"Hey, Olive - you're doing great!" Olive St. James' director, Jason said.
It was intermission at "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and Olive was playing Nora, the 16-year-old cousin of the protagonist.
"Thanks, Jason," Olive replied. Ever since doing a workshop here at the Hudson Theatre led by her mother Rachel and doing one of Nora's monologues, Olive dreamed of playing her one day. She had also recently learned that had she been a boy, she would've been named Simon after the playwright, Neil Simon.
Olive was disappointed neither of her parents (her father Jesse was also an actor), had been able to audition with her, but Jesse was currently Enoch Snow in a production of Carousel at another theatre, and Rachel had to be home for the couple's other daughter, Clementine, who was nearly 3. They had both been able to see Olive on opening night, and would be coming back for closing night as well.
The second act went well, and after the curtain call, Olive went to the dressing room, washed off her makeup, hung up her costume, and put on her t-shirt and sweatpants.
She grabbed her bag and headed for the lobby - a couple audience members complimented her performance.
"I've seen this show three times now and you are by far the best Nora I've ever seen!" A middle-aged woman said.
"Oh, thank you," Olive replied.
"How long have you been acting?" The woman's friend asked.
"Since I was five, so eleven years," Olive replied.
"Wow! Well, I look forward to seeing you on Broadway someday!" The first woman said.
"Thank you," Olive replied, blushing harder than she ever had. She had always had a hard time accepting compliments without her cheeks getting red.
Olive was chatting with Marissa, the actress who played her younger sister Laurie, when an older couple approached the pair.
"Great job, girls!" The woman said.
"Thanks!" Marissa replied.
"Thank you," Olive said. Something about this couple seemed familiar to her but she couldn't figure out what it was.
"Hey, Marissa - Mom says we gotta go!" Marissa's younger sister, Eva, came up to the group.
Marissa sighed. "See you tomorrow, Olive," Marissa said. Olive wished her and Eva a good night and the sisters headed off.
The couple lingered.
"You really were tremendous," the man said. "Certainly a chip off the old block."
Olive furrowed her brow.
"You mean…my dad? You know him?" Olive asked.
"Yes - very well," the woman replied. She didn't expand further.
"Well, thank you for coming," Olive said. "But I need to get going."
"Oh, of course, dear!" The woman said. "But before you go - will you sign our programs?"
"Um…sure," Olive answered. "Who am I making these out to?"
"Ed and Margaret," the man said. "Your biggest fans."
Olive wrote out a generic "[Ed/Margaret] thanks for coming to the show! Best wishes ~Olive St. James (Nora)" on each program and said goodbye to the couple.
On the subway ride home, Olive couldn't stop thinking about this strange interaction. Why did they look so familiar? Why did they know Dad? Ed and Margaret - where had she heard those names before.
In addition to having a younger sister Annie, who worked in the box office at the Hudson and also appeared onstage from time to time, Jesse also had an older brother Eddie, who the family hadn't heard from in a while, and an older sister Maggie. Eddie and Maggie had been named after…
That's when it finally clicked. Why the couple had looked familiar, why they knew Dad, why their names had sounded familiar.
Olive had autographed her grandparents' programs.
When Jesse and his siblings were growing up, they spent most of their time with their aunt and uncle, while Ed and Margaret traveled. They had ultimately been emotionally distant from all of their children, but their favoritism of Jesse had put a wedge between him and the others. It took years for him and Annie to get as close as they were today, and he and Maggie were also pretty close. Before the family lost contact with Eddie, he and Jesse would sometimes text, and all four of the siblings had been together at Maggie's wedding, and their beloved uncle's funeral six months later.
Olive couldn't remember ever actually meeting her paternal grandparents in person - they had FaceTimed with the family after Olive and Clemetine's births and would occasionally send the girls' gifts. That was the extent of their grandparenting. Olive was much closer with Rachel's dads and biological mother.
Coincidentally, Olive's Aunt Maggie was in town this week and staying in the guest room. Annie would be coming over tomorrow as well. Olive would have to tell her dad and aunts about the bizarre interaction she'd had with their parents.
The next morning, Olive woke up and went down to the family room where she found her parents, aunts, and sister sitting.
"Good morning, Oli!" Clementine greeted. She was sitting on Maggie's lap and grinning.
"Hi, Clemmy," Olive smiled. "Hi Annie. Good morning…everybody."
"Hey, how'd the show go last night?" Jesse asked.
"Uh…great. I can't wait for Maggie to see it tomorrow and for you and Mom and Annie to see it again," Olive answered.
"I can't wait either!" Maggie said.
Olive sat down next to her parents.
"After the show I had an…interesting experience," Olive said.
"Oh?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah…there was this older couple who started talking to Marissa and me -" Olive turned to Maggie. "She plays my sister in the show. And they seemed familiar but I couldn't figure out why. They said they knew you, Dad and they asked me to sign their programs. Their names were Ed and Margaret."
You could've heard a pin drop in that room as the three youngest St. James children processed what Olive had just said.
