Rifiuto: Non Miriena
"Mommy?"
The click of the hammer being slid into place was all that was heard for several minutes. She wound the barrel until it was tightly in place. "Hmm?"
"Can I help?" Her head snapped up. She chuckled softly.
"I don't think so, sweetie."
"Why not?" The simple question caused her to turn her gaze to her daughter.
"Because a five-year-old should not be handling firearms."
"But you do."
"That's beacuse I'm head of GD Security. And I'm an adult. Therefore, I have a right to handle firearms."
"But if I'm going to be a deputy like you, I need to know how to use and put together a gun." She screwed her mouth into a small circle, and thought a moment.
"JACK!"
Footsteps hurried down the stairs, and her husband entered the kitchen moments later.
"What's wrong?" Fear coated his voice and he looked around frantically for whatever had gotten Jo's attention.
She nodded the girl's way. "Talk to your daughter." He relaxed.
"About what?"
"About why our daughter isn't allowed to handle my firearms. Or any firearms for that matter until she's eighteen."
"That's not fair, Mommy! Daddy!" Jack sighed, unable to keep from laughing as his daughter stamped her foot and glared at her mother.
"Mommy? Daddy? What's going on?" Jack looked up to see Jenna come down the stairs. Dressed in a black pair of slacks, blouse and jacket that was identical to Jo's, she was working on putting her long dark hair into a French braid.
"I want to help Mommy work on her guns, but she won't let me."
The older girl furrowed her brow. "Good."
"How is that good?" Her sister cried, turning on her.
"Because you're too young." She finished braiding her hair and went to Jo. "Morning." She gave Jo a quick kiss on the cheek, and then rummaged around in the fridge. "Where's the orange juice?"
"Back behind the mayonaise, first shelf." Jo replied, methodically. She continued putting her handgun back together, carefully adding the bullets one by one.
"Why are there... four bullet holes in the orange juice carton?" The others turned to Jo, who stopped what she was doing. Her eyes shifted back and forth, before she dropped the bullets and sighed.
"I... may have used it for... target practice."
Jack chuckled, and went to her, kissing her quickly.
"Just so you know, you're stunting my growth by not letting me help!" Then, the little girl stalked back upstairs.
"How are we stunting her growth?" Jack asked. Jo raised her eyebrow.
"By not letting me help you're keeping me from finding my true potential as a deputy!" The bedroom door slammed and the house fell silent.
"Exactly what is our daughter's IQ?" Jack asked, turning to his wife. She thought a moment.
"One-"
"One hundred ninety-three. Two points lower than her mother's." Both looked up. "What? Don't look so surprised, Daddy. Just because you're average and you married a super intelligent woman, doesn't mean you're any less smart. Everyone here is intelligent. Even you, to some degree." She poured a cup of coffee and took a sip. "Don't you love being married to an average man, Jo?" She asked, giving the woman a hug before going back upstairs.
"Thanks a lot, Jea." Jack called.
"Welcome!"
Once both girls were upstairs, Jack went to his wife and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He kissed her temple as she reached up and took her husband's hand. Then, she turned and kissed him quickly on the lips. By the time Jo finished putting her handgun together, and Jack had put the dishes away, it was time to go.
"Girls! Come on, you'll be late!" Two pairs of footsteps hurried down the stairs, and the girls rushed into the kitchen. "Let's go! We're already late for work! Come on, let's go!"
They watched Jenna walk into the school with Erica before slipping out of the parking lot.
"Can we get coffee before work?" She asked, settling back in the passenger seat. He took her hand.
"Sure."
They stopped at Cafe Diem, got coffee, and then Jack went to the car and reached for the passenger door.
"I think I'll walk to GD."
He leaned back against the car. "You sure?" She nodded.
"Yeah. I'll stop by the office for lunch? Or should we do it at home?"
"How about at the office and do lunch at home tomorrow. Okay?" She gave him a small smile as he kissed her.
"Sounds good. I love you, Jack."
"I love you, Jojo." He watched her start down the sidewalk, making sure she was out of sight before heading to the sheriff's office. She moved down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm air. Eventually, she passed by a new pot of flowers that was surrounded by a light purple hazey cloud. The flowers weren't something she usually stopped to admire, but since marrying Jack and having Eri, she'd grown to see the beauty in everything. So deciding that she could take a few minutes, she stopped to admire the small, clover shaped blooms. Leaning through the nearly transparent haze, she breathed deep.
When she pulled back and continued down the sidewalk to work, she rounded the corner towards GD and stopped, looking down at her outfit. She set her cup of coffee down on a window ledge and quickly unbuttoned her jacket. Stripping it off her body, she then unbuttoned her blouse and pulled the shoulder down, ripping into the seams at the shoulders. Once that was done, she tossed the sleeves in a trash can, reached up and pulled her hair out of the ponytail she'd put it in, and undid the last two buttons on her blouse, leaving her trim stomach exposed. Then, she grabbed her cup of coffee and continued down the street to work, earning catcalls and wolf whistles as she passed.
The attention made her feel like a giddy schoolgirl.