Rating: R
Pairing: Jimmy/Jacoby
Disclaimer: I don't own them, and this never happened.
Summary: The teenage years...joy...
Author: Aightball
Author's note: Jimmy is a main character (as he will always be in my stories), so if that bothers you, I understand. Otherwise, please enjoy! Please read the first three
stories in this series before reading this for the sake of confusion =).
The boys are back!!
***
Prologue
“Jimmy! Priscilla! Let’s go! Eliza! Get a move on!”
I really need a bullhorn, I swear. This house is the same size it was when we started having kids but it feels so cavernous when I have to get the herd moving. And I do mean the herd; both girls are now 6’ or taller and thin just like Jimmy. But when the three of them come down the stairs as they are now, it sounds like thunder.
“We’re here!” Eliza panted, bending over momentarily to catch her breath. Both girls also have Jimmy’s horrible asthma problem, and it’s not fun. “Let’s go.”
Great; I’m taking three asthmatics out into 100% humidity, a 104 degree heat index and a base temperature of 99 degrees. All this for community band practice, too. With a shake of my head, I made sure they all had their inhalers and we hurried for the truck. I was glad they’d joined the community band, but at the same time, it just means we’re busier than we would otherwise be.
“Eliza, before I forget, you have senior pictures on Friday night at five,” I told her, cranking up the air conditioner in my truck. I love summer time in Iowa, don’t get me wrong, but this heat wave is killing me and our gardens.
“Sounds good,” she said, nodding. I caught the smile on her face and knew she was excited. She’s got this strange natural beauty about her and I’m not just saying that because I’m her dad, either. I’ve seen maybe two bad pictures of her in her 17 years of life. I realize that she’s got some of Michelle’s genes in her, but she’s truly Jimmy and I made over; she must’ve gotten that natural look from Chelle.
“Priscilla, you see the allergist on Wednesday, along with Jimmy and Eliza. From there, we jet over to the pulmonologist for checks. After that, you have dance at six.”
“Ugh. I hate the doctor,” she muttered darkly, crossing her arms over her chest. Have I mentioned that we now have to fend off the boys and girls with shotguns? Both girls have, uhm, blossomed well since they were about nine years old. “When do I see Dr. Mumford again?”
Dr. Mumford is her cardiologist and the reason she’s still alive. “You see him after band practice.”
Priscilla was born prematurely, along with her twin sister Penelope. We lost Penny within an hour of birth, but Cilla hung on. She’s had two heart surgeries and so far, shows no signs of problems. The last surgery, before she was a year old, was meant to hold her for life, but she has to have a yearly checkup just to be sure.
“The gravel sure is dry,” Jimmy observed, with a slight shake of his head. “We really need some rain.”
I nodded, because he was right. We’d been having these 100 degree days for a week straight with no relief in sight. It was supposed to rain tonight, but I had a feeling it would only make it worse.
“Maybe we’ll get some storms tonight,” Priscilla said from the back. Her previous pout was gone, her blue eyes shining once again. Teenagers, I swear. “I could do with a good storm right about now.”
Ah, Priscilla, my little storm chaser. Remember when a big storm hit and Jimmy ran outside to take pictures rather than take shelter? Priscilla is just as bad. We got her a really nice camera for her fourteenth birthday and she’s actually captured some amazing weather photographs. Naturally, her close encounter with a tornado about killed me, but the pictures were amazing.
“I bet you could. But the forecast said nothing about storms for at least two more days. We might get some rain tonight, but that’s about it. Keep in mind that that rain will probably make things worse as far as the humidity.”
“Joy,” Eliza muttered, her voice dark. Humidity does none of my asthmatics any favors. “Dad, when’s our next concert?”
Jimmy looked at his phone, squinting a bit. I think it’s getting time for new glasses, as he’s been getting headaches and squinting a lot. I almost laughed when he brought the phone up to his nose for a closer look at the calendar.
“It’s in two weeks,” he announced, squinting a bit more. “Saturday June 19th at three in the afternoon.”
“I’ll make you an eye doctor appointment,” I told him, and laughed with the girls when he flipped me off. “Unless you like having your phone practically on your nose, of course.”
“Fuck you,” he growled, but started laughing.
I grinned as I pulled up to the community center in Missouri Valley. Once they had all piled out of the car, the girls with their instrument cases and Jimmy his drum sticks, I said I’d be back in two hours. That gave me time to go back home and tend to our dry gardens, as well as get some laundry done. I was going to run into Omaha for errands, but there’s no point, since we have Priscilla’s appointment following practice.
I guess Jimmy and I lucked out, when you think about it. While both girls are essentially him made over, they have my temperament. So far, this means that, while they’ve had the usual behavior issues most teenagers have, we haven’t had the problems Jimmy had at this age. And so far as we can tell, they don’t have his tendency toward addiction, either. Not that we’ve given them hard drugs to find out, of course, but they aren’t addicted to, say, sugary treats or anything.
“Hey guys,” I said, as the cats met me at the door. Ma and Pa sadly passed away a couple of years ago, and Hamlet and Ophelia are on their own for now. Jimmy just doesn’t want to replace his cats yet, and I can sort of understand. We got Ma and Pa as a therapy move for him and it worked wonders. “I’m not home for long, okay? Just need to water the gardens and stuff.”
