“I never knew she did!” Margret exclaimed.
“Neither did papa,” the child replied, “And as far as Anna, she would not have spoken up, being as its not her place to tell her employers how to live,” she breathed, “But I knew, and its why she had that heart attack too.”
“Oh wow.”
“Besides,” Jacqueline went on to add, “The company has actually gained seven new contracts since you came here despite the fact they stopped driving themselves into the ground, so the company side of the equation has actually improved.”
“Why do you like my music so much?” Margret asked.
“Anger, frustration, you know, the usual teenage angst stuff,” Bunny shrugged, “Surely you didn't think you were the only one.”
“But you grew up in this loving family, with all this money and everything catered to your every need.”
“I'm smothered here. Still am. Only now I have a little bit of freedom because they trust you and believe in you.” she delineated, “Before you came, I never went anywhere, never did anything, just to school and home, that's it. I want to LIVE Margret Cooper, I want to be a REAL human being - not some delicate little porcelain doll up on a shelf or in some air tight glass vault.”
“I can understand that,” she conceded, “Not that my youth was such I wouldn't have minded trading places....for just a little while...but...no....because I would not have wanted you to suffer through the filthy drug addicted life my mother lived, all the nasty strange men going in and out of the house all hours of the day and night...” she shook her head, “No, in fact I would gladly have suffered it just to protect you from it.”
“Sounds bad,” Jacqueline conceded, “Makes my plight not seem quite so bad.”
“But why did they smother you so much?”
“They wanted a prodigy like themselves,” she sighed, “Something they could invest in, more of a namesake than a real human being, somebody to become the next 'heir to the Shunokoi empire',” she said with a mocking tone of pomp and circumstance, “No, they were all wrapped up in this illusion that I would grow out of my condition some day, become the perfect super nerd and joyfully take the reigns of this multi-trillion...whatever...company.”
“Why didn't they just have another child?”
“They really couldn't have me.” she replied.
“You're adopted?”
She opened with a sigh, “No, I'm theirs alright, but mama had to take some kind of fertility drug to ovulate, and in the process, she nearly died in the first three months of the pregnancy, spent the last six on life support, and I came out like this, developmentally disabled.
“The doctors directly linked my condition to the drug, and it was removed from the shelves worldwide. My grandmother made sure of that.”
“Oh,” she acknowledged, “Bummer.”
“Yeah,” Jacqueline sighed, “and now, despite all my smarty pants genes, I'm as dumb as a chicken.”
“You are NOT...” Margret rebutted in exasperation, “You're VERY talented and VERY wise for your age too!”
“Well there's no way I can run some massive conblomberbation of a company like this, nor do I wish to even try.”
“I fully understand.” Marge said, leaning down and kissing her head, thinking for a moment, “Well what if I did?”
“What? Take over the company?” Jacqueline lifter her head to face her lover as if to read her expression.
“Sure! Why not?” she said with a smile, “I'm marrying into the family, seems the way I understand it, papa is the CEO and took on the Shunokoi's name, so why can't I just do the same?”
“What about your music career?”
“I won't be young and popular forever love,” Marge sighed, “Some day its going to end, and when it does,” she shrugged, “I don't personally want to go back to poverty, It's just no fun. Besides, if I take on this part time gig mama offered, in time, I can learn the ropes, little by little, maybe take some college courses in business administration or whatever, and eventually by the time the music comes to an end, I'll be a ripe old age and have grand babies ready to jump in ahead of me! I AM having your baby...eventually...” she ended with a giggle.
“I admit,” Jacqueline conceded, “It makes perfect sense.” and she giggled back.
“Besides,” Margret added, “All these songs about angst and frustrated love,” she raised her eyebrows, “I'm kinda losing all that.”
“You are?” Jacqueline asked in a slightly worried tone, “Why?”
“Because, silly Bunny wabbit,” she tipped Jacqueline's nose with her index finger, “Since I met YOU, all my frustrations have pretty much ended!” she breathed a happy sigh, “I'm so happy I could SING!” then she came to the realization of how that sounded, “I mean....sing HAPPY stuff...you know...like umm...your J-pop music!”
Jacqueline giggled, “Not with THAT voice you don't!”
“Well little by little, my heart is not so much into my music as it is into my love for you!” and she leaned forward to kiss Jacqueline.
Ep 22, Chapter 3
Anna had gotten rid of all the pork products in the house and re-made her sausages without it, then made the announcement bright and early the next morning.
“Anna's new and improved pork-free breakfast is waiting you ladies....!!! Rise and shine!”
“Ohhhh...” Margret grumbled, “I hope being a CEO doesn't mean getting up this early every day!”
“It likely willllllllll.” Jacqueline said in a matter-of-fact tone, which coming from her childish voice made Margret giggle.
