“I’m in first grade.” He stood up straighter so he was even taller than she was. She still had all of her baby teeth, and she probably couldn’t even read yet.
“My mommy teaches first grade! Come on!” She took him by the hand and he stumbled up the steps behind her. “Mommy, here he is!” she shouted once she got inside the door. He never got to yell at home.
Jack pulled his hand back and carefully examined the house. It was tall, not too fancy, and it had a staircase just like his. He breathed in deeply. “What’s that smell?”
“It’s coffee,” a lady-voice said, surprising Jack. He hadn’t seen her. Maybe she just appeared. Maybe she was magic. She smiled and held out her hand. “Jack, I’m Bobbi,” she said reaching out a hand.
She knew his name. Then he remembered. “I know you,” he said.
“You saw me yesterday at court.”
“No, at school.”
“I teach first grade at your school.”
“Yeah!” He snapped his fingers. “You’re Mrs. Mo-whatever.”
“Mo-lin-sky,” Shannon corrected.
“At school, I’m Mrs. Molinsky, but here, you can call me Bobbi.”
“No, you’re a grown-up,” Jack said, “I can’t call grown-ups by their first name.” His mother hated that, too. He chewed his bottom lip and scowled as he tried to think. “Mrs. Dad.” Jack nodded. “I like it.” His dad finally made it inside with his suitcase. “Dad, Mrs. Dad teaches at my school. I know her already.”
“See, you fit right in.” His dad patted his shoulder, and then he leaned over and kissed Mrs. Dad. On the mouth! In front of everybody! “I’ll go get the pizza,” he said. “Pepperoni for everybody?”
Jack nodded, and made slurping noises. He grinned broadly when his sister joined in. He already liked having a sister. Once his dad left, Mrs. Dad pointed down a long hallway. “Shannon, why don’t you show Jack where the toys are?”
Toys! He completely forgot about toys! His mom didn’t pack any even. Thank goodness they had some. Shannon took his hand again and led him back through the house. “This way!”
“Jack, I’ll take your things upstairs,” Mrs. Dad called after them.
“Wait!” Jack ran back from the family room. “My dad said I could pick my room.”
“You can sleep in Brad’s room,” she said, and he followed her up the stairs. “Joel’s coming tomorrow, so he’ll need his own room.”
“My brother?”
“What about Brat?” He never heard Shannon sneak up behind them.
“Brad.” Mrs. Dad made a big deal about the ‘d.’ “Brad is coming, too, but he won’t be sleeping here.” She opened the second door at the top of the steps. “Here you go, Jack.”
He walked slowly through the room. Everything was dark blue - the curtains, the bedspread, part of the walls. He walked over and pushed on the bed. It felt soft enough. He punched the pillow. It was good, too. The dresser, though, had real treasure - football trophies. “Was Brad a football player?”
“Since he was about eight, I think,” Mrs. Dad said. She walked to the dresser and pulled one of the trophies down for him. “This was his favorite. His teammates voted to give it to him.”
Jack held the trophy carefully, afraid to breathe on it even. He touched the letters on the nameplate. “E-e-eagle Spirit. What’s that mean?”
“The Eagles is the team name, and the team voted on the player who showed the most character and dedication.”
“So he was like the best?”
“Maybe not the best player, but he’s a terrific young man.”
He eased the trophy back into Mrs. Dad’s hands. He didn’t have any trophies or anything. He lightly touched the desk, and took a deep breath.
“Is everything okay?” Mrs. Dad asked.
“Yeah,” Jack said. “It smells tough. Not like a bully, but still tough.”
“That’s Brad’s cologne,” Shannon said. “He wears way too much. C’mon, I’ll show you my room!” Shannon scrambled down the hall and Jack shuffled out behind her.
When Chuck returned with the pizza, Bobbi sent the children to wash their hands. Moments later, they bounded into the kitchen. “I wanna sit by Jack!” Shannon exclaimed.
“You don’t have a choice,” Bobbi answered. “I already set the table. You have to sit by Jack.”
