Synchronicity for Six Pt. 10

"We will determine that when we move into the new house, my love. 'To everything, there is a season.' The Byrds had it right, I think. They certainly popularized that bit of scripture."

"So, what do we do about Tom?" Rose asked.

"Right now, there's nothing we can do. Talk with Julie tomorrow and see what she tells you, and then proceed from there."

"Do you think we should bring David into the conversation with Tom?" Rose inquired.

"I don't believe Tom would gracefully accept any interference or opinions from his younger brother. You haven't witnessed it. They've been on their best behavior in front of you ladies. But nobody knows how to get you spun up faster than your brother. You and I were somewhat fortunate in that respect since we did not have siblings. But those two nearly came to blows, repeatedly, over the years. Two boys interact very differently than two girls do. No, I don't think the situation would be helped by involving David."

"Alan, would you please just take me to bed and hold me? Tonight's episode with Tom really has my nerves jangling," Rose requested

"Of course, my love. Let me get things buttoned up down here and I'll meet you in the bed in five minutes."

= = =

Maggie and Katie had a very enjoyable meal at the pizzeria. They met up with a few of Katie's high school acquaintances; Maggie just sat back and observed; despite being their age, she was still an outsider. Besides, she was Katie's wingman for the night. Nothing got out of hand, and after they had stopped at Target for the items Katie still needed, they headed home.

"Katie, I promise you there will be time for boys in your life. Right now, you need to stay focused on doing as well as you can on that ACT exam. When are you scheduled to take it?"

Katie answered, "The first weekend of March. I think that's the fifth."

"Okay, so three short weeks from Saturday. Time's starting to run a little short. Maybe we should have a study session tomorrow night?" Maggie offered. "Work through some of that ACT Prep book you bought."

Katie sighed as she turned onto their street. "You're probably right, Mags."

Katie parked on the street in front of the house, and the girls got out with their packages. Before Maggie could take two steps, Katie wrapped her in a huge bear hug, saying, "Thank you for looking out for me, Maggie. You're probably right about everything tonight. Say, doesn't the house look a little dark for a little past nine?"

"Momma and Poppa are probably up having some quality adult time, what with us out of the house this evening. Let's try to be quiet as we go in. We need to think about going to bed ourselves pretty soon. Busy day tomorrow."

= = =

After Bruce had left, Tom got out a damp mop and followed up the sweeping of the shards. He wasn't sure if there was anything left to get, but he felt safe about going barefoot in the bedroom once more.

Exhausted from the emotional outpouring, he crawled into bed just after 9:00 pm. He lay there with his thoughts cycling through what Rose and Alan had said. He tried not to read anything into their words; merely accepting what was said at face value. He quickly saw that his reactions were absolutely outrageous, completely inappropriate, and totally uncalled for. He did not care for the image of himself at that moment.

He flopped around in the bed, first on his back, then on his side, then rolling to his stomach. He just couldn't settle down. A random thought crossed his mind, and tears began to leak from his eyes. He wanted his mother back. He wanted her to hold him in her arms, to kiss his head, and tell him that everything would be alright when the morning dawned. He must have dozed off somewhere in those ruminations.

Julie was a little tentative when she went to bed. She had tried to resume her studying, but her mind wasn't having any of that. She needed to have Tom be at peace before she could be at peace herself. That was the moment when all her pretenses dissolved. That was when she gave herself totally over to him and his welfare. She had not realized that she was holding anything back, but no longer. Now she just needed him to accept her offering.

He roused to the sensation of arms wrapping around his body, of dark hair tickling his chin, and of soft lips kissing his head. The subtle scent of his mother's perfume wafted across him, and he sighed deeply.

"Mom?" he whispered.

"No, Tom, it's Jules. Just go back to sleep and rest. Things will be better in the morning, I promise. I love you, completely."

She tucked her head against the back of his neck, kissed it softly, and held him tightly until they were both asleep.

= = =

Friday, February 12

The odor of coffee woke Rose. The presence of Maggie before her eyes finally registered, and her brain began to function. Cautioned by Maggie to be quiet, Rose tried to sit up, but Alan's arms around her and his hands cupping her full breasts prevented that. Maggie softly giggled at that, then stepped back and politely turned her head away. Rose carefully dislodged herself from her man's grasp and slipped a bathrobe over her naked body.

