Being Jim Ch. 08: Lightning Strikes

"What do you mean?" I heard Grace ask as she too was now wondering what it was that I had said or done to get the little tyke to quiet down before the service.

"Well... I figured that Jake... Jacob... was a little too young to understand that your mom was gone..." I began again but choked up a bit. "I mean... I didn't think I could explain death to one so young and it wasn't my place to do so in the first place." I got out before I had to clear my throat and blink several times. I felt Kathie's hand squeeze mine in silent understanding.

"I did, however, figure that little Jake and Elly had played hide and seek, just like most every grandmother has with her grandchildren at some time or another. When he confirmed that for me I kind of went with it. I told him that Elly was playing hide and seek and was doing a really good job of it. That's why everyone was so sad. That was easy for him to understand. I told him that Elly said he was too good at playing hide and seek so she didn't want him looking for her this time... but that she could see him and everyone else. He kind of became a co-conspirator at that point. So, instead of a tantrum, he played along. I don't envy Mark and Sally's job of having to eventually explain to him that Elly won't be coming back though..." The last part squeaking out as my throat got tight again and I had to blink to clear my eyes.

"Oh Jim... you're a natural. You're going to be such a wonderful father..." Kathie murmured quietly as she leaned her head on my shoulder. She kept it there pretty much the rest of the drive home.

I stayed with Kathie that night, as she didn't want to be alone. She fell asleep in my arms... and woke up with me still holding her. We had both slept late and were still in a somber mood when we came downstairs to greet the day. Grace had been up a while apparently as she had tea and sweet cinnamon biscuits ready on the table when we arrived in the kitchen. Grace was sitting at the head of the table holding a mug of the spiced tea in one hand and idly flipping through an old photo album. Kathie went to stand beside her and give her a hug as she looked over her shoulder at the pictures Grace was looking at.

"I remember that old house..." Kathie declared as she reached out to trace a finger over the photo. "That was my Nanna's house." She added in a voice the clearly indicated that she had been transported back in time in that instant.

"That's where your mother and I grew up." Grace spoke in almost the same voice. "By the time our mother had passed it was not in the best of shape however and it was sold. Mark told me yesterday that it is back on the market, he wants to buy it." Grace said looking up at Kathie for a moment before returning her gaze to the photo album.

Kathie and I seated ourselves on either side of Grace, across the table from one another. Grace continued to slowly flip through the album pausing now and then to look closely at various photos. She found one of her and Elly's mother and showed it to me... the resemblance to Elly was remarkable, they almost looked more like sisters. I looked up at Kathie and back at the photo and the family resemblance was just as pronounced. I glanced at Grace and wondered if perhaps she didn't favor her father more for some reason. My thoughts were confirmed a moment later when she showed us a picture of her mother and father together with both Grace and Elly as young girls. Grace definitely looked more like their father but the eyes were the same as her mother's That's one thing the two girls shared anyway.

After eating and browsing through the photo album and memories associated with them it was soon time for me to go to my one class for the day. I was also scheduled to work at Dom's that evening. Kathie said she wasn't going to go to her classes today as she walked me to the door and kissed me goodbye. I held her longer than was necessary maybe but I wasn't going to object and I had a feeling that Kathie needed it. Her beautiful grey brown eyes were still full of sadness but when she looked at me there was love and thanks in them. I told her I would call her later as we finally parted and I went down the walk to get into my little bug and head to campus... well... the stadium anyway, to park.

I felt distracted during my only class that day. I mean I tried to pay attention to the professor and follow the lecture but I found myself drifting off thinking about Kathie and Grace and Elly and even little Jacob. I did manage to take some notes that would be important later on an exam and get the assigned reading for the next class. Then I was off to the bus stop to catch a ride to the stadium. I went to work at Dom's a little early that afternoon so that I could call Kathie before I began my shift.

We spoke for about fifteen minutes before the dinner rush began and the phones were starting to ring off the hook. I had to say goodbye and jump in with both feet. I worked the ovens that night, only leaving to deliver pizzas after it began to slow down and drivers were scattered on deliveries. It wasn't the worst I'd ever seen but it certainly was busy, for a while. As quickly as the evening dinner rush began, so too was it over. By eight o'clock it was pretty much dead, and since I wasn't closing, I was let go early.

