Living It Up

By Jo Ann Jennings

Life is not promised to be perfect as we will find out in Living It Up. Tori Spellman had it all yet wanted more. But her more turned out to be the wrong choice for her. Her family and friends never gave up on Tori, but in the end, her family and friends will always look back and see her sacrifice, her hope, her desire, her suffering, and the end of her destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546212300

Jo Ann Jennings

Jo Ann Jennings grew up in Chicago, mother to three girls, grandmother to three girls and three boys, great-grandmother to two girls and one boy. Family means a lot to me. I thank God for letting me live to see my great-grands. My hobbies are reading, writing and going on walks. I love the beach and climbing Stone Mountain. Always ready to do God’s work.

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2017 Jo Ann Jennings. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/05/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1231-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1229-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1230-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017915472

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

W hen the school bus picked seventeen year old Tori Spellman up for school that morning at six thirty, she knew it wasn’t going to be a good day. The feeling she was having when she woke kept telling her to stay home. The dizziness the nausea the pain in her back the swollen feet the dry mouth the cold sweat, all these symptoms she ignored. When the bus pulled into the high school she couldn’t hold it any longer. Now everyone is going to know Tori thought, why did I have to get sick on the bus? The boys were concerned, but she heard the whispers from the girl’s and knew that they knew, it was no way to fool them. Even though Tori still wore her same clothes and kept her hourglass figure she knew it would not be long before she wouldn’t be able to get into her fashionable name brand cloth’s she loved so much. When the bus stopped in front of the high school? The bus driver asked Tori if she needed a nurse. Even though Tori liked the nurse at their school she wasn’t ready for anyone to know yet. Tori said no, trying to be brave with her head down and her knees weak hoping she wouldn’t faint.

Tori let everyone get off the bus first disobeying the rules that Ms. Jo had set at the beginning of school year teaching the boys to be gentleman and get off last. She was pretending to get all her books together, fasten her jacket and put on lip gloss, being careful not to make eye contact with her driver Ms. Jo. With her head still down Tori walked to the front of the bus and told Ms. Jo she had gotten most of it up. No problem Ms. Jo told her, I’ll take care of it. Ms. Jo was the best driver Tori had out of all the twelve years she’d been riding the Cook County Public School bus. Letting kid’s sit where they wanted and helping you with homework questions on the way to school when you didn’t understand. One very cold morning they arrived at school five minutes early, Ms. Jo pulled out doughnuts and hot chocolate in a thermos, then passed out paper cups to everyone. All the kid’s on Tori’s bus also agreed that she was the best bus driver they ever had. She made the boys stay seated until all the girls were off the bus first, then they would get up and exit the bus, none of the boys mind doing this and their parents thought this was a good thing she was doing. Tori got off the bus with her head. As she walked into the school she wondered if Ms. Jo had figured out her secrete but like Ms. Jo she didn’t say anything. Tori thought she was waiting for her to speak up first. Tori was just hoping to finish this last year of school wishing it was May, but it was only October the second month of school.

Dominique kept asking Tori when she was going to tell her mom and stepdad but Tori kept telling him the same story, when the time is right actually she wanted to wait till she started showing just to give herself more time. The truth was she wasn’t scared of what her mom would say but how her stepdad would feel, she was his little girl. He married Tori’s mom when she was only three and her brother Ronald was five. Tori’s mom told her that he took them from rags to riches. They had the biggest house on the block with a guest house in back that’s bigger than everyone else regular house.

Her stepdad Eugene owned Capable Hands Insurance Company which employees about two hundred. The Company belonged to his grandfather, then his dad, now it was his. Eugene has a son from his first marriage Kenny who was older than Ronald and Tori and doesn’t want any part of the insurance company. Kenny says all the people there are all stuck up with their three piece suits and fifty dollar ties. He said he’d rather work with his hands and ware comfortable clothes. Eugene asked Ronald if he would like to come work with him after he graduated from high school but Ronald said no he wanted to go to Harvard and studying Physiology saying he wants to get into people’s head. So that leaves Tori. She didn’t want to run it either but she would do it because she didn’t want to hurt her stepdad’s feelings. Her mom Cindy said all Tori had to do was give him one of them prize winning smiles and he would do anything for her. Tori didn’t remember her real dad Ronald, he died when she was only three years old.

Ronald and Tori’s mom Cindy met their dad when she was in college, he was in her trigonometry class. Cindy would always raise her hand in class and ask questions on things she didn’t understand. So one day after class, Ronald told her to come to the tutoring class on Saturday morning in the computer center and they could help her with all her questions. Cindy thanked Ronald and that next morning Cindy woke early, took her shower, dressed, threw her book bag over her shoulder and grabbed an apple out the fruit bowl on her way out the back door. She drove to the college hoping a lot of people wouldn’t show. She parked her car and as she was running to the building she heard a car horn behind her, when she looked back she saw Ronald pulling into the parking lot. Cindy sat next to him with her trigonometry book open and he smiled at her. He leaned over and whispered you can ask them anything you want here and they will answer all your questions and go over it with you until you get it, I love coming here.