Taking the prepared mug of brew from her daughter's hands, they quietly made their way to Maggie's bedroom and closed the door. There was another mug of java, properly prepared, on the nightstand, and Maggie sat on the bed and quickly claimed this other mug. Mother and daughter reveled in the flavor and in the enjoyment of a slice of private time.

"You had a wonderful idea, Magpie. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Momma. We didn't have a chance to sync up when we got home. You two went to bed early, I guess," Maggie commented.

"Yeah, well we had a brief chat with Tom and Jules to get caught up, and the call was abruptly shortened on their end," Rose related. At Maggie's look of surprise, Rose continued. "Tom did not take the news of Alan's intent to sell this house very well. We heard a door slamming and a large crash before your sister ended the call. I felt somewhat responsible, so Alan and I headed to bed earlier than usual to hold each other closely at my request."

Maggie sniggered at the memory. "Yeah, I saw how well he was holding you, Mom. From what I saw, he had a really good grip on you."

"Oh, and I suppose that you and David don't have top-o-the-morn' coitus when he's home?"

"Of course we do. There's no better way to dispense with a nice case of morning wood than inside a hot, juicy pussy. Although, I sometimes wonder who enjoys it more, him or me," Maggie shared, trying to shock her mother, but failing epically.

"Nice try, Magpie. I've raised you not to be embarrassed about sex. That does kind of require me not to be embarrassed as well."

"Yeah, well, at times, you guys do a number on Katie," Maggie revealed. "I've explained to her that sex is a key component to your relationship and that you keep it within the walls of the house. She seemed to accept that on the surface. But that leads me to why I wanted to talk this morning.

"At Luigi's last night, she kept trying to get the attention of a good‑looking guy who I saw right away was a player. She didn't do anything out of bounds, but later I shared with her that I thought she would be better served in basking in the love of our family for a while before seeking affirmation elsewhere."

"That was very insightful, Maggie. Thank you for being the 'big sister'. I may try to have some one‑on‑one time with her during the coming week. We've got to get this new house thing moving."

"Oh? How so, Mom?" Maggie asked.

"Hopefully Susan will let us know today that she has received the keys from Mrs. Waters. We're planning on looking around inside on Sunday after church and lunch."

"I recall that. Thank you for remembering that Katie and I have to work tomorrow, and we really want to see the inside as well. She spent most of her cash from Jack and Maeve at Target last night," Maggie added. "I must say that she seems so much happier to be part of our family, Mom."

"You seem happy to have her nearby as well, Mags. Both of you are very good for each other," Rose observed.

"I am happy, Mom. I truly am. Thank you for being so open to her."

Rose finished her coffee and exited Maggie's bedroom. She had to prepare for work.

= = =

"Um, Rose, my love?" Alan coughed to get his fiancée's attention. "Do you think you might be a little overdressed for work this morning?"

Rose was in her business suit with the skirt hiked a little higher than usual. Her white silk blouse did very little to hide the lacy bra she wore. She wore 3" black heels and she was obviously wearing stockings as the seams ran straight up the back of her legs. She had sort of hoped that Alan would be out the door by the time she came down. She didn't relish the confrontation that was brewing, but she met it head‑on, believing that the truth would set her free.

"Alan, I have a meeting this morning with Don Masters and Mike Johnson. We'll be talking about the loan on the McKinley house, and I need to sell them on my idea. Mary advised me that this tactic was needed to help me succeed. I need to be on top of my game, not fucked out of my mind by you."

Alan pressed his lips together tightly and exhaled heavily. "As long as it's just the idea you are trying to sell to them..."

Rose's eyes flared with anger. "What are you insinuating, buster? Don't beat around the bush. Say what you're thinking!"

"Alright. You seem to be almost presenting yourself more than the idea you're attempting to gain their support for. You're a very sexy woman, Rose, and you know it. We both know that sex sells. Don't you find it curious that the top dogs in the credit union are named Masters and Johnson?" he added with a smirk.

