Chapter3-Hell Hath No Fury

Chapter3  codes: M/gi no-sex

“Give Jennifer a call She wants to leave her Moms
apartment and go back to your
place. I think she should too. I don’t mind if she
stays at the house. Just try to get her out of there,
please?”

“Okay.”

“Love you, bye.”

Before I could say anything I heard the click on the
other side.

Well, double shit.

I looked at the phone in my hand. What the hell was
going on at the other house that had Alice so shook?
My ex-girlfriend was a businesswoman and was usually
pretty good under pressure. But what really had me
bothered was that she said please.

I learned that where she was raised “please and thank
you’s” were far and few between.  Something Lurch (my
nickname for her father) tried to instill in all his
children. To say ‘please’ was like begging to him.
Thank you was even worse. That meant to him that you
were accepting, humbly, someone’s gift. If you
couldn’t get it on your own you didn’t need it. There
wasn’t anything he couldn’t get, anything. A really
nice family man. Stiff neck bastard.

The three years Alice and I were together I, sort of,
trained her to say thanks for passing the salt and
pepper. For all that money she had her table manners
around me were bad, really bad. She did okay at social
gatherings but not personal.

So here was my ex saying please get my current
girlfriend/niece out of her mothers house.
What was I going to do?

I called Jennifer.

On the third ring Jen picked up. “Hello, McGuire’s
residence.” It wasn’t a happy greeting.

“Jen, its Gene, are you all right? Where’s your Mom?”
I
was starting to get a bad feeling; I knew where she
was.

“She left after breakfast, Uncle Gene.” I could hear
the sadness in her voice. “She called and said she
wouldn’t be home till late. I haven’t been out of here
almost all day. Can I come home, Uncle Gene? This
isn’t home anymore. My mom doesn’t care anymore.”

The sniffling and sobs were coming faster. I held the
receiver so tight my fingers hurt.

“Have you eaten anything, I asked?  I knew she snacked
all day on Saturday while at the house. Even then we
went out she’d pack in a dinner worthy of a growing
boy, not a girl. All I wanted to do was hold her and
make it better.

“Mom left some money on the table.” The sniffles kept
coming. I use to laugh when her nose would get stuffed
up. Not anymore. “I went to Loonies and got a
cheeseburger, but I’m still hungry. Gene I want to go
back to my house. I want to be with you.”

Well it didn’t take long to decide what to do. I had
pretty much decided before I called, Jennifer was
going to stay with me.

“Pack your suitcase Jennifer. You’re coming home.” I
was getting angry now. Maybe it was all the stupid
parents who had kids then thought about them as much
as the stove. Maybe it was just the way Jennifer was
sobbing just then. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” 

Jennifer picked up on my anger. “Uncle Gene, I didn’t
do anyfing wong, really I didn’t. Mom said she had a
meeting all day then she called.” I almost could hear
the tears hitting the phone.” My nose is stuped up. I
can be ready’ really I can. Don’t be mad.” The last
part was a whisper. I really am an ass, sometimes.

“It’s not you Jen, I shouldn’t have just let you go.
Just get ready, I’ll be there soon.” What else was I
going to say?

“I’b be reddy, Gene. Unka Gene?”

“Yes?”

“I lub you”

There was total silence on the line. Three years
together and those words had a whole new meaning.
Triple Shit.

“I love you to Jennifer McGuire.” The words seemed to
be coming out of my mouth in slow motion. I heard
every letter. What the hell was I saying? “Now please
hang up the phone and get ready. Think about what you
want to eat.”

Bisgetti at Khripis’, zilly. Bye Gene. Her nose was
totally stuffed up now.

Click.

I drove over there as fast as I could. Halfway there I
realized Jennifer had called me Gene. Not Uncle Gene,
just Gene. Things appeared to be changing, and
changing really fast.

Alice had ask me what the hell was I going to do when
she got older? The question was; what was I going to
do now!

