Chapter 1 - Meeting New Friends

It was a fine Saturday afternoon in mid September in Washington D.C. The streets of the nation's Capitol were overflowed with residents and visitors to the many attractions the area had to offer. Meanwhile, inside Tysons Galleria, an upscale mall located 15 miles west across the Potomac River in the neighboring state of Virginia, our heroine Lizzy was cheerfully strolling down the walkways enjoying the colorful displays of the many affluent stores.

She was wearing her favorite worn out sleeveless aquamarine summer jumpsuit, exposing her feminine, toned shoulders and arms. Her curly brown hair was disheveled; she had tried to tame it by tying it back with a ribbon, but it was an impossible mission. She had no makeup or jewelry and her rosy cheeks and pale shoulders were sun burned from her jog that morning. She possessed a youthful look and natural liveliness which gave her the appearance of a carefree teenager instead of a successful 21 year old college student.

She spotted her best friends Charlotte and Jane with a group of people she hadn't seen before. When she approached them, they stopped their conversation to wait for introductions. With her usual cheerfulness, Lizzy couldn't wait to show her friends her new purchase. She removed it from the bag and showed it to them exclaiming, "Jane, Charlotte, you will not believe what I found at J. Crew, an Iridescent Rose Top! Isn't it so very shiny? It fits me so perfectly, as if it was made to order for me! I can't wait to find an occasion to wear it!"

Charlotte smiled and Jane was amused with her friend's habitual candid remarks, sometimes it felt as if the smallest details were so special to her.

One of the ladies from the group, her name was Caroline Bingley, snickered softly and with an air of superiority commented, "while that looks fabulous, I doubt J. Crew custom makes its garments. For that you would have to go to a dressmaker. I can suggest one if you like, although that may be a little too expensive, and dare I say, too exclusive for you."

Charlotte immediately disliked this lady and she noticed that Lizzy was preparing a strong response. To avoid an unpleasant scene, she decided to interrupt. "Lizzy, allow me to introduce our new friends, this is Charles Bingley, his sister Caroline, his other sister Louisa and her husband James Hurst. The gentleman next to Charles is William Darcy. This is our good friend, Elizabeth Benes, Lizzy."

Lizzy bowed slightly and with a soft smile said, "a pleasure to meet you all."

Caroline snickered again and disdainfully replied, "the pleasure is all yours". Caroline's mocking tone was starting to sound insulting and sensing the tension in the moment, her brother Charles decided to intervene.

"Caroline, can you please behave? Lizzy, I am very happy to make your acquaintance, and that blouse you found seems to be very pretty indeed." While looking at Jane, he decided to make a bold move. "We are on our way to Danielle's Desserts here at the mall to enjoy some of their delicious cupcakes and I would love if you all can come with us, my treat."

Lizzy felt that Charles was making an effort to compensate for his sister's rudeness. She decided to hold her tongue and take the hint from her friend. Jane was so focused on Charles that she missed the interactions between the others, but she noted Lizzy's discomfort. She blushed a little while smiling and responded kindly, "Oh, Danielle's is Lizzy's favorite, especially the bread pudding with whip cream that is so delicious, Charlotte, Lizzy, what do you say, shall we go?"

Charlotte sensed Lizzy's strong feelings of dislike for Caroline and trying to avoid a potential conflict, quickly responded with, "you go ahead with our new friends, Lizzy and I will continue our shopping and we'll see you later." She held on to Lizzy's elbow and practically dragged her away from them, heading to a big department store. Charlotte tried to distract her friend but was unsuccessful.

Lizzy was still very upset. "Charlotte, why didn't you let me defend myself? Who is that horrible woman and how can she be so malicious toward someone she has never met in her life?"

"I'm sorry Lizzy, I know you well enough to know that you would have exploded and given her a piece of your mind. And I would have been very happy to oblige you because it would have been well deserved."

"Then why didn't you?"

