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too much! Jason? Jasonā€¦ you seem like a nice young boy. But, I simply canā€™t have youā€¦ā€

ā€œMrs. Atkinson? Please! Listen! I didnā€™t want to get into thisā€¦ donā€™t want to get into this, at all! But, thereā€™s been thisā€¦ yā€™seeā€¦ thereā€™s been a good bit of trouble! Troubleā€¦ at home! My mother and Iā€¦ well, we donā€™tā€¦ we donā€™t, sometimes, quite see eye-to-eye! And, it turns out that there wasā€¦ there was all this real unpleasantness! And, you know, Iā€¦ I justā€¦ Iā€¦ well, letā€™s just sayā€¦ just say, that I donā€™t live there anymore. It all came downā€¦ all came down . . . all of a sudden! Came up, all of a suddenā€¦ and Iā€¦ well, Iā€¦ I justā€¦ I canā€™tā€¦ā€

ā€œIt all came down? Came down? Iā€™ve never heard that expression before.ā€

Jason was suddenly remindedā€”that he was going to have to really watch his vernacular! Watch itā€”very carefully! There must be hundredsā€”maybe thousands, maybe tens-of-thousandsā€”of words, and phrases, that were indigenous, to the 21st century. Or even the late 20th century. Wordsā€”and expressionsā€”that would be totally unheard of, in the early-forties. He was going to have to avoid them! Steer clear of themā€”like the proverbial ā€œplagueā€!

ā€œItā€™s something thatā€¦ well, sometimesā€¦ something that we say. Down home, weā€¦ ahā€¦ say that. From time to time, yā€™know.ā€

He was beginning to panic, once again. And, maybe, sweat! Perspireā€”way too much! All of thisā€”the possibility, of living in this wonderful house, with this gorgeous lady, and her familyā€”was evaporating! Disintegratingā€”before his very eyes!

His eyesā€”the ā€œold opticsā€, that were brimming, once again, with tears! Real tears! Many of them! Those tears were coming! Overtaking himā€”fast and furious! The dam, then, finally burst! They cascadedā€”down both cheeks! He was not sobbing! Or crying! It was more silently weepingā€”than anything else! Try as he might, the young man could not control, the emotional avalanche, of moistureā€”that continued to coat his face!

ā€œListen,ā€ said Susanā€”her voice soft enough, that it appeared to surprise even her, ā€œIā€™ll tell you what Iā€™ll do. Look here. Itā€™ll be a few hours before my husbandā€¦ before Ericā€¦ before he gets home. Iā€™ll take it upā€¦ with him. But, let me tell you. If he says no . . . then, no it is! Itā€™ll beā€¦ completelyā€¦ out of my hands. And Iā€™ve got to tell you thatā€¦ wellā€¦ yourā€¦ uhā€¦ your circumstance . . . it doesnā€™t look to be real authentic, if you want to have me put it that way. But, one way or another, weā€™ll leave it up toā€¦ leave it up toā€¦ up to Eric.ā€

ā€œOh, thank you, Mrs. Atkinson. I hope . . . I really hopeā€¦ I hope that youā€™ll put inā€¦ put in, a good word . . . for me! Show meā€¦ in the best light! The bestā€¦ thatā€™s possible, you know! Iā€™llā€¦ I would really appreciate it! I really donā€™t want to have toā€¦ to have to fight, anymore! Iā€™m all ā€˜fought-outā€™! I really need to have someplace! Someplaceā€¦ good!ā€ He did his best to absorb the tearsā€”with his shirt sleeve. ā€œSomeplace.ā€ he continued, ā€œthatā€™sā€¦ thatā€™s, a placeā€¦ wellā€¦ someplace thatā€™s wholesome. Someplace really wonderful! Like this place! I really need a place! Just like this one! A real place! A genuine place! To live! And, to beginā€¦ begin a new life, and everything! I just need toā€¦ā€

ā€œJason? Listen, Jason! Iā€™m going to ask you this question. And Iā€™m going to want you to be completely honest with me! Straight-forward-honest with me! Iā€™m going to insist that you answer meā€¦ in complete and total honesty! If I ever find out, that youā€™re lying to meā€¦ lying, about this question, that Iā€™m about to ask youā€¦ then, you will have made me an enemy! An enemyā€¦ for life! Now, I want you to look at me! Look meā€¦ in the eye! Straight in my eyes! Look at meā€¦ right in my eye! And answer me this question! Answer itā€¦ truthfully! The full truth! Tell me, Jason. Are you just getting out of jail? Is that your reason, for all thisā€¦ ?ā€

ā€œNO! No! No, Mrs. Atkinson! No! Never! Please believe me! I swear to youā€¦ by all I hold holy . . . I swear to you! I promise you thatā€¦ NO! Iā€™ve never been in jail! Ever! Not in my entire life! Not ever! NO! Nothing even close! NO! No, Maā€™am! I havenā€™t! Never!ā€

He couldnā€™t tellā€”if she was buying, what amounted to his emotional tirade.

Her ā€œjailbirdā€ question had totally come out of left fieldā€”another expression that, he imagined, heā€™d be unable to use, in his for-better-or-for-worse, new venue!

If Jason was unsettled by what was taking place (and he wasā€”plainly) he could only imagine how agitated his hoped-for landlady was becoming. On the other hand, she mustā€™ve been blestā€”with some kind of poker face. A very beautiful poker face. He was at a total loss! He couldnā€™t tell exactly what she was thinking. Not the slightest inkling! Maybe it was just as well.

ā€œIā€™ve never been arrested! Never triedā€¦ or convictedā€¦ of anything,ā€ he tried to solidify his case. His voice was quiveringā€”badly! ā€œNever been hauled into a police station! Donā€™t know what the inside would even look like! Never caught shoplifting! Or even skipping school! Ever! Not in my entire life! You can search fromā€¦ā€

ā€œOkay! OKAY! I guess . . . I believe you. Still, youā€™ve kind of put meā€¦ put me between the devil, and the deep blue sea, Jason. I meanā€¦ these things, that youā€™ve told meā€¦ all of these things, that youā€™ve just told meā€¦ well, theyā€™re just notā€¦ just notā€¦ just notā€¦ not totally plausible! Not completely . . . not really, completely, believable! Not to me . . . anyway! But, weā€™ll wait! Weā€™ll wait until Eric . . . until Mister Atkinsonā€¦ until he comes home. Then, weā€™ll just have to see! Waitā€¦ and seeā€¦ see what happens.ā€

The afternoon seemed endless, for Jason. Seemed? It was endless, for Jason. Only once did he get up, from that chair in the cornerā€”and heā€™d been embarrassed, to ask Susan Atkinson where the bathroom was. He had promisedā€”during his impassioned plea, to be able to live, at this beautiful homeā€”to always

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