Shannon smiled at her, and took her seat. “Jack, she always teases like that. You’ll get used to it.”
“My mom never teases,” he said, as he surveyed the table carefully. “Is that my dad’s seat?” He pointed to the seat on his right.
“Yes.” Bobbi patted his chair, and he climbed up in it.
“Good, I like it that way,” he said. “Do we hafta have milk to drink?”
“Not on pizza Friday,” Bobbi said. She brought the pizza to the table, and then took her seat with Chuck and the children.
“Jack, give me your hand,” Chuck said. “Each meal we say a prayer. You ever pray before?”
“No.” He frowned, and pulled his hand back to his lap.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to hold hands. Praying is just talking to God, telling Him thank You for our food, and anything else we want to say.”
“To who?” Jack asked. “I don’t know anybody named God. My mom does though. She talks to him a lot, mostly when she’s mad.”
Bobbi cringed, imagining the things Jack might have heard in his short life. “This is a little different,” she said. “God takes care of us—”
“But I thought my mom did. I mean of me. She doesn’t take care of you guys.”
“Jack ...”
“Are you getting mad? ’Cause sometimes I ask too many questions.”
“I’m not mad. See if this makes sense. God made everything, and He’s in charge of everything. Sometimes He does things Himself, but sometimes He helps people do some of the things that need to be done.”
“Did He make the pizza?”
“No, but He made people smart enough to figure out how to make pizza and He made your dad smart enough to have a job, so we could have money to buy it.”
“Okay.” Jack reached his hands out to Chuck and Shannon. “That I can believe.”
Chuck took the boy’s hand and winked at her as he squeezed her hand. “Now you kind of look down like this and close your eyes.” Chuck bowed his head to show the boy, and Jack dutifully followed his lead.
“Father God, thank You for our food, and the day You’ve given us. Thank You for Jack. Give him a good visit this weekend, and bless Bobbi and Shannon and Brad and Joel and Grandma. Amen.”
“Can I try it?” Jack asked.
“Absolutely,” Chuck said.
Jack took a deep breath and lowered his head again. “Father God, thank You for my mom and my dad, for Mrs. Dad, for my brothers and my sister. Amen.” He started to raise his head, but quickly bowed it again. “Oh and the food. Thank You, amen.” He raised his head. “I messed up a little.”
“You did fine, Jack. Just fine.”
Chuck pulled the covers back on Brad’s bed, and Jack climbed in. “So what do you think?”
“About what?”
“About your family. How was your first night?”
Jack frowned several moments before answering. “I don’t know if this is gonna work.”
“Why not? What’s wrong?” Chuck sat on the edge of the bed, and motioned for Jack to sit beside him.
“I don’t think I can be as special as everybody else.” He dropped his chin down to his chest and absently traced the stitching in the quilt. “Brad has trophies.”
Chuck slipped down and knelt in front of Jack. “Son?” He waited for Jack to look up. “I know we need to get to know each other, but you’re as much my son as Brad and Joel are. You’re as much mine as Shannon is. It doesn’t matter how you got here, I love you, and I always will.”
“But you never even saw me until that night at my house.”
“Doesn’t matter. I love you because you’re my son.”
“Don’t ever think that.” He pulled Jack close, and hugged him tightly. “I love you because I want to. I can’t help it.”
“What about when I go home?”
“Do you think your mom still loves you even though you’re here with me?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said, straightening up.
“You belong here with me just as much as you belong with your mom. This is your place, your family. It may take a little while for it to feel that way, but it is. It always will be.”
Jack nodded, but he still frowned.
“Here, this’ll help.” He pulled a box down from the closet shelf, and set it on the bed. He dug through the box until he pulled out a stuffed monkey with long, gangly arms and legs. The monkey wore a yellow felt crown. “This,” Chuck said, handing the monkey to Jack, “is King MooKoo.”
Jack straightened the monkey’s arms and legs, and the slightest grin formed. “I can keep him?”
