Synchronicity for Six Pt. 05

"Let's pause for a moment, Tom. I need a bathroom break."

Returning to the living room, Alan pulled out his phone to read something to Tom.

Son: Dad, I want to get married.

Father: First, tell me you're sorry.

Son: For what?

Father: Say 'sorry'.

Son: But for what? What did I do?

Father: Just say 'sorry'.

Son: But... what have I done wrong?

Father: Say 'sorry'.

Son: WHY???

Father: Say 'sorry'!

Son: Please, just tell me why!

Father: Say 'sorry'...

Son: Okay, Dad... I'm sorry.

Father: There! You've finished your training. When you learn to say 'sorry' for no reason at all, then you're ready to get married!

"This is funny because it's excessive, but there's a message behind all that as well. 'Learn to choose your battles.' You said it yourself: thus far her decisions have worked out. It sounds to me like Julie making the extra key without asking you, and then giving it to Dawn for that Justin Case guy we know and love, was the straw that broke the camel's back for you. Yet you ratified her decision by telling Dawn to go shelter there in your absence. You can't have it both ways, son. Was she wrong or was she right?"

Tom was silent for a couple of minutes as he absorbed and weighed Alan's words and advice.

"One last observation, son. In the course of history, is it more important that a decision be made for the right reason, or that the results worked out for everyone concerned? Sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture." Alan clapped Tom on the knee and proceeded up the stairs to his bedroom, leaving Tom alone on the sofa, looking at the drawings of Julie and Maggie on the hearth.

When Alan appeared in the bedroom doorway, Rose sent Julie off to the front bedroom with the admonition to 'get things straight with Tom'. With a feral smile, Rose beckoned her fiancé into their bedroom and softly closed the door behind him. Promissory notes issued earlier in the evening were about to come due. The Kraken was about to be released.

Tom wrestled with himself in the stillness and solitude of the living room. He truly loved Julie Lawson. She seemed to complete him and could make him feel like he could conquer any obstacle before him. But she had recently demonstrated what he felt were impetuous choices. She would just jump into a situation without stopping to think it through or even consult with him. Still, he knew her heart was in the right place and she was only doing what she believed was the right thing at the time. But why couldn't she stop and ask his opinion, especially when it was not an immediate crisis? Aha, therein lay the crux of the matter. He expected her to ask his opinion and she just charged ahead.

He couldn't permit himself to allow her to twist in the wind if things didn't work out right. Fortunately, so far, everything had worked out for the best. Coming to some degree of acceptance and resolution, Tom stood and walked over to the fireplace. Something snapped in his consciousness, and he picked the painting of Julie off the hearth and headed upstairs, slowly and quietly. He heard some soft growling coming from his parents' bedroom, and turned quickly towards his bedroom. The door was ajar and some light spilled through the crack. He tapped softly on the door, then slowly opened it.

Julie sat on the side of the bed closest to the door and looked up at him. Her hands were full of her hair at the sides of her head. Her face was a mess. What little mascara she wore was streaked down her cheeks. Her eyes were red, puffy, and replete with burgeoning tears. The empty tissue box was on the floor between her feet. The entire scene was one of anguish and woe.

Tom leaned the picture against the door frame and hurried to the bathroom for more tissues. He handed the fuller box to Julie, then knelt at her feet. He picked up the empty tissue box and cast it over his shoulder into the hall. She just sat there, holding the new box. He pulled out two tissues and gently began to dab at her cheeks below her eyes, making sure the mascara was cleaned away. Then he gently kissed her. Returning to her senses, Julie gently kissed him in return. She wrapped her arms around his neck while his hands came up to cradle both sides of her jaw and he pulled back slightly.

"Jules, my love, my life. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I'm just sorry we're having these troubles. Your pain hurts me so much, my jewel."

"I'm sorry, too, my love."

"Get up and go wash your face, please." He briefly waggled his eyebrows at her. "I seem to recall some additional toll collection is in order."

She giggled briefly as she recalled his entry 'fee' from earlier in the day. Wobbling to her feet, she almost kicked the picture leaning against the doorway as she made her way to the bathroom.

"What's that for?" she asked over her shoulder.

"To fill in the blank spot on the wall there," Tom said, pointing to where Maggie had been keeping her kitsune picture.