"Ed and Margaret?" Jesse asked finally. "Olive, are you sure?"
"Yes, why would I lie about that?" Olive asked, not trying to sound as defensive as she ended up sounding.
Jesse sighed.
"You're right - I'm sorry, honey," Jesse put a hand on Olive's shoulder.
"Did they acknowledge being your grandparents?" Jesse asked.
"Nope. They said they were my 'biggest fans' though," Olive continued.
Jesse forced a laugh. "That's a good one. Being someone's biggest fan doesn't usually involve pretending they don't exist."
"I'm wracking my brain trying to remember if I processed any tickets for an Ed or Margaret St. James," Annie said. "Maybe they ordered on one of my days off."
"Why show up now?" Maggie asked. "I mean…how did they even find out Olive was in the show?"
"Back when I was friends with them on Facebook, they saw when I was involved with stuff at the Hudson. I'm sure they've been creeping on the website or Hudson Facebook page, saw Olive's name in the Brighton Beach Memoirs cast announcement, and decided to…do whatever that was," Annie said.
All the bitterness she'd felt knowing her parents attended all of Jesse's performances but always had excuses as to why they couldn't go to hers suddenly came back.
"I just wish they'd make up their minds…they pop in and out of our lives at the weirdest times," Maggie said. "They showed up to my wedding without RSVPing, forced us all to take that family picture - the four of us kids cringing and them smiling big like they've always been these proud, attentive parents. And then Dad had the audacity to get mad when Uncle Rick walked me down the aisle instead of him."
"At this point I wish they'd just stay out of our lives," Annie mumbled.
"I want them to leave my children out of their mind games," Jesse said. "I wonder if I still have their number…I'd really like to let them know exactly what I think."
"I thought we already did," Maggie sighed. "At my wedding."
"We did, but they didn't have grandchildren yet. Now they do, and they've started to drag Olive into this - it's only a matter of time before they do the same to Clementine or Milo," Jesse said, referring to Maggie's 10-year-old son.
"Maybe the three of us should talk to them in person," Annie said.
"Maybe…if I can get a hold of them…I'm not even sure how long they'll be in New York. We could meet…somewhere, I don't know," Jesse took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. His parents' numbers were no longer there, but then he got an idea. He looked through his emails and found one from his dad dating back to when he was in his twenties and had been in a production of Fame the Musical. His dad had showered him with praise and said he and Margaret had gone to see a production of Fame at a theatre in London, but the actor playing Nick Piazza hadn't been "even close to being as good as our brilliant son." Why Jesse still had the email saved he didn't know, but at least he now had a way to contact his dad.
Hey Dad,
I heard you and Mom were in New York - are you still here? Annie, Maggie, and I would like to talk to you.
Jesse
Jesse ran the email by his sisters who gave their approval and he hit send.
The reply came about five minutes later.
Jesse,
Of course! We are here until Tuesday. Mom and I saw Olive last night in her play - she was brilliant; just like her dad. We would love to see you, Margaret, and Anne. You can meet us at our hotel.
Dad
He had also provided the address of the hotel. Jesse read the email aloud to Annie, Maggie, and Rachel after Olive had taken Clementine for a walk.
Maggie forced a laugh.
"They always have to remind everybody I was named after her. And that Eddie was named after him," Maggie added sadly. She and the rest of the family knew Eddie had moved to New Jersey - he'd held Olive as a baby, but sometime after Rick had died (he had died just a few days after Olive's birth), Eddie had texted his siblings less frequently and eventually just…stopped. He had seemingly deleted his social media profiles as well. Jesse, Maggie, and Annie just hoped that he was okay and still…alive.
"Is there any significance to Annie's real name?" Rachel asked.
Annie shook her head. "No. I think they just can't stand the idea of people calling me anything other than what *they* put on my birth certificate. I was the kid they didn't even want - why the hell do they care?"
"I stopped trying to understand them a long time ago," Jesse sighed.
That evening, Jesse, Annie, and Maggie made their way to the hotel - they approached the front desk and Jesse spoke.
"Hi, uh we're here to see Ed and Margaret St. James," Jesse said.
"Oh, yes," the man at the desk said. "They said they were expecting you. Room 308," he said.
"Thank you," Jesse said, as he and his sisters made their way to the elevator.
The St. James siblings were silent for most of the elevator ride.
"When was the last time any of us saw Mom and Dad?" Annie asked.
"I think about five years ago - when you and Jesse were visiting us in Ohio and they just got back from Japan. I think Eddie FaceTimed us at the restaurant too," Maggie said.
"Oh, that's right," Annie said. "I wonder if they've heard from Eddie."
"I doubt it," Jesse said. "He feels the same way about them as we do - if not more so since he had to put up with their bs for the longest."
The elevator stopped on the third floor and the siblings slowly made their way out of the elevator. Following the sign, they made their way to room 308.
Jesse slowly raised his hand and knocked.
Muffled voices were heard and then the door opened.
Margaret St. James stood in the doorway. She was in her eighties, but after years of plastic surgery, she didn't look like it.
