Thank you to everybody who read or left kudos for the last chapter. You are so absolutely fabulous. This chapter is 100% new material. I planned to use one repurpose scene from the original version, but the chapter got way too long. I had to cut it into two parts. I promise we are getting towards the end of Thanksgiving weekend. At least it's Saturday now.
Sorry, I did not post this over the weekend. I was at a comic convention over the weekend. It was a surreal experience to be around people again. But I did have fun.
Chapter 52: Hasn't There Been Enough Family Togetherness This Week? Part I
November 29, 2008, 7:22 AM
Liz: So bad news, Julie knows about brunch today at the Evans mansion because I forgot to tell David not to tell her. So we're on our way because, of course, she's coming to help cook.
Liz: I don't know why. She doesn't even know how to boil water. She does the bar every year for a reason. I think that's the real reason why she was mad you weren't there to help prep for Thanksgiving.
Liz: She had to get her hands dirty because no one else was going to help. Lucy managed to completely alienate her other siblings and their spouses.
Liz: Which reminds me, we were actually able to go to the house this morning and grab the desserts. Nothing else was salvageable. Officer Mariah was with us.
Liz: This makes me wonder if the house has actually been released. But we're bringing you more clothing. Mariah kept Julie occupied while Kevin and I packed. None of us were shocked you moved into Troy's bedroom. It really has been bad for a while?
Liz: Silver lining, this means Karen and Julie will be out of Kim and Troy's house at least. This means I can move in for my extended stay as the temporary nanny.
Jack: I was joking about the childcare stuff. Also, it's way too early; brunch is not until 10:30 AM.
Liz: Kim was not. She's paying me almost 3 times what I made when I was an au pair in college. Even though I'll be splitting duties with Teresa. This is about 50% more than I am making as a freelance website developer. Since I'm doing both, we might be able to get the down payment on that house sooner rather than later.
Jack: Which is good. Although it is still too early for this conversation.
Liz: Probably because you got more orgasms than sleep last night.
Jack: I am not answering that question.
Liz: That's a yes. This is why commands of all your age. If you're not dressed yet, please put on some pants because we will be at the Evans mansion in five minutes. Julie is with us.
Liz: Although so is Mariah. She insisted on joining along with Teresa. Mom is luckily enough riding with them and Kevin. I'm stuck with Julie and Karen. Although at least Karen is quiet. Definitely a change from yesterday.
Jack: Mariah and Teresa are coming?
Liz: Probably to keep us from having to call more of her colleagues in. Mariah is very upset that she wasn't informed about Alex until her girlfriend got a call about a possible babysitting job. She expects Troy to update her about her new baby grandnephew.
Liz: She's also mad at her sister for not sharing baby pictures Thursday.
XXXX
"Because I was too distracted by my baby getting engaged to remember to share pictures of the grandkid," Carolyn remarked, reading the message over his shoulder. As Liz predicted, they weren't dressed yet. That might be because they were getting ready for morning orgasms when Liz started texting. Of course, Carolyn made him look at his phone.
"Do you want me to text that back?" Jack asked, kissing Carolyn's bare shoulder. He really wanted to throw the phone out the window.
"I'll take care of it myself. Then we need to get dressed because I can see Julie coming back here. We are all aware she already hates me. Her walking in on me riding you cowgirl style won't help things." Jack was cursing Julie out in his head at Carolyn's words. He really wanted to do that right now.
"No, it would not, even though I would really enjoy it. However, tomorrow is an option. Monday too."
"Maybe not. I have to leave for the airport before 5 AM."
"We could just stay up all night," Carolyn responded by kissing him.
"I enjoy that thought. But you need to go shower. I'll text your sister back."
"Are you joining me?" Jack asked.
"I want to, but I'm going to show restraint. Bad things will happen if Julie sees us in the shower together. I would hate for my sister to have to arrest me." Carolyn joked.
"She's off duty. Besides, she is more likely to arrest Julie." Jack joked.
"Go shower."
xxx
Jack: Hey, this is Carolyn taking over. I just forced Jack to go shower.
Liz: I'm sure it's a sacrifice not to be in there with him.
Jack: It is. We will be out in probably half an hour to help, mostly because I'm not in the shower with him. Can you keep Julie away for that long?
Liz: I'll try, but I make no promises.
Jack: I understand. Also, tell Mariah sorry. I got distracted by Darby showing up. I will email her baby pictures later.
Xxx
"I see Chad did well for himself," Julie said as she got out of Liz's car. "This is at least an eight-bedroom house. Definitely more than what Troy has."