“Oh you are something ELSE!” Margret rose up and as Jacqueline was crawling across her as was her usual manner, grabbed her and pulled her down giggling into a kiss.
As they rolled around giggling on the bed, Anna finally came upstairs and swatted Margret on the behind with her spatula, “Come on graduation girl!” she commanded, “Breakfast is waiting!”
“Owwww!” she complained, “Let me finish desert first!”
Ep 22, Chapter 4
Unlike many schools where they wore the traditional black robes and mortarboards, they wore just their regular school uniforms and left off of the common fanfare, as this was a rather liberal girls' academy.
Still, each member of the graduating class was lined up on the front rows of the auditorium and the principal's speech was long and boring, so that Margret began to nod off, which was visible to everybody behind her and they began to snicker.
Finally when her name was called, she sprang up saying, “What! What?” then looking around, she blushed deeply, then bowed before the riotous laughter that rolled throughout the auditorium.
From there, she made her way in her big buckled up platform thigh boots to the stage, accepted her diploma, shook Mr. Ellis's hand as he murmured, “I hope you have some idea what your career is going to be.”to which she whispered back “I'm already a housewife and mother to be!” leaving him dumbstruck and then broke into a display of air guitar raising the now ancient goat's head hand symbol over her head before leaping off the stage.
Ep 22, Chapter 5
“You sure did up your graduation Miss Cooper,” Anna said as they came in the door like a herd of wildebeest.
“Huh?” Margret slowed and leaned back to look at Anna who was sitting in front of her computer monitor on the kitchen counter.
“That leaping off the stage there.” she pointed as she dragged the video bar backward making it appear as if Margret had leapt from the auditorium floor up to the stage, “You could have hurt your self you know,” looking at the girl's abdomen.
“Oh don't mind me,” she said, “I took all three of those testy things, I'm not pregnant.”
“NOW she tells me.” Anna looked heavenward while rubbing her forehead in a sign of angst, “Why you wait until now to say anything?”
“Well, I -”
“Afraid we put you in separate beds?” she asked.
“Well...” she blushed.
“Don't you worr
y nothing about it.” she said half way between a scoff and dismissiveness, “The way this family thinks, with your mental smarts, they figure the sooner you has babies the better.” waving her hand dismissively.
“Well I'm not ready just YET!” Margret said, “I still have my musical career ahead of me!”
“What?” the ex military housemaid asked, “You don't think I make good wet nurse?”
“Well -” she began but ran out of words.
“Come on Margie-pargie,” Jacqueline grabbed her hand and tugged, “We gotta get packed for my birthday!”
Margret was grateful to be pulled off the griddle and gladly followed Bunny's lead up the stairs.
“Don't you worry nothing darling!” Anna called behind her, “I has wet nursed fifty two children to this date! No sweat! I am soldier after all!”
Ep 22, Chapter 6
As could be expected, the Shunokoi's did not have to fly by major airline.
In fact, to Margret's surprise, Jacqueline was not kidding about packing for Japan.
“Why are we packing right now?” Margret asked.
“So we can be ready when Mama calls.”
“Where we going?”
“JAAAAAAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN silly!” Jacqueline squealed with laughter.
“Tonight?”
“Hurry up,” Anna opened the door, “We will be lifting off in an hour and you need park your pink buggy in the garage for safety while we are gone.”
“Wait...” she said, “L – lifting off?” she said, “In an HOUR?”
“Surely you didn't think we fly by commercial airlines did you darling?” Anna said to the slack jawed girl, “We fly hypersonic.”
“Zoooommm!” Jacqueline exclaimed while shooting one hand out in front of her.
Margret, who already hated flying, turned pale.
Episode 23
“Never Been So Scared In My Life!”
“Ow-ow-ow-ow-” Jacqueline was calling out as Anna pried Margret's hand off of hers.
“You has big baby to tend to here...you sure you want has MORE?”
“Ow-yes-owwww-just-not on airplanes...sssssss!!” she hissed and recoiled as sucked on her waifish little hand looking at the very pale, perhaps slightly greenish blur which was her bride to be as Anna pried the other hand off the arm rest.
“And here you think you big hot rod speed racer type, huh.” Anna clucked as she shook her head, “Shameful.”
“Du-du-du-du-don't ev-v-v-v-ver t-t-t-take m-m-m-m-me an-n-n-n-nywhere oo-o-o-o-on th-th-tht-tht-this th-th-th-thing-g-g-g-g-g ag-g-g-g-gain-n-n-n-n!” she finally cried out.
“What? A little noise scared you or something?”
“I-I-I-I-I-I've a-a-a-a-a-alw-w-w-w-way-s-s-s-s-s ha-t-t-t-te-d-d-d-d-d f-f-f-f-f-lying-g-g-g-g-g!” Margret shook violently, eyes wide in terror.
