As the week marched on, rumors grew again. The finger-pointing, hushed whispers, and stares started back. Friday Ms. March, the school guidance counselor, and Ms. Wheaton the school nurse, called both Johnny and Ava into her office to "talk". Some people talk too much and say very little. That would be the case for Ms. March.
Ava had no idea why she was called out of class to go speak with the woman. Ms. March is kind but a bit ridiculous. Everyone knows not to really talk to her because she's a gossip and a brown noser. She's an irritating woman at best. But when Ava saw Johnny, in the office along with the school nurse, she knew something was up.
Glancing up from her notepad, Ms. March greeted her as she entered. "Ava. It's so good to see you. Do come on in and have a seat." She motioned to an empty chair.
As Ms. March got up, to close the door, Ava sat down beside her husband. She gave him a look, and he returned it with shrugged shoulders and a sour expression. It's obvious he doesn't know what this is about either.
Clicking her ink pen to the on position, Ms. March started the conversation. "It's come to our attention, that the two of you are married. Is this true or just school gossip?" She looked at the couple for an answer.
Instantly Ava thought Oh God... Grabbing his wife's hand, Johnny responded. "Yes, Ms. March. We are married. Have been ever since Christmas break." He could care less what this woman has to say.
Scribbling some notes, Ms. March "Uh-huh'd". Taking a glance at them, she asked "That's very interesting. I asked Ms. Wheaton to be here with us because frankly, I'm worried. A lot of the faculty and students are worried too. Typically when students get married in high school it's for one reason. So, Ava, I must ask are you pregnant?"
Before either of them could answer, Ms. Wheaton spoke up. She began talking about teen pregnancy. "Teen pregnancy is very high these days. The long-term effects are hard on both the mother and the child. The likely hood of you being a dropout is significantly high and the children of teen mothers are more likely to have lower academic achievement. There are other things like incarceration, health problems, and unemployment. If you are pregnant, dear, there are options available to you. But should you continue on and have the baby, that would be a huge risk and undertaking. This is especially true if the father isn't supportive."
Both Johnny and Ava's mouths dropped open at this conversation. Great balls of fire! Ava cannot believe this. It's one thing to have your family accuse you of being pregnant, but entirely another to hear it from people with no personal connection. Plus she REALLY hates the word "options". The way Ms. Wheaton said it made it sound dirty.
Chancing another look at Johnny, made her notice he's fit to be tied. The vein is bulging in his neck, his jaw is tight, and he's wearing his fake smile. This is not good. She reached out and grabbed his hand. Hopefully, he'll bite his tongue.
Ava decided to answer for them, this time. All things considered, it would be for the best. "Ms. March, Ms. Wheaton, thank you for your concern. But it's not needed as I'm most definitely not pregnant." She emphasized the not. For good measure, she added, "I had my period last week." Johnny scrunched up his face at the thought.
The two older women were not expecting to hear that. To say they're speechless is an understatement. "If you're not pregnant, then why are you married? You haven't even graduated high school. You have your whole life ahead of you," Ms. March declared. She just can't believe her ears. This is not normal teenage behavior. "This cost of living is costly. You need money to live on and a place to live in. You're teenagers." She clicked her pen off and on in a repeated pattern.
The click of the pen annoyed Johnny almost as much as the woman's nosy questions. Every time she clicked it, he wanted to snatch it and throw it across the room. Of all the bullshitty things to say! Personally what he really wants to say is "If you've got bad hair, then wear a hat" but he didn't. However, he couldn't help the expression on his face which is one of disgust.
With a sigh of frustration, Ava again answered. No one in this room needs to know they were drunk in Vegas. Their drunk selves only did what their sober selves actually wanted. The truth is "We're married because we love each other. Had we waited, we still would have gotten married after graduation regardless." Johnny inclined his ear and face to her. "Look, we get we're not graduated yet. We will be in a few months. We're both eighteen and legally adults. On Monday, we closed on a house and moved everything in yesterday. We have a place to live and paid cash for it, so there's no house payment looming in the future. As for the money to live on, we have plenty (which even I didn't know about until Monday night)." She paused and gave Johnny a look of her own.
