A new story! Yay! I was inspired by all our new Jim and Phyllis videos/gifs/photos. This story is based off the 1960 film The Facts of Life that starred Lucille Ball (another of my OBSESSIONS!) and Bob Hope. It will be a bit different, but the general plot is similar! Please let me know what you think! I will try to respond to your reviews!
"I don't understand, Joe! We had this planned months ago!" Elsie paced after her husband. Joe Burns rummaged around in his drawers pulling out what he needed for the next week. "You were able to get this specific week off, so this is when we planned the vacation. Everyone else worked their schedules around you! And now you are bloody telling me you can't go?"
Joe never paused from his packing."Yes, yes. You are a broken record Elsie! I have a business trip that suddenly came up and I cannot say no!"
"Joe you are always going on business trips. This was supposed to be a week for us to relax, spend some time with our friends, and hopefully find some time for just us."
"Elsie stop this! I am not going and that is that!" Joe stormed into the bathroom to gather the rest of his things.
Elsie sat on the corner of her twin bed, still fuming. Her case was already packed and ready for the next day, currently sitting by the door with her hat on top. She just bought a new sun hat for the occasion.
Joe came out of the bathroom with the last of his things. "Elsie I can't fight with you again. I am leaving late tonight. I can still go with you to Beryl and Bill's tonight and I will tell them then."He sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. You will have a wonderful time without me. You have Beryl and Alice, and even Bill and Charles.
Elsie drew her lips together and huffed. "And they all have their spouses with them. And why would you even mention Charles? You know we don't get on." Opposite personalities and all, they always found something to disagree over.
"Whatever, Elsie, have fun with the rest of them." Joe squeezed her arm and got on with his packing.
Elsie stood and watched him move around the room. He barely knew she was there watching him. Typical, she thought, leaving the room.
They both drove together to Beryl and Bill's house that evening. Elsie wore a pair of black slacks and a light gray shirt with minimal jewelry. Joe wore his work pants with a polo shirt.
Elsie walked in front of Joe to the door. She opened it without knocking.
The three couples were very close. Elsie and Alice had been best friends ever since school and Beryl joined their group at university. When they married, their spouses became fast friends. The six of them tried to plan a dinner at least once a week either at their houses or at a restaurant. That night, it was Beryl and Bill's turn to host.
"Hello?" Elsie called as she pushed through the door.
"Come in Elsie," was her friend's response.
Elsie caught a whiff of dinner. "Beryl, if that smell is anything to go on, you have outdone yourself."
Bill walked to the front hall to greet them. "And why did you automatically assume that I am not the master behind that smell?"
Joe stepped in behind Elsie. "Oh Bill, I can imagine the smell we would be walking into if it was you in that kitchen."
Bill laughed at the jab and slapped Joe on the back."You know me too well."
Elsie moved through to the kitchen and greeted Beryl. "Chicken and beans I see. We aren't too original now are we." It seemed that that was all Beryl ever cooked.
"Well, I heard no complaints last time!" She turned from the stove to glare at Elsie.
Elsie let her smile come through. "I'm just teasing you. How is Daisy?"
Beryl rolled her eyes and returned to the stove. "You know how those teenagers can be! Always gooey eyed over someone."
"Oh Lord, who is it this time?"
"I wish I knew! She won't tell me! Anyway, lets forget about children for now. Hell, lets forget about them for the next week!"
Elsie laughed at Beryl's exclamation. She knew how much Beryl actually cared about Daisy, but she had a jovial way of loving her.
"Acapulco here we come!"
Elsie laughed again, getting more excited about the trip. So what if Joe wasn't going. She had other friends to spend her time with. Friends who actually seemed to enjoyed her company.
She as going to tell Beryl about Joe's business trip when the front door opened again.
"Has the party started yet?" Alice walked through to the kitchen and greeted Elsie and Beryl. Alice offered a wine bottle to Beryl. "I am sorry, but Charlie insisted we bring a bottle of wine. I told him that we should wait for Acapulco, but he was persistent."
Elsie looked at the bottle. "Of course he would bring a red wine. He knows I only like white."
"Elsie, don't start with him. I don't need you two fighting the entire plane ride tomorrow." Alice scolded her.
"Alright, I promise to be on my best behavior." Elsie tried to keep the conversation with Alice on Acapulco as long as possible. It only lasted about 5 minutes when Alices's never ceasing stories began.
