"Mom, are we working on a budget here?"
"Hmmm?"
"Food wise, I mean. Are we going just mains? Or can I get a dessert, too?"
"Whatever you want, sweetie"
"Are we good for appetizers?"
"Uh, sure?" Lucy smiled, glancing at her son. He was staring at his menu with an intense gaze, "sure, no that's fine but uh, I guess it would be good then f you could keep the main around the twenty, twenty five mark? How's that sound?"
Sammy grunted as he nodded and Elizabeth grinned, shooting her mother a look.
"You're really sizing everything up, huh, Sammy?"
"Go back to your own menu, please" he drawled and Elizabeth laughed in response, enjoying it when he was dry with her.
"What are you going to get?" Lucy asked, smiling at her daughter.
"I don't know? Maybe the pasta?"
"Fool"
Both women looked at Sammy and though he wasn't looking at them, he must have felt their stares because he took a deep breath, sounding almost disappointed, "pasta is cheap to make and easy to prepare. Order something that's not cheap and not that easy to prepare. You eat pasta all the time at home, why eat it out?"
"They have black truffle pasta" Elizabeth rebuffed, "that's not cheap"
Sammy looked up from his menu, "for sixteen fifty?" he scoffed, "you're getting a cheap, knock-off truffle oil and not a lot of it"
Lucy laughed at his snobbish delivery and Elizabeth couldn't stop grinning.
"So when did my wonderful son turn into such a food connoisseur?" Lucy queried, her face bright as she picked up her iced water. She glanced at Elizabeth, "this is a very edifying day for me. My kids are growing up!"
"Moving on from comics to food. You're maturing...my little brother! Sammy, you're going to be one of those men that sniffs their wine and swirls their brandy before they drink it, aren't you? I can see it"
Sammy looked at her, "uh, little?" before stating somewhat primly to the table at large, "and it just so happens that I care about what I wear as well as what I put into my body"
"Oh, OK" Lucy laughed, nodding as she almost choked on her sip of water.
Elizabeth snorted right along with her, he sounded so wonderfully snobbish "you do remember that I watched you put popping candy on your cereal this morning?"
"Oh that's disgusting, you didn't?"
"He did! When you were folding the laundry"
There was a smile on Sammy's face and he was struggling to keep it down, "look, would you two please concern yourselves with your own dietary choices?"
"Of course, of course" Lucy said, shooting Elizabeth a grin, "sometimes I just forget that you're growing up...look at you...popping candy for cereal but a suit for dinner..."
"We stop now" Sammy commanded bluntly in warning and Lucy laughed, "of course, sure.."
Sammy nodded once and looked down at his menu again.
"...my boy" Lucy cooed, quietly and Sam rolled his eyes in embarrassment, "Mom!"
"You do look like you're maturing though..." Elizabeth said in light defense of their mother's soppy, proud look.
She had to admit that it was a bit much and she wouldn't love to be on the receiving end of it, especially not in public, but Lucy had had a total trip with Michael. Elizabeth understood that now and so if Lucy wanted to project every single shred of her motherly love onto Sammy, she was going to do everything to make sure it could happen.
That and it was fun to tease him.
Anyway, it wasn't like she was lying. Sammy did look quite mature. For a guy who spent his time in a dingy comic shop with two absolute head cases, he scrubbed up really well. He had chosen to wear beige slacks, his newest and brightest sneakers as well as an incredibly bright, neon pink shirt decorated with yellow and blue dashes, splashes and pinwheels. It was a very fashionable attempt at dapper and he'd even put on one of his suit jackets. It was also beige and while the shoulders were huge, swamping him and making him look smaller and boxier than he really was, he'd rolled up the sleeves which seemed to break it up a little.
He looked...well, Elizabeth didn't want to admit it, but he did look pretty good.
"..but OK. I'm your sister and I know you, so if you don't like mature, how about this: you look very fashionable tonight, Sammy"
"He does. And handsome! You look handsome, sweetheart"
"I don't know about handsome but the suit-"
"-it's not a suit" he interrupted them both.
"What is it, then?"
"Slacks and a jacket"
"...isn't that a suit?"
"Don't question me" Sammy said, bristling playfully. He was, after all, the fashion guru, "it's not a suit and you don't know anything. You're literally wearing a hoody"
"It's cold outside!"
"Even Mom made an effort tonight, Liz"
Lucy coughed into her water again, "oouch! Why did that sound like an insult?"
"It wasn't, you always look great, Mom" Sammy assured before sneering playfully at Elizabeth, "it's nice to see one of the Emerson women taking care of themselves. I think the two of us are a nice team tonight"
Lucy smiled, speaking before Elizabeth could get a jab back in, "thank you, my love. I'm proud of both of my children and both of their appearances. So, did you figure out your order?"