Squeezing her hand, Johnny took over. "The two of us are further ahead than some older married couples. We're going to be fine because we have a plan for the future and our present. True love is about growing as a couple. We've had to do a lot of growing together lately." A lot of growing.
Ava finished for him. "True love is also learning about each other and never giving up on each other too. Sometimes the best things in life don't make sense to ordinary people. Johnny and I getting married now may not make sense to anyone except us, but that's OK. We're not strangers to difficulty or marching to the beat of our own drum."
Not being able to resist, Johnny added "Especially if the beat is badass." Wait. He probably shouldn't have said that out loud. Judging by Ava's face, he really shouldn't have.
The two older women were again stunned into bewilderment. Although, they both couldn't help but agree with the couple. However, "You're going to have a tough time with your peers. Maybe not your friends, but all of the other student body members. You will most likely be ostracized because being married at your age is not normal. There will be questions and talk about pregnancy too, so be prepared for that. The remaining months of high school may not be easy for you, but if you stick together you should manage it fine." Ms. March returned to her note writing.
Both Ava and Johnny stood up and exited the small office. In the hall, and out of earshot, Johnny went off. "What the hell was that?" He really needs to let off some steam. And then he thought of something. "Hey no one is bothering you about us, are they?" If people are gossiping about her again, he may get thrown out of school. He's so over all of these idiots upsetting Ava.
Luckily it's almost the last period of the day. Forgoing the rest of the period they walked to the bleachers, on the football field, and sat down until PE. "I feel like this is just the start of things to come. Our parents asked the same thing. Are you pregnant?" She huffed out a breath. "I feel like wearing a sign that says NO! I'm not pregnant. Is it so hard to believe that we're married because we want to be? We're not total idiots. Drunk idiots, sure, but we're not dummies. And that is the last time I indulge in alcohol."
He would like to say he won't indulge too, but they both know that's probably not happening. Instead, he won't go for the hard stuff anymore. "People judge what they don't know. They don't know us, so they judge us. But we both know you're not preggo with an eggo. One day it'll be nice to have a little you and me, but not now." Definitely one day a little boy will be nice. Pulling her closer to him, he asked again "No one has given you crap about this, have they?"
Twirling a strand of her hair, she said "Not directly." She thought of the hushed talk and withering looks again. "But there's been whispering and looks. No one has asked me anything yet, though. What about you?"
Thinking on it, he answered "Same. People suck. You know? Mind your own business." Then he thought about something else. "This whole school year people have been poking their ugly noses into my personal life. I'm over it. You know? Plus if I hear one more person ask if you're pregnant, I'm going to go punch them. I know it makes you feel bad, but it does me too. It brings back all of my loser insecurities. Am I really that horrible of a guy? It makes me sound like the bad guy."
Oh gosh. She's been so wrapped up in her own annoyance that she failed to realize how this must make him feel too. And yeah, his own insecurities sometimes threaten his peace of mind. He just hides them better. Resting her hand on his leg, she squeezed it. "No, you're not a horrible guy. You're great. It's like you said people judge us because they don't know us. They think we have no clue, I'm pregnant, we're ill-prepared for marriage, we're immature, and so on and so forth and such as." Leaning into him, she continued. "But like you told Ms. March. We're better off than some older married couples. We love each other, have a house and money. We have plans for our future. We're headed on the right road. It's not easy, but is anything really easy? I'd rather be on this road with you than anyone else or alone."
They resolved to not care about the opinions of others, regarding their marriage. This was Friday. On Saturday morning, they received a phone call for dinner with Ava's grandparents. They accepted the invitation to dine with them that night. Sunday they were having their friends over, for a type of house warming party.