"Elsie, did I tell you what happened with Jimmy the other day? He received an A on his history project! I couldn't believe it! I helped him with the hard parts of course, but the teacher gave him such high praise…"
She nattered on and on about Jimmy. And when she ran out of stories about him, she moved on to their older son, Alfred. Elsie blanked out halfway through. It was nice to hear how they were doing and what they were involved in, but Alice's nattering saw no end.
Elsie sipped her water, wishing it was white wine, or something stronger. Alice and her had been best friends for ages. They knew everything about each other. Alice was Elsie's partner in crime through school and at university. But once she had children, she became the ever doting mother and involved herself completely with her family. They were never as close as before, but stayed intimate companions.
"Alright, that's dinner, Bill!" Beryl called.
The men emerged from the other room a short while later, laughing at something Bill just said. Charles and Joe followed him in and stood by their seats at the table.
Charles greeted the two ladies as he entered. "Good evening, Elsie."
Elsie tipped her head in acknowledgement and went back to her drink.
"Beryl, I see you got a new cookbook." He raised his eyebrows at Beryl after looking at the familiar meal on the table.
"Not you too! Charles, if you and Elsie want something other than what this slave has prepared for you, you can bloody well cook it yourself!" She yelled back at him, but they both knew it was in jest.
"Alright now everyone sit down before it gets cold." Bill sat at the head of the table.
Everyone else found their usual place, Charles and Elsie sat across from each other.
Beryl presented the wine bottle. "Charles, would you do the honors?"
He smiled, proud of his choice, and began pouring a little in everyone's glass. When he got to Elsie, he stopped.
"You know, Elsie, if you gave it more of a chance I am sure you would like it." He stared down at her. Her presence always set him on edge. She was very opinionated and had no trouble voicing what she thought. He thought it quite rude and impertinent at times. He knew that her and Alice were good friends, so he put up with her.
Elsie looked up at Charles holding the bottle above her glass. "I have absolutely no intention of every liking red wine, Charles. I am perfectly fine with my water." To prove her point she took a small sip and tried to make herself believe it was something stronger.
Charles shot her a crooked face and continued pouring a glass for the rest of them.
The conversation was light, mostly talk of their plans for the next day: who was driving, where they would meet, what they would do first.
Bill addressed Joe. "Well, Joe, what is your first priority when we land?"
Ah, this is the exact moment Elsie was hoping would come. She placed her fork on her plate and turned to Joe. "Yes, Joe, tell us what is your first priority when we land?"
Joe drew his lips together and gave Elsie a disapproving look before he addressed the table. "Well, my first priority would be heading out fishing, but I'm afraid that will not be the case."
The table stopped eating and looked at him. Elsie, on the other hand, picked up her fork and continued eating her chicken.
"I have some last minute business I must attend to which will take me to Germany for the week."
Beryl sat back. "Oh Joe. After we went through such lengths to find a week that worked for you."
"I know, and I am sorry."
"Isn't there someone else who could go? You've been on the job nonstop mate, they have to give you a break sometime," Bill said.
Elsie answered for him, not looking up from her food. "He could ask someone else, but he won't."
Joe raised his voice. "Elsie, we talked about this before. I am going and I can't back out now."
A short silence fell over the table. Charles broke it with his comment. "Tough lot, mate. But I'm sure Elsie understands." He looked directly into her eyes, almost challenging her.
"Oh I do. I understand perfectly." She jabbed her fork into the plate and continued eating.
The rest of the meal progressed with pleasant topics. Elsie rarely contributed to them. Charles talked with Bill about the cricket games they would miss next week. Elsie half listened and couldn't imagine how someone could be so enamored with a stupid sport.
After dinner, they chatted for half an hour before Alice decided they needed to get home to the kids.
"Charles, can you drop Elsie off at home on your way?" Joe asked.
Upon hearing this plan, Elsie turned to Joe. "What do you mean? I am going home with you."
Joe sighed and met her gaze with his steady unwavering one. "Elsie I am leaving for the airport from here."
"What?" Elsie exclaimed, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"It makes the most sense if I just leave for the airport from here. My bags are already in the trunk…"
"Joe may I speak to you for a minute?" she interrupted and gestured to the outside patio.
Joe stood up and followed her out. The other couples watched them go and tried to continue their pleasant conversation.
On the patio, Elsie turned to Joe. Her voice was annoyed but calm with a hint of sadness. "Why didn't you tell me, Joe? I would have brought the other car."
"I didn't want you to get angry again at my having to leave so early. I thought it was better this way." He stepped towards her.
"Well you were wrong. It is not better this way."
Joe brought his hands to her upper arms. "Have a good time, Elsie. You deserve to enjoy yourself." He placed a light kiss on her cheek.