I picked up my girlfriend/niece. Her eyes were still
red but the tears were gone. Jennifer jumped into my
arms as the door opened. The warmth of her little body
was incredible. We got her bag and left the bitch a
note. I didn’t say bitch in the note, tramp, slut,
whore would of fit just as well. We went to eat. 

Except for breakfast I hadn’t had anything all day. We
both ordered Spaghetti at Chris’ with extra garlic
bread. Jennifer finished her adult portion and was
working on mine when Maggie the restaurant
manager/hostess/waitress came over.

“Gene you really should feed this girl of yours more
often. How about dessert?”

I was about to order cheesecake, our favorite, when I
saw Jens eyes turn dark. Oh triple shit!

Before I could say anything Jen got cranked up. “Gene
feeds me just fine. It was my mom. She left me alone
all day. Gene saved me and we’re going home.”

Maggie, bless her heart just said “OK”. I ordered
cheesecake and two forks.

I looked at Jennifer. Her eyes were hazel again.
Another fork of my spaghetti was finding it way into
her mouth. “Jen, you don’t have to defend me,” I
whispered across the table. “Maggie knows I care about
you. You have to relax. If something bad happens you
can always come to me.”

“I know Uncle Gene. It’s just...” I dun. I could see
that poor Jennifer had a bunch of emotions running
through her head right now. She dropped her head,
looking at her empty plate.

“Don’t know what? You can’t get angry with every
female that talks to me.” First it was Alice now
Maggie. You’ve known Maggie for years. She likes you a
lot. She always has. It was Alice that asked me come
get you. She called me after she talked to you, she
was worried”

That brought her head back up. “She did?”

“Ya she did. So cut her a little slack. She doesn’t
mind if you’re at the house or not. I think she likes
you.” I wasn’t so sure about the last part but I
thought I’d plant the idea in Jens brain anyway.

Well, I guess?” was all I got from her.

We got home late. I still needed to go grocery
shopping. But that could wait till tomorrow. It wasn’t
too late that we did get a little TV in. TV in the
late 60’s’s was a mix of cop shows and sit-coms and
the Saturday night movie. We loved them all. Jennifer
got into her pj’s dragged her pillow into the living
room. 

I really wasn’t paying attention to Jen right then but
I did after her pillow hit me in the groin.”OOF! Jen
take it easy?”

Her eyes started tearing up again. “I’m sorry Uncle
Gene. I didn’t mean to hurt you I just wanted to watch
TV with you?”

“You didn’t hurt me. It was just a surprise, that’s
all.” I stroked the side of her face. Her brown hair
was tangled from not enough brushing. So I pushed it
out of the way. Her face and her neck were still warm.
“Come on up here and get settled.”

Her smile returned in an instant. She got up on the
couch arranged her pillow on my lap and laid down. Her
head was facing the TV. “I missed this last night,”
Jen said.  “I didn’t watch any TV last night. Moms TV
is still broken.”

Linda and Gary’s' TV went out three months ago. I
guess
their priorities had really changed. I knew who Linda
was having sex with. I didn’t know who my brother’s
new piece of ass was. (Excuse me, his new girlfriend
was.)

Don’t ask why I said what I did. I had been living
with this seven-year-old for two years. I’d seen the
separation slowly draw Jennifer away from her parents
as their marriage dissolved before her eyes. I should
have kept my mouth shut. “So your Moms TV is broke. Is
that why you wanted to come back?” I’m not the
brightest bulb in the package.

Jennifer turned over on her back to look at me. “I’m
IN
love with you, Uncle Gene. I told Alice that and I
meant
it.” The last time I’d seen that look was when we
first saw Alice at the restaurant. “She knows it, I
think.  We talked about you for a long time.”

Here I was talking to my current girlfriend. (Read
into that seven years old, cute, not a clue about
boys, except for Alan who taught her about kissing.
Who was just finishing second grade.) Who had talked
to my ex-girlfriend of three years. (Read into that
thirty-three years old, beautiful, well traveled, way
above my pay grade, and well educated, talking
together about ME! I could feel a stroke coming on.

