an excerpt from

O! Jackie

by Mercedes King

CHAPTER  THREE

“This book would not have been possible without the encouragement, assistance and criticisms offered from the very beginning by my wife, Jacqueline, whose help during my convalescence I cannot ever adequately acknowledge.”  ~  JFK, Dedication page of Profiles in Courage

August  1956

The results were in. After an admirable campaign and a close vote, Jack Kennedy had lost the Democratic nomination for vice president. To soothe his bruised ego, Jack left for the French Riviera. His parents and youngest brother, Teddy, tagged along. Jackie, now eight months pregnant, recuperated from the convention at Hammersmith Farm, her family’s estate in Newport, Rhode Island.

           Situated on seventy-eight acres along Narragansett Bay, Hammersmith Farm belonged to Jackie’s stepfather, Hugh D. AuchinclossHughdie to family and friends. He had inherited the mansion from his mother, and it served as the primary home for Jackie’s mother, Janet, Hughdie and their blended family. The gardens also held a claim to fame since they had been designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead, who had fashioned Central Park in New York City. The house itself, with its brown shingles, clustered gables and Victorian style, looked uptight and uninviting to Jackie, but she loved the scenery in every direction. Because of the estate’s sizeable grounds, Jack and Jackie had used the site for their wedding reception.

            Lounging on the veranda, Jackie soaked up the sun with her eyes closed. She was having trouble relaxing, and the sultry August weather threatened to chase her indoors.

           “It’s a complete embarrassment. A total insult. There’s no telling what people are saying.”

             Jackie sighed slowly at the sound of her mother’s ranting and kept her eyes closed.

             “Who’s ever heard of a man leaving his wife while she’s on the verge of having his child?” Janet Auchincloss lamented. Seated beside her daughter, Janet frantically fanned herself and dabbed her face with a wet washcloth. Despite her efforts, and in spite of the summer whites she wore and parasol she held, Janet found no relief from the heat.

          “Hmph,” Jackie said, though not loud enough for her mother to hear. Secretly, Jackie knew that the Kennedy men brought a distaste to her mother’s mouth. However, if one were wealthy enough, Janet, being the unabashed society matron she was, could easily overlook character flaws and shortcomings.

            Jackie did her best to ignore her mother, but it proved impossible.

          “He hasn’t left me, Mummy. He’s only gone on a vacation.” Jackie wouldn’t admit it, especially not to her mother, but Jack’s abrupt departure made her angry. After all of her support for the campaign, the last thing she had expected was to be abandoned. Jack put no thought toward what his wifeand unborn childhad been through.

           “After all he put you through at that convention…”

           Jackie glanced at her and worried that her mother had peeked inside her mind. That would be the last thing she needed.

            “…and then to run off like a.…like…oh, I don’t know what.” Janet fanned herself even faster, but her shimmering summer whites grew moist underneath. “You should’ve insisted that he stay. You know there are times when a wife must put her foot down.”

             As if it were that easy, Jackie thought. She gave little regard to much of anything her mother said. After all, she had no desire to duplicate Janet’s life and the mistakes she had made.

             “Oh, Mummy. The baby isn’t even due for another month. Besides, Jack needed some time for himself.”

              Jackie’s abdomen pinched. Something else she didn’t want to admit to herselfshe hadn’t felt well since Chicago. She had rested and even eased up her smoking, but nothing helped. Her energy stayed depleted, and her stomach weighed on her. Feelings of bliss and expectation had abandoned her, much like Jack.

             “Time for himself, indeed. He’s with his parents and that younger brother of his. Supposedly.”

               Jackie shot her mother a look but made no remark.

              “Besides,” Janet continued, “the man has never spent five minutes alone in his life.”

               Jackie couldn’t argue. Even if her husband was simply soaking in a hot tub to relieve his back pain, he preferred an audience. He appreciated having men around to bounce ideas off of and to share cigars, and he never knew when he might need a pal for sailing or playing golf. Former classmates, Navy pals, advisors and the like made up JFK’s scenery and had earned the nickname Irish Mafia.

            “I think you should seek a divorce,” Janet said, leaning into Jackie’s ear.

            “Mummy, how can you say that? I’m not going to divorce Jack because he needed to get away and clear his mind.”

            “You know what we’re really talking about, dear.” Janet tossed her daughter a stern look with an upturned nose. “You have a child to think about now. You might want to reconsider the kind of man you’ll be raising that child with. He hasn’t changed one bit since you married him, and I think you know what I mean.” She nodded firmly.

              “Yes, I do know what you mean, Mummy, but the fact is, I’m never getting a divorce. I’m not like you.” Her stinging words surprised her, but she hoped they would make Janet back down.

