1957: A Kennedy Story

Chapter 30: Moving, Words and Longing

May 25, 1957

After a rushed selling of the house and $600,000, it was sold to the man and his pregnant Russian wife.

They were to move in in a month so Jack and Jackie were arranging a moving truck. Sadly, Jack had to go on another campaign trip and would be gone for another two days in which he'd be visiting three states, Washington, Oregon and California.

The moving truck was coming in half an hour so Jackie tried to make it as easy for them as possible, she brought Bella and Kick into the car and buckled them up with two of their stuffed animals each, and then started bringing the less heavy furniture into the living room and near the front door.

Soon the moving men and truck arrived and began to carry some things to the truck, Jack and Jackie had decided there were some things they would sell such as Bella and Kick's old cribs, Kick's crib, Kick had gotten a hold of some of Jack's permanent sharpies and colored on the white wood of the crib, Bella's crib was just too small for her.

So she instructed the men to leave such things.

After about two hours and twelve trips to Kick and Bella in the car, everything was packed up and the men were on their way to Jack and Jackie's new car.

Jackie locked the door, planning to go back to it later, and got into the car to follow the car for 30 minutes to get to her new home.

After a dreadful half hour, and Jackie losing sight of the truck twice, Jackie, Kick and Bella arrived at the home, Kick gurgled happily and Bella cried,"Yay!" As they both did whenever arriving at the home.

Jackie got out of the car, rolled down the windows a bit for Kick and Bella before she locked it and went over to the moving truck to help say where she wanted the furniture, suddenly she remembered, it was illegal to leave children in the car alone.

She groaned and told the men to hold on before she pulled Bella and Kick (both whining for their stuffed animals) out of the car and brought them into the house.

"I need a nanny..." she muttered to herself.

She rushed inside the house and put Bella and Kick into the playroom but as she was leaving she heard a small voice ask,"Ma?"

Jackie froze.

That wasn't the voice of Bella.

She turned, Kick had her arms outstretched,"Mama!"
Jackie clapsed a hand over her mouth and knelt beside Kick, and brought her upward and swung her around in glee.

She was absolutely giddy, Kick had spoken her first words before Bella, who'd spoken for the first time 7 and a half months after being born.

Bella cried indignatly from the ground.

"Ma!"

Jackie laughed and picked up her other daughter, kissing both of them on their heads.

"Maam where do we put the couch!" Jackie turned from her children and sighed before placing them back down.

"Have a good time together." she said before closing the door despite the cries of Ma! From both children.

Later that night Jackie told Jack about it over the phone.

"Oh I wish you were here to see it Bunny!" she said into the phone.

"Me too, it's no fair Bella and Kick's first words were both Ma, with this next one it'll be Dad, I'm telling you!" Jack joked through the phone.

Jackie laughed but halfheartedly, she didn't want to admit it but despite Jack calling off many trips to be with his family he was still hardly there with the girls, which also explained why "Da." hadn't come to Bella until two months after Ma.

"I miss you." Jack said into the reciever.

"Miss you too." she said.

"Goodnight Jackie."

"Goodnight Jack."

Jackie placed the phone down and glanced longingly out the window of their room.

"I love you Jack." she muttered, before she slowly cuddled into a small ball under the covers of her bed and fell asleep.