"For Jane's sake." While they were talking, Caroline and Darcy entered the store. Charlotte saw them first and whispered to Lizzy, "here she is again, she just came into this store. Please don't do or say anything, I will explain later." She pushed Lizzy behind a rack of clothes. "Let's hide."

While they were hiding they overheard a conversation between the couple. Caroline was snickering again, "and what do you think of their friend Lizzy? Jane said she's from Puerto Rico and is living with them. Imagine that!"

Darcy replied in a monotone, "Perhaps she's their pet project, or their charity case. She seems to be an unsophisticated adolescent with no sense and not much maturity."

"I agree, and when she showed us that ordinary blouse, it seemed as if she had never shopped anywhere that fashionable before. Even in this mall, with Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, J. Crew seemed to her like the most exclusive fashion dressmaker. Made to order for her, ha! That was pathetic! And her appearance, so shabby, what do you think of her?"

"She is not handsome enough or tolerable enough to tempt me to seek any further acquaintance with her."

Caroline smiled with satisfaction and said, "you are too cruel Will. Though if Charles continues with this new infatuation with her friend Jane, we may have to be in her company again."

Darcy forcefully responded, "then we can't allow that, can we? Jane is probably as immature as her. We may have to separate Charles from those people."

They continued talking and moved away and Lizzy was no longer able to hear what they were saying. She was on the verge of tears.

"Oh Charlotte, I have never experienced that much cruelty in my entire life. They assumed all that from just meeting me and from a simple remark I made. And that horrible man! To be so abusive and unkind, without knowing anything about me."

Charlotte knew that she needed to lift Lizzy's spirits and she said, "Lizzy, you are the total opposite of a charity case. We both know that you can buy anything you want from anywhere; you could even buy the whole store if you wanted! You shouldn't listen to them. Besides, there are many rich and famous people in New York and in DC who would die to have your cutting-edge sense of style! Can you imagine what Ms. Heart would say if she heard that woman?"

With this comment Charlotte was rewarded with a tiny smile from Lizzy.

"And you are not handsome or tolerable enough? What a joke! You are so gorgeous Lizzy! Just remember all the stares and all the flirtations you receive all the time, even when in company of the goddess Jane. That doesn't happen to any other lady that we know; never to me! Even when you try to hide your beauty and your assets, men are still attracted to you. He also said you have no sense! No maturity! What a load of crap! You are the flippin Valedictorian for your flippin graduating class at flippin Georgetown University for Pete's sake! And what about your volunteer work with One World Youth Project? Think about that. They are both prejudiced, ridiculous, pompous and snobby. I am so proud to be your friend because you have every right in the world to be like them, but you are not anything like those two."

Lizzy calmed down after listening to her friend, and her mood improved a little. "Thank you for your kind words Charlotte, but I may not be chosen Valedictorian, I still have to pass a few classes with high honors."

"Lizzy, we both know that's a given! Shall I mention your GPA, or all the societies you already belong to since last year? The Beta Gamma Sigma, the Alpha Sigma Nu, shall I continue?"

"Until it's official, I rather not let others know about this."

"Sorry Lizzy, we are so proud of you, this is the first thing we mention when talking about you. Please give us this satisfaction, even if you don't acknowledge it."

Lizzy was overwhelmed with Charlotte's support and decided to change the subject. "What did you mention about Jane? Is there some kind of attachment between Jane and Charles, after such a brief contact?"

"It seems that Jane had met Charles before, or at least they seemed to recognize one another, although they weren't on a name basis. When they met here in the mall, I went ahead and introduced myself and Jane. I wonder what those scoundrels might have said about me! But Charles appears to be smitten with Jane. Did you notice when he was talking to us, he was continually fixed on her?"

"I didn't notice." With a sad smile she added, "I was too distracted. But is he as nice as he seems to be? Are you sure he is not like his sister and friend?"

"Not likely, he's been very nice all the time. Didn't you notice how he defended you?"

