[If you haven't read the other chapters, odds are good this one won't make much sense. Chapter 8 has begun. It will post the day I finish it. Your votes and comments are encouraged.]
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Jim and I drove to the community college. It was about twenty miles away. He went because I asked him. I wanted him to go in case driving with a healing collarbone became too much and because I wanted to get him looking at college again. Before we went I arranged for a student to give Jim a tour. A student could answer his questions better than I could and maybe discover what it was that Jim wanted to do with his life.
I signed up for a course in cabinet making and another course in child development. I met Jim back at my truck at three and we drove home.
"Dad, you know people all over, don't you?"
"I don't. Not all over. Why?"
"I need to get out of town. It hit me three times today. Krystn and I cannot live with you and our mommas. Everyone knows she's my sister. I know we aren't fully related, but the rest of the people who know us don't know all about genetics. They believe there is something wrong with me loving her."
"I've wondered what you were thinking about that."
"I know what to do. I've got to go away. Either to school or to a job somewhere. In a year, after Krystn graduates we can go away and live as married. We can even get married. I just need to go away."
"Any ideas about how you will earn money? You and Krystn can't go through life on twenty dollars from Sandra."
"I am getting pretty good at being a handyman. Ideally I would like to go to college and become a teacher."
"You could start that education at the college we just left. Then after Krystn graduates you both could go away to college to finish up."
"No. I'm trying to tell you, Dad. If I stay here I'm going to have sex with Krystn. It's harder and harder not to do it. We both know you all trust us. You let us vote on you and Momma Pat getting pregnant! We asked to be adults and now we feel the pressure more than ever not to screw up. I love her, Dad. Living with her and not being able to be in bed with her is torture!"
"I hear you. Loud and clear. Give me a couple days, would you? I want to see if I can help the two of you. Is this as painful for Krystn as it is for you?"
"She's afraid to be alone with me, at all. She wants to do it and we promised you that we wouldn't."
He sat quietly facing the window and not seeing anything. I watched the road and wondered how I could help.
At home Jim went off to help some kids with homework and I went to my office. When Sandra came into my office I slid my chair back from the computer and she sat in my lap. After a little friendly grope she asked, "Did you and Jim talk?"
"Yes. He wants to go to college. He's thinking about becoming a teacher. He needs to go away. He's willing to get a job as long as it's away. Living here with Krystn so close and both of them fighting their urges, is killing him."
"I thought that might be what was going on. Sometimes in the evenings Krystn is so frustrated she hides in her room and I hear her crying."
"I want to help them."
"How?"
"I'm starting to look for where he can go to school, where he can work, where he can be away and close enough I can visit him once in a while."
"How's the search going?"
"I just started." She left my lap and said, "Maybe we ought to cool the PDA for a while. That might be making it harder for them."
"PDA?"
"Public Displays of Affection."
"Like that's gonna stop!"
"I didn't say stop. I said cool. Right now we each kiss you and snuggle you and touch you every time we see you. Maybe we could cool it, a little, around them."
"And Pat could go live at the cleaners instead of parading around with her big belly evidence that someone's having sex around here."
"Oh. You're right. There's just too much love and affection around here for them to be comfortable."
"Let me get back to work on the problem, Ok?"
"Yes, Honey." I got one more kiss and she disappeared. I clicked keys on the computer for a while and suddenly a thought came to me. I called information and asked for Jenny Jackson anywhere in Montana. I knew she wouldn't stay in Butte. I found her. I called the number.
"Hello?"
"Jenny?"
"Nick?"
"Yeah. You Ok?"
"Yes. Thank you. I told you no money, no help. You don't listen any better than Jack, and I'm glad. I used the money to leave Butte and now we're doing Ok. Thanks."
"Enough. You're welcome. I want to ask you a few questions, Ok?"
"Yes."
"Is there a college anywhere near you?"
"Yes. It's where I work. I have a good job in the admissions office. It's a University. Good engineering and teacher's college."
"Is it too late to get a young man into the fall semester?"
"What young man?"
"I'm married and I now have an eighteen year old son. He both wants and needs to go away to school for a year. If he doesn't get out of town he and his girl will end up in bed. Her family and ours agree that they ought to wait until she's eighteen."
"Congratulations! I'll want details later. Let me give you my address. Give me yours. I'll send you an enrollment package. Have him fill it out and get it back to me as soon as possible."
We exchanged information and half an hour later while I was looking at my email account I got an email from Jenny with the forms attached. I found Jim and handed him the forms.
"I think I can get you in for the Fall. Fill this out tonight and I'll get it to a friend. It's a good engineering and teacher's college."
Half an hour later I saw him sitting at the kitchen table filling out the forms. I realized I hadn't seen Krystn with him in over a week. The stress was killing both of them and since I was aware of it, it hurt me too.