"Last call for flight 365 to New York!"
"Well...it's now or never." she told herself as she got up, ticket in hand and walked toward the gate. With shaky hands she handed her ticket to the gate clerk then slowly walked the jet way still not sure if she was making the right decision. She was greeted warmly by the stewardess, quickly placed her things in the overhead compartment and got settled in the seat next to the window.
Rae tried making small talk but once Beca buckled in she put her ear buds in her ears and cranked up her music, effectively shutting out the world and everyone in it. It was going to be a long flight and she wanted nothing more than to just sleep through it and the entire next week. She didn't want to leave; she was happy to just stay in their sleepy little town and be happy with Jesse...or was she? The fact that she kept second guessing herself was really starting to bother her. It was just a trip, a vacation if you will...no more, no less.
The trip really wouldn't be so bad if she weren't already missing Jesse. She told herself "Suck it up Nancy... put your big girl panties on and deal with it. You can be away from your cowboy for week no problem." Just as she was starting to feel better about things, John Mayer's 'Your Body is a Wonderland' started playing in her ears. She let out an audible sigh, "Oh who am I kidding? I can't go an hour without him much less a week." She was so used to him being there whenever she needed him and she needed him now more than ever. She needed and wanted to feel his strong arms around her. Her thoughts and feelings were all over the place as she snuggled down into her seat and drifted off quickly, only to be immersed in her dreams of Jesse.
Back home, Jesse was having similar problems. He wished that he had just bought a ticket and gone with her. He wasn't sure if she'd really come back and it felt like his heart was breaking. If she decided to stay in New York, he had to respect her decision, didn't mean that he had to understand it or like it, but he had to respect it. "Stop it!" he told himself. "Quit being a damn fool, she's coming back to you. She's coming home! "
Jesse did everything possible to keep himself busy. When all of his work was done, he saddled Whiskey and went down to the creek for a while. He didn't stay long because the creek reminded him of Beca and how much he missed her. He began to wonder, "Is this normal? She hasn't been gone that long. Should I really be missing her this much?" When he and Whiskey got back to the stables, Jamie was there waiting for him.
"Hey bro!"
"Hey!" Jesse said trying to sound as if nothing was wrong.
"Wanna go into town for a while?"
"What's going on in town?"
"County fair and BBQ."
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot. Sure, I'll go." Jesse said. "Mind if I call Chace, see if he wants to go?"
"No man...I called Tyson. He's going."
"Ok...cool. I'm gonna shower and get ready."
"Cool bro...see you in a bit."
Jesse really had forgotten about the BBQ but was glad to have the distraction. He hadn't spent any real quality time with his brother or his best friend in a while and was looking forward to a guy's night out.
Rae woke Beca when they arrived in New York. She was pissed because in her dream she was with Jesse and being awake just made her realize how much she missed him. She grumbled and bitched about being pushed around on the plane as people were exiting. Sure she was little and some people might not see her, but did they really have to push their bodies right up against her? Did they not know about personal space? Rae heard her grumblings and feared that someone was going to die a very slow painful death if she didn't get Beca off the plane and quick!
Before going to baggage claim, Beca made a beeline for the closest hand sanitizer dispenser because she needed to "get the airline germs and gross people cooties off of her. You never know where those people have been or if they washed their hands." She said as she shuttered at the thought of it. Rae just laughed as Beca slathered sanitizer on her hands and arms, because Beca was ok with dirt, grime, sweat and of all things horse shit (she voluntarily mucked horse stalls for crying out loud!) but she couldn't deal with airline germs and human cooties, go figure.
"It's not funny Rae! What if they used the bathroom in the plane...or worse yet became members of the mile high club! Ewe! Oh my God, I need a shower! We have to go...NOW!" Beca grabbed Rae's wrist and started dragging her to baggage claim but she kept stopping because she was doubled over laughing. Beca was practically having a panic attack over germs and Rae thought it was absolutely hilarious. "Rae, I swear, as God as my witness, if you don't stop laughing and get your shit together, I'll take away your credit card and forbid you from shopping for the entire week!" Rae immediately stopped laughing and 'got her shit together' because she was not having her credit card taken from her. She was in New York City; she was going to shop 'til she dropped.
