Loyalty

Chapter 43: Payback.

Jessica's POV

In the season 6 finale, Brian's beloved Jeep was blown up and destroyed. I didn't even believe that it was real. I thought maybe they had a decoy Jeep that got burned, like when the guys pretended to burn Murr's blanket. But when Murr got home, his real blanket was safe and sound.

Brian was so attached to his Jeep because it was the first major purchase he ever made in his whole life. It was a symbol of growth and commitment for him. He was finally able to accept part of his success and indulge into something useful, that would also make him happy.

One of the things Brian also seemed distraught about was the hula girl that also got blown up in the wreckage. Brian and I each had a hula girl in our cars, which he bought us in Hawaii. It was something special to remember the trip. But Brian had always said that we'd go back to Hawaii, so I told him that we could always get another hula girl on our next trip. I thought he should be more concerned about the car, but Brian was upset that his special souvenir has been destroyed.

For the first few weeks, Brian and I shared my car while he found a suitable replacement for his Jeep. At times it was inconvenient, but there were other times that we got to drive into Manhattan together. I enjoyed those days because it gave us some time to spend together. Considering how hectic Brian's schedule was, I cherished every minute that I got to spend with him.

Personally, I thought this punishment crossed a line. And it wasn't just because it happened to Brian. There have been a few punishments over the years that I've felt went too far. Forcing Murray to skydive was one of them, in my opinion. But regardless, the punishment was over, and there was nothing we could do to change it now. The only thing we could do was plot our revenge, something I was always happy to help out with. Brian seemed adamant that Joe was the person he needed to exact revenge on first. Joe seems to have it the easiest with punishments. He never had anything major or life-altering happen to him. Joe was also the one who came up with the idea to blow up Brian's car, while Sal and Murr agreed that it may have crossed a line.

We needed to hit Joe where it hurts, and involve something that he loves. And there's nothing Joe loves more than his family. However, Brian and I agreed that Joe's children were off limits, since we didn't feel comfortable involving them directly in anything. But we knew that we could convince Bessy to get involved somehow.

"Any ideas on how to get back at Joe?" I asked Brian as we were brainstorming ideas with Sal and Murr.

"It's so hard with him. He's not embarrassed of anything. And the only thing he cares about is his family," Brian said.

"And we can't blow them up," Sal joked.

"Ok, so maybe you can't get direct retaliation for this one. But let's think back to some of your past punishments. Maybe we can pull some ideas from there," I suggested.

The guys have a rule that you can't repeat punishments on each other. So, Brian wouldn't be able to blow up Joe's car. But sometimes when they're stuck and out of ideas, it's helpful to go back to some past punishments to see if they can get any inspiration.

"Well, getting tarantulas thrown on me was one of the worst," Brian said, shivering at the thought.

"But we already used that again on Sal, with the cats," Murr reminded us.

"Thanks for that, by the way," Sal said sarcastically to me, considering that one was partially my idea.

"Teaching my parents sex ed is still one of the worst," Brian claimed.

"But Joe doesn't have parents, so we can't use that," Sal said.

"But he does have in-laws," I said, after thinking about it for a minute.