"Yes, and I was grateful to him for his kind remarks. At least one person in his party seems to be good and kind. Although I don't know about the other couple, his other sister Louisa and her husband James I believe, right?"

"Yes, they may be nicer than the snobby couple."

With a mischievous smile Lizzy replied, "the pompous twins, William and Caroline, the WC; ha!"

Charlotte was proud to have helped Lizzy feel better. They continued shopping and browsing. After two more hours they were ready to leave. They went to look for Jane to go back to their apartment.

Jane was still with Charles and his friends. Lizzy had regained her normal good humor, but the moment she saw them, she cringed. Charlotte noticed this and whispered to her, "remember: the WC." This immediately brought a smile to her face and she was able to bear being in their presence again. When they saw the couple approaching, a silent tension was felt by all. Charles was the one to break it.

"Lizzy, I'm so glad to see you again, Jane told us you are a senior at Georgetown University. This is wonderful! Will and myself are Hoya alumni, so we have something in common. She told us you're majoring in Finance. What are your plans after graduation?"

Lizzy was grateful to Charles for his effort to compensate for his sister's incivility, but she was in no way appeased with the others. She looked at them, especially the hateful duo. Caroline was smiling. 'She's probably waiting for me to say something stupid.' William was another story, he was very serious, looking at Lizzy intently, as if he was studying her. 'He's looking for more defects and reasons to belittle me in his prejudiced snobbish little mind.'

Lizzy had very specific plans for her future, but at that moment she wasn't inclined to share them with those two. All she wanted was to get away from them. They made her feel so inferior. She had never felt that way before because she had never heard anyone say so many hostile and contemptuous things about her. She was angered and at the same time, she was very anxious.

In her tumultuous mind, all she could come up with was, "I don't have any idea what I will be doing after graduation. I'm not sophisticated or mature enough to make such a monumental decision on my own. Since I don't have any sense and I'm only a charity case, or maybe a pet project, I will probably need a lot of assistance!"

Jane interrupted her, "but Lizzy, what are you saying?, you do..."

"No Jane, I don't, and I would appreciate not discussing my future among strangers, can we please go now? Good bye." After saying this she turned around and walked fast to the mall exit. She was very flushed and was about to cry again, but she didn't want those brutes to see this weak side of her so she continued walking at a fast pace without looking back until she reached the car.

Meanwhile, back at the Mall, Charles was confused, Will was humiliated, and Caroline was smiling triumphantly. "So she is also a snoop."

At that comment, Charlotte couldn't stand it anymore. "A snoop you call her? So then I am also a snoop! And everyone in that store is a snoop because we could hear you both loud and clear! Were you trying to have a private conversation while uttering your biased and malicious opinions? No, please don't answer that. Are you both in the habit of making assumptions about people so soon after an acquaintance without knowing anything about them? And are you always so cruel and abusive?" Taking Jane by the elbow, a flushed Charlotte forced her to leave with her without saying goodbye to the rest of the people.

At first Charles was confused about the whole situation, but then, as the facts dawned on him he was extremely angered. "Caroline, Will, can you tell me what did you say about Lizzy?"

Caroline had an air of indifference, "we didn't say anything bad, we were only speculating about her, nothing malicious."

"Nothing malicious? Darcy, please be honest and tell me what you said about her?"

"Well, just like Caroline said, we were just expressing our opinions. We didn't have any facts, and besides, that wasn't meant for her ears."

"So is that how you excuse your arrogant behavior? You don't have to tell me what you said, because after hearing Lizzy and Charlotte, I can imagine the nature of your opinions! Charlotte is absolutely right, why would you even say anything without knowing the facts? And you scream it to the world! Is your ego so inflated that you think yourself so superior from everybody else? Do you feel you have the right to say anything you want and dammed be the world if they hear it and they don't like it?"

Darcy was now getting aggravated and responded, "Charles, now you are offending me!"

