August 24th 2010.
Jay woke up at 5:30am; after his rehab, he had made it a habit.
He put shorts and a hoodie on before leaving the house for a morning jog. He kept at it for one hour then dropped on the front lawn and alternated between push-ups and sit-ups.
When he was done he went back in and it was already 7am. He took a shower and dressed in black jeans and a t-shirt before going back down to the kitchen. He heard some of his family members stirring awake so didn't waste time and started cooking breakfast.
The first one to arrive was Lou, she was dressed in cute flannel pajamas and holding the Calimero plush toy he had brought her back from Switzerland while rubbing her eyes.
"Morning sleepyhead." he smiled and said, picking the little girl up in the process.
"Morning Jay..." she said.
"Slept well?" he lovingly asked.
"Hm..." she nodded and he sat her on one of the chairs.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Cereals!"
"..." Jay looked at the hash-browns, eggs and pancakes he had prepared. Although he felt wronged, he nonetheless acceded to her majesty's demands.
"Is it good?" he smiled watching her eat with gusto.
"Hm! It's crunchy." she furiously nodded.
Jay let out a chuckle. He seems to sense something and turned around, realizing his mother had been watching them.
"Morning mom."
"Good morning babies." she said before kissing her son's cheek and her daughter's forehead.
Jay groaned, "Babies?"
Helen laughed, "No matter how old or tall you are, you'll always be my baby." she said and tiptoed to ruffle his hair.
"Ugh." Jay felt too powerless to respond and Lee arrived at this moment.
When the man saw his son looking at him distressfully, he chuckled.
"Don't look at me, I can't help you with that." he said.
Jay decided to just let it go, it wasn't that big a deal and she was his mother.
"Alright, who eats what?" he asked.
"Rice." Lee helpfully supplied to Lou's absolute horror.
"Rice for breakfast?!" the little girl gasped.
And that told Jay everything he needed to know, "You're pulling my leg?" he asked his father.
"What's wrong with rice for breakfast? That's a matter of course where I come from." he innocently provided.
"But... then you can't poop all day!" Lou said and everyone else almost choked.
"Language!" Helen rebutted.
Lou felt wronged, "But it's true, Anna's brother ate rice and couldn't... couldn't for a week..." she whispered.
Lee burst out laughing and Helen slapped his shoulder, "That's not funny." she said and turned to her son, "He takes coffee and toasts, and I take orange juice with pancakes."
Jay looked at everything he had prepared and could only blame himself, he should've asked what everyone wanted yesterday.
"Oh well, more hash browns and eggs for me I guess." he said before putting toasts in the electric toaster. "Right, I couldn't find the bacon, where did you put it?" he asked his mom.
"Lou is allergic to pork so we don't eat any anymore." Helen softly smiled.
"She's allergic to pork? Seriously?" he raised his eyebrows while looking at Lou, and she stared back at him anxiously.
Helen leaned towards him and whispered, "She's been very self-conscious about it ever since your cousins teased her last year."
Jay nodded in understanding. "... Haha, who cares about pork. I don't even like pork. Did you know it was one of the most unclean animals on the planet? Really it's better that way, beef is so much better." he declared and winked at the little girl who smiled joyfully in response.
They all sat down and started eating and Helen was the first to break the silence.
"So Jay, about school," she started. Then, as if to search carefully for her words, paused.
Jay looked at her and she continued, "I have found you a special... tutor."
"A tutor?" Jay muttered before nodding, it made sense, a 6 year comatose couldn't just start high school without prior learning, but noticing the hesitation in her voice and the way she had emphasized on "special", he got a foreboding feeling.
"What kind of tutor?" he slowly asked, glancing at his father, who shrugged. Apparently the man was not in the know either.
Helen grabbed Jay's hand and softly said, "He's a man who helps children who are special, he'll help you out too."
Lee choked on his coffee, triggering a coughing fit. It couldn't be... No way...
"Special... needs? You're talking about a special needs teacher?" he asked.
When Helen nodded, Jay felt all his hair stand on end and he decided right there and then he would put his foot down. Oh come on! He was 32 years old spiritually, he didn't need a babysitter.
He hastily said, "Actually, I can just start school right away, I got tutored while I was in Switzerland."
Helen got startled while Lee silently smiled.
"You did? How come I didn't know? Who tutored you?" his mother skeptically asked.
Jay nodded, "I did, I... wanted to surprise you so I didn't say anything. Ver... Dr. Sanders was the one who tutored me." he lied.