As promised there was a car waiting to take them to The Plaza Hotel. Once they were safely in the car, Beca called her parents and Jesse. She probably should have just texted Jesse because hearing his voice only made her miss him more. He sounded as down, lonely and miserable as she was. She was glad to hear that he was going to the county fair and BBQ but wished she were there to go with him. What didn't help was that the entire time she was talking to Jesse; Rae was in the back ground making kissy faces. She was gonna kill Rae before the week was over, she could feel it in her bones.
Once they arrived at the hotel, they had just enough time to check in, shower and head out to dinner. Beca knew her dad booked the Plaza Suite but she was still expecting to to be more like a regular hotel room with a fancy name, two double beds and one bathroom. She really shouldn't have been surprised to find that they each had their own bedroom and bathroom. Now that Beca was really thinking about it her dad did that to ensure Rae's safety while they were there. He knew that Beca could only handle Rae in extremely small doses and expecting them to share a hotel room for a week would more than likely push her to the limit.
Since this was technically Beca's trip, or in her dad's words, 'her reward', she took the master suite which really pissed Rae off. She wanted the big bedroom and bathroom. Beca politely pushed her out of the room and locked the door. Her room had a balcony that overlooked 5th Avenue and the Pulitzer Fountain. She stood out there just taking in the view from the 17th floor. She loved it and planned to spend a good deal of time out there.
Beca desperately tried to talk Rae into staying in and ordering room service but she wouldn't hear of it. "We're in New York for Christ's sake! I'm not staying holed up in this hotel room for a week!" Beca growled as Rae danced around the main living area, "I have places to go, people to see, things to do and stuff to buy!" She hated to admit that Rae was right. They needed to venture out, see the sights and do everything there was to do in the week they would be there. Part of Beca didn't want to venture out though because she knew if she did it was going to be hard to leave it all behind when it was time to go.
After much discussion, they decided to have sushi for dinner at a trendy little place called Nobu 57. The best part was that it was a quick five minute walk from the hotel. Rae seemed to talk about anything, everything and nothing the entire time they walked to the restaurant. She had even googled the restaurant and found that many celebrities were regulars there and wondered who they would see.
"Oh my God Beca...Robert DeNiro is the co-founder of Nobu! How freakin' cool is that?!"
"That's really cool Rae."
"Wonder if he's there tonight?"
"Guess we'll know soon enough."
"My friends will all be so jealous."
"That's nice." Beca said tightening her jacket across her chest. It was chilly out and she just wanted the calm quiet of their hotel room. It had been a long day and she wanted her jammies and her giant king size bed. She couldn't care less about the hustle and bustle of New York City. She was really second guessing her decision. She should've just left with Jesse when she had the chance. Instead, he talked her into going like the amazing boyfriend he is so she really owed it to everyone to do her best to have a great time.
When they arrived at Nobu, they were greeted with dim lighting, bamboo décor, river rock fountains and an overall Zen like feel. It was calming, relaxing and very unlike what was right outside the front door. The Zen like feel quickly left as soon as they were seated because Rae's eyes were roaming the restaurant for the rich and famous like she was the damn paparazzi. Beca was looking at her menu when Rae started kicking her under the table.
Grabbing her shin Beca said, "Raelyn Theresa, if you kick me one more time I swear before God and everyone in this restaurant, I'll kill you right here and now!"
"But Beca...he's here! Robert DeNiro is here!" Rae said pointing.
"That's great!" Beca said still rubbing her shin, "But why the fuck did you need to kick me?"
"I was trying to get your attention silly!"
"Well newsflash...'SILLY'!" Beca said throwing her hands up. "Speaking to me would have been just as effective and you wouldn't have received a death threat."
"Whatever!" Rae said. "Oh my God Beca! He's visiting every table!"
"As God as my witness, if you don't sit your ass in that chair right now, I'll strap you to it." Beca told her through clenched teeth. "Mom and Dad would be appalled by your behavior."
"Ok, ok...geez! Take a chill pill."
"I'll take a chill pill when you learn how to act in public." Beca said sipping her water.
"Fine!" Rae said crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.
