He parked in one of the high school’s many lots. We got out and walked around the grounds. He pointed out the tennis courts and confessed that he and his siblings as well as his parents all played. And I confessed that I had never played outside of gym class. We walked over to the football fields and strolled around the track while he gave me a detailed account of his four years of football on this field. It was so strange for me to think of him having this entire life that I was never a part of.
He slipped his hand into mine as we crossed the field and climbed the bleachers to the top. I stood leaning on the railing looking out over the vast grounds, the trees, and the houses off in the distance. The wind was a little stronger at this height and it whipped around us. causing Jackson to pull me a little closer to him.
Next, Jackson took me by this little café that was close to his high school where apparently he and his classmates hung-out. It was a charming little place that truly looked like something out of the fifties with counter service, spinning bar stools, old art décor, padded booths, and even a jukebox in the far corner. He raved about the fountain cherry and vanilla cokes and the hand-dipped milkshakes.
We slid into a booth, ordered bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate shakes. Even after we ordered our food, I was looking over the menu that was printed to appear as if it was made in the fifties. I was so engrossed in taking in the ambiance of the place that I hadn’t seen the three guys that walked up to our booth until they spoke.
“Hey, Jackson, how ya doing?” a tall man with dirty blond hair and broad shoulders said.
“Hey Dylan, what’s going on?” Jackson stood up and greeted his friends.
“Not much. I’m working at Coswell Marketing firm in New York. I just came home for Christmas because my mom insisted.” He rolled his eyes with a smile.
“Congratulations.” He looked over at me as if he was just remembering I was sitting there. “Oh, I’m sorry. Guys, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Jocelyn. Jocelyn, this is Dylan, Jerimiah, and Chris. We all graduated from high school together.”
I stood up and shook each of their hands. “It’s very nice to meet you all.”
“Wait a minute,” Jerimiah looked over at Jackson. “Did you say wife? When the hell did this happen? And why weren’t we invited?”
“Won’t you guys join us?” I scooted over allowing Dylan and Chris to slip in beside me while Jerimiah sat down beside Jackson just as the waitress brought our food. The three guys placed their orders quickly before the waitress had a chance to walk away.
Chris, a man with strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and a charming smile reached over and stole a fry off Jackson’s plate. “So, congratulations, man. I can’t believe you got married. That’s great.”
“I still can’t believe we weren’t invited.” Jerimiah playfully complained. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and was the short, stocky one of the group.
“Sorry, it was a very small ceremony with only family two days ago. We didn’t want all the fanfare of having a big wedding,” Jackson informed them.
“Just family. No friends?” Chris asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.” Jackson looked uncomfortable.
“Did you two meet at BU?” Dylan inquired.
“No, in Chicago. I’m taking a year off before I start law school. My dad got transferred there and I thought it would be fun to spend some time in Chicago before hitting the books,” Jackson said.
“I’m guessing you enjoyed Chicago.” Dylan glanced over at me.
“You could say that,” Jackson laughed.
“So, how long are you in town for?” Jerimiah asked.
“We’re leaving for New York tomorrow on our honeymoon,” Jackson said.
“Well, this sucks.” Jerimiah nudged Jackson. “We didn’t get to throw you a bachelor party.”
“That’s right, man. You know we’re going to have to rectify that,” Dylan laughed.
“Not anytime soon, I’m afraid. After we get back from New York, we’re heading back to Chicago the next day.” Jackson shrugged.
“You suck!” Jerimiah gave him a playful shove just as the waitress reappeared with their food.
The five of us sat in silence for several minutes enjoying our food. It was so weird being around Jackson’s friend and immersed in his world. I had become so accustomed to him being in my world that I really hadn’t ever witnessed his. But the more I saw, the more I was intrigued about his life in Boston.
“Did you guys play football also?” I asked between bites.
“Football, basketball, outrageous parties, and study hall pranks on the teacher. The four of us also won the scavenger hunt on senior night.” Chris laughed. “I still can’t believe your dad covered our asses on that one.” The other three joined in the laughter.
“What did you guys do?” It was so hard for me to imagine Jackson doing anything foolish or ridiculous. It was so out of character for the man I knew.
“Well, ya see, our school has this long-standing tradition of senior night pranks, girls versus the guys. Each year there’s a different sort of theme if you will. So our senior year the theme was signs,” Dylan explained.
“Signs?” I was confused.
“Yeah, signs. As in who can collect the most,” Chris added.
“I still don’t understand.” I looked between the four of them.
“It was a contest to see who could steal the most signs. Anyway, we all set out in our buddy Jim’s truck. He had this old beater that we all used to go off-roading in. Well, we all piled in the cab with our other friends, Bobby and Chad, in the bed. So with a couple coolers full with ice cold beers, we headed out along some back roads outside of town, some pretty curvy roads that have some fairly sharp curves and of course, being so far out in the middle of nowhere, there are no street lights. So we dug out all the road signs between two small towns, then stole a few realtor signs, a couple mailboxes, and several street signs. When we got back to the school we lined our trophies along the side of the building. Needless to say, we kicked the girls’ asses. We had stolen twice the amount of signs as they did. And then we backed up several trucks up to the school and spray-painted Seniors 06’ on the side of the school,” Dylan said with obvious pride.