For the next two years Cindy took his advice and they would meet for tutoring every Saturday mornings then go to lunch before they went home. During summer and winter break the two still talked on the phone every morning and night. They loved hanging out with each other, during these times they would find small jobs to help their parents out with college tuition. They even took some of the same classes to share books to save their parents money. In Cindy’s third year of college she found out she was pregnant. So what do we do now Ronald asked? You asking me Cindy asked? I don’t know nothing about raising a kid. I think we should tell someone Ronald said. Who do we tell? I think we should tell our parents first Ronald said. Will you come with me Cindy asked? Yes I will Ronald said. I think Saturday would be a good day Cindy told him. The following Saturday as Ronald drove to the Spellman’s house his hands were sweating and he was hoping Cindy would do all the talking. When he reached their house and pulled into the driveway, he sat in the car ten minutes before getting out. When he lifted his finger to ring the bell Cindy opened the door. They’re in the back yard she told him. Cindy held Ronald’s arm as they stepped out the patio door into the back yard. Hello Ronald Cindy’s father said, I didn’t know you were here. Cindy still holding onto Ronald told her parents Ronald and I are having a baby the next five seconds felt like an eternity. No one said a word. I’m sorry to disappoint you Cindy said then started to cry. Ronald held on to her tightly. Have you been to a doctor her mom asked? No Cindy told her I just know. I will make an appointment for you one day next week and we will go from there. Cindy turned to go back inside still holding onto Ronald. Should we go tell your parents now she asked him? I told them this morning he told her. Were they upset she asked? No not really. The following Wednesday Cindy’s mom took her to her doctor and It was confirmed that Cindy was eleven weeks pregnant. Do you love him her mom asked on the drive home? Yes we love each other very much she told her. You know one of you would have to get a job to support this child. That evening she called Ronald and told him it was official she was eleven weeks alone. Let’s get married Ronald said. What? I love you and you love me so what’s stopping us he asked? I can go to school part time and work full time, people do it all the time. When Cindy didn’t respond Ronald said are you crying? these are happy tears she told him. Well are you going to answer me? Yes, Yes, you know I will marry you. One month later they were married and Ronald’s parents paid all the expense. Cindy and Ronald moved in with Cindy’s grandmother, the same house her mom grew up in. Ronald still worked full time and went to school in the evenings after work. The only time Cindy saw her husband was when he came home every night at 10:00 from school and on Sundays when he didn’t have work or school. Cindy was in school full time until her ninth month when the doctor told her to slow down. Two days after she left school Ronald Jr. made his appearance into the world. They all dolted over him, he was a happy baby, as long as Cindy was holding him. Ronald Jr. demanded all Cindy’s attention, she had to hold him while she cooked and when she vacuumed. She couldn’t take a shower unless Ronald or her grandma was home. She could only take bathes with him sitting in his baby chair beside the tub watching her. Cindy told her grandmother she would go back to finish college one day, but the baby demanded all of her time. Cindy’s grandma suggested she go back and finish her last year and she would watch the baby. Cindy took her grandmother up on the offer and went back to complete her last year of college. After Cindy graduated she noticed her grandmother going downhill fast. She spent the next year taking care of her until she passed away and Cindy fainted at the funeral, she was rushed to the hospital only to find out she was pregnant again. Ronald was thrilled and he took his wife and Ronald Jr. out for dinner to celebrate. I hope it’s a girl this time her husband said no I want a brother two year old Ronald Jr. said standing in the chair, everyone in the restaurant heard him and laughed. Nine months later Tori was born and her big brother Ronald fell in love with his little sister, always wanting to hold her and feed her even running to bringing his mom a diaper for his sister when she asked him to.

Ronald got a job with a major construction company with his brilliant math skills they had him drawing up blue prints, you just tell him what you want and Ronald could draw it up. The company paid well and they were able to fix everything that needed fixing on the old house, even remodeling the kitchen and bath. The company was given a thirteen million dollar contract to build an entire subdivision which would have forty five homes. On the third home Ronald was called over to straighten out some confusion with measurements on the stairs, according to his blue print drawing there were to be fourteen stairs but when the builder’s started to build the stairs they could only fit thirteen. Ronald was called to the sight and went up on the second level to show them how the top step would curve in a two degree angle to make the fourteenth stair. Ronald took a wrong turn falling to the lower landing having a heart attack on his way down.

Cindy kept a picture of him on her night stand in her room next to the bed. Tori had his eyes and Ronald had his smile. He was a handsome man and from the picture Tori saw he was tall and towered over her mom even with her hills on. Cindy would always catch Tori in her room looking at the picture that’s when she started telling her that’s daddy and Tori would kiss the picture and say hi daddy. Ronald never looked at the picture he was mad at his dad for dying and leaving them. But being only five he was too young to understand. Cindy didn’t take them to their father’s funeral because she wanted them to always remember him like the last time they saw him.

When Eugene came into their lives Ronald wasn’t angry any more he instantly fell in love with Eugene and Eugene fell in love with them. He had Kenny every weekend and every summer, when he married Cindy all three kids got alone great. Tori wanted all Eugene’s time from the time he came home from the insurance company Tori stuck by his side. She was the first to call him daddy then Ronald finally came around. Tori didn’t want her mom to tuck her in at night any more she always wanted Eugene