Harry Jenkins kept an eye on the time, but otherwise let his new wife Jenny Harper-Jenkins just lean against him for comfort in the Student Cafeteria/Lounge of Moon Lake College. But eventually, he had to say, "Honey, it's time for us to leave for our next class."
"What?" asked Jenny, coming out of her contemplation of the future. "Oh. Okay," she replied, while looking at one of the many clocks posted around the area. "But what do I tell the kids?" she wondered, thinking about her younger brother and sister, who were now living with them in preparation of being emancipated from their abusive parents and staying in Moon Lake.
"About the legal red tape that's delaying their entry into school? Whatever you feel is best. Maybe the Junior and High Schools can recommend a tutor so Janice and John aren't too far behind when they actually do get to enroll."
"Good idea," realized Jenny, as she kissed her husband on the cheek before getting up. "But about dad?"
"That I think you should wait on until you get more information from your brother," suggested Harry, thinking about James Harper Junior being stuck in Alabama and having to deal with everything on his end alone.
"You're right," realized Jenny. "No point adding extra worries upon them. Besides, even if the worse happens, there's no way we could afford to go back home for the funeral even if we wanted to."
"Are you sure about that?"
"What? About not being able to afford the trip?"
"No, about not wanting to go," replied Harry.
"Well, if we're trying to get Janice and John established as Moon Lake residents, wouldn't going back to Alabama for any reason kind of defeat the purpose?" asked Jenny in return.
"Maybe. I don't know," admitted Harry, shrugging his shoulders with uncertainty.
"Besides, I'd have to check with them to be sure, but I think the three of us made our peace–such as it is–with our parents, when we decided to stay here. I know I have," added Jenny.
"All I'm saying is that if it becomes necessary, maybe we can talk to my brother or Tachibana no Akane about a loan to cover going back there if necessary for your father's funeral," suggested Harry.
"I know you mean well honey," said Jenny, taking his hand in hers. "You had a good heart even before it increased becoming a werefox with our life/soul mate bond. But other than maybe at least getting my older brother and his lady out of there, Alabama is my past. Moon Lake is both my present and my future, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Now come on. Like you said, we need to get to class."
MEANWHILE...
"So, how'd it go?" Betty Timid asked, as the two men entered the business office of Jenkins Construction.
"Fine," replied Henry Jenkins, Senior. "Nice to know I haven't lost my touch, and I have a great assistant too," he added, referring to John Harper, who accompanied him on the project to conduct the minor repairs on the Twist home.
"So, do you think you have a future in the construction or home repair business?" Betty asked John.
John just shrugged his shoulders, still thinking about the talk he had with Martha Anderson about trying to figure out what exactly his sexual identity and gender preference(s?) were.
"Honestly, I don't know," admitted John. "It's nice to know how to do stuff like this in case I ever need it for my own place someday, but I'm only 14. Life's complicated enough as it is right now."
"Yeah. 14 wasn't easy for me when I was your age either," agreed Betty. "I had this major crush on this one boy who was totally oblivious to everything but my friendship."
"Really? What happened?" asked John, thinking about his own situation in regards to not knowing for sure whether he was straight, gay, or bi; let alone his growing feelings towards Ginger O'Toole and the possibility of becoming a weretiger once he was officially a resident of Moon Lake.
"He's finally seen the light and is marrying me before the end of the month," Betty replied happily, as Henry Jenkins, Junior–aka Huck–entered the office.
Huck exchanged pleasantries with his father and got an update on the Twist house, then asked, "Listen, even with the doctor saying I'll be back to full active duty by the end of next week, Jenkins Construction is short a man as it is with Fred having quit and leaving Moon Lake and moving to Canada before I was shot. Do you think you and your associate would mind taking on some more of the lighter projects in our backlog?"
Henry Senior looked at John, who just shook his head affirmatively, anxious for something to do to help out while waiting for his chance to go back to school.
"Sure son. Then maybe we can start tackling our plan to turn the space over the garage into an apartment for Jenny and Harry, so Janice and John can have rooms of their own between Harry's old bedroom and the guest room," he answered, since both of them knew the guest room used to be Huck's old bedroom before he moved out and got his own apartment.
"Good. Let's have a seat in my office and discuss the outstanding jobs versus what the two of you are willing to tackle," said Huck, leading the way through the trailer.
ELSEWHERE...
"...and that's how you complete a Granny Square," said Lisa Jenkins, holding up the finished project. "Once you have enough of these, you can assemble them to make blankets and other useful items," she added, continuing the latest crochet lesson she was giving Janice Harper.
"What do you think of mine?" asked Janice, holding up her finished first attempt at making one.
"Hmm..." said Lisa, looking it over. "It might be a little loose. Then again, you are using a beginner's plastic hook and not a more experienced crocheter's thinner metal one. But with enough time and practice, you'll be doing this in your sleep."
