Appearances May Often Deceive
Thanks again for the great reviews. I hope you like this chapter :)
Author's Notes : Jeff has his own nickname for Amelia. It's Mia. So in this chapter she will be referred to as Amelia, Amy or Mia as well as a couple other nicknames ;)
Sorry for not updating sooner. Lately I've had so many ideas for the ending chapters, that I just had to type out all those scenes before I forgot the details I wanted to add. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice, its characters, names or its locations.
Chapter 9
It was the day before Thanksgiving, and I woke up at the Bingley home in Pemberley. John, Katie and I hadn't really made any plans for the day. So after breakfast, we went out into the Bingley backyard. The moment we stepped outside we heard music playing. Katie smiled and said Amy was up.
"How do you know it's her?" I asked.
"She always blasts music when she's in the garage. Let's go see what she's doing," Katie said as she headed for the gate.
As we walked up the Darcy's driveway, we saw the garage door was open and Amelia was moving around boxes. She was wearing a red sweater with jeans, and she had her hair in curls. Katie started laughing and said, "She put you to work already?"
Amelia looked up at us, smiled and replied, "Doesn't she always? You know for someone who tells me I work too much, it sure doesn't stop her from giving me chores when I come home."
"What do you have to do this time?" Katie asked.
"She had me put that together for her yesterday," Amelia said pointing to a bookshelf, "Now I'm just arranging stuff on it."
"You put that together!?" I asked.
"Yeah, why?" Amelia said frowning at the bookshelf, "Does it look crooked or something?"
"No, I just can't believe you built it," I commented.
"Well I didn't build it from scratch. It came in a box, and I just put it together," Amelia replied.
I shrugged, "I guess I never figured you as the hands on type."
"Do you think because I'm a girl I can't read directions?" she asked.
"I never said that. I just never pictured you as the type of person who put things together, that's all," I remarked.
"Well, I've been doing it most of my life. I loved my dad, but he was stubborn. Whenever he bought something that had to be put together, he refused to look at the directions. How hard is it for men to take five minutes to read the directions? He would make things twice as difficult. He would spread out the pieces and just study them. So I would read the directions, and just start to put it together myself," Amelia finished.
John laughed, "That sounds like you Mike. You never want to read the directions."
"Shut up. I'm smart enough to figure it out on my own. I don't need to waste my time reading the directions," I stated.
Amelia opened a cabinet to put a box away and a basketball rolled out. I picked it up and spun it on my finger then handed it to her. "Is this your brother's," I asked.
Amelia spun it in between her two palms and looked at Katie. Katie just smiled at her and Amelia looked back at me.
"You want to play?" Amelia asked with a look in her eyes that I recognized. It was the same look she gave me when she asked me to jog with her.
"Oh no, I'm not falling for this again Darcy. You're a hustler. You're going to tell me you haven't played in a long time. Then I'm going to find out that you were on the women's Olympic basketball team or something," I replied.
"First of all, I'm not a hustler. If I was a hustler, it would mean we made a wager of some kind, which we never did. Second, I haven't played in a long time. And third, I was never on the women's Olympic basketball team. I was only named the MVP in the state championship," she replied in all seriousness.
I swore my jaw hit the ground at her last remark, when I heard Katie start to laugh.
"Mike she's just messing with you. We played for the girl's basketball team in seventh grade. And even then, we lost half of our games," Katie said through her laughter.
I looked back at Amelia and saw she was smirking.
"If your claim is true that you haven't played in a while, and you're not that good, why are you willing to play me?" I enquired.
"I'm not afraid of a challenge," Amelia stated.
"Do you see me as a challenge?" I wondered.
I could tell she wanted to say yes, but she thought about it for a second before replying, "Well I wouldn't say you were a walk in the park."
"Are we still talking about basketball?" John asked, confused by where our conversation was headed.
"Yeah. Okay Darcy, we'll play you," I said pointing to John and myself.
"Great," she replied.
"You don't have a problem with girls against guys?" I asked.
"Nope," she replied in a nonchalant manner, that expressed too much confidence for my liking.
"Want to bet on it then?" I asked. There was absolutely no way these girls were going to beat us.
"Sure," she said nonchalantly.
"What do you want to bet?" I asked Amelia.
"Don't ask her. She'll just suggest having the loser run around in their underwear or something," Katie remarked.
"Now that wouldn't be a bad idea," I commented, giving Amelia a poignant look.
"Knock it off Mike. It's just a friendly game. How about the losers buy the winners lunch? Okay? That sounds fair enough," John interjected.
"Fine by me," Katie replied, and Amelia and I nodded in agreement.
"Wait a second here, this game won't be fair," Katie finally realized, "You and Mike are practically a foot taller then the both of us," she said pointing to Amelia and herself.
"It's okay Katie. We can take them. It's just a game," Amelia told her.
"No, I have a better idea. You and I will be on one team, and Amy and Mike will be on the other," John replied helpfully.
