Chapter 4: The Decision
As she finished saying those, everyone was caught by surprise… all, except Akita, who already knew of her daughter's plan. Looking at them, she immediately knew that London had managed to get their attention and then some. Not even for a second did she ever considered the possibility of that not happening.
"Could you repeat what you just said, London?" –Anastasia asked her, to see if she had listened to her correctly.
"I said I want you all to come with me on this cruise." –London repeated herself.
"But, what cruise are you talking about?" –Cody asked her.
"Oh, the First Annual Tipton Cruise entitled "Seven Seas Cruise"." –London said. –"This ship's maiden voyage will be a cruise around the world, stopping on the most important ports in the world, and I would love to have you all in it."
"Okay, now I'm confused…" –Carey said.
"You're inviting us to take cruise around the world?" –Maddie asked London. The blonde did not know how to react to that; she did not know if she should kiss the heiress or slap her on the face.
"For the umpteenth time, yes, Maddie, I am." –London waved her head, stating the obvious.
She then pointed out to the globe, where you could see the red line on it being the route the ship would take, once it set sail from New York City.
"The route has already been set and as you can see it's quite big. Will visit the following cities… New York… Dublin… Edinburgh… Amsterdam… Southampton… Lisbon… Fez… Barcelona… Rome… Venice… Vlorë… Athens… the island of Sorunlari… Istanbul… Cairo… Dubai… Madagascar… Mumbai… Kolkata... Kuala Lumpur… Macau… Hong Kong… Tokyo… Sydney… Antarctica… Easter Island… Honolulu…Los Angeles… Acapulco… Lima… Buenos Aires… Rio de Janeiro… Havana… Miami… and finally, will be back to New York. It will be quite the trip, right?"
The destinations were some of the most beautiful and incredible cities in the world. London had really come up with a set of destinations that not only were beautiful, but were also filled with rich History. Still, that was not enough to keep Maddie from telling her girlfriend something she felt it was vital in all that process.
"Huh, London, I don't want to rain on your parade, but Princess, we can't go on a cruise around the world… school will start in a few weeks." –Maddie told her, feeling that she might have forgotten about the fact that they all had to attend school, and that the adults all had jobs.
"You don't have to worry about school, Maddie. We can go to school here." –London declared, not making much sense. Maddie immediately thought that the heiress was talking about the two of them, and the rest of their friends to be home-schooled, like it happened to some kids and teenagers. But if there was one thing Maddie had always told herself, was that she liked school and liked to be around with other kids her age, so she did not turn into a social outcast.
"London, if you're even suggesting the idea of being home-schooled…" –Maddie started, when she was interrupted by London.
"No, no, no, no… I'm not talking about that Maddie." –London told her, waving her head. She had clearly not even thought about or considered that option it seemed.
"Then, how do you want us to go to school so we can learn anything?" –Cody asked her.
"She probably thinks we can all get a helicopter which will take us to school every morning, wherever we are." –Anastasia joked about it, whispering it to Mark's ear.
"Like I said, we can all go to school here, in this ship… we just need to go three decks down." –London said, confusing them all even more. –"Come on, I'll show it to you."
"I wonder what this girl is up to now." –Stephen asked himself, as he followed the rest of group, as they entered the elevator.
With everyone aboard the elevator, London pushed the button to the F-Deck, where you could read Athena Deck. Knowing his History and Mythology, Cody knew that Athena was the Greek Goddess of Knowledge, Wisdom and Courage, so he immediately assumed that whatever was in that deck had to do with
As the doors opened they were baffled with something they were not expecting. The immense lobby, as well as the whole deck where they were now was a two-story deck had been decorated to look like a school lobby. Still, it did not look like an ordinary school lobby. This one looked more like the lobby of a college or the lobby of a fairy-tale palace. A magnificent marble staircase gave access to the upper deck, while on the downwards deck, two corridors led to the rest of the deck. The walls were marble white, while the Doric columns that seemingly supported the ceiling, were spread evenly were made out of blue rock-crystal, having been marvellously polished after being sculpted with maritime motifs, like seashells, corals, fishes and waves in it. You could see multiple bronze and marble busts of what they assumed to be Greek philosophers, next to the columns.
As for the ceiling, this one was beautiful and ostentatious. In it, you could see multiple constellations carved, making it similar in a few ways to the magnificent ceiling of the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The beautiful silver linings contrasted wonderfully with the light-blue background, where you could see multiple constellations, with their names both in Latin and English written beneath them.
