Chapter 7: A Newer Sister

Next day, mom and we the kids worked all morning to cook a gala dinner in honor of Kate. Mom was nearest to the door when Kate arrived before noon.

She hugged her and she cried when she thanked Kate for saving my life, "Thank you, thank you!"

Kate was so calm and she tried to behave modestly, but she was embarrassed. Becky joined mom in thanking her deed.

My sister curtailed the high emotion, "Thank you for saving my brother's life! We can laugh at Eve and Bret, and I'm happy for your Prom Queen title."

Kate laughed a little, "Bret and Eve sank in their own plan."

Mom entered into the conversation with a surprising statement, "Kate and Ben, I'd like to apologize to you. My son, I saw Kate loved you and I'm very happy your love won despite my jealousy. Thanks God!"

I said, "Mom, I forgive you and I know Kate forgives you."

Kate knew she had to say something, "Mrs. Paulson, I won't steal your son from you. He'll always be your son."

We had a big lunch. During the lunch, we did not talk about the events of the previous evening. After lunch, we sat in the living room and Kate and I told everything from the beginning to the end. Mom and Becky did not object to hear the whole story again. I knew they were not going to get tired of our story. They laughed at my answer to the Principal and Kate's humorous words in the ballroom. The whole night had become an interesting story instead of a nightmare. Kate and I were very good story tellers and we worked side by side to change this potentially terrible event to an interesting story.

The crazy Jimmy Lang came into my mind, he would live behind bars for a long time. I thought about Jimmy's classmate, the tormentor Bret. Jimmy's humiliation from Bret was a large part of his madness. But nobody could get a free pass to do mass massacre for sadness or pain. So Jimmy deserved his bitter fate and the punishment which would be a long time jail sentence. It may be that Kate also saved his life, because the guards or the policemen might have shot him fatally.

After our common storytelling, Kate and Becky went to study together. It did not last too long, because a man and a woman pushed the buzzer. Mom went to the entrance door and she let the visitors, who came from the local TV channel, enter our house. They asked for Kate and me to give an interview about the last evening's events. The woman was a reporter and the man was her cameraman. We knew her because only a woman and a man reporters were at our local TV channel. I interrupted the study session and took Kate and Becky to meet the local TV staff.

They introduced themselves to us and they told us they had interviews with the Sheriff at Jimmy's bed in the Hospital and with the Principal in his house. They praised Kate that she prevented Jimmy's massacre plan, and saved me and the Prom. The reporter woman told us they went to my dad's house and dad told them Kate was with us here. She asked us to agree to a very short interview, which they would put into the Sunday evening local magazine and news program. We agreed.

The cameraman brought a frame with bright lamps and he connected its cable to the electric socket. He prepared the interview at the sofa in the living room. He asked Kate and me to sit on the sofa so we sat next to each other and the reporter sat on a chair. The cameraman sat on another chair under the frame. The reporter woman told us that, because Jimmy's plan did not cause any innocent victims, this was not a national sensation, only a local interesting news item. Therefore, our interview would be as short as the Sheriff's and the Principal's interviews.

First in the interview, the reporter woman congratulated us for the Queen of the Prom and the King of the Prom titles and for our triumph with 95% rate. I told her how happy I was that my girlfriend saved my life. Kate told her she suspected something strange in Jimmy's behavior when he came into the ballroom in a stuffed coat alone. So she drifted from me to Jimmy and she was there in time to stop him from shooting me and others. Kate mentioned she had self-defense knowledge and this helped her to prevent his horrible plan.

The reporter woman and the cameraman stopped the interview and they told us the channel got a copy of the security camera video file and the two videos from our Prom. The first video file was our appearance with the Sheriff and the Principal at the beginning, and the second was the announcement of the results of the best pair competition. They said the three interviews and the three copies of the video files would be in the magazine program at 7:00 pm on the local TV channel. They promised that the local channel would give us a copy of the magazine program. They gathered their gadgets and, after thanking us, left for the local TV channel studio to edit the interviews and the videos for the evening program.

Kate and Becky went back to study and I phoned to my dad that they should watch the local TV channel at 7:00 pm because of our interview. They promised they would watch it. When the common learning session was over, mom prepared a light dinner with homemade cookies and she was very kind to Kate. We went to watch TV in time for the show. They broadcast this at the beginning of the magazine program. They showed the security camera video, then the Prom start, with our long time kiss, and the announcement of our triumph with our later, longer time kiss. Becky and mom were very grateful to Kate to see how she could save my life and they laughed at our humorous behavior on the next two videos.

After these, they broadcast the Principal's interview, where he told what a wise decision it was that he consented to accept the request of Kate's parents. Kate was a private student and she only attended the High School for her examinations, so Kate's parents wanted to ask for him to allow Kate to join the Prom.

Kate turned to us and explained that it was my dad's idea that she should go to the Prom with me.

Becky told Kate and me loudly, "Thanks Dad!"

My mom kept silent and she had tears in her eyes.

Mr. Kaminsky praised the guards who helped Kate quickly with Jimmy. He explained Jimmy's smooth entry entirely. The guard at the reception had got an urgent mobile message from the hospital where his wife began their first childbirth, when Jimmy entered. So he did not notice Jimmy's stuffed coat. He promised two guards would be at the reception of the Prom next year.

Then the Sheriff came on with his interview. Naturally, he praised Kate for preventing the massacre as had Mr. Kaminsky. Mr. Whiteside mentioned he asked for his colleagues to do extra work at the Prom evening, so his colleagues arrested Jimmy quickly.

My mom said a sarcastic comment that when the High School where she taught held the Prom, the local Police did not organize any double work. Kate and Becky laughed at this but I was silent, because Sam Whiteside was one of my best friends. At last, we watched the last interview with us.

At the end of the program, the anchor man and woman had a short discussion that the Police took Jimmy to the state prison hospital from our local hospital, and that minimal self-defense knowledge would be an important advantage for girls and women. Naturally, they praised Kate. Soon, the TV channel began an advertisement, then they broadcast another program. So mom went to her own room, where she had her own TV and PC and she wept quietly.

Kate and I phoned my dad and Natalia. We discussed the TV program and the interviews. The most important was the Principal, the Sheriff and the TV personalities thanked Kate for the deed. We finished the phone conversation.

We, the youth, stayed together in the living room. I sat beside Kate on the sofa and we put an arm around each other. Becky sat facing us. We talked about the TV program and some other things when Becky changed the direction of our conversation.

Becky was straight and she asked Kate, "You're very skillful. Why haven't you started a sport career?"

I supported Becky, "Why not?"

Kate sighed, "My mom's boyfriend was afraid of the media attention, so I only did a few sport activities at the amateur level. Then we came to the States, and I had to get used to the American way of life here."

Becky said enthusiastically, "You're a truly talented girl. You could even begin a lot of sports now."

Kate drew herself, "Becky, I would like to prove myself only in my work and in my family. If I chose for myself a professional sport activity, I'd lose one of my two main aims and I DON'T WANT TO LOSE BEN!" She looked at me to show us I was the most important thing in her whole life.

I understood her totally, "Kate, I love you so much."

Becky said, "You're a wonderful girl. Ben is a true lucky guy with you. I'm happy you're my brother's girlfriend."

I thought myself, "Thank you Eve and Bret!"

Kate and I kissed a lot and Becky smiled at us.

Soon everybody went to their own room, except for Kate who came to my room. We inaugurated my room with good sex and Kate woke up me with early morning sex, then we went to have breakfast after the morning routine. Mom prepared a big breakfast and Kate went home. I took Becky to High School. When we arrived at the school, some school mates were at the gate and they greeted us with broad smiles.