Saturday the married couple went throughout their house, room by room. They took note of items they still need. Johnny's mom had called Thursday afternoon and told them to give her a list of what they needed. Ava thanked her repeatedly but didn't want to overload her with too many things.
As they went through each room, Johnny wrote down what Ava said. Their list grew large, but with each item added Ava began thinking about something. She shared with him, "You know this house was totally bare when we moved in. But slowly it's becoming our own. These walls, and boards, and beams are becoming our home of love and dreams."
Leaning on the back of the sofa, in their living room, Johnny agreed with her. "Yeah, it is. We may not own a mansion, because we're not mansion-owning people, but this house is ours. It's a happy place and I already feel the love in it. That's because of you Babe."
"And you," she stated. Then she came over to him and threw her arms around his waist. "Home is where the heart is. Even if we were living in a two-bedroom apartment, that would be my home. Because my heart is with you." She snuggled into his strong arms and laid her head over his heart.
Sometimes he has to catch himself. How did he luck out seeing the love of his life the summer before freshman year, and then wind up marrying her? It blows his mind. Life may not always be fair to him, and it may have given him a few spinning kicks to balls, but Ava is more than he could have ever dreamed of. She's his person. He held her close to him and placed a kiss on the top of her head, where he almost choked on her massive, sexy hair.
The rest of their day was filled with grocery shopping, buying important items for Sunday's "party", and relaxing before going to her grandparent's. Grocery shopping was entertaining, to say the least. Johnny had never been grocery shopping before.
Ava could not believe this. Her eyes blinked and her eyebrows raised sky-high. "Are you serious? You've never been grocery shopping before?" Stunned, she's totally stunned.
Looking at her, he admitted "Yeah I'm serious. My mom has always been the one to shop or our cook, Evelyn. You bought our groceries, yourself, at Sid's beach house and this week. So, yeah. It's my first time in a grocery store. A convenience store is different. Those I've been to." He got a cart and told her "And I'm pushing the cart." It looks like fun, especially if he makes it go fast.
The two of them walked up and down aisles, getting items on Ava's shopping list. When they came to the cookies and chips section, Johnny went a little crazy. He was like a kid in a candy store. Cookies and chips of every kind were thrown into the cart. The same thing happened in the beer section. But then when they got to Ava's aisle, the cleaning supplies, he questioned everything.
"Why are you getting the dish soap in the green bottle? Why not this store brand? It's cheaper," says the guy who wants to buy name-brand chips and cookies. He did the same thing with the laundry detergent and fabric softener. By the time they reached the frozen foods aisle, Ava sent him on a mission to go get hamburger meat and steak. She breathed a huge sigh of relief once he was on his way. Now she could shop in peace, without a million questions.
At the checkout counter, Johnny noticed some woman handing small pieces of paper to the cashier. "Babe, what are those? Why are they making the total go down?"
Looking where he pointed, Ava explained (to her shopping deficient husband) "Those are coupons. They're like money. You use them for specific items and it makes your total decrease."
Johnny grew excited. "Babe, you need to do that. It'll save us money." He then turned to the lady in front of them, checking out, and asked "Excuse me M'am. Where do get those coupon things? My wife needs them." His wife gave him a dirty look for saying that.
The lady was gracious and told him "I clip them out of the Sunday paper each week. There are whole sections of coupons in there." Then she looked at their cart. Then she went through her coupons and handed him coupons for chips, cookies, and laundry detergent.
With a huge smile on his face, he passed Ava the coupons. "Babe, we're going to buy a Sunday paper tomorrow." And that is how Johnny Lawrence became a coupon clipper. Little did Ava know, their whole kitchen table would be taken over by coupons. Nor did she know that in the future, when she needed to buy feminine products, he would tell her "I have a coupon for that." As a math-minded person, it would become a sick game for him of "how much can I save at the store today".
