#Bennie Thompson

[justinspoliticalcorner]

John Bowden at The Independent:

Donald Trump told NBC in a wide-ranging interview that he believes all members of the January 6 committee should be thrown in jail – though he stopped short of outright threatening to use the Justice Department to do so. “Honestly, they should go to jail,” he told Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker in an interview about his “day one” plans, airing Sunday. When asked about Liz Cheney – who was a GOP lawmaker, served as vice chair of the committee and who campaigned with Kamala Harris in the 2024 race – Trump said “everybody” on the panel should be jailed “for what they did.” Despite this, Trump insisted he would not direct his FBI director pick Kash Patel or attorney general pick Pam Bondi to pursue the committee members or any other political enemies of his. “I want her to do what she wants to do. I’m not going to instruct her to do it,” he said of Bondi. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he added, when asked if he would seek to prosecution Biden family members, including President Joe Biden. “I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success.”

[...] And while he did not follow through with his explicit threat to jail Hillary Clinton following his 2016 election victory, his new focus on installing loyalists at top agencies including the FBI and Justice Department have led many to wonder if the threats are real this time. Despite losing his 2020 reelection bid to Joe Biden, Trump maintained (and still maintains) that he was the rightful winner. His fact-free claims of widespread fraud were weaponized to instigate a mob attack against the US Capitol on January 6 2021, as throngs of his supporters attempted to stop Congress from certifying the transfer of power. Trump went on to be prosecuted for those actions in a now-defunct investigation ended by the Justice Department after his 2024 election victory, as well as by Congress in the form of the bipartisan committee to investigate January 6. Members of the committee compiled countless hours of video evidence and testimony which painted a horrifying scene of the violence that played out during the attack as well as the depth of knowledge Trump and his team had to predict that the attack would occur.

Speaking to Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday, un-American traitor Donald Trump called for the arrests and jailings of all members of the House Select Committee on the Capitol Insurrection.

From the 12.08.2024 edition of NBC's Meet The Press:

[dicapiito]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

J D Crowe, Mobile Press-Register

* * * *

Kevin McCarthy’s treachery.

         Axios reported on Monday about a new scandal involving Kevin McCarthy and Tucker Carlson that will reverberate for months—a near eternity in political dog-years. McCarthy has granted private access to Tucker Carlson’s producers to more than 1,400 hours of surveillance video from inside the Capitol on January 6th. See Axios, Exclusive: Kevin McCarthy gives Tucker Carlson access to massive trove of Jan. 6 riot tape.

I urge you to read the entire relatively brief article in Axios to learn the details. Tucker Carlson claims that the January 6th insurrection was “mere vandalism” and will comb through the videotapes to find footage of insurrectionists who happened to walking from one portion of the crime scene to another—making it appear that they were tourists who had lost their way.

         McCarthy’s action is stupefying. He has granted access to non-public materials to a propagandist who has continuously misrepresented the facts about the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection. More importantly, the materials to which Carlson has been granted exclusive access do not belong to Kevin McCarthy, to Fox News, to the GOP, or to Tucker Carlson. They belong to the American people. If full transparency is appropriate, then it is appropriate for all news organizations and the American public, not merely to a politically motivated hack like Tucker Carlson.

         But the full set of videotapes should NOT be released! They show, among other things, the movement of the Vice President, Speaker Pelosi, and House and Senate leaders. If those tapes are released, all members of Congress will be less safe during the next emergency.

         What could Kevin McCarthy have been thinking? Did he make a deal with Tucker Carlson to gain the on-air personality’s assistance in securing votes for McCarthy's Speakership bid? It makes absolutely no sense and is a gross violation of congressional ethics and the constitutional office occupied by McCarthy. The co-Chair of the January 6th Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, called out McCarthy’s actions. See The Hill, Bennie Thompson rips McCarthy for giving Tucker Carlson Jan. 6 footage.

         Per Bennie Thompson,

If Speaker McCarthy has indeed granted Tucker Carlson — a Fox host who routinely spreads misinformation and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s poisonous propaganda — and his producers access to this sensitive footage, he owes the American people an explanation of why he has done so and what steps he has taken to address the significant security concerns at stake.

