Synchronicity for Six Pt. 05

Rose did not say anything at Maggie's suddenly sulky disposition, but she did do some thinking while she started the supper for the three of them. She was still deep in thought when Alan came up behind her, stealthily, and wrapped his arms around her below her breasts. Her sharp intake of breath coincided with his hands cupping her tits, his nose snuffling in an ear, and his lips upon her neck. This caused her to dance about and her rear to wiggle against Alan's front. Which in turn incited him to further passion for his fiancée.

Quickly realizing where all this was leading, Rose spun in his grasp and distracted Alan with her own embrace of passion. After kissing him soundly, she pulled his ear to her mouth and softly said, "You've released the Kraken. I'm gonna screw your brains out tonight, Alan. Be prepared!" Then she danced from his grasp and bolted for the upstairs bedroom to change out of her work clothes.

Chagrinned and aroused at the same time, Alan took note of Rose's meal preparations and continued with the spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, and steamed vegetables. 'Wait! Did she just quote "Clash of the Titans" to me? Hot damn!' he thought.

= = =

"My sister and her boyfriend are coming home for the weekend," Maggie texted to Katie. Maggie had deposited the dirty clothes and sheets down the laundry chute and had actually changed the bed for her sister before moving into David's room for the weekend. She took the kitsune picture with her. She still derived great pleasure by looking at that before she went to bed. She lay on David's bed and twisted the ring around her finger. One unspoken advantage of being in there was the scent of David permeating the entire room, especially the pillows. Her phone dinged with Katie's response.

"Why are they coming this weekend?"

"My mom needs their help to clean the apartment properly so she can get her deposit back," Maggie answered. "They'll be gone all day tomorrow while I'm at work."

"So, you'll be at loose ends for supper tomorrow night?" Katie inquired.

"Could be. We can talk about that tonight if you'd like."

"I'll be there right around 7:00."

Rose called up the stairs for Maggie to come down for supper. When she arrived at the dining table, Maggie seemed to be in a better mood than when she went upstairs. It was a simple but filling meal, and a smile remained in place on Maggie's face. Rose was curious about the attitude shifts.

"Maggie, when you went upstairs, you were not a happy camper. Yet, when you came down, you seemed to have returned to being the pleasant young lady we adore. Did anything happen in the interim?"

"Not really, Mom. I picked up the front bedroom and even changed the linens for Julie and Tom. Then I moved some stuff into David's room for the weekend I'm being displaced."

"Well, that was very kind and thoughtful of you, Magpie," Alan observed. "I hope Julie and Tom appreciate your efforts on their behalf. Although, I wouldn't bet any money on it unless someone were to whisper in their ear about your kindness."

"Thank you, Dad. Oh, Mom has cleared this, but may Katie come over for a couple of hours this evening? She'll be here around 7:00. We'll hide out in the media room."

Alan gazed lovingly at Maggie and gave his assent to the guest. He also reminded Maggie that she had to get up in the morning and get herself to work, just like almost every other day. With that, Maggie stood and cleared the table and put away the food for leftovers. Alan and Rose sat at their places, a bit surprised at Maggie's initiative, but pleased nonetheless. Maggie then disappeared into the media room to wait for Katie's arrival.

"You may note that she left the dishes to be rinsed and washed," Rose commented, eliciting a grin and a chuckle from Alan. "What was that chuckle for, Alan?"

"Nothing much, Rose. I just enjoy helping you in the kitchen. It's so much more fun for me than doing things alone." Rose flushed with her interpretation of Alan's words. He tried to say them in a normal voice, but his leering sent a completely different message; one she was very much in sync with. They stood and entered the kitchen together to tackle this last supper chore.

Katie O'Shea arrived just before 7:00. Maggie had been looking for her, and before Katie could even ring the doorbell, Maggie was welcoming her in with a friendly hug. Maggie led her to the nearby media room and closed the doors so they would neither bother nor be bothered by anyone. They sat on the sofa facing each other, legs tucked under. Both were excited to see and talk face to face. Their communications all week long had been strictly via text.

"So, what's new in your world, Katie?" Maggie demanded, her energy sky-high.

