This is fic was my 20,000th post on tumblr earlier today. I hope everyone likes it.
Author's Note: I use Yiddish in this section. 'Neshomeleh' means sweet soul in Yiddish and it's what Isidore calls his youngest granddaughter. I got the word from . If it's incorrect, please let me know and I'll correct it.
Also, this un'beta'd, so any mistakes are all mine.
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Martha and Isidore Levinson were dancing to Billie Holiday's "The Very Thought of You" when the door of their Upper West Side apartment swung open and they heard their youngest granddaughter call out to them.
"Grandma Mo! Grandpa Izzy! We're back and we have news!"
Isidore shuffled over to the stereo and turned off the music. Turning to the door of their apartment, the elderly man saw his granddaughter and her boyfriend Tom, pink faced and beaming.
Martha chuckled. "And what news do you have for us old timers, kiddo?"
Sybil held up her hand to show off her engagement ring. "We're getting married!"
Martha and Isidore excitedly shouted, "Congratulations!," then went up to the young couple and hugged them.
"I'm so happy for you, Sybil! And I get a new handsome grandson!"
Sybil chuckled and Tom blushed, used to Martha's liveliness. Isidore kissed his wife on the forehead then pulled his favorite granddaughter into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you, neshomeleh," he whispered into her ear.
Turning to his wife, he announced, "Let's open some champagne to celebrate! And let's see if we can get reservations at Jean-Georges. It's not every day that my granddaughter gets engaged!"
Returning to the room with four champagne glasses and a bottle of Moet, Martha replied, "I'll work my magic after we toast these two!"
Handing the glasses out, Martha quickly opened and poured the champagne. Isidore raised his glass and toasted the couple. "To Sybil and Tom. May you both be as happy as Martha and I have been."
"To Tom for proposing while in New York and allowing me to know about the engagement before Violet!" crowed Martha, tickled pink over both the news and the fact that she knew before the Dowager Countess.
Then, there were the phone calls to Tom's parents, still in Chicago visiting his younger sister Fiona and her family. Then to the Crawleys at Downton Abbey and several phone calls to Tom's siblings, who had already returned from their Chicago Christmas excursion.
Over the next week, the young couple received congratulations from their friends and extended family. However, they decided not to make any plans until they returned to London. It was on their third night back that the pair began to discuss their wedding. Sitting up in bed, it was Sybil who began the conversation.
"How big of a wedding do you want?"
Tom looked up from the book he was reading on the 1913 Dublin Lockout. Removing his glasses, he answered, "I'd prefer a small wedding. Or as small as possible considering our families. Nothing too over the top. What about you?"
Sybil scrunched up her face as she thought over the question. "When I was younger, I wanted the big fairytale wedding. But now, I want something small and intimate. Just our families and closest friends. I don't really see myself getting married in Belle's wedding dress anymore."
Tom raised his right eyebrow. "Belle's wedding dress?"
She blushed. "From Beauty and the Beast."
He nodded in understanding. "Do you want a church wedding?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Neither of us is particularly religious. I think it would be hypocritical of us to have a church wedding when neither of us attends church on a regular basis."
"Mam won't be happy about that. But I do agree with you. All I need is a civil ceremony." He inched closer to Sybil, wrapping his arm around her. "Do you want to get married here in London or at Downton?"
"I'd like to get married at Downton, but I'm not sure if it will be possible. I want to get married in June and I'm not sure if a date will be available." She paused and turned to look him in the face. "This isn't just about what I want. You're the groom. Do you want to get married at Downton? Or would you prefer to marry in Dublin?"
He thought about it for a moment or two. "I'm fine with marrying at Downton. It's where you grew up and I like the idea of marrying in your childhood home. Even if it's a castle."
She playfully elbowed him. "It's not a castle."
He chuckled. "I don't want to wear a morning suit. I'd rather wear a nice three-piece suit."
Sybil grinned at him. "Granny won't like that, but I don't care. No morning suit for you and no princess ball gown for me."
"Sounds like a deal."
She reached and pulled the sheet up over her. "Okay. We want a small wedding at Downton but no ridiculous outfits for either of us."
Tom nodded.
"Okay. What else do we want?"
For the next hour or so, they discussed their wedding, deciding which traditions they wanted to keep and which traditions to ignore.
Two days later, the newly engaged couple met the entire Crawley family, plus Edith's partner Sir Anthony Strallan, at The Ritz for a celebratory brunch. They had just sat down and placed their drink orders when they received some pleasant news from Mary, who managed the wedding operations at Downton.
