So Kiss Me

Ch 10

"How did you sleep?" Judy asked during breakfast the following morning.

"Fine," Jaclyn replied, "I'm a little stiff, though."

"You're stiff," Hunter teased.

Jaclyn managed a small smile, "Sorry about that. I'd dreamed about what happened and got scared again. You didn't have to stay with me."

"I didn't mind. I'd have done the same for Sandy had she asked me to stay."

Sandra poked his face with her strip of bacon, "How honorable of you," she mocked in a teasing tone.

Jaclyn enjoyed watching the family that morning. Gary asked Judy what her plans were for the day and she answered cheerfully and Sandra and Hunter talked of their own plans. Hunter was going to the library with his studious friends while Sandra had planned a swim for the warm day. Jaclyn was taken aback when she was asked the same question by Gary.

She paused, feeling their eyes on her. She shrugged, "I'll just go with Sandra, I suppose," she answered, "I've never really had my choice of what I want to do..."

The family didn't know how to respond, but Gary saved the awkward silence with a cheery tone, "Well, as long as you're here, you're one of us and you can do whatever you want, as long as you don't go kissing any boys."

"No, no, don't do that," Judy confirmed, "It only encourages them, I should know."

"Ugh, mom," Sandra said, "We don't want to hear about it again."

"I only told you to warn you," Judy defended, "The boys I went with back in the day were not gentlemen--"

"Mom, come on," Hunter said, "I'm trying to eat."

Jaclyn laughed lightly. The conversation continued without her and she enjoyed watching. Gary soon stood from the table, bidding his family goodbye, kissing his wife, then Sandra, then ruffling Hunter's hair. Jaclyn was surprised when he came over and kissed the top of her head as he had Sandra's as if it were one hundred percent normal.

She smiled and said a kind goodbye. Judy started tidying the kitchen and doing the dishes while Sandra and Hunter went to their rooms to get dressed. Sandra gave Jaclyn a tooth brush and hair brush from the closer in their bathroom and loaned her some fresh clothes. It was different for Jaclyn to be wearing pants and a shirt again, rather than a dress. This time, however, she was offered shorts because the news had predicted a hot day.

Once ready, Sandra led Jaclyn to the garage and they pulled out the bikes. Hunter had given Jaclyn permission to use his, of which she was grateful, and soon, the two were off.

They reached the lake and met up with Rosie and Janet, two close friends. They were excited to see Jaclyn and Jaclyn expressed how excited she was to be there with them, though in her heart she still held feelings of confusion and sorrow.

*slam*

"Glen, you've nearly spilled my breakfast all over the table. Please be more careful when you place my plate down."

Glen just glared at Mr. Charity.

"What? Why are you looking at me that way?"

"How could you?" she asked, "How could you throw your own daughter out of the house like that? So rough and angry!"

"Lower your voice, Glen, I'm warning you."

"What will you do? Throw me out too?!"

"If you continue to behave the way you are, I will do so. Just as I did Jaclyn, who was choosing to rebel against my teachings and chastise my rules."

"She wasn't doin' nothin' but tellin' you the truth! She spoke with honesty and poured her heart out to you and all you do is throw her out. You're a mean, mean, man, Mr. Charity. You been that way since your wife died and you'll be that way til' the day you die. Only thing that changed you was Jaclyn, but now you've gone and thrown her out o' the house!"

"Glen, if you raise your voice again or speak out to me, I will be forced to fire you."

"Oh, will you? Will you be 'forced' to fire me? Well, don't bother. As long as you're pushin' your own flesh and blood out of her own home, I don't want to be here. Good day, Mr. Charity. My things will be cleared out o' my room by the time you get home from work."

For good measure, she whacked Mr. Charity with the towel she held in her hand from doing the dishes, then stalked out of the room.

Mr. Charity sat at his breakfast table, looking at the three, empty seats and sighed. He pushed his plate away and rubbed his eyes roughly, then stood. After picking up his suitcase and straightening his tie, something Jaclyn had always done, he walked out the door and toward his car.

"'Morning, Mr. Charity," a neighbor who was gathering his morning paper said.

"Morning, Bill."

"Good morning, Mayor Charity!" a woman called from across the street, waving and smiling.

"Good morning, Denise. How is your daughter at college?"

"Doing very well, thank you. How is dear Jaclyn doing? I haven't seen her around much lately..."

"Just fine, just fine. She's been studying early to get ahead in her schooling this year."

"Oh, what a good girl," Denise said fondly.

"She is, I'm very proud. Thank you. Have a good day," Mr. Charity said, opening his car door.

"Have a good day, Mayor Charity!" Denise called back, waving as Mr. Charity got into his car and drove to his office.

"Good morning, Mayor Charity," his secretary greeted him.

"Morning, Linda. What's the damage this morning?"

"You got a call from your dentist - due for a cleaning. Another from the head of your parks department - they want to know if we're still holding the Harvest Festival this year in the park. The last two are from homes, complaining of noisy neighbors. Apparently some couple was fighting late into the night and it disturbed a few neighbors."

"Thank you," Mr. Charity said, taking the stack of phone notes, "I will look in to that and return calls. You may go."

Mr. Charity hardly paused before dialing the first number. A dentist appointment schedule and a Harvest Festival scheduling later, he was dialing the number of what he knew to be one of his own neighbors.

"Hello, this is Mayor Charity returning your call concerning noise last night?"

"Yes, there was loud yelling coming from one of the houses on the block, I was concerned, but my husband told me to just leave them alone and stay in bed."

"Thank you for your call. We have dealt with the problem and it will not happen again."

"That was fast," the woman replied, "Thank you so much. Count on my vote this upcoming election season!"

"Thank you very much," Mr. Charity replied with a smile.

Another conversation much like this one later, Mr. Charity was relieved. He'd hoped no one had seen what he'd done and by taking these calls, personally, he had reassured himself that no one had known what happened. This protected his image as esteemed mayor.

The next call he made was to a maid service. Within an hour he had three interviews lined up with new, potential maids.

If Jaclyn had seen him as he sat at his desk that day, acting as if nothing had happened, there's no telling what she would have done to him. Luckily for everyone, Jaclyn was safe and happy, spending the day doing what she'd longed for for the past six years: hanging out with friends and laughing again.