"Oh, that's perfect," Katie said in agreement.
"You want us to be on the same team?" Amelia and I said in unison, and then turned to look at each other.
Katie and John started laughing at our reaction. Then Katie said, "Are you two so eager to compete against each other, that you can't work together?"
I had never thought about it before.
Amelia shrugged and replied, "I don't have a problem playing with Michael."
"Neither do I," I responded, as we both turned to look at each other again.
"Uh, Katie, I think we should just give up now," John commented.
"Why?" she asked.
"Do you see that look they both have in their eyes? We don't even stand a chance," John said with a chuckle.
"You're right," Katie told John then turned to look at us, "Will you two please take it easy on us? You do realize it's only a game?"
"Of course," Amelia replied as I said, "Sure."
"We just need a couple of minutes alone to discuss our strategy," Amelia told Katie and John while pointing at me.
"Strategy?" John asked with his mouth hanging open, "You just agreed to take it easy on us."
"Oh we will," I replied with a smile. I'm sorry, but I hate to lose. And by the looks of it, so does Amelia.
"Excuse us," I said as I guided Amelia down the driveway, and out of hearing range.
"What's your strategy?" I asked.
"Well Bennet, I don't like revealing my strengths and weakness. But Katie has played with me long enough to know. I miss easy shots, when I'm standing next to the basket. But I have a knack to shooting three pointers. I don't know why. Probably because the farther I'm away from the basket, the better chance I have to aim the ball or something," Amelia finished.
"Okay, that's good to know," I said as I started to walk away.
"Wait a second, aren't you going to tell me your weakness?" she asked as I turned back towards her.
"I have no weakness," I replied with a smirk, and she just looked at me with disbelief.
I had no idea playing with Amelia would be so much fun. We clobbered them. John and Katie never stood a chance against us. True to her word, Amelia had a knack for shooting three pointers. And when she was too close to the basket, she would through the ball to me so I would make the shot. The score was twenty to twelve when I scored another shot rasing it to twenty-two.
"Nice shot Bennet!" Amelia said as I gave her a high five.
"Will you look at that. They were ready to draw each others blood when we first suggested playing. Now they're best buds," John told Katie.
"I know. Remind me never to play football or hockey with them. I don't want to end up in the emergency room," Katie replied.
"Hey, there's no need to act like sore losers," I told them as we heard the loud noise of an engine.
I turned around and saw a motorcycle turn into the Darcy's driveway. The person stopped and Amelia ran up to them.
"Hi Shawn," she said as the man took off his helmet. Amelia introduced us all, and turned her attention back to Shawn. Apparently he grew up down the block from them, and he ran into Amelia yesterday. They had started talking about bikes, and Shawn had told her he bought a new one. He had told her he would ride it over today to show her.
"I'm here as promised," Shawn replied.
"Wow, it's really nice. You know this bike has a lot more power then my dirt bike," Amelia said with a big smile on her face, and a twinkle in her eye.
"Here," Shawn said as he handed her his helmet.
Amelia was beaming with excitement. She mounted the motorcycle and was about to slip on the helmet, when we heard shouting from behind.
"Amelia be careful! Don't you dare do anything foolish on that bike!" Mrs. Darcy yelled from the porch.
"Oh, mom. Why would I do something like that?" she said with a huge smile on her face, and a mischievous look in her eyes.
She slipped on the helmet and took off down the road. All of a sudden, she popped a wheelie while Shawn, Katie and John cheered. By that time Mrs. Darcy had walked up to stand next to me and muttered, "That girl never listens. She always does the opposite of what I tell her to do," as we watched Amelia disappear down another street.
"Really?" I asked. This surprised me. She had always seemed so serious. Like a soldier who was ready, willing and able to take orders from their superior. That is how she acted around Mrs. DeBourg. But Mrs. DeBourg was her boss after all.
"Oh yes. I remember once I bought her an art kit. The first thing I told her was not to put any of it on the walls. The first thing she did when we got home was go into her room and lock the door. She emerged a couple of hours later, with a freshly painted mural above her bed," Mrs. Darcy finished.
I couldn't help but laugh. I had no idea Amelia was so rebellious. "Were you mad?" I asked.
"No, it wasn't half bad for a twelve year old," she said.
"No, I mean, weren't you mad that she did what you told her not to?" I asked again.
"No. I knew what was going through her mind, the moment I saw her set eyes on that paint set at the store. That's why I told her not to. And I knew that she would keep her mouth shut, and pretend that she would follow my rule. When in fact, she was keeping her mouth shut so she wouldn't lie to me. She likes to do that. When I tell her not to do something that she is planning to do anyway. She will either not say anything at all, she will change the subject, or she will do what she did right now, act innocent," Mrs. Darcy stated.
"Did you punish her?" I asked curiously.