The floor was crystal white, where you could see multiple medieval representations of sea creatures and sea monsters imprinted on it in navy blue. They also noticed that at the centre of the lobby, imprinted on the floor was a beautiful coat of arms, similar in many ways to the coat of arms of the Tipton, but also incredibly different. This one had various tones of blue, from navy blue to aquamarine blue. It had a few nautical elements in it, such as an anchor, a bell and a wheel. A delicate stripe surrounded it, where you could read "Achieving Success and Excellence Together.", and just above it was something else written: "Tipton's High Seas School". Plus, unlike the rest of the decks they had visited, so far, this one seemed to be the only one that was absolutely finished.
"I welcome you to Tipton's High Seas School! The most advanced and well equipped school in the world."
"A school?" –Zack asked. –"Just when I thought things were getting good, she comes and shows me this…" –he thought to himself, clearly upset, for he thought that he was going to get rid of school while attending that cruise.
"Okay, I wasn't expecting this." –Carey said.
"If you thought we were going to skip school or being home-schooled, well think again, everyone. This is the real heart and core of this whole cruise. I made sure that this was the first section of the ship to be completed, no matter what happened." –London told them. –"Come, I'll explain everything as we take a closer look to this place."
Following the heiress, they all took their time to appreciate the beauty of everything that surrounded them. More and more they all considered that cruise ship not to be just a ship, but a magnificent work of art. Climbing the staircase, they made their way into the depths of that beautiful deck. Just like the lobby, the corridors were similarly decorated. The only thing that changed was the ceiling that was white and the floor, which was absolutely blue.
"Like I was saying, this double deck is the heart and core of this cruise. I can't exactly remember if I already said this, but I'll say it again… this cruise is not just a cruise around the world. It's also my way to create a new kind of teaching." –London said, as she closed in to Maddie, who smiled at her. –"Maddie here knows that I've never been really good in classes, and if it wasn't for her help, I would have probably flunked every class I attended until now. So, I started to ask myself, why can't I be as smart as her? That's when it hit me… because I usually tend to get bored by teachers always explaining things that I can't see with my own eyes. I made a little research and found out that I'm not the only one who thinks that. So, I decided to create a new way to teach people, and that is exactly what you're seeing here. This school, will go to different places in the world, where the students will be able to experience first-hand certain things that we only read in books, visit monuments and cities… in sum, having the opportunity to learn better and faster, while having fun."
Madeline was surprised by what she had heard. She had once told herself that London was smart in her own way, and that it was on school that she struggled to stay afloat. It seemed she had found a way to make it easier for her to learn… for her and for others.
"In here, it's where the magic starts…" –she said as she opened one of the corridor doors.
As the door opened, they all saw a really well equipped classroom, the kind of which any teacher in the world dreams about. She sure had not looked at any expenses. You could say that that classroom and the rest of them in that ship were the most well equipped classrooms in the world.
"… The classes are all equipped with computers and laptops, one for each student, and they will be linked to the Internet and to a common software program, where teachers will be able to storage all kinds of documents, so that anyone can read them and download them. Plus, all students will have four huge libraries to visit in order to check and find books to help them." –London explained them.
All of what she had just told them was just too much for them to process in just a few seconds. Even Cody, who considered himself to be one of the top students of Cheevers Middle and High School felt that he had not understand everything London had said.
"So, in other words, you created a school for people to attend to, while they travel around the world." –Felicia commented.
"Yap, pretty much."
"But, who will be these students you're always talking about exactly, London?" –Anastasia asked her.
"Well, they will be us, a good part of the students from our school, and then, we will also have students that have been handpicked from schools all over the country, not to mention that there will also be a few foreign exchange students." –she told her. –"Believe me, I wouldn't have built this school just for me and Maddie and the rest of you guys."
This was all absolutely perfect, but neither Liam nor Genevieve was exactly into it. They had not yet told anything, but they did not see themselves embarking on a cruise, and studying aboard that ship. Doing that would mean being away from their friends, and on Genevieve's case, away from her boyfriend. Still, they would wait for the right moment to say what they thought.
"I got to handle it to you, this really is amazing." –Mark said, as her imagined the whole place cramming with students.
"That's exactly what I told her as she came up with this entire project, but she was always saying that it was not good enough, and that it was going to stink…" –Akita said, as she caressed her daughter's pretty face. –"… she's got more talent than she thinks, but sometimes, she just can't see it."