"Not a whole lot, Maggie. Just school and being ignored by my family, pretty much as usual," Katie replied. "What about you?" And suddenly some bits of reality struck Katie. "Hold on. Your birthday is the day before mine, right? Why aren't you in high school still? Did you get pushed ahead a grade when you were young?" She then answered her own question. "No, because you'd be in college already. What's up with that?"

"Whoa, girl. I was going to offer you something sweet to drink, but you don't need any more sugar! One question at a time, please. Think for a moment, then ask."

"Okay. If you just turned 18 in September," and Maggie nodded, "Then why aren't you still in high school? Middleburg High isn't so big that I would not see you, and nobody has transferred in at the start of this new semester. What gives?"

"I never took a Study Hall hour in three and a half years, and when the fall semester finished in Centreville in December, I had enough credits to graduate. I've also been accepted at State for next fall, and I met all the state and school system requirements. As a result, I don't have to take any more classes at the high school level. I'm now a 'working woman', at least until I leave for State in August," Maggie explained.

"Wow. Nice. Middleburg doesn't allow early graduation. I've never had a Study Hall either, but I'm stuck because of 'the rules'. Hey! Wait a second! You've already been accepted at State? How is that possible?"

"I took the ACT back in October and did pretty well. State offered the best scholarship. I'd rather have gone to Georgia Tech or RPI, but out-of-state tuition would have been too much."

"I'm taking the ACT in March. What was your composite?"

"I got a 33. It was good enough that I did not feel the need to take it again and try for a higher score." Katie's eyes almost bulged out of her head at Maggie's revelation.

"A 33? Holy crap! You must have studied your ass off for that."

"Not really. I just made sure I had a good night's sleep and a good breakfast that morning." Maggie was trying to downplay things and was failing miserably. Katie was spinning up with each passing minute.

"So, what was your GPA in Centreville?"

Sheepishly, Maggie admitted, "A 4.35. It should have been higher, but I had a few non-honors courses that dragged it down a little."

"A 4.35 on a 4.0 scale! A 33 composite on the ACT! Plus, you've got David Harrison for a boyfriend!" Katie's voice was rising with every one of Maggie's achievements.

"Ssshh. Easy there, girlfriend. I had only three decent friends throughout high school, and no social life to speak of. It helps that information retention comes easily for me. You are my first friend here in Middleburg." At Katie's mention of David, Maggie's hand gravitated to her ring and she began to spin it around her finger.

"Wait! That's new! You didn't have that on Sunday at church! What's the story, girlfriend?" Katie insisted.

"It's a 'friendship ring'. David gave it to me on Sunday afternoon. I gave him one in return. His is more masculine than mine."

Katie's eyebrows lifted nearly to her hairline. "A 'friendship ring', eh?"

"Well, yeah," Maggie answered, again sheepishly.

"Those are also called 'promise rings' if memory serves me correctly. What was promised?" Katie waggled her eyebrows, suggestively.

Maggie sighed lightly and pulled out her phone. Connecting to the display on the wall, she cast the video that Mrs. Johnson had taken and shared with her. At David's words of "I hereby pledge to you my eternal friendship. You mean the world to me," Katie sniffled. Maggie allowed the whole video to play before stopping it.

"At least he did not drop to one knee," Maggie said very softly.

"You are so lucky! Girl, you've got it all, don't you?"

"Everything except a really good friend locally, but I'm hoping you can and will fix that."

Katie blushed, smiled, and reached out her hand to hold Maggie's.

"Seeing as how you've completed high school, do you think you could help me with Trigonometry? It's kicking my ass, and my parents are no help at all. Please? I have to assume that your math skills exceed Trig, what with a 33 composite."

"Sure, Katie, I'd like to help you with that. Just don't ask me to help with any social sciences work. I stuck really close to the STEM classes."

"You seem really nice, Maggie. I don't know why those other girls were being so cold towards you." Katie stood and pulled Maggie into a big, warm hug as Maggie stood. "I've got my books out in my car. Lemme go get them and maybe we could do about 30 minutes?"

"While you're getting your math book and notebook, I'll get us something to drink," Maggie offered.

As Katie was opening the front door to go to her car, she surprised Tom into an "Aaaagh!" and a small jump backward into Julie.

"Oh, my gosh! Are you okay?" Katie asked. Then she looked closely at the pair. "Tom?"

Tom had stumbled back into Julie, but neither had fallen. He looked at Katie, puzzling how he recognized her.