“Why would you want to talk about me?” Like I said not
the brightest bulb.

“I’m your girlfriend now and I need to know how. I’ve
never had one before.” Poor Jennifer’s eyes were
turning a deeper shade of brown. “You said I was
remember? We don’t even kiss on the lips! You said we
would even have a secret kiss. You’ve kissed Alice
when she was you girlfriend. You even kissed
Ann-somebody while Alice was there!” Her eyes were
getting darker by the minute. “SSOOO, why not ME?”

I could feel my heart triple hammering inside of me.
Triple shit, I had to do something. I looked at Jens
beautiful face wanting me to say something that would
make her happy.

I told Alice I wasn’t a pedophile and I wasn’t. I
should have been scared as hell when Ann’s’ name was
brought up but I wasn’t. What really scared me was one
simple thought. ‘If I say the wrong thing she won’t be
here in the morning. Permanent Loser Time.’

I slowly stroked the side of her face like I had done
so often before. My fingers slid through her hair. Her
eyes slowly closed and a smile appeared on her lips.
The tension that had been building in her little body
seemed to drain from her.

We stayed this way for better than a half-hour. I
stoked the side of her face. Her slow breathing, the
occasional sob. Then a joy settled into me.

It was then that I realized it couldn’t possibly get
any better then that half-hour we spent together. For
two years I had seen Jennifer’s’ world slowly fall
apart. Her mothers desire to convince herself that
getting a job was the way to happiness. The work
pulled her further away from Jennifer and even my
brother.  Not that he did do anything to make it
better. Gary probably had his own girlfriend
somewhere. Then there was Jennifer’s realization that
Linda had found someone else, her boss.  The visits
home became shorter and further apart. Now she and
Bruce were going away for three weeks together. What
pain would that bring?

This last trip home put the final brick in the wall
between them. If Linda demanded that Jennifer come
home now we’d all loose. I was all she had and that
wasn’t much. A bachelor with no apparent girlfriend of
his own. Everything I learned about children was from
Jen herself or her best friend Mary. My parenting
skills weren’t the best but the things we liked took
on whole new meanings. What would they mean to me if
Jen weren’t here?

My mind tripped on the good times we had. Even some of
the bad ones then, now were pretty funny. My fingers
continued to stroke the side of her face. 

I didn’t feel it coming. 

Have you ever felt a butterfly on the palm of your
hand? That’s what it felt like. Soft wisps of air
gently landing on your palm. I froze my hand. I didn’t
want to hurt the butterfly. 

Jennifer had turned her face toward my hand her lips
had brushed my palm. Through the long brown hair I
could see her lips move as she breathed. I felt the
moist warm air of her breath caress my palm. She must
have found the place she was looking for or something
inside her said, now. Her lips pressed against my
palm. I felt all the warmth and love in that first
kiss. I heard the unmistakable sound of soft lips
being pulled away.

I could see her gazing at the spot she had kissed. In
a sad and unsure voice my Jennifer said, “I love you
Uncle Gene. You don’t have to kiss me, if you don’t
wanna. I don’t even have to be your girlfriend. Just
be here.”

With my other hand I brushed her hair away from her
face. I could see and feel her lips slowly kiss again
and again the palm of my hand. Both of her small hands
held mine as she pressed her face into my palm.
Between every kiss she whispered “I love you”. I could
feel her tears wetting my palm. I was powerless to
move.

Here was something I had never experienced before.
Alice and I had been very close while we were
together, as close to being married as I ever had.
Then after having had sex with Ann, and everything
that followed, I imagined the perfect partner in bed.
Someone willing to do anything to keep you satisfied.
If I could have had the best of both to my mind it
would have been a perfect relationship with the
perfect woman. 