"Oh, children!" She exclaimed. Maggie, Jesse, and Annie exchanged annoyed glances.
Jesse wasted no time. "We're all in our forties, Mom," he protested.
Margaret gestured for the three of them to come in. "But you're still my children!" She protested.
"You could've fooled us," Maggie muttered.
"What was that, Margaret Darling?" Margaret asked.
"I told you, Mom, it's Maggie!" Maggie said firmly.
Annie and Jesse sat in awed silence. Of the four St. James siblings, Maggie had always been the quiet, agreeable one - especially when her parents were concerned. She hated conflict and had a hard time sticking up for herself to anybody, but her parents in particular made her clam up and take whatever they gave her.
"Your father and I named you Margaret," Margaret said.
"Yes, I know," Maggie said, voice rising. "I see it every time I look at my damn driver's license or birth certificate or social security card. I'd legally change it but don't want to go through the paperwork or pay the fee. At least I was able to change the last name after I got married."
At this point, Ed came out of the bathroom.
"What's wrong?" He asked Margaret, noting the look on her face.
"My daughter doesn't want to share a name with me anymore," Margaret said.
"I never did," Maggie cut in, before her father could respond.
"And before you say anything," she turned to Ed. "Eddie never wanted to share a name with you. And we don't even know where he is - or if he's alive. But do you two care about that? No."
"Was that why you came here?" Ed asked defensively. "To insult your mother and me?"
"No," Jesse finally spoke up, seeing that Maggie was getting more and more upset. "I came here to ask you who the hell you think you are - going to my daughter's play and pretending like you've been these supportive and present grandparents this whole time?"
"You don't want us to interact with our own grandchildren?" Margaret asked.
"She didn't even know who you were! You didn't even acknowledge she was related to you. This wasn't grandparents going to support their granddaughter in her play. I think you finally realize that your children are having none of this anymore and you're trying to get the next generation on your side. Well, knock it off! Leave my children - and Maggie's - out of this!" Jesse said.
"So you don't want us to send gifts to them anymore?" Ed asked.
"No…because that's all you've contributed…oh, I'm sorry - in addition to the FaceTime call after each birth," Maggie chimed in.
"You had your chance to be grandparents and you decided to only grandparent when it was convenient for you - so now, we are asking you to just stay out of their lives altogether," Jesse said.
"You're willing to let your children grow up without grandparents because of your own bitterness?" Margaret asked.
"See, that's the thing," Annie finally piped up. Since she didn't have children of her own, she had decided to let her brother and sister handle the conversation. Her parents and siblings turned to look at her.
"Olive, Clementine, and Milo *do* have grandparents. Olive and Clementine have Hiram, Leroy, and Shelby, and Milo has Diane and Gordon. Five people who have been consistently involved in their lives from the moment they were born - not just when they feel like it. So, basically, you removing yourself from their lives won't really change much at all," Annie continued.
Ed and Margaret stared wordlessly at their youngest and Jesse stood up.
"I think we're done here," he said. Annie and Maggie silently followed him out of the hotel room.
That night after her performance, Olive found Jesse sitting in front of the TV.
"Dad, are you okay?" Olive asked softly.
Jesse looked up.
"Yeah, just watching some TV," Jesse said.
"Dad…the TV is off," Olive said, sitting down next to him.
"Oh yeah…huh," Jesse said absentmindedly.
"Did you…talk to Grandma and Grandpa St. James?" Olive asked. Rachel had mentioned the meeting to her after putting Clementine down for a nap.
"Yes…Maggie and I told them to stop reaching out to you and your sister and cousin. So they won't be sending gifts anymore but they rarely did that anyway. I don't want my children or nephew to have half-assed grandparents in their life, " Jesse said. "Of course, in turn, Maggie, Annie, and I effectively cut ties with them as well."
"How do you feel about that?" Olive asked.
"More than anything…relief," Jesse said. "And that's so strange because I spent a good portion of my life being their little darling and thinking they were the best parents in the world. But now all I can think is 'good riddance.'"
Olive gave her dad a hug and went to bed.
She woke up at about 2 in the morning with an idea. She took out her phone and went online and placed a couple orders.
At 10am, Shelby Corcoran heard a knock at her apartment door. She opened it and found Olive standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Olive! Good morning! Are these for me?" Shelby asked, admiring the beautiful colors.
"Yes," Olive smiled and handed over the bouquet. Shelby opened the card.
Thank you for being the best grandma in the world! We love you so much!
Olive and Clementine
A few hours later, Leroy Berry heard a knock at the door. He opened it to see a delivery man standing there holding a bouquet of flowers.
"I have a delivery for Hiram and Leroy Berry?" The man said.
"I'm Leroy," Leroy said, accepting the bouquet.
"Who was that?" Hiram asked, coming out of the bathroom.
"Delivery guy - this is for us," Leroy brought the flowers into the kitchen and opened the card.
Thank you for being the best grandpas in the world! We love you both so much!
Olive and Clementine