         This is a breach of ethics and trust of epic proportions—and should be treated as such by the media and American citizens. Do your part. Don’t let this travesty fly under the radar. Speak up!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[prcg]

Principales demócratas amenazan con no certificar una victoria electoral de Trump

A pesar de menospreciar continuamente a cualquiera que cuestione los resultados de las elecciones, el representante Jamie Raskin y algunos de sus colegas le dijeron a Axios que no pueden decir con certeza si certificarán los resultados si el expresidente Donald Trump gana las elecciones de 2024. Raskin dijo axios en una entrevista que “obviamente aceptaría” los resultados de las elecciones si…

[reasoningdaily]

Biden to travel to Mississippi in wake of deadly storms

Alex Gangitano

People sit in front of a damaged home on Saturday, March 25, 2023 in Silver City, Miss. (AP Photo/Michael Goldberg)

President Biden will travel to Rolling Fork, Miss., on Friday to survey the damage from the massive and deadly storms that tore through the state over the weekend.

First lady Jill Biden will also join the president on the trip. They will assess recovery efforts and “reaffirm their commitment to supporting the people of Mississippi as long as it takes,” the White House announced on Wednesday. 

The Bidens also plan to meet with first responders, state and local officials, and communities impacted by the storms.

The president on Sunday declared an emergency to aid recovery and clean-up efforts in Mississippi, making federal funds available for a number of counties that were ravaged in the state. Multiple tornadoes ripped through Mississippi on Friday, with one of the more devastating ones striking 60 miles northeast of Jackson.

Biden on Saturday called Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) and lawmakers from the state, including Republican Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson.

On those calls, the president expressed his condolences for the lives lost and the damage resulting from the tornadoes and asked how he can be most supportive.

The president typically visits sites of natural disasters and other incidents to survey damage and meet with first responders, local leaders and those impacted.

He faced backlash last month for not visiting Ohio in the wake of the train derailment in East Palestine. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan went on behalf of the administration. Manwhile, former President Trump also visited the site.

[gordoncstewart]

C'mon now! We can do better!

“…The world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around…. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.”THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Memphis, TN, April 4, 1969 The world was messed up on April 4, 1969, the night the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr spoke these words in his last speech. America was sick. It was…

[homerjacksons]

Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton BRIDGERTON 1.05

[ryebecca]

"He wasn’t certain how this woman had come to mean so much to him. It seemed that one day she was a stranger, and the next she was as indispensable as air. And yet it hadn’t happened in a blinding flash. It had been a slow, sneaky process, quietly coloring his emotions until he realized that without her, his life lacked all meaning." 🐝 ✨ - An Offer From a Gentleman, Julia Quinn

[psycheetamore]

A celebration of Austin Butler's arms - I will keep reposting this blog with new photo's and gifs in the comments to create the best gifset of all times

The people have spoken: Austin Feyd's arms are best. But his other arms are also utterly delicious

[msfangirlgonewild]

Poor Benny, how many drinks you have?

Poor John, trying to be bold

Colin and Will, they regret nothing 😂

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Allison Janokwski at DNC:

5:30 PM

Call to Order Alex Hornbrook Executive Director of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee Gavel In The Honorable Cory Booker United States Senator, New Jersey Invocation Sri Rakesh Bhatt Sri Siva Vishnu Temple Bishop Leah D. Daughtry The House of the Lord Churches Pledge of Allegiance Students from Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School from St. Paul, MN National Anthem Jess Davis Presentation of Honorary Resolutions The Honorable Jaime Harrison Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Joined by Vice Chairs The Honorable Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ken Martin, Henry R. Muñoz III, Treasurer Virginia McGregor, and Finance Chair Chris Korge. Remarks Mini Timmaraju President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All Remarks Alexis McGill Johnson President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Remarks Cecile Richards Reproductive Rights Champion Remarks Kelley Robinson President of the Human Rights Campaign Remarks Jessica Mackler President of EMILYs List Remarks María Teresa Kumar Founding President and CEO of Voto Latino Remarks The Honorable Tom Suozzi Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New York

