The Greatest of These is Love Pt. 06

Very soon, Henry was heard coming down the stairs. Dawn quickly hid her bare legs under John's covers and sat there waiting with a pleased (and hopefully innocent) smile on her face.

Looking into the living room, Henry saw her sitting there, alone. He then caught a whiff of the brewing coffee and presumed that John was in the kitchen.

"Did you sleep well, Miss Dawn?" Henry asked.

"Not as well as I did back at my home, thank you, but well enough, I suppose. John's twin bed, like my own at school, is far too narrow for my liking. Before you ask, I did sleep alone in John's bedroom all night long."

"I believe you. Susan and I shared some of the conversation points from Wednesday, so I know about her admonishment to you two. Is John in the kitchen?"

"Yes. He's supposed to bring me some hot chocolate, once it's ready."

Henry started for the kitchen while remarking, "Nice jersey! I see you are a Chiefs fan. I knew I liked you for some reason." He then strode down the hall, chuckling to himself.

Susan came downstairs very soon afterward. She saw Dawn sitting placidly where John had slept and wearing John's Chiefs jersey, and her eyes narrowed. Susan didn't scowl, per se, but she wasn't thrilled with seeing where Dawn was and how she was dressed. Susan sniffed, dismissively, and proceeded to the kitchen to prepare her breakfast and lunch.

"Did you see how she was dressed?" Dawn could make out Susan's exclamations despite any attempts made to muffle John's mother's words.

"What? She was wearing John's old Chiefs jersey. What's wrong with that?" Henry asked, still audible to Dawn.

"But what was she wearing on the bottom? And why was she sitting there on the hide‑a‑bed where John was sleeping?"

"I'm right here, Mother," John interjected. "And for your information, she has on her athletic shorts. Keeping our promise, we have not had 'hot monkey sex in your house'. I think the jersey looks really good on her. She's sitting there because I asked her to wait. Knowing how hectic it can be here in the kitchen on a workday morning, I wanted us to keep out of your way." John picked up two full mugs and returned to Dawn awaiting him.

"Susan, what is it with you and that girl? Can't you see how good she is for him and how strongly they feel about each other?" Henry asked quietly. "I fear that if you continue with this foolishness, you will drive our eldest away with your words and attitudes. I don't believe that's what you want, is it?"

Surprised at Henry's defense of John and Dawn, Susan cast her eyes to the floor as she considered her husband's admonishment.

Henry followed up with, "I believe that if it came down to a choice between us and her, John would choose Dawn, as well he should. He's already visited her family, twice, and was warmly welcomed both times. Please don't force him to make that decision." He lifted her chin and kissed her lips, then grabbed his lunch and headed off to work.

Susan was sitting at the kitchen table, mulling over that morning's events, drinking her coffee, and eating her toast when Owen made his appearance. He assembled his breakfast and sat at the table across from his mother. He would occasionally pause his spoon's bowl‑to‑mouth‑and‑back pattern as he looked up at her. He quickly finished his cereal and put the bowl and spoon in the sink. Turning, he saw his mother just sitting and occasionally sipping at her empty coffee cup.

"Mom, what's the matter?"

Shaken from her reverie, Susan asked, "Do you like John's girlfriend, Dawn?"

"Oh, yes, Mom. She's very kind. She listened to me yesterday as I explained about this social problem I had at school. She didn't tell me what to do, but she offered suggestions on how to look at what happened. She guided my thoughts but didn't tell me what to think." That last bit was a dig at his mom, who was never shy about telling her sons what they should and should not do or think.

"She's also very pretty, in case you had not noticed. She truly cares for John. If you haven't noticed, he's changed for the better since he went back to school in August. She's very good for him, and I suspect he's just as good for her. Give her a chance, Mom, and get to know her better." With that, he kissed his mother on the forehead and headed out.

Susan sat there, drinking from her now‑empty cup, for another three minutes. Then she arose and got on with her Friday.

In the living room, Dawn and John sat drinking their hot chocolates and simply touching each other.

"Do you want to get out and do something today?" John asked.

"I think I'd rather just stay in today. Our schedule is pretty full with your family times tomorrow and Sunday. Then I'll have a lonesome trip back home across the breadth of the state. I just want to sit together and kinda plan out the future as best we can guess," Dawn answered. They sat in companionable silence, finishing their chocolates.

