Chapter 3
The dawning of Saturday marked one week that the mind of Jay Reynolds occupied the physical body of Jacob Turner. Yet, in only seven days Jay had total control of his new environment. He was Jacob Elliot Turner. Surprisingly, he did not miss his old life that much. He had been a widower; his grown children now had families of their own. About the only regret he had was that he would not get to see his grandchildren grow up. Oh, and maybe computers and the Internet. Jake thought about his situation during his early morning run. His old body was not built for running; that he had completed some of the toughest schools the Army had was more a testament to his tenacity than to his physical prowess. He had always been a bulldog, refusing to quit regardless of the odds. Sometimes his tenaciousness bit him in the ass, but mostly he succeeded through sheer force of will.
This new body though, was a marvel of nature; it was highly efficient, with excellent underling muscles wrapped in sleek, handsome skin. Jake could feel the improvement with each day's exercise. Five days out of a coma and he was already running seven-minute miles. Four days of lifting weights and he had already increased his poundage by ten percent. Who wouldn't be happy with those results? Gleefully, Jake sped up, heading for the garage and a half hour of lifting weights.
Jake was in front of the mirror he had borrowed from the guestroom, concentrating on his bicep curls, when his oldest sister Debbie walked up behind him.
"Admiring yourself in the mirror, little brother?" she teased.
"No, just keeping a check on my technique to make sure I isolate my bicep muscles," Jake replied. "But I can certainly admire you; you look stunning this morning."
Debbie blushed prettily and headed back into the house.
"We're leaving in half an hour, so hurry up," she shouted over her shoulder.
Jake hustled through his workout routine and took a quick shower. He was downstairs with five minutes to spare so he made himself a bowl of cereal and poured a cup of coffee. Fifteen minutes later, he had finished his cereal and was on his second, more leisurely cup of coffee when his sisters finally bounded down the stairs. So much for Debbie's timetable.
As they headed out the front door, Jake asked, "Are we taking mom's car? Its perfect for the beach."
His sisters looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Mom doesn't let us use her car," said Angie.
"Why not; can't either of you drive a stick shift?"
"Of course we can drive a stick; mom just loves that car, and even dad doesn't drive it," Debbie answered.
"I am going to ask anyway," said Jake.
He found his mom in the kitchen filling her cup with the coffee he had made earlier.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Jacob."
"Can we use you car to go to the beach? I know it's your baby, but it is the ultimate car for cruising on the beach. We'll put gas in it and wash it for you when we get home."
Helen was about to automatically say no. Then she reconsidered, it was a hopeful sign that her children were doing something together besides fighting and she did not want to discourage them.
"You'll be careful?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Have it back by 4:00?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Wash and wax it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Helen smiled at Jake's earnest expression and tossed him the keys.
Jake picked her up and swung her around.
"You are the greatest, Mom," he said.
Helen laughed and kissed his cheek.
"Get out of here before I change my mind. I don't know how you talked me it this."
"YES, MA'AM!"
Jake strolled out onto the porch nonchalantly dangling the keys in his hand. He flipped the keys to Debbie and said, "Let's roll".
Debbie and Angie were thunder struck. "How did you get those?" Angie asked incredulously.
Jake related his conversation with Mom as they loaded their beach gear into the Mustang's trunk. Jake put down the top and fastened down the convertible top's vinyl cover. In minutes, they were headed north towards Daytona and the world's most famous beach.
Debbie drove down the beach approach ramp and onto the hard-packed sand. About half a mile from the Main Street Pier, she found a good spot and carefully backed the Mustang into it. The sand was firm enough not to get them stuck so they piled out, spread the blanket Angie brought, and unloaded the cooler, towels, and beach gear. Jake flopped onto the blanket between his sisters. Angie still wore her beach cover-up and a big floppy straw hat. Jake looked at her quizzically.
"Freckles," was all she said.
Jake nodded his understanding and cleared his throat.
"I need to ask you both what I've done to drive us apart; then I want to do whatever it takes to make us close like we should be," he said. "So lets get everything out in the open and deal with it."
Both girls looked at him sharply.
Debbie started talking, "Are you sure you don't remember anything? How do we know this amnesia isn't a clever way to avoid the consequences of the things you've done? I'm really suspicious of the complete turn-around in your behavior."
Angie chimed in, "You may have Mom and Dad fooled, but not us."
Jake responded, "I can see your point and I guess I would be suspicious too. None-the-less, it's true. I have no memories of myself before I woke up, not a single one. Maybe my subconscious mind has blanked them out because of the harm I've done. I don't know why I can't remember anything but it is still a fact. The weird thing is that I know and can do things that seem kind of advanced for a person my age."
Jake hoped that the admission of knowing things he should not know would throw his sisters off track. The women in his new family were extremely observant and bright; he would have to be careful to keep his cover story watertight.