They seemed disgruntled at this, but I think that’s old age. After all, they are only three years younger than Ma and Pa were, and they are slowing down quite a lot. I have a feeling we’ll lose at least Ophelia this summer; she’s been sick a lot of late and has lost some weight. After that, I don’t know what we’ll do for pets.
I went outside and grabbed the garden hose, cranking it on full blast. I was instantly wet with sweat, given the humidity and lack of a good breeze. As I worked my way around the flower beds first, I heard someone call my name. Turning, sure to aim the water at the garden, I nodded to Ryland Mars, our neighbor up the street. Hank had passed away last year and Ryland and his family had moved into the house a month ago. Life without Hank was depressing at times, as he was always around when we needed him most. Now, when we have questions only he could answer, Jimmy’s parents are stuck trying to help. We lost my mom six months ago to cancer and I miss her more every day.
“How’s it going?” Ryland asked, tucking his hands into his shorts pockets. He’s a young guy, probably around 25. We met him when Jimmy’s truck slid into his wife Ella’s truck two weeks ago. The road had been newly graveled and both trucks lost their traction on the gravel piles. No one was hurt and the trucks sustained minor dents and scratches, but it was a hell of a way to meet the neighbors.
“Not bad, how about you?” I asked, wondering what he wanted. I guess I was just used to Hank wandering down for no reason, which was fine. New neighbors had to have a reason, I guess, though I don’t know why.
“Not bad. Ella and I wondered if you and Jimmy would be willing to watch Mitchell and Nyla for us Friday night. We’re going into Omaha for a work picnic, but kids can’t come.”
I thought about our schedule and told him I’d get back to him. I didn’t think we were busy, but Jimmy and I like to make these decisions together. He understood and waved as he left to walk back up the gravel. I know they’re remodeling the house, which makes me kind of sad. I don’t hold it against them, of course, because the décor is horribly about of date, but it still makes me sad.
The two hours passed relatively quickly, and it wasn’t long before I was picking up my talented musicians. Jimmy had rediscovered his passion for drumming in the last year or so as a means to help him through Hank’s passing as well as my mom’s. It was a lot of loss in a short amount of time and he had a very difficult go. Thankfully, he’s pulled through, though he still has his days. It was Eliza’s idea to join the community band and I thank her every day for that.
“Hey guys, how was practice?” I asked, heading for the interstate. The state had repaved it recently and it was smooth going for once.
“It was good. I think we’re ready for our show,” Jimmy said, a wistful smile on his face. I knew what he was thinking, but hoped he’d be able to move passed it until he and I could talk at home. Hank never got to see him drum, and I think he regrets that. “What do we need to do in Omaha beside Dr. Mumford?”
I laughed and he glanced at me in confusion. “That sounded dirty,” I told him, which got him laughing a moment later. It was just what he needed, trust me. “After Priscilla’s appointment, we need to get groceries and go to Wal-Mart.”
“I hate Wal-Mart,” Eliza grumbled, assuming the pouty teenager stance. “Can’t we go to Target instead?”
I shook my head, smiling. “No, we can’t. Wal-Mart is cheaper and has a better selection, so we’re going.”
That seemed to settle things, as I pulled into the city and headed for Creighton. As usual, Cilla would have an echo before her visit, as well as a stress test. She hated this, but I reminded her that she only had to do it once a year, so she could hardly complain.
“Welcome to the torture hour,” she muttered, and I barely suppressed my laughter. “I hate this.”
“I know, but it keeps you healthy,” Jimmy reminded her as we all headed inside. We got her checked in, waved to our colleagues walking the halls, and then sat in the waiting room while she had her tests. “I hope she has another good check up.”
“Me, too,” I said, glancing at Eliza. She’d brought a sketch pad and was engrossed in her headphones and drawings. She’s really a talented artist and is applying to art schools left and right. With her senior year in high school approaching, I hope she gets into one of them. “Did our checks come in today?”
“Yeah, I checked this morning,” Jimmy said, pulling his checkbook out. We discussed our finances quietly, so we knew how much grocery money we had, satisfied that we had enough. The fields we rent out had been passed down through one family and were currently in their third generation. Rent was the same, at $750 a month, and that really helped. “We’re set for a while.”
“Is Nash going to keep farming?” I asked, referring to our renter. His grandfather had rented from us, then his dad, and now him.
“So far. He was out the other day to drop off rent and let me know that he was going to continue another year. He seems to likes the work, so hopefully he’ll continue to rent from us for a few more years.”
“Hopefully. He’s reliable like the rest of his family, and I don’t relish starting with a new renter.”
We were quiet after that, looking at the magazines displayed around and watching Eliza draw. It took about an hour and a half for an annoyed Priscilla to return to us. I tried to cheer her up, but she’s hard to cheer up after the tests she goes through. We made our way to the office, then, where Jimmy and I would go back with her. Hopefully all is well for another year.
Last edited by Aightball on 8/31/2011, 1:13 am; edited 1 time in total