Kenny Ch. 10-11

"Yes mom. Let me know the flight when you can. I'll be there."

"And you bring my granddaughter with you. You hear me young man, I don't want to wait one pus bedamned minute longer than I have to to see her."

"Yes mom, she'll be with me."

"Why in hell is she yelling?"

This whole last part of the conversation was done over the protestations of Mallory who didn't think that Ken was feeding her fast enough. He was trying to feed her with his damaged left arm while holding the phone with his right. He had some movement of his arm by now, but he couldn't get it up to his ear yet.

"Your phone call interrupted me feeding her mom."

"Well fuckin' a get back to it!"

"Yes mom."

Ken quickly finished feeding the boisterous child and hurried over to the main house to get his own breakfast and to tell everyone the news.

"Your mother? Your mother is coming here?" Connie asked. "How much does she know about your life here?"

"Uhm, I kind of glossed over some things a bit."

"How much does she know about you and Belinda then?" Marta questioned.

"Uhm, I told her that we got married, but not until the marriage was almost over. She didn't know that Belinda was pregnant or about Mallory or anything like that. She knows that I got a better job than the mall guard, and that Marcia was my old teacher, but not too much about the other parts of my life."

"Ken, why have you hidden so much from your mother; don't you think that she has a right to know what is going on in your life?" Marcia expressed her opinion.

"I didn't want to worry her and maybe make her come out here or try to get me to move there. She and dad don't need that kind of trouble; they are trying to retire and take it easy. I probably wouldn't have told her about Belinda at all if the insurance company hadn't sent something to our old address and it got forwarded to mom. I told her that it was a marriage of convenience and would probably be over soon. I think I already saw the writing on the wall by then."

Ken was being whipsawed by all three women. They had surrounded him and were asking questions in order around the circle. The only saving grace was that Selena was busy in the kitchen. Now it was Connie's turn again.

"So when is she going to be here?"

Ken's phone rang and he looked at the caller ID, "Rosemary Jacobs". "I guess that I am about to find out Connie. Hi mom, what do you have for me?"

"Kenneth Jacobs, you cut the bullshit young man. I will be at San Francisco at 11:30 PM tonight on Southwestern flight 870. You be damn sure to be there with my granddaughter, and anyone else you think maybe I should meet. Your father has some meetings he has to attend so I will be alone, but if you think that you are going to hide your daughter from him for long, you had better think again. When I told him what you had done he switched between being proud of you for protecting people, and pissed that he has missed so much of being a grampa."

"I'm sorry mom. I'll be there, with whoever wants to go. You'll understand when you hear the whole story, so please calm down till then. Okay?"

"We'll see Ken, we'll fuckin' well see."

Cell phones don't give you that satisfying 'click' when you hang up that the old dial sets did. They just become silent and display 'call ended'.

"Anyone want to meet my mom at the airport with me tonight? She insists that I bring Mallory, any takers?"

"I was going to suggest that you take Barb out tonight Ken. She would like some alone time with you." Connie said, "I guess that is out of the question, so I'll go with you if you'd like me to."

"What do you mean, some alone time?"

"Don't worry about it; we'll talk on the way to the airport. Now tell us about your mother and what kind of trouble we can expect."

"What makes you think that you can expect trouble?"

"Think about it Ken. You have been hiding your life from your mother; of course there will be trouble. Our concern is whether or not she is likely to extend the blame to us." Marta explained.

"You never met her, Marcia. Dad did most of the school stuff by the time I was in high school. She is 5'2" and about 200 lbs. Rolly-polly would be a good description, with short brown hair tending to grey. Mom is intelligent and not willing to suffer fools lightly. Mom's temper is legend and fiery as well. I felt it often as a teenager. I know that I'll get a piece of her mind, and I deserve it. She offends a lot of people with her language, but there is no malice in it, it's just her way. I'll leave out trying to describe her much more, there is just no way to do it, you'll understand after she gets here."

Mallory fell asleep almost as soon as they left the lodge on the way to Frisco. "Do you want to tell me what you meant now Connie? Why do you think that I should go out with Barb? I thought that you wanted to date me?"

"I do want to Ken. What I don't want is for you to be pushed into anything. You need to date Barb and a few other women before you settle on one. I would hope that I could be that one, but you need to know it with all your heart. Not just pick me because I am there. You are not the boy from school who couldn't get a date any more Ken."

"I wouldn't call it settling Connie. I like you a lot and I would be honored if you would be willing to date me. I don't expect any more than that. And you are wrong about me; I'm still the same guy I was, I just don't weigh as much."