"I tell her the same thing…" –Maddie agreed, as she placed a peck on London's lips. –"If she wants to do something, and she puts her mind to it, she can accomplish anything, no matter how crazy that thing is."
"Blondie, don't say that, you're making me blush…" –London giggled, trying not to blush from all those compliments.
"I'm only saying the truth." –Maddie told her, always with a cute smile on her face.
"And when can we be expecting this cruise to start?" –Irving interrupted the girls.
"Oh, in a couple of weeks, on September 15th, and as for how long the cruise will take, it will take about 10 months, give it or take a couple of days." –London said. –"But, I'll explain all that during breakfast. I don't know about you all, but I haven't eaten a single bite today." –London joked about it.
The truth was that excluding the Martin twins and their mother Carey, none of them had had breakfast on that morning. Following the heiress once more, they returned to the main deck, to a section of it that was already completed, where a buffet had been assembled for them all, and the food was anything but normal.
Displayed in front of them were hamburgers, pizzas with every kind of ingredients and toppings on them, finger sandwiches, meatloaf with potatoes, French Fries, roast beef, pork chops with rice, rice pudding, veal with mashed potatoes, cauliflower and carrots, potato salad, among many other things, plus there were a few of exotic dishes like Norwegian salmon with boiled quail eggs, braised pineapple stuffed with peanuts and chestnuts, Russian caviar, fried Indonesian calamari, spinach and gouda quiche, melon with Italian prosciutto, among many other dishes. On the table there was also glass jars filled with milk, orange, mango, papaya and pineapple juice and ice tea. You could say that that buffet was not a breakfast buffet, but a buffet intended for a lunch or a dinner. Still, no one said a thing. Like always, London had planned things with great pomp and circumstance; still no one complained… it was just her way to do things.
Zack and Cody were the first ones to attack that immense buffet. Grabbing each a slice of pizza and two hamburgers each, they immediately started to eat them as if they had not eaten in days.
"Boys, chew your food…" –Carey told them. –"Especially you, Zack! You're eating like a slob."
"I'm not a slob…" –Zack told his mother, as he gulped down the slice of pizza he was eating. –"… I'm just hungry."
Little by little, the rest of the group joined them in that buffet. For a few minutes the only sound you could hear was the sound of people praising just how good the food was. Some of them even decided to take their plates with them and sat on the lounge chairs that had already been placed there.
Both Maddie and London put a little bit of everything on a plate and gave it to Ivanna and Scampy, who immediately began to eat it. The girls smiled seeing their dogs as happy as they were right then.
The wind that was felt when they arrived had been reduced to nothing but a breeze now, and that made lying on those chairs feel like they were already on that cruise London was talking about.
"You know, if London really is determined to have her way with this, I guess I could get used to live in a cruise ship. What about you?" –Anastasia asked her boyfriend, as she ate another bite of the delicious potato salad.
"I guess I could also get used to this… I mean, I already lived in a tent, in a cabana, and even in a tipi, a cruise ship would be like being back at the Tipton in Boston, except that I would be surrounded by water, 24/7." –Mark joked, as he finished cheese sandwich.
"You aren't the only one… I still can't believe that she's going to take us on a cruise around the world." –Anastasia said.
After all of them had eaten, Carey decided to take a moment to talk with London about her idea of taking them all in that cruise.
"London, sweetie, I know you meant us well when you thought about all this, but I'm afraid I can't embark on this journey. I need to work, and I just can't let the boys come alone."
"Oh, you're worried about that. Well, don't you worry about it, Carey, I was only going to tell you this a little later, but you won't be working at the Boston Tipton for the next 10 months. You'll be working here, on the cruise ship."
"Say what?!" –Carey exclaimed, puzzled about it.
"That's right; this will be your new home and working place, Carey. You'll have the same schedule you have now, a raise and your own private showroom." –London smiled at her. –"And you won't be the only one to come and work here. Arwin, Esteban, Muriel, Millicent and Moseby have also been transferred to the cruise ship. We're going to need some of the best to work here, and you are definitely the best at what you do."
"Oh, London, I'm not that good… I mean, I know I have a good voice, but there are plenty of singers out there who can sing ten times better than me." –Carey said, trying to be modest about it. Her voice had always been her pride and joy, other than her sons, but she did not want people to know that. Plus, right then she was trying not to sound like she was about to burst with joy.
"Maybe, but none of them are the mother of two of my best friends. Plus, I like to hear you sing." –London giggled.
"Oh, London, I don't know what to say." –Carey said, as she gave the heiress a big hug, trying not to cry because of all that happiness.