After I got cashed out, I called Kathie again to let her know that I was going to go home to the farm that night. I had a feeling I needed to touch base with my family as I had been pretty scarce over the past week or so. Kathie thought that was a good idea too even though she would miss my arms about her as she slept that night. We said goodnight and I left for home from Dom's. I realized that I needed gas before I got very far though so I stopped at a gas and convenience store on my way across campus. As I stood there pumping gas into my little green bug, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around I was surprised to see a familiar smirking face with big chocolate brown eyes twinkling at me.

Standing there before me was Sam... Samantha, my late girlfriend's roommate and best friend to one of my best friends as well. She still looked pretty much the same as the last time I had seen her months ago in the company of Jules and Terri at Jerry's when Kathie and I bumped into them after they had been out partying. Just as I was recognizing Sam, I was enveloped in a full-frontal assault with both of her arms wrapping around me in a bear hug that pressed her copious feminine charms into my chest. Her large chest and more specifically the hardware of her piercings pressed into my flesh through both layers of her shirt and my own.

"FARM BOY! How's it going Jimbo! Long time no see!" She roared in my ear as she squeezed the air out of me. I had the gas nozzle in one hand but my free hand, the right, wrapped around her waist and I lifted her up off her feet to her delighted surprise as she squealed so unlike the roughened girl that she was. I had to smile when I set her back down and she pulled back at arm's length and actually blushed a little bit.

"Hey Sam... Great to see you too girl. How are you doing?" I asked with a smile. She shrugged and then motioned with her head over her left shoulder to her car on the other side of the pumps. I could see a cute short haired blonde sitting in the passenger seat glaring a hole through me. I grinned at Sam and asked. "New friend?"

"Yeah, we've only just met a week ago so she's a little jealous I think." Sam said with a wink and a grin. A grin that showed that fabulous smile of hers even if it was a wry smirking grin. The twinkle in her eye made it a genuine smile to me though.

"You heard from Jules lately?" I asked her. Sam's smirk faltered for a moment but then she shrugged and nodded her head slightly before answering.

"Yeah, she's studying hard, she's got a couple more weeks to go before her exams and then graduation. She said she was looking at some job offers around the country." Sam said in a slightly less exuberant voice as she glanced away breaking eye contact. I knew that she was worried that Jules might go somewhere else and not return here to town and to her. Best friends or not Sam had deep deep feelings for Jules I knew for a fact.

"I'll bet she's just checking them out, you know she'll come back here. She's gotta keep me in line after all." I said light heartedly winning myself a smile from Sam that had thanks in her eyes even as she squinted at me suspiciously.

"And what's this I hear about YOU getting engaged?" Sam stated more than asked with one eyebrow climbing to the brim of her ball cap as she tilted her head slightly to one shoulder and put her hands balled in fists one on each hip the way girls do. It was my turn to blush now as I grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, it's true... I asked and she said yes." I said with a smile I couldn't hide if I wanted to. Sam stared at me for a moment longer before the interrogating face broke into her trademark smirking grin.

"Is it that hot little gal we caught you with... what's her name... Kathie?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, and she's still just as beautiful... but don't get any ideas lady!" Is said with one raised eyebrow of my own. Sam did a little neck roll tilting her head from one shoulder to the other as if to say "is that a threat or a challenge?"

"Don't worry Jimbo, I'm not gonna chase your girl... So, when's the big day?" She asked.

"We haven't set the date just yet, she's going to graduate first, might be next year... after graduation some time." I said a little distractedly, this time I broke eye contact and Sam was quick to pick up on my emotions.

"Jim... is everything okay bud?" She asked stepping a little closer again as if to aid in conspiratorial conversation.

"She's going through a rough patch right now Sam... her mother just died a little over a week ago..." I said and clenched my own jaw as if to try to maintain my own emotions. Sam's expression softened.