"You do realize that money isn't everything, right?" Liz looked back, annoyed. Nobody has bothered to tell Julie Kim's net worth, and Liz wasn't going to be the one to do it. "How exactly did Dave and Chris turn out so well adjust it?" Liz asked, looking directly at Karen.
"I wonder sometimes," Karen mumbled under her breath as two young women greeted them at the front door.
"Hi, I am Madison, one of Troy's friends from school. This is Amanda, Sharpay's roommate. We are going to be your helpers. Do you need assistance getting any of the groceries out of the car?" Madison asked.
"Why are you two helping us, and where is Jack?" Julie asked immediately.
"Probably sleeping," Madison remarked. "Because we actually have cooking skills, we volunteered to be sous chefs this morning."
"Because Chad and Sharpay were banned from getting a caterer although they just left to pick up their bakery order from Alexander's," Amanda explained. She hopes they got the Brioche because that makes the best French toast.
"Thank you for offering to help because Julie won't help. She'll be here the boss us around, not get her hands dirty by grabbing groceries. Karen and I are here to help Janya." Liz snarked.
"She arrived here about 15 minutes ago and is already prepping in the kitchen," Madison explained as she grabbed several of the bags out of the trunk of the car.
"Yet, no Jack," Julie complained.
"You have a one-track mind," Amanda remarked, grabbing the rest of the bags. The only thing Julie was holding was an apple pie that they managed to salvage from the Thanksgiving day massacre.
"I just think that if this is supposed to be something for Troy, he should be helping. Not having all of you do his dirty work when Jack is probably fucking Carolyn right now."
"If he is, it's none of your damn business," Madison said as they walked into the house towards the kitchen.
"If he leaves my sister for the homewrecker, then it is my business," Julie replied.
"I regret Mariah taking a separate car," Liz mumbled under her breath. Because she knew Julie wouldn't try this with Mariah around. She was scared of the woman.
"No, it's not, especially because the homewrecker was your sister. You know, the one screwing the 26-year-old since he was 23. The person who took $1 million to break up Kim and Troy. The home is already wrecked. He just moved on to an actually decent human being. Good for him." Madison replied angrily.
"Julie, back off," Karen told her daughter.
"I'm not going to let some kid talk about Lucy like that," Julie said as she walked toward Madison. Liz is personally sure that Julie is 30 seconds from hitting the college student. Thankfully Mariah walked into the room at that moment.
"Put the claws away, Julie. We should've come in the same car. No fighting. We are here for Troy. He wants to know that his family supports him. You have a lot of groveling to do." Mariah gave Julie a sharp look as she spoke.
"I had no idea Lucy did anything that she was accused of. Not that I believe most of it." Julie added.
"Yet you're inclined to believe her side of things. Kevin told me everything he overheard yesterday. Just so you're clear, Lucy fucked around first." Liz remarked just as Janya walked into the room.
"OK, I do not have time for this. Ignore Julie, and let's get the groceries in the kitchen. We have brunch to serve in two hours; I do not have time for fighting. Is that understood?" Janya told the group.
"Yes, chef," Liz, Amanda, Teresa, and Madison all replied simultaneously.
"Somebody has restaurant experience."
"College is expensive." Amanda and Teresa replied simultaneously.
"My former father is a celebrity chef. So, I grew up in the kitchen before I divorced my family." Madison remarked. There is definitely a story there that Liz will have to get at some point today.
"OK, you two are with me. Julie, since you have no kitchen experience, you can set the table." Janya ordered.
"Sharpay bought new dishware and tableware yesterday. It's already in the formal dining room waiting for you, along with everything else you will need to set up. I think we are doing this buffet style. Right?" Madison asked.
"I think that would be more practical," Janya responded.
"Fine," Julie replied, annoyed. "Why did she have to get new dishware?
"The previous dishes were chosen by Darby. They were tossed in the trash last weekend. Thankfully Darby didn't cook, so the kitchenware is safe." Amanda explained.
"That poor child." Teresa and Mariah said simultaneously.
"I feel like I'm missing something," Julie responded.
"You are. Obviously, somebody didn't watch Sharpay's proposal on YouTube." Liz said as she walked into the kitchen to get away from Julie. She's already spent two hours with the woman, and she just can't anymore. Jack better appreciate her playing interference.
XXXX
"Why are we doing this?" Troy asked his fiancée as he tried to get Alex in the fuzzy reindeer sweater that grandma Katrina somehow picked up for Alex yesterday. He wonders when she picked it up between grocery shopping and spending the morning with his father at the lawyers' office. Troy refuses to think about the fact that his father has officially begun divorce proceedings.
