Boswell, LaVenia (12 page)

            “We need the restraining order to make him realize it is serious business and his threats will not be tolerated,” Jason explained with a voice of authority.  “When was the last time he called you?” he suddenly asked with obvious angered anticipation.

            Jenny looked at her phone for a minute and answered, “Eleven-fifteen, this morning.”

            “Good, that officer’s visit is working.  He was supposed to have seen him at
half past noon
.”  Jason smiled broadly, his shoulders relaxing from their tense mode.

            Jenny heaved a sigh of relief about it too.  Her mind was spinning, though about another matter entirely.  Jason’s humanness had her attention, and exactly what he had shared in a moment of upsetness.  Her emotions were whirling, yet some things were becoming less obscure but still puzzling.

            After they left the Police Station, having applied for the Restraint Order on Scott - Jason acted as though a load had been lifted off him.

            Jenny hated to ask but had to know, “How did Thomas know about the video?”

            Jason’s face fell.  Taking a deep breath he told the truth.  “He asked me on Sunday if I knew what you were so upset over.  Seems he was worried over you trying to make him believe you’d cut your hair rather than telling him you were wearing a wig, that your dad told him not to mention it to you.  He knew you weren’t acting right, at least that’s what he told me.  On the e-mail I received I saw Thomas’ name and knew he’d be getting it too.  I decided I could perhaps run interference for you before he left for
Gainesville
and saw it later.”

            “Oh.  So, you knew he’d see the video and have a heart attack and perhaps come back here and he and Dad would put me in chains in my room until I’m seventy or eighty?”

            He laughed.  “Well, yeah, I could only hope!”

            Jenny smiled at his joke and considered why Tom hadn’t jumped all over her about it.  “Why didn’t he yell at me or let me know he’d seen it?”

            “I said I ran interference for you,” Jason reminded her with a happy smile.  “I told him since it happened Friday night at the mall and the next day you began wearing a wig, and I was really thankful to discover it was only a hair piece, by the way.  Anyway, that you were without a doubt traumatized by the incident, that was obvious.”

            He smiled gently at her and held her hand for a moment.  Patting it he put his hand back on the wheel.  “He said you’d been acting awful strange, talking about wanting and needing things you didn’t know what they were.  Poor guy, he actually suggested perhaps I needed to ‘step up to the plate’ and do what needed doing.”

            Jenny’s face drained of all color.  “He said
what?!”

            “Jen, I guess Tom was just feeling desperate in trying to help his sis.  He was really worried about you.  Don’t think ill of him.  That was a giant concession he was making.  Though I told him as badly as I might like to grant his request, I couldn’t.”

            Those words made her sit up.  Jason couldn’t or wouldn’t or didn’t want too, she wondered.  Which was it?  She really, really would like to know.  Hum.

Facing Your Fear . . .

8 – JASON’S IDEAS

“Are you hungry yet?” Jason asked, knowing Jenny had to be hungry.  He’d called both their homes while she was filling out paperwork for the restraint request, and left messages that they were hanging out and would have supper together this evening.  He knew his parents wouldn’t worry but Jenny’s would.  He felt it was only right for parents to know where their kids were, even if they were adults.  The fact they were still in school made the difference to him, he would always show his parents this courtesy while living in their home.

            “A little.  What ya have in mind?” Jennifer asked, not really feeling hungry at all.  All the nervousness of the afternoon had stolen her appetite, but she didn’t want Jason to do without, he’d been so helpful and she enjoyed their time together, for a change.

            “Seafood, pizza, steak, burgers, chicken or only veggies?” he inquired.

            “Hum, steak and salad sound nice,” she admitted aloud, thinking it did sound good now all of a sudden.  She used to always suggest somewhere cheap because Jason would not allow her to contribute.  But today she was in the mood for truth and she was going to try and force his hand on allowing her to pick up the tab.  She had a few dollars saved from her allowance and if she didn’t drive much and need to refill her gas tank too often, she thought she might could manage paying for their meals tonight.  That made her smile. 

            Jason headed for one of the local restaurants and whistled as he drove.

            “That’s beautiful,” Jennifer said with awe when he’d finished a second tune.  “I didn’t know you could whistle.”

            “I’m a man of great depth,” he responded teasingly.  “Got talents out the wa-zoo, girl, you’ve got to simply hang around and find out.”

            She noticed a teasing twinkle in his eyes that made her smile at his humor.  He was usually so
old
acting, not one to tell too many jokes or laugh over much.  While she had been known to have laughing fits till she snorted like a pig, spewed tea out her nose and sometimes even wet herself.  Girl’s bladders, ya know.

            She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he drove.  There was a peace about him that was disturbing to her own lack, an aura.  Disturbing in that it was a mystery to her.  How and where did someone acquire such peace and contentment?  If his aura had a color, she realized it would have to be sky blue for calm.  He never acted ruffled or upset.  Jennifer suddenly stifled a giggle as she remembered his lack of peace around her today, when she’d called him basically non-human.  That had really gotten him wired.  In fact, he’d been purely stunning all day with the emotion he exhibited, for once.

