[A/N. I wont be able to update this too much because next week I'm back at
Uni, and I want to get as good marks as I somehow managed to get last
semester. But I'm not going to leave the story as it is; I will keep
writing it as often as I get the chance. I've also been thinking about the
fact that "Titanic" is no longer a part of the story, however I don't agree
with that really. Eliza wouldn't be who she is now if she hadn't been
through everything she'd been through, so therefore I think "Titanic" is
still relevant here.]
New York, April 1958.
"That wasn't too bad was it love?" Edward asked Eliza as they were seated in the backseat of a taxi on their way uptown to Ben's apartment.
"It wasn't." Eliza admitted. "It would sure make visiting Margaret and Richard a lot easier. I wonder how long I'm going to have to wait until I get grandchildren?"
Edward laughed. "They've only just got married!"
"So? Some people don't even wait these days." Eliza said, leaning against her husband's shoulder. He put an arm around her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a grandmother eventually." Her husband assured her.
"I just want to make sure I'm a grandmother before I'm too old to enjoy it. I never had a grandmother, but I seem to remember some of my childhood friends did, and the majority of them were old before their time. I want to be able to take my grandchildren to the zoo or something, to have fun with them." Eliza explained. And then she frowned slightly- where she grew up people were grandparents very early on in the picture, but they also died a lot earlier as they couldn't afford doctors and medicine like the rich could. Sometimes, even now when she'd been part of this world for so long, Eliza thought about her old life, and what would have happened had Cal not saved her from the sinking ship. Further more, what would have happened had he not taken her in, albeit as an act of charity and blackmail?
"It's a pity you never got to meet my grandmother, Father's mother. She was amazing. All that she went through never made her pessimistic or bitter, and I remember the day she turned up at our place wearing slacks and Mother nearly had a heart attack." Edward said, with a laugh.
"I could imagine only too well." Eliza replied with a smile. Sometimes she wished she'd tried harder with the formidable Mrs. Gracie, but deep down she knew that no matter how hard she tried Mrs. Gracie would have found something wrong with her.
Husband and wife traveled in companionable silence for awhile as people who have been married for twenty-five years tend to do.
"Do you think Ben's planning on getting married?" Eliza asked. The subject had come up, and been dismissed, on a number of occasions, and whilst the last thing Eliza wanted was to be a nagging mother, she did want to see her son happy.
"I'm sure he will eventually, once he meets that special person." Edward said, not looking as though he was sick of the topic. He knew that Eliza had been worried about Ben for the last few months, although she was unable to voice her exact concerns, and he was used to reassuring her about most things, including this.
The taxi arrived at their destination and Edward helped Eliza out. Their luggage had been sent on to the hotel where they were going to spend the night before making the trip back to Philadelphia the next day.
Edward stretched as they waited for the lift. "I'm getting old you know." He said.
"I know.you're going to be in a wheelchair soon." Eliza teased her eyes sparkling and he shook his head at her.
"You're not that much younger sweetie." He reminded her. "No, I was thinking it might be about time I really gave retiring more thought. I know I was planning on working a bit longer, but I'm almost sixty and I'd like to retire before I was too old to enjoy my retirement."
"Did you mean that, what you said in England, about going away for awhile?" Eliza asked as they got into the lift.
"I did..I've always wanted to go to Australia, and South Africa and a few other places." Edward said. "What do you think?"
"It'd be nice." Eliza said slowly. She did think it would be nice but she didn't want to leave Ben until he was married and happy.
The lift stopped and they got out on Ben's floor. The apartment building was very nice, with freshly painted walls, carpeted floors, and potplants. Ben's apartment was at the very end of the corridor, and Eliza knocked on the door. It took a moment before Ben opened the door, and when he did he was dressed in a pair of slacks only. His eyes widened in shock when he saw his parents there.
"Mother! Father!" He said loudly. "What are you two doing here?"
"Don't sound so happy to see us." Eliza grumbled.
Ben laughed, although it sounded forced to Eliza, and assured them he was always happy to see them, but he was surprised.
"We caught a plane back." Edward explained. "A friend of mine's."
"Really? You got on a plane mother?" Ben asked impressed. "I wouldn't have thought you'd do something like that."
"Aren't you going to invite us in for gods sake?" Edward asked impatiently. Ben was still leaning against the door as he spoke to them, and Eliza and Edward were waiting outside.
