Chapter 11

"What's burning?!" Mrs. Bennet shrieked. Turning around to survey the kitchen, she tried to find the source of the smell, the spoon in her hand flicking sauce all over the countertop and floor as she turned about.

"It's just the oven," Jane replied calmly as she walked over and peaked inside. "The green bean casserole bubbled over a bit."

Jane closed the oven door and walked back to the counter to begin once more chopping up lettuce for their salad. Liz had just finished setting the table and now sat at the kitchen island, arranging some veggies on a platter as an appetizer.

"What can I help with, dears?" Aunt Val asked as she stepped into the kitchen.

Their Thanksgiving turkey was already in the oven along with several other side dishes. Mrs. Bennet had made the salad dressing, which wouldn't be put on until they were ready to sit down an eat. Likewise, the rolls could no go into the oven until later as well. Liz and her mother had baked pies, cream puffs, and other desserts the day before and, aside from a few last minute tasks, everything was either in the oven or ready to go.

"Nothing," Mrs. Bennet assured her. "You're our guest. Sit down on the sofa and have a nice glass of wine. Liz will bring appetizers around in a minute."

Liz saw her aunt take in all the chaotic state that was their kitchen: ingredients and dishware all over the counters, dishes piled up in the sink and crumbs sprinkling the floor from various spices and pie ingredients from the day before. Mrs. Bennet had turned towards to the stove once more and released a heavy sigh as she eyed one of the few recipes she didn't have memorized. It was her mother's most stressful day of the year, which was saying a lot. And best believe Mrs. Bennet took every opportunity to interject how much work she put into today and how everyone should sing her praises. Liz preferred making less side dishes and making the day more about family, seeing as their meal typically took 20 minutes to eat. She enjoyed watching the parade with her sisters, playing cards with her aunt, uncle and Jane, and enjoying the 70-degree weather outside. Val threw Liz a sympathetic smile and reached for one of the wine glasses on the counter. Selecting her favorite from the available options, she poured a generous amount, took a sip, and casually leaned over to Liz's ear, whispering, "I think she needs it more than me."

Louder, she said, "Let me know if you need anything. I'm going to re-watch what I missed of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade."

"I'll join you!" Lydia piped up from where she had been texting on the sofa.

Lydia dashed into the front room after her aunt and before long Liz could hear a popular musician who's name escaped her singing to the cheers of those in NYC. Liz finished assembling the cheese and crackers on a platter and brought it and the veggies and dip around to her mother and Jane before taking them into the front living room. She placed them on the coffee table and Lydia dug in. Liz plopped on the couch next to her aunt in time to see one of the Broadway performances she had missed earlier that morning.

As the performers sang their last note and waved to the camera, the garage door opened and the deep-set voices of her father and uncle returned. As tradition dictated, the men spent the majority of their morning in the attic bringing down the Christmas decorations and boxes. It was a way of keeping them out of the kitchen and away from the food. Liz and Jane would help their mother decorate the house the next day after they had finished their Black Friday shopping with Lydia.

"Smells good in here," Uncle Dan said, rubbing his belly dramatically. "Do you need any taste testing?"

"Stay out of my kitchen!" Mrs. Bennet shouted from the other side of the house.

Uncle Dan winked in their direction before hungrily eyeing the platters on the table.

"Help yourself," Liz offered, motioning to the veggie platter and moving to her favorite reading chair so Dan could sit next to his wife on the couch.

He groaned in the direction of the carrots and celery before perking up upon seeing cheese. Plopping a piece into his mouth, he sat down and leaned over to give Val a kiss on the cheek. She sighed and gave him a what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you glance.

Liz's phone vibrated then and she pulled it out of her pocket hoping to see a response text from Gale. She had sent him a Happy Thanksgiving message when she had woken up earlier but he was as silent as ever. Maybe it was for the best. Liz clicked on the notification and it brought her to a text from Georgiana.

G: Happy Thanksgiving from NYC!