"Kath..." he began. "Kather..."

"It's Kathleen, but I prefer Katie. O'Shea."

"Ah, yes. Larry's baby sister. Were you leaving?"

"I was headed to my car for my math book. Maggie's gonna help me with Trig." Katie did not care for the label of 'Larry's baby sister', and her face showed her displeasure.

"Better her than me," Julie mumbled, but only Tom could make out her words. Then aloud, "Let's get our stuff inside, Tom."

"Sure thing, Jules. We'll leave the door open for you, Katie. It's good to see you." Tom attempted to smooth things a little, then held the door for Julie to enter the house.

Katie hurried to her car and back, as she had left her coat inside. Tom noticed her rapid movements and thoughtfully waited to hold the door for her.

"Thanks, Tom," Katie said in passing, then returned to the media room.

Maggie was coming down the hallway from the kitchen, two drink cans in her hands when she saw Julie enter the house.

"Hey, Jules. Welcome home. As you can see, I've got my hands full right now. I'm glad you made the trip safely."

"Thanks, Mags. Where's Mom? I need to speak with her."

"She and Dad are canoodling in the kitchen, so I'd make some noise before you pop around the corner. No sense in surprising them too badly."

"I'll take that under advisement, Mags. Which room do we get?"

"I've cleared out of the front bedroom. Even changed the sheets for you. I need to help Katie with some math now." Maggie scooted into the media room where her friend awaited.

"Okay. We'll get our stuff upstairs then find Mom and Alan to talk about tomorrow." With that, Julie started up the stairs, calling for Tom to follow her. Maggie ushered Katie back into the media room and closed the door.

Julie was very pleasantly surprised at the state of the front bedroom. She knew Maggie had been occupying it ever since Julie and Tom had moved to their apartment. No dust seemed to have accumulated on a horizontal surface, but there was something that seemed a little off. She pulled back the bedspread and blanket and the scent of fresh linens wafted up, pleasing her. She looked around again, and something seemed different from her memory of the room but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Oh well.

Tom entered the room and a smile of contentment crossed his face. No matter where he might be residing, this would always seem to be 'his room'. He set their bags on the bed and circled around it. Yep, some of his old clothing still hung in the closet, although most of the closet now contained Maggie's clothes. Aside from that, It seemed like very little had changed at all, aside from the bigger bed which had been moved in for Julie's visit during Thanksgiving week.

= = =

Rose and Alan had completed the supper clean up and their canoodling in the kitchen. Alan meandered to his recliner in the living room where he considered the day's difficult conversation at work, as well as the one he would have on Monday with the rest of his team. Rose walked up the hall to the media room, rapped on the door, then opened it and stuck her head in.

"Did I hear Tom and Julie arrive?" she queried.

"Yeah, I think they went upstairs to reclaim the front bedroom," Maggie answered, then returned her attention to Katie's math issues.

Rose softly closed the door, smiling at the image of Maggie as a tutor. 'That will help to expand her social skills a bit more,' she thought. 'The relationship with David has done wonders for Maggie. The job at the jewelry store has really helped give her confidence. But this thing with Katie could be just what Maggie needs to round out her life.' Smiling with increased hope, Rose mounted the stairs. When she reached the top, Julie had just emerged from the hall bathroom and quickly embraced her mother.

With maternal perception, that sixth sense some mothers have, Rose knew that Julie needed to talk. Rose pulled her daughter into the master bedroom, shut the door, and pointed at the bed.

"Sit down, young lady! Something's wrong, I can feel it. What's happened?"

"It's Tom!" Julie started to weep and could not stop. Rose pulled the box of tissues out and began handing them to Julie, one at a time as needed.

"Julia Ann, I seriously doubt that Tom is the issue. It may be his actions or reactions, but I'm sure it's not Tom himself. Take a moment and collect yourself, dear."

It took Julie five minutes to get her crying under control and at least a dozen tissues. Julie tried to explain what had happened, going back to inviting their landlord to supper. It all sounded perfectly logical and rational, at least to Julie. Finally, she wrapped it all up with that day's events of allowing Dawn to take shelter in their apartment. Again, Julie was completely focused on the end results, not the underlying issues or potential problems.

"And now Tom's ice cold mad at me. I could accept it if he would blow up. Then I could blow up back at him. But the complete shutdown of communication is horrible."