= = =

"So, do you understand where you were going wrong now?" Maggie asked Katie.

"Yeah, I think so," Katie answered hesitantly.

"Do you need some more practice, to be sure you have the process down?" Maggie asked, offering without specifically offering.

"Yes, but not tonight, Maggie. My brain's hurting. But how about tomorrow night? Oh! I know! I could come get you at work and we could have supper and another study session at my house."

Maggie puffed out her bottom lip in a mock frown as she considered what Katie was offering. Katie charged ahead with a full head of steam.

"Yeah, and you could stay over in Larry's room and we could go to church together, too!"

"That could work, Katie. Let me get back to you tomorrow about it, okay? I don't know what my folks' plans are for tomorrow beyond cleaning up our old apartment in Centreville. Hell, they may not have concrete plans themselves. I'll be in touch before work and during lunch, okay?"

Katie gave a soft squeal and grabbed Maggie in a grateful hug. Then Katie gathered up her things and Maggie escorted her to the door and made sure she was okay and on her way home. Closing the front door and locking it, Maggie leaned against it and exhaled mightily.

'A sleepover? Really? But then again, why not?' she thought. Looking around, all the lights were out except for the media room, so she supposed everyone was upstairs doing couple‑type things. She turned out the lights and headed up the stairs.

There were muffled squeaks and groans coming from her parents' room, and that brought a big smile to her face. She headed for the front bedroom by habit but stopped before placing her hand on the doorknob. She could hear Julie and Tom talking and then she remembered she was in David's room for the weekend. Well, at least for the night. Backtracking to the bathroom, she prepared for slumber and closed the door once she was in David's room.

Burrowing her head into a pillow, she inhaled deeply, trying to get every iota of his scent, but all she got was the laundry detergent they used. It occurred to her that his scent would be in a pillow in the front bedroom, as that was where he had been sleeping since Tom and Julie moved into their apartment. Duh! That realization brought her left hand to her right ring finger and she twisted the ring around and around. She loved the intricacy of the design as she held it up to her eyes.

Maggie pulled out her phone, noted the battery level, then sent a text to David.

"Hey Boy Scout! I really miss you. Can't wait for next Friday."

And then she waited. About five minutes later, he responded.

"At the movie. Call you when I get out?" to which she immediately responded, "Sure."

It was still a little early, not quite 9:00 PM, and everybody was otherwise occupied. She did not want to go to sleep quite yet, so she played with her phone for a bit longer. She accidentally displayed her contacts list and a sudden desire to reconnect with Joy, Donna, and Abbie struck her. They had a group chat designated, so she reached out to them.

"Hey girls. I'm really sorry I haven't chatted with you since we moved to Middleburg right before Christmas. That's all on me. I would like to catch up with you about what has happened since then. Since I don't have to take any more classes in high school, I'm working in an upscale jewelry store and saving money for State next fall. Just made a new friend, Katie, who I think you would like too. Definitely looking forward to seeing you at graduation! I want to stay in better contact with all of you. Hope to hear back from you soon. Mags"

Seemingly all alone, she connected her phone to charge up overnight and proceeded to get ready for sleep in a t-shirt and panties. She pulled back the covers on the bed, and got a nice surprise whiff of David. Now with a big smile, she climbed under the covers. As her head touched the pillow, her phone rang with David's call.

They talked for half an hour, enough time for him to walk back to his room from the single‑screen theater in town. Nothing of great import was said; they just reveled in hearing each other's voice and feeling somewhat connected. Unknowingly, each was fondling their friendship ring as much as possible while they talked. Finally, David had to end the call and wished Maggie a pleasant night in his bed and a good day at work the next day.

= = =

Saturday, January 30

At Rose's request, Alan had set his alarm to wake them at 6:00 AM. He had to slap at the snooze button with his left hand because his right arm was, as usual, full of his fiancée. She opened one eye, balefully, and croaked out one word: "Coffee." Fortunately for them both, Alan was a 'morning person', and he chuckled as he extracted his arm from beneath her. He slipped on a t-shirt and shorts, then proceeded to the kitchen to start the coffee brewing. When it was just him, Rose, and Maggie, a single pot would suffice. But having Tom and Julie home, a second pot was going to be a necessity. He prepped a second filter and grounds combo for when it would be needed. 'It wasn't raining when Noah started building the Ark,' he thought. He figured they would pull through McD's on their way, so he chose not to prepare anything else. He waited until the pot was half full, then poured two mugs of the brew; one black for him and one 'adulterated' for Rose, and headed back upstairs.

