"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 7

Luke wished he was less nervous about meeting Jenna’s sister and her fiancée, but new people always unnerved him. He had no idea how they’d react to him and he was more aware of his disability around new people. When he was with people he was comfortable around, and they around him, he didn’t really think much about it. It was a fact of life and he was used to it.

With a sigh he rolled over to the full-length mirror in his bedroom to make sure his leg bag wasn’t visible and that he hadn’t gotten any stains on his shirt when he ate breakfast. He was wearing a black polo shirt, a pair of dark wash jeans and he had black loafers on his feet. Although he loathed shopping he had decided that his disability shouldn’t stop him from dressing well. Luke didn’t want to be a cripple in a wheelchair wearing stained sweatpants and old t-shirts, and his job came with a dress code; business casual, so he didn’t really have a choice there. He decided he looked acceptable and checked that he had his wallet and cellphone in the pouch under the left armrest of his wheelchair before he headed out to his van.

When he pulled into a parking lot near the seafood restaurant in Huntington Beach where he was meeting Jenna, Joanna and Susannah he spotted Jenna’s Prius at the end of a row of cars. He was relieved when one of the handicap parking spaces was available.  Luke quickly parked the van and as he turned off the engine he spotted Jenna and two unfamiliar women standing in front of his car. Jenna waved eagerly and he did his best to wave back.

A few minutes later he rolled up to them and Jenna greeted him with a rather passionate kiss on the lips.

“Hi there,” he grinned when she pulled away. “Happy to see me?”

“Always,” she said with a wide smile. Then she introduced him to Joanna and Shannon. He was surprised when both of them shook his hand without hesitation. Most people didn’t know what to do with his curled, splinted hand and handshakes seemed to be an endless source of awkward moments. There was no denying the kinship between Jenna and Joanna; they had the same light brown eyes and straight nose.

“I can’t believe my little sister snagged the man I dreamed about back in college,” Jenna laughed. “I had a few pictures of you on the walls of dorm room at Northwestern; much to my roommate’s dismay. Her brother played for Notre Dame.”

“Oh my! I can see how that might be a source of friction,” Luke laughed.

“It was mostly friendly teasing,” Joanna assured him.

They made their way to the terrace of the restaurant and Luke was relieved when he realized that Jenna had made reservations and asked for an accessible table. A chair had been removed to accommodate the wheelchair and he easily rolled up to the table and parked next to Jenna. Joanna and Shannon took the chairs across from them.

…

Jenna could sense that Luke was nervous, but things were going better than she’d hoped for and conversation was flowing pretty well. She had spent a lot of time answering all the questions Joanna and Shannon had about Luke and his disability and she had told them about his past as a professional football playerd. She hoped her openness would keep them from asking him something inappropriate. Jenna knew from experience that both her sister and Shannon didn’t seem to have the same take on what was appropriate that she had.

When the waitress had brought them their drinks and taken their food orders Jenna grasped Luke’s left hand with her right and laced her fingers with his. He glanced at her sideways with a crooked grin on his face and Jenna quickly kissed him on the lips.

“Look at you lovebirds,” Joanna giggled. “You two are adorable!”

That caused Luke to laugh out loud. “I don’t think anyone, except for my mother has ever described me as adorable.”

“Well, it’s really the combination of the two and how you’re clearly head over heels in love with each other.”

“What can I say? Your sister is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.” Luke brought their entwined hands to his lips and kissed Jenna’s hand. The gesture touched her because she knew the effort it took for him to do it.

“I have a feeling you’re pretty good for her too. I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time,” Joanna said. “You’d better not hurt her feelings though; you’ll have to answer to me.”

“And me,” Shannon interjected.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Luke said with a wink. Jenna noticed he seemed to relax. She was also aware that her sister probably still had her reservations, but so far Luke had won her over.

…

Food appeared on the table and for a while they were all immersed in their meals. Luke was aware that Joanna and Shannon were watching his every move and he hoped he managed to finish his fish and chips without getting tartar sauce all over himself. He was relieved when he could remove the fork from his splint and push his mostly empty plate aside.

The waitress came back to the table and cleared their plates and they ordered dessert. Luke couldn’t suppress a grin when Jenna practically demanded that they’d share a slice of cheesecake. She pecked him on the cheek before Joanna demanded his attention again.

 “I wondered what happened to you when you just vanished after the your second season for the Bears. They just gave a statement that you’d been seriously injured and wouldn’t return to football and no one ever heard from you again. I’m actually impressed that you managed to vanish like that.”

“When the news of my accident came out the press camped out in the hospital for days and they harassed my family, friends, teammates, doctors, nurses…basically everyone, to get information about me. They wanted interviews, photos…all stuff I wasn’t willing to give them. To be honest I never was a fan of the press, in fact that was the part of my life I hated the most both in college and during my time in the NFL,” Luke confessed.  “Anyway, when the new season kicked off interest died down a bit and when I was transferred to rehab I used my grandmother’s maiden name as my last name and fortunately people kept their mouths shut and I was able to disappear.”

“Jenna told us you work as an accountant now? How did that happen?” Joanna asked him.