“He’s Brad’s. I can’t give him away, but you can sleep with him. Oh wait, I think he’s issuing a royal edict.” Chuck took the monkey back and held him up to his ear. “Yes, Your Highness.” He nodded vigorously, and Jack smiled, straining to hear the monkey speak.
“What’d he say?” Jack asked, eyes wide.
“He asked you if you wanted to join the Order of the Mole.”
“The what?”
“The Order of the Mole. You know, like in Mole-insky.”
“I have to change my name?”
“Of course not. You can be Sir Jack Ravenna of the Order of the Mole.”
“Who else is in the Order of the Mole?”
“Well, I’m Sir Charles, and my father was Sir James, then of course, there’s Sir Joel and Sir Bradley.”
“Sir Joel of the Mole?”
“Yeah, that one makes me laugh, too.”
“What do I have to do?”
“It’s mostly an honorary title. You just have to pledge your loyalty to the other members of the Order.”
“And they pledge to me, too?”
“Exactly. Of course, you’ll be pledged to any future members of the Order, whoever they may be.”
Jack thought for a moment, and then he stood beside the bed, and bowed low. “Please inform His Highness, King MooKoo, that I accept.”
Chuck whispered to the monkey, and nodded again. “He says we must confirm this with the Handshake of Solemnity.”
“The what?”
Chuck set the monkey down on the bed, and then he ceremoniously held his right hand up and spit into it. Then he rubbed his hands together, and nodded for Jack to follow. Jack spit into his hands with enthusiasm and rubbed them together. “My mom never lets me spit!”
Chuck held his right hand out and Jack reached to shake it. Chuck stretched his left hand out for Jack to shake it, too. After a moment, he dropped his hands. “That’s all there is to it.”
“And I can’t get kicked out?”
“Never.” Chuck patted the bed. “Think you can sleep now?”
“Can I have King MooKoo?”
Chuck tossed the monkey to him, then leaned down and kissed his forehead. He laid a hand on Jack’s shoulder and bowed his head. “Dear God, thank You for Jack. Help him to be a man who honors You in everything and help us be the family he needs. Help me especially to be a good dad. Bless him, keep him safe, and help him know how much You love him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” Chuck kissed him again. “Goodnight, Jack. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Dad.” He rolled over, and scooted further under the covers.
Chuck lingered for just a moment before turning out the light. I love you, too, Dad ... God, You are the only one who could redeem something as awful as adultery. He looked in on Shannon, and whispered a prayer for her before he headed downstairs to find his wife.
Bobbi unloaded the dishwasher, taking the time to decompress. She made it through tonight, but tomorrow they were having a cookout to make Jack’s addition to the family official. Along with Brad, Joel and Ann, all of Rita’s children would be here, except Danny. Chuck expected her to be the model of gracious acceptance. How was she supposed to help everyone else adjust when she couldn’t?
Granted, Jack was a sweet little boy, but every time he called Chuck “Dad” or mentioned his “brothers,” her blood ran cold. He wasn’t hers. He would never be hers. He would always be that woman’s son. Every time Bobbi looked at him, she saw his mother.
She put the last glass away and eased the dishwasher door closed. Before she could pull a cup down from the cabinet, Chuck slipped into the kitchen, startling her when he spoke.
“He’s all settled in. It took a little while, but Brad’s monkey was in the closet—”
“What?” Bobbi whipped around to face him. “That was Brad’s. You had no right.”
“I gave him Brad’s monkey to sleep with, not to keep. What’s the big deal?”
“It belongs to my son, and I will not stand by and let you give his things to her son.”
“Honey—”
“No, Chuck, you refuse to see it, but there is a difference.” She turned back around, and yanked a bag of coffee closer. She scooped enough for one cup, and dumped it into the basket of the coffeemaker.
“So when you said you’d take Jack in a minute, you didn’t mean any of that? I thought this wasn’t about Jack.”
“It’s not about Jack. He has a mother.” Bobbi measured the water and poured it into the reservoir. “He will never be my son, and I am not going to be his mother. I will be a gracious weekend hostess, but don’t ask me for any more.”
