It seemed like another week passed by the time I woke up Monday morning. Jackie and I were the talk of the town. I hated the fact people were gossiping about our personal business and even worse Jackie was taking it hard. Plus, to top things off Mrs. Forman's parents were coming for a visit today. "I have never met them before." I said as I ate my breakfast.
"Grandpa drinks, grandma yells. That sums it up." Eric said as he pushed his plate away. It was just as Mrs. Forman started to argue with that statement that Jackie came in the room. She looked like she was sick.
"Are you okay, doll?" I asked her as she sat down next to me.
"Not really." She said as she looked at me. "I just threw up, pretty girls don't throw up." She said as she looked at me.
"Everyone throws up when they are pregnant." Mrs. Forman said as she looked at Jackie. Jackie just sat there frowning.
"Do you have to work tonight, my little cheese maiden?" I asked her as I took her hand.
"Yes." She said as she looked at me.
"Great, because Eric's grandparents are coming in." I said as I looked at her.
"You going to pick me up?" She asked as she looked at me.
"Of course, you get off at eight right?" I asked her. She just nodded. "I will be there." I said as I looked at her.
"We got to get going." Eric said as he got up.
"You have to give him is car back. We don't all fix comfortably in my car." I said as I helped Jackie up.
"He hasn't earned the car back yet." Red said.
"He is married with a baby on the way and I don't deserve my car." Eric said as he looked at his dad.
"He needs his car to go to work, so he can support his family." Red said as he looked at Eric. Then the phone rang.
"It's about the car." Mrs. Forman said as she jumped up and down.
"Let's go this could get ugly." I said as I led Jackie out of the house.
"You two sicken me." Eric said as I wrapped my arm around her waist.
"Here that sweets we sicken him." I said as I looked at her.
"I think that means we are doing a great job." She said as she looked at me with a big smile. I wish that smile would have lasted, but unfortunately high school girls proved to be very mean to say the least. I did my best to try to cheer her up, but I can't blame her for frowning when everyone is calling her a slut. I felt bad for her. At the end of the day she was sitting on the hood of my car. "Can we hurry up and get out of here?" She asked as she got up.
"Of course." I said as I opened her door for her. I saw Forman on the other end of the parking lot with Kelso. I figured he could get a ride from him. So, we left. "Can we stop at the house, I have to change into my uniform?" She asked as she looked out the window.
"Anything for you doll." I said as I looked at her. "Don't let those people get to you." I said as I looked at the road.
"That's easy for you to say, people are lining up to high five you." She said as she looked at me. That's when I saw the tears. I wanted to pull over right then, but we were only a block away from the house. So, I waited till we were in the driveway to move closer to her and wrap my arm around her.
"I know it doesn't seem like it, but we are in this together." I said as I looked at her. She put her head on my shoulder. "Please don't cry, doll." I said as I looked at her.
"I know, but I am not used to being treated like this." She said as she sat there with me.
"Something will happen in no time to get the attention off of you. Even if I have put Forman's undies on the flag pole again." I said as I looked at her.
"You would do that for me?" She said as she looked at me.
"Haven't I made it clear yet, I would do anything for you?" I asked her.
"I love you." She said.
"I am taking that as a yes. Now go get changed or you are going to be late." I said as I looked at her. I followed her into the house to see Red and Eric talking.
"You mean it. Awesome, I am getting my car back." Eric said as he smiled as Red tossed him the keys.
"But, your picking your grandparents up. They get in at five." He said he looked at him.
"I will be right back." Jackie said as she headed down stairs.
"You might want to sit down, Seven." Red said as he sat down at the table as Eric left. "Women take forever getting ready." He said as he looked at his paper. "You will be waiting most of your life waiting on her, but it's wroth it." He said as he looked at me.
"Why do you say that?" I asked as I sat down and looked at him.
"Boy don't me pour my heart out to you. You're a man just agree with me." He said as he looked at me. It wasn't more than a second later Mrs. Forman came in wearing one of her best dresses. "But, if you want to know that's why." He said as he stared at her. At that moment I knew what he meant as Jackie came up stairs in her work uniform. I loved staring at her and she loves it when I do.
"Let's get going." She said as she smiled at me. I dropped her off and then headed to the Foto Hut.
"Hey, dude I thought I gave you the day off." Leo said as he looked at me. "Aren't you supposed to be getting hitched?" He asked.
"That was Saturday." I said as I looked at him. I walked over to the window.
"Oh." He said as he looked at me. I walked over to see Fez tying a bow around a box.
"What's that I asked? Please, tell me you aren't giving another girl your nude pictures. No one wants to see that." I said to him.
"No, this is your wedding present." He said as he handed me the box.
"Dude, I swear there better not be any nude pictures in there." I said as I set it on the counter.
"I swear there are not any in there." He said as he walked across the room. "Aren't you going to open it?" He asked.
"Hell no." I said as I looked at him. "I will let Jackie open this one like the rest. She loves to unwrap things." I said as I looked at him. "Unless there is anything in here I will have to kick your ass over."
"No, Mrs. Hyde will love it." He said as he smiled. "That is just to weird to say." He said with a laugh.
"I have a wedding present for you too." Leo said as he handed me a paper bag. "I couldn't give it to you in front of your folks." He said.
"Thanks." I said as I handed the bag back to him. "But, I think you need this more than we do."