"Oh man... that sucks Jimbo... I'm so sorry. Is she going to be okay?" Sam asked with sincerity that touched me. It brought me back to the girl I knew the day we said our last goodbyes to the girl we both loved dearly, Michelle. I had to swallow a lump in my throat before I could answer her.

"Yeah, it's rough, as you know, but I think she's going to be alright. I'm trying to be there for her as much as I can. And she's got her aunt Grace too. But thanks for asking Sam." I said daring a glance back up into her deep chocolate brown eyes that were indeed full of concern. How much of that concern was for Kathie or how much was for me I'm not sure but it still touched my heart all the same. About that time the car horn blared on the other side of the gas pumps. Sam rolled her eyes and turned to look between the pumps to see the cute blonde girl giving her an exasperated look as if to say "What the hell?"

"Bitch! Hold your tits!" Sam yelled at the passenger of her car. She turned back to me and shrugged with that smirk back in place. "Take care Jimbo. I gotta go." She leaned in for another quick hug and pecked me on the cheek and swatted my right shoulder before backing away from me and stepping between the pumps to go around her car to the driver side and get in. She blew her horn a couple of times as she drove off. I just shook my head and grinned as I put my gas cap back on my bug and hung up the gas nozzle. I went inside to pay for my gas then I headed on home to the farm.

I continued going to my classes the rest of the week and working at Dom's in the evenings I was scheduled for. Kathie stayed home or at least didn't go to class all that week. I later learned that she was excused and it didn't affect her attendance or grades because of the death in the family, she could have stayed out a month if she had needed to but my girl was back in class on the following week. I'm sure she was still distracted and struggling with emotions and attention but she was determined.

We met up for lunch and study breaks like we usually did. They were a little subdued yet now but I started to see glimmers of the old Kathie now and then. It was if she would forget about the recent tragedy for a little while and the joy would come bubbling up, only to be quashed by the sudden reminders of reality. It hurt me to see her hurt when it happened.

Over the next couple of weeks, I spent at least one night sometimes more with Kathie and Grace at the big old house. Each time, Kathie would glue herself to me until time for me to go to class or work. We still talked about our future and the family we would raise. We tossed about names for our kids, hopefully one boy and one girl. Kathie said she wanted to name the girl Elizabeth Grace, after her mother and her aunt Grace. We hadn't come to an agreement with the middle name for a son, his first name of course would be James, after both myself and my father. I told her we had time to decide, it wasn't something we had to worry about just yet. Then I got a flash of insight... a wave of concern washed over me...

"Kathie? We... we do have time... don't we?" I asked and practically held my breath as we lay in her bed that night. Me on my back and Kathie curled up to my right side, her head resting on my shoulder and her right arm draped over my chest and her hand toying with the hair on the left side of my head. She stilled her hand for a moment considering my question then when the realization of what I was asking became clear to her she started giggling and swatted the side of my head playfully.

"Yes babe, we have time... I'm not pregnant or anything yet." She said with a bubbling giggle that faded away with a sigh... then she was silent for some time before she spoke again but this time it was in a softer more serious voice.

"Jim... The doctors explained to me that there's a possibility that I might carry the ALS gene... I could have it and not know it..." Kathie all but gasped the confession and finally letting me know what's been weighing on her mind the past few days.

"But there's a possibility that you don't too... right?" I asked, remembering the reading I did on ALS not long after she told me about it being her mother's problem. "I read that it skips generations sometimes. Like your aunt Grace..." I added.

"It's possible... but unless I'm tested for it, I won't know for sure." Kathie spoke softly... I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"I guess it's kind of a roll of the dice... whether you get the gene or not, but that's no different from any other gene, I guess. I mean, blue eyes, blonde hair, big nose, little feet... do you look like your mother or your father?" I commented even as my own mind wandered down the path of what if. I knew that Kathie was thinking of whether or not her children would have the gene and therefore end up suffering like her mother did. I cringed internally at the thought myself. But how would you know until you had children and then later when they got tested?

"I hope our son looks like you..." Kathie said in a sleepy voice as she brushed the backs of her fingers along the side of my face.