“I managed to graduate from UCLA with a degree in Economics. My grades were far from great; I was too focused on football and my studies were pretty far down on my list of priorities. And when you’re the star quarterback minimum GPA requirements suddenly doesn’t matter as much. Thanks to a tenacious social worker I enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor while I was still in rehab I was able to do most of my classes online. I think it was one of the proudest moments in my life when I finished my Master in Accounting on time. And I actually got pretty good grades. After I graduated I moved back to LA, much to my mother’s dismay.”

“You’re from Ann Arbor?” Shannon interjected.

“Born and raised,” Luke confirmed. “But I fell in love with LA while I was at UCLA. Can’t fault the climate here in southern California, right?”

“You do have a point there,” Joanna agreed. “I understand why Jenna loves it so much here.”

“I fell in love with the city while I went to UCLA too. I’m glad I got the chance to move back here,” Jenna interjected. “For more than reason.”

…

“My sister and Shannon really likes you,” Jenna told Luke over dinner Sunday evening. She had ended up spending both nights Joanna and Shannon was in town at her apartment with them. Luke had suggested that she could spend Sunday night with him and ride with him to work Monday morning, which she’d happily agreed to. Her office only came with one parking spot and Sarah used it. Jenna had to take the bus to work. Jenna had happily accepted his invitation and after she had dropped Joanna and Shannon off at LAX she had headed straight over to his house. Her sister had grinned knowingly and winked at her when she’d loaded her garment bag and small duffle into the trunk of her Prius with their luggage.

“Glad to hear it. I felt like lunch yesterday went pretty well,” he said as he brought another piece of the Chicken Parmigianino that Jenna had cooked for dinner to his mouth. It was one of the most delicious things he had ever eaten.

“It went really well, Luke. I did my best to prepare them before they met you in person. I think it made a difference,” Jenna admitted. Luke wasn’t surprised; the lack of intimate questions and awkwardness over lunch had suggested that. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. It made lunch pretty enjoyable. This is really good by the way,” he said, gesturing at his plate.

“Glad you like it. It’s one of my favorite foods. It’s not too hard to make and the leftovers are great too.”

“I wouldn’t mind eating this two days in a row.”

“Good to know. I guess I know what we’re having for dinner tomorrow then. I might change the pasta for couscous if you don’t mind.”

“I guess that means I get to enjoy your company tomorrow too?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“Of course!” Luke grinned.

…

“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Jenna said as she lifted Luke’s PRAFO clad feet onto the bed while Kevin hung his bed bag on the hook on the side of the bed. Kevin had showed her how to transfer Luke from his wheelchair to his bed with the aid of a transfer board and on the second try she managed pretty well.

“Good job for a second attempt,” Kevin praised her. “Good night you too. See you in the morning.”

Jenna and Luke bid him good night as she climbed into bed and snuggled against Luke’s side. His right splint-clad hand was resting on his stomach and Jenna covered it with her hand.

 “You mentioned yesterday that your mother didn’t like that you moved out here. She wanted you to stay in Ann Arbor?”

“Yeah. I had stayed with my parents from I was released from rehab to I finished graduate school. Mom’s smothering drove me crazy. By the time I graduated I was ready to move on; get my own place and try to stand on my own two feet again. Figuratively speaking of course. I had kept in touch with a couple of my buddies from UCLA and I had a few other connections out here as well. I had a couple of job offers and before I knew it my brother Chris and I were on the road.”

“You drove from Ann Arbor to LA?” Jenna asked, surprise lacing her voice.

“Yeah. I needed to bring my van. Chris came with me to assist me and keep me companied. I paid for his flight back home and his hotel while he was in town.”

“Did you already have the house?”

“No. I actually lived in an assisted living facility for the first seven months I was here. Took me a while to find a house, have some work done to it and hire PCAs. It wasn’t as bad as is might seem, but I hope I never have to live somewhere like that again. There weren’t many young people there and the few that were there had brain injuries. And it didn’t exactly lessen the awkwardness at work when people found out that the company cripple lived in a nursing home.”

“I bet you were glad when you could finally move into your own place.”

“Yeah, very!” Luke said. “It was a bit scary too. As much as I hated the place it felt safe, there were always people around that could help me when I needed it. When I lived back home it was the same. My parents were always around.”

“I thought you were eager to live independently?”

“I was, but it was a lot more intimidating when it became a reality. I’ve gotten used to it now. But I like having you around. A lot.”

“I like being around,” Jenna said before she kissed him soundly on the lips. When they pulled apart Luke couldn’t stifle a yawn. “Tired?”

“Yeah, have to admit I am.”

“I’m tired too, so I’ll just go turn off the bathroom lights and we can get some sleep.”

Jenna slipped out of bed and Luke admired her as she crossed the floor to his bathroom door. She was dressed in one of his old t-shirts and a pair of silk shorts and not for the first time he realized she had great legs.

“Hey, what are you staring at?” she said in a mock angry tone when she turned around and caught him staring.

“Your legs,” he admitted. “They’re so sexy.”

Jenna giggled as she climbed back into bed and snuggled up next to Luke.

To be continued…