              Janet looked away from her daughter and swallowed hard. “Well, in any event, your condition is rather delicate. A husband shouldn’t be running off at a time like this. God only knows what he’s doing right now, and with whom.” Janet was more than familiar with the pangs brought on by an unfaithful husband. Unlike Jackie, she had refused to tolerate the constant degradation for a lifetime. She divorced the infamous, debonair Black Jack Bouvier in 1940. Two years later, she had found the perfect man. Perfect in that Hughdie was an enormously wealthy man she could control. Debonair, Hughdie wasn’t.

              “Mummy, please,” implored Jackie. It was bad enough that she had to bear her own thoughts and imaginations; she didn’t need her mother’s as well.

                Except for the fluttering of Janet’s fan, they sat in silence for a moment.

                “All the same, it just isn’t proper.” To ensure that she had the last word, Janet excused herself and went into the house.

                 On her way inside, Janet passed Lee, Jackie’s younger sister, who was visiting from New York. Lee rarely had the chance to see Jackie anymore. Married to Michael Canfield, adopted son of Harper and Row president Cass Canfield, Lee had a social calendar that would make any jet-setter quake in her stylish clothes.

                  Some people considered Lee the beauty of the two. Yet others would have trouble distinguishing them because of their similar features. Thick, chocolate-colored hair, slender figures, wide-set eyes and supple lips defined them both.

                 “You look dreadful,” Lee said. She handed Jackie a glass of lemonade and took over Janet’s lounge chair.

                  “Sometimes talking with Mummy can do that.”

                  Lee laughed, then became serious. “Jack was an idiot to make you campaign with him. People have died from the heat in Chicago.”

                  Jackie knew that her sister cared less for the Kennedys than her mother did. In fact, Lee had opposed the courtship from the start. Watching her sister fall for the wiles of the charismatic senator, whose reputation as a womanizer was grand, stellar even, had made Lee cringe. Yet Jackie had ignored warnings from Jack’s colleagues, and Lee’s pleadings, and married the man anyway.

                  “He didn’t make me go.” Jackie checked her voice, felt her patience grow thin. She longed for peace and rest, not another round of defending Jack. Her back ached, and that heavy, dull feeling in her stomach wouldn’t leave her alone. She took a deep breath. “But considering that he lost the nomination, I guess it was a bit of a waste. And we hardly saw each other the whole week. He worked so hard.”

                  “I’m worried about you, Jacks,” Lee confessed.

                  “Oh, Pekes, don’t bother,” Jackie said.

Their father had nicknamed them when they were little girls. The names held no particular meaning but represented happy times from their childhood. They adored the names, although they never said them in their mother’s presence.

                    Jackie squirmed and masked her growing distress. Her mind raged with thoughts of her husband. How would he be once he got back? When would he come back? Did she have the energy to coax him out of his brooding? How could he have left her? What exactly was he doing, and with whom? She couldn’t quell her questions, or the nagging sensation that something was wrong .…

                    “So what’s next for the senator?” Lee’s flat tone carried an edge of disrespect.

                    “Reelection, I suppose. All Joe ever talks about is seeing his son in the White House. Jack’s getting the same way. I’m sure he couldn’t bear to disappoint his father, but I have my doubts about the whole thing. Can you imagine, me, the first lady?”

                     Jackie giggled and knew her remark would irk Lee. No matter how well the two got along, Jackie kept her guard up, fully aware of Lee’s underlying jealousies toward her. Lee’s hasty marriage to Cass, for example, conveniently occurred five months before Jackie’s nuptials. Petty, Jackie thought at the time, but she refused to make a fuss over the matter. Now several years into the marriage, Lee and Cass were unhappy and childless; Jackie felt no satisfaction knowing her sister was headed for an ugly divorce.

                “I don’t know how you stand it,” Lee said. “All the publicity… and all the rumors… How can you let him crawl into bed with you?”

                  Jackie met Lee’s eyes with a dead stare. Color had drained from her face, but she mustered up her dignity. “Things will change once the baby arrives.”

                  Lee placed her hand on Jackie’s abdomen. “I hope you’re right. For your sake and the baby’s, I hope you’re right.”

                  Jackie put her hand on top of her sister’s. She wanted to tell Lee everything right then. She wanted to hold her and weep and tell her how awful things had been. She had felt so used by Jack and Joe, as though she were nothing more than a political asset to advance Jack’s career. She hoped against hope that Jack would hold her in esteem once she finally gave birth to his child. Yes, she had to believe a baby would change everything.

                   A servant interrupted to inform them that an aide from Jack’s office had arrived. He claimed to have important information he needed to share with Mrs. Kennedy, immediately, concerning the senator.

                   “An aide? You mean to tell me that someone has traveled all the way from Washington?” Jackie glanced at her sister. Lee’s face shared the same look of disbelief as Jackie’s. Then, a thought struck Jackie. “Oh! What if something’s happened? What if Jack’s been hurt, or injured his back?”

