Plain Jane & Nerd Jim Grow Up Ch. 07

"Maybe!" said Jane angrily but quieter.

"...alright I'm sorry. Except I'm not sorry. Jim is my lover. My partner in life for as long as we live as far as I'm concerned. I know it's fucked up that you were his lover once. But the truth is I've always loved Jim. When he wanted you, I never stood in your way. I know it's fucked up, but I was a little jealous. And when you broke up, and I made sure it was a clean solid break before I seduced him, I'm sorry but I was happy. But I would be happy either way. Either you would be with Jim for eternity or I would. As it turned out it was me. If Jim had rejected my advances, and yes, I initiated, I would have been broken. I'm sure I could have put myself together, and maybe there might have somebody else, but goddamn it Jane, I don't think so. I don't think I would have been happy ever. At least no where near as happy as I have been when we're together.

"So you are my daughter, will always be. I love you more than life. If something ever happened to you...God it would be...I couldn't live. Or I would live but as if a major piece of my insides had been ripped out. And Jim, too..."

"I feel the same way," blurted Connie, her anger subsumed by tears. "I love Jim more than I could love anyone ever. And my competition is his ex-girlfriend's mother."

"But darling, I'm not your competition. Jim loves me I think as much as I love him, which is pretty much completely. He loves you. But your love is different than ours. As different as your character is different from mine. He might have less of his heart given to you because of me, but Jim has an awful lot of heart. How else could all of us fit in so strongly? You feel his love. How unconditional it is. How warm. How honest he is."

"Except..." said Jane.

"Except telling you about us. When he came here to help heal you and knew he couldn't tell you about us, it hurt him deeply." Jim nodded.

"So Jane, Connie. The situation is..."

"Clear enough," said Jane, standing and beginning her stomp to the door.

"Wait. Please hear me out. This is important. This is our future." Jane stopped at the door and turned to her mother. "Just wait.

"Okay this is the situation," Vic began. "It's been in the back of my mind moving to New York ever since Jim was giving me glowing reports. The success of our ad layout in Vogue made me decide it was actually wiser to set up business here. I'd got our foot in the door, but it would have closed if I stayed regional the way I was. So we're going studio shopping. Actually loft shopping. Or building shopping. We're going to start a holistic sanctuary. Dr. Anderson will set up a medical practice with some respected physicians. Behind that and within that will be Dr. Anderson's massage and health regimen, with Jim in charge. We could have dance space for practice. Music studio. Performance space. And I will have a photo studio to create more brilliant ads. With Jim's beautiful bod, if he's not too modest."

"How can Dr. Anderson move here?" asked Jim.

"Didn't I tell you? She's divorcing her husband. I don't know if you noticed she's a little down. It's not the husband. It's the kids. She wants custody but worries about how they feel. I think what will happen is her son Max, whose 12 and hasn't been in high school yet will come here and Andrea, whose graduating in a year will stay there. That would be the best scenario. Who knows? Kristin is a trusted and respected member of society, so I'm not too worried. But she is worried.

"But what we're talking about is expensive, and, as with all money endeavors, things get a little nasty. I'm getting your father, Jane, to buy us a building. It's not going to be the best part of town, but neither will it be the worst. The outskirts of a hot spot, just outside a hip scene. Mostly it's because it's short notice. I expect your wonderful father to pay for whatever space we need. He owes me. It's an investment. A tax write off. So it won't hurt too bad. He's got the money. And from the connections Jane and Jim have already made, we may find the chi chi crowd to keep the enterprise afloat. Surely a clinic will bring in some steady cash, again with those connections.

"Beyond that is the living situation. Yes I know your expecting," Vic said to Connie. "Jim told me a couple days before I arrived here. I got mad. But then I got thinking and planning. I don't know if we'll get along, but I think we will. With time. And we'll have time. We'll be essentially sharing a large loft apartment Jim, Kristen, you and myself. Jane, you can join us, but I figure you and Harry can continue where you are. But the thing is the baby. I figure if we all live in this one space, we'll manage the time so that the kid, and when Kristen's son Max gets here, him as well, can be watched by an adult. That way Connie can continue her busy schooling and work and everything and Jim can work on the holistic health thing and Dr. Anderson can do her gynecology and management and I can get my picture's made and we'd all be gone at different times. The kid'll have some kind of upbring!" Noticing Connie's seething reaction, her face turning red, Vic said, "You took this immense responsibility without consulting the rest of the party's concerned, and so drastic measures needed to be made."

"I hate you," yelled Connie, her little feet stomping out the door.

Jane was cooling. She was a little miffed that Connie had taken center stage, though. This was her moment of pain. "Shit," she said, walking to the door. She turned around. "I'm not too thrilled with you either, both of you." She bounded through the door, letting it close on its own.

Suddenly realizing her nakedness, Vic slid under the covers. The two lovers stared up at the ceiling in silence, sharing the vision their minds cast up there of their new life together. They smiled sadly, their hands touched and then the fingers interlaced.