"No. The best punishment would have been if she hated what she painted. Then she would have wanted it off the wall, and I would have refused to paint over it. But that didn't happen. Instead, every time her friends would come over, they would say how cool the mural looked. So it stayed up there for years," she said as a matter of fact.
Just then Amelia reappeared. She had apparently circled the block. When she reached us she popped another wheelie, holding it up longer this time, and sped off down the street.
"I hate that her father taught her how to ride those things," Mrs. Darcy stated.
"How long has she been riding?" I asked.
"The first time I caught her driving one, she was twelve. But I don't know when he first taught her, that is just when I found out about it. They both weren't stupid enough to tell me that he was teaching her. They both knew I would have put a stop to it. Once I found out about it, I could see that she was quite capable of handling herself. It felt wrong to tell her she couldn't, when she was able to handle the bike just as well as her brother," Mrs. Darcy finished.
"How long has Jeff been riding?" I wondered.
"My husband bought him one of those things when he was sixteen. Though, knowing my husband, I think he bought it more for himself than for my son," she said with a laugh.
"So your husband rode too?" I asked.
"I only allowed him to buy the bike for our son, if he would supervise him every time he took it out. But my husband, being the big kid he was, spent half the time on it himself. And of course, every time Amelia saw them heading out there, she would toddle along after them," Mrs. Darcy remarked.
"Yeah, I noticed there's a big age difference between Amelia and her brother," I commented.
"Yes, ten years. After I had Jeff, I wanted other children but the doctors said it was impossible. They said I would never get pregnant again. When Jeff was little, he would ask me if we could go to the store and buy a baby. He thought you could buy a little brother or sister from a store. Then when he was ten, I found out I was pregnant again. I was so happy, but the doctors advised me to have an abortion. They said it was a high risk pregnancy, and there was no way I could carry the baby to term. They said I would most likely miscarry. They had no hopes for the baby to survive," Mrs. Darcy stated.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes. But I refused to listen to them. I wanted the baby so badly, there was no way I was going to terminate the pregnancy. But I spent my whole pregnancy in tears. Every day I would wake up and wonder if this was the day that I was going to miscarry. The doctors scared us so much that we didn't even set up a nursery. They thought the best case scenario was if Amelia was born premature. But back then they didn't have the medicine and technology they do now. So even if she was premature, she wouldn't have a high chance of survival. So I can't tell you how happy we were when Amelia was born after nine months, and in excellent health," she said with a smile.
"Wow. I guess your son was happy that he finally got the sibling he always wanted," I stated.
"Oh Jeff was ecstatic. The moment I put her in his arms, he christened her 'my little Mia.' He instantly became her protector. When people came over to see the baby and I let them in the nursery, he would get mad at me. He would say what if they have germs and make the baby sick? She's so little she might die. Or what if they wake her up and she starts to cry? When she was older, he would come home from school and see her playing outside. He would pick her up and bring her into the house. He would then tell me not to let her play outside, because someone was going to see how cute she was and take her. Then we'd never see her again," she said with a sigh.
"So they're really close? Even with the age difference?" I asked.
"Yes. As close as they can get. I was very surprised myself. Sometimes to my chagrin actually," she said with a laugh.
"Chagrin?" I asked in confusion.
"Yes. I remember once Jeff was watching Amelia. I thought they were just playing outside, and didn't think anything of it. Amelia was two or three at the time. Later in the day, I saw Amelia's face covered in chocolate. I asked her where she had gotten it from. She said the store. I was in total confusion. My husband wasn't home so I knew he hadn't taken her. So I asked who took her and she said Jeff. She went on to tell me all about her day with such enthusiasm and excitement. That Jeff had put her on the handlebars of his bike, which hurt she said as she rubbed her bottom, and had driven her around town with his friends. They had gone to the railroad tracks and put pieces of metal on the tracks to flatten it. They had gone to the pond to collect tadpoles. They had gone to the big tree and climbed it. And all the boys had helped to carry her up. And they finished their day by going into town to get ice cream. My heart nearly stopped. I knew my son loved his little sister, but I never thought he would take her along with his buddies," she finished.
"That's surprising," I remarked.
"I know. I was completely surprised to see my son's friends playing with her when they came over. They were always giving her piggy back rides, or she would sit on their shoulders. I think they thought of her as their little mascot or something. Jeff's friends are the only people who call her Mia, besides Jeff," she finished.
"So she was always tagging along after them?" I asked.
"Well when she wasn't with Jeff, she was with her father. You see when Jeff was little, he was a mama's boy. He would cry and fuss if I was not in the room. He would give my poor husband such a hard time when he tried to take care of him. So my husband was over joyed when Amelia was born and wasn't like that. He couldn't believe that she would stop crying the moment he would pick her up. It completely overwhelmed him. He became so proud of his parenting skills. I would have to go to the store and he would say to leave the baby with him, that he knew how to take care of her. When she was a toddler, he started taking her everywhere. He would put her car seat in his truck, and take her to the hardware store or to run errands. He said she would just sit there and observe her surroundings, and would occasionally point out things. She became dad's little girl. She had him wrapped around her little finger. She would walk in the room and go sit on his lap. I would see her whispering something in his ear. Then my husband would turn to me and say honey, I'm in the mood for hot chocolate. Amelia would just be leaning her head again his chest, grinning triumphantly. They were incredibly close. They loved each other so much," Mrs. Darcy said with a sad smile.