"No, not yet, mother. I was derailed"
"OK, well you just get back on track. Lizzie?"
"Pasta" she repeated with a grin.
"No man will suffer you" Sammy told her darkly, propelling a burst of laughter from both Elizabeth and Lucy.
"Damn, that was brutal but I swear you've said that to me before?"
"I need a new insult?"
"Yeah"
"...no woman will suffer you, either"
Elizabeth laughed, "inclusive. I love it it and I love you, Sammy!"
He grinned at her, "eh, I guess I'm glad Mom didn't send you back"
Lucy tutted, "oh, what a thing to say!" but Elizabeth just laughed again.
She loved it, she loved having Sammy around to goof off and be silly with. Sometimes he was terrible at any kind of banter, any kind of fun arguments. Sometimes he took everything way too seriously but when he was playful and dry, she thought he was at his best.
"What are you going to have, Mom?" Elizabeth asked, still smiling as she let Sammy read his menu once again.
"Pasta?" she giggled, before shaking her head, "no, no I don't know. I was thinking about the ham and eggs"
Elizabeth nodded, "that sounds good"
Elizabeth had already made her choice. She knew that she was going to have the hamburger and sweet potato fries. Sammy was right about pasta being a bad choice, she ate it all the time at home and while hamburgers were easy to come by, this one had a portobello mushroom and cheese on top. It sounded fairly fancy. Plus, she'd never tried sweet potato fries before and she figured it was unlikely she'd eat them at home...though she'd never admit to her brother that he was right and she was taking his advice.
He'd never let her live that down.
"Did you guys want to share an appetizer?"
"Oh, yes, that could be nice. They have bruschetta and caprese salad-"
"-you're old, Mom. I meant, like, a good appetizer. They have bacon potato skins, let's get those!"
"Let's just order three?" Elizabeth suggested. She agreed that Lucy's choice was a bit old fashioned but honestly so was the restaurant and she was good with all the options. Potato skins were delicious but who could ever pass up fresh mozzarella?
"Is that OK? Can we order the three?"
"I think that's a great compromise" Lucy nodded.
"So what is the occasion, Mom?" Sammy asked lightly as he still scanned the different dishes on the menu, "why are we dining fancy tonight? I'm not about your bruschetta life but this is kinda nice?"
"Oh this isn't so fancy"
"Fancier than usual" he protested mildly, still looking over his options. Elizabeth shrugged as he continued, "so what's the deal?"
Elizabeth glanced down at her own menu, knowing that Lucy was probably going to end up broaching the topic of meeting Max to Sam. She had probably wanted to bring it up in a neutral environment and despite her earlier nerves, she likely guessed that it would be nice to treat them both while she was at it.
Parents did that, she was coming to see. Bribery was almost a way of life when you had children.
That being said, Elizabeth understood Lucy's thinking. It wasn't a bad idea, she still wasn't sure how Sammy was going to take it, so she understood why Lucy was sort of trying to sweeten the deal.
It really could go either way and there was just no guessing.
At least he seemed to be in a good mood. Playful, enjoying conversation and teasing. It might be a good time to talk to him.
Sammy loved his Dad but he loved Lucy more than anything and while he was a bit blinded by everything in the divorce, he did know deep down how rotten she'd been treated. He didn't vilify his father like she and Michael did, but he was aware. He was definitely aware. Would he embrace the idea of Lucy dating and moving on? Would he want no part of it? Would he see Max as a threat to the memories he had of happy times as a family? Elizabeth just didn't know and she guessed Lucy felt the same, despite the smiles she managed to produce. It was even harder to tell where Sammy stood because their father had kept total radio silence since their move...since before the move, really. It wasn't something anybody outwardly acknowledged and who was to know how Sammy was feeling about it? Hurt? Abandoned? Did he even care that much?
Elizabeth, like her mother, didn't have the answers but she hoped that it all worked out well for Lucy.
She still deserved to be happy.
"I just wanted to do something nice with my kids" Lucy smiled before glancing at Elizabeth, "but um, actually...since you asked, I thought..well, there is something I wanted to run by you if-"
Lucy paused, frowning suddenly.
She sat up straighter in her seat, as if shocked or jolted by a memory and said, - "I forgot my purse"
"You wanted to tell me that you forgot your purse?"
"No, no-shoot. I can't believe I did that!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I left it. It's in the car"
"No? Your purse is on the back of you chair, Mom" Sammy informed her simply, going back to his menu, "the strap's been close to falling off all evening already, surprised you couldn't feel it. See? It's all twisted and off to the side"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, knowing that Lucy was talking about the item that contained all of her cash, cards, various IDs and store loyalty cards, "that's her handbag, doofus"
"Preeeetttttty sure it's called a purse. So, what's a surf 'n turf?"
