The Family Man

Chapter 23

Joan Bennett was halfway through a cinnamon roll before her best friend pried it out of her hands and took a whopping bite. Her mouth fell open, dismayed.

"You bitch. I would have bought you one."

Jackie Bouvier laughed and slid into the chair opposite, heaving her bag onto the table.

Both had been close for 15 years. They hadn't argued about baked goods since the Fall Festival Bake Sale in high school. It wasn't going to start now.

"Thanks for taking time out of your oh-so-tragically packed life to see me," smiled Joan. "I could totally be having lunch with Ted right now."

Jackie grimaced, "Ted Kennedy. Wowza, such competition."

Joan rolled her eyes over the rim of her coffee cup. "Shut up. He's sweet."

"Brownnoser."

"He's got a very demanding job, Jackie. We all have to suck up to our bosses."

"Ass kissing in Congress," she nodded fervently. "I guess it's a prerequisite."

She thought it best to refrain from reminding Joan that Ted had hit on her all throughout high school. But Jackie still had some faith in him. There was some underlying earnestness beneath all the perversion.

"So, what's up with you? How's the moving going?" Joan dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.

"Um," Jackie grinned, "I'm really into procrastination. Besides, we don't need to have the place cleared until the end of the month."

"Which is in two weeks, princess."

Yeah, don't patronize me."

Joan gave a lopsided smile. She tilted her head, watching as Jackie stared pensively at the table, fingers tracing a ring that a coffee cup had left behind.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jackie blushed, embarrassed at being caught. "It's stupid. And weird."

"My favorite combo," Joan leaned in.

"Jack Kennedy visited me last night."

Joan's mouth hung opened stupidly.

"Catching flies, sweetie?"

"Shut up. Jack Kennedy? College sweetheart?"

Jackie scowled and leaned back in her chair, "God, don't say that. It sounds so clichéd."

"Yeah well, let's hop in a DeLorean and talk to 20 year old you and see if she agrees." Joan arched an eyebrow. "Um why?"

Jackie sighed and recounted the story Jack had told about their common connection through Lee and Lem. A few choice expressions were shared. And spared.

"It was really strange," Jackie shook her head. "I mean, why now? When everything in my life is, more or less, sorted out. I'm on a good track. And now I'm supposed to be burdened by all these old memories? And Joan, he was acting way out of the norm."

"Well, ten years changes a lot of things. How did he look?"

"Broken down and prematurely balding." When Joan raised her hand for a fist bump, Jackie tore away, giggling. "I'm kidding. He looks good. But I'm not going to dwell on that. Because it's not supposed to be dwelled on."

"Sometimes I imagine that my exes got mauled by bears and now they wander the country all deformed and crippled and definitely not getting any."

Jackie pursed her lips, "Right. Yeah. Well, that's why you're a bad person."

Joan grinned, "An imaginative person."