No Ordinary Love

Really Hit The Jackpot...

Conversations about pasts and the future not yet addressed... And questions answered not yet asked...

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The front door opened and Jenny's mom stood looking at her daughter. After a second of nervous silence she stepped forward and put her arms around her hugging her tightly. Kelly and Stella watched from the Jeep as the two of them embraced, Jenny's arms wrapping around her mom. Stella smiled with relief, not realising that she had been holding her breath. This was the right way of things in the mother daughter universe.
She turned towards Kelly who was still watching lost in thought. Even sitting next to him she could feel his adolescence pulling him back. Reaching out a hand, she put it on the back of his head in comfort really wishing she could erase the hurt that had stolen much of his peace of mind for so long.

After a few moments of watching the emotional reunion Kelly started up the Jeep and drove away. His head churning with memories. All unhappy. Benny's passing had done nothing to erase them despite his own regrets that they hadnt patched up their differences. The crap thing about the past was that there was no opportunity to put it right. Beside him, Stella was quiet, one hand on his thigh, lost in her own thoughts. They both knew that she hadnt had it any easier growing up either, having lost both her parents while she was still at school. And even before that from what little she had shared with him, her relationship with her mom had been turbulent. But that hadn't stopped her being first in line to help out every young waif and stray they came across.  Kelly couldn't help but picture her with her own kids one day. Their kids he corrected to himself not prepared for the rush of feeling that accompanied that thought.

Back at the loft, Stella tuned into her husband's pensive mood. Kelly was inordinately sensitive and hid a lot of what was going on inside his head and it had taken her years to get him even as far as she had, opening up only now and again to talk about things when he was troubled.

"Hey." She rounded on him at the kitchen counter as he fixed dinner, his attention focused on chopping vegetables. She put her hand on his to still the knife in mid motion.

"What's up?" He looked up, his mouth breaking into the smile that seemed to be reserved especially for her.

"Whats going on in that pretty head of yours, huh?"
Stella leant back, so she could look up at him.

"Mine?" He raised one eyebrow at her. "Where did that come from?"

"Because I know you. " She told him archly.

Kelly gave a low laugh and made to reach back for the knife, deflecting her scrutiny. It never failed to amaze him how perceptive she was where he was concerned, especially whenever he was trying to hide it. And yet he still hadn't learnt not to.

"Babe, talk to me?"

"You don't give up easily do you?" He gave her a sardonic grin, putting the knife down. "Don't come crying to me when you're hungry later and there's nothing to eat....."

"I won't.... ....I'll order in." Stella replied cheekily, taking his hand and leading him to the couch.

"Sit." She gently pushed him down, and climbed into his lap." What's wrong? Is it Benny?" Her eyes were gentle with concern.

Kelly leant his head back on the couch but kept his arms around her releasing a heavy sigh. There was so much trapped in his head. Benny always but there was something else now, something that he hadnt considered for a long time .. not since Shay. But he didnt know how to broach that subject with Stella.

"I guess all that stuff between Jenny and her mom took me back to my many rows with Benny." He played with her hand, tracing her wedding ring with one thumb. "All seems such a waste now. Maybe I should have tried harder with him." He was looking at her with a kind of helplessness that came from knowing there was nothing he could do to change that now.