Rose's mouth dropped at his words. She had never considered any possible hidden meanings. Then her eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. She held up her left hand, palm inward, and thrust the back of her hand near his eyes.

"Do you see this, Alan Joseph Harrison? It's an engagement ring! It's THE engagement ring YOU placed on my hand! It's the engagement ring I joyfully accepted from you! If that's how you feel about the promise I made you, then maybe I should take it off!" As she reached her right hand to try to remove the ring, Alan began to chuckle.

"Okay, okay, Rose, my love. Please keep the ring on. I do trust you. I'm just not sure I can trust them. While you need to be sexy for them, I need you a little angry. I need you to realize that I see far more than I let on. I want you to know that I'm jealous of every minute someone else gets to spend in your company when I'm not there. Just because I may not say something, please never think that I'm an idiot or ignorant."

Alan's words mollified her anger, slightly. She was peeved and frustrated with him, at his smugness. "You watch yourself tonight, pal. I'm gonna screw you unconscious if you're not careful." She stepped right up to him and kissed him so soundly that her lipstick smudged on his lips and she would have to reapply it before she got out of her car. "The red hair doesn't lie!"

"I'll have to remember that," Alan muttered to himself as the door closed behind her.

= = =

Julie woke first that Friday morning. Her first class was at 9:00, while Tom's was at 10:00. Easing away from his side, she padded into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. She contemplated the waves of psychic shock that had echoed around their apartment the night before. She knew they needed to talk about it, but she didn't want to get their day off to a negative start.

She gathered up her classwork from the kitchen table and got her backpack set to go while she waited for the coffee to brew. She poured the last of the creamer into her mug and jotted 'coffee creamer' on the whiteboard on the refrigerator. Once the brewing had completed, she poured two mugs and quietly returned to the bedroom with them in hand.

The odor of brewed coffee wafted across Tom's nose, rousing him to consciousness. He looked at the nightstand and saw that it was 7:30, and there was steam rising from a coffee mug.

"Thanks, Jules," he croaked, then assuaged his thirst with a sip of the hot beverage. He took a second swallow, then cleared his throat. "I suppose we should talk about what happened."

"D'ya think, Dinozzo?" Julie tried to channel Gibbs, without the head slap though.

"There probably was no good way for them to tell me about selling the house. Pretty much anything connected to my mother is likely to have a major impact on me. Do you remember how I couldn't even look at you when we first met?

"The fact that it was your mother who was trying to be calm and explain things just flew all over me the wrong way. It should have been my dad doing that. The thing about the dog was an after‑non‑thought. I mean, I loved that dog. I was the one to actually place the box with his ashes into the ground behind the garage. Mom couldn't, Dad wouldn't, and David was ... well, I can't say why David didn't.

"I was angry that my opinion was not asked. It seemed like a fait accompli, a done deal. An 'Oops, sorry. Didn't we ask you?' sort of thing."

"From the little bit of texting that I get from Maggie, I take it David was home last weekend and won't be home this weekend. Do you want to go home tonight and return on Sunday? It might give you a chance to actually talk with your dad. We both can find out more about what's going on with Katie, as well," Julie offered. "I'm done with class at 3:00. We could be there by 7:00 or so."

"That might be a good idea, Jules. Can you spare the time? Do you have anything due early next week?"

"I've got a paper due next Friday and probably a test in one of the classes on Thursday. I think I can spare the weekend away," she related.

"What about Dawn and John?" Tom asked.

"What about them? They can make do for one weekend on her bed. She has a single now, you know. We don't have to keep playing innkeeper for them if we don't want to. I will let her know that we'll be gone, though. I'll also make it perfectly clear they cannot use our apartment while we're gone. She doesn't have a key anymore."

"Okay, my love. I'm very sorry for my reactions of last night," Tom apologized.

"You'll probably have to explain what happened and apologize a couple of times over the weekend. I'm just sayin'. Be prepared for it," Julie cautioned.

"It would also be considerate if we were to let Dad and your mom know that we're coming. I'll text Dad if you'll communicate with your mother," Tom recommended.

They packed a single bag with their stuff for the weekend and headed off to their respective classes.