"What it sounds like" Elizabeth told him, amazed that her brother could seamlessly move from one topic to another.
His mother had obviously been leading up to say something important to him and instead of paying any attention to it, he'd been looking at his options, barely paying her any mind despite being the one to begin the conversation anyway.
She shook her head, "do you want me to go get it for you, Mom?"
She didn't mind leaving the restaurant for a minute, she already knew what she wanted to eat and she also knew that Sammy would be pondering his choices for a long, long time yet...probably before deciding on the simplest, most basic option.
God, he'd probably end up swinging for the pasta, even after everything he said.
Anyway, Lucy didn't look like she was too eager to get up and move and Elizabeth hadn't missed the self conscious way she glanced over at the other patrons.
"It doesn't sound like anything?" Sammy protested, face now almost buried in his menu as if the answer to his question would appear on the page, "what even is it?"
"Would you mind?" Lucy asked, sounding a little bit relieved, "I don't want to be the parent that just leaves her kids at the table. Not that you're not well mannered but-"
"-no it is kind of nice here, I get it. I'm cool" Elizabeth replied with a smile and a nod.
She disagreed with Sammy, she thought that it wasn't a wildly fancy place but the table cloths were real linen and nobody was wearing flip flops or open toed sandals and for Santa Carla, that was practically unheard of. Not crazy posh but all the same, she could understand her mother's feeling of self consciousness. Even she had felt a little awkward when she walked in with her hoody, clean and fresh though it was.
"And Sammy? It is what it is! Surf is the sea, turf is the land" she summarized as she lifted her chair a little and scooted out of her seat, watching as Lucy reached around to open her bag and pass the car keys.
"Wow, thanks. Didn't know I had a dictionary as a sister. Shame that what you said means absolutely nothing...I take it back. We should have sent you back!"
Elizabeth tucked her chair in, tucked her hands into her long sleeves and accepted the keys that were handed to her.
She shot her brother a wide, sweet smile.
"Thank you" Lucy mouthed before addressing Sammy, "oh don't joke like that. Anyway, she's right. It's a mixture of meat and sea food, sweetie. See? That's why it's called surf and turf. That one has-" she glanced down at her own menu, "-well, it has a beef steak and some lobster, some shrimp. It has a fried egg, too"
"That sounds gross"
"Well that's a relief, because it's thirty two dollars"
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she left their small table and the warmth of the restaurant.
She knew without doubt that Lucy would take their alone time to talk with Sammy about Max.
As she stepped out into the night, she was actually hoping for it.
There may not be a better time. Sammy was on pretty good form.
She decided to walk a little slower, to give her mother some extra breathing room. It might be easier for her anyway with just the two of them. Sometimes Sammy acted up when he had an audience, sometimes he hid his true feelings. One on one was probably the best way Lucy could have a serious chat with him.
The cold night really started to bite at her and she sighed, bundling herself up a little more.
The rain had stopped briefly during their car ride before picking up as they dashed into the restaurant. It had died down once again but the air was close, despite the chill. The rain was going to fall and fall hard pretty soon. She looked up at the dark sky, looked down the empty and quiet streets and couldn't help the wave of disappointment that poured over her. She had been sort of hoping that Dwayne would be there, lurking in the shadows but no.
She was alone.
Well, not alone. She was silly to think of the streets as empty because there were people milling about, going about their business but it was different. It was subdued and it did feel empty.
She did feel alone.
There was none of the wild excitement, the kind of seediness that the boardwalk and its surrounding streets held, none of that wild, crazy but enticing vibe. She knew that the peace and quiet of the comparably fancy street wasn't going to last long, she knew that just one block over it was run down and tired and she supposed it was alright, it was nice to have at least one place where the more well to do people could hang out..if Santa Carla had many, that was.
The thing was, it was juts sterile, manufactured...
She smiled ruefully to herself.
She loved the crazy boardwalk and the even crazier boys that inhabited it. The town and the pack had certainly ruined normality for her but she wouldn't have it any other way.
She hated that yesterday had ever happened but in a weird, strange way she was thankful, too.
She certainly wasn't going to be penning any thank you letters to Star and she couldn't deny that she held plenty of bad feelings towards the woman but at the same time, because of her, she knew.
Unquestionably, without doubt...she knew.
She knew who she had chosen and she knew what she was choosing.
She had to face reality at some point and it just so happened that it had come crashing into her the previous night.
She had grown from it and, as she sighed into the street again, she once more wished that Dwayne was there.
It was selfish and silly, of course.
She was stuck - happily so, but stuck all the same - with her family, what did she think he would do? She couldn't exactly expect him to be spending his time just waiting for her, lingering in the shadows in the hope they'd sneak a quick meeting.
But still, reasonable logic aside it was kind of difficult not to feel disappointed.
