I Am My Own Cousin.

Chapter 32: Happily Ever After

I was heartbroken that I wouldn't be able to go to church; I had never been in such hot water before. I felt like a disobedient rebel, which was not something I enjoyed. What was wrong with me, I barely even knew Jason? It gave me solace that Jason wanted me to call him. I didn't know how I would manage calling him without doing it at home. Part of my punishment was that I wasn't allowed to talk on the phone. I told Hardee's that I wouldn't be able to come in early during my work release period because I had a meeting with a teacher.

Because I just started my senior year and had a job I was eligible for the work release program; which meant I was released from school during the last period to work. I used one of the days I was off for a few hours to call Jason. I walked to a pay phone in front of a local bank. I stared at Jason's number a long time before calling him. Sure he had given me his number and asked me to call him, but was it too forward as a girl to make the first phone call. Would that come off as really butch or feminist; both gross atrocities in my neighborhood. I eventually concluded that I didn't really have any other choice since I was grounded for the month.

I inserted a few coins and dialed the number, twisting the purity ring I always wore on my wedding finger nervously. When I heard the line pick up and "Hello" I asked "Is Jason Helbert home?" "This is Jason." His lovely deep voice sounded even deeper over the phone. "Oh hi this is Jacqui; you told me I should call you sometime." After Jason had pulled the landline phone into his bedroom so his Mother couldn't eavesdrop we talked until I ran out of change. It was easy to talk to Jason on the phone. It didn't feel force, awkward, or insincere like when I talked to Ronnie. It felt like we were old friends and could be ourselves. I told him that I wouldn't be able to see him for the next month because I was grounded, I didn't elaborate on why. We had a lovely relaxed conversation and at the end of it he asked me to call him back.

Over the next month I talked to Jason on the phone every chance I had to sneak to the pay phone. I used up my entire jar of loose change. I told him about my crazy family and he told me about his. His parents were still together; living on a farm in Castlewood. His Mom owned her own medical transcription business and his Dad was a mechanic and farmer. It was intimidating for me that both his parents had good respectable jobs, but Jason didn't seem to think any less of me when I explain how dysfunctional and poor my family was. Jason had graduated from high school last year, even though we had the same birthday the Kennedy triplets were graduating a year later because homeschooling had messed up our credits. He had started classes at South West community college for Computer Science and was looking for his first job. I told him if he applied at Hardee's I would give him a recommendation.

I lamented to Jason about how Sheree had graduated high school early, after taking advanced classes. I still had many wonderful friends at school but felt lonely while I was there. I was trying to convince Sheree and Tina to move in with me after I turned eighteen and could no longer live at home. His family life was the exact opposite of mine. I had a difficult time relating to him complaining about his parents; they paid for his car, his college, and he had never gone without anything. He had never had to work while in high school and was able to participate in band. His parents seemed really supportive of him in a way that I could only imagine. But Jason had a chip on his shoulder; I chalked it up to being an only child. He felt smothered by his parent's high expectations of him. But complaining about our parents gave us a common thread to talk about.

Early on in our phone conversations I explained to Jason that I didn't want to date anyone in the typical sense, but I would only "biblically court". I was an outspoken advocate for abstinence and vowed to remain a virgin and celibate until marriage. I rejected the idea of traditional style of dating because I felt like if a couple became physically involved with each other then they wouldn't get to know each other very well. They would spend most of the time making out or having sex and never learn to respect each other. If a couple could commit to not give in to fleshy desires then they could forge a strong relationship that would only be enhanced after they were married and the physical stuff came into play. From the relationships I had observed in my short lifetime I felt like sex was the root of all evil. If I could ever find a guy that respected me enough to be willing to not have any sexual contact until marriage; then we would have a strong relationship that probably wouldn't end in divorce.