"We've noticed and wondered about that also," said Debbie. "But to tell the truth, we like this new you much better. Things were fine until you started ninth grade, we used to fight and argue, but it was normal brother-sister stuff. It seems that any two of us would always be at odds with the third one; one day it was you and I against Angie, the next day she and I would be against you. Then you met Richie Collins and started to change. When you weren't ignoring us, you were mean and nasty to us. We knew you and Richie used to try to spy on us when you weren't getting stoned. So, we avoided you and hoped you'd grow out of it. Then, when you overdosed, we felt really guilty because we never told Mom or Dad what you were up to."
Both girls were close to tears. Jake took one of their hands in his and looked them in the eye.
"Let's try this, let's put all that behind us, and start fresh. If, after a month you still think I'm faking or trying something devious you tell Mom and Dad. I'll do anything to make it up to you," Jake said.
"Anything?" Debbie asked teasingly.
"Anything," Jake answered.
"Okay, then go get us a Coke while Angie and I talk about it."
Jake walked to the beach concession and bought three frosty bottles of soda. The beach was filing up; everywhere he looked there were girls in bikinis. Now he remembered why he loved it here. He handed his sisters their Cokes and sat down.
"We agree," said Angie, "But if this is some kind of trick there will be hell to pay."
Jake broke out with a shit-eating grin and hugged them both.
"You won't regret this, I swear. Now all you have to do is act like you are with me but are not my sisters," he said.
"Whatever for?" asked Debbie.
"Because it's got to be good for my reputation to be seen with the two prettiest girls here," he said.
Both girls laughed and Angie punched him on the arm.
Debbie wiggled out of her cut offs and shucked her tee-shirt. She looked terrific in an orange two-piece. She was slender and curvy at the same time. Angie shrugged off her wrap to reveal a green one-piece. Angie was slimmer, with narrow hips and smaller breasts. Both were lovely young women. Jake gave an appreciative whistle and was punched by both for his trouble. They slathered themselves and each other with Copper Tone and lay on the blanket with Jake pleasantly ensconced in the middle. They soaked up some sun, then ran down to the water. As they splashed, Jake noticed a pretty girl about Debbie's age looking at him. He made eye contact and she smiled and gave him a half wave. His sisters noticed and Debbie put her arm around him then Angie did the same.
"Go away," Debbie said, "he belongs to us."
The girl flushed and quickly walked away. When she was out of earshot, his sisters cracked up. With their arms still around him, they went back to the blanket and dug into the food they had brought. Jake thought it had been about the best beach day of either of his lives. His sisters had been attentive and, true to his request, flirtatious; he was half hard all day as they touched and rubbed against him. Horsing around in the water, he had gotten more than a few inadvertent feels of their nubile bodies. He was a little surprised that Debbie copped a few feels of her own, and not by accident. Jake thought that the guys they dated were lucky bastards.
All to soon it was time to head home so they packed up the car and headed out. After washing and waxing mom's car, Jake thanked them for a terrific day. Angie hugged him and turned towards the house. Debbie pressed against him and kissed him on the lips.
"I like the new you," she said.
Both Angie and Debbie had dates for Saturday night. So, Jake was going to watch television with his parents. Angie's date arrived at 6:30 to pick her up for the movies. He was a studious looking kid named Stuart Miller. He was nervous meeting Helen and Charles but shook their hands and was polite. Angie came downstairs dressed in Bermuda shorts and a green blouse. She kissed Mom and Dad and off they went.
Debbie's boyfriend, Russell 'Chip' Thornton II, pulled up in his Corvette a few minutes later. He entered the house like royalty greeting the masses. Jake discovered Thornton was an arrogant prick within thirty seconds of meeting him. However, since he was not there to date Jake, and his parents seemed to like the guy, he sucked it up and plastered on a phony smile. Debbie came down wearing a semi-formal dress with medium high heels. Her auburn hair was up on the top of her head with ringlets framing her face; she was heart-breakingly pretty and way to good for the asshole she was leaving with. Debbie gave them all a kiss on the cheek and departed for the country club dance with his highness.
"I hope I never liked that guy before, because I sure don't now." Jake told his mom and dad.
"I don't think you've ever met him until tonight," Mom said. "Besides, you don't have to like him; you just have to tolerate him like we do."
His dad grinned and nodded in agreement.
"Russell the Second's father moved down here from Rhode Island about ten years ago and bought up a bunch of land near Orlando. He was rich when he got here and when Disney built out there he got richer. I think he has a license to print money. He's a much nicer fellow than his son."
His mom added, "His sister is a friend of Angie's. She is very pretty and not as conceited as her brother. You would probably like her."
They all sat down and watched TV and even though Mom made popcorn, the experience just was not the same without two hundred satellite stations and a remote control. At ten o'clock Jake excused himself and went to his room to read.
He had a corner room that had great cross ventilation. It was cool outside so he opened both windows. One of his windows faced the front of the house the other faced the garage. He was still reading at ten-thirty when he heard a car pull into the circular drive; doors opened and shells crunched as someone walked to the front door. Jake clearly heard Angie tell Stuart how much she enjoyed the movie. The front door opened and closed, Stuart's car started up and pulled away, and all was quiet again. He went back to his book and read until eleven.
