Chrissie came out just as there was an almighty knock on the door.
I could hear the not-so-faint cries of, “Mom! Mom!” from the kids.
Chrissie opened the door and grabbed them both in a huge hug.
“Ohhh, I’ve missed you both!” she screamed, holding them both close to her.
Chloe saw me first and broke away from her mother, running to me.
“Uncle Tom!!!” she shrieked and ran to me, jumping up onto my lap.
“How’s my little one,” I asked, with a huge smile.
“I’m NOT little anymore! I used to be, but I’m big now!” she
giggled.
I guess, at 8, she was.
David then broke off his motherly hug and ran over to me. While not quite as exuberant as his sister, he calmly came over and hugged me. It felt so wonderful to have these two precious kids in my arms again.
“Did you bring me anything, Uncle Tom? Huh?” Chloe asked.
“C’mon! Of course, I did! We’ll sort that out later, okay” I said and hugged them both again. I looked at Chrissie. She was beaming. She could see the connection I had with the kids and them with me. She looked positively beatific.
“Go see your mom, now? Okay? She’s missed you both.”
Jack was left standing there on his own, as if he didn’t belong and was intruding. As he was.
I stood up from the settee and walked over to him, my eyes never leaving his. I begrudgingly shook his hand.
“How’s it going, Jack,” I said, as sincerely as possible.
“Could be better, Tom. And you,” he said, trying to be assertive but I knew otherwise.
“So I’ve heard, eh?” I said, sticking the knife in just a bit. Chrissie was still fussing with the kids but I saw she had one eye on us.
“All’s going very well, thanks for asking,” I said curtly. “It’s nice to be back with my family, especially when they need someone.”
Jack was silent.
“Okay, kids, let’s get your suitcases and bags in. Mommy and Tom need to talk with Daddy, so you’re going to play with Max and Susan for a bit, okay? Then we’ll all go out for lunch, okay?”
The kids ‘humphed’, just as their mother does, but followed her lead and began bringing in their cases. Jack helped, which surprised me.
“Have a seat, Jack,” I said motioning to the settee. “A drink? Wine, beer?”
He gave me a funny look. It was I who was ‘welcoming’ him into his ex’s home. I don’t think it set too well with him. As if I cared. I wanted him to feel like the outsider and interloper he was. He
begrudgingly sat down. I could tell from his body language he was off guard already.
“Drink?” I asked.
“A beer would be fine. Thanks,” he said, with a miserable attitude.
I could only laugh to myself.
Go on, I thought. Be Mr Surly and we’ll see how this goes.
I grabbed the kids and hoisted them both up again, their laughter contagious.
“Help your mom, okay? I don’t want to be a bad influence,” I laughed.
“Since when?” Chrissie laughed. It was good to see her smile.
After getting the kids sorted in their rooms, Chrissie took them over to the neighbours. When she walked back through the door, it was a different person. It was Chrissie from the Art Institute, in front of people, in control and controlling the situation.
“Okay, Jack! What the fuck is going on? Hmmm?” she spat.
“Just relax, Chrissie,” he pleaded. “I’ve run into some cash-flow problems that cannot be sorted anywhere else. You’re my last hope that I can pull this off. I really do need this money. The people I owe are, well, powerful. I can’t say too much but, I need your help. Remember, I bought this fucking house for you! You owe me!” his voice rising with every sentence.
I watched Chrissie as she took this all in. Damn, she was cool.
“Jack, don’t even get me started on ‘I owe you’. Just don’t go there. You’ll lose that argument. And watch your language in this house, okay? This is MY house! I’ve thought about your, uh, request all night. The answer is ‘no’. I can’t and won’t loan you any money. I won’t put the kid’s future on the line…for you. It’s pretty simple. No.” she calmly said.
Chrissie was still standing whilst Jack was stuck in his seat. I loved the dynamic. She not so much hovered over him but had an authority that I recognised.
“But Chrissie…” he began until she cut him off.
“Jack. You don’t get it. There is NO ‘but’. The answer is no!” she asserted again.
I marvelled at how controlled Chrissie was. If Jack thought he could manipulate her, somehow, he was so mistaken. And here Chrissie was scared of this confrontation? I couldn’t imagine why.
I’d love to have her in some of my negotiations. I laughed to myself.
“So? Are you going to finish your beer and leave or what?” she scornfully asked.
Jack stood up and walked over to Chrissie.
“This is not going to end well, Chrissie,” he almost yelled.
I stood up and quickly walked over to them.
“Jack,” I whispered to him. “I think it’s time you leave?” I said harshly, my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it.
“This has nothing to do with you! You can just… fuck off! This is between Chrissie and me!” he said, trying to appear menacing.
I smiled at him. “Really, Jack? Is this really the way you want to do this?” I said, grabbing his shoulder, and pulling him to the door.
Slowly, I told Jack, ” NEVER, EVER show up here again, okay? If there are any reprisals for Chrissie or the kids, any, you will pay, okay? I have no idea what you’re mixed up in. I don’t care. We don’t care. Don’t ever come over without calling, okay?”
I pulled him close to me and whispered in his ear, “Jack. I know people, so please, DON’T FUCK WITH US,” and I opened the door.
He almost fell out the door. Looking back at us, he gave us a dirty look but we could also tell, this would be the end of his attempt at coercion.
I firmly closed the door. Chrissie was standing there, a huge smile on her face.
“You were…amazing, Chrissie,” I smiled.
“No, Tom! YOU were!” she laughed. “You’re so fucking hot when you get angry!”
“Take your trousers off, Chrissie,” I snarled.
“Tom. We…we can’t. The kids are – ”
” – Next door playing. Take…your…trousers off. Now, Chrissie.”
” NO!” she spat back. ” Forget it! Go to hell!”
I had to look into her eyes to see if she was playing or not.
She was…
“I said, take…them…off!” raising my voice.
“Fuck off!” she shamefully said. “You’re being rude!” she yelled.
I was embarrassed that my cock was getting harder.
“I’m going to fuck you so…we can do it easily, and you can enjoy it or I’ll just take you. What do you want, sister?” I shouted.
“I said ‘fuck off! I’d rather finger myself than have my brother inside me!”
I leant over and grabbed her old shirt and roughly pulled it. I could feel the material rip. I pulled her to, my lips mashing against hers. Chrissie tried to push me away but, looking into her eyes, I saw the playfulness. I pulled her long, copper hair and whispered, “Take them off, Chrissie.”
“You bastard!” she hissed, but she undid the button and slowly unzipped her trousers. Looking at me so defiantly, she slowly pulled them down over her hips ’til they pooled at her feet.
“Turn around,” I said as I slapped her ass.
Chrissie turned and placed her hands on the entry table and bent over. My right drifted to her lacy panties as my hand swept to the front. Her dainty panties were soaked. I put both hands on her small underwear and pulled. We could both feel them rip.