After placing their order, Beca texted Jesse. "We've been here a little more than 3 hours and I've already issued death threat #1."
"Uh oh... Why?"
"Robert DeNiro is here! (insert Rae's excited squeal and my sarcastic eye roll here)"
"Oh Lord, I can only imagine. Just breathe babe."
"I would but she kicked me in the fuckin shin! That shit hurt!"
"I'm sorry babe. She's like an excited puppy."
"If she pees the floor she's cleaning it up!"
"Haha. Well, we're leaving, so I'll text or call when we get back. I miss you so much already!"
"Have fun tonight. Tell Chace I said hello. Miss you too babe!"
"Talk to you soon! XO"
"Not soon enough. XO"
Their waiter came with their salads as Beca finished texting Jesse. She was trying to keep Rae tame and in her seat while trying to eat her salad, which wasn't working out very well at all. The closer Robert DeNiro got to their table the crazier Rae got. When he finally got to their table, Rae leap out of her chair and began talking the poor man's ear off. He definitely bit off more than he could chew by coming to their table, poor sap didn't have a clue.
Rae handed a waiter their phones and asked that he take their picture with Mr. DeNiro. Rae was fan-girling...BAD. It was ridiculous and beyond embarrassing, especially since Beca was fairly certain Rae had no idea who Robert DeNiro even was before she googled the restaurant. If she kept this crap up she was going to find herself bound and gagged in their hotel room for the rest of the week.
"Bec...we have to go to Top of the Rock after dinner."
"Are you going to behave?" Beca asked taking a bite of her salad.
Huffing, Rae said, "Yes Beca. I'll behave. Geez, who knew I was coming to New York with a stick in the mud?!"
"I'm not a stick in the mud but damn, you need to rein it in. Your behavior is beginning to scream straight jacket and padded cell, what's worse is that I don't know where the nearest nuthouse is located."
"FINE! Point taken." Rae said looking slightly embarrassed. "Can we go...please?"
"Yeah, when we're finished here we'll go."
"Thanks Beca." Rae said clapping and bouncing in her seat.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah...Now for the love of God, please sit still and eat!" Beca said before she mumbled, "Sweet Baby Jesus, I feel like I've been sent on this trip with a hyperactive toddler. I need a drink!"
Jesse, Jamie, Tyson and Chace were having a great time. They ate BBQ and walked around the fair, there was plenty to do. They watched the little kids from the county participate in the mutton busting. Watching little kids ride a sheep out of a shoot while the sheep runs desperately trying to get the kid off is hilarious and always attracts a crowd. The kids look so cute with their helmets on ready to ride. They always seem to take it very seriously.
Tyson and Jamie participated in hay bale rolling contest before they dared Jesse and Chace to participate in the strong man competition. Jesse and Chace gladly accepted the challenge and signed up. In the strong man competition, the competitors had to lift a 500 pound bale of hay over their heads and run approximately 30 feet then turn around and run back. Jesse threw bales of hay around all the time, granted they didn't weigh 500 pounds, but he was a shoo in to win. The prize was $1,000 cash and bragging rights.
As Jesse was wrapping his hands up, his "randomly selected competitor" walked up behind him. Wouldn't you know, it was Luke, the last person on Earth he wanted to see.
"Randomly selected my ass!" Jesse said to Chace.
"You got this bro!" Chace said as he patted him on the back. "No way Luke can win this."
"I hope so!"
"Dude...that $1,000 is yours!"
The rules were explained and the boys were asked to shake hands before taking their positions. The gun went off signaling the start and Jamie hit record on Jesse's phone. Jesse had Luke beat right out the gate. Luke was having trouble holding the bale over his head because like an idiot he didn't think it was necessary to wrap his hands and he had to keep stopping to readjust the bale in his hands. By the time he got a good grip on it, Jesse had already rounded the cones and was on his way back to the finish line. He hadn't struggled one bit the entire time.
Jesse won hands down which pissed Luke off. In fact he was so pissed that he sucker punched Jesse in the back as he dropped his bale of hay on the finish line. Jesse immediately spun around and threw a retaliatory punch to Luke's jaw, everyone gasped as they heard the pop, but the fact that Jesse had just broken his jaw didn't stop Luke. He threw another punch but Jesse ducked and came back up swinging. This time he caught Luke in the nose. His nose immediately started spewing blood everywhere which made Luke drop to his knees.