No wonder Amelia took his death so hard. I love my parents. But with five boys, I hardly ever got to spend any time alone with them. I still don't know how I would react if I lost one of them. Let alone suddenly, and under such horrible circumstances.
Amelia returned and parked the bike in the driveway. She seemed to be on a high after her little ride. I was starting to see her in a whole new light. I'm not sure if I ever knew this woman at all. I was feeling a mixture of emotions. Confusion being one of them. I could not describe what I felt when it came to Amelia. It was so easy to hate her before. But I felt scared to like her now. To like a woman I was attracted to, whom I had treated badly, who was beautiful, educated, wealthy and could have her pick of the countless number of guys that wanted her. If I actually started to like her as a person, I knew I was in danger of growing to care about her. Ugh! This was so complicated!
Shawn said his goodbyes and left, while Mrs. Darcy headed for the grocery store.
"Where should we go for lunch?" John asked.
"Let's go to Jacques'," Amelia suggested.
Katie smiled and clamped her hands together in excitement, while John just shrugged in agreement.
Jacques! Oh great! French food! I hope they don't make me eat snails.
We walked over to the Bingleys and took John's car to Jacques'. When we got there, I was surprised to see that Jacques' was actually an old fashion burger joint. It had a fifties theme to it. It was my kind of place. When we walked in, the older man behind the counter looked up and smiled. He walked around the counter and stretched out his arms as Katie and Amelia stepped into his embrace.
"My girls are home! How are my all-time favorite waitresses? Business has never been the same without you," the man said with a smile.
"Hi Bill," Katie and Amelia replied cheerfully as they embraced the older man.
Bill looked up and noticed us standing there, "Oh, my girls brought their fellas along with them," he said smiling at us.
Katie introduced John as her fiancé, and me as her future brother-in-law. Bill smiled then asked, "And you're dating my Amy?"
"No," Amelia and I both replied at the same time. We both said it a little too quickly and then looked away in different directions. I noticed out of the corner of my eye, John was giving me a curious kind of look. Wondering if there was something going on that he didn't know about. I just ignored him and observed my surroundings as the conversation continued. I could not imagine Amelia working in a place like this. In fact, I couldn't picture her as a waitress. But then again, I never would have pictured her working in Africa or running an after-school program in Cheapside either.
We sat down at a booth and looked at the menus. Once we placed our orders, I looked at Amelia who sat across from me.
"So you used to work here?" I asked.
"Yeah," she told me then turned to Katie.
"When was that?" Amelia asked her.
"The summer we turned 16," Katie replied.
"That's right. I used to break all the speeding limits to get us here on time," Amelia said with a smile.
"I know. Remember your dad gave you that old car, because he was sure it couldn't go that fast. Little did he know that you were driving it at 85 miles an hour," Katie said with a laugh.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration. I never drove that car at 85 miles an hour," she paused for a moment to think, "I think the fastest I went was 82 or 83," Amelia said in all seriousness.
I just laughed, "Is that supposed to be any better?" I asked.
"Yes. You never drove that car. I think the engine would've definitely given out if I attempted to go 85," she said as a matter of fact.
"So did you guys like working here?" John asked.
"It didn't really feel like work," Katie replied.
"Why is that?" I wondered.
"Because it felt like we were getting paid to hang out with our friends," Amelia answered.
"Yeah. Our friends knew we worked here, so they would drop by ever day during our shift," Katie commented.
"That's why Bill says we're his favorite waitresses. He claims his business doubled when we worked here," Amelia continued.
"It's because Amy was friends with a lot of the guys on the football team. So the whole team started coming here every day, after their summer practice sessions," Katie said smiling at Amelia as she shrugged in response.
"They were fun, but they were also the ones who made the biggest mess," Amelia commented.
Just then, a woman walked through the door carrying a baby. Amelia and Katie smiled and got out of the booth.
"Hey Melissa," Katie greeted her.
The woman looked up and smiled, "Hey you guys!"
"And who is this?" Amelia asked smiling at the baby.
"Girls this is Emily. Emily these are mommy's friends Amy and Katie."
They smiled at the baby and we stood up to join them. Katie introduced us, and Melissa mentioned that she was here to pick up some take out. Katie asked if she could hold the baby and Melissa agreed.
"Do you mind watching her for a couple of minutes, while I run to the bathroom?" Melissa asked.
"Sure, go ahead. I'd be glad to," Katie replied.
