Jen went over to Ellie's house almost every day following her initial encounter with Ellie and Eric.
Eric hated this, it was obvious why since Eric made no secret of it from here and should he be able to catch Jen before she could get within earshot of Ellie, he would confront her and say things like:
"Ellie is feeling ill today, go home."
"Ellie is not here, she had to stay over at school"
or
"Ellie no longer likes you, you're boring."
Jen would look down at Eric who would slowly become aware that Jen was taller than him, then Jen would lunge forward until he got out of her way. Jen would call Ellie's name out in a loud voice and Ellie would rush into the room or the entry hall or out into the yard and curtsy in her graceful manner, her skirts flaring and declare:
"It's so nice of you to drop by Lady Olsten. Would you like to take a spot of tea on the veranda or gazebo?"
Jen would do her own curtsy wishing she had a skirt like Ellie's instead of the torn jeans of soccer shorts. Eric would sneer at her as if she was some street urchin before stalking off to the house. He seldom stayed with them for these visits.
Ellie would look at Eric and tsk at him disapprovingly before coming to Jen. Ellie would look so happy to see Jen, a smiles, bright eyes, mischevious grin. Together they would walk hand in hand to wherever the tea party was set out. There were always enough chairs for each of the stuffed animals and Ellie and Jen. On the occasions that Eric would be civil enough to join them Ellie would ask him sweetly to fetch himself an additional chair. He would grumble and stomp back to the house to get the chair.
The amazing things about these tea parties were;
One, it was alway real tea with hot water steeped with some exotically flavored tea. Jen had asked her mother about this, Patricia said she had played Tea-time as a girl but her parents only let her use water. When Jen asked Ellie about this, Ellie giggled and declared that it would be a water party and not a tea party then. Eric would give his well-practiced sneer as he pointed out only the lower class would pretend such a thing.
Two, the biscuits and crumpets were real food. Again, when Jen asked Ellie would giggle and blush and after a little coaxing admit that she baked all of it herself, then she would add that Eric helped her do it. Eric would look a bit abashed as Jen told them she had never baked anything. Ellie was for authenticity, the very idea of plastic food and water was unmentionable.
Three, each of the animals wore a specific coat or hat that assigned them a station. There was Sir Reginald the Teddy Bear with a monocle and the velveteen vest. Lord Faldaroy the Rabbit who had a bow tie and cardigan sweater. Lady Cathy the Cat who had a bonnet, and Mister Alex the Monkey who was actually a Curious George but with a sewn-on tuxedo. It would take a while before Jen figured out that Ellie would repeat whatever she imagined the animals response to was to a question or a statement was for Jen's and Eric's benefit. After she realized this was the case, Ellie turned to Jen one afternoon and asked her to repeat what Sir Reginald had just said. Jen look baffled as she had never thought it was her place to speak for the animals. Jen stuttered for a moment then made up a plausible lie and said that Sir Reginald had wanted cream with his crumpet was quite put out about it. Jen had no idea what cream was or what being put out was. Eric looked delighted for a second as he seemed to be hoping that Ellie would declare Jen unfit for any more tea parties but he was to be disappointed.
Ellie burst into laughter, placed her right hand on Jen's upper arm as she remarked to Sir Reginald that she had just "run plum out of cream that morning and next time there would most assuredly be cream with his crumpets in the next day." Jen sat there looking at Ellie for a long time finally understanding that she could say anything for the animals and Ellie would accept it as a matter of fact. Eric looked sick which made Jen feel bad for him and also glad that he would not be rid of her that easily.
About two weeks of going over to Ellie's house for tea parties almost every day, save for Sunday when her father declared that they were going to church- where Jen and Saul learned to their mutual horror that Saul's football coach attended as was married to a girl's volleyball coach. Jen, sat in the pew paralyzed with fear since she realized at that moment, that her father had not given up on her as an athlete but had been biding his time waiting for her wrist to heal. As her father talked with the coach and his wife and Saul and Jen were paraded up for show and tell. Saul turned to his sister and whispered, "kill me now."
Jen looked back at him and knew at that moment that Saul hated football and like her, he had thought by getting pulled from the last team that he could escape their father's obsession. Alvin turned in the pew in front of them with a big smug grin on his face.
"I guess we won't be seeing either of you around much anymore," he said.
Jen wanted to punch him instead she hunched over with sudden cramps and threw up all of her breakfast all over Alvin who cried out in horror. It wasn't the first onset of her first period, but combined with stress, anxiety, and fear, it was the most spectacular sign of it to occur in her life.
Needless to say, by the time Jen had been escorted out of the church by her mother and a herd of women to the bathroom to get cleaned up, and Alvin had stopped screaming, Saul laughing, her dad apologizing to the coach and his wife, the Olsten's did not go back to that church ever again.
Patricia explained to Jack that this was a normal stage in Jen's life and there was no need to lose his mind over it. Jack lost his mind over it.
Jen was grounded for 2 weeks for throwing up on Alvin. Alvin was grounded for a month for screaming in church and for calling his sister a fucking bitch. Saul was ground for a week for laughing at everyone including his coach and father. Patricia stopped talking to Jack unitl 4 days later when he relented on the grounding and mumbled an apology to his children before leaving the house for work. Rebecca sat at the table watching everyone looking baffled and confused.