The commotion caught the attention of two deputies walking by. They ran over and immediately put both Luke and Jesse in handcuffs as they were read their Miranda Rights. Everyone who saw what happened came to Jesse's defense saying that he was defending himself. Not believing what happened, the deputies started walking both of them toward the patrol cars.
"Wait!" Jamie said as he jumped the fence to show the deputies the video.
"Young man, please don't interfere."
"But Deputy Johnson, I took video of the competition for Jesse to send to his girlfriend. When the fight started I kept recording, look!"
Deputy Johnson looked at the video. He nodded and told Deputy Walton. "Uncuff'em. Looks like he's innocent." Deputy Walton did as he was told then let the EMT's look at Luke's injuries before he started taking witness statements from those who stuck around.
"Jesse." Deputy Johnson called.
"Yes sir."
"I'm going to need you and your friends to come down to the station to give a statement."
"Tonight?"
"No, tomorrow will be fine. I'm going to need a copy of that video."
"Yes sir, flash drive ok?"
"That'll be fine."
"I'll bring it with me tomorrow."
"See you then. Now go on home. You're done for the night."
"Yes sir." he said before he and the other boys headed to the exit.
"Dude...that was amazing!" Chace said patted Jesse on the back as they walked to the truck.
"I'm not proud of what I did." Jesse said. "I messed his face up pretty bad."
"He deserved it Jess!" Jamie told him. "You've beat the tar out of him before, he should've known what he was getting into."
"Doesn't make it right!" Jesse yelled. "I could still end up in jail for what I did."
Chace stood in front of Jesse, making him come to a stop. "Jess... that won't happen. We have proof. You were well within your rights to defend yourself."
"I know but..." Jesse took a deep breath, "I don't have the money to fight him in court and you know damn good and well, they're going to sue me for his hospital bills and whatever else they can think up."
"He. Was. Wrong...end of story. He did this to himself. He doesn't have a leg to stand on." Chace told him.
"Yeah bro, stop worrying." Jamie said. "It'll all work out." As they continued to walk back to the truck, Jesse's phone rang.
Since Rae was on her best behavior after meeting Robert DeNiro, they went to Top of the Rock after dinner. It was eight blocks from the restaurant so they decided to take a cab rather than walk the streets at night. When they got to the observation deck Beca was speechless. The city was absolutely gorgeous at night, it took her breath away. They were able to see Times Square, the Hudson River, Central Park, the George Washington Bridge and the Empire State Building just to name a few things. Beca could have stayed up there all night, the views were spectacular.
As they were taking photos and talking about the skyline and the possibility of coming back during the day, Beca got this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn't right and she had the sudden urge to call Jesse. She needed to hear his voice and she needed reassurance that he was ok.
"Hey babe. Are you having fun?"
"Yeah, I am. How bout you?"
"Yeah... we're headed back to the house now."
"But it's still early."
"Yeah, I know. There wasn't much going on."
"Oh...are you sure?"
Jesse had a feeling that Beca knew something else was going on. "Umm..yeah."
"Babe, I just got the strangest feeling and needed to call you." she told him. "Are you sure everything's ok?"
He didn't want to tell her what happened over the phone but he also knew he couldn't lie to her. He took a deep breath. "No, not really."
"Oh God, what happened?"
"I just got in a huge fight with Luke at the fair. I broke his jaw and possibly his nose too."
"Why? Oh my God! What happened?" she asked again.
"He sucker punched me after the strongman competition. He and I were racing against each other. He lost by a lot and got pissed. He threw the first punch babe. I just defended myself, I swear. Jamie caught it all on video."
"Are you ok?" she asked as she paced back and forth.
"Yeah, I'm fine. He got the one punch in but that was it. We were both handcuffed, read our rights and were getting ready to get put in the patrols cars when Jamie showed Deputy Johnson the video that he took. After he saw the video, I was released but I have to give a statement in the morning."
"Thank God for Jamie." Beca said before she realized that this little stunt was only going to make matters worse. She got really quiet. She needed to think.