"So everyone on your side of the family can meet Alex, and we can get it out-of-the-way before Christmas," Kim explained as she tried to get a pair of black boots on to Alex. It wasn't going well. Good news Alex can now say the phrase "no shoes." Unfortunately, he also knows the phrase "evil bitc," reminding them both to be really careful about how they talk about Lucy in front of the child. Apparently, they said the phrase "evil bitch" a few too many times. Thankfully, Alex doesn't have that second sound down just yet. If this continues, their child's vocabulary will mostly consist of curse words. In at least four languages—Chad curses in Spanish, Kim in Mandarin, and grandpa Jay in Korean when around Alex.
"Also, the adorable baby will distract from the fact your parents' marriage just imploded."
"I get that, but I still think this is probably going to be an absolute disaster." He's just thankful Aunt Liz managed to get Aunt Julie out of the house this morning. Dinner last night was tense enough.
"It can't be worse than Thanksgiving. I had to get two people out of jail." And check one person into the hospital, but they're also not trying to think about Gabriella. He managed to send his ex-girlfriend to the psychiatric ward.
"You should have left Lucy there." He was still furious at her.
"I want your grandma Karen not to hate me. Julie might be a lost cause, but Karen at least remembers single parenthood." When Julie made snide comments about ordering takeout for dinner, Julie was quickly reprimanded by Karen.
"I think all their hatred is currently aimed at Dad and Carolyn. Which is ridiculous because Lucy is the one fuc—sleeping with a 26-year-old." Thankfully Troy caught himself. No use teaching Alex that word in English when he already knows the equivalent in Mandarin and Spanish.
"Trust me, I'm definitely picking up on the hypocrisy in that regard. But she's Karen's daughter and Julie's sister. They're not going to want to see her bad qualities until it slaps them in the face, literally. Again I think Karen will get there. Julie is too busy critiquing our parenting skills for her critical thinking skills to kick in." Kim said, finally getting the shoes on Alex.
"That's assuming that she has any, to begin with." Honestly, Troy wasn't that sure anymore. "Julie has no room to talk about our parenting skills. She doesn't have kids, not even step kids, and since her husband is 20 years older than her, that probably won't happen."
"That also explains her snide comment about her assuming that you're only with me for the money. She doesn't even know that I am a future billionaire." She just thinks Kim's wealthy, not future billionaire rich.
"Why couldn't they go to the hotel like Nana Katrina and Aunt Liz?" Troy lamented.
"They don't want to take my money, but they're perfectly fine squatting on my couch and the other guestroom."
"I talked to Aunt Mariah, and she promised me that she will get them into Lucy's house or a hotel today no matter what. She also yelled at me for not telling her about Alex. She's even more upset about us telling Teresa first for babysitting purposes. She's crashing the brunch with Teresa, so she can meet her nephew and provide emotional support." This may also function as a nanny audition for Theresa.
"I think this stepmom thing might be good for you. You're already getting an upgrade on aunts." Kim joked.
"I've called Mariah my aunt for as long as I can remember. I am surprised she's not bringing Abuela Sanchez along. But that might be because she doesn't want to torture dad just yet." Christmas was going to be nuts.
"It is now obvious that this was always going to happen. Especially when Lucy started fucking her coworker." Troy just glares at his fiancée for a moment.
"We're just going to have to teach Alex when it's appropriate to use curse words. It definitely fits that context." Kim defended herself.
"I was glaring because you just pointed out that my parents' marriage was always going to fell because my dad was in love with his best friend." Troy sighed, sitting down on the rocking chair in the nursery.
"I am not going to say that's not a contributing factor. But things fell apart for a lot of reasons, and most of them involve Lucy being a treacherous person."
"I couldn't stay with Gabriella as long as I was in love with you. It wouldn't have been fair to her." Troy explained.
"But you were going to until she betrayed your trust." Kim pointed out.
"I think I would've slept with you in Las Vegas even if I was still with Gabriella," Troy confessed.
"I wouldn't have let you. Which is the same thing that Carolyn did by moving to DC."
"We can say that we will be moral people but would we really be so in such a situation?" Troy asked.
"I like to think we would be. There's no point in playing what-if games right now. This is the situation we are in, and it's the situation we have to deal with. Since you're sitting down, get your boots on, and let's get this show on the road." Kim pointed to his boots that were conveniently near the rocking chair. He's pretty sure he took them off in the nursery last night. Troy was so exhausted he doesn't quite remember.
"How bad do you think this brunch is going to be?" He asked Kim as he started to put his boots on.