6:00 PM

Welcome Remarks The Honorable Cory Booker United States Senator, New Jersey Joint Remarks The Honorable Aftab Pureval Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio The Honorable Cavalier Johnson Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Joint Remarks Rashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch Lead pipe removal advocates Remarks The Honorable Lisa Blunt Rochester Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Delaware Remarks The Honorable Grace Meng Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New York Remarks: “Project 2025—Chapter Three: Freedoms” The Honorable Jared Polis Governor of Colorado Remarks The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Remarks The Honorable Suzan DelBene Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Remarks The Honorable Keith Ellison Attorney General of Minnesota Remarks The Honorable Dana Nessel Attorney General of Michigan Joint Remarks Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin Performance Maren Morris American singer-songwriter

7:00 PM

Remarks The Honorable Veronica Escobar Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Remarks The Honorable Chris Murphy United States Senator, Connecticut Remarks The Honorable Javier Salazar Sheriff of Bexar County, Texas Remarks The Honorable Pete Aguilar Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Influencer Remarks Carlos Eduardo Espina Content creator Remarks Olivia Troye Former Trump administration national security official Remarks The Honorable Geoff Duncan Former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Remarks The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mississippi Remarks Sergeant Aquilino Gonell Retired United States Capitol Police Officer Remarks The Honorable Andy Kim Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New Jersey Influencer Remarks Olivia Julianna Content creator Performance Stevie Wonder American singer-songwriter and musician Remarks Kenan Thompson and Guests on Project 2025 American comedian and actor

8:00 PM

Host Introduction Mindy Kaling Remarks The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Remarks The Honorable Bill Clinton 42nd President of the United States Remarks The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Remarks The Honorable Josh Shapiro Governor of Pennsylvania Remarks Alexander Hudlin Jasper Emhoff Arden Emhoff Remarks The Honorable Catherine Cortez Masto United States Senator, Nevada

9:00 PM

Performance Amanda Gorman National Youth Poet Laureate Remarks The Honorable Wes Moore Governor of Maryland Remarks The Honorable Pete Buttigieg Performance John Legend American singer-songwriter Sheila E. American singer and drummer Remarks The Honorable Amy Klobuchar United States Senator, Minnesota Remarks Benjamin C. Ingman Former student of Governor Walz Remarks The Honorable Tim Walz Governor of Minnesota Benediction William Emmanuel Hall Lead Pastor of St. James Church in Chicago

Apologies for the delay of night 3’s release of the DNC Speaker schedule.

The main speaker of tonight is Minnesota Governor and Kamala Harris VP pick Tim Walz.

Other notable Speakers: Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Geoff Duncan, Andy Kim, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Josh Shapiro, and Pete Buttigieg.

Grace Meng and Debbie Wasserman Schultz were initially set to speak on Monday, but got moved to tonight.

Performers: Maren Morris, John Legend, Amanda Gorman (poem), Stevie Wonder

[runn0ft]

Made these absolutely shit BE/Barbie things on my phone and never posted them, so I guess I will now. Pt. 1 | Pt. 2

[janetsnakehole02]

BENOPHIE NATION!!! THIS!!! IS!!! OUR!!! TIME!!!

the easter eggs could not be easter egging more clearly ohhh man it’s finally our time i CANNOT WAIT 😭😭😭

[thepopoptic]

FANI WILLIS CONFESSES!

[winniemaywebber]

It's Been A Long, Long Time: Lover, Come Back

Harry Crosby x Jean Crosby

There's a surprise waiting in the mail for Jean Crosby - the news of her husband returning home a four week furlough. How ever much happiness this brings her, she must contend with the sadness of her best friend and roommate, Jo, who is facing the harsh realities of her own sweetheart, Rosie, reupping rather than returning home to her.

A warm evening breeze sweeps past Jean and Josephine as they begin the short walk home from the bus stop. It was finally Friday, the two girls looking forward to a couple days of rest over the weekend. They liked to keep one weekend a month free of any plans, where they could just laze about the house in their pajamas and rejuvenate before entering the workforce reality again on Monday morning - this weekend, the final one of June, was the one they’d chosen for the month, both of them greatly looking forward to it.

As they approach the brown brick house in the middle of a neat cul-de-sac, Jean spots the flag at mast on the mailbox. “Get the mail, doll,” she smirks, knowing Jo was practically chomping at the bit for the next letter from her love. Robert Rosenthal had just re-upped, separating the couple for much longer than Jo had initially envisioned, the subject always covered with disdain and sharp words whenever it was brought up. Jean knew by now to avoid it unless Jo herself sounded off about it.