She needed to see him and waiting...well, the waiting sucked.
She was counting on seeing him later in the night, she was sure he would know to come to her when it was considered bedtime in the Emerson household and while it wasn't part of her plan to have to wait that long, she was comforted by the idea. Besides, wasn't that the saying? Didn't good things come to those who waited? If she could be a little more patient, give it just a few hours more then she knew good things would be coming to both her and Dwayne.
A fresh start.
She had been sad, then purposeful and as the day progressed she had started to feel almost excited. It came in waves, the feeling of excitement but it was there.
She couldn't deny that she was excited to tell him, to free him from the stress and pain and suffering he had been submerged in.
Waiting for it was close to painful. She was so close, so, so close to making everything right.
She smiled, shaking her head as she saw Lucy's purse in plain sight on the dashboard of the car. That was just asking for trouble, it was a miracle the car hadn't been smashed in to. Silly Lucy and silly Elizabeth. She opened the car door, swiping the purse from its resting place, rolling her eyes at herself.
She thought it was painful? She thought it sucked? Waiting for a few hours? Dwayne had been waiting since before she even arrived in Santa Carla.
She sighed at herself, holding the purse tightly.
She slammed the door shut, being careful to lock it before wondering if enough time had passed. She didn't want to interrupt the conversation she assumed was happening but the storm still hadn't hit - though it was looking a bit ominous - and she was cold. Should she amble back now? Wait for a few minutes and then make a move? Did she risk getting caught in the looming rain or did she risk interrupting?
It was a difficult one to call, it was-
-she froze, peering into the not so distant distance.
There was a man, a silhouette of a figure. Striking and recognizable despite the shadow of his body, at ease and taking a drag of his cigarette.
"Paul?"
Yes, there really was no denying it. She felt stupid at the question in her voice because who else could it possibly be?
Paul was definitely one of a kind and he was right there. Tall, loping, a mass of blonde hair and an attitude so casual, so cool it was almost painful. Everything about him screamed friendly, wild and open but that cocky attitude of his made it clear everything about him was actually invitation only.
He was one of a kind, there was no doubt about it and right then, she wondered if she was still in the invited persons category.
They hadn't finished the previous night on good terms.
She was surprised, caught off guard, not expecting to see him.
With an obvious reluctance that came close to cutting Elizabeth to her core, he stopped walking, turning to look at her.
She thought that sort of answered her silent question. If she wasn't in his good books, he would have just carried right on along...right?
She took a breath, seeing that he had been walking with a girl. Her eyes had been drawn to him and him alone, she had seen the girl walking but hadn't recognized them as walking together. Paul was such a force, all of her attention had gone to him.
As he stopped, unfortunately, the girl he was with followed his lead.
That added an interesting and very much unwelcome feeling of dread to her cautious worry. She hated confrontation at the best of times and right now, the idea of being in Paul's bad books was killing her. She hated that she would have to address it, she hated seeing that Paul looked as if he would rather do anything other than acknowledge her and she also hated that she had an audience to witness it all.
It sucked that he wasn't cheering a happy, "hey girl" or a "'sup chica?" or a "how's it hangin' baby girl?".
She would have taken a friendly insult, too, a curse or a swear. Just a hint of Paul's personality, his effervescence and pep.
She didn't like this cold version of him.
She didn't like it at all.
And yes, adding to all of that was the girl. She was incredibly pretty, which was unsurprising but Elizabeth felt herself falter. She was pretty but her look? Well, her look was not a kind one and it was hard to be casual under both of their stares.
There was no denying that Paul was being cold and the girl was unwelcoming in the most obvious way.
She took a breath, steeling herself.
She still had to get back to the restaurant and she figured that she now had about five minutes until the time she was taking to pick up a simple wallet was questioned. Five minutes to make things right. She hoped it was doable, though part of her did think she didn't have that much to make right. Not so much with Paul, anyway. Lots of mistakes had been made and she knew an apology was due but she couldn't help feel that Paul was being a bit self-indulgent in his attitude.
That being said, today was a fresh start for her.
It was going to be a fresh, new chapter for her and Dwayne and she didn't want to begin with any stained pages.
If Paul was hurting or genuinely upset, she would make it right. If he was being a sulky kid, she would pull him out of it.
She was a new woman with a new outlook and no amount of unwelcoming glances was going to put her off.
Elizabeth must have looked foolish, unsure or perhaps it looked like she had stumbled for the girl whispered a comment in Paul's ear, giggling as she did. Despite her empowered thoughts, she felt herself blush in embarrassment.