Opening his bedroom door with his foot, he peered around the door to see Rose sitting up in bed, covers down to her waist. His well-used member gave a couple of twitches at the very pleasing sight, and he closed the door with his heel before handing her the polluted mug.

"Oooh, just what I love to see. My naked fiancée dressed for entertaining." He could not help leering at her, and his lustful gaze sent tingles through Rose's nervous system.

"None of that this morning, bucko," she riposted. "We had our fun last night." She waggled her eyebrows at him while reaching for the proffered mug.

"Yes, indeed we did, my love. I was just teasing a bit. You wore me out. 'Unleash the Kraken,' eh? Still, would now be a good time to sit and talk?"

"Mmm-hmmm," she hummed, sipping at the 'properly prepared' coffee. "You start."

"Well," he began, taking a sip of his own, "Tom and I had a discussion, probably while you and Julie were up here having one. Have they been encountering some 'rough road' in their recent time together?"

"You might say that." Rose gave a quasi-snort as she recalled Julie's plaintive phrase. "Julie asked me, 'Why is everything I do wrong my fault?' I had to stop and have her examine what she said."

Alan added, "And Tom has got to be a lot more selective about the things he chooses to battle about. I believe they truly love each other. They couldn't hurt each other that much if they didn't. They just need some help getting past this." Alan took a big slug of his coffee and stared at Rose's naked breasts squished between her arms. It was almost as though she was doing that intentionally. Then his eyes drifted upward to her grin and he realized she was doing that intentionally. "That, my dear, is a good way to get pounded," he warned.

"I thought I wore you out," she stated in a little girl's voice.

"Girl, don't trifle with me," Alan said, trying his best to sound ominous. Then he busted up laughing at their messing with each other. After calming down, he continued. "Rose, I love you. Yes, you wore me out last night, but I should be replenished by this evening. Do we have everything we will need to get your old place presentable?"

They sat on the bed, drank their coffee, and discussed some logistics. Along the way, she suggested that Julie ride up with Alan while Rose would ride with Tom. That way both offspring could benefit from the other adult's perspectives and input. Alan agreed that the time would be well‑spent in bonding.

"I'm getting in the shower, alone," Rose informed him. "It's your job to get me a refill and to get our eldest children moving. I want to be on the road by 7:30." She strode around the bed giving her hips and ass a righteous wiggle, and giggled as she saw his adoring expression. 'I've still got it,' she mused, 'not that there was a whole lot of doubt. God, I love that man!'

Alan, slightly dazed but thoroughly happy, sat there until he heard the water begin to run. He walked across the landing to knock on the front bedroom door.

"Yeah, Dad, what is it?" Tom asked.

"Just making sure you two were up. We've got miles to go and an apartment to clean. Breakfast will be on the road, but coffee's ready now."

Alan backtracked and returned to the kitchen to refill Rose's mug. He was very surprised to find Maggie sitting at the table eating some breakfast. He looked at the clock on the microwave which read 7:05 AM. She had gotten out mugs for Tom, Julie, and herself and had prepped the mug for Julie. The brew cycle was just finishing on the second pot of the day.

"Good morning, sweet Magpie," Alan declared, stepping to her and kissing her forehead.

"Good morning, Dad." 'Dad' just seemed to roll off her tongue easier and easier as the days went by. She gave him a very nice smile and a wink, as if she knew something.

"What got you going so early this morning?" he inquired, pouring first creamer then coffee into Rose's mug.

"Well, I got booted... I mean, I gave up the 'big bed' to Jules and Tom last night, so I had to suffer in David's 'mere' queen-size bed. That mattress is not as broken in as the larger bed's mattress. And then Abbie started blowing up my phone at 6:45, like I could sleep through that."

"Abbie? Isn't she one of your friends from high school?"

"Yeah, the pretty Japanese girl who danced with David."

"Why was she 'blowing up your phone' so early on a Saturday?" Alan asked, keeping the conversation alive.