She smiled and saw a photo, which Liz tapped to enlarge. Taking up most of the picture was Georgiana, all smiles. She stood in a massive kitchen with elegant food platters grazed the counters. In the background was a large window and family members talking and sipping from fancy glasses. Liz focused on Georgiana again and then she saw him, Will, standing in their kitchen carving the turkey, his profile barely visible. She stared at the photo a while longer before Jane broke her from her reverie.

"Would anyone like a drink?" Jane offered as she stepped into the room. Liz quickly responded to Georgiana and put her phone face down on the table, determined not to look at the photo again. After getting requests from both men, Jane left, and Val turned towards Liz.

"So, Lizzie dear, tell us about graduation," Val inquired. "When should we come down?"

Liz shook the cobwebs from her brain.

"It's the week before Christmas, so mom and I were thinking we could spend the beginning of the week down here before flying up to New York and having a white Christmas," Liz hoped, crossing her fingers.

"Oh that would be lovely!" Val exclaimed. "So long as the weather holds up. Have you gotten your cap and gown yet?"

"No," replied Liz. "I pick it up at the bookstore next week."

"I'm so excited for you, dear," Val said affectionately. "And I am so happy we decided to come down here for Thanksgiving this year. Gosh! Look at all those people..."

She stared at the television as the cameras panned the crowds lined along the New York City streets, the Snoopy balloon floating high above their heads. The family had decided to sleep in and after staying up late working on a paper and presentation, Liz was grateful for the extra rest. She couldn't imagine getting it all done if they had traveled up north.

"Nothing beats a lovely, quiet Thanksgiving with family," Val continued. "We are so proud of you, dear."

"Yes, Elizabeth," Dan agreed. "And even though you haven't walked yet, we wished to give you your graduation gift a little bit early."

"You both didn't have to get me anything," Liz stated.

"Now, now," Dan rebuffed, holding up his hand to halt her protests. "Your hard work and perseverance deserves to be recognized."

He reached into his pocket and removed an envelope.

"Congratulations, Dear One."

Smiling at her familiar nickname, Liz got up from her chair and hugged them both before taking the envelope from her uncle.

"Where's my envelope?" Lydia questioned resentfully.

"You, darling one, have not yet graduated," Dan said. "Your time will come soon enough."

"Go ahead and open it, Liz," Val urged, her eyes glittering with excitement.

Liz carefully tore the envelope open and pulled out two slips of paper. Flipping them over she realized they were plane tickets. Furrowing her eyebrows, she carefully read the print, which indicated they were good for two first class tickets to Heathrow.

She looked at her aunt and uncle, confused by the gift.

"I know we are supposed to go to Derbyshire next year together," Val explained, "but your uncle and I had something come up, and we will not be able to go. Instead, we want you to take one of your sisters or a friend. Anyone you'd like and have an adventure without us."

With a squeal, Liz hugged her generous aunt and uncle again.

"Thank you so much! I wish you could come though."

"You're welcome, dear one," Dan said. "We wish we could too. Now they are good at any time. Just tell us when you want to go and we will make all the arrangements. Your aunt and I also want to include your accommodations while you are there, so that will be on us. You're welcome to tell us if there are certain places you'd like to stay at or if you just want us to select hotels we have liked over the years."

Liz's jaw dropped. "No," she argued, "that is too much. I couldn't possibly..."

"It is our gift to you," Val said.

"Yes," Dan agreed. "As I said earlier, you deserve a break after all of your hard work."

Liz relented and was determined to start researching places to stay as soon as courses and the holidays were over.

Liz rubbed her temples and risked a peek at the clock at the top of her laptop. She groaned. When had it gotten so early? No wonder why she had a headache; she had been staring at the computer screen for the past four hours working on her last final. Standing, she stretched her aching body and grabbed her now empty mug.

Shuffling quietly to the kitchen, she placed the full kettle on the stovetop and rubbed her aching shoulders. As tired as she was, she knew it had to get done: Her last final ever. Once she finished this paper, she would never have to write another one ever again. At this point that thought was the only thing keeping her going.

Taking a new teabag from the container, Liz placed one in her cup as steam started billowing from the kettle. She removed it before it began whistling at her, lest she wake up Charlotte.

