Meeting Jack - Rewritten

Ch. 9 - Have It Your Way

Well, I'm getting better... I think... I'm better than I have been. Mother and I are both reasonably confused about what's wrong with me, but it is going away. We decided not to worry about it for now. I'm not at my best, and Jack has noticed. It's been five days since I've had one of my sibling's made-up stories to get rid of him when he comes in the mornings. Doing this has seemingly turned my siblings against me because they all tell me, "Tell Jack hi" when they pass me in the halls, just to bring attention to the fact that I haven't seen him. They've been doing this so much that even Ollie is copying them, but he's a lot more relentless. He doesn't have to know what he's talking about; he has to hear it, and if he wants to say it, he will. He tries talking to me as I carry him down the stairs. Still, it just comes out like blabbering, Jack blabbering, and Jack. This kid is too much for me.

"Oh, she's out of her cave! See, I told you she wasn't dead!" Harry says as he walks into the kitchen. I put Ollie on the floor next to the toys Mother keeps in here for him.

"Ha ha, Harold." I can't help but laugh as I glare at him.

"She has risen? Oh, look at that." I hear George say from behind me, ruffling my hair before I can stop him.

"Leave her alone, boys; you don't know what it's like being a girl," Marie says, sticking her nose up and stepping between George and me.

"Marie! What would you know about what I've been going through? Momma doesn't even know!"

"I know more than you!" She turns to me and winks before walking out of the kitchen. Well then.

"A firecracker, that one." George laughs, "I pity the man who marries the girl."

"She's young," I say as I remember my hair is messy. I need a hairbrush.

"Harry, would you get me a hairbrush out of the washroom? I want to finish making Ollie's breakfast before noon."

"Yes, Warden."

"Harold."

"I'm going!"

Once he leaves, the room is silent except for the sound of Ollie's toys scratching the floor and the pots I'm trying to sort through.

"Looking for this?" George spoke up, and I turned to see the right size I was looking for in his hands.

"Thank you."

I fixed everything up, so I must let this oatmeal heat up more. I stir with a wooden spoon when I hear the door open.

"You sent Harry for a hairbrush? Did you ever expect a good one?" Marie says as she storms in with hers in hand. "He was going to try and bring you a horse brush. Here, I'll fix your hair for you." So I let her because before I could say more, she already took it upon herself to brush my hair. That's Marie for you.

"Elle?"

"Yes, George?"

"You should go next door."

"And why would I?" I know what he wants, but I ignore that while putting Ollie in the high chair Father made him. Father made each of us our first furnishings, chair, and bed.

"Eleanor, you are driving Jack to insanity from boredom. He hasn't done anything but wait around for you for the past five days. You should see him; I've never seen him act like that. He doesn't know what to do with himself when you aren't out there." George says while sitting beside Ollie and looks at me like he's waiting for me.

"You're silly. I'm sure John is fine."

"Go. I'm not advising anymore; I'm ordering. I'll feed Ollie. You go over to the Kennedy house now and ask for Jack. Go!" He says while standing to nudge me out of the way, taking the spoon out of my hand. "Not a word till you go, young lady." He smiles at me, so I know he's not angry. Just persistent.