"Because she's one of those annoying 'morning persons', bright and bubbly. I sent her and the other two a text last night, and now she's all, 'Oooh, Maggie's back! Maggie's back!'"

Alan chuckled at Maggie's obvious disgust with 'morning persons'.

"But wouldn't you say David's a 'morning person'?"

"Yeah, but he brings me coffee in bed, so he's useful. And his kisses are to die for!" Maggie's eyes grew wide at her overshare, and she quickly clapped her hands over her mouth to keep anything else from spilling out. Right then, Rose came around the corner into the kitchen, smiling broadly at Maggie's discomfort.

"I agree, Maggie, these Harrison men have all kinds of uses. You know, like getting things down from hard‑to‑reach places, bringing you coffee, and fucking you silly." Rose wrapped her arms around Alan's neck and gave him an extra‑long kiss. She then took the prepared mug of coffee and sat at the kitchen table. "You should probably go get a shower, Alan. Who knows what sort of sweaty work I can find for you to do today."

With his cheeks beginning to burn, Alan marched out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his bathroom.

"Mom!" Maggie exclaimed.

= = =

Somehow, Rose got the four out the door by 7:30 and headed to Centreville. Admonishing Maggie to be sure to lock up when she left for work, Rose got in Tom's Jeep and instructed Julie to ride with Alan. Julie tried to object, but Rose simply gave her 'the look', and the protest faded to nothing. They had just pulled out when Maggie realized she had not cleared staying the night at the O'Sheas'.

Hurriedly, Maggie texted Julie asking if Julie could be the go-between to Rose. After a minute, Julie responded that their mother was riding with Tom and should be able to text without issue. This brought Maggie up short. Surely, Julie would be riding with Rose and Tom with Alan, right?

"Mom, would it be okay if I were to stay the night at Katie's and then go to church with them in the morning?"

"How would you get there and back?" Rose texted in reply.

"Katie will come by and pick me up after work and then I'd ride home with you. Unless you have other plans."

"Well, Magpie, if you stay elsewhere tonight and have a ride to church, do you think you could get them to drop you off at home after church if we have not made it back by then? We might decide to stay the night in Centreville, so your spending the night at Katie's could be a very good thing all around. I have no issues with your staying over with your friend."

"I'm fairly sure it would be okay. If push comes to shove, I'm sure I could get a ride home from someone at church."

Rose considered the situation and gave her blessing. Just to be sure, though, she texted Maeve Johnson, asking her to be the ultimate backup for getting Maggie home from church on Sunday.

= = =

They stopped for breakfast and drinks at McD's in Middleburg, then proceeded to roll on toward Centreville. Once out of the city limits, Alan kicked things off.

"Julie," he began, "how did your talk with your mother go last night?"

"Wow, just right into it, eh, Alan? Okay, then. Tom and I have been having some communication issues for a week or so."

"Yeah, well I have his perspective from our talk last night. Would you please share your point of view of what happened and why?" Alan gently requested. As Julie's words came out, sometimes tumbling over themselves, Alan would nod and try to actively listen while he drove. Finally, she ended with, "Why does he have to be so stubborn about doing things the 'right' way?" Alan chuckled at her plaintive tone.

"Jules, I find it hard to believe, but I'm saying many of the same words to you as I did to Tom last night. You need to pick your battles better.

"I'm very glad that everything has worked out as well as it has. It is fortunate that Mr. Parker could not come to supper that first time you invited him. It is very fortunate that you had already given Dawn a key to your apartment so she could escape.

"You are experiencing the wonders of sharing your life with someone you love. Stop and think about these facts. One, you and Tom have known each other for five months now. Yes, only five months, from the beginning of September to the end of January. And you've been actively living together for just one of those months. I take it the sex is good, right?"

Julie did not expect that question to come out of Alan's mouth, and her cheeks pinked up with her embarrassment. "I think you've been corrupted a bit by my mother, Alan," she riposted, smirking.

"I will happily admit to being 'corrupted' by your mom. She does this thing with her hips that just makes me lose my mind when we're...," he confessed, oversharing.

"TMI, there, Alan. Although I will admit to having the same impact on Tom," she giggled.

"Right-o. What I'm trying to get to is this: if you love each other as much as it seems to us you do, then you both have to cede some ground to the other in the relationship. You know, meet somewhere in between. Is he worth it, to you?"