"Babe...you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here. You realize this is going to make things a hell of a lot worse for us?"
"Yeah, I know but babe I wasn't going to stand there and let him beat the shit out of me."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Beca said. "Listen, when you get home, go straight to my dad with that video and tell him what happened. He'll make sure to call John Breaux. He's our lawyer; I think you've met him before."
"I will thanks."
"No problem. I'm gonna call my dad now and let him know what's going on and that you're on the way.
"Ok."
"Let me know how it goes with my dad."
"I will." Jesse said thankful that he had Beca and her family, even if her parents didn't know that they were seeing each other behind their back.
"I love you Jess."
"I love you too baby."
Beca hung up and called her dad and filled him in on what happened. He promised her that he would call their lawyer.
"Dad, I know you've heard me say this before but I feel like I have to say it again, I will NOT marry that monster."
"I know baby. I know." Tripp said rubbing his forehead.
"If he's going to do that to Jesse, for no apparent reason, then what would he do to me?" she asked. "I have no way of defending myself against him."
"I don't even want to think about it." He admitted. He couldn't imagine seeing his daughter broken and bloody...or worse dead because he made her marry a monster. She was small and Luke wouldn't have to try very hard at all to hurt her. Sure she acts big and bad but at the end of the day that's not who she is at all.
"Dad, I was going to talk to you about this when I got back but the opportunity just presented itself." Beca took a deep breath and asked, "Can we just make arrangements to the debt Pop owed with interest and get me out of this cluster fuck that I was born into? Take the money out of my account if you want to. I just want this over with. I want Luke out of my life for good."
Tripp took a deep breath, "I'll ask John if there's anything we can do legally. You're right; I have to put an end to this crap."
Beca was relieved. "Thanks Dad."
"And I'll take care of Jesse too...I promise."
"Thank you. G'night Daddy."
"G'night baby. I love you. I'll call you tomorrow."
"I love you too." She said hanging up. She hadn't even been gone a full day and already everything had gone to shit. Beca was sure now that her dad knew about her and Jesse and he seemed like he was ok with it or maybe he didn't want to piss her off while she was away. Whatever the case may be, he promised to take care of Jesse and that was all that mattered at the moment.
When Jesse got back, his mom, dad and Tripp were waiting for him on the porch. They were drinking some of Tripp's finest whiskey as they waited for him to get home. When Jesse joined them on the porch, Tripp handed him a glass of whiskey and motioned for him to sit down. They discussed what happened and Jesse showed them the video. They were all in agreement that Jesse was definitely defending himself. He never saw Luke coming and was indeed sucker punched. Charlie just kept saying, "I'm proud of you my boy. I'm proud." Poor Nora was crying a river of tears into her whiskey glass, she was completely beside herself.
"Tripp, we'll pay back whatever John charges you for the legal fees." Charlie said.
"No Dad. This is my mess." Jesse said. "I'll work out an arrangement to pay it back."
"Don't be ridiculous." Tripp told him. "Jesse, you're like one of my own. I'll take care of everything."
"That really isn't necessary." Charlie insisted.
"Charlie, you and your family have been extremely loyal to my family for years. Half the time I think my girls love you and Nora more than they do me and Lucy. So, please let me do this for you."
Charlie conceded. It was pointless to argue with Tripp when he already had his mind set on something. "If you insist."
"I do. When Beca called me, I promised her that I would take care of everything and I plan to keep that promise."
Jesse stuck his hand out to shake Tripp's hand, "Thanks Mr. Ro... I mean Tripp."
"It's my pleasure." Tripp said giving Jesse a hug. "It's late so let's call it night. We'll reconvene when John gets here in the morning."
Jesse and his parents thanked Tripp again before all going their separate ways. Nora insisted on checking Jesse over before turning in for the night. When Jesse lifted his shirt there was a huge bruise forming on his lower back near his kidney. Nora wanted to Jesse to go to the emergency room to have it checked out but Jesse insisted he was fine. In all actuality it hurt like a motherfucker, though he would never admit that to his mother. He told her he would put an ice pack on it before going to bed.