"Oh. Right. Of course, come on in Mother and Father!" Ben said, again sounding a bit louder.
Eliza smiled as she looked around the apartment, noting gladly that it was still very neat. Obviously her son was very houseproud. From the kitchen came the noise of someone making something and Eliza raised an eyebrow. Did her son have a woman over? Was that why he'd answered the door only partially dressed and been reluctant to let them inside? Ben noticed his mother looking towards the kitchen.
"Cup of tea Mother?" He asked.
"Yes, thank you darling, that would be lovely." Eliza replied, and Edward agreed that he'd also like one. Ben went into the kitchen and Eliza and Edward sat down.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Eliza whispered to her husband.
"That our Ben's got a woman out there?" Edward whispered back.
Eliza nodded happily. Maybe Ben had met his Mrs. Right?
A few moments later Ben came back out of the kitchen, and with him came someone else. Another young man, about the same age as Ben, but as fair as Ben was dark. Ben handed Eliza and Edward their cups of tea, and then gestured to his friend. "Mother, Father, this is my good friend Michael." He said.
Eliza was unable to speak, and she looked helplessly at her husband, who smiled and said it was nice to meet him. Eliza took a big sip of her tea, and it almost burned her tongue, but she didn't care. What was going on here? Was Michael Ben's "woman"?
"So, Michael, how do you and Ben know each other?" Edward asked curiously.
"We work in the same building. I'm on the fifth floor in an accounting firm, and Ben's on the eighth floor in the law firm." Michael explained.
Ben wasn't speaking; he was just looking at his mother thoughtfully. She managed to smile at him. "You should have seen Margaret's wedding, darling. It was wonderful." Eliza said.
"I'm sure it was.I bet Margaret looked gorgeous." Ben said with a smile back.
Small talk continued until the tea was drank and then Eliza claimed to have a headache so she and Edward left to go back to the hotel. She kissed Ben goodbye on the cheek and it wasn't until she and Edward were in the lift that she voiced her concerns: "What on earth was going on there?" She demanded.
Edward bit his lip. "I don't know for sure Eliza." He said.
"God I hope it's not what it looks like." Eliza said worried.
"I'm sure they're just friends like Ben said." Edward assured his wife, but his assurance did nothing. The two of them left the apartment complex wondering what was happening between Ben and his "good friend"?
New York, April 1958.
"That wasn't too bad was it love?" Edward asked Eliza as they were seated in the backseat of a taxi on their way uptown to Ben's apartment.
"It wasn't." Eliza admitted. "It would sure make visiting Margaret and Richard a lot easier. I wonder how long I'm going to have to wait until I get grandchildren?"
Edward laughed. "They've only just got married!"
"So? Some people don't even wait these days." Eliza said, leaning against her husband's shoulder. He put an arm around her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a grandmother eventually." Her husband assured her.
"I just want to make sure I'm a grandmother before I'm too old to enjoy it. I never had a grandmother, but I seem to remember some of my childhood friends did, and the majority of them were old before their time. I want to be able to take my grandchildren to the zoo or something, to have fun with them." Eliza explained. And then she frowned slightly- where she grew up people were grandparents very early on in the picture, but they also died a lot earlier as they couldn't afford doctors and medicine like the rich could. Sometimes, even now when she'd been part of this world for so long, Eliza thought about her old life, and what would have happened had Cal not saved her from the sinking ship. Further more, what would have happened had he not taken her in, albeit as an act of charity and blackmail?
"It's a pity you never got to meet my grandmother, Father's mother. She was amazing. All that she went through never made her pessimistic or bitter, and I remember the day she turned up at our place wearing slacks and Mother nearly had a heart attack." Edward said, with a laugh.
"I could imagine only too well." Eliza replied with a smile. Sometimes she wished she'd tried harder with the formidable Mrs. Gracie, but deep down she knew that no matter how hard she tried Mrs. Gracie would have found something wrong with her.
Husband and wife traveled in companionable silence for awhile as people who have been married for twenty-five years tend to do.
"Do you think Ben's planning on getting married?" Eliza asked. The subject had come up, and been dismissed, on a number of occasions, and whilst the last thing Eliza wanted was to be a nagging mother, she did want to see her son happy.