"Now, Julie, think for a moment. Do we ever get angry with people, or is it their actions and attitudes that upset us? Hmmm?"

Julie paused to consider Rose's words. After a few seconds, Rose continued to triage.

"From what you've shared, I would say he hasn't completely shut down communicating with you. You were holding hands most of the way, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"And he told Dawn that she and John could stay in your apartment while you're away, right?"

"Yes."

"And he's going to share the bed with you tonight, right?"

"I hope so. He's just so..." Julie's voice trailed off. "We've been... he's been trying to talk with me about decisions I've made lately that impact both of us. But they didn't seem to be that important when I made them." She started to cry again. "How come everything I do wrong is my fault?"

Rose pushed Julie away from her shoulder to look at her child squarely in the face. She could not believe those words actually came out of Julie's mouth.

"Sweet child of mine, did you hear what you just said?" Rose was flabbergasted.

"What did I say, Mom?"

"You said, 'how come everything I do wrong is my fault?' Let me say that again, slowly. 'How. Come. Every. Thing. I. Do. Wrong. Is. My. Fault?' Are you a 10-year-old looking to blame someone else for your choices and actions, or are you an adult? Really?"

Julie's expression became crestfallen as the reality of her words finally sank in. More tears ensued and more tissued were used, filling the trashcan. Once Julie had calmed down once more, Rose continued the discussion.

"Jules, my darling, you said he's been trying to talk with you about decisions you've made recently that impact you both. 'He's been trying' sounds to me like you haven't been willing to talk with him about them. Honestly, who has not been communicating, you or him?"

Yet another torrent of tears and anguish flowed from Julie as the truth of the message sank in. She was quickly using up the tissues.

= = =

Alan was just sitting in his recliner, being quiet and hearing hushed sounds coming from upstairs and from the media room. Not really meditating, he was just being still. His nerves were still a little jangled from having to fire Melvin for his poor performance and attitude, topped off by his insubordination. Still, Gil had hired him to manage the managers. That meant making the tough decisions and taking the appropriate actions, even the ones he disliked. He'd address the project teams in person on Monday.

Tom poked his head into the living room and saw Alan sitting there.

"Dad, do you have some time for us to talk?" Tom inquired.

"Certainly, son. Come on and pull up some sofa. Sit a spell. Take a load off." Alan chuckled at himself. "What can I do you for, Tom?" Tom settled in at the end of the sofa nearest to Alan.

"Did you and Mom have trouble learning to live together early in your marriage? I know you did not live together like Jules and I are now, so it wasn't until you were married that you had to think and behave more like a couple than two individuals."

"We had some moments very early on, as I recall." Alan bowed his head in remembrance, and a tear worked its way out of an eye. "Before I say anything more, tell me, from your perspective, who 'wore the pants' in the relationship between your mother and me?"

Tom reflected for a few moments, then replied, "It seemed like Mom did. She made most of the decisions for the group. But as I think back now, maybe not. But you seemed fine with just about everything she decided. Why do you ask?"

"Son, maybe that's how it appeared, but here's how things really were. We agreed very early on that if I had a strong opinion about something, that was the end of the matter. And, for the most part, I did not have strong opinions, so your mother got things her way. If I did disagree with her, we never showed it in front of anyone, ever. We would talk things through in private, and if she could convince me that her perspective was correct, I was kind and loving enough to acquiesce on so many little things. It's all about respect, something I've tried to instill in you and David. Do the words, 'Friendly, Courteous, and Kind', ring any bells?" Tom smiled at his father's words. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'happy wife, happy life'?" Alan paused for a minute then asked, "Are things okay between you and Julie? You seem a bit troubled."

Tom then recounted the incidents of the previous two weeks where Julie would seem to make a decision about something that impacted both her and Tom. He was brutally honest about his reactions and how he kept trying to engage her to talk with him about things first. To her credit, thus far her decisions had worked out and nothing untoward resulted. But he was concerned that she had not considered other possible consequences of those decisions. It seemed to him that many of those were 'snap' decisions when there was time to discuss them first. Which reminded him that he wanted to contact Bruce about their having made another key for guests to use. He also wanted to introduce David and Maggie to Bruce during their upcoming visit over Spring Break.