With a heavy sigh, she silently hands the stack of mail to her companion after quickly rifling through it, hoping to spot that familiar scrawled penmanship on an envelope. “Not today,” Jo says through subtly gritted teeth, holding her hand out for the keys and unlocking the door before throwing her purse on to the telephone table. “It’s been two weeks, what on Earth could he be doing? Do you think the letter simply got lost?”

“No, dear,” she sighs. “You know mail has been a little slow lately, maybe it’s just taking its time to get here from England.”

“You don’t think…” she gulps, pausing with the fear that grips her throat, “you don’t think he’s the one that is lost, do you?”

“Goodness, Jo, darling,” Jean comforts, wrapping her arm around her friend’s heaving shoulders as she sits down on one of the dining chairs. “Sweetheart, you know Binger would contact us at the first sign of any trouble like that, hm?”

“I guess,” Jo shrugs. “Get it over with then. What do you have?”

Jean flips through the envelopes, spotting the only other handwriting that’s familiar to her. Jo sees it too, her eyes widening with fear as they fill with tears.

“Now, doll,” Jean says, trying her best to keep a calm voice. “I’m sure it’s just him writing to me to tell me the goings on on base. Breathe, Josephine.”

“Mhm,” she nods, her brow furrowed with the effort of speaking through a closed throat. Jean tears the letter from its envelope and begins to read.

“Mrs Crosby,

I’ll be on my way home to you next week. I’ll be with you for four weeks and I can hardly wait.

See you in New York.

Binger.”

Jean’s mouth drops open, trying to formulate words that won’t come out.

“Well?” Jo urges, eyes darting across her friend’s face to gauge any emotion. “What is it?!”

“He’s–he’s…”

“Spit it out, Mrs Croz.”

“He’s coming home!” Jean squeals, the information finally sinking in and causing her to emphatically jump up and down, her heels clacking on the kitchen floor. It’s when she stops to smile at Jo that she sees her face fall, hand on her chest to steady the ragged breaths she’s pushing from her body. “Jo? Oh, darling. Come here.”

“Should be me hugging you, not the other way around,” she sobs, dampening Jean’s dress. She gulps and sniffs, Jean pulling a chair from the head of the table to sit next to her. “I’m sorry, I really am happy for you, it’s just–”

“I wasn’t being fair,” she says with a shake of her head. “Being that excited wasn’t right of me.”

“No! You should be excited; you’re about to see your husband after two years. It’s just…I don’t know, Jean. I’m so…”

“Angry?”

“Yes!” she blurts out, wiping at her face angrily. “How could he sacrifice the future we’ve been planning together because he’s just so prideful? It makes me so mad. So disgustingly mad.”

“I know,” Jean soothes, holding Jo’s head to her. “But at least you’ll worry less with Bing around.”

“How?” Jo replies, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“He won’t lie to you. He’ll tell you what’s what. The truth about how Robert is truly coping.”

“That’ll help, I guess, but–”

“But you’d rather have him home,” Jean interjects. “To dance with at Minton’s and go home together.”

Jo nods sadly, fresh tears springing into her eyes. “I just want my Robbie home with me,” she weeps, whimpering like a small child.

“I know, darling. I know.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” Jo sniffs. “I really am happy for you, Jean. When will he be here?”

Jean pulls the letter out again, eyes rushing over the words. “Next week,” she nods. “Wants me to meet him in the city.”

Jo looks over at the note in her hand, scanning over it herself. She inhales, bracing herself for the reaction to what she’s about to suggest. “I’ll call Jules in the morning.”

“Whatever for?” Jean screeches, eyes narrowing.

“I can’t be here while you and Harry, you know…” she pauses, lips purse to try and hold in a juvenile giggle. “Make up for lost time.”

Jean releases the most girlish little giggle that causes Jo to break into the same laughter, the two girls holding each other as the amusement peels off them.

“While you’re correct - we absolutely will be doing that - it isn’t fair that you should have to go somewhere else. This is your home, Jo.”

“I’ll come right back after Harry has returned, mark my words. But, I don’t want to hear, well…all that making up for lost time!”

“No, no, I get it. You have to promise me you’ll come home though. Please?”

“Darling, I promise. Aside from Robbie, you are my person.”

“And you’re mine, too.”