It was just so catty, so unnecessary and Elizabeth wondered what it was with women in Santa Carla. Were the all just bitches? It sounded insane and unreasonable but what else could she say? She'd never experienced that kind of obvious, snide rudeness before and she just didn't get it. It was so unreal, like something from a movie. That level of obvious cattiness just wasn't real life, at least not in her experience. It was weird, next level stuff. She hadn't missed it the first time, either, when Paul and Marko had been flanked by their partners for the night.
Under the girl's scrutiny, she felt embarrassed and honestly, if it wasn't for the set of Paul's face, she would have turned back.
He didn't laugh, he didn't smirk, he didn't react to her whispered comment at all apart from a flash of annoyance dancing over his face.
She seemed to be a bit taken aback by it, faltering herself.
That gave Elizabeth confidence.
If Paul was angry with her, all he would have had to do is laugh along with the girl. Simple but it would have been devastatingly hurtful...yet he didn't. He still had her back, he didn't hate her or want to see her upset. She tried to set her shoulders in a casual way, tried to look confident and, as she approached the two figures, Paul gave her a look.
She could read the look easily, it was a sort of knowing sigh, a knowing little roll of his eyes, a dismissive if not oddly familiar 'you're not acting half as well as you think you are' kind of smirk and she gave him a tentative smile.
It was weird to feel tense and nervous around Paul.
"Hey? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"We're busy" the girl snapped instantaneously, her face kind of mocking, kind of sneering.
It was a little funny that she had spoken for Paul and Elizabeth could have laughed it off, could have been polite but she found herself feeling annoyed instead.
"I said you, not the two of you" Elizabeth retorted with a dismissive shrug, looking at Paul once more.
If the girl wanted to play rude, she could play right along. She had two brothers, she had spent a nice little chunk of her life in care where she had to be tough, she had survived cliques in school. She didn't like it, she didn't often do it but she wasn't in the mood to be a simpering victim of nastiness.
She was, after all, a new woman.
Paul's mouth tilted upwards for just a second before falling back to its flat, kind of angry set.
Expecting another comment from the girl and prepared to give one right back, Elizabeth was surprised when she simply walked away.
No comment, no sass, no glances or looks, not even a seductive sway of her hips and then she realized, "you did that?"
"What?"
"You sent her away?"
"No"
"Oh" she blinked at the blunt and kind of rude denial, "it was so sudden, I figured..."
"It's me. Think about who you're talking to"
Elizabeth frowned, not understanding and very much disliking the clipped formality in his voice.
"If I wanted her to leave, I'd just break her neck. That's what I do, right?"
Well. No beating around the bush with it.
"Yesterday was a trip. I'm sorry, Paul" she said, shaking her head sadly, "I really am. I was a mess and when I spoke, I really, really wasn't thinking clearly"
"Whatever. But just so you know, this is the second girl you've ruined for me"
"What? How..how have I ruined a girl for you?" she frowned, not understanding, "when did I ruin a first girl for you?"
Paul shook his head, almost talking to himself instead of her, "lookin' to unload with a nice chick and some nice wine and some nice stress relievin' sex but you show up and look what happens? Second time you've cock blocked me"
"I have no idea what you're talking about?"
"Can't bone a girl who's being a rude to you, can I?"
"What? I'm lost here..."
He shrugged, "so what? You gonna yell at me about it?"
"Paul, I said I'm sorry and I mean it. That wasn't me"
"That sucked so bad"
"I know"
"No, you don't"
"I really do" she promised him, stepping closer.
She wasn't just saying it.
She did understand.
She felt it in herself. She really was changing. She was growing up.
"Your comment about breaking her neck? You're not even upset with me about that. I called you all of those things because of Star's influence and you know it. You'd be right to be upset if it was me but it wasn't...and the thing is, you like being a dark, vampiric-monster-nightmare-dude, you'd wear it as a badge if you could-"
He opened his mouth and she shook her head, speaking over him before he even had the chance to protest.
"-don't deny it! Look, we're on the same page now. I know, OK? And I know that you were hurt yesterday. You weren't angry with me and you're not angry now. This is an act. You were hurt-"
"-I was not-" Paul sounded highly offended but Elizabeth pressed on, regardless, "-because in assuming that you were the ones who made Star a half vampire, I was dismissing how special the pack is. That's why you were upset, that's why you left"
He looked surprised at her logic and understanding and he closed his mouth, kind of pouting, kind of thinking hard and as he frowned down at her, she was suddenly reminded of Sammy.
Her brother would do the exact same thing in the exact same way. He would become silent and ponderous when confronted with reason, oftentimes thinking hard and fast to try and find a way to dismiss the logic he was faced with, trying to keep the fight or disagreement on his terms. He wanted to end fights when he was good and ready, no matter or silly it was or how silly he was being.
Sammy could be as stubborn as a donkey and she could see that quality in Paul, too. Standing there, looking at him she really could see Paul doing the same thing.