"Maybe you should also tell the others about what you plan to do for them to accompany us, darling." –Akita approached them, having been hearing the conversation between her daughter and the twins' mom.
Following her mom's suggestion, London told everyone to gather around her. When she saw that everyone was there, she began explain how she was going to make sure that they could all embark on that journey around the world. She said that all of the adults would be paid the triple of their annual salary, and that she had managed to come up with deals with their bosses, so as to when they came back, they would have their jobs waiting for them.
Still, even though she had had all that trouble to make sure everything worked out, Miranda and Irving Fitzpatrick had had already took a decision… they were not going. While they were eating, they talked about what London had showed them and if they should really accompany them on that voyage. In the end, and after pondering about it, they had decided they would not go, but they would not prevent their children from making the trip.
"But why?" –London asked them, not understanding why they were not going to accept that offer.
"London, honey, you need to understand, we would love to do such a voyage with you, but, we can't just leave our jobs in Boston. How would our colleagues at work feel if we let go of everything and then came back one year later, as if nothing had happened? It wouldn't be fair for them, especially given our country's current economy." –Miranda told her. –"If this voyage was for only a couple of weeks, we would be delighted to accept it, but a whole year?"
"That is simply too much for us. We both have responsibilities to our jobs… Besides, grandma there prefers to go back to Boston, and we can't just leave her alone, can we?" –Irving said, pointing out to Grandma Fitzpatrick, and then turned to his children. –"But, there's no reason for Gennie, Liam and Maddie shouldn't accompany you. If you wish to go on this voyage, you'll have our full support."
Hearing that, Maddie felt something piercing her heart. She was happy for making that journey, but she thought that she would be making it with her whole family. She asked herself why her brothers and herself had not been included on that discussion… after all, they were a family and decisions like those should be taken as a family, at least she thought. Still, she understood their reasons, and why they could not accept London's offer. Plus, having her brother and sister by her side with her would be good.
But then, something else happened that the stroke her right in the chest.
"Actually, I also can't accept it." –Genevieve declared.
"And me neither…" –Liam said, a little surprised by his sister Gennie decision.
This time it did not feel like her heart had been punctured by a glass shard. It fell more like it had been sliced into two. She wanted to say something, but her tongue did not obey to her commands. She had frozen right there with her siblings' words.
"But why not?" –Miranda asked them both. –"This is a once in a life time opportunity."
"I know mom, but I just can't leave college like that… and more importantly, I can't leave. If I did Jeffrey would get a new girlfriend!" –Genevieve answered her. Clearly, she was more worried about her love life than college.
"What about you, Liam? Why don't you want to go on this trip?"
"Well… mostly it's because I don't want to leave my friends back in Boston. I mean, I know it sounds like a lame excuse, but if Gennie says that she has to stay because of college and her boyfriend and that's a pretty good excuse, why should mine be less valid?"
"Nobody said it was less valid, Liam." –Irving told him. -"Still, I think that you both don't go, you'll be walking away from something you might never be able to experience again in your lives."
"Of course, we can't force you to go on this cruise, but the decision is up to you." –Miranda told them. Secretly she really wanted all her three children to go on this voyage.
The words from both Miranda and Irving echoed in the consciences of both Liam and Genevieve. They were right about telling them they should take that trip, but they were also right about the part where they told them that they could not force them to do something they did not want to do. Taking a moment to reflect on what they had just been told, and what they really thought about it, they both came to a conclusion.
"Mom… dad… I know you want us to go on this trip because it will be good for us to know different places, different cultures and different people, but… like you once said, we need to know our priorities and my priority is college and Jeffrey." –Genevieve told both her parents.
Liam took a couple more seconds to think about what he was going to answer.
"The same thing goes for me. I admit it, this place is amazing, and I'll probably never have a chance to go around the world like this one again, but, I'll be honest, going around the world without your best buddies or without you two, which is something you should share, it's not that fun. I rather stay in Boston, where I can see my friends every day and being with you." –Liam told them, being truth about the fact that he would miss his parents.
Hearing this, Maddie felt like she had been betrayed by her own family. No one was coming with them on that amazing trip, and that just felt wrong to her. Storming out of there, tears began to roll down her face as Maddie kept running, leaving everyone to ask themselves what had just happened. All she was feeling right then, was just too much for anyone to take, and she did not want anyone seeing her crying.
Puzzled about what happened, asked themselves why did the blonde ran away.
"What happened?" –Zack asked, after seeing Maddie storming off like that.