"So, I'm offending you? I tell you Will, I've know you for such a long time and you are my good friend, but sometimes I am ashamed of your haughtiness and your false sense of superiority. You and Caroline are so much alike; you both should stop this nonsense and get married. You would make the perfect couple, perfect in every way, sitting in your mighty throne and judging every little person around you!"

Caroline was smiling at this outburst from Charles, but Darcy was doubly mortified.

Before anyone could respond, this time it was Charles' turn to leave. "I will go talk to Jane and her friends. Hopefully I will be able to have a nice conversation with them without the two of you!"

After Charles left, Caroline smugly said, "Well, it seems that Charles has lost his mind again over another pretty girl. Now she will turn him against us, his own family and his best friend! I think we will have to stop him again from making a fool of himself before it's too late. And all because we made some innocent and honest remarks about her friend. She didn't have the right to be eavesdropping into our private conversation. She's so impertinent!"

Louisa was trying to be patient but she finally got fed up with her sister. "Caroline, I can't believe you! You didn't know anything about Lizzy and from the very first moment you saw her all that has come from your mouth has been your absurd disdain. Why? And you Will, I know that you are a good person, but today you sunk very low in my esteem. Would you please excuse us? We're going with Charles."

James nodded to his wife and they took off after Charles. They found him in the parking lot. He was very tall and his red hair was easy to spot. He was having an animated conversation while leaning next to the driver's side of a car.

It was a late model navy blue BMW convertible with the top down. The license plate read LIZZY21.

They came to the car and noticed that Lizzy was in the passenger seat quietly listening to Charles. She was smiling as if nothing had happened. Without waiting, Louisa came to her side and exclaimed, "Lizzy, we are so ashamed of my insensitive sister and our friend. I just gave them a tongue lashing! Please allow me to tell you that James and myself in no way agree with any malicious remarks voiced by those two. If you give us the opportunity, I would like for us to be friends and prove to you that we are not like them. Please say you will?"

Lizzy smiled at Louisa and responded, "I appreciate very much your kind words. Both of you have restored my faith in humanity. I already forgot everything and as I was telling Charles, I'm looking forward to our future friendship. Thank you! We have to get going now. Again, thank you and we will see each other soon. Goodbye."

Charles was satisfied with the outcome of his effort and was very gratified to see his sister standing up for herself. She was usually very subservient to Caroline's whims. Louisa remarked, "hopefully we will see our new friends again."

"I hope so too sister, Jane is the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. She looks like an angel! And Lizzy seems to be a remarkable lady as well."

On the way back home, Charlotte explained to Jane everything that the duo had said. Jane was appalled. "I can't believe that there can be so much cruelty in people. Are you sure you heard them right? I don't know what to think. I'm so sorry Lizzy. My mind can't register that anyone could say anything less than admirable things about you. You are so beautiful, so smart, so mature, so fashionable! And you don't live with us, we live with you!"

"Thank you Jane, you don't have to feel sorry, it's all forgotten. I am so happy for you! I think Charles is a great guy, he's very nice and very handsome, and he seems to like you very much."

"I like him too. I met him recently but I was too timid to approach him and he also seemed shy. Today was the first time we were able to talk. By the way, thank you for the introduction Charlotte. You're bold. I still feel terrible for everything, but in a way I'm happy to finally have made his acquaintance."

Charlotte said, "we are both very happy for you Jane, but in the future, please keep us away from the WC."

"The WC?"

"Yes, William and Caroline, the Water Closet!" They all had a good laugh and by the time they arrived at the apartment they were very happy.

It was Jane's turn to cook and she decided to make one of Lizzy's favorite meals to cheer her up. When they arrived at the apartment, Lizzy went to her room claiming she had a slight headache and remained there the rest of the night. Jane was concerned, but Charlotte told her it was all right. She knew Lizzy needed time alone to unwind. She also knew Lizzy was going to call her dad and tell him everything that happened today. That was also something that Lizzy needed to do.