"But, foreign dude said you were out." He said.
"Yeah, because I threw it all out." I said as I looked at him. Next thing I know he was cuddling the bag and walking away. Sometimes I think that my friends are a little too weird. Then again life wouldn't be fun with out them. I was getting ready to go pick Jackie up when Mrs. Forman called saying that Red went to pick her up because she called there looking for me. I asked what was wrong, but she didn't know. "I have to go." I said to Fez.
"Don't forget your present." He said as he handed me the box. Yes, like this stupid box was important at this moment. Well, it wasn't. But, I took the stupid box with me. Then a drove like crazy the whole way home. "What's wrong?" I asked as I busted into the kitchen box in hand.
"Well, I am barren and my mother hates me." Mrs. Forman said as she looked up from the stove. I just looked around as I put the box on the table. "Oh you meant with Jackie. I don't know they aren't back yet." I stood there for a minute before I heard the car pull up. Red came in first, then a sobbing Jackie.
"I don't know what the hell is wrong, but she has been doing this since I got there." He said as he sat down.
"Steven!" She said as she wrapped her arms around me.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"I got fired; he said that I couldn't be a cheese maiden because I am pregnant. He said that I was no good to him fat." She said as she sobbed into my shirt.
"It's going to be okay." I said as I held her close.
"It's okay, that's all you say. I don't even really care about the girl and I want to kill him." Red said as he looked at us.
"I want to kill him, but getting her calmed down is my first priority." I said as I looked down at the still crying Jackie. "I know what will make you feel better." I said as I looked at the present on the table. "Fez got you a present." I said as I turned her so she saw the box.
"He even wrapped it in pink unicorn paper." She said as she sat down.
"Get Donna." I mouthed to Mrs. Forman as I went to sit by Jackie.
"To Mr. and Mrs. Hyde." She read the card on top. She started to open the gift as Mrs. Forman's mother came busting in.
"Where is Kitty? It is not nice to leave guest by themselves." She said as she looked around "KITTY!" She yelled.
"Bea will you please just go back in there with Eric?" Red asked. "We are dealing with a family matter." He said as he looked at me.
"Eric left." She said. "Who are these people?" She asked as she looked at us.
"That's Steven and Jackie." Red said as he looked at us.
"Ah yes the orphan and his bride. Eric told me about you." She said as she looked at us. Her tone made us seem like dirt, which I was fine with. However, Jackie was upset about it.
"Why do you have to say it that way? Do you have a problem with us? You don't know us!" Jackie snapped.
"Calm down doll." I said as I put my arm around her.
"Bea why don't I get you something to drink." Red said as he led her back into the living room.
"So, what did Fez get us?" I asked as she went back to looking at the box.
"It looks like a picture frame." She said as she pulled out something wrapped in tissue paper. "It's us." She said as she removed the paper. Sure enough it was one of our wedding pictures.
"Well, damn he actually did a good job." I said as I looked at the silver picture frame and the picture of me holding Jackie close. "I honestly thought it was going to be pictures of him naked." I said with a laugh.
"That sounds more like Fez." She said with a smile. "But I know where this should go." She said as she got up. I followed down to our room. She placed the picture on our dresser. "Perfect." She said as she looked up at me.
"No that's you." I said as I looked at her.
"Jackie, I am here for a girl's day!" Donna yelled as I heard the basement door slam.
"We are in here!" Jackie yelled.
"Please tell me you have clothes on." Donna said as she walked in. "Oh thank god."
"We aren't Fez. I like to keep my pants on during the day." I said as I looked at her.
"Moving on, I thought Jackie could come over to my place and help me organize my closet while we listen to ABBA." Donna said smiling.
"Do you mind?" She asked me.
"No, go have fun." I said as I kissed her head. It wasn't long after she left I found myself driving to the mall. I walked into the Cheese Factory to see Red ripping the manager a new one. "Holy crap, you do care." I said as I walked over to him.
"I just know when something is wrong." He said as he looked at the manager.
"You're the husband aren't you?" The manager asked.
"What do you think?" I asked as I crossed my arms and look at him.
"You know I don't have to do this. Especially since you two are threatening me." He said. "But, I will let Jackie come back to work."
"With a raise." Red said as he inched closer.
"Fine with a ten percent raise." The manager said.
"Great, here I will buy this." Red said as he put a wheel of cheese on the counter. "Don't tell Jackie about this. I don't need her to get all emotional on me." Red said as we walked out of the mall.
"Don't worry, I won't." I said as I looked at him. "Sorry about your car." I said knowing that he sold is corvette just a few hours before they found out Kitty wasn't pregnant.
"It was just a car." He said as he looked at me. "I am going to put that money along with your rent money back for you and Jackie." He said with a smile. "It could help buy a house or college for the baby." He said as he looked at me.
"Thank you." I said as I looked at him.
"It's no problem, after all this is going to be my first grandchild." He said with a smile. That was his way of telling me he saw me as his son. I just smiled. I looked at the man in front of me and I knew that I wanted to be a father like him. Because he was the father he didn't have to be for me. And I know that if I am anything like him this kid will turn out alright.
"Well, I guess we are off to the firing squad." I said with a laugh as I looked at him.
"I guess so." He said as he looked at me. "Steven, I am proud of you." He said as he walked towards his car. No one ever told me that before and it felt great.