Chapter 62: The serious talk

“Wesley, I’d like a word with you, please,” Donny spoke, his voice coming from the living room.

“Oh, crap,” Wes muttered under his breath, softly closing the door behind him.

Wes found his dad sitting on the sofa and switching off the TV. He threw down the remote and gestured for Wes to take a seat beside him. Donny then proceeded to glare at him. “If you had walked from Janet’s house I could almost see it taking this long to get home… if you were keeping pace with a racing turtle. As you have a perfectly functioning car, however, and even if you had driven at twenty miles under the lowest speed limit, as unlikely as that is for a teenager to do, you should have been home quite a while ago. Am I wrong?”

Ch 61: Truth and guilt

Jasmine sat down on the bed and watched with growing impatience as Janet methodically slipped out of her clothes, pulling her voluminous night gown over her head.

“So? What do you want to tell me?” she asked at last when Janet sat with her hair brush in hand and still had not uttered one word.

“It’s my fault Mom won’t forgive Dad and let him come back home,” Janet said, a catch in her throat.

“Whoa! What? That doesn’t make sense. How is it your fault?” Jasmine asked.

“First, I gotta tell you, I talked to Dawn. She was at the Picadillo.”

“I didn’t see you talking to her. I didn’t see her at all.”

“It was in the restroom,” Janet said, pulling the brush through her hair.

“So, that’s why you took so long! I thought you were…anyway. What did she say? She couldn’t possibly blame you for…”

Ch 60 An ever fixed mark

The cell phone sounded just as Wes was in the middle of kissing Janet.

“Dad,” he muttered, annoyed as anything. He stared at Janet for a second and kissed her again while he dug in his pocket for the offending device. He put it to his ear only after he pulled away from her. 

“Hello,” he growled.

“Wesley, where are you? You do realize it’s a school night,” Donny said.

“I’m on my way home now, Dad,” Wes said, winking at Janet.

She shook a disapproving finger at him and she giggled when he went to bite it. He then covered her mouth so his dad wouldn’t hear her laughing.

“I realize you and Janet have made up, but…”

“I’ll be there soon, Dad,” Wes said.

“I can still ground you, you know.”

Ch 59: Crazy love

“See you at school, Steve,” Cindy said, hopping into the front seat of her father’s car.

“En Espanol, senorita,” Steve said.

“Hasta la vista,” she replied with a giggle.

“Um...I guess that’s right. I’m not too good at it yet,” he said, shrugging.

“You make sure I pass math and I’ll help you with Spanish, okay?” she said.

“Deal,” he said brightly. “Bye, Mr. Sebastian.”

“Don't think so. You have to come with us, kid. Your ride just left,” Donny said pointing at Wes’ tail lights, only just visible heading down the street. 

“What the heck!” Steve grumbled, just as Jasmine and Troy came out of the restaurant. “At least I’m not the only one left behind.”

Ch 58: Almost there

   

Janet and Dawn stared at the woman who just bounded into the restroom.

“Hey, is there a Janet in here?” she said. 

“Uh, yes? I’m Janet,” she said, a confused expression on her face.

“There’s a boy out there looking for you. He looks ready to call in the Marines. He must think you fell into the toilet and drowned,” she said, laughing and she walked off into a stall.

“Oh, that must be Wes!” Janet said, placing her hands to her cheeks.

“Who’s Wes?” Dawn asked.

“Um…my boyfriend,” she replied.

Ch 57: Back in the day

Janet waited with as much patience as she could muster as Dawn seemed to go back in time, her plump face acquiring a reminiscent glow. 

“I say this with the utmost affection, but your father was pathetic when it came to Wendy.  Frankly, not much has changed.”

“You think so?” Janet said, unconvinced.

Dawn smiled. “Yes, I do. Your mom was very popular back then, you know, from the moment she arrived in town. Why wouldn’t she be? She was perfect. Beautiful, charming, smart, sweet as pie and so witty. She had all the girls wishing to be her best friend and all the guys drooling at her feet, but none so much as Jeff. Love-sick puppy, he was,” she said.

“And this Karen person…where does she come in?” Janet asked.

Chapter 56: The substitute brother

Wes found Janet standing by the restrooms with his jacket neatly folded over her arm. When he approached her, she handed it to him.

“I’ll be out in a little while. Just want to wash my face,” Janet said.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded and had place her hand on the door ready to push it open, but then she looked at him again.

“What?” he asked.

“Can I ask you something else?”

Chapter 55: A Freudian Thing

It was a bit chilly outside, but the sky had cleared and the stars were out making it a nice night for a walk on the boardwalk. 

Wes and Janet followed Troy and Jasmine at a respectable distance walking painstakingly slow. He was still astounded that she allowed him to join her, although, he did suspect it had to do with her father and her desire to somehow punish him. So she was using Wes, so what? At least they were together. 

Did he dare put his arm around her? He certainly wanted to. Should he take hold of her hand? Would she rebuke even that tiny gesture? Very likely, yes. As luck would have it, he saw her wrap her arms around herself and shiver. He instantly pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Then, with only a moment’s hesitation slipped his hand around her waist.

“I should have gotten your coat,” he said.

Chapter 54: Done deal

 “So, where’s your wife, Don?” Jeffery asked, looking around the table.

A cloud passed over Donny’s eyes for a split second. “She died a few years ago.”

“Oh,” Jeffery said, grimacing. “I’m so sorry. It does explain why you haven't been to my shop in so long.”

Donny nodded and an awkward silence ensued.

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.