“Oh, my god!” My jaw dropped and I stared over at Jackson. I could not believe he ever did anything like that.
“But that was just half of it. The following Monday morning when we arrived at school there were two local police cars and one state police car parked up by the entrance. Apparently, we had done thousands of dollars of damage by removing the road signs, caused two separate accidents by drivers who weren’t familiar with the roads, and committed a federal offense by stealing the mailboxes,” Jerimiah added.
“Needless to say, we were all a little nervous when all the seniors were called down individually and questioned. And of course, our particular group of friends was known to have been responsible for pulling pranks,” Jackson chuckled.
“But it was all speculation. They never proved it was us who snuck into the teacher’s lounge and put the chocolate ex-lax in the coffeemaker,” Chris grinned.
“Wait . . . what?” I interrupted completely astonished.
“You know, the coffeemaker in the teacher’s lounge? In our school they always had an industrial size coffeemaker since almost all the teachers live on coffee. So, Jackson snuck in there during our third period study hall and took one of those chocolate ex-lax bars, broke it into pieces, and hid it in the fresh coffee grounds and brewed a fresh pot.” Jerimiah kept laughing and I could hardly make out what he was saying.
“I guess our little prank gave about a dozen teachers screaming diarrhea.” Dylan laughed so hard he grabbed a napkin to wipe the tears from his eyes.
“You did that?” My eyes turned towards Jackson.
“It sounds terrible, but god it was funny.” Jackson was laughing right along with them.
“Best homecoming prank ever,” Chris added.
“So what
happened with the police? Did you guys get caught?” I asked.
“Everyone who was involved, guys and girls, all agreed that we were at my house hanging out and watching a movie. So when they questioned each of us our stories all matched. And since it was my house we were supposedly at, they called my dad at the office.” Jackson took a sip of his chocolate milkshake and continued. “Well of course, I thought we were doomed since my dad knew full well I was out running around with the guys. I sat there almost sweating in the chair with these officers staring down at me waiting for me to get busted. But when our principle, Mr. Wright, called my dad, my dad claimed all of us were hanging at our house. It was priceless watching Mr. Wright’s face drop and turn red because my dad was a well-respected attorney and no one, including the police, were about to call him a liar.” Jackson shrugged like it was no big deal and took another bite of his burger.
“I can’t believe you did that.” I shook my head, absolutely stunned by this new side of Jackson that was completely foreign to me.
“Did you ever tell her about the roosters?” Dylan asked Jackson.
Jackson shook his head.
“Roosters?” I looked between the four guys.
“On the last day of school before Christmas break, the four of us snuck out during lunch period to Jim’s truck where we had four roosters in this crate. We snuck them into the school and let them loose. Two upstairs and two downstairs,” Jerimiah chuckled. “The teachers had a hell of a time trying to catch them. And god, they shit all over the hallways.”
“Weren’t you worried about the cameras?” I inquired.
“Our school didn’t have cameras back then. They installed them the year after we graduated,” Chris informed me.
“I can’t imagine why,” Dylan laughed.
We spent another hour with Jackson’s friends. I sat there and listened to them retelling stories of all the silly antics they did throughout their youth. It was an eye-opening experience. I never would have thought Jackson was capable of doing such things. It was the exact opposite of the man I knew in Chicago. Even when Cody, Zak, and my brother were up to something devious, Jackson never participated in it.
I really enjoyed getting to know these guys. I had such a good time and could see they were more than a little mischievous when they got together. By the time we left we had made plans to get together with them when we came back to Boston next summer.
When we climbed in the Durango on our way home I leaned over to Jackson and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled back and pulled out into the early evening traffic.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“For not being as perfect as I thought you were.”
“I’m not perfect,” he chuckled. “Far from it actually.”
“It was really nice to meet your friends from school and hear about the things you used to do. It’s like you were a totally different person from the man I know in Boston.”
“How so?” Jackson glanced over at me while waiting for the light to turn.
“Well, you’re just so serious in Chicago.” I was trying to find the right words. “It’s like, there you’re this straight and proper young man who never misbehaves. Yes, I know it sounds silly but it’s weird. It’s like here, you did all the young and silly things our friends are doing there. You know what I mean.”
“I was a teenager when I did all that. I guess back then it seemed like a fun thing to do just to see if we could get away with it. Now, if I behaved like that there and got caught, it would cause me and my parents a world of trouble since I’m lying about my age and carrying false documents,” he explained.
“What about your driver’s license? Is that fake too?” I was curious.
“No. I carry my real license. So I guess I would be in trouble if someone insisted on seeing it there.” He smiled and pulled into the driveway.
“I just can’t get over how wild you were in high school. It seems so out of character for you, Bae,” I said, before climbing out of the car.