The moment Melissa left the room, Emily started crying. Katie started bouncing the baby up and down, while John made goofy faces. It only caused Emily to wail even louder. People were starting to stare and Melissa was no where in sight. Amelia turned to Katie and asked, "Do you want me to try?"
Katie was grateful for Amelia's offer. She was relieved to hand over the screaming infant. Amelia held the baby still, opposed to Katie's method of bouncing her up and down, and started talking to her in a low, soft voice.
"Hi Emily. I know you're scared, but your mommy will be back any second. There's no need to cry," Amelia said to her. The baby stopped her high pitch wailing, but continued to cry so Amelia kept talking to her using a low, gentle voice.
"You know, I have known your mommy ever sense she was little. I think she has beautiful eyes. I think you might have the same beautiful eyes that she does. But I can't tell. There are too many tears. I'd like to see what your eyes look like without the tears. You think you can do that? You think you can stop crying long enough so I can see your eyes?" Amelia asked softly.
Emily's cries turned into heavy breathing so Amelia continued, "See I was right. You do have your mommy's big, beautiful, blue eyes. You're such a lucky girl. I just have plain, old, brown eyes."
Emily stopped crying and her eyes were wide open. She was staring intensely at Amelia's face as she spoke to her. I couldn't believe my eyes. I never would have thought Amelia's quiet manner would be more successful then Katie's exuberance, when it came to comforting Emily. Melissa returned and apologized for taking so long. We said our goodbyes as Melissa left with Emily and her take out.
"How did you know the way to get her to stop crying?" I asked Amelia as we returned to our booth.
She shrugged and said, "I used to work with kids."
"And who taught you that trick?" I wondered.
She shrugged again and replied, "No body. I guess I just figured out some things as I went along."
Our order arrived and we had a pleasant lunch. Katie and Amelia relayed all the funny stories they had from working at Jacques'. We laughed so much I never would have believed it. I never thought I could have such a good time with Amelia. The four of us spending time together felt so natural. Like it was meant to be. That kind of scared me. Was Amelia feeling the same way?
After lunch we drove back to the Bingelys. Once we got out of the car, John and I headed for the front door, while Katie and Amelia stood in the driveway consumed by their discussion on floral arrangements. When I got to the front door, I turned back to look at them and saw a man walking up the driveway. He was tall, dark and had a muscular build. Katie and Amelia were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice him. When he was still several feet away, he stopped and yelled out, "Hey Shortcake!"
Amelia quickly turned around and smiled. She ran into his arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. She buried her head in his shoulder, and he kissed her cheek before putting her back down on the ground. I was taken a back. Who was this guy? It felt like I just had the wind knocked out of me. I had never seen Amelia be so affectionate with any man before. Just then I heard Katie yell out, "Hi Jeff."
Jeff. Jeff! It's only her brother. Why was I so worried there for a second? I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in. I just looked at the two of them. They really didn't look anything alike. Jeff's skin was darker than Amelia's. But then again, he probably works outdoors in the sun a lot. I would have never recognized him based on the photos I saw of him yesterday. All the photos were of a tall, skinny teenager. Jeff was all muscle now, but I guess in his line of work he has to be. As I walked closer to him, I noticed he has their mother's eyes. While based on the photographs I saw yesterday, Amelia has her father's.
Amelia was smiling and introduces us to her brother. As Jeff shook my hand he said, "You're the guitar player right? My sister has told me a lot of really good things about you."
I looked at Amelia and wondered what she could have possibly told her brother about me. "Are you sure you're not mistaking me for my brother Matt? He also plays the guitar," I told Jeff.
"No, she said Mike not Matt," Jeff answered. I looked at Amelia, and she was just staring at her shoes.
"Let's all go back to the house," Jeff suggested.
As we started walking down the driveway, Amelia said to Jeff, "They said on the news that it might snow in a couple of days. Maybe we can go skating on the pond."
He agreed and John started asking Jeff about his job. I started walking alongside Amelia as Jeff, John and Katie walked a couple feet ahead of us.
I took the opportunity to ask, "So Shortcake huh?"
"Oh, I blame Karina for that. When I was little, I loved the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon. And apparently Karina thought I resembled her because of my brown, curly hair. My brother heard her calling me that, and now he calls me that whenever he sees me wearing red or pink," she remarked.
I just chuckled as she shrugged. She didn't seem to be embarrassed by it. As we walked up the steps to the Darcy home, Amelia asked Jeff about the baby. Jeff said he was so excited all morning. He kept asking when he was going to get to play with his aunt. That he had been driving them crazy all day. I found this information interesting. I didn't know Jeff was married and had a baby. No one ever mentioned it. As we entered the house, a tall, blonde woman with blue eyes greeted us. Jeff introduced her to us as his wife Christine, who was six months pregnant. She was very friendly. She smiled at us while she shook our hands.
Just then we heard a young voice yelling, "Mimi! Mimi!" as a little boy ran down the foyer and jumped into Amelia's open arms. The little boy was probably two or three years old, and had a huge smile on his face.
