Ch 110 Back to normal

Back to normal

                   

“Hello, Jasmine,” Jeff said, as he came into the house, removed his jacket and hung it up. 

He hoped things were back to normal with his daughter, but she merely glared at him and walked right past without responding. 

So much for hope. 

“Where’s Troy? You two are usually glued together,” he said, casually.

“What do I care where he is?” she replied.

He ran frustrated fingers through his hair. “Have you started dinner yet?” Jeff asked.

“Why should I?” she said.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, just as Janet came into the foyer and smiled at him. “Oh, I dunno, cuz maybe we’d like to eat. I could call for pizza I suppose.”

“Hi, Daddy,” Janet said and she gave him a hug. “I’ll make dinner. I’m better at it anyway.”

“As if!” Jasmine snapped and she huffed on her way to the kitchen where they could hear slamming cabinets and banging pots.

Janet smirked. “That’s how you get her to do anything,” she whispered.

He muffled his laughter, lest Jasmine hear it. “I’ll try to remember that. You’re so much like your mother it’s scary sometimes.”

Janet shrugged. “You okay?” she asked.

“I…uh… not really. Your mom called me last night and…um…I let it slip you know what happened,” he said.

She folded her arms over her chest and made a face at him. “Why did you do that? And over the phone…I told you not over the phone,” she said.

“It’s just…I can’t lie to her. I never could, so when she asked…”

Janet shook her head and gave him a look which clearly stated, “You’re pathetic.”

“I know…” he mumbled running his fingers through his hair again. “And I threw Dawn under the bus, too. Wendy was so mad that she told you.”

“Oh, Dad,” Janet whined, closing her eyes. Then she sighed. “It’s okay. She’ll be home soon and I’ll talk to her.” She frowned at the guilty expression on his face. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He shook his head. “Just like Wendy, you are. I…uh, I talked to Karen,” he said reluctantly.

“Did you?" she said, stunned. "And of course you told Mom. I’m thinking she was annoyed about that, too.”

“Oh, yeah!”

“What did Karen say?” Janet asked biting down on her lip.

“She pretty much confirmed everything you said. You were right about all of it….except…”

“What?”

“Her motive wasn’t just jealousy or to break us up.”

Janet frowned. “Did she expect you to dump Mom, fall in love and live happily ever after with her?”

“Something like that,” he said, amazed at her perceptiveness. “How could you possibly know that?”

She shrugged. “The most important thing I’ve learned from my yenta business is love makes people do the dumbest things and there’s no cure for stupid,” she said. “And you told Mom all this?” 

He nodded. “Wouldn’t believe a word I said. She thinks I’m using you.”

“Using me? That’s nuts!” she shouted indignantly. “I was the one that started this whole thing! Didn’t you tell her that?”

“Didn’t get a chance. She wouldn’t listen,” he whined.

“Oh, Dad,” she said, sighing again. “All right. Don’t worry about it now. I’ll handle it. Why did she call you?”

“I called her first and left a message. Told her I messed up with Jasmine and…she never did tell me how to fix things,” he said.

“Don’t worry about that either,” Janet said. “I was thinking of bringing her with me tonight to Luke's.”

“Don’t! You’ll mess things with Luke. You said he’s stressing out already. You think Jasmine’s gonna help that?”

She made a face and shook her head. “You’re right. But I will talk to him again about her…and see if…you know...”

Jeff smiled as he caressed her cheek and he might have said something had the front door not burst open just then admitting Tristan and Donny.

“Hi, Uncle Jeffy. Hi, Janet!” Tristan said jubilantly. “Guess where we went!”

“Uh…somewhere fun, I’m thinking,” Jeff said, looking at the spider painted on his right cheek, the stickers on his shirt, the balloon on a string floating over his head and the stuffed Buzz Lightyear in his arms.

“Junco’s Funland! We played games and rode on da bumper cars and we had hotdogs and chili fies, and cotton candy and…uh-oh…dat was a secret,” he said his eyes suddenly going wide. 

Janet and Jeff laughed. “Mr. Sebastian, you're a naughty boy!” she said.

“He’s not! He’s real nice,” Tristan said, his little face earnest. “Please don’t tell Mommy.”

“Janet is only kidding. We won’t tell,” Jeff said.

“You better not, or I’m dead meat!” Donny said. “I swear his mother’s gonna skin me alive and she doesn’t even know me yet, but it was sure fun. Haven’t been there since…since my kids were Tristan’s age.”

“Did you say thank you to Mr. Sebastian for the fun day, Tristan?” Janet asked as she helped him off with his jacket.

“Uh-huh, Mr. Bashen is so cool!”

“Right back atcha, Buddy,” Donny said, rubbing the boy’s newly cut hair.

“Hey! Did you get a haircut?” Janet said, staring up and Donny. “How’d you get him to agree to that?”

"A bubble gum accident is my guess," Jeff said, chuckling.

Donny shrugged and scratched his own freshly cut head. “Oh, he seemed to want to for some unknown reason.”

They gaped at him then laughed and fawned all over the boy’s new short hair, which was mercifully out of his eyes. “You look beautiful, Tristan,” Janet said giving him a hug.

“I know,” he said, unabashed.

“Anyway, um…I guess I should be heading home,” Donny added, looking wistfully at his companion. “Thanks for the fun time, Tristan. See you tomorrow, okay?”

“Don’t you want to take your kid home with you?” Jeff said, smirking.