As with any relationship it was a tradeoff. You had to
give up something in return. Alice was a
businesswoman. Heir to one of the largest public
relation firms in the country. I was important in her
life, but I felt I was second place. I knew she
wouldn’t ever leave Chicago and I didn’t want to leave
North Carolina.  Ann was something else all together.
I saw us as a flare burning bright in passion. Her
desire to have my baby, years ago, overrode her good
sense and almost killed Alice’s friendship and my
love. Everyone wanted something.  

But here was someone who didn’t want anything; I
didn’t want to give up. I didn’t even have to come up
with some lame excuse why I couldn’t kiss her. She was
willing to accept almost anything, not out of love, as
I knew it, but out of a child’s love that I would be
there for her, always. Not like her parents.

Slowly Jennifer ran out of energy and she fell asleep
with her face still buried in the palm of my hand. The
long day and all of the emotions drained out of her.
Only the small rumbling of her sleep and her breath on
my hand kept me company. 

It was after midnight when I finally picked her up and
carried her, pillow and all, into her room. Through
the light in the door I placed her on her bed and
covered her with a blanket. I smiled as I knelt by the
side and brushed away the hair on her forehead. All I
could do was admire this seven-year-old and all the
crap her parents were putting her through.

“Jennifer McGuire, I love you,” I whispered. “If you
were fifteen or twenty years older I would kiss you
every day. I would hold you tight and tell you about
how much I truly love you. I would even show you all
the wonderful things of grown-up love, but I can’t.”

I stared into her sleeping face. “In twenty years you
might be married and have children of your own. Or you
might be out in the world, dazzling everyone with your
brains as well as beauty. But know this, my seven year
old girlfriend, my love, I will always be IN love with
you.”

I carefully leaned over and so very lightly kissed her
lips. I could taste her tears. One of my tears rolled
off my cheek and hit her on the nose. There was a
slight groaning below me as Jennifer rolled on her
side. It was the first time I had kissed her on the
lips.

I closed the door to her room. Could I ever wash that
hand again? Now what was I to do? 

Little did I know that I would ask that same question
a thousand times over the next week.


XxXxXxX

Morning came way too early to the McGuire house. I hit
the brew switch and got down the jelly jars again.
This time I smiled pouring the juice, knowing that
someone would be here to drink the other one.

Even though it was almost nine in the morning, it
still felt like three am. My sleep was not the best
I’d ever had. Hell, I’d slept better on the carrier
while they were testing jet engines above me. Dreams
of brown haired girls, smiles and tears. It seemed I
always woke up at the tears part.

I was about to see if Jen was about ready to join the
land of the living when the doorbell rang.  I saw the
car in the driveway, Linda. “Come on in Linda,” I
yelled out. ‘Triple shit’ I thought.

I was coming into the living room with juice and
coffee when she walked in and sat down. How do I
describe her mood?

Well I can’t. I couldn’t tell a damn thing. She was
quiet and looked around as if this was her first time
here. She wasn’t mad, sad, angry, or upset. Dazed
would be a good way of putting it.

“Would you like a cup of coffee, Linda?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No thanks Gene. I have only one
in the morning.” There was a small smile on her lips.

“And you’ve had how many?” 

“I dunno. How many does a pot hold?”

“Then you’ve had ten. That’s enough for the next two
weeks.” I wondered where this was going. “Do you need
the bathroom?”

“I need my daughter Gene. Where is she?” The look she
gave me was suppose to be intimidating, I guess. With
all the caffeine in her, her hands were starting to
shake. She wasn’t concentrating. She was looking more
and more unstable.

“She’s asleep right now. After I picked her up we went
to get something to eat. Then we stayed up and watched
TV and fell asleep.” Time for a deep breath. “What do
you really want, Linda?”

“I told you, I want my daughter. You’re not her
father, you’re her Uncle.” Linda took a deep breath of
her own. You may think you have her, but all you have
is a piece of paper if she gets hurt. It’s not even a
guardianship.” The thin smile on her lips told me she
thought the war was won.

