THE BOLAN CHRONICLES: Reading #7

7. Approximate Minutes Reading (AMR): 3

Introduction to Characters:

THE BOLAN CHRONICLES

Chapter 2

Dean

**Conception**

Jake despised being eighteen and homebound. He had no respect for his parents, and he wanted as little to do with them as possible. More than ever, his father was deep into his banking and investments, and avoiding the responsibilities of fatherhood had been largely handled by preaching the good word of money to his captive audience at home. Jake’s mother spent her days either glued to the kitchen sink, the vacuum cleaner, or the television, and a sense of guilt drove her to serve hand and foot the two males in her small world. 

For Jake, very few requests went unfulfilled, and he’d sharpened his skills at using his mother to take advantage of his father's legal tender. Once, at the tender age of six, he’d secured himself to a candy display at the local five and dime until his mother had agreed to buy him the Sugar Daddy candy bar in return for a promise of good behavior on the drive home.

So when Jake pulled open his dresser drawer and discovered that the stack of ones and fives he’d saved wasn’t enough, he had no trouble convincing his mom of the same. 

“How much more do you need?” She’d asked.

“Enough to starve off embarrassment. At least ten, I suppose.”

“Here’s a twenty, Sweetie.”

He pulled up to Donna's house five minutes late. She sat serenely on the steps of the front porch. Jake hit the horn and she ran out to the car. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips before she had a chance to say a word.  

Donna pulled the seat belt over her shoulder and smiled at him. "This is a nice surprise."

"You're tellin' me." He said, "I can't tell you how much I was dreading closing that place tonight."

"Tough night?"

He threw his head back and sighed, "God, if I have to see another dish in the next 24 hours I think I'll throw it at someone."

Donna giggled.

"What's funny?" Jake asked.

"I don't know. Just the way you said it, that's all."

He peered at Donna for a moment then turned his attention to the road.

Donna asked, "So, it was pretty busy tonight, huh?"

Jake took a deep breath and replied, "Let's just say I worked a whole hell of a lot harder than anyone should who's making a lousy minimum wage."

“That’s true.”

"And on top of that, I have to work with a guy who thinks he owns the place, when in fact he's really lucky just to have a job."

"Who's that?" Donna asked.

"A guy named Bill. He thought it would be cute if he did all of my dishes for me tonight without asking."

Donna paused for a moment then said, "That sounds like a favor to me. Is there more to it?  Something I don't understand?"

Jake replied, "Yeah, there's something I must not have told you about me that you should know, Donna," She waited patiently. "What you should know about me is that I like to finish a job I start, and that I don't like other people thinking they can do whatever the hell they want without asking.” He took another deep breath then said, "Okay, let's just have a good night, huh?" And he smiled.

Donna smiled back and put her hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, let's just have a really good night tonight." Then she added, "I'm so happy that you called me."

Jake put his hand on her thigh, slowly massaging it.

"Are you really interested in dessert?" He asked.

Donna replied, "I am."  And she reached over and placed her hand on his leg. "I want dessert really bad tonight, Jake." And to Jake, her eyes were larger than ever, reflecting what she really wanted. 

And as Jake and Donna made love in the cab of a 1972 red and white Chevy pickup on that late July night in 1978, and Peter Frampton sang "I'm In You," Donna was just sure that she'd found the man who’d make her life complete. She was sure that her life was now stable; that Jake Bolan would see to it that she was important and loved. And she looked forward to the days when the two of them would share a home, bring up a family, and eventually spoil grandchildren together.

Jake looked forward to the days when he’d arrive home after a hard-day's work and smell the dinner that his wife had worked so hard to prepare and play with the sons that he had brought up as ballsy, passionate males with an urge to win.  

And the sliver of the moon shone dimly overhead as a boy was conceived.