"Not as bad as it could be because I successfully got Vanessa not to come. Taylor is not ready to see her again." Taylor spent most of yesterday cuddling between Jason and Ryan. With Zack and Sharpay alternating being on Ryan's other side. She didn't want to talk about Vanessa being her biological mom.
"Oh good, I don't think I can deal with your father," Troy said in relief.
"Actually, he's coming. He is bringing Vanessa's signature Apple streusel."
"At least we will have streusel." He is so fucked.
Xxx
Liz: Please tell me you are dressed because I'm not sure we can keep Julie distracted with the buffet set up for much longer.
Liz: Especially because your future daughter-in-law just got back and told her she's doing it all wrong. Sharpay will take no bull shit from Julie at all. I like her.
Liz: Chad just told Julie to go fuck herself, literally. He also said it's none of her fucking business that you two are already together. Chad is happy that you're with Jack because it's definitely an upgrade from Charles. I think he's mad at you and Jack for not getting together sooner. There's a lot of confusion coming from that child.
Liz: Mariah agrees with him.
Jack: We are on our way out. This is Carolyn again, by the way. Glad to know Chad's defending us, even though it's probably just to spite Julie. He never liked her.
Liz: The feeling is mutual.
Jack: Extremely mutual. What's the probability she's going to punch me out when I walk out the door?
Liz: Actually, not that high. Julie is just as angry as she was yesterday, but Karen is super quiet right now. She also hasn't been defending Lucy like she did yesterday, per Kevin.
Jack: Where is your husband?
Liz: He left with David on a drink run. This is necessary if you guys want to drink anything nonalcoholic that isn't the apple juice kept just for Alex. Everyone else forgot about nonalcoholic beverages. Even the orange juice for the mimosas.
XXXX
"That kid is spoiled," Carolyn said out loud, handing Jack his phone.
"And you haven't even seen his playroom upstairs. I do wonder how many times Chad and Sharpay have watched Alex on the weekends." She did too. But the more time Chad and Sharpay spend with Alex, the less likely she will become a young grandmother. Walking in on Chad 30 seconds from going down on Sharpay Thursday in Jack's bedroom was not something she wanted to think about. Nor that if they were not in that room, she might have done something similar with Jack. They did something similar last night. However, she's 35, and he's 17. Is it a double standard? Maybe but it's a necessary one.
"Are you ready to go out there? Carolyn asked, leaning over to give Jack one last kiss.
"Not really, but we do a lot of stuff for our kids we wouldn't do otherwise. I'm not leaving the kids to Julie and Karen alone." Jack sighed.
"We could stay here until Troy and Kim show up." She suggested, even though she was worried about Julie and Chad already fighting. But she is sure Mariah and Sharpay can handle it. If not, one of them would text her.
"I don't want to keep running," Jack said just as he heard a knock on the guestroom door. "Well, at least we are dressed now. I bet it's Julie."
"Probably." Carolyn sighed.
"Julie, we will be there in a second. I'm just putting my shoes on." Jack called out.
"Actually, it's Karen. Could we talk for a couple of minutes?" Jack nodded his head, and Carolyn let her into the guest house.
"I'll just leave you two alone, so you can talk." Of course, she gestures to tell Jack that she's just going to stand outside the door. He nods his head, understanding.
"You can stay." Karen offers.
"I have already sat through my own post-divorce meeting with my former mother-in-law. I prefer not to go through it again. Especially after recent conversations. She is blaming me now for Chad being "bisexual" and angry that he came out even though he's currently with a white girl." That's not the word she used, but Carolyn is not repeating it. She is also not happy about the white girl as predicted. Carolyn hung up on her twice.
"I got the same from the ex when Chris came out. And the former mother-in-law. She was definitely not happy about her grandson dating a black guy. It's even worse now that Zach's been around for a decade. I apologize; Julie and Lucy obviously took after that side of the family." That was very obvious to Carolyn.
"I'm not the one who needs an apology. I'm going to see if Liz needs help in the kitchen." She said, leaving the guest house. Of course, this was a lie. She stayed right outside the door so she could hear everything happening.
"So, are you here to yell at me?" Jack asked.
"No, because a lot of mistakes were made, but none of them were yours." Karen's words were surprising.
"No, I made some mistakes. I should've realized there were problems before. I should've realized that nobody was comfortable around Lucy. I should've asked questions when she changed all our phone numbers two years ago. I should have tracked down Kim when I saw that fake letter. Carolyn was the one who called Kim being pregnant. Trust me, I wish I would've found Kimberly sooner." She knew Jack felt guilty for not trying to find Kim.
