Chapter 32

The next day, Thanksgiving, Little Johnny and I spent the day with John Sr., Boog, and Melissa. The rest of the Cena brothers were elsewhere. John was working a double. I wouldn't see him until the next day, Friday.

We did have our own Thanksgiving meal. We had steak with mashed potatoes, broccoli, glazed carrots, and dinner rolls. Boog grilled the steaks while Melissa and I did the rest. We ate in the living room and watched football. It was a lot of fun. Melissa and I both talked to our parents and Christie on the phone that day too. I told them about seeing Joseph.

"I'm not surprised you ran into him," Dad said. "He was only sentenced to five years in jail. Then he had a probation period of five years. All that was completed a few years ago."

"Yeah, I remember getting the news he was out of jail. None of us were happy," I said.

"I remember one of the advertising firms in Canada did a lot of business in the New England area of the United States. He might be working for that firm and that is why he was just passing through Boston."

"I sure hope he doesn't come through, Dad."

"Me too, honey. Me too."

"Do you honestly think he'll try anything?"

"I don't know, Trish. All I know is he was infatuated by you as a child. I had never thought he would hurt you the way you did. God, I'll never forget when your mom and I found you with him."

"I won't either, Daddy. I told John what happened, but there were no graphic details. I had enough of that when I testified in court and before that when I talked to the prosecuting attorney."

"Are you okay, baby?! I know talking about it might have brought up some bad memories and you might need to talk to someone about it."

"I'm talking to you, aren't I? Plus I have Melissa."

"How is she?"

"Oh, she is so happy. Everyone is in the living room watching football. I'm in the kitchen."

"And how is my grandson?"

"He is great. Melissa has him. She is giving him a bottle. She'll be a great mom one day."

"Yes, she will. You're doing a good job so far."

"Thanks, Dad. You're not even here to see me do it."

"Well, you feed him, clean him, and change his diaper. I say that is doing a good job."

"Yes, I do, do that. If I don't, I would be neglecting my child, which I would never, ever do."

"I know you wouldn't."

I talked with my dad for a little while longer and then got off with him. When I walked back into the living room, Little Johnny had gone from Melissa to John Sr. Melissa and Boog were cuddled on the sofa watching the game. John Sr. sat in his longue chair with his grandson in his arms. Little Johnny had a binky in his mouth.

"Did you have a good talk with Dad?" Melissa asked.

"Yes, I did." I sat down on the sofa next to her. "Did you burp Little Johnny when he was done?"

"Yes, he was burped after he finished his bottle. Then he said he wanted to sit with Grandpa so Aunt Melissa and Uncle Sean could cuddle."

I laughed. "I wish I could cuddle with someone."

"Do you want your son?" John Sr. asked.

"Can I have him?" I asked.

"Of course, he's your baby. You can cuddle with him."

I got up from the sofa and walked over to my future father-in-law. He gave me Little Johnny. I happily took my son into my arms. I then went back over to the sofa. I cradled Little Johnny in my arms and looked over at my baby sister.

I shook my head. The two were making out. I looked over at John Sr.

"If you two are going to make out, take it out of here, please," John Sr. said.

"Whatever, you say, Old man," Boog said. He grabbed Melissa by the hand. The two got up and left the room.

My cell phone began to vibrate. I picked it up from the spot next to me. It was John calling. I smiled. "Well, hello Big Johnny."

John laughed. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm better now."

"Good. What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting in the living room with your dad watching football. Melissa and Sean just left to go make out somewhere."

John chuckled. "Classic Melissa and Boog. Where's my little man?"

"Right here in my arms."

"Oh, that's an excellent place for him. I have some good news."

"What?"

"I don't have to work a double. Bill and Charlie are covering for me and Michael. They wanted to get away from their in-laws so they called and said they'd pick up Michael's and my shift. Their wives didn't blame them."

"Oh, that is funny. I have to thank Bill and Charlie later."

"So do I," John said. "I'll get done at six o'clock and then I'll head over to my dad's."