"We recently had a cancellation and Downton is available on June 24th if you want," Mary happily informed her baby sister. "I've already penciled you two in to reserve the date until I knew.
Sybil beamed. Jumping up from her seat, she ran over to her older sister and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Pulling away, the bride-to-be added, "Tom and I already discussed it and we agreed we wanted to have the wedding at Downton. I just wasn't sure if it was possible."
Mary smiled a genuine smile. "I'm glad, Sybil darling. I know you're busy and live in London, so I am offering to assist you with the wedding planning.
Sybil was grateful for the offer. "Thank you, Mary. I need all the help I can get."
After that, the family happily settled down into their meal, which was filled with laughter and lots of toasts. Even Violet toasted the couple.
"I hope you are as happy as your grandfather and I were, Sybil. And Tom, I will eventually forgive you for proposing in New York and letting Martha be the first to know."
Everyone cracked up laughing at her words, especially the newly engaged couple as they remembered Martha crowing over that same fact.
However, Mary's generous offer to assist with the planning soon turned into a bit of a nightmare as she started to impose her preferences onto them. Rarely a day went by without Tom overhearing a phone argument between the two sisters. Sybil stood firm on her's and Tom's desire to have a small, intimate wedding and her fiancé's wish to wear a three-piece suit over a morning suit. The arguments over food and music lasted days.
The final straw came at the beginning of February when all three sisters, Cora, Violet, and Gwen went shopping for Sybil's wedding dress and the dresses for the bridesmaids. Mary had called ahead to have several ball gowns ready, contrary to the wishes of her youngest sister.
Sybil's face fell when she saw the dresses reserved for her. "I never asked for ball gowns," she told Elizabeth, the bridal consultant.
Smiling, Elizabeth responded, "You're sister Mary requested the gowns be set aside for you."
Sybil groaned, but decided to try them on for her sister. She put the first one on and went to show everyone. Mary and Violet loved the dress, but Cora saw from the dour expression on her youngest daughter's face that this was not what the bride wanted.
"Do you like, Sybil?" she asked.
"No," was the monosyllabic response.
It would be Sybil's response for all of the dresses.
After trying on the fifth ball gown, Sybil changed back into her clothes just walked out of the boutique. Returning to their flat, she saw Tom sitting on the couch and jumped into his arms.
"Can we just elope?" she asked into his chest.
Tom sighed. "What happened at the fitting, love?"
With that, the floodgates opened. For the next fifteen minutes, Tom sat there as his fiancée recounted the ball gowns Mary had set aside in advance, even though she knew that Sybil did not want to wear a ball gown. How her anger grew with each gown she tried on.
"I left after trying on the fifth ball gown. I realized that Mary was going to completely ignore all of our wishes for our wedding."
He nodded in understanding. "While I love the idea of going out and marrying you right now, I think you should sleep on it tonight. If you still want to elope in the morning, I'll book us tickets to Las Vegas."
Sybil threw her arms around Tom and passionately kissed him. He quickly responded and soon clothes were displaced and hair was disheveled.
However, as they were about to take things to the bedroom, there was a knock at their door. Groaning, Tom broke away from Sybil and answered the door.
He was surprised to see Mary. Tom gave her a disapproving look, which she nodded at.
"May I come in?" she asked.
He opened the door wider for her to enter. When Sybil saw her sister, the last person she wanted to talk to at that moment, she bolted from the couch and angrily asked, "What do you want?"
"I want to apologize. After you left, mama lectured me on following the bride's wishes. That's how Granny found out that I went against your wishes. Getting lectured by mama is not fun, but getting lectured by Granny is infinitely worse."
Despite her anger, Sybil laughed at that, having been on the receiving end of their grandmother's lectures.
Mary took her sister's hands into hers. "However, she reminded me that this is your wedding and that I already had my dream wedding. Granny also said that as much as I like to think that you and I are alike, we are very different people."
Obviously chastened, Mary added, "I'm very, very sorry, Sybil. I made another appointment at the bridal boutique for next week and I told the consultant that you will discuss what you like and want with her."
"Am I forgiven?"
Sybil sighed. Mary rarely apologized to anyone. For her to do that, as well as arrange for another day of dress shopping, showed her remorse.
"Forgiven," Sybil replied.
Tom smirked. "I guess we're not going to Las Vegas now."
Sybil laughed. "No, darling. A family affair in June at Downton."
"Sounds perfect."
