JR had enjoyed himself for most of the afternoon. Being with his son always made him happy. Today was different though. As the Friday had drug on, and his hangover had subsided, he was faced with a pain he had never experienced before. He was a very confident and powerful man. He could crush a fledging business, or some entrepreneur's hopes and dreams, by lunchtime and not give it a second thought. Aside from his deceased wife Babe, he saw women as a sport…a challenge. They were to be woo'd and possessed and when they were no longer of use to him, cast aside. He knew this. No matter how many times he spoke to the contrary, he knew that no woman had truly possessed him in the way that Babe had. But today, he was feeling something vastly different. Had Marissa broken through? He thought. He could not seem to shake the ache in his chest, knowing that the last several months had been a game. He heard her say that she was trying. Trying for them and trying for AJ…when all along she was romancing Bianca.
His hands shook slightly and the desire for another shot of whiskey was building within his chest. He bent down beside his son who was playing a video game and said "Hey AJ? It's getting later in the evening and I think it is time you go wash up and get ready for dinner." "Aww…do I have to, Daddy?" AJ whined. "This is so much fun!"
JR laughed at his son and placed a reassuring hand on his back. "We can play all day tomorrow, I promise. But you go wash up and then go see cook for your dinner. I tell you what? I will even take you to get some chocolate chip cookies before bed, how does that sound?" "Yes!" AJ said excitedly as he set the controller down and ran off to the kitchen. "Don't forget to wash up!" JR said with a laugh as he watched his son scamper off. As soon as the coast was clear, JR closed the distance between him and the bar and attempted to steady his hand as he tried to pour a shot of whiskey.
Colby, JR's sister, had just arrived home from a date with her boyfriend Asher. She had started to walk into the parlor, but saw her brother standing by the bar. Oh shit! She thought to herself. JR drinking is not good for anyone. I have to call Tad. She immediately ran up to her room and made several calls. She called JR's stepfather, Tad. Then she called her father Adam Sr. She tried anyone, and everyone, she could think of from her cousin to JR's friend Amanda. Then, not knowing what good it would do, she left a message for Marissa. Someone has to know how to get through to him. She prayed.
/
Bianca laid across the bed, her head resting on Marissa's lap as they intently watched the movie. Both women were feeling safe and cozy, swaddled in the plush terry robes and silky sheets and pillows of their bed. There was a special kind of peace that was filling the atmosphere. Both could feel it, yet neither could describe it, or necessarily put a name to it. They just sat there in the quiet, allowing it to be…to fill them up.
As the movie came to an end, they both turned their gaze to each other. Bianca's eyes shone upward at Marissa brightly, just as Marissa's eyes danced with light at the sight of Bianca. "I love you!" They both spoke in a quiet whisper. Marissa doubled forward in laughter, lightly kissing Bianca's forehead. She began to stroke Bianca's hair, absent-mindedly. Bianca's giggles ceased and she asked Marissa "What are you thinking?"
"Oh, I was just thinking about the last two weeks and how unbelievable it they have been." Marissa replied. Bianca nodded and smiled in agreement and Marissa continued. "I was also thinking back to our picnic. You never did tell me about why you were in Rehab?" She looked downward at Bianca who just smiled. "Oh Honey, It isn't anything scandalous." She laughed. "When I was a teen, I battled with Anorexia. I spent some time in a rehab program for eating disorders. Most of my teen years were difficult, between that and coming out and my father's death…but I learned a lot and I haven't had to battle with any of those demons in a very long time."
"Oh!" Marissa exclaimed. "I guess it is a relief, I just couldn't imagine dealing with another recovering alcoholic." She said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. Bianca cleared her throat, and confessed (with a grin) "Well, I can't always hold my liquor and sometimes make bad choices, but I am far from an alcoholic." "Good to know!" Marissa laughed then transitioned into a yawn.
"Are you tired, Sweetie?" Bianca inquired. "Yeah, I think I am. But maybe we don't go to sleep just yet." She said grabbing hold of the lapels of Bianca's robe and pulling her into a passionate kiss.
/
JR walked into the parlor, after returning from a 'cookie run'. He sat his keys on the table and made the phone call to Steele's office. They haggled for a moment over exactly how much all of this was going to cost JR to squash the story. Once the agreement was made, he left the call on no uncertain terms as to what would become of Steele if the agreement was broken. He sat the phone down and started to make his way up to tuck AJ in.
Then his phone began to ring. He checked the ID and saw that it was a call from Tad. He hit ignore and no sooner had he sat the phone down, that it rang again. My father? He thought, and turned the phone off. He could feel the burn building up in his throat. He started to head for the stairs once more, but stopped at the parlor door. He turned back around and grabbed another shot glass and poured himself a generous shot. He down it without a pause and then poured another. As he took the second shot, he heard AJ from the stairs. "Come on, Daddy! I want a story!" AJ pleaded. JR startled and made haste to hide the glass and step quickly from the bar. "Co-coming! Be right there!" JR yelled out. After taking a deep breath and slicking his hair back he headed to the staircase.