"How's my baby?" Amy asked the little boy.
He frowned and said, "I'm not a baby."
"Sorry," she replied, "I'm the baby, you're the big boy."
The little boy smiled and nodded. He had Amy's button nose and long eyelashes.
"I want you to meet my friends," Amy told the little boy.
He turned to look at us and quickly became shy. He leaned forward and rested the top of his head against Amy's neck.
"Danny, this is Michael and John. And you remember Katie don't you? Aren't you going to say hi?" she asked him.
Amy lifted up one of his little hands, and he wiggled his fingers in a little wave, while he giggled a hi. Then he buried his face in her neck.
"This is my nephew Danny," Amy introduced us.
We all said hi to the little boy, but he just giggled. We all walked into the living room and Danny told Amy that he wanted to wrestle. She said okay and took him into the adjoining family room. The living room and family room were connected by a set of double doors. By the looks of it, Danny had been in there for a while because toys were spread out all over the floor. The rest of us sat in the living room and talked. I couldn't help but look at what was happening in the other room. Amy and Danny's idea of wrestling was really a tickle fight. I couldn't believe my eyes. Amelia Darcy was rolling on the floor, with her curls spread out across the carpet, laughing as Danny tickled her. I don't think I had ever seen her look more beautiful or carefree. Her beautiful laughter was like music to my ears. It was a sight to be seen. Even their dog and cat had gone into the room and were sitting quietly, observing their behavior.
Mrs. Darcy saw me staring at what was happening in the other room and said, "I'm sorry. We're so used to Amelia's lack of volume control that I hadn't notice how loud they had gotten. I'll go tell them to keep it down."
"No, no. That's alright. I don't think they're too loud. I'm just so used to Amelia being so quiet, that I'm just a little surprised to see her act this way," I remarked.
"Quiet? I wish. Quiet is not a word I would use to describe my daughter. Loud, yes. Quiet, no," Mrs. Darcy replied.
"You really think she's loud?" I asked.
"Oh yes. I remember calling her dorm room once. Katie answered the phone, and the moment she did, I heard Amelia screaming at the top of her lungs in the background. I asked Katie what was going on, and she said Amelia was just talking to her friends. Talking to her friends? I asked in confusion. She said yes. Amelia had her head sticking out of their third story window, and was having a conversation with her friends in the courtyard. I just sighed and said, yup that's my daughter. The topper was when Amelia picked up the phone, and I asked her how she was doing. She said she was fine, but she had a sore throat. I just shook my head and laughed. Obviously her sore throat doesn't stop her from yelling out of a third story window. And no wonder she is suffering from a sore throat in the first place," Mrs. Darcy said with a chuckle.
I laughed. That sounded like something Chris and Leo would do. I had a nice conversation with Jeff and Christine. Jeff asked about my work and what I liked to do in my spare time. In return, they told me all about themselves. They are a really nice couple. The whole time we were talking, I couldn't help but sneak glances at what was happening in the other room. I couldn't believe Amelia could be so silly, playful and childlike. I started laughing when Danny insisted that Amy play with his stuffed Barney. Amy refused by saying Barney was annoying. A little while later, Amy came walking into the living room with Danny in her arms.
They were headed for the foyer when Mrs. Darcy asked, "Where are you going?"
"We're going to get some cookies," Danny said with enthusiasm.
"Cookies!?" Mrs. Darcy and Christine said at the same time.
"No, you don't. You're going to ruin his appetite," Mrs. Darcy declared.
"Cookies?" Amy said acting all innocent, "The kid's delusional. It must be all that Barney and Teletubbies that he watches. Right?" she said as she looked at Danny.
Danny nodded, smiled and said, "Ugh huh," having absolutely no idea what he was agreeing with.
Amy proceeded toward the kitchen, while her mother yelled out not to give him any cookies. Amy responded by yelling back a, "Yeah."
I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, I went into the kitchen. There was Danny sitting on the counter, with Amelia standing in front of him so he wouldn't fall, and they were both eating cookies. I walked up behind her.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" I asked.
"Here, have a cookie," Amy said as she handed me one.
After I took a bite she continued, "Now you can't say anything because you're just as guilty as I am."
"Hey wait a second here, you just gave me the cookie," I replied.
"And you should have known better. Right Danny?" she asked him.
He absentmindedly nodded and said, "Ugh huh." I have a feeling that he would respond that way no matter what question she asked.
We finished the cookies and went back to the family room. I spent the rest of the day playing with Amy and Danny. I have to say he's a really cute kid. We played Hungry, Hungry Hippo and then Danny declared himself the winner. I asked him why, since Amy and I both ate more marbles then he had. He thought about it for a second and said it was because we cheat. We both laughed at his response, and Amy whispered in my ear that Danny did not like losing. That makes two of us. Later, Danny wanted to see his Sponge Bob video, so I went back into the living room and started talking to Jeff.
