Love for a Lifetime

Chapter 106

   Jack and Jackie laid in their bed the night before Thanksgiving. The massive turkey was in the oven and Jackie was exhausted. Jack groaned as he tried to get comfortable. "How are you doing, Bunny?" Jackie asked kissing her husband's cheek.

   "I'm sore as hell," he groaned.

   "I'm sorry."

   "It's alright. Last round of radiation was today."

   "Jack, that's wonderful! Why didn't you say that? So you're cancer-free?"

  "I have a check-up next week, but yes. We did it, Jackie."

   She gently hugged him, "This is the best Christmas present ever."

  The next morning Jackie woke early and went to cook the Thanksgiving dinner. Jack was always very tired and sore after radiation so he laid in bed a while longer.

  While Jackie was downstairs alone, Anna and Arabella joined her, "Good morning! I'm sorry, Anna. I should've warned you Arabella gets up at the crack of dawn."

   "No, it's alright," Anna chuckled.

  "Harrison, on the other hand, will sleep until noon if I let him," Jackie laughed.

  "Oh, I know. On Saturdays, he doesn't make any plans with me until the afternoon."

  Jackie smiled, "He doesn't get that from either of his parents. Gosh, when Jack and I were young, we'd get up right after sunset and go sailing."

   "That sounds lovely!"

   "Beg your boyfriend to take you sailing. The weather should be beautiful this weekend."

   "I'l have to ask him."

   "Tell me how you two met, please."

   "I was being really stupid and walking in the dark alone. Your son was a gentleman. He saw me walking and offered to walk me back to my dorm building which we then found out was the same as his except he was a couple of halls over from me. I thanked him profusely and then he slid in and asked me to dinner the next day. That's really how it started. Ever since then, we've just really enjoyed taking walks together, sharing meals, and helping one another study."

   "I love that story! That's so sweet!" Arabella exclaimed, "Mom, tell Anna how you and Dad met."

    "Gosh, Arie... I don't actually recall the first time we met."

   "Oh, seriously..." Arabella said, "I didn't realize that."

    "See, I had moved to Hyannis Port and became very good friends with Jack's brothers Bobby and Teddy. Bobby was about four years older than me and Teddy was about three years younger than me. We played all of the time. My goodness, I think we went swimming about everyday after school and in the summer. Right before Jack was about to leave for service in the war, we all had dinner at the Kennedy Compound. Jack teased me that I had taken his seat and I cried."

"Oh my gosh!" Anna giggled.

"Is this about me?" Jack asked walking slowly into the kitchen.

"Yes indeed, honey. I was telling them how you made me cry when I was... oh gosh thirteen or fourteen and you were a twenty-five year old man!" she squeezed him.

"You didn't tell them how years later I came into your room because I was drunk and Bobby punched me, did you?"

Jackie laughed, "No, we didn't get quite that far yet."

Her laugh was contagious. Jack watched it as if it was in slow motion. The way she flipped her head back and let the sweet sound of her laughter escape her mouth made him smile. Then when his classy, beautiful wife let out a snort from laughter, he laughed until he cried. The whole scene was a sight and at that moment, Anna quite knew she wanted to be a Kennedy. She didn't think that because of their money or their fame. She thought it because of them. They were all so genuine, down-to-earth, and loving. As the laugh-fest continued, Jack walked over to Anna and patted her on the shoulder, "You'll have to excuse us. I'd like to say we don't behave like this often, but that'd be a lie." Jack began laughing again and so did Jackie. Arabella was bursting and so was Anna.

Jackie loved Jack's laugh. She loved it mostly because she hadn't seen him laugh like this in a long time. The man was nearly wheezing he was laughing so hard.

Arabella pulled her mother aside, "What's his deal?" she giggled.

Jackie looked at her husband and smiled, "He really loves Thanksgiving," she said with wet eyes. For some reason, she felt like crying because he had beat the cancer. Maybe it was all the fear she had bottled inside of her coming out. Whatever it was, she pulled herself together and continued laughing with her family.

Jack slowly walked over to the record player and then slowly walked to Jackie, "Dance with me, Kid," Jack said quietly as "Can't Help Falling in Love" began to crackle through the speakers.

"Oh, Jack!" Jackie blushed grabbing his hand. He twirled her around the kitchen and when Harrison came downstairs in the middle of it, he smiled as his mother squealed at his father's sudden romanticism. At the same time, the rest of the Kennedys walked in and Joe Jr. looked upon them with watery eyes.

Jack twirled Jackie around one last time and she giggled like a little girl. He ended by dipping her.

"Ahhh!" Jackie squealed and giggled. Bobby saw how happy the two of them were and finally realized that he needed to accept Jack and Jackie were meant to be together and they always were.

"I guess we got a bit carried away," Jack shrugged, "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!"

Everyone echoed in the Thanksgiving wishes and then the hugs began. "Why don't all of the kids join Uncle Jack in the living room to watch parade?" Jackie suggested.

      The whole army of young Kennedy's followed Jack. Some of them weren't so young anymore. Harrison followed with his girlfriend as did Bobby's older children.

      Joe Jr. hugged Jackie, "He beat it, didn't he?" he asked.

      "Yes, he did," Jackie said with a sigh of relief, "Jack Kennedy, hell of a fighter that he is."