Chapter 3: Point Place Grooves
All things considered, Cooper didn't mind spending time with his Grandfather. He was fun and a lot less strict then his mom and he had a cook who could actually cook. Most of all he liked that W.B always took him on his trips, even if they were probably dead boring and long, he still brought Cooper along and tried to make it up to him. Probably because the last person Jackie would ever allow Cooper to stay with would be his Uncle Eric who lived in another town and lived near his unknown father. It was just safer not to.
So Saturday morning W.B instructed Cooper to go get some things to entertain himself. "I've got a last minute important business trip," he explained to Cooper. "It'll only be a few hours. I know I promised to not work this weekend so Sunday I'll take you to Six Flags to make up for it."
Cooper agreed and went to get a few things. He grabbed his new car magazine and his portable gameboy and his tape player and a few tapes. He met W.B out the front and they set off.
"So where are we going?" Cooper asked, fiddling with the dial.
W.B glanced at him before saying offhandedly, "Point Place. Do you want to stop at Fatso Burger for lunch?"
Cooper stopped fidiling. "Isn't Point Place where mom grew up?" 'And where my dad lives', he added silently.
"Yes well, your mother doesn't need to be concerned with this," he cleared his throat nervously. Like everyone else, W.B was terrified of an angry Jackie. "It's just a short visit. So, how's school been?"
Cooper went into a detailed account of how he wanted to crush the lives of everyone there. He added that they only picked on him because he had no father and he looked a little homeless. W.B listened, laughed at Cooper's stories of how he got back at them, nodded and gave soft sounds of understanding.
"Well done, son. You sound as though you're holding up well enough."
By the time they'd done talking about school they'd reached Point Place. To Cooper it looked just like Jackie described. Small, ugly and very hole like. He didn't say much as they pulled up outside a Fatso Burger and got some lunch before heading over to the record store.
As they walked down the small alley like walkway that led to the store, W.B laid down the usual ground rules. "When we're in there you need to just sit down and try not to harass anyone."
Cooper grinned innocently up at his grandfather, knowing full well what he meant. When Cooper was four W.B had taken him to a store up at Boston and Cooper had been a little terror, scared half the customers and made an employee quit. W.B had given him a warning before laughing it off.
Inside the store looked like some sort of illegal basement. There were milk cartons to hold the records and a blue couch for the listening pit. The walls were brick with posters crudely tapped up. A hippy with long greasy hair was half asleep behind the counter and a few people were wondering around, the place also had an odd smell to it.
Cooper silently went to the couch and picked up the headphones. A record was already in so he put them on, drowning out the background noise. It was a Kiss album and he almost flinched. Jackie had always hated the rock bands that reminded her of his dad and had always gotten this crushed look when she heard one of their songs. He ripped off the headphones and just sat back, staring at the wall.
"All right! Someone left their drink here!"
Cooper jumped in surprise and looked up. He almost choked. Michael Kelso, his mother's friend and ex, was leaping over a chair and snatching up the half finished soda on the table in front of him. Behind him was Fez. Cooper remembered their faces from the pictures Jackie would show him. He wanted to sink into the couch and disappear.
"Kelso, look, there is a child there, the soda must belong to him," Fez said, taking the drink from the taller guy.
Cooper swallowed. "No, it's not," he said hurriedly when they turned to him.
"See Fez! Now give it back!" Kelso ripped it away and chugged the drink. "Damn, it's warm."
Since he could remembered adults had always demanded him to 'not talk to strangers', but did your mother's years old friends, who you'd never personally been introduced to, count? Cooper just hoped that they'd leave and W.B would take him home because one thing kept playing over in his mind, if Kelso and Fez are here then it was possible that Steven Hyde could be too.
"Hey Kelso, doesn't that kid remind you of someone?" Fez asked allowed, openly staring at Cooper.
'Swallow me whole, swallow me whole!'
Kelso paused and stared at him. "Are you the kid whole stole my bicycle?"
"What? No! I don't even live here," Cooper snapped in defense. Maybe if he was hostile they'd leave him alone.
"No, he looks like someone else…" Fez gave a little laugh, "if I wasn't certain it couldn't be possible, I'd say he looked like Hyde!"
'Crap!'
Cooper decided to use the scream and fit way out of this situation. "Grandpa! A weird foreign person is harassing me!" He shouted loudly enough for the whole store to turn.
W.B was instantly at his side. "Cooper?"
Cooper leapt to his feet, standing on the couch as Kelso and Fez were taking up most of the room in front. "They're creeping me out!" He shouted.
Kelso threw his hands up, spilling the remains of his soda. "We didn't say nothing!" he then did a double take. "W.B?"
W.B smiled his best professional smile. "Hello there, Kelso. How's Brooke?"
"She's good, man. She moved back here and Betsy is so big-"
Fez impatiently cut him off, "W.B what are you doing with a kid?"
Cooper leapt over the back of the couch and tugged on W.B's shirt. "Let's go."
Unfortunately the greasy hippie was behind him. "Hey, Hyde man," he said dopily, "when did you get so small?"
W.B grabbed Cooper's hand. "Come on." They were almost out of the store when the one person Cooper wanted to avoid more then anything game strolling casually in.
He didn't look how Cooper imagined him. He had a beard first of all; although he had seen a picture of him with one he still looked strange. He had the same sunglasses he wore in almost every shot and he was taller then he expected. He dressed as though he'd just rolled out of bed and he had a mixed scent of cologne and the funny smell of the record store. Cooper was torn between wanting to run, to stay or to puke up his guts.
"W.B, man, what are you doing here?" Steven Hyde asked in a voice that sounded so strange to Cooper. He'd always imagined his voice to have a rougher edge, a deeper sound, to sound something like the villain he wanted him to be.