“Not really. I was young and stupid just like every other teenager.” He came around the front of the Durango and pulled me close to him. “I had a great time in high school with my friends. But I must admit, it is sort of fun going to high school with you.” He leaned down and gave me a kiss.
“Well, just for the record, our school is loaded with cameras. There’s no way you could pull stunts like that there,” I teased.
“I guess Zack, Cody, and I will have to be a little more clever when we pull our senior prank this spring.” He flashed a devious smile at me.
“Oh, good Lord . . .” I rolled my eyes at him and opened the front door.
CHAPTER 34
Sunday, December 25, 1878
WAKING UP on Christmas morning in our own home felt more like a dream than reality even as the sunlight broke through the drapes and found my face on my pillow. I rolled over in an attempt to hide away from it only to come face to face with my new husband smiling softly at me.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Chandler.”
“Merry Christmas, my love. Did you sleep well?”
“Very well and you?”
“Wonderful.” He leaned over and kissed me gently. “I cannot recall having ever had a better night of sleep.”
“Me neither.” Jackson rolled on top of me, kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the fire soar between us once again.
***
An hour later Jackson climbed out of bed and washed up before he dressed in his dark blue suit. I lay there silently watching him closely. I had never observed his morning routine before and found it rather fascinating. He brushed his teeth carefully before he stood in front on my vanity mirror and brushed his wavy dark brown hair. A smile spread across the shapely lips of his reflection when he noticed I was watching him.
“Are you going to stay in bed all day, my dear? I believe your family is expecting us for Christmas dinner in about an hour.” He walked back over and sat down beside me.
“I would rather stay here with you.”
“I would too, but alas we cannot,” he grinned, got up, and walked over to the door. “So get up or we will be late.” Then he was gone.
I leaned back for a moment against the mountain of pillows rethinking everything that had happened last night and this morning. It had been perfect in every way. I closed my eyes thinking about how different and yet alike Jackson was in our two lives. He seemed a little more like the man I recalled from 2009 when we were alone, but somehow that man felt so conservative in comparison with all the other men that flooded my high school days of that time. It was all so odd.
I heard a low knock on the door and half expected Mimi to be on the other side of it. “Mrs. Chandler, you’s bath is ready.” Cora barely opened the door.
“Thank you, Cora. I will be there directly.” I climbed out of bed and grabbed my robe.
***
Christmas festivities were grander than usual. The smaller children were running around playing with the many new toys Santa Claus had brought them. Their excitement was contagious. It was easy to remember when it used to be my brothers and me in their shoes. There was a large part of me that hated the idea of waiting another ten years before Jackson and I could have a child of our own. Now that we were married I wanted one immediately although I knew it wasn’t possible. However, that certainly did not stop my mother from bringing the topic into conversation right after dinner when the gentlemen were in the other room smoking cigars and drinking brandy.
“All I am saying is that I hope by next Christmas you and Jackson will have given us a new grandbaby.” She at least had enough tact to wait until Olivia had retired for the evening citing a headache.
“Now do not rush them, Annabelle.” Emily smiled over in my direction. “Give them some time to adjust to being married first.”
“As long as they do not wait too long.” My mother sipped her coffee.
“Mother,” Lizette began, “do not pressure them. They ha
ve not even been married twenty four hours yet.”
“All right, all right.” My mother waved her hand as if dismissing the topic. “On a happier note, Mrs. Maddox told me at the reception that Mr. Miller spoke with her husband about Ms. Elizabeth’s hand. She said Mr. Miller was going to propose to Elizabeth today.”
I nearly spit my coffee back into my mug, but choked on it instead. “Oh my goodness, are you serious?”
“Yes, that is what she told me.”
I couldn’t help it, I squealed like a small child. “How wonderful! I cannot believe this. I am so happy for her. Oh, I wish I could go over there and congratulate her.”
“You can speak with her tomorrow.” My mother poured herself a little more coffee from the sterling silver pot that rested on the matching tray before us.
“She must be ecstatic,” I beamed. It was quickly shaping into a busy summer with Laurie’s wedding and now possibly Elizabeth’s as well.
CHAPTER 35
Sunday, December 27, 2009
JACKSON AND I headed out right after we finished breakfast. I was so excited to see New York City. I had always dreamed of seeing it and had never had the opportunity before. The drive seemed like nothing in comparison with our journey out here. Plus, there were so many things to see, even from the roadside. It was a beautiful day with clear skies. The sun was shining and there were only a few scattered fluffy clouds.
“How are you feeling?” Jackson asked, reaching over and taking my hand.
I tore my eyes away from my side window and looked over at him smiling. “Like this is all a dream. Like any minute I’m going to wake up back in my room and none of what transpired in the last week had ever happened.”
Jackson chuckled a bit. “Sorry, it did. You are my wife. We are married and headed to New York City to enjoy our honeymoon.”
“I know, but it still feels so surreal.”
We checked into the Marriott shortly after one o’clock. The bellboy carried our bags up to the honeymoon suite. I felt so nervous and excited I could hardly contain myself as the elevator hummed its way to the top floor. Jackson finally placed his hands on my shoulders to stop me from rocking back and forth.
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