= = =

Rose's 10:00 meeting with Don and Mike achieved her objectives. She did have to showcase her feminine attributes for the delight of the men. Mary, who had been invited to attend by Don Masters, just rolled her eyes as if to acknowledge the unfortunate necessity of doing things this way. Once the men's egos had been assuaged, Rose subtly fiddled with her engagement ring while making all of her points. Mary noticed this and smiled in reassurance. In the end, the men approved Rose's petition to place the loan for the McKinley property on hold, as well as giving their blessing for Rose and Alan to pursue the purchase of it.

Mary escorted Rose back to the latter's office, closed the door, and slumped in the comfy guest chair.

"I'm so sorry, Rose, that we have to play their little game to do the right thing. But you did it, and you did it very well. I thought your toying with your engagement ring was a very nice touch. You weren't engaged to Alan when you first interviewed with them, and I think it rocked them back on their heels a bit. Do I need to give a good report to Alan for you?" she offered.

"No, thanks, Mary. I've got it covered. He was not happy to see me dressed this way this morning, though. He got cross with me, and I threw it back in his face. There will probably be some angry, make-up sex for us tonight." Rose smiled wickedly at the thought.

"I remember those times with George," Mary reminisced. "Some of our hottest times were during make-up sex. Well, I've got a little bit to take care of at my desk. Are you up for lunch together again today?"

"I'd like that, very much, Mary. I just need the butterflies in my stomach to stop as I wait for Susan to call. She's supposed to get the keys to the house today or tomorrow. Even though we haven't seen the inside yet, we both really want this to work out," Rose confided. "We really need to see the inside so we can get an idea of what we would need to do before we can move in."

"I'll be back at 11:30 and we'll head out then, Rose. Good job today! I made a very good decision when I chose you to fill my spot."

= = =

The day seemed to drag by from Alan's perspective. Everything just seemed to require the most difficult path to completion. It didn't help that Gil took the afternoon off, leaving Alan in charge. Alan kept looking at his cell phone, willing it to ring with a call from Rose telling him that Susan had received the keys to the house. But mind over matter simply was not working for him that day. He did note a text from Tom stating that he and Julie would be coming home for the weekend. He needed to talk with his son about Tom's reactions, so perhaps it was a good idea for them to come home. Maybe they could even stay long enough on Sunday to be part of the tour, assuming that Susan received the keys in time.

Alan left the office at 5:00. He was thinking back to that morning's jealous little confrontation with Rose about her clothing or seeming lack thereof. He realized he was in the wrong, and he needed to make up for it a little. He went out of his way to the florist shop and purchased a bouquet of flowers. He hoped the dozen deep red roses he was lucky to find so close to Valentine's Day would be an acceptable penance for his faux pas.

He pulled into his garage just after 5:45. Rose heard him enter from the garage, and she stood in the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room watching him. When he entered with his hands full of flowers, she smiled and a small tear trickled out of her eye at his thoughtfulness and his implied apology.

"I'm holding supper for Tom and Julie, my love. Thank you for the flowers. I'm very sorry for the upset of this morning. Go up and change your clothes. Maybe the silk boxers might be appropriate tonight," she suggested. Then she briefly lifted the front of her skirt to show that she still wore the garter belt and stockings, but had removed her panties. Properly incentivized, Alan took Rose into his arms and delicately brushed her lips with his. In addition to being without panties, it was evident to him that her breasts were likewise unencumbered. It appeared that she was serious about having her way with him that evening.

Maggie and Katie passed Alan on their way down the stairs. They had just tidied up the front bedroom for Tom and Julie to occupy and moved a couple of things into Katie's room. Pausing on his way up, Alan turned and called after the girls.

"Ladies, would you please help Rose by setting the table for six people? She can help if you need directions about adding a leaf to the table." Not waiting for a response, he continued up to change his undershorts as suggested.

The girls were actually on their way to do just that, and just giggled a little at Alan's request. They noticed the roses in a new vase on the kitchen table, and their eyes widened in surprise.

"What did Poppa do this time?" Maggie asked.

"What do you mean, dear?" Rose replied.

"Roses for you, Momma. He must have done something to feel the need to pay a penance," Maggie opined. "I mean, if he had bought flowers for all of us women, that would be one thing. But these are obviously just for you. So, what did he do?"