Ch 133 What’s up with you

What up with me? The unbearable heat!

“What’s up with you?” Dawn asked.

“Nothing,” Jeff snapped, gulping the rest of his beer, slapping the empty glass down and asking the bartender for another.

“Forget it, he won’t be needing that,” Dawn said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

“How many times do I have to remind you that you’re not my mother, Dawn?” he snapped.

“Let’s say several million and we’re nowhere near that mark yet.”

“Getting close though,” he retorted. 

“That happens when you’re acting like a two year old. Now, what is going on?”

“With what?”

“With the moon, the stars, the bug up Uranus,” she said. “What do you think, you idiot? I thought you wanted to get back together with Wendy and all I see tonight is you ignoring her and her looking like she’s two second away from crying her heart out. She won’t even talk to me about it, so here I am asking you. So, what the hell is going on, huh?”

He stood glaring at her. “Did you know about Boston?”

“What about it?” she asked dumfounded. “Never been there.”

“Neither have I, but apparently Wendy had herself a fling there.”

Dawn’s pale blue eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Excuse me?”

He seemed to deflate before her eyes. “So, she never told you?”

“Tell me what exactly?”

He put his head in his hands and shook it. “I …I dunno, Dawn…dunno what to do anymore,” he mumbled.

Dawn sighed and grabbed his arm again. This time she steered him away from the crowd, through the lobby and out into the fresh air. There she pushed him onto a wrought iron seat and squeezed herself onto the other half. “Now, tell me what happened.”

For several minutes they sat in silence. Dawn waited. She knew he’d eventually spill his guts. It just takes a while sometimes with him.

“I hate her!” 

“You hate Wendy?” she asked calmly.

“That Karen bitch! It’s all her fault!”

“Sorry, no,” Dawn said.

“You know the whole story. It is!”

Dawn sighed and shook her head. “Nope. There are three people at fault here. Care to take a guess who they are?”

“Whose side are you on?” he shouted.

“Yours and Wendy’s of course, but let’s stick to the truth, shall we? As much as I despise Karen, as much as I would love to see her cut up into a dozen pieces and made food for the crows, we cannot blame all of this on her. Karen didn’t make Wendy naively take that job with Big-hands Mike knowing full well your propensity for jealousy especially when it comes to Mike, nor did Karen make you accuse Wendy of having an affair with Mike.”

“But…”

Dawn held her hand up and continued. “It wasn’t her fault that Wendy had to prove some stupid thing that even I can’t to this day understand, and it certainly wasn’t Karen that forced you and Wendy to have a shouting match which drove you both to say nasty things and you to run off and get plastered. All that is on you and Wendy. After that point, yes, it was Karen’s fault. So what? How is blaming Karen going to help you now?”

He stared at her with that face you get when you’re taking yucky tasting medicine. 

“Yes, I know how painful and foul the truth can be, but suck it up, Honey!” Dawn snapped.

“Wendy almost went to bed with Janet’s boyfriend’s father,” Jeff spat out.

Dawn’s expression changed from surprise to disbelief and then to skeptical faster than a guy changes channels with a TV remote. “Almost? You mean like you with Karen.”

“No, not anything like it! I passed out cold and never even touched her!” he snarled.

“Like I said, almost. You had the opportunity and somehow came to your senses and didn’t…exactly like Wendy,” Dawn said.

“No, I didn’t kiss Karen and almost fall into bed with her. I never wanted her, never! Wendy, on the other hand, came this close,” he said showing the tiniest space possible between thumb and forefinger.

“Okay, so what?” Dawn said carelessly.

“So what?” he shouted springing out of his seat. “Did you hear me? She was kissing another man!”

“Yes, so what? You both nearly did something very stupid. You both did very stupid things all your lives, or have you forgotten? Starting with getting knocked up in high school.”  

“Oh, shut up about that. I did it on purpose and you know it,” he said, running his fingers through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles. “It was the smartest thing I ever did.”