"What should we do now?" Dawn asked while setting her empty cup on a coaster. It was obvious to her that John's mother was a stickler for keeping things as perfect as possible. This included drink coasters in the living room as well as in the dining room and on the kitchen table. But then, her father had his ideas about what was 'women's work', never to be done by the menfolk.

"What would you like for Christmas?" John inquired.

"Apart from you in my bed doing that voodoo that you do so well?" Dawn grinned, waggling her eyebrows.

"We promised Mom ..." John began.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I was there, remember? And we wouldn't want to go back on our word, would we?" After a minute of thought, she came back with, "There really isn't anything, other than you, that I want. I wouldn't mind keeping this, though." She plucked at the shoulder of his Chiefs jersey. "The only thing that could make it better would be to have a small bottle of your special cologne to impregnate it with. And maybe for the twins' t‑shirts when they need to be 'refreshed'."

"As long as that's the only thing being impregnated, I'd be good with it." Dawn made a small moue at his words, which he ignored. "Maybe we can find a small bottle and you could take it and the shirt home with you. I was hoping for an idea for something for you to open on Christmas Day. We will talk or text every day we're apart, right?" There was an almost desperate note in John's voice.

"Absolutely!" Dawn promised.

"Tell you what. Why don't you go up and get your shower now, then I'll take mine? While I'm showering, maybe you could see if we could find some of that 'Business Man' cologne nearby. Then we can sit at the dining table with a notepad and try to plan the rest of our time in greater detail. Owen'll be home around noon. Maybe the three of us could go out to lunch somewhere?"

"Okay, if you insist." Dawn rubbed her nose on John's, then lightly brushed his lips with hers. He was starting to get into it when she pulled back and gave him a peck on the end of his nose. "Keep thinking that way, Big John. We'll have our time tomorrow night," she promised. She rose to her feet and sauntered out the doorway, heading upstairs to take her shower.

John and Dawn were sitting at the kitchen table when Owen came through the front door. They had taken their time in getting going with their day and getting dressed. The notepad in front of John had been divided in half, lengthwise, and the pair were trying to plan out Saturday and Sunday, despite many unknowns.

"Hey guys! Where are you?" Owen called out while kicking off his shoes, draping his coat on the newel post, and allowing his backpack to slump to the floor.

"Here at the dining table," John answered, not lifting his eyes from the page.

"Whatcha doin'?" Owen asked as he entered the dining room.

"Trying to plan out our trip to see our grandparents; Grandma and Grandpa Smith on Saturday and Grandma and Grandpa Wilson on Sunday. How far is it from here to Fayette?"

"I dunno. Coupla hours? I usually nap. Western Missouri isn't the most exciting place to look at." Owen shrugged his indifference.

"John, I swear ...," scoffed Dawn. She pulled out her phone and fired up Google Maps. She quickly determined that it was almost exactly 120 miles to Fayette and should take almost exactly two hours to drive from Freedom.

"So, Owen, did you have any problems at school today?" Dawn politely inquired.

"Nah, I just kept my head down and avoided eye contact," Owen answered. "What are you planning to do for lunch? I suppose there are some leftovers from supper last night."

John looked up from his notepad to answer.

"All we had for breakfast was the hot chocolate. I'm kinda hungry, now that I think of it. Dawn, any thoughts?"

"I could eat. No offense to your mother's cooking, but I'd rather not have a repeat of last night's meatloaf. Why don't we go out? I'd also like to walk around a mall for a bit. There's something I'd like to try to find, and at the very least it could be a good stretch of the legs."

They quickly agreed to meet at the front door in five minutes. John graciously allowed Owen to ride in the front seat and direct Dawn to a nearby mall.

"Cool!" John declared. "I hadn't considered the Food Court, but this works. Oh, Owen. Do you need some money?"

"Not really, bro, but if you're giving it away, I'll take it off your hands."

"Smartass," John muttered under his breath as he headed for Sbarro. Owen and Dawn looked at each other, quizzically, then shrugged their shoulders. "Mexican or Chinese?" Owen asked.

"Mexican, definitely," Dawn declared.

