The Kids Grow Up by Trish Hanan (novel24 .TXT) 📖

we are,” he declared and Jake was relieved. They gathered everything up and flew home. Harry called the kids to come over and help their dad move his stuff and they all got trash bags and a vegetable bin for the gold and drove off. Harry set the table and began cooking and waited for Chan. He was going to call but decided that it was something that had to be done in person.
Violet got home from the party around ten the next morning, she had gone home around four a.m. with David and Gloria and had had the time of her life. Everyone had been disappointed that their black stud hadn’t shown up especially Max who had been looking forward to a good hard one but he settled for a go-go boy instead. She walked in the house determined to have it out with Jake and lay down the law but found the house empty. That pissed her off since his car was in the driveway.
“He’s probably over at his mom’s begging her to feed him,” she muttered and called over there. But to her surprise he wasn’t there and hadn’t been all morning. So she called his kids one by one and all of them swore they hadn’t seen or heard from him. That sounded suspicious but she hung up and looked around the house for clues on where he could have gone but found nothing out of the ordinary. She fumed all day and got worried and called Carl who informed her that a missing person report couldn’t be filed until he had been missing for twenty-four hours and it had only been seven. She hung up on him and called his mom and told her he was missing. Sissy said he was probably at the clinic and why didn’t she try there. Violet called there and didn’t get an answer so she drove over there and banged on the doors, nothing, not an answer. She rushed home and found six strange cars in her driveway and had to park on the street which pissed her off. She rushed into her house and there was Jake with all of his kids, the same kids who swore that they hadn’t seen or heard from him. She started yelling immediately.
“You lying little bitch, you said you hadn’t seen your dad and here you are with him,” she swore at Cassie who just shrugged. Jake smiled at his wife who glared at him.
“Dad, are any of these movies yours?” Emma asked and Jake nodded.
“All of the movies and CD’s are mine, Violet doesn’t watch the view-screen or listen to music,” he told her and Emma began stacking them into a box. Violet watched and was confused. The boys came from the hallway carrying armfuls of clothes.
“We’re not taking the hangers, dad won’t like that cheap crap in his closet,” Sean informed Jake cheerfully. Jake grinned and nodded. They walked past Violet without saying a word. She turned to her husband and glared at him.
“What the hell is going on here, Jake, what are your kids doing with your clothes?” she yelled. He smiled at her.
“They’re helping me pack my things Violet, I’m leaving you and I’m going back to Harry. I love him, I don’t love you and he’s forgiven me and we’re getting married again,” he informed her in a very smug tone and she gasped with shock. Jackson and Adam came up from the basement with a vegetable bin that was covered with a tarp.
“We counted it and there was sixty-four million just like you said,” Jackson said. “We took thirty-two and left thirty-two so that’s fifty-fifty,” he added. He looked at Violet. “Hello, Violet, how are you today?” he asked politely. She nodded and watched as they rolled the bin past her. Jake took her hand and led her to the basement to show her the hidden room where he had kept the gold. She had wondered for thirty years where he hid his gold and now when he was leaving he was finally telling her.
“Jake, you just can’t do it like this, you just can’t come in here after thirty years of marriage and announce out of the blue that you’re leaving me,” she said and grabbed his arm. “That’s not fair, honey; please let’s talk about this, I know, let’s go and see my Dad and we can discuss this. He’ll help you see your true self; you’re not gay like Harry is; you’re just feeling lost and confused.” Jake laughed and pulled her hands off of his arm.
“Violet, for the first time in years I’m seeing clearly, there’s nothing wrong with me and I am like Harry, I’m gay and there’s nothing wrong with being gay. And for your information, I’m doing to you the exact thing I did to Harry and it wasn’t fair to him and I’m really sorry, Violet, I truly am because its not fair to you,” he told her softly. “But what you did to me and Harry wasn’t fair either; you were never in love with me; that was all an act. You pretended to be in love with me so that you could steal me away from Harry and hurt him, and it worked. Together you and I hurt that precious man more than anyone should have been hurt and I’m going to spend the next thirty thousand years of my life trying to make that up to him. You can do whatever you want, but I love Harry and he loves me and we’re going to get married and have more Dolphins and daughters and live happily ever fucking after.” All the kids cheered and clapped while she looked stunned.