She didn't want to part angry, so she let him kiss her cheek and submitted to his reasoning. She still didn't agree with him, but she submitted.
She followed him back into the house where their friends still sat. "Well, Alice, can you give me a ride?"
"Of course Elsie!" Alice stood and took her hand. "Charlie, let's go."
The four guests walked out the front door offering their thanks and excitement for the next day. Joe gave Elsie a wave and set off to his car. Elsie smiled after him but her face fell for a brief moment when he turned away. Charles saw that split second of sorrow, but dismissed it. Elsie was spirited and strong. Surly this didn't affect her.
Charles climbed in the driver's seat and Alice the passenger's seat. Elsie slid in the back. "Thank you again for driving me. If I had known, I would have driven myself and not put you through the trouble."
"It's no trouble, Elsie. Forget about it."
Charles decided to joke with her. "Of course we will be expecting gas money."
Elsie was still not in a good humor. "Oh would you look at that! Charles Carson cracked a joke. Who knew he had a sense of humor?"
Charles countered. "You would realize there are a lot of things you don't know if you would ever bring your nose down from your beacon."
"Charles Carson, where I stick my nose is none of your concern, so I suggest you keep your own nose in your dreary cricket games and out of my business." She was on a roll now. Her voice went up a level with each word.
Alice interrupted before Charles could respond. "Enough, you two! My goodness, can we even spend one car ride without you at each other's throats. How will we ever last a week?"
Charles swallowed his pride and knew he owed her an apology. "I'm sorry for my part in that argument, Elsie."
Elsie was forced to apologize as well, though hers was even less sincere. "And I am sorry too."
They listened to Alice the rest of the car ride. She was looking through her phone pictures of her boys in their spring music program. She showed them each picture, though neither glanced at them, Charles because he was driving and Elsie because she was trying to contain her dejection.
When they arrived at Elsie's house, they made plans to pick her up the next morning and drive to the airport together. Elsie thanked them again and walked inside. She entered to a quiet house, again. There was really nothing else to do but go to bed. She hung up her clothes, donned her night shirt, and climbed into her single bed, aside of her husband's. She closed her eyes and tried to exhale all her disappointment. When that didn't work, she curled her knees closer to her chest and waited for sleep to come.
"Charlie, wake up!" Alice called from the hall. He sat up slowly and tried opening his eyes to the bright lights that bathed the room. Alice had obviously turned on the lights for him to awaken faster. He almost fell from his small bed as he swung his legs over the side. He stubbed his toe on the corner of his wife's bed as he made his way into the hall.
Alice wasn't there anymore, but he saw that Jimmy's bedroom light was on. Jimmy was in bed laying on his side. Alice sat on the corner of his bed almost in tears.
"Alice, what is it?" Charles moved to her side.
"Jimmy has a fever, Charlie."
Charles reached to his son's forehead. "It's warm, but it isn't burning up."
"I won't be leaving him." She stated.
Charles looked to his wife. "What do you mean."
She looked at him with her small stern eyes. "I mean, I won't be leaving for Acapulco with my son ill."
He can't say he's surprised with her worry, but he thought she was really looking forward to this time with their friends. They always had a marvelous time fishing, walking along the shore, and dancing all night. He tried to reason. "Alice, your mother is perfectly capable of nursing him through a slight bug. Besides, I thought you were looking forward for this time away from the kids."
Alice stood and hissed at him. "How can you possible think I would enjoy time away from my children?"
"There is nothing wrong with taking a short break and some time for ourselves." The truth was, he needed a break from his work and thought Alice needed to separate herself from the kids a little.
"But there is when my child is ill."
He was running out of cards to play. "Alice, I thought we would be able to spend some time together, just the two of us. I barely have any time alone with you anymore. When I get home from work you are always busy with this or that."
"This or that is our children, Charlie!"
"And I love them too, Alice. But don't you think…"
"Charlie, I am not going!" She sat back on the bed.
He sighed. "Fine, neither of us will go."
"Nonsense, you should go. Make memories for the both of us."
Charles's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? I won't go without you."
"Oh but you should, Charlie. You will have a great time fishing with Bill and walking on the beach. You always enjoyed all that a lot more than I did anyway. The smell of fish never agrees with me and I hate the feeling of sand in my toes."
This new information made Charles feel like he was talking to an entirely different person. "You never said."
"Well, you enjoyed it so much I put up with all that." Alice sat back down and ran her fingers through her sleeping boy's hair.
Charles made his decision. "Alright, Alice. I will go, but with hesitations."
The hesitations he mentioned boiled down to one person, Elsie.