I looked right into that smile and said. “So how was
the meeting yesterday? Everything okay with Bruce?
Sure did last a long time? Way past 8pm I guess?” The
smile crumbled.

“I-I-I’m not here to talk about my day I’m taking my
daughter.”

“NO YOUR NOT, MOTHER,” came a very loud voice form a
very small person. “YOU’RE NOT TAKING ME ANYWHERE! I
want to stay with Uncle Gene. You don’t care about me
anymore. I hear you talking on the phone. The teasing
playground voice, I’d heard before, started “Oh Bruce
of course you can, anytime.” The imitation of Linda
talking on the phone was a crushing blow. Did Linda
really pick the tops of her ears, when she was on the
phone? “That’s okay. She’ll be at my brother-in laws
all week. Na, He doesn’t mind at all. I think he’s a
little sweet on her. No, not that way. He acts like
her father should. Would you like a nice sloppy...”

“JENNIFER, STOP.” The sound of my voice scared the
crap out of the three of us.

Now my hands were shaking. “Jen here’s your juice. I
forgot your cereal. Could you go get it, please?”
There was a haunted looked as Linda’s' eyes followed
Jennifer into the kitchen.

“They hear everything, Linda. Every word, every tone
in a persons voice. Not only what you say but how you
say it. She knows that you’re screwing Bruce.” You
don’t know how good it felt to say that. “You can do
what ever you want but Jennifer has been dragged
through enough crap to last a life time. She doesn’t
have to be involved in yours or Gary’s life. Let her
stay here.”

“What if I just take her? You can’t stop me, even
though I’m not your idea of a mother I still am her
mother. She could go to my mothers.”

Rochester Minnesota? You have to be kidding. You
stopped talking to them before you and Gary were
married. Besides I know Bruce.” Time to end this, I
thought. Jen and I had to go grocery shopping.

Her eyes practically fell out of her head. She looked
for the lie. There was no lie to be found.

“Rotary,” I said.

“Huh?”

“Rotary Club. We both belong to the Rotary. I can’t
believe you’d go for some balding guy.”

She saw what was coming. She takes Jennifer; I call
Bruce and expose them for all to see, Mrs. Bruce finds
out, Mr. Bruce’s life turns to crap, and it all rolls
down hill, landing on Linda’s plate. Linda’s hands
went up into the air. “Okay, I give up. How do you
want to play this.”

“Everything stays as it is. You and Gary are welcomed
here any time for supper. Jen doesn’t go back to the
apartment anymore. She stays here. You both can do
your thing with whom ever but here its happy family
time. I want full Guardianship of Jennifer.” That
covered just about everything.

“Gary won’t go for it.” Linda sounded positive.
Knowing my brother, that was probably true.

I sat there for a minute as Jennifer came back with
her bowel of Captain Crunch. The problem was she was
trying to be invisible with a spotlight on her. She
kept sneaking looks at me.

“Jen? Who does you father call when he’s home.” I
asked.

“Eva,” came a reply so smooth I had to hide my smile
behind a cough. 

“What?” was Linda’s response to that little
revelation.

“You sure?” Linda still didn’t know about the ears of
a seven-year-old. 

Jennifer just looked at her mom like she was retarded.
Carefully she put her cereal down and assumed the now
famous telephone position. “Of course Eva.” This time
it was a lower voice. “You know I love your blond
hair. Nothing better than a nice big pair of...”

“Thanks Jen, That’s enough...” That was all I got out.
She almost had me on the floor.

“THAT SON OF A BITCH!” Talk about getting cranked up.
Now I knew where Jen got it from. It was hereditary.
“Eva? My hairdresser for Christ sake! No wonder she
smiles every time I come in. The fucking bitch is
twenty years old. I’ll drowned the fucking bastard in
her fucking blood!”

“Linda! Calm down, killing him or her won’t do any
good.” As I calmed down Linda, her daughter picked up
her bowel and walked past me with a little smile. Did
I really want to be with someone that devious?