"Crocheting's neat. All my mom ever wanted to teach me was how to clean house and cook because she said that's all a wife needed to know."
"There's so much more to life than that, even if you are married. Granted, household computers didn't come along until long after I married my husband, but there's operating those, typing, balancing a checkbook—"
"I asked mom about that once, and she said the finance's were dad's business, not hers," replied Janice.
"You know that's not right, don't you?" asked Lisa.
"Yeah. They said that in school too. Besides, I'm good at math, although Algebra isn't fun."
"Oh? Why not?"
"Y is always wanting to find her X or vice versa. If they broke up, maybe it was for a good reason and they shouldn't get back together," quipped Janice.
Lisa Jenkins couldn't help but smile at the joke. "Life was rough in their house, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," agreed Janice, as she grabbed more yarn and started working on creating a new Granny Square. "I'm surprised I got to do regular girl stuff like sleepovers. They wouldn't let me have one at our house, but I could go over to everyone else's once my folks met and approved of their parents."
"Really? Maybe they were just worried about you," Lisa pointed out. From what she knew of the Harper situation, Janice's folks would never be considered for a Parent of the Year Award, but they were still the children's mother and father.
"Maybe. But if any of my friends had brothers, I never got to go. I only stayed at those with either other sisters or who were just only childs. Provided their folks were also good, church going God fearing parents. Yet in time, my sleepover invites ended because I couldn't host one."
"Well, maybe after you're officially settled here and made new friends, you can have one here."
"Really?"
"This will be just as much your house as it is mine," Lisa pointed out. "I don't see why you can't do things other kids get to do." Within reason, of course, she silently added.
"That'd be great," said Janice with a smile. "Would any of them be weres?"
"Probably."
"How do other weres feel about were-mermaids?"
"Afraid I don't know. You'd have to ask them. But if I can ask, why a were-mermaid?" wondered Lisa.
"Why not?" asked Janice in return. "I got to see this cartoon version of The Little Mermaid once. It was so cool how she could swim and talk underwater. Always getting to do her own thing and not having to worry about what others thought of her."
"If I recall the movie correctly, she still had problems with her father, let alone the fact that she gave up being a mermaid to be with her Prince at the end of the movie," Lisa reminded her.
"Finding true love wasn't bad, but why couldn't he have become a merman?" Janice asked in return. "They did have them. Her father was a merman, and there were other mermen in the beginning of the movie."
"I don't know," admitted Lisa.
"Well, once I become a were-mermaid, whoever I marry will have to be a were-mer too."
"That would be nice. But you do know you can't become a were anything until after you turn 14."
"Yeah. That stinks," complained Janice.
"By then, are you sure you'd still want to be a were-mermaid?" asked Lisa. "After all, by then you'll have lived here in Moon Lake for almost a full year, and have met all kinds of other weres. Maybe you'll meet someone special and want to be that kind of were instead."
"You mean, like Jenny and Harry being werefoxes? Or Betty becoming a weredog when she marries your Huck? Or John becoming a weretiger to be with Ginger O'Toole?"
"Yes," agreed Lisa, "but why do you think John will become a weretiger?"
"I've seen the way he looks at her, and I've seen the way she looks at him. Even if he hasn't fallen in love yet, she certainly has."
"Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be without asking Ginger. Besides, isn't love important?" asked Janice.
"It's very important. It's the reason I married my husband and Betty's marrying Huck."
"Mom and dad may be married, but they never seem to be happy together, let alone in love. When I do become a were-mermaid, I'm going to find my one true love and live happily forever after."
This poor child's been through so much, she's hanging on to dreams and fantasies, realized Lisa, afraid to say the wrong thing and hurt Janice more than she might have been before they met.
"That's a nice goal, but even if you do become a were-mermaid at 14, you still have to be at least 18 to get married here in Washington State," Lisa gently pointed out to her.
"Really?" asked Janice, sounding kind of disappointed. "Dad said when I turned 14, he'd pick out my intended, whatever that means."
"What?" Lisa said in shock.
"What?" Janice asked in return, not knowing what had upset her new friend.
"That means that your dad would have picked out the man HE wanted you to marry. NOT whoever you fell in love with and wanted to spend the rest of your life with."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm afraid so. Just like your father wanted Jenny to marry that Dieter Wilhelm instead of Harry."
Janice looked at Lisa.
"I'm not letting anyone ruin my life like he almost ruined Jenny's!" yelled Janice, then she threw her crocheting down to the floor as she left the Jenkins' family living room and ran upstairs, crying her eyes out by the time she reached the top of the staircase.
Lisa Jenkins was putting everything away for now as she heard the door to the guest bedroom slam shut.
I better go talk to her, but if Janice is this bad off, how fragile is John? the matriarch of the Jenkins family wondered, as she started to follow her new friend.
TO BE CONTINUED...