After Bobby and Carlos left, Stephanie kept busy with her classes and exams. It took a lot of work to catch up for the weeks of classes she missed before her birthday. Every waking hour, Stephanie used to study and complete assignments. Someone must have pulled some serious favours to enrol Stephanie in the classes before January. Even auditing the classes where the student doesn't receive the course credit didn't start part way through the term. Professors preferred the students to attend from the beginning. Stephanie already had credits for the two courses on her transcript.
She received an email from the admissions department requesting a meeting with the dean at 1500 the following day. Stephanie printed her economics assignment, placed it between the report cover and slid the binding bar along the left edge. Her name, student number, project name and "Auditing" were neatly typed on the first page, visible through the transparent cover. The professors allowed her to submit assignments and homework to see what grades she would earn if she enrolled in the class.
Tank entered the home office, carrying a cup of coffee. He placed it on the coaster near the back edge of the desk where Stephanie couldn't accidentally knock it over and ruin her assignment. "Thanks, Big Guy. I'm running out of steam," Stephanie said. She dropped two copies of the project into her backpack. The second copy got tucked inside the binder.
"Why two copies?" Tank asked.
"I hand in my first copy during class. The second copy is in case some asshole spills coffee or cola on the professor's desk," Stephanie explained. Tank raised a brow, making Stephanie laugh. "It's happened to me a few times. Except I'm the asshole who trips over her shoelaces and spills whatever I hold."
Tank tipped his head back and laughed. Lester ran to the room to be part of the joke. "What's so funny?"
"I'm an asshole," Stephanie replied, grinning at her cousin-in-law.
Stephanie reached for the coffee Tank brought to her. She took a large drink, slightly burning her tongue. "Mmm. You always make me a perfect cup, Tank. Thanks," Stephanie said.
"No problem. It's half a cup of cream, half a cup of sugar, and a little bit of coffee," Tank teased. It wasn't, but Tank loved to joke with Stephanie. Her coffee was easy to make because it was how he used to drink it before joining the Army. Tank indulged occasionally.
Stephanie made a friend in her business statistics class. It was hilarious when Stephanie realized the woman was her sister-in-law. Stephanie put the pieces together when Jeanne mentioned her brother, Javier, got a woman pregnant and married her. Jeanne said Javier pretended to be their other brother, creating a confusing mess for the pregnant woman. Stephanie had asked, "Is her name Rachel?"
Grinning, Jeanne Ellen replied, "Yes. They have a daughter named Julie. Javier and Rachel are divorced. Rachel's suing him for sole custody and alimony."
"That makes sense. Do you think Javier will pay?" Stephanie heard a lot about Javier from Carlos. The brothers couldn't tolerate each other. Javier was always jealous of his younger brother, who had the brains and looks. Jeanne Ellen confirmed the brothers might be related by blood, but they hated each other. Stephanie thought it made perfect sense since Javier kept using his brother's name to hook up with skanks.
"Not even a penny," Jeanne Ellen replied. "Javier is narcissistic. He lives in the moment without regard for his loyalty, respect or self-preservation."
Jeanne Ellen thought back to the moment when everything changed between her brothers. Carlos got accused of jacking a car. He claimed innocence, but the cops said a boy fitting his description got spotted at the scene. Javier had alibis; Carlos didn't. Jeanne Ellen remembered her father yelling at Carlos before kicking him out of the house. Her mother, Maria, paid for the train ticket to Miami, where Carlos got sent to live with his grandma.
Stephanie heard the story from her husband, and they suspected Javier was behind it. Carlos was only fourteen. Javier was eighteen and could be charged as an adult. Stephanie wondered if Carlos never pressed the issue to protect his brother.
"Do you think their relationship fallout had to do with carjacking?" Stephanie asked.
"I know it has everything to do with it. Javier joined the Army after Carlos got sent to Miami," Jeanne Ellen replied. It was precisely what Stephanie suspected.
"How good are you at keeping secrets?" Stephanie asked.
"Excellent. I'm not one of those women who spread gossip," Jeanne Ellen replied. Stephanie sensed she could trust the woman.
"Carlos and I got married. I'm your sister-in-law," Stephanie whispered. Jeanne Ellen squealed and hugged Stephanie.
The women learned they had all the same classes during the second semester. It would make studying and completing assignments easier for Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen. They became quick friends. Jeanne Ellen told Stephanie everything about her fiancé, Kyle Burrows. They planned to get married after she graduated. Kyle Burrows was serving his first tour in the Army.