"I'm sure he will eventually, once he meets that special person." Edward said, not looking as though he was sick of the topic. He knew that Eliza had been worried about Ben for the last few months, although she was unable to voice her exact concerns, and he was used to reassuring her about most things, including this.
The taxi arrived at their destination and Edward helped Eliza out. Their luggage had been sent on to the hotel where they were going to spend the night before making the trip back to Philadelphia the next day.
Edward stretched as they waited for the lift. "I'm getting old you know." He said.
"I know.you're going to be in a wheelchair soon." Eliza teased her eyes sparkling and he shook his head at her.
"You're not that much younger sweetie." He reminded her. "No, I was thinking it might be about time I really gave retiring more thought. I know I was planning on working a bit longer, but I'm almost sixty and I'd like to retire before I was too old to enjoy my retirement."
"Did you mean that, what you said in England, about going away for awhile?" Eliza asked as they got into the lift.
"I did..I've always wanted to go to Australia, and South Africa and a few other places." Edward said. "What do you think?"
"It'd be nice." Eliza said slowly. She did think it would be nice but she didn't want to leave Ben until he was married and happy.
The lift stopped and they got out on Ben's floor. The apartment building was very nice, with freshly painted walls, carpeted floors, and potplants. Ben's apartment was at the very end of the corridor, and Eliza knocked on the door. It took a moment before Ben opened the door, and when he did he was dressed in a pair of slacks only. His eyes widened in shock when he saw his parents there.
"Mother! Father!" He said loudly. "What are you two doing here?"
"Don't sound so happy to see us." Eliza grumbled.
Ben laughed, although it sounded forced to Eliza, and assured them he was always happy to see them, but he was surprised.
"We caught a plane back." Edward explained. "A friend of mine's."
"Really? You got on a plane mother?" Ben asked impressed. "I wouldn't have thought you'd do something like that."
"Aren't you going to invite us in for gods sake?" Edward asked impatiently. Ben was still leaning against the door as he spoke to them, and Eliza and Edward were waiting outside.
"Oh. Right. Of course, come on in Mother and Father!" Ben said, again sounding a bit louder.
Eliza smiled as she looked around the apartment, noting gladly that it was still very neat. Obviously her son was very houseproud. From the kitchen came the noise of someone making something and Eliza raised an eyebrow. Did her son have a woman over? Was that why he'd answered the door only partially dressed and been reluctant to let them inside? Ben noticed his mother looking towards the kitchen.
"Cup of tea Mother?" He asked.
"Yes, thank you darling, that would be lovely." Eliza replied, and Edward agreed that he'd also like one. Ben went into the kitchen and Eliza and Edward sat down.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Eliza whispered to her husband.
"That our Ben's got a woman out there?" Edward whispered back.
Eliza nodded happily. Maybe Ben had met his Mrs. Right?
A few moments later Ben came back out of the kitchen, and with him came someone else. Another young man, about the same age as Ben, but as fair as Ben was dark. Ben handed Eliza and Edward their cups of tea, and then gestured to his friend. "Mother, Father, this is my good friend Michael." He said.
Eliza was unable to speak, and she looked helplessly at her husband, who smiled and said it was nice to meet him. Eliza took a big sip of her tea, and it almost burned her tongue, but she didn't care. What was going on here? Was Michael Ben's "woman"?
"So, Michael, how do you and Ben know each other?" Edward asked curiously.
"We work in the same building. I'm on the fifth floor in an accounting firm, and Ben's on the eighth floor in the law firm." Michael explained.
Ben wasn't speaking; he was just looking at his mother thoughtfully. She managed to smile at him. "You should have seen Margaret's wedding, darling. It was wonderful." Eliza said.
"I'm sure it was.I bet Margaret looked gorgeous." Ben said with a smile back.
Small talk continued until the tea was drank and then Eliza claimed to have a headache so she and Edward left to go back to the hotel. She kissed Ben goodbye on the cheek and it wasn't until she and Edward were in the lift that she voiced her concerns: "What on earth was going on there?" She demanded.
Edward bit his lip. "I don't know for sure Eliza." He said.
"God I hope it's not what it looks like." Eliza said worried.
"I'm sure they're just friends like Ben said." Edward assured his wife, but his assurance did nothing. The two of them left the apartment complex wondering what was happening between Ben and his "good friend"?