Looking After You

(11) Ages: 13 & 10

Ages: 10 & 13

“Stupid tie!” James exclaimed before tossing his dress tie onto his bed just as his father was walking by his bedroom door. Richard stopped suddenly and chuckled at his son’s frustration while adjusting his own tie.

“Having some trouble there, kid?”

James rolled his eyes before turning to Richard. “Why do we have to get so dressed up to sit in pews every Sunday?” He whined as his father stepped into his room and grabbed the wadded up tie from his bed.

“Because,” Richard began as he wrapped the tie around James’ neck. “This is God’s day and he deserves our best.” He smiled and pulled the tie into a knot. “There. Piece of cake.”

The thirteen-year-old held his perfectly knotted tie up with a look of astonishment. “How do you make everything look so easy?”

Richard chuckled and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’m your dad; it’s in the job description.”

“Dad, this isn’t exactly best,” James commented, turning back to the previous subject of clothes and glancing down at his worn down dress shoes and black suit.

“Well, it’s the best we got and that’s all that matters.” Richard smiled before turning to walk out of James’ room, only to be halted by their neighbor, Jenny Loren, rushing into the room.

“Are you boys ready yet?!” She questioned seriously, placing a hand on her hip for emphasis.

“Well, don’t you look just absolutely beautiful.” Richard complimented Jenny with a smile before kissing the top of her head.

 “Thanks, Uncle Richard.” She watched him step out of James’ room before turning back to the boy who was wearing a disgruntled frown across his face.

“I’ve never seen that dress before,” James commented before crossing his arms over his chest.

“It’s new.” Jenny responded proudly before spinning in a circle, causing the ends to fly out like a parasol and running a hand over the stitched butterflies around the top. “Mommy just bought it for me yesterday. She said I needed new dress clothes because my others were too small.”

“She just took you shopping two weeks ago,” James recalled with a harsh tone before rolling his eyes. “You’re so spoiled.” He walked past Jenny, brushing her shoulder on the way to the door.

“Am not!” She shouted back in anger, this time placing both hands on her hips. “You better stop calling me that or I’m going to tell your daddy on you!” She threatened before following him out of the room and into the living room where James’ parents were gathering their coats and car keys.

Mr. Jenson sighed and turned from the hallway mirror with a small grin. “What did you do now, James?”

“Nothing! She’s just being an irritating little tattle tale!” The teen whined before crossing his arms over his chest.

“Uncle Richard,” Jenny began with the most innocent expression she could muster, “Jameson keeps calling me spoiled and thinks my dress is ugly.”

“I never said your dress was ugly!” James fought back in defense.

“So, you think it’s pretty?” Jenny questioned with a suspicious smile, her expression completely flipping from what it had been just two seconds before.

James huffed and faced his father once more before grumbling, “I didn’t say that either.”

Jenny smiled and stood on the tip of her toes, giving James a quick kiss on the cheek before he could turn his head. “I think you look real nice too, Jameson.” She giggled softly before bouncing out of the house and into the Jenson’s old car.

James rolled his eyes and began wiping the spot on his cheek where Jenny’s lips once were. “I never said it was pretty,” he grumbled once more as his mother follows Jenny out the door. He turned around to find his dad slipping on the one and only coat he ever wore to church. James always thought he just wore it every Sunday because it was his favorite but getting older also came with some insight into the fact that money for a new coat just wasn’t an option, even if there were a few holes in the pockets and a small coffee stain on the left side of the collar. “Dad,” James whined, bringing himself back to his current situation.

“Yes, son?” Mr. Jenson answered with a small smile while adjusting his tie in the hallway mirror.

“Why does Jenny have to come with us to church every Sunday?”

“Jameson Samuel Jenson!” He scolded his son with a stern look through the mirror.

James lowered his head in shame after his father’s scolding, but it quickly passed. “I just mean…why doesn’t she go with Aunt Alison and Uncle Keith?”

Richard took a deep breath and spun around to lower himself to his son's eye level. “Jenny’s parents don’t go to church, James. You know that.”

“Yeah…but, why not? The preaching is pretty boring, but Sunday School is fun.” He answered honestly with a shrug, triggering a laugh from his father.

“You’re going to see so much of the world when you get older, James and what you’ll find is that everyone is different. Different hair, different homes, different families and even different beliefs but what you have to remember, above everything else, is that God made that person no matter how much they differ from you.” He placed a hand on James’ shoulder and smiled. “Everyone is fighting a battle and it’s important that we are kind and tolerant…even when we are annoyed.” His mouth curved up into a small smirk, full of implied meaning.

James rolled his eyes once catching on to his father’s nuance and crossed his arms. “I don’t see what kind of fight some spoiled girl could be fighting, besides the one she has with herself when she's trying to decide where she’s going to put her fifty pairs of shoes.”

“Maybe it’s not so much what she’s fighting but what the two most important people in her life are fighting.” He raised his eyebrow and quickly stood up before James could ask any more questions. He pat him on the arm and looked back down at him, a mask of grave importance now plastered deep in his green eyes. “This stays between us, yes?”

James nodded immediately, feeling as though he and his father held some great secret. But despite the pride he held, he knew he couldn’t say anything even if he wanted to because he wasn’t even sure just what the secret was. The only thing he knew was that Jenny was not supposed to find out and although he couldn’t be sure, he had a feeling it would change everything.

~

SO MUCH INSPIRATION FOR THIS STORY! I'm already about 3 chapters ahead and I can't wait to post, which is why you've gotten two chapters in the last two days. Please give me your feedback below and let me know how you are liking it and if you have any QUESTIONS!

By the way, the time jumps will start to get few and far bettween as the story goes on because the chapters are probably going to get longer.

I also decided to start numbering the chapters because I realize it may get a little confusing as the story goes on if I don't. There will be a couple times I return to an age that I've already written about in order to explain another moment in time. HOWEVER, when I repeat an age, it follows the one before. For example, this chapter of where James is 13 and Jenny is 10 would have chronologically followed any previous chapter where James is 13 and Jenny is 10...understand? Please don't let my babble confuse you. Haha.

I am trying REALLY hard to make sure the story flows nicely and the time jumps kind of fit together. I realize this is a little different but PLEASE just ASK if you have ANY questions! Or let me know if you completely understand and you love the story!! ;D Thank you so much!!!

-Sky