She snuck silently back to her room and shut the door. As she passed her closet she smiled, seeing her hanging cap, gown, and hood. Yes, in a few days it would all be worth it.

Liz exited the Arts and Sciences building and sighed with relief. She was done. Aside from turning in her mailbox key and walking across the stage tomorrow, she was completely free. She glanced at the clock on her phone and saw she had some time to run to the mailroom before picking her aunt and uncle up at the airport.

The email had said all keys were to be returned to the slot just inside the mailroom door. Liz walked in and scanned the area for several minutes before finding it. She placed her key into the slot and turned to leave. Upon opening the door, she almost ran into another student.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she automatically stated. Glancing up, she met the face of Jacob Van Allen, the boy she had given a tour to at the beginning of the year.

"Jacob!" she said.

"You remember me?" he asked.

"Of course I do," Liz responded. "How are you doing? Did your first semester go well?"

His eyes met hers and she knew something was wrong. "Why don't we sit down?" she suggested, motioning to a table outside.

"I am surprised to see you on campus," Liz urged. "Most students clear out as soon as finals are over."

"I decided to stay a day or two later," Jacob admitted. "My parents think my finals end today so I fly home tomorrow."

"How did your first semester go?" Liz pushed.

"Not so well. I got decent grades in my general studies courses, but I got Ds and Fs in my intro to engineering courses. My dad is gonna kill me," Jacob whimpered, tears filling his eyes.

"No he won't," Liz said. "He may be mad, but he pushed you to do engineering when you clearly didn't want to. I'm not going to pretend to know everything about your relationship with your father, but I know that you have to fight for what you want. You love flying, not engineering. And if that is where your passion lies, that is what you should be pursuing. You are in charge of your future and your parents cannot decide for you. Only you can do that."

"That's easier said than done," said Jacob.

"Yes," agreed Liz, "But hopefully your father will come around. He must see how miserable you are. I am sure you mom will support you. Besides, most students end up changing their major at least once. Several of my own friends switched to other programs because they didn't like engineering after they started. It certainly isn't for everybody."

"Look," Liz added after a few silent moments, "you don't have to make up your mind now. Just know that you do not have to be stuck in this current situation. If you see yourself flying airplanes in the future, then that is what you should be doing."

Jacob nodded. "Thank you, Liz."

She smiled and offered him her email address in case he needed some encouragement in the future.

"It'll be alright. Try to talk with them over the break," she encouraged before walking back across campus to her car.

"We are so proud of you!" Mrs. Bennet cooed as she hugged Liz outside the arena where she had just graduated. Her father hugged her as well and quietly offered his blessings.

"Congratulations, Dear One," Uncle Dan said, handing her a bouquet of roses. Liz took them from his hands and hugged both him and her aunt.

"Thank you everyone," Liz said, hugging and kissing the rest of her family as her mother was yelling out they needed to take pictures.

She had been posing for what seemed like her hundredth photo when Charlotte broke free of the crowd.

"Charlotte! Over here!" Liz yelled in her direction, waving her arm in the air.

"Liz!" her mother scolded as she glanced at her phone. "You just ruined that photo!"

"Mom, we have plenty," she said before running towards her best friend. They embraced and Charlotte pulled out her phone, taking selfies of them in their unflattering caps. Liz grabbed her friends phone and took several of just her so she could send it to her parents. Charlotte's mom had fallen sick with the flu and her father had stayed behind to take care of her. Her friend had taken it all in stride though.

"Now it's your turn!" Charlotte insisted, taking her phone back. Humoring her friend, Liz posed in traditional stances, holding up her diploma, before transitioning to goofy faces and in the last several she utilized the flowers her uncle had given her.

"Who's ready for lunch?" her father asked everyone, indicating his willingness to leave.

"ME!" said Charlotte, raising her hand in the air. The girls agreed to meet Liz's family at the restaurant and made their way to the parking garage where they parked Charlotte's car earlier.

Liz removed her gown and draped it over the backseat along with Charlotte's.

"So…. Now what do we do?" Charlotte asked.

Liz sighed.

"I have no idea," she said. After a few moments the two best friends started cracking up, unsure of what the future held for them both.