God, they could almost be peas in a pod. She could practically see the cogs turning in his head and it was hard not to smile at the petulance of it all.
Feelings of hurt and upset aside, Paul was in a mood and he wanted to be in a mood.
"You don't like that you were hurt, that's why you're sulking now. You're a tough guy, right? I made you feel something you're not used to feeling" she continued, "I get it. I do, I always did but things are...well, they're clear now. I've been doing a lot of thinking about it. The pack is special. Everyone in the pack was drawn to it, drawn to each other and that includes me. It's sacred, almost and when I made that assumption...I kind of just spat in the face of all of it. It wasn't cool and I'm sorry. I know that's why you were hurt...I should have known better"
She smiled at him again, hoping he could see how sincere she was, "it's just that yesterday was hard, that's all it was..."
She could see that she had won him over, he couldn't hide the soft frown though she was sure he would try to, if he knew how obvious he looked.
There was silence for a second before he stated, "well you should have known better"
Yeah. He was acting like Sammy, alright.
"I already said that. I was upset, it was an incredibly confusing and violating experience. I'm better for it now, though. Can't you cut me a little bit of slack?"
"Upset aside" he said, voice a little hard but obviously softening, "with everything, with the connection you and Dwayne have, you really should have known better than to make an assumption like that. Fuck, like we'd turn some random?"
"Alright" she conceded, understanding his point of view but also wanting him to ease up just a little, "I agree that I should have known better but if we're doing this, then here goes: you should have been more patient with me"
His lips quirked for a second and Elizabeth wanted to swat him. Exactly the same as Sammy! Happy to keep the fight going.
"Marko is patient. I'm young and reckless"
He jutted his chin upwards.
"I am young and I was upset"
She folded her arms.
"I've had your back from day one, girl"
He raised his eyebrow but his eyes were glittering.
"I embraced you from day one" she retorted, thinking of their friendship, glad that he'd finally called her girl.
He narrowed his eyes at her and she gave him a laughing smile, "look I know you forgive me Paul. I know that you just want to fight. You like it, you like being all sulky"
"Do not"
She shook her head, "yeah you do, you big baby" she took a breath, "but I know you and I know how you are...so, OK look at this...words apparently aren't enough, I'm starting to get that. So here...how about this for an apology? Tomorrow night, you and me. I'll treat you to whatever dinner you want. You drive, I pay and I lavish attention on you the whole time...what do you think?"
He eyed her cautiously before removing a crumpled slip of magazine paper from his pocket.
No fanfare, no explanation and she took the paper cautiously, a little taken aback by the action.
Looking down at it, she began to read with a frown, "...it is, quite frankly, the equivalent of dining via pig trough. Where else can you dine at a table adorned with plastic, disposable sheets and have your fill of cuisine from around the world? Or what passes for it, at least. Indeed, here you can sample a woeful impression of the French dishes fine diners have long since loved, you can gorge yourself on over oiled, under baked pizza or perhaps heap spoonfuls of lumpy, cold and chewy risotto onto the tray they call a plate...what the heck is this? Why do you have this in your pocket?"
"It's a restaurant review, you simpleton"
She laughed at his insult.
"It's a world buffet place" he pointed at the address listed on the bottom, just below the half a one star review, "that's a review out of five, by the way. They only gave the half star because the toilets were nice. Totally destroyed the food, service, decor and even the cutlery"
"Okay...so why do you want to go here?"
She knew him well enough to know that that pigging out was his idea of heaven but he obviously had unlimited resources and an unlimited appetite. Why go to a dive? She looked up from the paper, "and how long have you had this in your pocket?!"
"It was in a magazine in that Indian place I bought your curry from" he told her, "I was gonna treat you to it but since the tables have turned...convince me"
"I'm sorry?"
"You said that already. Come on. Convince me"
Convince him?
He wanted to be convinced and apologized to and made up to.
She bit down her smile, amazed by his dedication to being a big old grump.
"Alright...Paul I would love to take you to-" she look at the paper once more but he'd ripped it in such a way that the title, name and half of the picture had been left behind, "uhm this place. It looks like they uh...they have tons of food. Pizza, pasta, fries, burgers, salads..." she looked up at him.
His face was blank and so she decided to try and keep wheedling a little more, "fried chicken, meat stations, shrimp..." she took a breath, "uh, I would guess that it has Chinese stuff...so that would mean maybe fried rice? Spring rolls and um, I don't know. I'm running out of steam here, the picture wasn't even printed in color but it looks there's a lot of stuff"
"There is a lot of stuff" he told her, "the picture was close to obscene"
"Sounds good" she told him, nodding, "I would be honored if you would let me make it up to you at this place"
"You think I wanna be fed in a restaurant that's equated to a pig trough?"