"Poor guy..." I lamented. "As long as any daughters look like you, I guess that'd be okay." I added and gave her a gentle squeeze with my right arm. Kathie smiled at me and snuggled in a little closer before we both drifted off to sleep.

A week later I was asked by one of my buddies at Dom's if I would do a big favor for him. Spring break was coming up and he had been asked by his father to drive a car to Florida to deliver to his aunt and uncle. His father was giving them the car. The only problem was that he would have to ride the bus home. He thought that that could be avoided if he had someone to drive his car down as well and then they would both return in his car. Sounds simple enough and hey... it was Florida! On Spring Break!... beaches, lots of single girls in the mood and of the mind to party! Right? Well, that was his selling point anyway.

I had to remind him that I was engaged and wasn't interested in partying with a bunch of drunk college girls. Yeah... he laughed at me too. Of course, that wouldn't stop him from trying to do that very thing while he was down there. I could just hang out at the hotel or lay on the beach if I wanted to. I told him I'd think about it. He eventually offered to pay me a couple of hundred dollar, because it was such short notice and he couldn't find anyone else that he trusted. I told him I would discuss it with Kathie and get back to him. He just shook his head and walked away muttering "You're so whipped..." I had to smile and agree with him.

"So, he's going to pay you two hundred dollars to drive his car to Florida so that he doesn't have to ride the bus back home?" Kathie asked me in a bemused questioning voice the night I told her about it.

"Yeah, I think he's desperate. He said he couldn't find anyone else he trusted in time." I said and shrugged. "Honestly I'd rather go camping with you for a couple of days." I added hopefully with a sly grin on my face as I rubbed her left arm with my right hand as we sat across from one another in a booth at Jerry's having a late dinner after seeing a movie.

"Where in Florida would you be driving to?" Kathie asked as she idly stirred her drink with the straw.

"I think he said Clearwater. It's on the Gulf side of the state near Tampa." I said thinking I'd have to get a map of Florida from AAA if I was going to do this.

"How long would you be gone?" Kathie asked glancing up to my eyes as she bit her bottom lip and raised one eyebrow questioningly. She knew that look drove me crazy. It wasn't until she tilted her head slightly that I realized that I had been staring and had lost my train of thought.

"Oh... um... three... maybe four days. One day to drive straight through, then the next day to sleep late and recover, meet family and deliver the car. Brad wants to check out the beaches and party but I told him I wouldn't be doing that. That'd be probably one day if he doesn't get "lucky"." I said with a sheepish grin and a shrug. "Then one more day to drive home." I concluded. Kathie looked at me over her drink as she sipped through the straw.

"You should go." She finally said as she tilted her head to one shoulder again. "The weather is going to turn off wet and cold next week according to the guys on TV. I don't think I'd want to be camping in the rain... so..." She concluded and shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you sure? We could do something else rather than camping... Maybe a trip to a museum or something?" I asked, half hoping she would talk me out of driving and to stay. I'd much rather spend time with her.

"No, go ahead. It's only a few days and you're going to get paid pretty good for it. Besides, we can still go to a museum when you get back, right?" She concluded with the invitation by way of the one-word question. I had to smile at that. I could see the glimmer in her eyes that promised something special. That settled, I told Kathie I'd let Brad know the next day that I'd drive for him.

I spent the night with Kathie that night. We got in a little late for a week night and Grace was already in bed when we got home. We both changed for bed and used the pink bathroom down the hall before climbing under the blankets of Kathie's bed to cuddle up for the night. Honestly, I had had no intentions of starting anything that night, just as I had abstained from pushing for anything over the past few weeks while Kathie grieved for her mother. It just didn't seem right. I knew that things would work themselves out and when she was ready, I'd be there waiting for her.

Well, it seemed that for whatever reason that night Kathie was ready. As we lay side by side, well, me on my back and she curled into me as she was want to do, with her right leg and right arm draped over me, she began to caress me. Her right hand tracing her fingers delicately along the side of my face as her head rested on my right shoulder and her big gray brown eyes gazing at me by the light of the street lamp outside streaming through the blinds on the window. I let my own right hand gently trace along her flank gliding across her cotton pajama top.