Chapter 25 - Life Ain't A Ferris Wheel

The kids are finally tucked into bed, in their temporary accommodations.  


Jon and Beth are equally exhausted.  Beth rummages through the kitchen, looking for wine glasses, she needs a drink.  "Can you go get a bottle of wine?"  she asks Jon over her shoulder, "She has to have some Pinot in her wine closet." 

He obliges, "One or two?"  a little chuckle.

"Grab two, just in case." she responds, just thinking about how she's feeling.  "We can't go anywhere, let's tie one on."

"You hate the wine hang over." he reminds her, hating the wine hangover himself.

Beth looks over at him, "I'd take a million wine hangovers over what's happening right now."

"Same."  was all that he could say.  He takes the corkscrew off of the counter and starts to uncork bottle number one.  "Should we get out of the city?"

Beth is a little surprised by that question, almost a little put off, "Why would we get out of the city?  To run and hide?"  She slides her glass in front of Jon, wanting him to fill it to the top, "I'm not going to run and hide, but I'm also not going to be a sitting duck.  We're here for the added security and no one knows we're here, but I will not be made to run."

"I'm just thinking that maybe we should go someplace safe, but yet, visible.  I mean give the look that we're not bothered by it," he takes a big gulp of his pinot, "by that I mean, act like the affect to us is minimal."

Beth leans on the kitchen counter, her head in one hand and glass of wine in the other, she sips.  She thinks.  "You mean like someplace maybe tropical, to give the look that we decided to take a vacation, a respite so to speak?" she's starting to like that idea.

"Exactly.  Once we're spotted, we can avoid the press, but give the illusion that we're still united and not having this affect us in the way that many would think."

She's still thinking, hard.  "Like St Bart's?"

"That would be perfect.  The paparazzi down there are a little slower than mainland papz." he takes another sip of his wine, "Let's take this out on the balcony, under the New York starts."  He reaches for her hand and she is more than willing to oblige.

Out on the balcony, they take a seat and both give a sigh of slight relief.  Jon pulls his cigarettes from his pocket, the pack is all crumbled.  He pulls one out and hands it to Beth.  She snags it from his hand and snatches his lighter.  After she lights her cigarette, she hands him back his lighter, while she coughs her head off.  "These are terrible.  I wish you'd quit for good."

"One of these days."

"I know it's in my head, but it helps a little."  She inhales again and this time the poison doesn't hurt as bad.  She rests her head on the back of the chair, kicks her feet up on the footstool and adds, "Let's do it.  Let's get the kids around in the morning and go to the island.  Do you think we can get a flight plan approved in time?"

He takes a long drag of his cigarette, upon exhaling her tells her, as a matter of fact, "If not, we'll drive to Teterboro or Monmouth and leave from there.  But it shouldn't be a problem."

She smiles an ear to ear smile, still in love with what he can get done just by being who he is.    "Let's go!"  she raises her glass to toast him with his brilliant idea.  "I think that would be better for Pete and the kids, as opposed to be closed in, in here for days."

"I'll shoot Chris a text when we go in so he can get started in it."

Beth gets up and makes her way onto Jon's lap.  As she sits there and admires his amazingly good looks, tracing the lines on his face, her mind goes to what an amazing husband and friend that he is.  She leans in and kisses him, "I'm sorry, honey." 

"Sorry for what?" he asks, caressing the side of her face.  "What could you possibly have to feel sorry for?"

"This."  she gives him a look.

"Babe, this is nothing that you did and even more, nothing that you could have stopped.  This is something that we'll weather together and be even better for it."  She sits there and looks at him some more, and as she absorbs the words he has just spoken, she genuinely starts to smile.  The smile that Jon has loved since that day in the desert.  He sets his glass on the balcony side table, and with his hands he pretends like he's taking her picture, making the shudder sound and all.

"What's that for?" Beth jests, "Why did you take a mental picture?"

He leans up for his lips to meet hers, "I haven't seen you smile like that in a very long time.  I want to remember it forever."

"So do I, I fear we're going to lose alot over the next few days."

"We'll recover, I promise."  he kisses her again, his arms around her, holding her tight.  Beth leans into him and lays on him while they drink their wine and decompress from the terrible day that they had.

After their relaxation, they decided to go to bed.  The twins will be up early, like always and everyday when dad is home, they eat breakfast as a family.  Once they do the necessary things before bed, they climb into Tammy's bed, Jon with his phone.

Beth can see him tapping away on the smart phone screen, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm arranging our escape."

"This late?  Chris is probably in bed."  Beth is probably right, but Jon sees it a different way.

"For what I pay him, he'll get over it.  I just sent him a text telling him to get a flight plan approved for tomorrow afternoon, out of any airport.  I'll charter a jet if I can't get mine out of JFK."

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As they walked through the empty terminal of St. Martin airport, they walk passed a news stand and Jon sees the headline.  Beth Bongiovi Rape Tape.  "Take the kids to the boat, I'll be right there."  He demands Beth and Pete to keep going.  Once they are far enough away, Jon buys every newspaper at that stand and throws them in the closest trash bin, well, all but one.  He tucked that in his messenger bag and caught up with his family.

"What was that all about?"  Beth whispers as they board the boat that's taking them to the island of St. Barth's.

Jon leans over and whispers, "It in the newspapers down here."

"Are you kidding me?"

He just shakes his head no.

When they get to the island and in the villa, after unpacking and having a light lunch, Pete takes the kids to the beach.  Everyone is happier there than they were in NYC.  Once they're gone, Jon and Beth read the article that was in the St. Barth's newspaper.

Released over night by an unknown source, the shocking and graphic video of Beth Adams Bongiovi's brutal assault and rape, by her former friend and co-worker Dalton Patterson.  You may remember that lengthy trial in which Dalton was accused and convicted of the rape assault.  At his trial, the prosecution presented security tape footage of the assault, which didn't show as much detail as these cameras show.  We pulled stills from the video that didn't violate publication laws.  It appears that these were cameras that were installed in the home without Beth's knowledge.  Our sources reveal that Jon and Beth Bongiovi were victims of blackmail to avoid the release of these tapes, but in the end didn't comply.  We've reached out to the Bon Jovi camp and have yet to get a response.  Jon and Beth were spotted in New York City and it appears to our reporters in the field, they have not been at their home in New Jersey.  As a matter of fact, we have seen no movement from anyone with in the camp in the last 48 hours.  More about this article can be seen on our website, along with other websites listed below.

"Why is it in the damn paper down here? Who cares about that down here?"  she runs her hand through her hair, "The article is poorly written, thankfully."

"It could have been worse."

"I'm sure it is back home."  he can see her spirit deflate.

"That's home, we're here.  Let's not let it be a huge downer while we're here."

"Easier said than done."  she plops down on the couch, "Do you think this will be the end of this bullshit with this guy?"

Jon takes the newspaper and places it back in his bag.  "Let's go enjoy this time with the kids, babe.  We don't need to hide out in here."

She looks up at her husband and she can see the stress in his face, his brow is tight.  She knows she needs to help him with his stress, as he's always helping her.  She knows that playing in the water with the kids is the best stress reliever.  "Okay, let's go swim, get in some paddle boarding and soak up some of this sun.  It's gorgeous here today."

Beth sees the smile come across his face thinking of the fun he has with his children, it is right then that she pretended to take a picture of him, wanting to remember that smile.