She nodded, taking a breath. If she didn't love him so much, he would have been well beyond pushing his luck.
"Well...what's not to love? Kind of down and dirty but with food. I definitely want to try - it's..." she scanned the page again, "-oh wow it's only eighteen dollars for three hours all you can eat plus a drink bar. That's wild? Where is this place?"
She knew she was trying to convince him but that was an amazing price, crazy value.
She wondered if it could possibly be any good?
He took the paper back from her, folded it and tucked it back in his own pocket. There was humor in his eyes and she grinned at him, knowing that her work was close to done.
She just needed to seal the deal and she knew exactly what to say.
The truth.
"And Paul? Real talk? There is nobody - absolutely nobody - in this whole wide world of ours that I would prefer to go pig out with"
The happiness was clear in his eyes, though he was doing a good job of keeping his features blank.
She would have defeated Sammy by now. Paul's stubbornness was admirable.
"How do you plan to fund this?"
She laughed again, taking a breath. God, he was really pushing it.
"I have some money saved. I can swing it"
"Why do you have money saved?"
"Uh, from, like an allowance"
"Chores?"
"No. My school offered Latin as an extra curricular-"
"-Latin?"
"Yeah. I know. I wanted to do tennis but my Dad said he'd give me thirty bucks for every test I passed if I did Latin and I passed a couple"
"Did you do tennis?"
"No, he vetoed it. Said I needed something good and that Latin looked better for colleges"
"So you took Latin? Actually studied it?"
She shrugged, "yes but I don't remember anything. There kinda wasn't much to take in, you know? It sounds good but the class was a joke. Kinda filled with kids just being forced to buff up their transcripts but it made my Dad happy-"
"-and got you, what? Sixty?"
She shook her head and he guessed again, "ninety?"
"Yeah" she told him.
If she was being totally honest with herself, she would admit that she didn't deserve the money. The tests were mostly listening and having students do well reflected well on the teacher, so it was pretty much a doss. She hadn't passed the writing or reading tests with a score high enough to get her the money, but she hadn't failed them either. More than anything the classes were a lesson in just sucking it up and getting it done, which Lucy had argued was a pretty good life skill in itself. That being said, the Latin was also part of the reason her new school wanted her to redo the year. They didn't have an equivalent to Latin, they didn't want to accept her credits and it seemed to be why they didn't quite like her transcript. She wondered if Lucy had fixed that or if they were pushing back on the apparent late transfer request. She wasn't sure but she definitely didn't want to graduate a year late.
She had plans for when school ended and she didn't need them to be delayed.
She shook her head, looking up at Paul, trying not to let him distract her, "I didn't touch a cent of it, either. Saved every single penny. So come on. My educational choices aside, what do you say? Are we in? Am I forgiven?"
"Look" he said, taking a loaded breath, as if preparing to deliver bad news, "you did a decent job an all but I'm in the middle of something, OK? Gotta not have sex with a hot chick" he sounded like she was such a big inconvenience, "so let's link up and discuss your missteps and cheap attempts at forgiveness some other time?"
"You made me make the cheap attempt"
"Maybe next time you'll come prepared and I won't need to guide you?"
She laughed, "Paul, you big lump! Will you please, please just tell me that you forgive me?"
He exhaled a casual, relaxed breath and leaned backwards against the cold brick wall of a closed shop, slinging his hands into his pockets, raising a cocky eyebrow and looking just beyond her shoulder.
Elizabeth turned to follow his gaze and rolled her eyes.
The girl was coming back, bringing their conversation to a complete end and Elizabeth knew that Paul had both sent her away and sent her back.
She was being dismissed in the most infuriating way.
"You suck!" she told him.
As the nameless girl ambled up to the twosome with a wide, somewhat forced smile on her face, she trilled happily at Paul "I'm baaaaack!"
"What a joy..." Elizabeth drawled before inquiring sweetly, throwing Paul a sideways glance as she did, "where did you go?"
He kept his face blank though she knew he wanted to smile.
He was loving it. Sulking, pouting, suffering an apology, two women being all snide over him. Sammy was definitely the loser in the comparison contest. Paul was unbeatable.
"I went to the bathroom, not that it's any of your business"
"Oh, right. To top up your makeup?"
"Some of us care about our appearance?" she sneered in return and Elizabeth nodded placidly, knowing that she was kind of bating the girl now but also finding it kind of easy to do so.
She looked down at her mother's purse, "shit, I have to go-"
"-I hate potty mouths"
Elizabeth laughed, her face breaking out into a huge grin. The girl wasn't wrong, recently Elizabeth had found it all too easy to cuss. She really was turning into a potty mouth, as the girl had grumbled, "hah, you haven't heard anything yet!"
She smiled at Paul and was pleased to see that he was looking at her with a proud little grin.