I found out Jeff worked for the Ramsgate Fire Department and that they lived thirty miles away from Meryton. We talked about all kinds of things. My family, his childhood, Pemberley. Somehow we started talking about our high school days, and I remembered seeing the photos of Amelia with the homecoming king. So I causally brought up the subject. I wondered what Jeff thought of her old boyfriends.
Jeff started laughing and shook his head, "Mia has never introduced me to any of her boyfriends. She was too afraid that I'd might try to scare them off."
"You don't want your sister to date?" I asked innocently.
"Well, when she was a teenager the thought was never very appealing to me. It's hard to think of my little sister like that. But now that I see her with Danny," we both looked toward the other room and saw them sitting on the floor, Danny was on her lap using her body as a recliner. "I know she will be a wonderful mother one day. I can't help to imagine my little sister with a baby of her own. I want Danny to have some cousins to play with. And I know the only way that is going to happen. Now that she is an adult, I know she can take care of herself. But it doesn't stop me from worrying about her. It would be comforting to know she has a husband to come home to. Who would be there to look after her. I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard though. Ever since she was born, I have always been the guy in her life. I've been her protector, and the guy she could count on. I know it would be hard to let someone else step in, and take that place in her life," he remarked with a hint of sadness.
Just then, Amy walked into the room and saw us sitting together. She asked us what we were talking about. I said, "Your brother was just telling me how he was always looking out for you when you were little."
Amy started laughing and said, "I'm sure he conveniently forgot to mention how he would grab me by the ankles, and dangle me over the toilet. Threatening to flush my head in, if I didn't do as he said."
I was shocked but started laughing.
"Now Mia, no need to divulge our family secrets. We don't need everyone to know about my powers of persuasion," Jeff responded.
Amy was still laughing, "How about when you would stuff me in dresser drawers. Or when you would stick me in the cubby holes of the linen closet. Or when you told me . . ."
Jeff cut her off, "Okay, I know how to shut you up." He stood up and had a wicked smile on his face.
Amy put both hands in front of her and started to back up. She was still laughing when she said, "I swear Jeff, if you touch me, that baby," Amy pointed to Jeff's pregnant wife, "will be the last child you will ever be able to produce," as Amy lifted her foot ready to kick him in a delicate area.
Jeff only laughed at her threat. She turned to run but he grabbed her in a backward bear hug. He used one of his arms to restrain both of hers, and used his other hand to rub his knuckles over her head. She screamed in pain, and we all laughed at them. Mrs. Darcy rushed into the room after hearing all the commotion. Jeff let go of his sister and Mrs. Darcy address her.
"Amelia really! You know better then to scream like that in front of company! Act your age!" Mrs. Darcy told her daughter.
Amy scoffed in disbelief and pointed at Jeff with her mouth still hanging open. But Mrs. Darcy just turned around and went straight back into the kitchen. Jeff was just laughing at the fact that his sister had gotten all the blame.
"Mama's boy gets away with everything," Amy muttered.
"What did you just call me?" Jeff asked.
"Mama's boy!" Amy replied.
"Oh that's it," Jeff said as he started towards Amy again.
This time Amy ran the other way and plopped herself down next to Christine, wrapping her arms around her pregnant belly, using her as a shield.
"Mia, hiding behind a pregnant woman?" Jeff asked in amusement.
"I would defend myself, but we have company. I wouldn't want them to witness any bloodshed," Amy replied.
"No, go right ahead I'm used to it," Katie replied enjoying the show in front of her, "John is going to be part of the family too. So he should know what to expect."
"Christine, you're not going to let him maim your favorite babysitter are you. You know the one that works for free. Especially now, with another one on the way," Amy asked her sister-in-law.
"She right. Leave your sister alone," Christine told her husband. Amy smiled triumphantly.
"Oh come on, she can take it," Jeff replied with a smile.
"You think that someone who is almost 40 would have grown up by now," Amy retorted.
"Almost 40!" Jeff repeated incredulously, as he started walking towards her again.
"Danny! Danny! Come here!" Amy called out.
Danny came walking into the room holding his stuffed Barney. Amy put both her arms out and he went running into her embrace. "You'll protect me, won't you?" Amy asked him.
Again he nodded absentmindedly and said, "Ugh huh."
"Trying to use my own son against me," Jeff said shaking his head.
"Anything you do to me, he's going to do to his new brother or sister," Amy pointed out.
Jeff conceded and finally left Amy alone. Danny continued to sit on Amy's lap, facing her. He started playing with her hair with his left hand, and was sucking the thumb on his right. Danny would grab one of Amy's curls and would stretch it out. He would then let it go and watch it spring back up to its original form. He then rested his head on her shoulder and started twisting her curls around his fingers. Pretty soon his eyes slowly started to close and he fell asleep.