"Steven, son, I came by because of the memo, but I need to run so I'll be back Monday to fix it."
Hyde's covered eyes had drifted down to Cooper, who was still holding W.B's hand and was staring right back at him, pale and shaking. "W.B, did you kidnap a kid or something?" He chuckled, closing the door and moving closer.
"Steven, this is Cooper. Cooper, this is my son Steven. He runs this store."
"I know who he is," Cooper blurted, the famous Jackie temper taking its stride.
W.B looked as taken back as Hyde did. Jackie had never bothered to mention that she'd explained everything to Cooper.
Hyde nodded. "Cool, man. So what's he doing with you?"
"I'm taking care of him for the weekend," W.B explained briefly.
Cooper spoke up then, "my mom's working." He didn't know why he'd said that, maybe he was hoping that those three words would explain everything and he'd be able to yell at Hyde like he wanted to. Lord knows he deserves it.
"Cool," Hyde said.
Cooper knew he was using Zen. Jackie had told Cooper all about it, and how he'd taught her. Looking up at the man that is his father, he wondered if he could see the resemblance that he, Jackie, Eric, W.B and even Fez had picked up on. The curly hair and blue eyes and even their expressions were almost mirrored to a T.
W.B pulled Cooper along, hoping to get him out of there before he blew a fuse. "Well I'll see you Monday, Steven."
Cooper had a million and one things he wanted to blurt out. He wanted to say that Hyde was a creep for leaving his mom and turning on him. He wanted to say that he hated him. He wanted to say that he was better off without him. He wanted to say he hated the fact that he couldn't fully hate him, not by the way that Jackie talked about him. He wanted to say that he hated him for making his mom fall so deep she could hardly hate him anymore. He wanted to say so much but he didn't, he just let W.B drag him away because in the end what could you say to the man who didn't even know of your existence?
**
Jackie had come home early on Sunday, after canceling a last minute shoot that was hardly worth her time or beauty. She hated leaving Cooper and was heartbroken when he wouldn't pick up when she rang. W.B had probably taken him someplace again. She calmed herself by remembering that W.B could take care of him as well as she could.
The maid told her they were at Six Flags and would be home later tonight. She left a message for Cooper to come straight home and went there herself. She'd never quiet given up her passion for fixing cars since the day Mr. Forman had taught her, so a while back she'd bought a broken down model that needed badly to be fixed and she was hoping to teach Cooper as a bonding thing.
While Cooper was out she turned on the radio in the shed, switching it to a random station and got to work under the hood. She was so absolved in her work that she didn't hear her neighbor until he tapped her on the shoulder.
"Ah!" She dropped the wrench which made a clattering noise against the ground and put a greasy hand over her heart. "Oh my God, Pete, you scared me half to death." She swatted at his arm. "Don't do that!"
Pete chuckled, pushing dark strands out of his eyes. He was a good foot taller then Jackie and had an easy going look about him that made him instantly likeable. He'd only moved in last month and the two had exchanged brief small talk but nothing further. "Sorry, Jackie. I was just wondering if you could help me out?"
"Sure, what's up?" She asked, wiping her hands on a cloth.
"My car isn't working and I'm ashamed to admit it but…" he gave a dramatic pause, "I have no idea about cars."
Jackie beamed and started to pack up her tools. "Leave it to me, I'm like an expert."
"I know, and I'm sorry but, that's just hot."
Ten minutes later found Jackie under the hood of Pete's Mercedes. He leant against the car, talking about everything and nothing.
"So, where's Cooper?"
"With his Grandfather at Six Flags." Jackie sighed. "I think he's mad at me, I had to work."
Pete made a sympathetic noise. "I'm sure he'll come around."
"Yea," Jackie agreed. "He's got it tough though, you know? Since his dad isn't around and his Uncle only comes up here a few times and I have to work."
"So, I've been meaning to ask, what happened to Cooper's dad?" When Jackie didn't answer he hastened to add," you don't have to say anything. Sorry, I was just curious."
"It's Ok." Jackie straightened. "I was sixteen and bored one summer because my ex took off instead of marrying me." At Pete's amused look she poked her tongue out. "I was a romantic! Anyway, his best friend was around, we got bored and…"
"Cooper?"
"No, that was like two years later. We fooled around then finally when everyone knew we started to date. After a few break-ups and make-ups I got offered my dream job in Chicago, a TV presenter. It was either I stick around and he marries me or I go and we break up."
"So he let you go?"
"No, I left before I got an answer. Long story short he ran away to Vegas and married a Striper and I ran away to Africa and had his son." Jackie leant back down. "Ah! Done, try it."
She stood back as he started the car. It purred to life and he gave Jackie a grin. "Thanks."
"It was no problem." Jackie went over to the counter top to retrieve her tools when she saw something interesting. "Is this my bikini spread?" She laughed, whipping around with a layout of Jackie in a small red bikini, her body wet and her lips turned up in a saucy smile.
Pete turned bright red and leapt for the picture but Jackie moved away.
"Aw, I think it's cute that you perv on me," she teased.
He sighed, looking uncomfortable. "Ok, I'm sorry." He tried a winning smile but it looked awkward. "Can I make it up to with say, dinner?"
Jackie pretended to ponder this. "Hm…tempting, but you do know I no longer have this bikini."
He gave her a mock disappointed look. "Damn, and here I was hoping you still did."
"Look, why don't you come over for dinner Tuesday? Coop and I usually just order take out."
It was a casual dinner, hardly a date, but Pete took it. "Sure, say about 7?"
"Yea, that'll be great, here," she handed him back the picture and winked. "Have fun."
-TBC-