                    Lee considered this and hesitated. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. I’m sure Jack is all right. Any number of things could’ve come up in the Senate, though.”

                    Jackie breathed easier, yet her abdomen cramped. She kept her clenched fist at her side, mindful that her sister might notice. Pain crawled over her body. She tried to believe that the aide had good news, and that such news would soothe her. Holding up her chin, she ignored any distress.

                    With Lee next to her, Jackie walked into the sitting room where the aide waited.

                    “Hello.” Jackie shook hands with the man.

                     Wearing a navy suit and black tie, the man hardly looked old enough to be working as an aide to a senator, Jackie thought. He held a large envelope. Jackie suspected it contained legislation for her husband to read and sign. She dreaded having to explain JFK’s whereaboutsand admit, in her robust condition, she had no idea when he might return.

                    “Mrs. Kennedy, thank you for seeing me. I have some information here I’m sure you’ll find interesting, and I’d like to get a comment from you.”

                     “Comment?” Jackie looked at Lee, then back at the young man.

                      He poured photos into his hand from the envelope and spread them out on the coffee table.

                      Peeking back at Jackie and Lee were black and white photos of Jackwith Marilyn Monroe. They were outdoors, frolicking near a swimming pool on a bright and sunny day. Other people littered the background, people Jackie didn’t recognize. Some were young, buxom beauties; some were topless. A few shots captured Marilyn in the nudeand in Jack’s arms.

                       Jack’s involvement with Marilyn Monroe was no longer a lingering doubt or a juicy bit of gossip. It was fact, laid out in black and white.

                       Jackie gasped. Lee grabbed her sister by the arm. Their eyes boggled.

                      “Were you aware, ma’am, of your husband’s affair during the recent convention?” asked the young man.

                      “These were taken during the Democratic convention? In Chicago?” Jackie nearly choked on the words. Lee looked at her and shared her expression of blindsided disbelief.

                     “The very one. Now has the senator been unfaithful to you before, or is this the first time it has come to your knowledge?”

                      “Where did you get these?” Lee demanded.

                       Unable to take her eyes off the photographs, Jackie felt suffocated. Her world shattered around her. How could Jack have betrayed her so?

                      “Well, actually,” the man said, “I took these myself.” He flashed an awkward grin. “I’d heard rumors about these two at the convention, so I tailed them one afternoon and slipped into their party. With all the alcohol and antics going on, no one paid much attention to me, and I knew how to blend in.”

                        Jackie glared at the man, the so-called aide. She noticed his wrinkled dress shirt. His too-long hair and unshined shoes also betrayed him. Such an appearance would never be tolerated in the office of a United States senator.

                       “Who are you?” Jackie demanded.

                       The man’s eyes darted between the two ladies before he confessed. “I’m a reporter. Trying to be. I’m working on this piece about corrupt men in politics. Being the son of Joe Kennedy makes the senator a logical target, and he’s made my job easy.” He nodded toward the pictures.

                         “What are you doing here? What do you really want?”

                          His eyes narrowed. “I’ve gotten word that Senator Kennedy is out of the country. Are you and your husband separated now, ma’am? Will there be a divorce?”

                         “How dare you come into my home with these false accusations!” Jackie’s body throbbed. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. “This is all a horrible scam!”

                          The young man motioned to the photos once more. “Pictures don’t lie, ma’am. I was there. I saw them. Hell, I saw everything!”

                          “I don’t believe any of this!”

                          Lee turned Jackie away from the images. “You should leave this instant,” she said sternly to the man.

                          Jackie’s breathing became labored. She felt overpowered by disgust. Vomit quivered in her throat. Confusion reeled her mind. Her stomach which cradled her precious, precious infant contracted mercilessly.

                         The reporter stepped closer. “Look, Mrs. Kennedy, I don’t mean to seem unkind,” he shrugged his lanky shoulders, “but I’ve got bills to pay. This is a break-out piece for me. I’m giving you a chance to offer your side of the story, to comment. I could really play up your humiliation, get the readers to feel sorry for you. We could do a feature, call it ‘The Abandoned Wife.’ I’d even let you use these pictures in your divorce, for a fee. Heh, a guy’s gotta eat, you know.”

                  Jackie screamed and overturned the table with the snapshots. She lunged at the imposter and banged his chest with her fists. The man fell onto the couch. Horror struck his paled face. Lee jumped in and pulled her sister away from the imposter.

                  “Jackie, calm down,” Lee said. “Get out!” she yelled at the man.

                   He tried to scrape up a few of the pictures, but Lee wouldn’t have it. She released Jackie and  threw the man out of the house, empty handed.

                   Jackie grabbed her pregnant belly. Pain struck her like lightning. She winced and fell to her hands and knees. Her eyes lost focus. She began to hemorrhage.

                   “Jacks!” Lee rushed to her side.

“No. Not my baby,” Jackie pleaded.
Seconds later, she collapsed.