***

With a heavy sigh, Jean exits her eerily empty house. When she had asked Jo to move in with her all those months ago, she could never have imagined an outcome where she was alone again after so long. Part of her understood why Jo had left, agreeing with the idea that the Crosbys needed some much deserved alone time after much time apart. However, the part that she hated was this; the underlying, constant loneliness until Bing was home with her again.

Josephine had kept to her word, calling Jules the day after the pair had received Jean’s good news. She had also received a call from Vika - the girl now an integral part of their little group since they’d met at the beach - offering Josephine a few nights at her family’s hotel.

“It’ll be like a holiday,” Vika had teased, sipping at a weak martini. “It’ll be fun, a way for us to get to know each other a little better.” Jo had agreed emphatically, Jean even spending a night there with her to have a little time with the girls before the big day.

Jean spots the girls waiting at the bus stop the moment the brakes of the vehicle hiss, them all waving at one another so enthusiastically that Jean is sure all their arms may drop off. They greet one another with a girlish, juvenile squeal, the girls pulling Jean into a tight embrace. Shouts of “Hi, Mrs Crosby!” and “Eeee, the big day is tomorrow,” echo across the busy city streets as they begin their jaunt to their favorite dress shop.

***

“Remind me again which ones you liked best in the magazine?” Jo asks as she picks through racks of beautiful dresses. She finds one that Jean falls in love with instantly: a mulberry swing dress with a sweetheart neckline.

“I don’t think I need to,” Jean exhales, taking the dress from her friend. “This is gorgeous.”

“So very you, my girl,” she smiles, going back to the rack in front of her. The hangars scrape as she leafs through, a furrow upon her concentrated brow. “Is it too premature to find one for when Robbie comes home?”

Jules seems to have the same idea, rifling through a discount rack at the back of the store as Jean scouts around to find where the dressing rooms are located. Jules holds a dress up to her body, sashaying this way and that in front of Vika.

“What do you think?” she asked, a worried tone to her voice.

“Hm, not really your color, Juliet. How about…” Vika rifles through the rack herself, finding a beautiful light green a-line dress that she knows will compliment her friend perfectly. “This?”

“Vika, you’re a dream,” she compliments, admiring how the color brings out her eyes. “Aren’t you looking for something?”

“Me?” she laughs, shaking her head. “I don’t have a sweetheart to dress up for, you know that.”

“Why don’t we find you one?” Jean asks, pulling the velvet curtain back on an unoccupied stall. “I’m sure one of the boys’ friends will be raring to have a date with you.”

“My goodness, yes!” Jo replies, eyes lighting up for the first time in a week. “Say, who was the man Olive mentioned in her first letter to you, Jules? Douglass and someone? Benjamin?”

“Bernard. Benny Demarco.”

“That’s the one!”

“I’m sure he’d love that. He’s with Johnny right now…” At the mention of his name, the reminder of where he is waiting out the remainder of this dreadful war, Jules suddenly lets out a little weep. “Sorry, girls, it’s just…sometimes I just forget and it all comes flooding back to me.”

“Oh, darling,” Jo coos, holding her. “I understand.”

“We all do,” Jean squeaks, making herself scarce behind the heavy drape. Once in there, she herself lets a thick cry escape her throat, covering her mouth to muffle the sound. Of course she understands; those endless nights without her husband, waiting for a phone call or a sweet love letter - though those had become scarce these last few months. She can’t stop the tears falling down her rouged cheeks, mascara falling down her face in thick, black trails as she pulls her chosen gown on her tense body.

“Jean?” Jo calls, her voice still wavering with emotion.

“Yeah?” Jean croaks in reply, her voice cracking again. “Be right out.”

Before she can wipe her face and make her exit, Jo scrapes back the curtain to find her friend in a hell of a mess: eyes puffy and swollen, lips red from where she had bitten them to keep the wails at bay, a stress rash attacking her pale neck. “Jean, whatever is it?”

“I don’t know, I just feel–I feel like an imposter. And I feel like I’ve let you all down and–”

“Oh my goodness, darling, come here.” Jo scoops Jean up from almost falling, sitting down with her on the dressing room floor.

“I feel like I’ve failed you all.”

“Now, what on Earth are you talking about?”

