Quagmire: Day 7

Word Count: 42,035

Summary of Events:

Jesse and his mother ended up getting in an argument over her overprotectiveness of Georgia among other things before Jesse finally got frustrated and left. He went to meet with the gangster Three-Finger, but found instructions left that took him to a speakeasy where he met another gangster he'd met when he'd gone to the gangsters' house; after he'd done what he needed to do he stayed for a few drinks and chatted with the gangster about the reasons he wasn't really interested in having a tryst, as well as confessing that he lied about his age to join the army . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

""Lying about one's age to serve one's country is a nobler pursuit than lying about one's activities with those of the opposing gender," Jesse replied. "Besides, if the former comes back to bite you you're not around to see the aftermath."

"What do you mean by that?" Robbie asked.

"In war there's the likelihood that you get killed," Jesse replied. "Getting killed prevents you from seeing what happens when everyone finds out you lied about your age to join the army. In trysts there's the likelihood that you contract VD, you are thus forced to see what happens when everyone finds out you engaged in a tryst. And it's even worse when pregnancy occurs."

"Why?" Robbie asked.

"You're liable to have an infant deposited on your doorstep," Jesse replied.

"What decent mother would drop her child off on the father's doorstep?" Robbie asked.

"My grandmother," Jesse replied.

"What!?" Robbie exclaimed, his eyebrows shooting up.

"My grandfather was a manservant of Irish blood who ended up engaging in a tryst with a young English noblewoman," Jesse replied. "She conceived, carried my father to term, gave birth to him, and sent him to my grandfather, who gave him to my great grandparents to raise until my great uncle and aunt took him in to raise as one of their own."

"And then he met and married your mother?" Robbie asked.

"And they had two of my sisters before coming here, wandering around trying a variety of fruitless agricultural enterprises before eventually landing at Goose Island — where me and my next youngest sister were born — and he discovered his knack for construction," Jesse replied. "He worked in the business until the war broke out. He then jumped to Canada because they were getting involved right away and he wanted to protect England and Ireland from the Germans and was killed in combat four years ago come summer."

"Hm," Robbie said.

"Sired a dozen children of his own," Jesse said. "But all with one woman."

"You're one of a dozen?" Robbie asked.

"Sixth," Jesse replied.

"Wow," Robbie said.

"Oldest is thirty two, youngest is six," Jesse added.

"Are you serious?" Robbie asked.

"Do I look like I'm lying?" Jesse asked.

"No," Robbie replied.

"Then I must be serious," Jesse said.

"And you're the oldest boy?" Robbie asked.

"No, I had an older brother," Jesse replied. He opened his mouth to say more, but caught himself.

As much as there was a possibility that Robbie may've heard of Obed, to tell Robbie Obed's name would cause Robbie to know that he wasn't this Mooner — as he was sure the nickname was related to the real name — that he was mistaken to be.

Of course, how many people in the world were named Obed? Aside from his brother Jesse only knew of one, and he'd lived millennia ago, and was the reason why his brother had been named Obed."