Finally, he gave her something positive to go with. The grin was there and he wasn't trying to hide it.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the girl demanded, sounding offended and annoyed.
"Nothing" she took a step back, still smiling at Paul, "see you tomorrow? Seven at the boardwalk?"
"You're not meeting my man-" the girl squawked indignantly but Elizabeth cut her off. She didn't know why the girl didn't like her and she didn't care. She also knew that Paul was an absolute free agent in every sense of the word and it kind of tickled her to hear him referred to in such a possessive way, "-you got tonight to get over it all, OK, buddy? Get your pouting done because I'm finished with it!"
She turned on the spot, plopping her mother's purse under her armpit to keep it secure. She knew she had a fast walk back to the restaurant but she felt elevated and happy.
She had been strong and kind of sassy, in control and she liked it.
She really did feel like she was turning over a new leaf, starting a new chapter, beginning anew. It was good. Cliche, of course, but satisfyingly so.
She smiled to herself.
"7:05 in front of the roller coaster, baby girl" Paul's voice filled her head, "I'm feelin' marginally generous. Daddy's gonna let his girl make it allllll right"
"That's really hideous. Don't call yourself daddy" she laughed "am I really your girl?" she asked aloud with a grin, not missing that Paul had asserted his dominance by changing the time by five minutes and choosing the specific place meet.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, walking fast along the quiet street.
"I still love you and I think I might keep you around, so yeah. That makes you my girl...for now..."
She laughed, shaking her head.
"So you forgive me?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow"
Infuriating! She smiled.
"Can I ask a favor of you now?"
"No"
She laughed again, "could please tell Dwayne to come to mine tonight? I know he will but if you could just let him know? Just in case?"
Silence filled her head and she smiled, turning onto the street that held the restaurant she had vacated not that long ago. She approached the steps leading up to the brightly lit, glass fronted building and rolled her eyes, knowing that he had heard her but was just deliberately leaving her hanging.
Shaking her head, she smiled wider, "thanks. You're the best and I still love you, too"
She hopped up the first step, jumping as a rough looking man in a stained and ripped over coat twitched and grumbled, "Jesus loves you more" before tucking a package into the lining of his pocket, ambling away as he did.
She nodded at his words, approaching the door.
Even in the so called nice parts of Santa Carla, the seedy truth of the city was close to the surface.
She smiled. She wouldn't have it any other way.
"Can you find your table OK?" one of the peppy waitresses asked Elizabeth with a helpful smile, almost as soon as she had passed the host table.
"Oh, I'm good, thank you" she returned the smile with a nod.
"OK. Hey, you're with your Mom, right? Table 10? By the fish tank?" the girl inquired with a blend of polite hopefulness, and at Elizabeth's nod, she grinned, "she went to the toilet and it looks like your brother ordered for your table while she was in there"
Elizabeth laughed. The little sneak!
"That sounds about right..." the waitress was friendly and so she asked, "do I have anything to worry about?"
"I didn't take the order, so I can't say but I thought a heads up would be appropriate. I have three brothers...all older"
"God, that sounds like hell"
"Oh yeah" she smiled, looking down at her notepad, "well, enjoy your meal!"
"I hope I can" Elizabeth replied, raising her hand in a goodbye as they parted ways.
So not all women in Santa Carla...just the ones who were around the boys the same time as she was, perhaps? As Elizabeth approached her table, she decided to file that idea away and ask Marko about it.
"Oh, Sammy, that is so rude. What made you think that it's OK to order for us?"
Elizabeth bit her lip at her brother's antics, moving to sit down. Lucy had obviously just returned from the toilet. Was Sammy taking their comments about him being old and more mature to heart? That was kind of a macho, older guy thing to do, right? Order for the poor, helpless women folk. She rolled her eyes at his actions, actually finding it quite funny. Using their own comments against them, it was pretty witty.
"You can't just order like that, sweetheart...why on earth..."
"Trust me, Mom! I got your ham and I got the appetizers you wanted. I'm not dense!"
"Well, that's fine but-"
Elizabeth put the purse on the table, interrupting their conversation.
Suddenly, she didn't find it so funny anymore.
If Sammy had ordered the correct, nice thing for his mother...why was he smiling like that? So smug, so happy, so pleased with himself...he looked like the cat that got the cream.
"-what did you order for me?!"
He turned his eyes smile to her.
A/N: Dwayne is coming! As a wiser, stronger and more in control Elizabeth said: good things come to those who wait...and you guys have been waiting patiently! Thank you very much for the continued support. I have the next chapter ready to go, I'm just doing some tweaking. I want it to be perfect and it feels like no small task, so I keep going back to it. I really want to do it justice for you! The reviews this week have blown me away and it's insane, thank you so, so much. I genuinely don't think I can articulate how thankful I am!