Amy went upstairs to put Danny down for his nap, and the rest of us continued our conversation. I got a greater insight on Amy's personality. Jeff happened to mention that Amy was really funny. Again, I was surprised to hear more people use that word to describe her. I had laughed at a few things she had said, especially since I arrived at Pemberley. But Jeff described her as having the ability to get a whole room full of people in stitches.
"Remember the time she called my dad an old buzzard," Jeff said to Katie as they both started laughing.
I couldn't see how Amy calling her father names was so funny.
"What's so funny about that?" I asked.
"Well, when Mia was a teenager, she was always saying the word dude," Jeff started.
"Dude? Really?" I couldn't imagine the prim and proper Amelia Darcy using the word dude in her vocabulary.
"Yeah. Anyway, one day my dad started making fun of her because of it. At one point he called her dude, to which she responded that she wasn't a dude, she was a chick. My dad started laughing and said you're more like a turkey because you're way past the expiration date to be considered a baby chick," at that point Jeff was laughing so much he couldn't continue.
So Katie finished, "That's when Amy replied, well if I'm a turkey, I guess that makes you an old buzzard."
I started to laugh and noticed Amy had come back downstairs. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the keys of the piano, as she walked by it. Mrs. Darcy saw her and told her to play something classic for them.
"Something classic? Okay, I'll play something classic for you," she said with a smile and a mischievous look in her eye.
Amy took out a music book and started flipping through the pages. When she started playing, I recognized the melody, but knew I had never heard it played on a piano before. I just could not put my finger on what song she was playing, but I knew that I had heard it before. Katie was near by and I saw her giggling. I asked her what was so funny.
"Don't you recognize the song she is playing? Anne told her to play something classic. So she's playing Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer."
She was right. That was the song. Well it was definitely a classic, but I don't think it was what Mrs. Darcy had in mind. When she finished, she got up and I walked towards her.
"I didn't know you played the piano," I remarked.
"I don't," Amy replied.
"Oh really? So what was that?" I asked.
"That was called teaching myself to play a couple of songs. Jeff is the piano player. He's really good at it. He took lessons for years, but he really doesn't like to play in front of people anymore. I think it's because he hasn't practiced in along time. So he thinks he's rusty, but he isn't," she finished.
"You taught yourself a few songs?" I asked incredulously.
"Yeah, it wasn't that hard. I took clarinet lessons, so once I knew how to read music it wasn't that difficult. I just picked up a couple of my brother's piano books, and read which keys corresponded to which notes. That book I just used is for beginners. Each note has the letter printed on it. You know A, B or C. So it's like cheating. Anyway, when I was teaching myself I just chose a song and practiced it. That was the key, I just practiced it over and over, and over again, until I knew the keys by memory. That is not knowing how to play the piano. Jeff knows how to play the piano. You can put any piece of sheet music in front of him, and he can play it for you. I would have to get out all my books and look up all the notes, and practice the song for weeks before being able to play it," she remarked.
I was impressed. She played the song very well, and she had taught herself. She was never given lessons. That said a lot about her determination, to be able to sit down and teach herself something.
"So you play the clarinet then?" I said with a raised eyebrow.
She laughed, "Yeah, I play one mean Mary Had A Little Lamb, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
"Well I wouldn't mind hearing it," I said with a smile.
"Well, I guess it's fortunate that I left my clarinet back in Meryton then. But you, on the other hand, can play for us," she responded.
"Well I also left my guitar at home," I replied.
"Oh I can fix that," she said as she turned and walked away.
While she was gone, Christine persuaded Jeff to play the piano for us. Amelia was right. Jeff was really talented. When Amelia came back, she had two guitars with her, an acoustic and an electric.
"Which do you prefer?" she asked me.
"Where did you get these?" I asked with my mouth hanging open.
"They were my dad's," she replied.
"Your dad knew how to play?" I asked in astonishment.
"Well, actually, he only knew how to play one song, Brown Eyed Girl. Other then that, he would just play around with different keys trying to find a melody. He always hoped to write his own song one day, but he never got the chance," she replied.
I was so touched. I couldn't believe she would allow me to touch her father's guitars.
"I can't play these. They belonged to your dad. They're special," I stated.
"Exactly. That is why you are the only one I trust to use them," Amelia replied.
I was speechless. I couldn't believe she trusted me that much. Especially after everything I said to her in the past.
"So what are you going to play for us?" She asked with a smile.
"I don't know. What do you want me to play?" I replied.
"You choose," she said.
The only song that came to mind was the song she had just mentioned, which was Brown Eyed Girl. I couldn't look at her while I played. I knew I would lose my nerve the moment I looked into her eyes. So I mostly looked down at the floor while I played. When I finished, I looked up at Amy's brown eyes and saw they were glossed over with unshed tears. But she was smiling. I saw a few tears rolling down Mrs. Darcy's cheeks, and she came over and hugged me.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it was to hear that song again," Mrs. Darcy told me.
Somehow, in that instance, I felt truly accepted by their family. Like I would always be welcomed there with open arms. And I have to say it felt really good.