"No Ken, there is a lot more to you than when you first started at the lodge. You have more self confidence in your appearance and bearing. If you show up at one of the clubs by yourself, you would be able to dance with any single woman and maybe take one home with you."

"Do you really think so Connie? I don't feel any different. Besides, I'm not sure that I would want to have a woman who would go home with me."

"Hahaha. Don't be so sure Ken, Barb would have been willing to go with you the same night she met you. Now she is even more willing; I told her about the lessons the sisters gave you."

"Connie! You shouldn't have said anything about that. Marta and Marcia don't deserve to be treated that way."

"How sweet Ken; but they are the ones who told me to tell Barb. She is anxious to see how well you learned your lessons, as am I."

"What!?"

"SHSHS, you'll wake up the baby. It has been a long time since I have had a man treat me like a woman Ken, and I hope that you will want to sometime soon."

"Well, it probably won't be while mom is here. I'm going to have enough to live down as it is. You'll probably change your mind by then anyway. I really don't deserve anyone as lovely as you."

"Wake up Ken, a man deserves whatever a woman wants to give him, and Barb and I want to give you everything."

Ken didn't have any answer to that statement, and they were at the airport anyway.

Mallory didn't even wake up when she was moved from the car seat to the stroller. Ken and Connie didn't speak while they stood waiting at the greeting area. Ken didn't know what to say and Connie was a little embarrassed by her last statement. She was afraid that she may have scared Ken off.

When Rose finally walked down the ramp they were both relieved, until she strolled up and slapped Ken.

"That is from your father Ken. I'll reserve my greetings until we are alone asshole." Rose looked him up and down, "What the fuck have you been doing boy? You look better than your dad at his best." Then she looked down and her face broke out in a glorious smile, "Is this her, is this little darling my granddaughter? What is her name?"

"Mallory Evelyn Jacobs mom. She is 26 months old and perfect."

Rose looked up at Connie and inquired, "And who is this lovely bit of fluff? Is she the one described as your girlfriend?"

"This is Consuela Gomez mom, Connie works at the lodge with me. The paper got it a little wrong mom, we aren't together." The women exchanged a very meaningful look. Connie was a bit taken aback by Rose and wasn't sure what to say.

"Why not boy, did the 'roids take away your balls? This little dolly would brighten any man's lap. Grab your dad's duffle over there son and let's get the fuck out of here."

Rose took over control of the stroller and when Ken told her where he was parked she headed off with the confidence of a seasoned traveler. Connie held back and bit and spoke to Ken.

"Uhh Ken, your mother is a bit..."

"Coarse? Crude? Yes she is. Dad spent 25 years in the Army and mom is the one who swears like a trooper. I spent my childhood attempting to disappear into the background. I understand that grampa was a stevedore and simply could not talk without cursing. Mom idolized him. She was driving a taxi around Ft. Knox when dad met her and thought that she was cute. I love her dearly, but every time there was a school function I spent two weeks apologizing for her. The base commander at Ft. Leonard Wood was a stuck up Mormon and ordered her to stay away from the school and even made the MP's accompany her when she shopped at the BX or commissary. She is actually holding it down right now; when mom gets going she can peel paint from a bulkhead and make a Drill Instructor blush. I would have warned you, but there is just no adequate way to do it; you wouldn't have believed me."

"HELP! HELP! THIEF! STOP HIM, HE TOOK MY PURSE!"

Ken and Connie looked up at the commotion to see a slender black boy running toward them with a white purse in his hand. Rose kicked a trash can at him, making him dodge it and run closer to Ken and Connie. Ken dropped the duffle and using his whole right arm swung at the thief, hitting him like a clothesline across the upper chest. The kid's legs went out from under him and he slammed onto the concrete flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Here, get mom and Mallory to the car and hurry." Ken reached into his pocket and threw the car keys at Connie. He then picked up the purse and shoved it into his sling and grabbed the duffle again. He ran to the woman who had been yelling and gave her the purse. He then ran to the Bravada where Connie was stuffing the walker into the back of the SUV and Rose was trying to belt Mallory into her car seat.

Ken took the keys from Connie and quickly opened the driver's door and got in. "Hurry up folks; I have no intention of spending the next few hours answering questions. Good move mom, you made him get close enough for me to take him out. I can't believe that these idiots won't even let me pick up my mother at the airport without causing trouble." He gunned the vehicle and drove right past the purse snatcher, who was still attempting to get his breath.