Rescued and Rejuved (private)

[JodyJames]

John Jones shook Tommy's hand and then gave Hanna a business card. "Here just in case I forget give me a call in a week."

Tommy smiled at his mother when praised. "Uh huh, because you told me that's how to say hello, Mommy. Remember we did that. Mommy, are we going to get ice cream, too?" he asked as Mr. Jones and his two kids left with the dog. He'd had some just before lunch, but then there was never too much ice cream for a six year old. This was a new treat he'd discovered.

[cyrusdamodred]

"Yes, thank you I will surely call you back." Hanna said smiling brightly. When she ended up on this world with a dying Husband she forgot almost that there were also others around she could turn to. Dealing with the difficulties to finally get Tommy also had taught her a most valuable lesson.

When Tommy asked her about Icecream she sat him to the ground again and nodded. "Sure, there is nothing wrong with that but for today its the last then. You already had one." Hanna offered him her hand, just to be sure nothing funny would happen and tend to follow Mr. Jones to the icecream seller.

Then she had an Idea how to repay his kind offer. "If you ever need some time for yourself, feel free to ask if I could mind your kids. Seems Tommy gets along well with them and I would be happy to help you out for your kindness."

When they came to the stand she held Tommys Hand close to her, waiting until the other kids had their share before she went there with him. "So Tommy...look at what flavors they have and tell the man what you want. You can get up to three but no more please."

[JodyJames]

John told Hanna. "That would be fine. Perhaps they can have a play date. I won't let my children play with pennies, but a Medicalos, like Tommy, is fine." There had been some discussion about Tommy's status as a rejuve. Some had argued for a soft-time penny rejuve due to his violent reactions, but in the end they'd settle for a medical rejuve due to the extenuating circumstances.

While the parents talked, Julian and Justin quickly picked their ice creams. Tommy, however, wasn't sure. He wasn't aware that ice cream came in flavors. He'd only had vanilla at the orphanage, and Hanna had served him an ice cream bar with vanilla coated in chocolate. And he didn't know that the name of the flavor was vanilla. Tommy could read a few of the labels -- at least guessing like chocolate and peach, but he was pretty sure the latter was a fruit.

Another group had arrived and the kids were anxiously awaiting their turn. "Come on, pick one." they urged they urged. Tommy recalled he'd been told ice cream was made with milk and milk was white so he said, "I'll take milk flavor."

The man serving the ice cream laughed. "They're all made with milk, kid." The other kids laughed when the man did. That was something Tommy couldn't stand. The kids at the orphanage had laughed at him because he was different. He whirled around. "Shut up!" he yelled at the kids, his fists clenched in front of him.

[cyrusdamodred]

It took Hanna some time to realize that tommy had troubles picking what he wanted. She was so concentrated on her talk with John and his agreeance for a play date or her minding his kids that she simply forgot to look after him. When then the laughter and his shouting happened she quickly turned around and tried to stand in front of tommy. "Now now...laughing at others isn't nice...you should all be ashamed of yourself. How rude!" she said stern looking each kid one after another in the eye to stop their laughing.

Hanna then turned around to tommy and bend down to him laying her hands on his shoulders. "Please settle down honey. I know they are mean but they don't really mean it. They don't know you darling or what you have been through. Fighting them isn't going to end this...it will just become worse. I told you come to me and I help you...there is no need to do this all by yourself. Now calm down and I help you to pick your icecream, okay?" she tried her best to cool Tommy off unsure if she would have any success.

[JodyJames]

The kids quieted down pretty quickly when an adult intervened. Tommy also relaxed as first his mother and then John stepped in between. John stood there as Hanna helped, Tommy. His fists unclenched and his posture relaxed. He started to speak to his mother then decided to whisper to her so no one wold laugh. "I don't know what the flavors are. Can I just get the white kind that looks like just milk?" He pointed to a container with vanilla. "The V one."

He looked at his two new friends, and added, "I never had an upside down cone before. Are they good?" He coincidentally used the correct word to describe the holder of the ice cream as SAM had taught him geometric shapes including the cone.

[cyrusdamodred]

"Give him please a mixed Cone of 3 scoops." Hanna told the seller and the man nodded shrugging his his shoulders. "I didn't know, sorry. If you don't know them then you can try some new. There are so many different ones. Just tell the seller next time to give you a mixed cone." she explained to him and crawled through his hair.

