[ No matter what, this story ends with chapter ten. If you have read all 50+ thousand words you have ideas about where you'd like the story to go in the final chapter. Let me know soon and we'll see what happens. As always your votes and comments are encouraged. Readers may not know but typically less than 1% of readers vote and less than 5% of those who vote leave a comment. Given a choice I'd rather get a comment, public or private. ]
The morning came and Pat's alarm woke us. I bathed her, shampooed her hair and helped her dress. Della had breakfast ready when we went down stairs. After breakfast Della was ready to take her to work. She handed Pat a brown paper bag with her lunch in it. Pat teared up. We hugged and they were gone.
As I walked to Sandra's house I saw Jim's green Honda coming into the yard. Jim was driving and Krystn was welded to his right side. I stopped and watched as Jim parked and they got out of the car. Jim carried a grocery bag and Krystn's small suitcase. They saw me and stopped. Krystn blushed. Jim smiled a Cheshire smile.
They turned towards me, Jim dropped the bags and Krystn ran to me. She leapt into my arms and kissed me soundly. "Oh, Daddy! Thank you for loving us! Thank you!"
"Is my houseboat Ok?"
Jim answered, "It is. It may need some more airing out but no damage was done."
"Did you take it out of the marina?"
"No. We weren't there for sight seeing." Jim said. Krystn blushed redder.
Sandra and Margie came out of Sandra's. "Hey," Sandra said, "Aren't you supposed to check in with your mothers when you get home from a trip?"
They both ran and kissed and hugged Sandra and Margie. The story came out, minus the best parts, and we all went to Sandra's kitchen. When Della got home it began again. I took Mark and Sam to the store with me.
I decided to talk to Jim and Krystn together about the phone call from Jenny. Later.
At the hardware store I bought some things for the Honey-Do list and then we stopped at the DQ for a cone. Mark ordered for the three of us. For the first time he finished the cone without a single drip on his shirt, pants or legs. Sam didn't drip either and passed my praise off, saying, "Girls are naturally neater than boys."
I asked her how many boys she had known who were messy. She pointed at Mark. I asked if she thought Jim and I were messy. She said, "No, your grown ups."
When we got home I saw that Jim and Krystn were busy. I had wondered if they would each stay in their own rooms once the sexual barrier was lifted. They were moving into Krystn's room. I knew that meant I would be doing a paint job and remodel on the room that had been Jim's.
Sandra was waiting in my office. "You Ok with them sleeping together from now on?"
"Sure. You know where I can buy two chastity belts?"
"They know to be careful."
"I'll still worry."
"What happens about going away to college?"
"Ahhh. That is the question, isn't it? We may need a family meeting." I told her about the call from Jenny. She said she was worried for both of them.
I posted a meeting request for three in the afternoon. Sam and Mark not invited. Della wanted to know what the subject would be. I wrote back... "Montana."
For some reason I was hard to find until three. No one looked for me in Sandra's basement. I wasn't hiding. Well, not too well. Sandra knew where I was, but she didn't tell.
In the meeting I outlined what I knew. I told everyone about the offer Jenny had made and the pros and cons as I understood them. Then the family discussed. Krystn started.
"I don't want you to go away! I just got you where I want you!"
"I need the education. I actually think I need to get away from these three houses for a while. Three... no, four moms and a dad are a little tough to take sometimes. How can I be a man with that much seniority around me?"
Della asked, "I can see both points. Is there any common ground?"
"Jenny lives over two thousand miles away. It isn't like he can come home on the weekends."
"Can she go with me?"
"I can't answer that question. I promised Jenny you'd call her today or tomorrow. You can ask her. I believe you should think about what you can do if the answer is no and what you'll both do if the answer is yes."
The discussion went on for over an hour. In the end Jim decided he was going to Montana. If Krystn couldn't go with him she would stay home and work hard to graduate and get some skills she could use to help Jim pay the bills when she joined him after she graduated. I promised to bring him home for Christmas. Then he went to my office and called Jenny. Krystn started to go with him, then stopped and let him go alone. She sat between Sandra and Della and they held her in their arms.
We heard the door to my office close. I looked at the clock and it showed 1:18pm. The room was quiet and we didn't move. Krystn looked over at me about every five minutes. Her eyes were hopeful... and filled with tears that didn't fall. I wanted to comfort her and knew there was nothing I could say or do that would help.
At 1:45 Margie got up and went to the kitchen. I followed her. We made sandwiches and iced tea. After she made the first sandwich she came to me and we hugged. She made another sandwich and we hugged again. After the sixth sandwich the door opened to my office and Jim came out. He held a pad of paper and walked slowly to the living room. In the doorway he stopped and looked up, at Krystn.
At that moment my phone rang. Jim turned and ran back to my office and answered. His foot swung the door closed and we were left is suspense again. It was 2:10. I remembered being in school and watching the clock as it crept toward three o'clock. Watching makes it go slower.
We delivered the plate of sandwiches and the iced tea. No one ate or drank anything. I sat in my chair and Margie sat in my lap. I love how she feels when she cuddles in like that but at that precise time it wasn't much comfort.
When I heard the door open again I looked again at the clock. 2:34pm. Jim walked slowly to the living room and Krystn stood. He took her in his arms and said, "I talked to Jenny and to Mr. and Mrs. Whitcom. They own the ranch where I'll be working. Jenny says she has room for Krystn, if she knows something about child care, cooking and cleaning."
Just as Krystn started to whoop he stopped her. "She doesn't have room until October."
Krystn calmed down and her eyes filled again. "The second call was from the Whitcom's. They need me next week. I need to fly to Butte before Sunday and they'll gather me there. As we talked I told them about loving Krystn and Mrs. Whitcom asked if you know how to cook and clean. Mr. Whitcom asked if you are afraid of horses. I said I knew you could cook and clean but I've never seen you near a horse."
"I've never been on a horse."
"They decided that you can work in the ranch house with Mrs. Whitcom and I'll be a hand outside. Then in October you will move to town and in with Jenny, her kids and me. They won't pay you much, they told me. A thousand a month plus free room and board."
He kissed her. I watched two young hearts bursting with love and adventure as they jumped up and down, holding on to each other and kissing. The rest of us joined them. Whatever worries I had, I got to keep. Our two adult children had decided to leave the nest.
The rest of the day was a blur. They went shopping for a couple suitcases for Krystn and soft bags for Jim. That evening they started weeding through their clothes and possessions. Three piles were made. One for what was going with them. One for what they wanted us to store and one to give away. They made some calls to friends and those friends came and said good-bye and got the stuff that was available.
By Thursday Jim was ready to go and Krystn was, almost. She realized all her clothes were for Georgia, not Montana. She called Mrs. Whitcom and then threw almost everything away. Mrs. Whitcom said for her to bring two pair of jeans, hiking boots, socks, underwear and a jacket. The rest they would go shopping for once she arrived. When she was all packed she had only needed one suitcase.
Their flight was Saturday afternoon. We all went to Atlanta to see them off and there were lots of tears. Most of them were happy tears. A few minutes before the flight boarded Jim handed Pat an envelope. He said, "Give Momma Della back her car. You now have a great car."