"Yay, that's three hours away," I said.

"Yep."

"Great, we'll see you then."

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too," I said.

"Bye."

"Bye."

I threw my phone down on the sofa next to me. I then got up from the sofa and placed Little Johnny in a playpen. I laid him down and then covered him with a blanket to keep him warm. I then sat back down on the sofa.

"So is John getting off work early?" John Sr. asked.

"Yeah, Bill and Charlie called in and said they'd cover the night shift for John and Michael. Their in laws were annoying them," I said.

John Sr. laughed. "Do I annoy you, sweetheart?"

"Hell no. If anything Boog is the only one annoying me today and he usually annoys me on a regular basis. Your other three sons not so much. My fiancé does annoy me on occasion."

"Well, I'm sure you annoy John at times too."

"I'm very sure I do. I can be a real bitch or pain in the ass at times."

"We all can, Trish," John Sr. said. "What did your dad have to say about Joseph?"

"Just that Joseph was sentenced to five years in jail for what he did to me. Then when he got out of jail he had a five year probation period. That ended when I was twenty-two. He said Joseph might be working for an advertising firm in Canada that does a lot of business in the New England area of the United States."

"That would be a good explanation as to why Joseph was in town. Massachusetts is part of the New England region of the United States."

"Yes, well, I hope I never, ever have to see that son of a bitch again. I'm hoping by saying it out loud a lot, it might actually happen."

John Sr. laughed. "I hope for the same the thing, Trish. If you need a shoulder to cry on or you want someone to talk to, I'm here for you. You don't have to tell me any specifics. Just tell me how you felt or how you feel at the very moment when the memories come up."

"Thanks. You don't want to know the specifics…"

"…And we'll just leave it at that."

"Thank you," I said.

"Anytime, Trish."

I smiled.

I ended up falling asleep on the sofa. I was sleep deprived from the baby and from having bad dreams the night before. I ended up sleeping for three and half hours. John ended up being the one waking me up.

"Hey you," I said.

"Hey," John said. He gave me a kiss.

"Have I been asleep all this time?"

"Yes. Dad went into his room to nap."

I nodded my head. "Wait? Where's Little Johnny?"

"He's with Melissa and Boog," John said.

"Where are they?"

"Up-stairs in his room. I came here and found you asleep on the sofa. I went looking for everyone else. Melissa and Boog were just in his room with the baby. They said where Dad was."

I nodded my head. "I can't believe I slept through him crying. He must have woken up needing a diaper change."

"Melissa and Boog took care of him. You did not get a whole lot of sleep last night and everyone knows why."

"I need to make sure my son is okay first hand," I said. "I love my sister and your brother dearly, but…"

"…No explanation necessary, sweetheart," John said. "Come on."

The two of us got up from the sofa and walked up-stairs. We went into Boog's room, where the door was wide open.

"Hey sleepy head," Melissa said. She was sitting on the bed, reading. Little Johnny was lying in the play pen that been down-stairs. I guess Boog or Melissa had brought it up-stairs. Boog was sitting at his desk, playing on his computer.

"Hi," I said.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Boog asked.

"Apparently since I slept for three hours."

"You needed it," John said.

I walked over to the play pen and picked up my son. He fussed a little, but calmed right back down when I had him secure in my arms. "Thank you for taking care of him," I said.

"No problem," Melissa said.

"Yeah," Boog said. "I don't understand why some babies are hard to take care of."

"It all depends on if they are sickly babies. Little Johnny is healthy for right now. He might end up getting colic and then he'll be a very miserable baby."

"Yes, Trish has read up on taking care of babies," John said. "She'll apply that knowledge momentarily."

"Yes, I will. But I wish to go home."

John nodded his head. We got ready to go home then. We said good-bye to Boog, Melissa, and John Sr. Then we were out the door and on our way home. John had the next day off work. I was very happy for that. We spent the rest of the evening together and made plans to decorate the apartment the next day for Christmas.