"So do I."
"Kevin said you were angry with me yesterday." Kevin live text a lot of their conversations yesterday. Carolyn read about half of it, and she was furious.
"I was. But I didn't know the entire story. I apologize for being so quick to judge."
"Did David and Chris tell you about the letters? I know Madison read them to everybody that was there Thursday night or rather Friday morning." But as a mom, Karen wasn't there; she was with Lucy.
"I actually got my own packet delivered to Kimberly's house last night. Lucy cheated on you for three years with someone who is only slightly younger than your sister." Karen said bluntly.
"That's a better way to think of it than her being with someone slightly older than our son. He apologized, by the way. He didn't know about me."
"I'm trying not to think of it that way. The packet included pictures. He barely looks older than Troy." Carolyn almost feels bad about that.
"Why didn't you mention the affair when Lucy was accusing you of cheating on her with Carolyn
?" Karen asked.
"Because it doesn't matter. Lucy wasn't completely wrong. Maybe I didn't have sex with Carolyn until I started divorce proceedings, but I've been in love with her for a while." She couldn't help but smile at that confession. "And that closeness probably did cause some problems because I'm a lot closer to Carolyn than Lucy, especially in the last few years. Your spouse should be the person you trust the most and who you turn to when things go badly. That's been Carolyn, not Lucy, for a really long time."
"That doesn't excuse Lucy's behavior. She didn't just cheat on you for the last three years. She conspired to have my great-grandchild killed. I can't forgive that." Karen said angrily.
"You shouldn't. I found out about that possibility yesterday at the lawyers' office. But they're not 100% sure how much she was involved in that scheme." Jack explained.
"I guess I need to turn over my package to your attorney because it would connect the dots." Carolyn wanted to punch something at Karen's words. How could she want to kill Alex?
"You don't have to." Because choosing between your grandchild and your child is a hard choice to make.
"Maybe I need to. I don't know where I went wrong. How could I raise someone who would make her child miserable for $1 million? Who took part in a conspiracy to have their grandchild murdered?" Karen lamented. She sounded on the verge of tears. Carolyn wishes she could see what was happening in the room.
"It wasn't your fault."
"You said earlier that mistakes were made by everyone. That includes me. I saw things, and I stayed quiet. Silence is complicity." Karen remarked. Her regret was audible.
"We all made mistakes, but we can't keep dwelling on that. What matters is how we move forward and make better choices in the future. I made a lot of mistakes with Troy. I pushed him way too much to be perfect. Sometimes I wonder if that's why I have a two-year-old grandson right now. But I'm trying to be a better grandfather than I was a father. That's what I can do."
"That is a good way to think about it."
"Why are you standing outside of the guest house?" Sharpay asked.
"Jack and Karen are in their talking. I'm just monitoring things to make sure they don't go badly." Carolyn explained.
"I understand. Mariah sent me to get you because she's afraid Chad might hit Julie even if I feel it might be the other way around." Sharpay said just as the door open to see Karen peek through. Jack wasn't with her.
"I never made it to the kitchen because I got distracted talking to Sharpay. Karen, this is Chad's fiancé Sharpay." If she says the word enough, it won't freak her out. Maybe.
"Thank you for inviting us," Karen said, extending her hand to shake. "You have a lovely home."
"Thank you," Sharpay said just as her phone chimed. "Mariah needs us; otherwise, she might smack…" Sharpay's stop talking abruptly.
"I'm sure you wanted to say Julie. I'll go deal with my daughter." Karen said as she walked back into the main house.
"I will take Chad upstairs and keep him distracted. Chad is always defensive when people talk smack about you or Troy. Doing it simultaneously makes it worse." Sharpay had a point there.
"OK, I would like to avoid the cops getting called in. Just use protection. I still have most of a jumbo pack if you need any." She genuinely does like Sharpay. She just thinks Chad shouldn't be engaged at 17. She has the right to feel that way since she was married at that age.
"Well, somebody was optimistic this weekend," Sharpay remarked.
"My friend made me bring the jumbo pack. I was just going to hand them over to you and Chad."
"That's OK. I still have the starter kit from Candi and all of Kim's presence. I'm just going to go get Chad far away from Julie." Sharpay said, running back into the house.
"You should've thrown them at your ex-husband," Jack said, walking up behind her.
"It doesn't help when you don't actually know how to use them. This isn't surprising because Charles couldn't find my spot with a flashlight. Thankfully you're better." He said, leaning over to kiss Jack. Unfortunately, that's when Julie found them.
To be continued…