By the time Jen got back to Ellie's house everything had changed.
Eric hated this, it was obvious why since Eric made no secret of it from here and should he be able to catch Jen before she could get within earshot of Ellie, he would confront her and say things like:
"Ellie is feeling ill today, go home."
"Ellie is not here, she had to stay over at school"
or
"Ellie no longer likes you, you're boring."
Jen would look down at Eric who would slowly become aware that Jen was taller than him, then Jen would lunge forward until he got out of her way. Jen would call Ellie's name out in a loud voice and Ellie would rush into the room or the entry hall or out into the yard and curtsy in her graceful manner, her skirts flaring and declare:
"It's so nice of you to drop by Lady Olsten. Would you like to take a spot of tea on the veranda or gazebo?"
Jen would do her own curtsy wishing she had a skirt like Ellie's instead of the torn jeans of soccer shorts. Eric would sneer at her as if she was some street urchin before stalking off to the house. He seldom stayed with them for these visits.
Ellie would look at Eric and tsk at him disapprovingly before coming to Jen. Ellie would look so happy to see Jen, a smiles, bright eyes, mischevious grin. Together they would walk hand in hand to wherever the tea party was set out. There were always enough chairs for each of the stuffed animals and Ellie and Jen. On the occasions that Eric would be civil enough to join them Ellie would ask him sweetly to fetch himself an additional chair. He would grumble and stomp back to the house to get the chair.
The amazing things about these tea parties were;
One, it was alway real tea with hot water steeped with some exotically flavored tea. Jen had asked her mother about this, Patricia said she had played Tea-time as a girl but her parents only let her use water. When Jen asked Ellie about this, Ellie giggled and declared that it would be a water party and not a tea party then. Eric would give his well-practiced sneer as he pointed out only the lower class would pretend such a thing.
Two, the biscuits and crumpets were real food. Again, when Jen asked Ellie would giggle and blush and after a little coaxing admit that she baked all of it herself, then she would add that Eric helped her do it. Eric would look a bit abashed as Jen told them she had never baked anything. Ellie was for authenticity, the very idea of plastic food and water was unmentionable.
Three, each of the animals wore a specific coat or hat that assigned them a station. There was Sir Reginald the Teddy Bear with a monocle and the velveteen vest. Lord Faldaroy the Rabbit who had a bow tie and cardigan sweater. Lady Cathy the Cat who had a bonnet, and Mister Alex the Monkey who was actually a Curious George but with a sewn-on tuxedo. It would take a while before Jen figured out that Ellie would repeat whatever she imagined the animals response to was to a question or a statement was for Jen's and Eric's benefit. After she realized this was the case, Ellie turned to Jen one afternoon and asked her to repeat what Sir Reginald had just said. Jen look baffled as she had never thought it was her place to speak for the animals. Jen stuttered for a moment then made up a plausible lie and said that Sir Reginald had wanted cream with his crumpet was quite put out about it. Jen had no idea what cream was or what being put out was. Eric looked delighted for a second as he seemed to be hoping that Ellie would declare Jen unfit for any more tea parties but he was to be disappointed.
Ellie burst into laughter, placed her right hand on Jen's upper arm as she remarked to Sir Reginald that she had just "run plum out of cream that morning and next time there would most assuredly be cream with his crumpets in the next day." Jen sat there looking at Ellie for a long time finally understanding that she could say anything for the animals and Ellie would accept it as a matter of fact. Eric looked sick which made Jen feel bad for him and also glad that he would not be rid of her that easily.
About two weeks of going over to Ellie's house for tea parties almost every day, save for Sunday when her father declared that they were going to church- where Jen and Saul learned to their mutual horror that Saul's football coach attended as was married to a girl's volleyball coach. Jen, sat in the pew paralyzed with fear since she realized at that moment, that her father had not given up on her as an athlete but had been biding his time waiting for her wrist to heal. As her father talked with the coach and his wife and Saul and Jen were paraded up for show and tell. Saul turned to his sister and whispered, "kill me now."
Jen looked back at him and knew at that moment that Saul hated football and like her, he had thought by getting pulled from the last team that he could escape their father's obsession. Alvin turned in the pew in front of them with a big smug grin on his face.
"I guess we won't be seeing either of you around much anymore," he said.
Jen wanted to punch him instead she hunched over with sudden cramps and threw up all of her breakfast all over Alvin who cried out in horror. It wasn't the first onset of her first period, but combined with stress, anxiety, and fear, it was the most spectacular sign of it to occur in her life.
Needless to say, by the time Jen had been escorted out of the church by her mother and a herd of women to the bathroom to get cleaned up, and Alvin had stopped screaming, Saul laughing, her dad apologizing to the coach and his wife, the Olsten's did not go back to that church ever again.
Patricia explained to Jack that this was a normal stage in Jen's life and there was no need to lose his mind over it. Jack lost his mind over it.
Jen was grounded for 2 weeks for throwing up on Alvin. Alvin was grounded for a month for screaming in church and for calling his sister a fucking bitch. Saul was ground for a week for laughing at everyone including his coach and father. Patricia stopped talking to Jack unitl 4 days later when he relented on the grounding and mumbled an apology to his children before leaving the house for work. Rebecca sat at the table watching everyone looking baffled and confused.
By the time Jen got back to Ellie's house everything had changed.
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