At five they got ready for the family dinner. They needed to look their best. So, Ava, had Johnny choose a nice dressy outfit. He wore a pair of grey pants with a red Henley and a grey tweed blazer with the sleeves zhuzhed up. She settled on a navy pleated skirt with a navy blue and white striped T-shirt. Her cropped denim jacket was on top of it, with her sleeves zhuzhed up too.
When they were both finished, they went to the garage and hopped in his car. On the drive to his wife's grandparent's house, in Bel Air, Johnny couldn't help but feel dread. He can't help but feel like this whole family dinner is going to be bad. In the seat beside him, his wife felt the same way.
Her father's parents are vastly different from her mother's. Her mom's family is laid back and more relaxed. Her daddy's family is not. They're a bit more stuffy and formal. Coming from old money, they were bred with silver spoons in their mouths. Manners, etiquette, and propriety matter more than anything. She loves her grandparents, but they can be so strict. How her father turned out fun she'll never know. However, she caught a glimpse of his parents in him during their marriage conversation Monday night.
Pulling up to the gate, they were buzzed in. The estate gate opened and Johnny drove to the house. Even though he was here at Christmas, somehow it seems much more stately (and a little intimidatingâ- though he'll never admit it out loud) this time. Before they got out, Ava reminded him "Remember, it's Grandpa Jack and Grandma Irene."
With a quick nod, he repeated "Jack and Irene. Got it." With a short peck and a sweep of the bangs (off his forehead) later, they entered the house. The butler, Marvin, ushered them into the family room. Jack and Irene were waiting for the pair. He was sitting in an armchair. Right leg on top of his left knee, wire-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, reading the newspaper. She was sitting in a chair across from him. Blood red lips, red nails, brown hair in a bob, and poised, turning the pages of a book.
As soon as they saw Ava and Johnny enter they stopped what they were doing. "Ava, Darling," Grandma Irene exclaimed. She got up and hugged her granddaughter. Johnny wondered if she were going to hug him too. The answer is no because she bypassed him to go to the bar cart. Once there, she asked "Anyone for a dry martini?"
Looking up from his newspaper, Jack said in his baritone voice "Yes Dear. I'll take one." Looking at Ava and Johnny, he asked "So Johnny tell us about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?"
His heart pounded, as he has to make a good second impression. "Well Sir, I enjoy karateâ-" Ava interrupted him.
Proud of her husband, she stated "Johnny's a black belt. He's won the All Valley tournament twice and he would have won this year too. But he received an illegal kick to the face." She stands by that. That move, while impressive, has to be a forbidden move.
Jack Green did look impressed. So, Johnny went on. "I also play soccer, enjoy math, and love to crank Led Zeppelin up."
With a confused, unimpressed look Jack stated "Crank Led Zeppelin. If that's a drug reference, young man, then it's not very funny." His wife handed him the martini and sat with her own.
While Johnny's eyes grew big with horror, Ava burst out laughing. "Granddad, Led Zeppelin is a rock band. Johnny is not using drugs. I can assure you."
Relief evident on his face, Grandpa Jack relaxed. "Great. In that case, welcome to the family son." He got up and held out his hand to Johnny, who shook it. At that time Marvin came in and announced dinner is ready.
Following Jack and Irene out, Johnny whispered to Ava "Thanks for saving my ass." She pecked his cheek.
The family sat down to a delicious dinner of roast duck, braised asparagus, and roasted potatoes. Over dinner, a talk ensued. Looking at her husband, Irene inquired "So Ava Darling, tell us how you ended up getting married."
Knowing the conversation would eventually turn to this, Ava told her grandparents what she told Ms. March on Friday. They married for love and have been since Christmas, which is true. All her grandparents said was "Mmhmm". She had no idea if that was good or not.
After dinner and dessert (chocolate cake), her grandparents requested to have dinner with them every week. Ava thought this excessive and wanted to know why, especially when they've never desired this before with her own parents.