Donny stared at him. “Could I? Tristan’s a great kid and I wouldn’t mind taking him home with me. I’d take good care of him.”

Jeff chuckled. “That's obvious, but I was talking about your other kid… Cindy. Remember her? She’s probably around here somewhere. She and Stevie are almost glued together these days.”

“They’re not here yet. They’re coming home on the late bus after Stevie’s game. They’ll get here in about ten minutes,” Janet said looking at the clock on the wall. “You can stay and have dinner with us, Mr. Sebastian. Unless you had too many hotdogs.”

“Well, I have to wait for Cindy at least,” he said, a sheepish look on his face.

“May Lyn may have a tough time getting her kid back,” Jeff said. “Wanna beer?”

“Sure, that would be nice,” Donny said.

“I’ll get it, Dad,” Janet said and she went into the kitchen where she found Jasmine flustered, flushed and completely out of her element. “Need any help?”

“Would be nice!” she snapped. “I shouldn't have to do all this alone!"

"You mean like I always do?" Janet retorted.

"Oh, well, aren't you special? You could at least do something, unless you’re too much of a big star to fuss in the kitchen anymore.”

“Umm, true,” Janet said. “Doubt Beyonce has time to cook, although she should since she didn’t take much time out of her busy day to learn the national anthem, but I could be wrong.” 

Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Are ya gonna help me or not?”

“Okay, I’ll be back. Just getting a beer for Mr. Sebastian,” she said, taking two out of the fridge. “Troy coming over tonight?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Jasmine replied in a snit.

“You two fighting?”

“None of your business,” she snapped.

Janet left muttering, “She’s such a joy to be around.”

They were almost done eating when Troy and Wes showed up looking rather dejected.

“Uh-oh, did you lose?” Cindy asked.

“Big time. It was humiliating,” Troy said, grabbing a plate and filling it to over-flowing before sitting down and attempting to kiss Jasmine. She slipped out of his reach before he could, leaving him looking wounded. “Jazzy, what’s up?”

She glared at him. “If you don’t know, I’m not gonna tell you!” she said and with a huff she left the kitchen.

“What did I do?” Troy whined.

“Probably nothing,” Jeff said. “It’s me she’s mad at and she’s taking out on everybody else. Eat, don’t worry.”

Janet rolled her eyes. “Oy! Please, smack me if I ever act like that,” she said.

Wes grinned, kissed her cheek and then pretended to smack her.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “I was just like that, huh?”

He nodded. “A little bit, yeah.”

“Sorry, smack me real hard if I ever do it again," she said.

He laughed and shook his head. “Can’t, my mom told me I’m not allowed to hit girls. Tell ya what. I’ll hug you real tight. How about that?”

She giggled. “Okay,” she said. She looked up and noticed her father staring at her. “What?”

He smiled. “You’re so cute together.”

She blushed and stood gathering dishes. “Wes, why don’t you eat something and I’ll clean up. Then we can go if you’re not too tired to take me to Luke's.”

“I’ll take you,” he said, smirking. “I can’t leave my girl alone with a super hot rock star, you know.”

“Oh, shut up,” she mumbled.

“Can I go home with you, Wes, when you come back?” Cindy asked. “We have tons of homework to do.” She cast Stevie a hopeful glance which he returned.

“Too late for you to be out. Right, Dad?” Wes said, but his father wasn’t even listening. He was too busy talking to Tristan. “Dad?”

“Huh?” Donny said.

Wes laughed. “You know, you’re gonna have to give him back when his mother comes,” he said.

“What?”

“Never mind. Cindy wants to stay here to do homework until I get back. That okay?”

Donny frowned. “No, it’s not. You’re going home with me,” he said.

“But, Dad,” Cindy whined.

“Run off and do your homework,” Jeff said. “I’ll keep your dad here watching the game with me until you're done.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Stevie said, grabbing Cindy’s hand and running off.

“Wait, what just happened?” Donny said.

Wes laughed. “Tristan wants you to watch the game with him, don’t you?”

“Okay,” Tristan said, smiling up at Donny, taking his hand and tugging him out of the kitchen.

“You’d think he’d be sick of me by now,” Donny said, though he looked thoroughly pleased.

“No I wouldn’t," Jeff saaid and he waited for theem to be out of earshot before turning to Wes and adding,"Tristan hasn't ever had a father, Wes, as Janet might have told you. Good of you to share yours with him,” Jeff  then winked before he followed the others into the living room. 

Wes continued to eat with a furrowed brow. When he was done he took his plate to the sink and said, "Janet, did you ever find anyone for my dad?"

"What do you mean?" she said as she covered a bowl with a lid and placed it in the fridge.

"My yenta was supposed to find my dad the love of his life, remember?"

"Oh," she said, making an apologetic face. "Kinda got put on the back burner. Sorry."

"How about your Aunt May Lyn?" he suggested.

She gaped at him then her eyes went to the doorway leading to the living room where she knew Tristan and Donny were huddled together like they had been all week.  She then turned back to Wes with a brilliant smile. "You messing in on my yenta business?"

Wes laughed. "Just saying... think about it, huh? My dad's already in love with her kid. That's gotta count for something."

Janet smiled as she cleaned up the rest of the kitchen. "Oh, I'm already formulating a plan...no worries there."

"Good to know some things are back to normal, but why is Jasmine mad at me?" Troy asked.

Janet shrugged. "You're on your own there, bud."