“You’ll never marry, Harry, Jake because I’ll never give you a divorce, never,” Violet screamed as he walked out the door and gently closed it behind him. She threw her shoes at the door and cried. Then she walked over to his house to cry for his parents. They were shocked to find out that Jake had left her to go back to Harry and was planning on having more children with him.
“God damn-it Violet, this is all your fault, if you had given my son children he never would have left you for that fishy freak,” Dr. Jackson swore at her making her cry harder. Sissy glared at him.
“Hush now, Jackson, it’s not her fault, its Harry’s fault, that man’s got some kind of evil hold on our poor Jake and he can’t help himself. We need to get the Reverend to talk some sense into him before it’s too late and he makes the same dreadful mistake over again,” she insisted. When Violet got the email informing her to meet Jake at David’s office Monday morning at nine to discuss the divorce, Jake’s parents and hers agreed to go with her to lend their support and talk some sense into him. David suggested that they move the meeting to two in the afternoon so that their side had the advantage. They agreed and Jake agreed and the meeting was changed.
“What’s he doing here, we didn’t invite him,” Gloria sneered when Jake walked into the office with Harry holding his hand. The two dogs followed. David frowned.
“No dogs allowed in my office,” he stated. Harry looked at Poopsie sitting on a chair in the corner. David flushed. “Oh, very well, they’re beautiful dogs,” he said with envy. The two dogs sat between the two men as they sat down. Jake fetched another chair for Harry who sat as far away from the others as possible. The four parents glared at him as if he was the devil and he guessed to them he was. Reverend Milo cleared his throat.
“Now, Jake, do you really think that it’s fair to my daughter that you end a thirty- year marriage without any counseling or any hope of reconciliation?” he asked him solemnly. Jake shrugged.
“You didn’t seem to mind too much when I ended my ninety-three year long marriage to Harry under similar circumstances to marry your daughter,” he said and Reverend Milo nodded. Dr. Jackson glared and wagged his finger at his son.
“If you go through with this, you idiot boy, then consider yourself out of the practice, I won’t have you in the same office, I don’t want to share my practice with one of those people,” he yelled. Jake grinned.
“You mean someone who works hard and does all of your paperwork, you mean those kind of people, Dad,” he said and Dr. Jackson flushed red and started to get up. Sissy put her hand on his hand.
“Hush, Jackson,” she said and she turned to her son. “Jake, can’t you see what this man is doing to our family, to you, Son. He’s ruining your life just as he did when you were a child, turning you against us. Can’t you see him for what he really is? Now, we love our grandchildren, we really do, but please, Son, don’t do this terrible thing again.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. Jake rolled his eyes and turned to David.
“Can we begin the divorce proceedings now?” he asked and David nodded. Violet shook her head.
“No, we will not, I don’t want a divorce and I won’t give you one, so think about that Jake Jackson,” she informed him smugly. Jake sighed and looked at Harry who nodded.
“Well, I guess Jake will have to get a contested divorce then,” Harry said to David who nodded. Violet gasped.
“He can do that?” she asked. Gloria looked as surprised as her friend. David nodded.
“Yes he can, it will take a year but in one year after he files Jake and you will be divorced,” he informed her. She looked angry and then looked smug.
“Fine, you and Harry can wait a year to get remarried, I don’t care,” Violet declared. Harry smiled at her.
“Fine, if you don’t care then we’re willing to wait a year, but its going to be a long year for you, Violet,” he told her. She looked confused.
“Why do you say that?” she asked. Harry looked at Jake.
“We’re going to need the keys back for the store, I suppose you can get a manager because I don’t want to run it, maybe we can get Monroe and Jasmine to run it,” he told him. “She can stay in the house, of course, and we’ll put her on an allowance for food and clothing, maybe a thousand dollars a month should do it, that’s sounds generous to me,” he stated. Jake nodded.
“That sounds fair to me,” he agreed. Violet snorted and looked at David.
“What in the hell are they talking about?” she demanded. David looked uncomfortable.
“We’re working at the arrangements for the settlement,” Harry informed her. “You see the house and the business are all in Jake’s name along with all of the money and you are only the spouse and therefore we’re going to put you on an allowance until the divorce is final. Then, of course, you’ll get your half of the money and the house and business and you can do what you want but until then, you’re Jake’s responsibility and he doesn’t have to do more than feed, house and clothe you.” Jake grinned and