Her grandmother, a shrewd sort of lady, confided "Since you're not talking to your parents Darling, we just want to keep communication lines open. Your grandfather and I believe dinner once a week will be a great way to do that."
Ava wants to believe her grandmother, but something is telling her to dig deeper. She's shrewd herself. "Grandma, Grandpa, thank you for your invitation. We'll consider it." She saw the muscle in her grandfather's jaw work. "And thank you for accepting Johnny into our family. I'm sure you'll come to love him as much as I do."
Her grandfather rolled his eyes, which he considers being uncouth. Looking at them both, he admonished "Don't be naive Ava. Do you think I love the boy who married my granddaughter, who's not even graduated yet? Do you think I love the accusations thrown at your grandmother as to if you're pregnant or not?"
And there it is. Ava knew they were up to something. There's always more with them than meets the eye. But she's REALLY sick of the whole pregnancy thing. "For the record, I'm not pregnant, nor have I ever been." If she hears that one more time, she may scream.
"Well thank God for that," her grandmother spoke out loud. Then she turned her attention to Johnny. "Young man we love our granddaughter. We love all of our grandchildren, but Ava is special. She has more to do and more to be in life. I don't want that kind of life of her. The kind where she's married young, having a lot of babies with her morals called into question. Do you understand what I'm saying? She's a person of great heart and character."
Staying calm is the foremost thing Johnny needs to do. "I understand perfectly what you're both saying. I don't want Ava to waste her life either. I want her to be successful at whatever she does and whatever she decides to be. I want her to be fulfilled. I don't want to give her the world, I just want her to feel like she's the only one in it. And if I can do those things, then I've done something really good with my life."
Ava grabbed Johnny's hand with her left hand (which was beside him) and wiped her tears with her other one. She noticed her grandmother's tough outer shell began to crack, as she was misty-eyed too.
Grandpa Jack stared them down. "And that is why you will come to dinner every week. We want to make sure the two of you are growing and thriving, not suffering like deadbeats and hippies. Though we are disappointed in the two of you being married and not graduated. We're also not so cold-hearted to not recognize love when we see it. We want to know you're OK, you understand," her grandfather declared. His expression is stern and serious, but also full of concern.
He went on to say, "We have heard all about your financial situation, from your father. That we approve of and applaud you for young man. But like your parents, Ava, we worry about college and we worry about daily living expenses. We've set up several trusts for you both, this week."
His eyes locked with theirs again. "Our agreement is thus. You will come to dinner every Sunday night, henceforth. That will be our weekly check-in time. Upon graduation, you will receive a check of significant value to be used for daily living expenses while in college. Our dinner dates will continue in college. Upon college graduation, you will receive another check of significant value. It will be used for setting yourselves up for employment. We feel this will help you both and maybe ease some burdens you might be feeling. But all of this is void if you do not agree to the dinner dates."
The ball is in their court now. Ava squeezed Johnny's hand. She was going to let him take the lead here. Whatever he decides she'll support.
Johnny locked his own eyes with Jack. "We thank you both for your care and concern. We appreciate all you've gone to the trouble to do for us. Everything you laid out seems reasonable. We accept your offer, but what happens if we need to miss a Sunday dinner? Will everything be voided?"
With a shake of the head no, Jack told him "No. You just simply call and tell us. It's only respectful."
The two men stood up and shook hands, to seal the deal. Then Irene embraced Johnny and Ava both. They all said their goodbyes and made plans to see each other next Sunday evening. As they left the house, Johnny couldn't help but dwell in the land of confusion. What on earth just happened there? Do they love him or hate him or both? While Ava wondered what they just got themselves into, for the next four and half years of their lives. How did it come down to dinner dates?
But at least her grandparents are on their side. And both Johnny and Ava slept a little more peacefully knowing they don't have to worry about money so much. Although Johnny reassured her "We're still clipping coupons."