“Oh we have way around that if we knew, no sweat!” Anna announced, pulling out a little box of mild tranquilizers.
“N-n-n-n-now sh-sh-sh-she t-t-t-t-tell-s-s-s-s m-m-m-meeee-e-e-e!”
“Looks like you could use one anyway.” Yui came up with a cup filled with juice, handing it to Margret who almost spilled it as her hands shook so bad Anna had to take it back from her.
“Let me help you.” Anna said and put the pill to Margret's lips where she still dropped it back five times before she could even get it past her clenched teeth, then she held the juice up so the terrified girl could wash the pill down.
“Now all we need is a wheelchair.” Anna said, “Either way, she is not going to be walking for a few hours.”
Ep 23, Chapter 2
Margret snored softly as Jacqueline pushed her wheelchair along, making their way in the armored transparalum doors from the landing pad in the bright noon day sun, as her grandparents and several cousins all stood eager to greet the birthday girl and her unconscious fiance.
“You MUST love that girl!” Anna marveled, “Pushing her around like an invalid and all.”
“When we're old,” Jacqueline says, “I'll be doing it then as well.”
Yui suddenly got a tear in her eye, “Oh my precious baby!”
As the massive doors slid silently open via special compound worm gear drives, the younger children all rushed out to greet everybody while the elder ones smiled and waited for the family to come inside.
“Why isn't she a doll!” Grandmother Shunokoi exclaimed as she admired the softly snoring Margret.
“I was thinking more like Yamada no Sohodo.” Anna commented wryly.
“That's rude!” Jacqueline reprimanded Anna, “She's more like Kuebiko!” then she thought, “Only as a girl.”
“Well ONE day,” Grandmother Shunokoi said in her wise and stately manner, “She is going to be Ōkuninushi, so you had best learn to respect her, despite all her frailties.”
“Yeah!” Jacqueline agreed heartily, “So nyaa!” and she stuck out her tongue at Anna before giggling.
“Yes my ladies,” Anna blushed, feeling quite reproved.
Ep 23, Chapter 3
As the family arrived via a small bus at the Shunokoi's mansion some kilometers from the main facility, Margret gradually regained consciousness and began looking around bleary eyed, noticing that she had been drooling, then noticing she was on a bus with many unfamiliar people, in a wheelchair at the back of the bus, strapped in, with at least five children and one adult looking at her.
Naturally she blushed, then straining at her restraints, she began to get fearful there was some kind of kidnapping under way or perhaps some kind of bizarre ritualistic cult sacrifice, and the blood drained quickly from her face again.
“She's awake O bachan,” Jacqueline's voice trilled, “Can I let her go now?”
“Can you work those restraints?” Anna asked.
“Let me try.” the child replied, deftly working the buckles and soon Margret was free.
“Why was I strapped in?” she asked.
“So you wouldn't fall and bump that pretty face of yours!” Jacqueline replied cheerfully, making everybody on the bus laugh...except Margret who once again blushed.
“Anna, you said 'mild sedative', not animal tranquilizer!” she growled grumpily.
“Well for ME its quite mild.” Anna protested indignantly, but before she could get another jab in, Jacqueline glared at her and she instead said, “My apologies Miss Cooper, I shall be more careful in the future.”
Ep 23, Chapter 4
After a banquet, where no fewer than five hundred people came, Margret's hand was tired of shaking.
It seemed that everybody wanted to shake her hand and welcome her heartily into the Shunokoi family!
“Oh!” she moaned, “My hand is going to fall off!” then she turned to Anna, “Do you have any...REGULAR pain meds on you?”
“I shall have to ask Oki-sama what she has here.” Anna replied, “I'm not too sure my pain medicines would be safe for you.”
“Thanks!” she said in a tone that made Anna look back about to say something testy, but despite the apparently sarcastic tone, she saw a look of real gratitude on Margret's face.
As she waited, Jacqueline came back from another room with a few early birthday presents, mostly from people who had to be other places and could not be there on the special day.
“See look!” she held out some sheer white lace lingerie, making Margret blush deeply, “I got some fancy panties to add to my collection!”
“Ummm...” Margret asked nervously, “They give you that stuff regularly?”
“No,” she replied, “This is the first time,” she answered, “I bought all the rest at home my self.”
“So then,” the older girl asked, “This is new because?”
“They said its for our wedding night!” Jacqueline answered in delight.
“My aren't you coming of age!” a very tall yet quite elegant older woman came in.
“Oh HIIIIII O bachan!” Jacqueline dropped the lingerie on Margret's lap and turned to embrace the tall woman.
“I take it
this one with the racy-lacies is your fiance?” she asked, her accent being somewhat different from the others so far, as she took up Margret's aching hand.
Bunny Love ( Songs of Love Book 1) Page 21