“Here’s me saying I understand how you and Jules feel, yet what are we here for? To find me a pretty dress for my husband’s furlough. I feel like I just should keep my mouth shut. I feel so unfair towards you both and–”

“Now, Jean, that’s enough,” Jo replies sternly. “You are not to feel this way, do you understand? We are so happy for you, can’t you see that?” Jean nods, sniffing and wiping her tears away. “Of course we are a little envious - as would you be if it was Robbie coming home, not your Bing. The same would be said for if John were still with the fellas and he got furlough. You see?” There is a pause as Jean nods along, trying to formulate a sentence without her voice faltering. “While I am excited to see Croz, I do wish it were Robbie. I keep thinking about the life we were meant to start and he chose–”

It is Jean’s turn to comfort her friend, holding her close as they both weep together. “Look at the state of us,” Jean laughs, sniffling. “What a sight.”

“Yeah, well,” Jo weeps, pulling a handkerchief from her purse. “Nobody else I’d rather cry with, hon.”

“Me, too.”

“You’re my other half, Jean. Robbie is absolutely my soul mate, but you? Well, I thank this ghastly war for putting us together. You’re my person, Mrs Crosby. I am so blissfully happy for you.”

“Ditto. Jo?”

“Yes?”

“Love you.”

“Softie…I love you, too.”

***

Jean almost collapses all over again when she hears the price of the dress. After she and Jo had calmed down, Jo had buttoned her into it. It had fit her like a glove, the material clinging to her perfectly. “Jean!” Jo had gasped, hands on her cheeks. “You’ve got to have it!”

Now checking out, the price had taken Mrs Crosby aback just a tad. Rummaging in her purse for extra cash, Jo pointedly lays down a stack of notes. “Had a bit of a whip round,” she winks, placing a hand on top of Jean’s to stop her panicking. “It’s from all of us.”

“Josephine!” she gasps, clinging to her. “And girls, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, doll,” Jules replies. “I know Harry will fall to his knees the moment he sees you in that. Dare I say, you won’t be wearing it for long.”

“Juliet!” Vika urges, giggling nonetheless.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Let’s hope not!” Jean replies, taking the dress’ garment bag from the teller. “Come on, I need a drink.”

***

The girls arrive back at Vika's family’s hotel just before nightfall, Jean carefully uncovering the hidden martini ingredients from her suitcase. “Sure is hard to keep cocktail making quiet,” she laughs as there is a sudden rap on the door.

“Shit,” Juliet giggles, stashing the bottles under the blankets. The four of them laugh like schoolgirls at a sleepover, Jean laying across the smuggled alcohol as Vika answers the door, shushing her friends.

“You need to stop!” she whispers, trying to be stern but the tone is cracked with a fit of giggles, Vika covering her mouth to stifle the laughter. “Girls, stop it, I’m going to crack a rib!” She waves her hand in front of them all, them all hushing immediately.

“Mammi,” she greets, her voice going an octave higher.

“Ruthvika,” she says, nodding towards the girls. “Please remember to keep it down, yes? We still have guests.”

“Yes, mammi, of course.”

Mrs Patel looks between her daughter and the girls, beginning to speak in Gujarati as her glance carries on going between them all. “Okay?” she finishes, walking towards the door. Vika nods again, running to open the door for her.

“Goodnight, Mrs Patel,” the girls all chorus, their warmth seeming to envelope the room. Jean can see that Vika feels it, her body seeming to relax the moment they speak.

“Goodnight, girls,” she replies, smiling at them.

Vika closes the door before leaning against it, exhaling and holding her chest dramatically. “That was close.”

“Sure was, doll,” Jules giggles, the bottles clanging as she pulls the blanket back. “Now, who’s up for a drink? We need to have one for our Mrs Crosby, who we are so excited for.”

“We certainly are,” Jules replies, holding on to Jean’s hand and grinning at her. “We love you, Mrs Croz. Truly.”

“And I love you all, too. So much.”

***

“This is it,” Jo says, as she and the group hear the whistle of a train in the distance. “Now, have you got everything?”

“I think so,” Jean replies, her voice tiny, tight and anxious. She chews at the inside of her mouth with worry, the nausea beginning to settle in with each moment the train draws closer.

“Enough of that, Mrs Croz,” Jo scolds as she sees her friend's eyes glaze over and continuously bite her lips. “You'll make yourself bleed.”