"I like the way you think, Dawn." They walked a couple of spots further away and stood in line behind a very rotund guy who was experiencing great decision-making challenges.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea," Dawn whispered to Owen, who nodded his agreement and then pointed to the barbecue purveyor. "Sure, let's go."

Dawn and Owen found John seated and waiting for them. John took one look at their trays' contents and grimaced. Shaking his head, he moaned, mostly to himself, "Why did I waste my money on Sbarro? I could have had some genuine Kansas City barbecue. God, that smells fantastic!" Owen gave a brief snort at John's rueful expression and sat down across from Dawn, who had slid in next to John. She reached down and took John's hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

After eating and cleaning up, Dawn wanted to see the mall. She was looking for something specific but was flexible about the finished product, so she had to look in almost every store and every kiosk on both levels.

"You know, John, I'm thinking that I won't tag along when you visit the grandparents this weekend," Owen remarked as they endured their trek through the shopping mall.

"Oh? Why not?"

"I just saw them a couple of weeks ago and will likely see them again at Christmas. Besides, you and Dawn don't need my being a fifth‑wheel. I know you need some personal time together."

John raised his eyebrows and nodded at his brother's thoughtfulness.

"There's that loser now," Owen heard as they caught up with Dawn. They all turned to see four girls, including Sarah Stewart, emerging from a clothing store. "I can't believe he even dared to ask you to the dance tonight," one of them mocked him loudly.

Dawn had not thought she would have the opportunity to retaliate against the ones who publicly humiliated her boyfriend's brother, but she quickly took advantage of the situation. Mouthing 'trust me' to John and getting his nod, she placed her hands on either side of Owen's head and turned his lips to hers. Once she had fastened her mouth to his, she dropped her hands to his shoulders and pulled him tightly against her. Owen was shocked into insensibility. All he could do was go along. His eyes widened as he felt Dawn's tongue teasing his lips, but he didn't make any effort to break their embrace.

John had stopped about ten feet away and took in everything around him. He saw the quartet of mean girls stop in their tracks with their mouths open. He and Dawn had not discussed this scenario, but he accepted her 'trust me' and had some idea of what was to follow. He believed that he and Dawn were made for each other and that what she had in mind would be purely for Owen's benefit. That this was happening in such a public place was a bit of a surprise, but was probably more effective due to its location.

John took a couple of steps towards the mean girls and said, "You might want to close your mouths. You might start catching flies."

One of the girls raised a hand, gestured at Owen, and began to stammer.

"Yeah, and I don't think he'll be in any condition to go to the dance tonight. Sorry," he added. The leader of the group stamped her foot and stalked off with the other three in her wake. Once the princess quartet was out of hearing range, John said, "Okay, they're gone now, Dawn."

At John's announcement, Dawn pushed Owen away, gently, and said, "I'll explain in the car. I need to stop in this one store first, though." Leaving a stunned Owen to be guided by his brother, Dawn hurried to the one store she had wanted to visit all along. It was a perfume store, and she was after some more 'Business Man' cologne. As she stepped in, her hopes plummeted.

There was only a small section with men's colognes, and the variety to select from was horrible. Dawn stepped to the display case, still hopeful. The bubble gum‑chewing salesgirl gave Dawn a minute to peruse before asking if she needed any help.

"No, I'm afraid not," Dawn replied, shaking her head in dismay.

"Yeah, we don't get much traffic for guys' cologne," the teen offered.

Dawn thanked the girl and turned toward the door. She met John and Owen just as she was leaving and looped her arms in both of theirs.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Owen asked.

"Not in there," Dawn replied. Then she led the way to her car to return to the Wilsons' home. Before they got in, she pulled John in for a kiss to thank him for not interfering earlier. She kept it brief and whispered that she would make it up to him on Saturday night. As she drove, she explained to the brothers.

"I felt so bad for Owen yesterday. I could tell he had ventured out onto a limb only to have it be sawed off. I've helped my brothers through a few times like this, so I know how much of a risk it is to ask someone out, especially in front of others. I had considered offering to go to the dance with him tonight, but I thought that might be taking things a little too far." That last bit got an affirmative sound out of John, and she smiled and continued, "So, I took advantage of the opportunity to do a little something at the mall".

"Owen, I truly appreciate your acceptance of me in John's life. Your father seems to accept me as well." She sighed. "I don't know if your mother will ever truly accept me, though." John and Owen both gave small sighs at Dawn's observation.