The rumble of Chip Thornton's 'vette woke Jake up. A glance at his alarm clock showed him it was 11:45. No car doors opened for a few minutes so he got out of bed and looked out the window. Sir Russell's chariot was parked at an angle facing the outside corner of his room. Chip must have parked there so they could not be seen from the front door. The moon cast just enough light for Jake to see inside the car through the windshield. Chip and Debbie were swapping some serious spit. He kept grabbing her left tit; she would let him squeeze it for a few seconds then remove his hand. At 11:55, Debbie broke loose, opened the door, and got out. Chip swung out of this side of the car and caught her as she walked in front of him. He spun her against the driver's side door and began to grope her. Seeing her struggle, Jake was about to yell something when she glanced up and saw him in the window. Debbie shot him a wicked grin then kneed Mr. Russell Thornton the Second right in his royal gonads. He dropped to his knees like he had been pole-axed.
Through gritted teeth Debbie hissed, "I never want to see your face again".
Debbie stormed toward the house without even glancing back. Thornton picked himself up and brushed off his knees. Then he gingerly sat down behind the wheel and started his car. He whipped around the circular drive and fishtailed down the driveway. Way to go Debbie!
Jake was back in bed almost asleep when someone tapped lightly on his door.
"Come in," he whispered.
Debbie slipped into the room and softly closed the door. She walked over and sat on the bed.
"Don't tell Mom and Dad about Chip please; they really liked him," she said.
Jake chucked and told her, "No they don't, they were only nice to him because they thought you were serious about him. By the way, I was not spying on you, I was curious when no one got out of the car after you pulled in, so I looked out. I thought I was going to have to rescue you, next thing I know you are trying to castrate the poor guy."
Debbie giggled and told him good night. Then she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.
"Two could play this game," he thought, and he let his tongue caress her lips and pulled her against his body. After thirty seconds of having her mouth explored by Jake's tongue she broke the kiss and looked at him strangely.
"I figured you needed at least one good kiss tonight," he said. "Good night, Sis, see you in the morning."
Debbie got up and left the room without answering him.
Jake figured it must seem strange to his sisters to have their baby brother hitting on them. Jake saw them as two desirable females with whom he shared nothing but some DNA. They were not off limits to him and Jake had always been a pretty stand up guy in his other life. His conscience was not shrilling its alarm so he decided to see how the chips fell.
Jake sat down at the nook table shortly after eight Sunday morning. He had felt great when he woke up so he went for a five-mile run and skipped the weights. He revived himself in the shower and thought he was ready for the day. His dad was sitting at the table perusing the paper; his mother was busy fixing breakfast. Jake grabbed the business section of the paper and started reading. He dad looked at him quizzically but before he could say anything his sisters flopped into their chairs.
"So ladies, how did the dates go last night?" Charles asked.
Both girls answered with noncommittal "OKs". They were spared from more of his teasing by the arrival of Mom with breakfast. After everyone was seated, Helen announced that they were all attending eleven o'clock Mass. Her tone clearly meant she would brook no protest, so everyone nodded. All during breakfast Debbie eyed Jake speculatively; it was making him nervous, his balls shrank when he thought she might be planning a fate for him similar to hip's. After breakfast, he beat a hasty retreat to his room.
At 10:45, everyone piled into Dad's Oldsmobile 98 and motored to Our Lady of Perpetual Hope. The Turners squeezed into a pew near the front of the church; Jake ended up sitting between his sisters. Jake had been to a few masses but did not remember all the procedures; he decided he would watch his sisters and simply follow their example. He made it through the service without making a fool of himself. His only embarrassing moment came when the priest mentioned his recovery as a miraculous answer to the parishioners' prayers. Debbie's thigh was pressed against his during the entire service and every few minutes she would move her leg up and down. When he would look at her, she'd just smile angelically.
After the mass, Jake's family filed out to be met at the door by Father Donavan. He warmly shook Jake's hand and welcomed him back. Jake and his sisters walked down the church steps while his parents chatted with the priest. Standing at the bottom of the steps stood Candy Striper Cindy in a white dress with white heels. The sun made her honey colored hair almost white, her smile was radiant, and at that particular moment, she was probably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Cindy shyly introduced Jake, Debbie, and Angie to her parents, Jack and Theresa Sorenson. She blushed prettily as Jake told her mother and father that she was the first person he saw when he regained consciousness. After some further conversation, Jake quietly asked if he could visit Cindy that afternoon. To the girls' general surprise, her parents agreed.
Finally home from church and lunch at the marina, Jake retreated to
his room. He threw on shorts and a shirt, slipped into a pair of
loafers, and headed for Cindy's. Cindy only lived a couple of miles
away so Jake took the ten-speed bike parked in the garage. Jake and
Cindy sat on the porch swing holding hands, sipping lemonade, and
talking for over an hour. It was a scene only Norman Rockwell could
have painted.