            She was so deep in thought about him it startled her when she heard, “Did you get that novel mailed to Barbara yet?”

            “No, not yet.  I thought the sci-fi was really good, my best perhaps, but the more I reread it the more unsure I am.  I need a fresh brain to evaluate it before I dare send it to her.”

            He noted she was looking at him with hopeful eyes.  He wasn’t about to get tangled into that one.  If he didn’t like it she would weasel it out of him, and that would hurt her feelings.  He couldn’t deal with doing that to her.  Actually though, he realized, it was probably a wonderful novel, she’d been writing short stories for years and he hadn’t read one of her’s yet that wasn’t filled with great talent.  But, this was too big for her and he wanted to stay on the sidelines to help if she needed it.

            “Has
Salina
read it?” he asked with obvious enthusium, “Or, your mom?”

            “You can relax, Jas.  I won’t ask you to read it.  In fact,” she decided to tease him a bit, “you were a model for one of my main protagonists in the sci-fi.  So, it’s not a good idea for you to read it – not ever.”

            His right brow cocked up and he asked, “Why’s that?  Did you make him a robot or a villain?”  He thought for a minute and asked, “Am I a space pirate?”  He liked the idea of her making him a space pirate, as long as he was a handsome, brave pirate who wins the heroine.

            “Can’t tell ya,” she said with a malicious grin and little giggle.  She was discovering it was a lot of fun to tease him.  Although, her male hero
had
been modeled after Jason, now that she thought about it.  Though during the writing she hadn’t been aware of it.  Hum, wonder why she hadn’t realized that till now.  Her hero had been overly thoughtful and considerate like Jas, was extremely handsome, like him, of course, also had a number of his mannerisms.  Except, her hero was very bold, much bolder than Jason, or the Jason she thought she’d known.  He was surprising her here of late.

       He parked in the front of a steak house she liked.  He knew Jennifer enjoyed this place and she gave him a nice smile for his thoughtfulness.

When the food arrived, out of courtesy Jennifer paused while Jason said his blessing over their food: 

“Bless us, oh Lord, and these Thy gifts we are about to receive     from Thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

       This time Jennifer had taken special notice of his exact words, instead of hearing blaa, blaa, blaa.  Using her fork to play with her food she finally decided to ask, “Jas, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your faith?”

       “Ask away,” he responded, seeming at ease.

       “Why did you ask your God to bless
us
and refer to the food as gifts, just now?” she inquired.

       Looking across the table at her she noticed he had a slightly surprised expression.  “I always ask Him to bless us Jen, every day.  Without fail.  And about the food – well, it
is
gifts.  There are people all over the world starving, but here we sit with food to eat.  It’s His gift of love to us.”

       She frowned up.  “You really feel that way, don’t you?”

       He nodded, waiting for her to say or ask something else.

       She just had to know, it was bugging her terribly and so she asked.  “Okay, since you don’t seem to mind enlightening me - you don’t worry over why your God is allowing those other people to starve?”  She twirled the straw in her glass.  “That’s what gets me.  How can a God that you think of as so loving allow so much pain and anguish in the world?”

       He sat back against the booth seat and smiled.  “Is that why you don’t believe?”

       Her eyes grew large.  “Huh, maybe.  One of the reasons, perhaps.”  She did not want to remind him that she considered all religions nothing more than superstition.  Gave a lot of folks comfort but also caused many to commit murder in the name of their so called loving god.  Didn’t seem intelligent to her, and how Jason, who she knew had a brilliant mind could be so hoodwinked was puzzling and aggravating at the same time.

       Cutting off a piece of steak he popped it into his mouth and chewed while looking thoughtfully at her, but with a little smile, like he was pleased she’d asked.  “Jen, you have noticed that some people are quite wicked, full of evil deeds and enjoy the terrible things they do to other people, right?”

       “Serial killers and stuff,” she answered, “child molesters, and folks who torture and animal cruelty too, yeah sure.”

       “Now, Jen,” he stated while looking into her eyes, “consider the people who have gone about doing so much good in their lives, like Mother Teresa, Ghundi and a hoard of others.”

       Dipping an onion petal into some dipping sauce she nodded.  “So?”

       He speared a piece of tomato and slowly chewed it.

       For heaven’s sake, why was he being so slow?  Jenny wanted answers and it was like he was holding back to tease her.

       Jason finally swallowed.  “What would you say the basic difference is between these two groups of people?”

       Sipping on her iced sweet tea, she considered, actually she had often thought about it.  “I think the bad ones are probably born with defective DNA.”

       “Perhaps,” Jason responded, nodding his head at her.

       She’d been taken off guard by his admittance of this possibility.

       He stated after a moment, “Jen, if that were completely true then wouldn’t it also mean that great people are made with enhanced or souped up DNA?”