Nervous about the meeting with the dean, Stephanie could barely sleep. It was early in the morning. She stared at the alarm clock as the numbers slowly increased. By 0357, Stephanie was going crazy. Sleeping without Carlos was lonely.
With a stroke of what Stephanie considered brilliant, she sent Tank a message. Her curious mind demanded an answer.
Stephanie: You know what I've always wondered..? How do tall people like you actually sleep at night when the blanket can't possibly cover you from your shoulders to your toes???
Tank: Dude.
Tank: It's
Tank: 4 O'CLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING!!!
Stephanie: So.. you can't sleep, huh?
Stephanie: ..is it because of the blanket?
Tank: NO!!
Stephanie: Slow your roll, dude. You don't need to use shouty capitals.
Tank: Are you okay?
Stephanie: Can't sleep.
Tank: Is it because of the blanket?
Stephanie snorted. She fell off the bed from laughing at Tank's response. Her elbow hit the nightstand, knocking over the lamp and shattering the bulb. Within a few minutes, three men crowded her doorway. "I'm okay, guys," Stephanie said. She attempted to untangle her legs from the blanket.
Hector and Lester helped Stephanie remove the blankets from her legs. She couldn't stop giggling as they helped free her from the trap. Stephanie was thankful to have pulled on yoga pants during a washroom visit a few hours earlier. She wasn't exposing her panties to the men.
"What was so funny?" Lester asked, making Stephanie laugh harder.
"Blanket," Tank and Stephanie replied. Lester was confused.
Tank sighed and explained what had happened. Lester and Hector laughed. Stephanie let Tank pull her to her feet. She wiped her hands on her pants, then searched for the phone. Hector found it under the bed. He removed the dust bunnies and returned the phone.
"Gracias," she said. "Sorry for scaring everyone."
"No problem," Lester replied. "Now that we're awake, let's get some self-defence training done. The Air Force has to kick the Army's ass this year."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. She couldn't flip Tank over her back but could knock him down. "Do we have to? You know there isn't a regulated competition between the Air Force and the Army. The Air Force isn't known for their physical abilities. Buckingham and Dad created the competition for the recruits wanting to get into shape," Stephanie explained. "You or I could give them a run for their money, but I doubt either of us would win."
She followed the men to the room Stephanie designated as their exercise torture chambers. Stephanie created, printed and laminated the sign for the door. It read, "Behind this door lies the Torture Chamber. Enter at your own risk. Those who bravely enter… BEWARE!! You might find yourself eating mats." The others laughed at the name and Stephanie's warning. Stephanie made no apologies. She spent enough time face down on the mats during a sparring session.
Hector approached Stephanie when she got frustrated by the moves Lester tried to show her. Speaking in Spanish, Hector said, "Let me help." Hector and Stephanie were the same height. Learning the moves and how to react got easier through Hector's guidance. They practiced with Jeanne Ellen whenever she came over to visit.
The meeting with the dean went better than Stephanie expected. He was pleased she was settling into her classes to audit. Stephanie was shocked when he said she could take six courses during the following semester and graduate in June. It moved up the timeline of her missing by two months, provided she got hired at E. E. Martin.
After thanking the dean, Stephanie visited the Admissions Department and added the electives to her course load. It meant more hours in school, but it filled the gaps she had between classes. She left the campus smiling.
Provided Stephanie passed all her courses, she could graduate in June. Stephanie never told the guys she recognized the dean. He was Luigi Rossi, her dad's cousin on his mom's side. Luigi was pleased with Stephanie's progress in the courses she audited. He felt confident Stephanie wouldn't disappoint him. His cousin Frank never explained why Stephanie had to complete her degree. Luigi trusted his cousin. When Stephanie got home, she found Hector to practice throwing and fighting with knives.
Stephanie practiced with Hector every day until she felt confident. Tank volunteered several times. She still couldn't flip him. However, her technique for dropping him to the mats became fluid. It only took fifteen minutes to tackle Tank. She learned his moves and memorized them. As Stephanie's skills improved, so did her confidence. It took weeks to achieve the goal, but she got there. Nobody was more surprised than Tank when Stephanie finally tossed him over her shoulder. Stephanie fell to her knees on the mats. "How much do you weigh?" Stephanie asked Tank.
"Two twenty-five," Tank replied. "Carlos would be proud of you."