“Speaking of having everything,” Jules perks up, “do you have a book for the journey, doll?”

“I don't,” she squeaks, remembering the rushed packing she had done days ago. “I didn't even think of anything like that.”

“Well, luckily for you, I did!” She triumphantly smiles, pulling a small paperback out of her purse. “Thought you'd enjoy this one. It's one of my favorites - Olive’s too.”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Jean reads, stroking the titled cover. “Thank you, Juliet. So much.”

“And this is from Mammi,” Vika joins, handing her a small paper bag. “In case you get hungry on the way.”

“Oh, girls. Thanks ever so.”

The four of them look between one another, an awkward silence hanging in the air as Jean and Jo catch each other's eye.

“Come on, Ruthie,” Jules says, taking her by the arm. “Let's go wait inside, yes?”

“Fantastic idea. Bye, Jean!”

With Jean and Jo left alone for the first time in days, it takes everything in Jean to not break out into sobs. A moment of silence passes between them, the pair seemingly lost for words for the first time their entire friendship. Jean opens her mouth to say something, distracted by Jo pulling her into a tight hug.

“Have the most wonderful time, Mrs Croz.”

“Jo…I–I'm so sorry.”

“Enough of that, darling. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“But…”

“No buts, lady. I'll see you soon, okay?”

“I'll miss you so much.”

“I'll miss you, too. But, believe me, this is a good thing,” she sighs, pulling out of the hug, but keeping her hands on Jean’s shoulders. “For both of us.”

“All aboard!”

Jo hands Jean her suitcases, Jean planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Love you, doll.”

“Love you more.”

***

The train carriage feels stiflingly hot, Jean removing every layer she possibly can while trying her best to look calm. Her jacket is flung onto the seat next to her, followed by her silk scarf and pretty gloves, sweat dripping down her back and making her unable to get comfortable in the plush seat. She tells herself to try and keep breathing, taking shaky inhales and exhaling them as the train chugs on. Jean pays no mind to the scenery zooming past. It has all suddenly become so real, the reality weighing on her that she is about to see her husband for the first time in years.

Would he still love her? she wonders, as she pulls the book Jules gave her from her bag. Would he still think she’s pretty? Would he even be the same man? She wasn’t the same woman, that much was certain - she felt she had grown in great strides since he had shipped out, learning so much about herself in the time they had been apart.

The words begin to blur together on the page, Jean barely able to make a sentence string together in her mind by the time the train stops. The conductor calls out their location: “This is Grand Central Station. This stop is Grand Central Station.”

She feels the nerves bubbling up in her gut, the butterflies causing her to become weak at the knees and she hopes they can hold her up long enough to disembark the train carriage. As her foot touches the ground of the platform, she cranes her head up in the hopes of spotting Bing on the platform, the station seemingly the busiest it’s ever been on today of all days.

It’s when she cuts through a group congregating around a bench that she spots him in the distance - his hair looks different: slicked back to the side, his usually tousled curls combed into some new found submission, not tumbling down his forehead carelessly like they used to. He stands taller, hands less fidgety and his aura less anxious. Jean finds herself frozen to the spot, jagged breaths leaving her parted lips as she takes him in for the first time in what feels like forever. She’s not even sure she recognizes him at first; his sweet face is a little more aged from the stress and horrors he’s endured since leaving for England. But it’s his eyes - those big, brown, downturned cow eyes that send her heart aflutter and make her brain register that it’s really him. Those same eyes light up in recognition, his mouth slightly agape as she sees his chest fall at the sight of her after all these years.

She begins to run, closing the smallest space that’s been between them in years and leaps into his arms.

“Darling,” she weeps, her throat closing as tears fall onto him. “Darling, darling,” she repeats, her arms wound tightly around his neck.

“Jean…oh, Jean,” he murmurs into her, holding her just as tightly. “Let me look at you.”

He places her down on the ground gently, as if he were touching a precious antique. “My goodness, Mrs Crosby,” he says, taking her chin in his hand. “I could just kiss the face off you.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she giggles, the sound cut off by her husband’s mouth capturing hers in a tender kiss, neither of them wanting it to cease.

“I love you,” he murmurs into her mouth, never breaking the affection. “I’m sorry I ever went away.”

“I love you, Binger,” she replies, kissing him over and over, not caring who is watching. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

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