When the kids were asked they thought for a second and then nodded. "M-hmm...theire Yummy!" a young girl told him "Some even have chocolate down here!" she pointed on the copped end and sounded as if she especially enjoyed that. It seemed that due to the adults interfering the laughing had stopped and they could talk like before again.

[JodyJames]

Tommy got a cone with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry -- for some reason the apparent the traditional three flavors. He experimentally licked eat scoop. I like the white kind, vanilla, and the pink kind. I don't like the brownish one so much."

Justin looked at him with surprise. Chocolate was his favorite flavor. "Chocolate's the best, Tommy. I'll eat that one for you."

His father laughed at this. "Justin, I think your cone will be quite enough for you. I don't think Mommy wold like it if I let you have extra and you didn't finish your dinner." Justin pouted and bit but didn't answer back.

The kids wandered off a bit licking their ice cream cones. John talked to Hanna, "Hanna don't take this as criticism, but Tommy will be going to rejuve school when he starts in the fall. Most of the others there will be pennies, and the teachers will have to expect high standards. Even though Tommy is an M rejuve, I think you'll need to cure him of saying 'shut up' and getting angry and clenching his fists. It's likely to lead to trouble for him.

The adults continued to chat for a while as the kids finished their ice cream. When Tommy was down to just his chocolate scoop, Justin convinced him to give him the cone which he did.

[cyrusdamodred]

Hanna sighed knowing perfectly well that Fall wasn't too far away and how he would be treated in that school. She would have loved to be able to keep Tommy completely under her care but given his state he needed to get to other kids to learn how to behave. "I know...but its hard. I'll try to teach him every little step a time and in this one day he actually accepted me and learned quite a lot. I thought maybe if he could stay with your kids some more he would learn how to behave more naturally...and if not I would be able to teach it to him in the traditional way." She didn't take it as critique...just a good advice, nothing more. Hanna was glad to have found such a thoughtful and valuable friend and was determined to keep him as such.

While talking with john she watched the kids moving around and enjoying their ice cream. Due to Justins interference she now knew John had a wife and she didn't have to worry about him flirting with her. The death of her husband was still very fresh and she would need still some time to get over that issue.

"What would you try to make Tommy understand, John?" she asked finally hoping the man might have an Idea different from her own.

[JodyJames]

"Well like most of the families here, my wife and are are tradionalists. (In rejuve terms that means the practice corporal punishment.) I assume by 'traditional' methods that's what you meant. It does have the advantage that it can be quick and there's not a lot of time until the school year starts.

"Of course, he is or at least was 16 so he might understand if you told him that it would be likely to get into trouble. On the other hand, my friends who have teenagers say they can be quite stubborn about listening to their parents. I'm really not sure how Tommy would react. So ....

"Just a second please. Justin come over here."

His son looked over at him and started slowly. Passing by a trash can he tossed the end of his cone in there on the way. "Yes, Daddy?" Justin said when he arrived.

"Justin what did I say about the ice cream?"

"But, Daddy, Tommy didn't like chocolate. It was going to go to waste. You just said you thought I'd have enough with mine."

"Justin you knew exactly what I mean. You were not to finish Tommy's ice cream, didn't you? You've earned yourself a good spanking, Young Man."

"But, Daddy, Mommy said bit ti waste fiid."

"Justin, you deliberately disobeyed me . You are going to get a spanking. If you keep arguing about it, I can take your pants down right here. Is that what you want?" Justin shook his head no with both hands covering his bottom. "Then go get your sister and tell her we're going home." Justin ran off to get Julian.

John turned to Hanna with a weak smile. "As I was saying, my wife and I are tradionalists."

[cyrusdamodred]

Hanna smiled at the scene relieved. If Tommy would have been different she might also had it that fast on him. "Seems you got them good under control...I had first to teach Tommy how this exactly works. He only knows the basics so I don't feel too well dealing with him too rough. Maybe in another one or two days."

"Those guys from the institute told me I should whack him around for nothing 3-4 times a day at first." In these times one could never be sure if a family actually used those methods or not while being opposed to it. She was actually kind of glad that when she might have to mind the kids could treat them like she was used to.

"Its okay. I too think nothing works better than a sore bottom to teach kids the one or other thing. I had my share of that too when I was young and I think it worked." She had to admit a bit embarrassed. It was obviously clear that the one time had left a very good impression on Tommy but once was enough for the day. They could still learn further things tomorrow.

She walked a while further with John talking about how difficult it was to actually get through to Tommy and how she enjoyed him calling her Mommy in the end. Hanna also had a keen eye always on her little boy in order to jump to the rescue if anything would happen.