"I'm proud of me," Stephanie joked. "Now, what do I get to learn?"
Hector approached with his knives. Stephanie grinned. She couldn't wait to learn another skill.
Lester loved spending time with his cousin. It was rare for him to see his family. He grew up in Miami. The Manoso clan lived in New Jersey. They didn't have the resources to fly south for visits. Once a year, they took a road trip to visit the family. Lester's family mostly travelled north to visit. That changed when Carlos moved to Miami to live with Abuela Rosa.
Carlos was angry about getting shipped to Miami. He felt it further proved his parents didn't want him around. His brother, Javier, was incredibly jealous of Carlos. Nobody knew the reason. "It's probably because he was named after your uncle," Stephanie explained to Lester before she flipped him over her back.
"Nice move," Lester commented.
Every morning, Stephanie practiced with men. She instinctively woke up early every morning at 0500 hours. It was part of her routine. Stephanie alternated her training days. She used the exercise equipment on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, practiced knife throwing, and sparred with the guys on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She took Saturday off to grocery shop and complete other domestic chores. Most days, the guys handled the cleaning and shopping.
Stephanie laughed when Lester explained it was to keep her concealed. They didn't want Helen to learn Stephanie was living close to Trenton. "You don't want to meet my mother," Stephanie admitted.
"I remember your stories," Lester said, grinning. He thought Stephanie's reactions were hilarious. She wasn't someone you could force into a mould. Her out-of-the-box thinking was refreshing. "Didn't you say your sister was the same?"
Stephanie leaned against the counter as Lester made lunch for everyone. She shook her head when Lester pointed to the mayonnaise, then passed him the horseradish for her roast beef sandwich. Lester made a pot roast the previous night. Stephanie saved some to have for lunch. She could make her sandwich, but Lester insisted it was his turn.
"Yup. I thought Valerie would break free when she moved to LA with her husband. Mom somehow gets inside Valerie's head and makes her live up to her potential as an ideal Burg wife," Stephanie replied, shaking her head. Stephanie and Carlos briefly discussed having children. They wanted to let it happen organically but didn't want to try until after completing the mission. Bringing a child into the middle of the clusterfuck they hoped to prevent wasn't wise.
"Do you want kids?" Lester asked. He placed Stephanie's sandwich on the plate and gave it to her. She moved to sit at the table and waited for Tank and Hector to join her. Lester quickly made chicken sandwiches for the rest of them. Tank sat beside Stephanie, leaving Lester and Hector across the table.
Stephanie smiled at her friend and cousin-in-law. She ate her sandwich before answering. "Eventually. Not until we solve this mess."
"And you don't want to raise a child without his father," Tank added, understanding Stephanie's thoughts. "Little Girl, you have us to help when Carlos can't."
"Thank you, Big Guy. You are an important member of my family," Stephanie said. She touched Hector's arm and looked at Lester. "All of you are my brothers." Stephanie grinned and giggled.
"What's so funny?" Lester asked. He was always curious about what Stephanie found humorous.
"The look on Mom's face when she realizes who I chose as my brothers. Her lips would become thin from pressing them together. With flared nostrils, she would go to the cupboard where she stores the Jim Beam, pour herself a healthy glass, and knock it back like Jell-O shots at a sorority party," Stephanie explained. She chuckled as she imagined her mother calling the drink her iced tea. "People say I resemble Mom. Give me a second. I'll show you what I mean." Stephanie focused on suppressing the laughter. She mimicked what she described, down to storming to the kitchen to pour a shot of orange juice from the fridge and drinking it in one swallow.
Tank found Stephanie's description funny. Watching her act, it was hilarious. The men slapped their legs as they laughed.
"What about your husband?" Tank asked.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. She placed a hand on her hip and crossed her eyes. "Stephanie Michelle Plum! How could you embarrass me? What will the neighbours think?" Stephanie shrilly said, copying her mother's tone. The guys are laughing harder when Carlos and Bobby enter the kitchen.
"Babe?" Carlos asked. He smiled at his wife, amused by her act. Carlos heard her performance.
"Oh, Carlos. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. Do you want something to eat?"
Carlos approached his wife. He tugged her from the chair and whispered, "Yes. You."
Stephanie squeaked when Carlos tossed her over his shoulder. She slapped his ass as he carried her to their bedroom.
Tank and Lester shook their heads. "I guess she's offline," Lester replied, then made a sandwich for Bobby.