"I don't know…" –Cody told his brother. Just like his brother, he had been busy looking around the main deck to even noticing the small discussion between the Fitzpatricks.
As for the group who had been listening to the Fitzpatricks, almost immediately felt that the reason why she had stormed off like that had because of what they had been talking about.
"Do you think it was because of what we're talking about?" –Irving asked the rest of his family.
"Maybe…" –Genevieve agreed.
"I think someone should go and talk with her." –Akita said.
"I'll go talk with her." –Miranda said.
"No… I think I should be the one to talk with her." –London declared. –"I think that right now she doesn't want to talk with any of you." –the heiress told them. Something told her that Maddie's family had unintentionally hurt her, and right then she needed to talk with someone who did not share any blood links with her. –"Give me 10 minutes to look for her and talk with her."
Saying that, London quickly followed on the direction Maddie had run off. She told herself that Maddie could not have gone far, because there were workers still assembling the main deck, blocking the path to anyone who tried to cross onto sections that were still unsafe and unprepared to receive people.
It only took her a couple of minutes to find Maddie. The blonde was seated on one of the many benches that had been assembled on the main deck, crouching with her hands on her face. London immediately assumed that she was crying, and as she closed in on her, she heard her sobbing.
Closing in on her really gently so as not to scare her, London sat right next to her. For a brief second she asked herself what she should ask the blonde; she did not want to upset her or make her cry even more.
"Uh… Maddie, are you alright?" –London asked her. –"Damn it! What kind of question is that? Of course she isn't alright, otherwise she wouldn't be crying, you idiot!" –she thought, cursing herself for asking her that question.
Maddie did not say a word immediately; she just kept crying and sobbing, so London decided to give her some time before asking her another question.
Finally, the blonde stopped crying and took a deep breath, just before removing her hands from her face. Her make-up was all smudged around her eyes and her eyes were all red. Still, to London's eyes, even when she cried, Maddie looked beautiful.
"It's not fair…" –Maddie said.
"What's not fair, Blondie?" –London asked her, trying to understand the reason why she was crying in the first place.
"It's not fair… it's… (sob)… not fair that you had all that work trying… (sob)… to make it possible… (sob)… for them to come….(sob)… with us on this trip, and now… (sob)… they just say that they're not coming!" –Maddie said, as the tears kept rolling down her face. Judging by the tone of the voice, she was not just sad, she was mad, if not furious about her parents and her siblings.
As she finished saying that, Maddie buried her face on her hands again, and began to cry once more. Seeing her like that, London gathered the sobbing girl in her arms, holding her tight, gently rocking her. As she did it, Maddie's words echoed in her head… London immediately understood that she was crying not because she was mad or furious about the decision of everyone in her family to not do that trip, she was sad because thought she would have them nearby to experience something as exciting as that trip.
"There, Maddie, there… everything is going to be alright." –London told her.
"No… (sob)… it won't… (sob)…" –Maddie sobbed.
She waited for Madeline to stop crying before saying anything else. By now she knew that crying was sometimes the best thing to do. Letting out all of the bad feelings was something everyone should do when they were feeling angry, sad, alone or scared… it somehow helped people to gain courage or to face what was in front of them with a new perspective.
Finally, when she stopped crying, she handed her a handkerchief and then looked her in the eyes and said.
"Maddie… I don't want to tell you this, but… I think you're being a little selfish." –London finally told her. She did not like to say things like that to Maddie, but it was the truth. She was only thinking about herself.
Upon hearing this Maddie felt annoyed and upset by what she had heard coming out of London's mouth, but did not say a word. She wanted to hear what else London had to say to her.
"I'm really sorry about what I just told you, but it's the truth… I know you wanted to have your family right next to you as we circle the globe on this ship, but have you thought that their reasons aren't selfish, and that you are the one being selfish? Your parents want to stay is Boston because they feel that they have an obligation to their work and to the people who work with them. They don't want other people to think that just because their younger daughter is dating a one of the richest girls in the world they'll take advantage of it. As for your sister, she's choosing to stay in Boston because of her boyfriend… because of the one she loves. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same if you were in her shoes? And as for your little brother, he doesn't want to go because he fears he will miss both your parents and his friends." –London told her with the sweet, yet serious voice. –"I know you're thinking that they're being selfish, but if they were selfish, they wouldn't even let you come with us; they would just force you to go with them back to Boston. You're the one who has told me that sometimes we can't have things our way, but that doesn't mean that's something bad… It just means that we have to be strong."
