita said, as Louise did so. A moment later, Carrie stepped out of the master bedroom with her bag and wearing her coat. But before she and Rita left, she went over to Jack.
"Thank you for giving me such a great day, Jack. I really enjoyed it." Carrie said, as she looked into Jack's eyes.
"You're more than welcome, Carrie. I was very glad to give you a day like this." Jack said, as he and Carrie put their arms round each other and gently kissed, which to Carrie made her feel like she was floating in the air.
"Hey…come on down you two lovebirds, before you hit the ceiling." Rita said, an amused look on her face. Separating their lips, Jack and Carrie looked up, and saw their heads were a few inches from touching the ceiling. Looking down, she could see they were floating a few feet off the floor. Smiling sheepishly, she slowly lowered her and Jack back to the ground as Rita and the triplets looked on, amused.
"Sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly." Carrie said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"Clearly…anyway, come on Carrie, let's head home." Rita said, as she and Carrie headed to the front door, with the birthday cake in its box.
"Okay. Good night, everyone, see you all tomorrow." Carrie said.
"Good night." Jack and the triplets said, as Rita and Carrie stepped out the door. There was silence for a moment before Louise spoke.
"Well…that was quite interesting." Louise said, as she, Grace and Catherine looked to Jack, amused looks on their faces at what they'd just seen.
"Yeah, it was. Wow, what a girl!" Jack said, as a smile came across his face.