Kaleidoscope

Chapter Fifty-Six

Jen's birthday was coming up, and once again, Rose had a party to plan, and she was in her element. She loved being in control. They had decided to limit the guests to a few close friends, so the task was not nearly as enormous as the graduation party had been. Rose cringed when she thought about having a farewell party for Jen at the end of the summer. But right now, she was living in the moment.

Danny had yet to bring Kim around to meet Jen or his dad and didn't want to wait until the party. A public place was not the time for such an intimate meeting. Jen already knew about Kim's resemblance to Theresa, but his dad would be another story altogether.

His first task was to tell his dad about Kim. He went over to the apartment. He was surprised at how comfortable he was becoming in this new environment, and part of him wished he weren't. This is not where his dad belonged, but he was at a loss to do anything about it. It was up to his parents to figure out their marriage. Right now it was on hold.

Tom welcomed his son and offered him something to drink. Danny was parched and gladly accepted. As soon as he had his drink in hand, he plunged right in and told his dad all about Kim. At first, he extolled her beauty before mentioning her uncanny resemblance to Theresa.

"I don't want you to be shocked and distracted when you meet her, Dad. She really could be Theresa's twin. I'd like to bring her by before the party and have Jen here, too. She's known about Kim for a long time but hasn't met her, and I don't think doing this in a crowd would be cool."

Tom listened carefully to what his son was saying. It all seemed so surreal, but he invited them to come over anytime.

"Thanks, Dad. I think you're going to like Kim."

"If you care about her, I'm sure I'll like her, too. Thank you for the heads up about the resemblance to your sister. I'll try to look beyond it and get to know her for herself."

"I'll check with Jen and Kim and give you a call."

Step one was done and Danny left to call his sister and his girlfriend. Oh, how he loved the sound of that.

Two days later, they arrived at Tom's apartment. Even though he had prepared himself, Tom was taken aback by Kim. He had a difficult time at first, but soon adjusted to this new girl in his son's life. Jen had arrived early but was far more prepared for the meeting. She reached out to Kim to make her more comfortable. The visit went surprisingly well. The next step would be to have them all in the same room together.

The night of the party Jen and Brad were the first to arrive, and Jen went into the kitchen to help her mom. Brad became the official greeter and answered the door when Tom came. They made themselves comfortable at the bar, and Brad filled Tom in on how his internship was going. The next to arrive were two of Jen's friends from school. The last ones in were Danny and Kim. Danny followed his dad's eyes as he took in the haunting image of his daughter. Her smile caught him off guard, and he almost lost the control he had clamped on his feelings, knowing he would finally see them side by side in the same room. But, before long, Theresa came in and went over to Kim to say 'hi.' Their likeness to each other had formed an unusual bond between them that neither could explain. The tension in the room relaxed, and Rose called everyone in to dinner. The party was underway.

Once everyone settled in, and much of the awkwardness had been dispelled with Kim and Theresa in the room, conversation flowed easily. Theresa pulled her chair right up next to Kim just to throw everyone off balance. Kim loved her for that.

At the end of the evening, Jen announced that she and Brad had set a date for their marriage. They wanted to get married the third week of June of next year, right after his graduation. Rose put her drink down and composed herself before she spoke.

"Jen, I'm very happy for you and Brad. I know you like to do things by yourself, but if I can help with the wedding plans please just ask."

"Mom, of course I want you to help me. I'll be out in Chicago, and I want us to get married here, so I'm going to need all the assistance I can get."

Rose glowed. "Anything for you, Jen."

Danny gave Kim a squeeze around the waist, and she leaned into him. He briefly thought about a future with her, but he knew it was too early for that. They both had school to finish, and theirs was a freshman relationship, new in every way.

"Well, while we're all sharing the good news," said Theresa, "I have some I'd like to share. I'm starting at George Mason in the fall."

A cheer went up in the room. Rose glanced over at Tom who was busy hugging both of his daughters at once. He was back in their lives. But, what about hers? Where did he fit? Or did he fit at all?

The party broke up around eleven, and the house cleared out. Tom asked Rose if she were still planning to go to their session with Dr. Connelly on Friday. She said she was. Perhaps she could figure out some of her mixed feelings then.

Danny took Kim home, and they sat in the driveway for a long time nestled in each other's arms. Kim was becoming more comfortable around Theresa and his entire family, and he thanked God for his blessings. He had come so far from last September when he was a lost little boy. He was in a strange way grateful for his downfall because he had learned so much about himself. He still needed NA, and he had begun to see Dr. Connelly as well. But, he was in such a good place now. He was going back to his beloved school, and he was determined to stay on the straight and narrow path. And he would have Kim there to help him. He gave her one final, long, sultry kiss and then walked her to her door.

"If you keep that up, Danny, neither of us will get any work done next year."

"Oh damn," he teased. "Just when I thought I would just study you."

With that, he gave her a pat on her backside and opened the door for her.

"See you tomorrow?"

"You better believe it," she answered as she closed the door and leaned back against it, his unruly curl vivid in her mind. Maybe next year will be a challenge, she thought, a shiver of uneasiness running up her spine as she thought of all the pressures he had been under when he was up there. She dismissed the negativism and went in to bed.