"Hopefully John and I can help you meet a girl once you get to college. You are going to college, right?" Dawn queried.

"Yeah, definitely," Owen declared. "I'm still waiting on my ACT scores before I send in my application to State."

"What's your backup plan?" John asked.

"Probably Mizzou in Columbia near Grandma and Grandpa Wilson. I don't think I'd fit in too well at the school near Grandma and Grandpa Smith. I'd much rather be near you, bro, at least for the first year. Besides, State's got a little better engineering curriculum." The rest of the return trip was quiet, each busy with their thoughts.

As they emerged from Dawn's car, Owen addressed her, saying, "I really appreciate what you did to shut up those witches, Dawn. I realize it was, unfortunately, just a show for their benefit."

"It's not as though you're fugly, Owen. I'm promised to John, and he to me." Dawn kissed Owen on his forehead then looped an arm around John's waist. "You're still a couple of years too young for me, but I was serious about finding a girl for you once you come to State with us, assuming you get in."

Owen sighed, wistfully, and said to his older brother, "You are SO lucky, dude." Then he hurried to the front door, unlocked it, and disappeared inside.

Dawn smiled up at John and added, "Yeah, you are SO lucky, dude."

"Don't I know it."

= [] = [] =

"So, what did you kids do today?" Susan asked, looking squarely at Dawn as she passed the bowl of mashed potatoes to John. The family was seated around the larger table for a supper of ham, potatoes, asparagus, and Hawaiian rolls.

"The morning was fairly quiet once you 'hooligans' left us in peace," John retorted. "Then we laid out our plans to visit Grandma and Grandpa Smith tomorrow and Grandma and Grandpa Wilson on Sunday. I spoke with both sets of grandparents on Thursday afternoon and wanted to confirm our visits this weekend. We're planning to visit your folks on Saturday and Dad's on Sunday. Just a rough timeline, you know, but as Grandpa Wilson often says, 'Failing to plan is planning to fail'."

"Once I got home from school, we had lunch in the Food Court at the mall," Owen offered. "Dawn wanted to look for some things to take home as gifts, but we came away empty‑handed."

"Then we came back here and had a 'Home Alone' marathon. Nothing special; just an afternoon spent chilling and enjoying each other's company," Dawn finished. "Owen and I got to know each other a little better as well."

"So, you're going to be doing a lot of driving?" Susan guessed.

"Some, but we'll stay tomorrow night in a hotel in Columbia and be back here for Sunday night. Dawn will head out for Phelps Bluff on Monday morning," John supplied. "There isn't much sense in driving back here from Fayette only to turn around and drive to Columbia on Sunday morning. I know that Grandma Wilson would like for us to go to church with them."

Susan made an "Uh-huh" noise. She just knew what that overnight in a hotel was going to lead to. John and Dawn had found a workaround to her rule about having sex in her house. Henry cleared his throat, gave her a look, and mouthed "Later" at her, and she subsided.

"My folks know when to expect you tomorrow?" Susan inquired.

"Yes, Mom. I called both sets of grandparents during the intermission between our movies to let them know when to expect us," John replied. The remainder of the meal passed quietly.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Dawn and John were rolling down the road in her car, headed to his maternal grandparents' home in Fayette. They weren't in a hurry to get going, so they slept in a little. It was nearly 11:00 before they started on their way. Dawn had graciously offered to let him drive so she could examine the scenery that she had never seen before and which Owen found so dull. She was surprised when she saw the sports complex containing the professional baseball and football stadiums that were the home fields for the Royals and the Chiefs. She had not expected that, and her eyes narrowed a bit as she considered the shopping possibilities on either Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. She still had Christmas gifts to buy for her family and the selection would be decidedly better at the fan shops at the stadiums. She fully intended to keep John's old football jersey and she wanted to replace it with a newer one.

John was focused on watching out for idiots in the other lanes and getting them safely to Grandma and Grandpa Smith's. His tension lessened once they had left the metropolitan area and the traffic was reduced once the road narrowed to just two lanes in each direction. Dawn had to admit that she could see Owen's perspective of the drive being rather boring, especially in the wintertime. All the fields she could see from the highway had been harvested and were visually boring!