thanks for the good luck wishes, though I did fail the exam. However I managed to write a new chapter.

"So, our religion professor over here could probably tell you all about this." Elizabeth said as they walked towards the memorial. She knew both father and daughter had a rocky relationship and she was hoping that would change after today.

"The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th president Abraham Lincoln." Henry started, and Lauren listened with an interest.

"What about that one?" She asked as she pointed to the obelisk on the other side.

"That would be the Washington monument. It was built to commemorate George Washington." Henry told her more information about both monuments and Elizabeth spotted a reporter coming closer. She figured it was Daisy's friend, Linda, so she caught up with the pair to make sure they knew.

"Just so you know, the first pictures have been shot." She told them, and Lauren looked around, spotting the reporter not soon after.

"How do I look?" Lauren joked.

Elizabeth's hand brushed a few hairs behind her daughter's ear as she looked her in the eyes. "Beautiful as ever."

Lauren returned a smile before Henry continued his lecture about the history of the city. After a while Elizabeth cut in.

"Who's ready for some lunch?"

"Yeah about that." Lauren started and for a moment Elizabeth was worried she was going to tell them that she was leaving. "Since today is all about firsts, I thought maybe I could take you to a place really special."

"I'm intrigued." Henry said, and he was curious to hear what she had in mind.

"It's actually not far from here." Lauren told them as they walked back to the car. She showed the agent that was driving the address before getting in the car.

"So, do we get to know where we're going?" Elizabeth asked her, and she thought about it for a moment.

"Well, there's a Dutch restaurant in the city where they serve Dutch food. I thought maybe I could show you a part of where I grew up." Lauren started before adding, "Without actually being the Netherlands."

"I'd love that." Her mother replied, and they drove in silence until they reached the restaurant.

Henry saw the sign on the restaurant when they stopped. "How would this be pronounced?"

"De eetkamer. It basically means 'the dining room'." Lauren said before they stepped inside. They were met by a blonde woman who showed them to a booth and handed them a menu.

"So, what's good?" Henry asked as he read the menu. Everything was written in both Dutch and English.

"Do you trust me?" Lauren asked, excited she could show her parents this part of her life.

"Of course." Henry told her, and she got both menus from her parents. The waitress noticed and figured they were finished.

"Hi, what can I get you?" She asked, and Lauren named one of the things on the menu in Dutch. The woman replied in which both Henry and Elizabeth assumed was Dutch and their daughter continued to order in the, to them, forgein language. They both looked at their daughter awe.

When she was finished taking the order, the waitress turned to the couple and spoke in English again. "What can I get you to drink?"

"A water for me." Elizabeth told her.

"A coffee, please."

"Alright. I'll be back with your order." The waitress left, and Elizabeth waited for her daughter to explain but she never did.

"What exactly did you order?" She asked curious.

"A little bit of everything." Lauren started, "and if you end up not liking it, there's always a hotdog stand at the end of the street."

"It's so different hearing you speak Dutch." Henry told her.

"I don't get to do it that often so it's nice. There's nothing like this in Philly so I know where I'm going from now on whenever I visit you." All three smiled and the waitress interrupted by placing their drinks on the table.

"How do I say thank you?" Elizabeth asked, and Lauren smiled at the interest her mother was showing.

"Bedankt." Elizabeth tried to repeat it, causing Lauren to let out a laugh.

"That bad?" She asked.

"No, just weird hearing you try to speak Dutch." Lauren promised her.

They were once again interrupted by the waitress who placed the food on their tables before leaving the three to eat.

"We've got 'broodje kroket' which is a deep-fried meat ragout croquette on a softbun." Lauren started before explaining the rest. "These are 'bitterballen'. Basically, the same thing only smaller and round without the bread. Then we've got 'broodje bal' which is a sandwich with a meatball."

"What about these?" Elizabeth asked. As she pointed at the second plate of food.

"These are small sandwiches with different kinds of cheese since the Netherlands is known for its cheese. Then these are sandwiches with 'hageslag' which chocolate sprinkles."

Henry looked confused at all the food. He was always open to trying new things, so he picked up something. "What was this called again?"

"Bitterbal." Lauren replied as she watched Henry's reaction. It took a moment before her nodded his head in approval and Elizabeth followed his lead.

They ate while Lauren tried to teach her parents how to pronounce everything. They didn't even notice the press gathering outside, taking pictures.

When they were finished, Lauren wanted to know what they thought.

"It's very different from what we eat here but I liked it." Henry told her, and Elizabeth agreed. The waitress collected their plates and they remained seated.

"So, do you eat this every day?" Elizabeth asked, and she wondered what else was different in the country her daughter grew up in.

"Not everything all at once but yes. Most days it's just a sandwich with cheese but every now and then I eat something else." Lauren explained, and the waitress returned with the bill. Before Henry could get it, Lauren had already picked it up.

"My country, my treat." She told them, but Elizabeth protested.

"You don't have to."

"Please?" She wanted to do something nice for them and more importantly, she wanted to make sure she wasn't with them for their money.

A lot of articles about her had stated she was only trying to connect with her parents for their money. Henry had told her they didn't believe what the media wrote but she still didn't want them to think that.

After she paid, the waitress returned with a small bag and handed it to Lauren before they said goodbye. Elizabeth was curious to know what was inside but didn't want to seem invasive.

"What's next?" Henry asked, and Lauren shrugged her shoulders. Elizabeth got out her phone and scrolled through her messages. Alison had sent her a list of things they could do as 'firsts'.

"Why is bike riding on here?" Elizabeth laughed and look at father and daughter for clarification.

"Because the Netherlands is famous for its bikes" Lauren explained.

"Most things are inside activities, but we could go to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial?"

Henry explained the history of the city in detail to his daughter and Elizabeth looked at the pair with a smile lingering her lips.

It warmed her heart to see the two get along and she was glad to seem them move past their problems. She just hoped it would stay like that but developing a relationship with your estranged parents was going to be hard. Let alone if it happened in the spotlight of the media.

TBC