Dawn shook her head and pulled a comb out of her purse. “Sit down, you idiot, before you hurt yourself,” she snapped, pushing him down onto the seat and running the comb over his short hair. “What the hell are you talking about? Did what on purpose?”

“You know,” he said, snatching the comb from her hands and doing it himself.

“No, I don’t. What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want Wendy going away to school so… I got her pregnant on purpose.”

Dawn’s mouth fell open. “Get out! You did not!”

“Bit late to be outraged, Dawn,” he muttered. “Thought you knew. Why do you think I was so happy when she told me she was pregnant?”

She shook her head at her own stupidity. “I thought it was Wendy all this time.”

He scoffed and handed her back the comb, his hair now smoothed into place. “Like she would get pregnant on purpose when she wanted so much to go to culinary school?”

“Do you still not have a clue, Jeffy?”

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Do you still not get how much she hated the idea of leaving you back then? It was her father forcing her to go, to get her away from you. She didn’t want to go any more than you wanted her to go. God, help me! It’s a darn miracle you two ever got this far, you’re both so stupid!”

He sat in stunned disbelief. “So, we both…”

“It would explain you getting twins with both of you trying so dang hard for a  baby,” Dawn said, rolling her eyes to the star studded sky. “Now, what are you going to do?”

“Do?” he said, still looking dazed. “About what?”

Dawn rolled her eyes again and sighed. “Do you love her, Jeffy?”

“Wendy?”

“No, Angelina Joli,” she said. “Of course, Wendy, you moron!”

“You know I do,” he mumbled.

“Then why don’t you get the hell inside, dance with her, then tell her you still love her, and find out if she still feels the same as you both did that fateful night when you created the Jay girls?”

He stared at her for a long moment and before he knew it he had his arms wrapped tightly around her comfortably round frame. “I love you, Dawn.”

“I love you, Jeffy,” Dawn said, pushing away before she did something foolish like tear up. “Get going, will ya? I need my two best friends back together again.”

He smiled, kissed her cheek and ran back inside. 

“Idiots, the both of them,” she muttered to herself. She frowned. “Now where did I leave my date?”

*****

“Wendy?”

She looked up and forced a smile. “Hello, Donny,” she said.

“How are you?” he said slipping into the chair beside hers.

“Fine,” she said, looking away.

“No, you’re not,” he said. “Wendy, I know you told Jeff about Boston and he’s thoroughly ticked off. Plus he may want me dead.”

“Shush, people will hear you,” she whispered, even though no one was around. 

“Wendy, listen,” he said, lowering his voice, needlessly. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I want to help…”

“Where’s May Lyn?” she interrupted, effectively changing the topic. “I saw you dancing. You look so nice together. Seems like you two are getting along great.”

“I asked her to marry me…sort of,” he said casually.

“What?!?”

“Shush, people will hear you,” he said smirking.

“Are you serious?” she said, grabbing his arm and shaking it. “Don’t joke with me about something as serious as this!”

“Not joking. I made my intentions known, yes. She’ll think on it and get back to me… some time, I guess,” he said, shrugging.

Wendy smiled and then tears sprung to her eyes. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in so long.”

“Don’t make a big deal of it, Wendy.”

“Don’t make a big deal of you asking my sister to marry her?” she whispered. “We’ll be family."

"Doubt Jeff will think so," Donny said, bracingly.

"It's wonderful!”

“Keep it under your hat for now, okay? I don’t want my kids to know yet. Building up their hopes for nothing is not a good thing, I think,” he said.

“I suppose,” Wendy said.

“Besides I don’t want May Lyn thinking I’m pressuring her. I just know how I feel and I’m willing to wait and see if she ever feels the same.”

“It won’t take long, Donny. I think she’s most of the way there already,” she said.

He shrugged. “Anyway, forget about me and your sister for now. Is there anything I can do for you and Jeff?”