London's words hit Maddie right in the core of her conscience. The brunette was right about calling her selfish… she was really just thinking about herself, and had forgotten about what the others thought. On that moment, a sense of shame fell upon her heart. Jealousy had taken the best of her and clouded her judgment, and now she was feeling awful about it.
Sobbing a little more she buried her face on London's chest, this time crying because of the shame for her thoughts. London just hugged her as tightly as she could, kissing her hair and whispering soft and tender words to her ears.
"There, Maddie, my sweet bumblebee, there… everything's alright, everything's alright." –London whispered to her, trying not cry too. If she would had start crying, it would make Maddie feel even bluer, and that was her last wish right then. She just kept whispering tender words and combing her beautiful golden hair with her fingers.
When her tears ceased, she lift her head up, looked London in the eyes and kissed her. It was a simple kiss; their tongues meeting for just a brief second. It had not been like the passionate kisses they shared when they were making love or when they felt they needed to show just how much they meant to each other… it had been a kiss of friendship, the simplest kind of love one could nurture for anyone. Still, regardless of looking like a simple kiss, it was a kind of kiss only true friends could give to one another.
"Thanks, Princess." –Maddie smiled at the Asian-beauty, as she hugged her with all strength. –"Thanks for reminding me, that there's more than just my will. I'm glad I have you by my side in these situations." –she gave her a playful kiss on London's nose.
"Well, I had an awesome teacher, you know?" –London chuckled about it. –"But seriously, are you okay? I don't want my special girl to feel like something is wrong."
"I'm fine, Princess, I'm fine." –Maddie assured her. –"I guess I just needed to take that out my system, and well, I'll need to get used to the idea that I'm going to do this trip alone, without my family."
"Well, you might not have your family around you, but believe me when I say that you won't be alone, because I'll be here and the rest of the gang too. Believe me; you'll be having so much fun you won't even have the time to remember they aren't around." –London tried to ease the situation. –"Besides, I'll make sure they come to visit us during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and of course your birthday, silly. Wherever this ship is on the globe, I promise you that they will be here to celebrate those days with you."
"You really have a heart of the purest gold, London." –Maddie said, as she kissed her, this time making sure that left the heiress breathless before breaking the kiss.
"Whoa… now that was kiss…" –London said, as she regained her breath, always with a smile on her face. It was obvious that she loved when Maddie kissed her like that. –"But don't forget that besides being made of gold, it also has a really, really big diamond encrusted on it."
"Okay, okay, with a very, very big diamond encrusted on it, silly." –Maddie cajoled, planting another peck on London's lips.
"Thanks, Blondie…. Well, now that you're feeling better, we're going to straight up these clothes, clean this smudged make-up and put on one of those big smiles that I love in you, and we're going back there and tell that everything is okay." –London said, as she began to remove all traces of smudged make-up of Maddie's face.
In a matter of seconds, Maddie was as good as new. Looking at her, no one would even think that she had been crying earlier. Smiling at her, London grabbed her hand and they both started walking back to where the rest of the group was.
The first ones to greet the girls were Ivanna and Scampy who ran towards them and began to yap eagerly, happy to see their owners. The girls both pick them up, and held them in their arms, as they approached the rest of the group.
"Sorry about that… I guess I was just feeling a little bit emotional." –Maddie apologized to everyone.
"Maddie, baby-girl, are you sure you're fine?" –Irving asked his daughter, worried that something might be wrong with her.
"Yap, I'm sure. I'm alright, dad." –Maddie accented. –"I'm just really excited to go on this trip. Too bad you won't be coming, though."
"Yes, about that…"
"Don't worry about it. I understand why you won't come. Like grandma says, we all have to follow our own path. You have to follow yours, and I have to follow mine." –Maddie told them with such an adult attitude that surprised London. The heiress, who had moments earlier seen the blonde cursing the fact her family was not coming with her, was amazed by how quickly she had put everything regarding that matter behind her back. –"But believe me when I say that you won't get rid of me that easily. I'll still call you every day and I want you in this ship visiting me during my birthday and the holidays." –she told them; this time with a more carefree voice… the kind of voice it characterized her.
Hearing her say that, every member of the Fitzpatrick family hugged her at the same time, making her laugh and giggle from all that affection. It was obvious that they were all happy for Maddie.
Looking at them all, London felt that now, more than ever, that trip around the world was the greatest present she could give to all her friends, and more importantly, to the girl she loved with all her heart and soul.
