Chapter 53: Lucky to have you

                                             

“Janet getting a boyfriend,” Steve interjected. “Now, that’s a miracle and something to celebrate. At least Mom said that's what we were celebrating on Friday.”

“You did not, you big fat liar!” Janet snapped.

“Did, too. You weren’t home Friday or you would have seen that she did make a special dinner to celebrate you getting Wes,” Steve said.

“She did,” Jasmine interjected. “It was very nice.”

"I thought it was really weird...celebrating something for you when you weren't even there," Troy said.

Janet pressed her lips together and sat with her arms crossed over her chest refusing to notice the smug look on Wes’ face. 

Cindy tugged on Wes’ arm. “Give Janet a great big kiss for me,” she whispered.

“What for?” he said.

“She’s awesome. Daddy’s laughing, like really laughing. He’s so happy when she’s around,” she said beaming.

“She can be very charming when she wants to be,” he replied. He then turned to Janet and kissed her on the cheek, startling her.

“What are you doing?” she hissed angrily.

“Cindy told me to give you a great big kiss to thank you for making Dad so happy,” he whispered in her ear, close enough so that his lips touched her skin sending shivers up her spine. 

“I…It’s my job. You promised your father no PDAs. Don’t break your promises,” she said.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said.

While everyone else was eating with gusto, Janet barely touched her food. She just couldn’t eat. It felt as if there were several octopuses in her belly and she didn’t quite know why.

“Janet, are you feeling all right?” Donny asked. “You’re hardly eating.”

“I’m fine,” she said nibbling on something she didn’t even recognize, although it tasted wonderful.

“Don’t you like it?” Wes asked. “Would you like something else? Or I could trade with you? Mine is great. You might like it better.”

“I’m fine. I’m just not that hungry,” she told them.

“Janet, you have to eat everything or Mom will think her food stinks and that nobody likes it and then she’ll get all…you know,” Jasmine said.

Janet gasped. “I didn’t think of that,” she mumbled and took up her fork again, but she could barely get two mouthfuls down before she put it down again. She simply couldn’t eat. “You think, if I asked Mr. Frank, that Mom could come out and say hello to us? We can tell her what a great job she’s done.”

“I doubt it,” Troy said. “The place is jam-packed.”

“I’m sure she’s probably too busy and asking her to make an appearance would just cause her stress,” Donny said.

Janet shook her head. “You don’t know Mom. Nothing ever stresses her,” she said.

“I don’t know about that, Janet. She was a nervous wreck before she left the house,” Wes reminded her. 

"I'll bet anything Mom's having a party in the kitchen. it's her domain," Janet said.

The waiter came just then for their dessert order. Since none of them were ready, they sent him away until they looked over the menu.

“Janet, what would you like?” Donny asked.

“None for me, thanks,”Janet said just as a voice from behind her made her jump.

“Hey, kids,” Jeffery said happily.

“Hi, Daddy,” Jasmine said, jumping up and hugging him.

“Hey, Dad,” Steve said. “You here alone? Come sit with us.”

“Of course he isn’t,” Janet muttered. “I'm sure he has to get back to his date.”

“I was here with Harry Harmen, his brother, Dave and his fiancé Sara. They left just now,” Jeffery said, staring at the back of Janet’s head. “Hello, Janet.”

Janet wasn’t going to reply and refused to look at him, but she suddenly felt Wes’ hand squeeze hers under the table. “Hello,” she grudgingly said.

Jeffery made to touch Janet on the shoulder, but thought better of it.

Instead, he looked around the table until his eyes fell on Donny, who had been grinning up at him. 

“Don, what in the world are you doing here with my kids?”

“I didn’t know they were your kids,” Donny said, standing up and shaking hands with him. “Janet invited me and my kids, Wes and Cindy.”

“You know each other?” Wes and Janet said precisely at the same time.

“Jinx!” Cindy and Steve said simultaneously and then they laughed.

Jeffery stared at Wes and then at Cindy. “I see,” he mumbled. “Your son is dating my Janet.”

“Your Janet…Oh, my God,” Donny said, gaping at Janet. “It was you.”

“What?” Janet said.

“You don’t remember. It was ten years ago at least. You helped me pick out earrings at your dad’s shop…for my wife,” Donny said.  

“For Mom?” Wes said.

“I did?” she said frowning. 

“They were pearls. You said they would look nice with her long hair. You were so adorable. I fell in love with you on the spot,” Donny said.

Suddenly, Janet soared back in time. She remembered it clearly.

She was six and chatting endlessly with her father as he worked on the clasp of a string of pearls from an elderly and rather wealthy woman who needed them for that night’s charity event. Somehow, for Mrs. Burrows anyway, pearls always were important for when she was about to give away her money.

“Daddy, can I fix sompin?” she asked as she picked up his tools and examined each in turn.

“Sure, Baby, go out and fix the transmission on my car. It’s starting to act up,” he joked.

“Silly, Daddy. I dunno how to do dat,”Janet said, giggling.

“That’s okay, I don’t want my Janet Baby getting all dirty under my car. We’ll let Stevie do it. He likes getting dirty.”

The door opened then and the tinkling bell sounded. “Oh, I know, Daddy! I can sell sompin,” she said excitedly.

“Okay, Baby, show me your sales pitch,” he said and he got up and followed her out to the front. She climbed onto a stool behind the counter. “May I help you, Sir?” she said slowly.

Don smiled at her after acknowledging Jeffery with a nod. “I hope you can. I want something special for my wife. She just got her first novel published and I want to give her something to show her I’m very proud of her. What do you suggest?”

Janet put her little chin in her hand and screwed her face in concentration. “What does she look like?” she asked.

“She’s beautiful with long curly hair and she has big brown eyes just like you.”

“Hmm...I think earrings. It’s better den a necklace or a ring cuz it’s two of dem,” she said. Jeffery stifled a laugh and helped her down from the stool. She went around to the front of the display case and pointed at the earrings.

“When was she born?” she asked.

“June,” Donny answered promptly.

“Daddy, what’s the bird stone for June?” she asked.

“Pearl, Baby,” Jeffery said.

“Dat’s right. You should get dose for her,” she said pointing out a pair at the front of the case. “Mommy says long dangling earrings are bedder for girls with long hair and it has three little diamonds, too. All girls like diamonds, accep me. I like ruby. Dat’s my bird stone.”

“Well, you are very knowledgeable and you’ve been extremely helpful, Donny said. “I’ll take them. You are an excellent sales girl. You’re Daddy’s very lucky to have you.”

“Yeah, he says dat alla time,” she retorted, grabbing her father’s hand and grinning up at him.

“Fresh water pearls, pink with three little diamonds, dangling ones,” Janet said coming back to the present.

Donny grinned. “Exactly, I can't believe you remember,” he replied. 

“I can’t believe…you remember me,” she said staring at him.

“And I can’t believe you didn’t take me with you, Dad,” Wes said, thoroughly annoyed.

“Why would I take you shopping for jewelry?” he asked, bewildered.

“I would have met Janet sooner,” he said.

They all gaped at him. “You were seven years old, Wesley,” Don said. “You didn’t expect to start dating her then, did you?”

“Over my dead body,” Jeffery and Janet muttered at the same time.

“Jinx,” Cindy said again.

“They do that all the time,” Steve whispered to her. "They're like twins."

Janet finally glanced at her father who had the same loving smile on his face now as he did that day so long ago. 

She suddenly wished she was six years old again.