Chapter Twenty Two- Darin's View

Darin showed up to my parents house and my mother offered to take his coat as soon as he walked in, " Here would you like for me to take that coat?" Mrs. Henders asked. She took my coat and hung it on the coat rack that was standing in the corner of the hallway of where I walked in.

"Sure. Thank you," I replied. Jessica's mother was very welcoming. I now know where Jessica gets her loving and charming personality from. Her mother! I still don't even understand why Jessica's parents want to get a divorce. That man should be lucky and blessed to have a wonderful woman like her, but I can't really say that I know what goes on behind the closed doors of this house, now can I?

" I'm done with dinner, so you can take a seat anywhere you like at the table," she said, "Your father in law, isn't being quite commutative, you know?" she whispered in my ear, so that Mr. Henders wouldn't hear us. I would kind of get why. I mean Jessica is his daughter and she, in their eyes is passed and gone and there's no way of getting her back, so he's still not used to that. But hopefully me and Jessica can change that for him and her mother.Mr. Henders walked into the dining room and greeted me, "Well how are you son?" he said.I got up from my seat and made my way to him, " I'm doing great tonight. How are you, sir?" I asked.

"Great. I'm glad that you could join us for dinner," he added.

Mrs. Henders walked in on us, "So, the food is in here and just help yourself, alright? Buffet style tonight," she said.

"I like that," I said. I did, I loved buffets! I can go as many rounds as I would like to. I can eat as much as I want to, but I don't believe that I would do that here. I believe that would make myself look pretty rude, so I think going once and making sure that I get as much as I can piled onto the plate, then I really don't have to go back and make myself look like a pig.

As we were all sitting down at the table, it was hard to keep the conversation decent. I honestly didn't know what to say or how to bring anything up, without offending anyone in the wrong way. So, that just led me to keeping my mouth shut and just stuff my mouth with the wonderful mouth watering honey roasted ham I placed on my plate. And plenty of it too!

After Mrs.Henders took up our dirty dishes we moved ourselves to the living room and I took a seat on the couch. I felt the couch cushion go down and I looked over and I knew that Jessica had sat her beautiful body next to me, "Meet me in the bathroom," she whispered into my ear.

"Where's your bathroom?" I asked her father.

He looked up from the T.V. "Down the hall on the right," he instructed.

"Thank you," I said.

      

      Once I got in the bathroom, Jessica had let me know that she was there, "Dinner was pretty awkward, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much so. I mean I can see why. There's not really anything positive to talk about, you know?" 
" So, how are you going to bring this about?" she wondered.

"Aren't you going to help me?" I asked.

" Once you bring it up I will. Trust me."

"Alright. I'll just see when the right time is. Before or after opening presents?" I know I seemed to be asking too many questions, but they were her parents and I believe that she would know them more than I did.

"Babe, kind of follow my mother's lead alright? And when you see that she's settled in and comfortable and when you know that the time would be a great time to have their attention, then lay the cards out on the table," she said.

"Okay, sounds good," I agreed.

"Great, now I'll be out there with you, so don't worry, babe."

" I'll try my best, no promises here," I laughed. She longed for a loving kiss and she opened the door for me to leave the bathroom.

        

       I walked back out with the future replaying the in my head. I was wanting nothing but the best to come out of all of this. I know at first I'm going to be looked at in different ways and they may not believe me, but that's okay. Not just myself, but Jessica will help me along the way. Mrs. Henders started handing out presents to her husband and then she reached under the tree and handed me a green, plaid wrapped gift, with a big red bow on top of it to open. Once I was able to get around all the tape and paper, I looked to see that there was another Ralph Lauren polo shirt. Yes, of course I was excited, because I had a whole collection of pretty much every color hanging in my closet. Mr. Henders received all the leftover trash off the floor and placed them in a garbage bag. "When he comes back, it would be a good time to say something," Jessica said. I shook my head so that she would understand that I heard her and got what she was saying.

I lifted myself up from the couch and walked in front of the T.V. "Excuse you son," her father said. I took a glance back over at Jessica, and I she gave me that shake of her head, " Sir, I need to tell you and your wife something. Something that you would like to hear, but at the same time it's going to be hard to believe," I said.

"Go on, dear. We're listening," Mrs. Henders said.

"Okay, so ever since Jessica had passed, well," I saw Jessica come over and stand beside me to help me straighten my thoughts out and how to let all the right words out the right way, "Repeat after me, babe," she said, " When Jessica had passed, she didn't really completely pass, yet."

"When Jessica had passed, she didn't really completely pass, yet."

"She's still here," Jessica said.

"She's still here." I repeated.

"Son, I don't think that's a funny joke. This is something that you shouldn't joke about. Now, you either drop it or get out of my house," her father started to get out of the seat and I knew from there I was having second thoughts about wondering if this was a good idea or not, "Stay calm, babe," Jessica reassured me.

"Actually if you don't believe me right now, she's standing right beside me, as we speak. I know I may sound crazy or stupid, but it's true. Please, believe me."

" Let's prove it to them," Jessica pointed out.

"She wants me to help her prove herself to ya'll."

"Sure," her dad said.

"Follow me to the kitchen," I suggested. I took my glass that I used for dinner and placed it in the center of the table. My intentions were for Jessica to reach across and move it, "You want me to move it, babe?" she asked me.

" Yes," I said. I watched her lean her arm out to slide the glass across the table and that was like turning on the wrong switch for her parents. Well, more like her mom. Her mom screamed and fell at her knees. Tears and tears started falling down her cheeks, making a puddle on the floor. Her dad did the same, to comfort her mother.

"What do you want me to do?" I turned back to Jessica, so that they could hold the moment for themselves.

" Tell them the real reason why I want them to know I'm here. Also, tell them I won't be here for long. That tomorrow night is my last night."

"Right," I said, sounding aggravated.

"We're talking about that later, remember?" she said. Honestly, I rather not, but I need answers, right?

I walked over to her parents and placed my hand on their backs, "There's more that she's wants ya'll to know, before ya'll get to out of hand," I added.

"What? Please tell us," her mom begged, as tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Please come back into the living room and we can talk about it all."

"Alright," Jessica's dad helped her mom off the floor and they went and sat in the living room. I hate to be the bearer of bad news!