She shook her head. “Jeff has to just…get over it… or not.”

He grimaced. “I hate seeing you all alone. I’d ask you to dance, but that might cause more trouble for you, wouldn’t it?” he said.

“I’m fine where I am, but thank you, Donny. I appreciate it. Go look for May and have some fun. The kids will be back soon enough to keep me company.”
 

He smiled, patted her hand and left the table.

*****

As fate would have it—especially when it is trying its best to screw you over good-- Jeff caught sight of this cozy, little tête-à-tête between Donny and his estranged wife, and that ticked him off all over again, sending him back to the bar hopefully to cool off. Of course, just because it appears that fate is messing with you, it isn’t necessarily the case.

Just as Jeff approached the bar, he nearly ran into the son of the devil himself. Wes was coming away from the bar with a drink in hand.

“Hey, Mr. Fummel. Having a good time?” Wes said, grinning, and without waiting for an answer he went on. “Was Janet awesome or what? You must be so proud.”

“Needless to say, yes,” Jeff retorted, coolly. He wanted nothing more than to get away from this kid who had every intention of stealing his precious Janet away and do God knows what to her.

“Yeah, guess so,” Wes said laughing. 

“Where is she now? I thought she’d come to see us after the show,” Jeff said.

“She’s a bit busy signing autographs,” Wes said, smirking.

“Come again?” Jeff said, obviously hearing incorrectly.

“It’s true! She’s got fans and they’re all over her, getting pictures taken with her…and Luke too, of course, but Luke… he doesn’t seem too into it and he’s keeping Janet with him like a barrier against his most ardent fans. She’s great! Taking it all in stride. God, I love that girl!” 

Jeff gaped at him, equally annoyed and impressed. He knew he had no choice but to like this kid despite who he was, but he looked too much like Donny for him to forget entirely. He’d be damned if he allowed both his wife and daughter to get reeled in by a Sebastian. So, he searched for something to accuse him of some wrong-doing. He stared at the glass in his hand and there it was.

“Cuba Libre?” Jeff accused.

“Huh?” Wes said.

“Your drink,” Jeff said.

“It’s coke. Want some?” Wes said, holding the glass out to him. I can get another.”

“No, thanks,” Jeff said, more annoyed than he had been. “I’ll need something stronger.”

A stricken expression crossed Wes’ face. “Uh…didn’t you tell Janet you weren’t going to drink anymore?” he said, and belated politely added, “Sir?”

“I mean just a beer,” Jeff carelessly said.

“With all due respect, Mr. Fummel,” Wes said, bracingly, “Plenty of people get drunk on just beer, so if you don’t mind, I’ll offer to be your designated driver tonight. I think Janet would like it if I made sure her father got safely home.”

Jeff made a weird face at him until he remembered how Wes’ mother had died—by a drunk driver plowing into her car. “Right,” he muttered feeling both astonished by the boy’s thoughtfulness and ashamed at his own stupidity. “Know what, Wes, I think I’ll get a ginger ale instead. Can’t go wrong if I stick with that, right?”

Wes smiled with obvious relief. “No, Sir, can’t go wrong that way,” he said. “Well, I better see if I can get Janet away from her fans for a minute. She has her next show to do soon. Betcha it’s better than the first one!”

“No doubt,” Jeff said, and just as Wes was turning away he called him back. “Wes?”

“Yes, Sir?”

Jeff stared at him for a long moment than reluctantly added, “I’m glad… I think Janet was lucky to find you.”

Wes grinned, but shook his head. “I’m the lucky one. Janet’s the best.”

Jeff nodded and watched as Wes darted around the crowd of people and eventually vanished from sight. He remembered feeling like that about Wendy—she could do no wrong. Funny thing was, he still felt that way and she didn’t do wrong, not really.

Dawn was right. It truly was a miracle they made it this far. They were both too stupid and stubborn. He would have to fix that. 

 

©2013 Glory Lennon All Rights Reserved