CHAPTER 11
INSINUATION
Saturday, September 8
“You want to do the salad or the burgers?” Bobbi swung the refrigerator door open, and waited for her sister to choose.
“Oh, I don’t mind to chop,” Rita said. “I’ll do the salad.”
“Excellent choice.” Bobbi pulled out the lettuce and tomatoes.
“So how are things? And tell me the truth because Chuck and the kids won’t be back from the movie for a half hour.”
“Jack is very sweet, extremely polite. He and Shannon hit it off immediately, and he thinks Chuck walks on water.”
“I’ll have to get that boy aside, and set him straight,” Rita said with a teasing smile. She rinsed her knife and began peeling carrots. “What about Tracy? How did the exchange go?”
“Chuck said it was one hundred percent normal. Tracy was almost pleasant.” Bobbi patted out a hamburger, and then punched it back into a ball. “I still don’t trust her.”
“I couldn’t tell.” Rita smiled, and scraped the carrot pieces from the cutting board into the bowl. “What else for the salad?”
“Red onion, and cucumber if you want it.”
“Not particularly. Oh, did I tell you Kelly and Patrick will be late? He has to work.”
“They’ll probably be here before Brad. Let me think ... two, five, seven, twelve, thirteen. Right? Thirteen of us. No, fourteen. I forgot Jack. Good grief.”
“It’ll take some getting used to. Don’t worry about it. Did Joel bring his girlfriend?”
“No, her little boy was sick, maybe strep.”
“Is he really going to marry her?”
“You heard him. Honestly, I can’t think about that right now. I had to push it off to the side. Maybe when we get into a routine with Jack, I can talk to Joel some more. A routine with Jack, that’s a good one.”
“Give yourself some time to adjust to this. Nobody expects you to absorb this all at once.”
“Except Chuck. He thinks we should already be one big happy family.”
“Well, he’s delusional.”
“That’s more polite than most of the things I’ve called him in the last twenty-four hours.” She stacked the hamburger patties on a platter and covered them. “He just ... he doesn’t understand ...”
“And Glen’s no help.”
“No, G
len thinks this is just the greatest opportunity that’s ever dropped in my lap. But that woman. You know what she said to me? That the affair was just so she could pregnant. She chose Chuck because she knew he wouldn’t leave me, and she could take her baby and go.”
“So why’d she come back?”
“Same reason she dragged Jack all across the country twice. She’s mental. Or she’s up to something.”
“Mom! Where’s everybody at?” Brad called from the front of the house.
“Will wonders ever cease?” Bobbi said to Rita. “In the kitchen, Brad!”
“Hey, Aunt Rita,” Brad said, and then he kissed his mother on the cheek, and dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. “Dad told me four o’clock.”
“It’s four-thirty,” Bobbi said.
“I’m close,” Brad said.
“We’re not eating until five or five-thirty.”
“That explains why he told me four then.” Brad stood again, stretched, and then went to the refrigerator for a drink. “How’s the usurper?”
“Jack slept in your room last night. He thinks you’re very cool.”
“Well then, he’s a very perceptive little guy.” He opened his can of Coke and took a long drink. “Shannon okay with him?”
“They were instant buddies. You don’t have to worry.”
“You need me to start the grill or anything?”
“Sure, thanks,” Bobbi said. Brad finished his Coke, and headed out the back door. “Since Joel came home and announced his engagement, Brad decided to be the perfect son.”
“Are they going to be competitive like this the rest of their lives?” Rita asked, shaking her head.
Bobbi nodded, and glanced outside to make sure Brad was away from the door. “Possibly. Brad, for all his bluster, is very insecure. He hates being shown up by his little brother. If Joel had opted for law school, too, I think it would’ve done Brad in.”
“I would have never guessed. He’s so cool all the time.”
“He gets that from his mother,” Bobbi said, laughing. “You have to listen very closely to him, for little things like that usurper comment. Following his dad and his granddad to law school puts a lot of pressure on him. Chuck’s abandoned him to concentrate on Jack. He’s terrified he’s going to disappoint his dad.”
Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series Page 14