“You’ll get your paper, Gene. One signature or two, I
really don’t care right now. Then we said a few more
words that meant nothing and she left.

XxXxXxX

I walked into the kitchen and Jen was standing on her
stool washing her bowel. “Is Mom gone?”

“You know she is.”

“Am I staying?” She hadn’t moved from the sink.

“Yes you are. And you know that too. Ask the real
question, Jennifer.” There was something else. 

She turned around and looked at me and walked to the
kitchen table. “Last night we kissed.”

“Yes.” I really needed to sit down.

“When are we going to have a real kiss?” Her eyes were
on mine.

“That wasn’t a real kiss?” I sat at the table
wondering why couldn’t life be simple.

“I just kissed your hand. I know I said you didn’t
haff’ta. But it would be nice.”

“I don’t know Jen. Why is it so important?”

“Cause Gina says you can’t really be a girlfriend
until you’ve kissed your boyfriend on the lips”

“Who is Gina?” Shit I thought is this someone else I’m
going to have to watch out for?

I guess everyone gets strange thoughts from time to
time. There was Jennifer was sitting across the table
from me. Even though she was still two months away
from her eighth birthday she was sitting a lot higher
than before. Her hands laying flat on the table
reached several feet towards me.

“She’s a friend in fifth grade. She has a boyfriend
and I’ve seen them kiss. It’s way cool. They got
caught kissing and Mrs. Bryant had a cow.” I could see
a smile forming on her lips. “Their parents were
called and they said ain’t no way such a thing coulda
happened. It was a hellova fight.”

“Jen, please don’t cuss, and don’t say ain’t.”

“Why? Everyone says ain’t, even Mrs. Bryant and the
teachers. Mary says ain’t.” Her eyes told me she
really didn’t know why.

Slowly I leaned over the table and took her small
hands in mine. “Only because, as your boyfriend, I
asked you to.”

Jen nodded her head but her eyes were on her hands in
mine.

Slowly I got up from the chair and bent over the
table. With my hands holding hers I bent down.

She saw the shadow of my head as it closed on her
small hands. Jen gasped, in surprise, as she realized
what I was about to do. Her eyes darted between my
face and her hands unsure of what was next. Captain
Crunch, milk, and sleep, that’s what I remember
smelling, as I put her palms in my face. I looked and
could see the tiny lines in the palm of her hands. I
slowly pressed my lips into the palm of her hand. Her
fingers involuntary tightened around my face holding
me tight. As my lips pressed into her palm her grip
tightened. I could feel as well as hear her gasp. 

As I lifted my head I looked at her face. It was a
mass of confusion. Her lips were trembling and she was
fighting for breath. Jennifer’s eyes were moist with
tearing as if she were fighting back tears.

“I love you,” was all I said.

It was probably only a few seconds before Jennifer had
run across the table and was in my lap her head in my
chest. The tears flowing freely, gasping for air, her
head slowly trying to bury itself in me. 

Right then and there I knew I had messed up. I didn’t
want Jennifer in my bed. A girlfriend, as things were,
sure. It was fun to be around her. With all her energy
and innocent questions she was, well, Jennifer. We
liked the same things, hated the same things. The
problem was I might have, double shit, I did make it
harder for her to leave.

I was looking forward to her going out after school
with some boy. Actually going on dates. I didn’t want
to teach her about life, damn it. I had made it just
that harder.

I looked down at her brunette head moving left and
right across my shirt.

“Jen?” I asked. “Are you wiping your nose on my
T-shirt?”

Her head stopped moving. Then I heard her giggle as
she bobbed her head.

I raised her head and her face was a mess. “I’m not
taking my girl looking like that. Go take a shower and
get dressed. We have to go to the Pig and get stuff
for next week.

As fast as the well-known bullet she planted a quick
kiss on my cheek and was running for her room.

Halfway down the hall Jen turned and looked at me.
“I’m going to ask Mary’s mom if I can sleep over next
week, okay?”

“Okay.”

What was I to do now?









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