He had actually studied in Bad Ragaz though, that much was true. It wasn't hard for him considering he had once been a high schooler and that his high Intelligence stat allowed him to remember things much easier. He hadn't thought it necessary to bring it up since he had also anticipated his mom would probably get him a tutor, only he had never imagined she'd be that much concerned.
Helen doubtfully nodded, "I see... but still, it's 6 years of schooling you need to get back you can't possibly have-"
"I'll take a test." Jay cut her off.
"A test?"
"Yeah, like an assessment test? There's nothing to lose, if I can't pass the test then I'll agree to the tutor, but if I do please don't mention it again." he said and Helen turned to her husband.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"I think it's a great idea. Do you have his school transcript?" when Helen nodded, he continued "Then you should bring it with you when you go to see the school's principal. He's always been a straight A student and has never caused trouble before, if he can pass their test they probably won't make it hard for him. Also..." he looked meaningfully at his son and added "It's best if they think of you as a 15 year old right off the bat, feel me?"
"Yes sir." Jay gratefully smiled.
Helen looked at them both before throwing her hands up, "Alright, you two suit yourselves, but if he doesn't pass the test, I'm calling that tutor."
Having said that she looked at Jay's hair in worry and the latter felt his eye twitch.
It couldn't be, because of his hair color... right?
"Mom, you don't like my hair?" he asked.
Helen stared in a daze before she briskly denied, "No no, I like it..."
"Me too!! It's white and fluffy like the clouds!" Lou hurriedly added.
"How do you know clouds are fluffy?" Jay teased.
"I... I... I just know!" she pouted and said. Jay chuckled and leaned towards her to kiss her cheek.
"My Lou is so smart." he said and she blushed.
Turning back to his mother, he smiled. "Mom, I'm not crazy, it's a... fashion statement."
He was inwardly rejoicing postponing the acquisition of his tattoos.
Judging by his mother's reaction to his hair, he now knew that was going to be an uphill battle.
Helen almost rolled her eyes at his "fashion statement" line, what kind of nonsense...
It did suit him though, and just when she was about to tell him just that, Lou spoke.
"I also want white hair!" the little girl innocently stated.
"Absolutely not! Not on my dead body you will!" Helen blurted out in horror and was greeted by the uncontrollable laughter of her son and husband.
"I'll call the principal and set up a meeting, are you okay with today?" she asked her son.
"Yep it's fine, rather, don't you have to take care of the gallery?"
"It's okay, I'll have my assistant take over today, your schooling is more important." she said then smiled, "By the way it's also someone's first day today."
Jay felt like slapping himself, he had actually forgotten. His sister was starting 1st grade, although she wouldn't turn 6 until November. He turned to Lou and smiled when he saw her peeking at him expectantly.
"Right, if I remember correctly I did promise a certain someone that I would accompany her. Hm..." he smacked his lips and shook his head in feign reluctance, "Ha... I bet she doesn't remember anyways so it doesn't matt-"
"I do! You promised! No take backsies!" Lou jumped down from her chair and hugged the back of his seat.
Jay let out a cheshire grin. He picked her up and settled her on his lap.
"But you know, your brother's time is suuuuuper precious. How do you plan on repaying me?" he pinched both her cheeks and playfully asked.
"Hm... I don't have money..." Lou fidgeted with her fingers before bowing her head and whispering.
Argh! The enemy uses cute-attack, it's super effective!
He coughed, "In that case, I'll let it go as long as you give me 7 kisses on each cheek, and you also have to hug me super super tightly."
Lou looked up and nodded, her face red as she tentatively reached out and did as he had asked.
Jay blissfully smiled, and when she ended her debt by tightly hugging him, he couldn't take it anymore and started raining down kisses on her face to her delighted giggles.
"Alright alright bring her back to her room and help her change will you? I need to make a couple of phone calls before we leave." Helen interrupted.
Jay agreed and got up and left, Lou still in his arms. "Let's go and make you prettier than you already are."
Helen shook her head while Lee chuckled, and just when he was about to speak, he heard his son's voice coming from the stairs.
"By the way, you definitely can't kiss any other boys like that, alright? I'm the only one who gets that treatment."
"Not even daddy?" she softly asked.
"... It's okay if it's him, but do it in moderation. Also tell me if anyone bullies you at school, I'll bury- I mean I'll scold them."
"Hm... okay..." Lou shyly replied.
Lee's eyes started twitching while Helen burst out laughing. "He's stolen her from you."
Lee groaned and drank a gulp of his coffee, it seemed to him that it tasted bitter than usual.