A Kennedy Light

Chapter 8

February 28th 1964

Jackie's bedroom

Jack woke up early as he wanted to go and see Kick upstairs. A few minutes after he left, the phone rang. Jackie rolled over and got out of bed. It was 9am but it felt like 6am to her.

"Hello?" Jackie asked.

"Hello Jackie darling!" she heard her mother Janet. Jackie often felt her heart sink when her mother phoned as it often turned into a massive argument. "Oh..." Jackie started. "Hello mother".

She heard her mother smoking a cigarette. "Jackie, I am outraged!" her mother shouted down the phone. "What? How?" Jackie was curious and shocked. "About the name of this baby!" Janet was obviously hacked off about it.

Jackie rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Mother can we continue this debate later? I'm exhausted" Jackie yawned. "Jackie stop being lazy and get your ass out of bed and speak to me!" Janet yelled.

Jackie sighed. "Fine". "Well anyway, I don't like the name Kathleen. It sounds to much of a Kennedy name. I want it sound more like an Auchincloss name. Like Hannah or Nina". Jackie thought Janet was joking.

She scoffed. "Are you sure those would be names that Kennedys would approve of? Names Joe would approve of?" Jackie asked her mother. "I don't care about him! They're my grand children too!" Janet was deadly serious.

Jackie knew this could go on forever and hung up on her mother. Then Jack came in.

"Who were you talking to kid?"

"Oh it was just mom"

"Oh ok then. What was she wanting?"

Jack got into bed and Jackie followed, snuggling into him. "Well she was saying that Kathleen was more of a Kennedy name rather than an Auchincloss name" Jackie tried to hold back her laughter.

Jack laughed. "Really? That was her BIG problem?". Jackie nodded. "Looks that way" Jackie fell to sleep in Jack's arms.

Oval Office

Jack quietly got dressed and headed down to the Oval to do some paperwork. When he was down there, Mrs Lincoln stuck her head in.

"Mr President?". Jack looked up. "Mrs Janet Auchincloss is on the phone" Mrs Lincoln was prepared to leave.

"What line?"

"2"

Jack picked up the phone and listened. "Hello Janet?". He heard Janet breathing out. She was probably smoking. "Hello John. I am still very annoyed that you haven't named your daughter Janet after myself" Janet tried to persuade Jack.

"Oh..." Jack started. "Well Jackie suggested the name and it would be a name my family would approve of". He heard Janet sigh as if she would never shut up about it.

"And would about us Bouviers? Don't we deserve a say?" Janet asked. Jack understood. "Yes you do have a say".

"Well we demand that you change the child's name to Janet Lee Kennedy!". Jack knew that Janet could have an extreme and fiery temper. "Well we can't we've named her and that's final! And you said 'we'?" Jack was curious.

"Oh it's not just me! Lee. Stas. Yusha. Hugh! Everyone! We all want it to be called Janet!". Jack scoffed and he laughed.

"I doubt Lee would demand it be called Janet" Jack insisted. Janet fell silent before Jack hung up on her. Suddenly Jackie came in.

"Hey bunny" she smiled. Jack got up and hugged her. "Hey kid". Jack clasped her in his arms and held her deep into his chest, while Jack rested her hands on his shoulders.

Jackie sat on the sofa and talked with Jack. "You know your mother phoned". Jack sat down his pen. She looked up in disbelief. "My mother? Why?". Mrs Lincoln popped her head in again. "Mr President?". She saw Jackie."I'm sorry to interrupt. Mrs Auchincloss called again. This is the fourth time" Mrs Lincoln looked concerned.

"Fourth time?!" Jackie was shocked. "Don't put her through"

"Why not?" Jackie asked, gripping her hands onto her knee.

"It's the whole baby name matter". As soon as Jack said that, Mrs Lincoln left them to talk.

"I don't blame you then" Jackie joked. "What was she saying?".

Jack explained everything. "Lee?" Jackie asked standing up. Jack finished the story before Jackie headed upstairs to phone Lee.