He laid in bed on an ice pack and sent Beca the video of the fight as well as the picture of the bruise on his back. His mother insisted on taking a picture of his "injury" because she was sure that Luke's parents and lawyer would be going over his body with a fine tooth comb and documenting every little scrape and scratch they could find.
When Beca saw the video and the picture, she got sick. She couldn't believe this had happened. Scratch that, she could believe it, it was Luke after all. She told Jesse she would get on the first plane out of New York in the morning. He insisted that she stay and said that if she came home her parents might be alerted to their relationship, if they weren't already and that was the last thing they needed. They needed to handle one situation at a time. This was already a cluster fuck and they didn't need to add insult to injury. Reluctantly she agreed to stay but told Jesse if things got worse or if he started feeling bad and needed to go to the hospital she was coming home.
When John arrived the next morning, he was briefed on what happened before he and Tripp escorted Jesse and Jamie to the police station to give their statements. Somehow, Jesse found it extremely comforting to have Tripp there with him. After the boys gave their statements, they all went back to the house to plan their course of action. Jesse excused himself so that he could get to work which allowed Tripp the opportunity to bring up the situation with Beca and Luke.
"John, while you're here I need to speak to you about another matter."
John stretched him arms and put them behind his head. "It's Saturday, it's your dime and I've got all the time in the world." Tripp smiled, he knew this was going to cost him a pretty penny or two. He explained the situation with Beca's arranged marriage to Luke. When he was done, John looked at him with complete disgust.
"Tripp, excuse me for saying this but just what in the fuck were you and Lucy thinking when you made that barbaric agreement?"
"We were young and in love. We didn't think that they would actually follow through with it." Tripp pleaded.
"Beca's a good girl. She doesn't deserve this shit Tripp." John said sitting up, "And speaking of, what does Beca think about this?"
"I believe her exact words were that she wasn't going to marry the town man-whore and that he stuck his dick in every available well in the county...or something to that effect."
John chuckled because he had known Beca since she was born. She was a fiery little pistol and he knew that she had said exactly that. "Well, I can't say that I disagree with her assessment." John said leaning his chair back and putting his feet on Tripp's desk. "That Babineaux boy is bad news, just like the rest of that family."
"I know that now. What can we do about it?"
"What was the original debt?"
"$10,000" Tripp told him. "I'll pay $25,000. I think $15,000 in interest is more than generous."
"It's more than fair. I'll draw up the settlement papers. The papers will show that you're offering to pay the existing debt in full with a more than fair amount of interest and in turn, Beca is to be released from the marital obligation. They'll have 60 days to make their decision or file a counter offer. If after 60 days they haven't accepted the offer or made a counter offer, then I'll file the settlement with the court. Judge Arceneaux would love to tell Eli that he's being a horse's ass. Then he'll sign the judgment and voila Beca is no longer betrothed to that God-awful waste of rotting human flesh.
"That easy huh?"
"Pretty much. Of course, I'll have to talk to Beca and make sure that this is what she wants before I have the Babineaux's served with the settlement papers."
"Oh, she'll agree. Trust me. This was her idea."
"She's a smart cookie Tripp. You didn't raise a fool."
Tripp puffed his chest out a bit and looking very proud, "No, I didn't."
"You're damn lucky that girl has a good head on her shoulders." John told him. "Because for whatever reason, the girls in this town throw themselves at that kid's feet. They're all gonna die of some God-awful STD."
"John, that's gross."
"No Tripp...what's gross is that you were gonna make Beca marry that asshole douchebag."
"Ok John, I get it." Tripp threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm going to make this right, if it's the last thing I do."
"You better, otherwise you're going to lose that beautiful girl because she'll never forgive you." John told him. "I'm gonna go. I'll draw up the papers on Monday but I can't do anything with them until Beca gets back from New York."
"When she's back and settled we'll call you."
"I look forward to speaking with her."
"Thanks John." Tripp said as John walked down the front walk. John was right, if he didn't make this right they would definitely lose Beca. She'd leave Louisiana and never look back. He couldn't bare to think about that. Lucy told him repeatedly that the Babineaux's would never accept a settlement agreement but he wasn't convinced of that. "Money talks, bullshit walks." Tripp said to himself. They would accept the terms of the agreement and that was that.