Chapter 5
A/N: For those of you who didn't make the connection with Ophelia I will explain it. Ophelia female lead in Hamlet, and in case any of you forgot, remember when Amy was searching for a nickname for Ephram she decided on Ham...Short for Hamlet?
"Please don't make me go, Daddy please?" 5-year-old Hailey pleads from her seat in the car behind Amy and Ephram, "I don't want to go to school!"
Ephram and Amy both unbuckle their seat-belts and turn to face Hailey who has tears streaming down her cheeks. "Baby you have to go to school. " Amy states.
"I don't wanna!" Hailey exclaims.
Ephram and Amy both get out of the car and close the doors, "maybe we could try this another day. Let her get acclimated to the idea of kindergarten."
Amy shakes her head, "we let her miss preschool, she has to start school this year. I don't want to make her go anymore than you do..."
Ephram sighs, "I know, I know, she has to start school on time." Ephram pulls Hailey's door open, "come on Hailey Boo we have to go in there now. You are going to have a lot of fun."
It took nearly an hour to get a sobbing Hailey into the classroom with her teacher and then to get her to let Amy and Ephram to leave. But when Amy and Ephram picked her up after school that day it was all Hailey could do to contain her excitement about the day and she couldn't wait to go back to school.
Amy stares at the picture frame holding all of her school pictures but she isn't really seeing them. Instead, in her head she is picturing Hailey's 3 years of school pictures, Hailey had loved everything about school from her classes to her friends. She had been devastated when she'd had to go to the hospital, not so much because she didn't want to be there as how much she hated missing school. Hailey's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Rose, had been amazing she had visited one a weekly basis and treated Hailey like she was still a part of her class, bringing her homework and telling her everything they were doing in class.
"Knock, knock." Bright's words pull Amy out of her reverie as he sticks his head in Amy's old bedroom door.
"Hey." Amy greets, "come in."
Bright kisses Amy gently and becomes the first person not to ask Amy how she is, "so what's up?
Amy shrugs, "going through some old school pictures."
Bright picks up a picture of Ephram and Amy at their junior prom, "I remember this prom, it was the first time I saw you smile in a long time."
Amy stares at the picture, what Bright said was true. Amy had been in such a slump after Colin had died that she hadn't really pulled out of it for the entire year, but Ephram had kind of goaded Amy into going with him to prom. Amy had felt bad for him because he had just broken up with his girlfriend and he had no one to go with but Ephram really had made the night memorable. The prom after that had been even more so because it was the night Ephram had proposed.
"You don't have to go to this dinner tonight if you aren't up to it." Bright states after the silence has descended upon the brother and sister.
"I want to go." Amy states, "I'm happy for you, and I...I like Delia a lot, and I'm sure you will be very happy. Besides the Brown and Abbot family is merging again, I can't avoid any of the Brown's anymore, that's just a fact."
"I guess so." Bright shrugs, "but Ephram normally isn't around and he'll probably be at the dinner tonight..."
"Giving you the 3rd degree I'm sure." Amy interrupts with a soft smile, "I'm a big girl Bright, don't worry about me. I'm can face my ex and your future brother-in-law, there aren't any hard feeling between me and Ephram, we just couldn't make things work."
Bright wraps an arm around Amy's shoulders hugging her tightly, "I love you little sister."
"I love you too Bright."
By the time the Browns and Abbots arrived at the new Italian restaurant in Everwood the tension was evident between everyone except Delia, Bright, Rose and Nina. Delia in her early twenties was gorgeous with her long hair pulled up into a graceful twist and a gray blue dress that complemented her eyes and the instant Bright slipped his arm around her waist she nearly glowed. Despite the fact that Bright had made a reservation the restaurant was so busy that they still had to wait outside in an uncomfortable silence for nearly 10 minutes.
"How are you Rose?" Nina and Rose converse as if to encourage their families to do the same, but their husbands' stony silences do nothing to help.
When they finally arrive at the a table there is so much shuffling around of the seating arrangement Amy and Ephram sit down next to each other unintentionally. Feeling bad for putting her brother in such an uncomfortable position Amy whispers to Ephram, "maybe if we can calm down it will calm everyone else down."
Ephram looks up and down the table and nods, "you're right." After a long pause where neither of them know what to say Ephram asks, "so tell me about your dance school."
Amy and Ephram converse back and forth about their jobs, Amy's at the dance studio and Ephram's job as a music consultant for an advertising agency and eventually their conversation encourages the two older men to let go of whatever their latest problem is, at least for the evening, and talk.
A/N: For those of you who didn't make the connection with Ophelia I will explain it. Ophelia female lead in Hamlet, and in case any of you forgot, remember when Amy was searching for a nickname for Ephram she decided on Ham...Short for Hamlet?
"Please don't make me go, Daddy please?" 5-year-old Hailey pleads from her seat in the car behind Amy and Ephram, "I don't want to go to school!"
Ephram and Amy both unbuckle their seat-belts and turn to face Hailey who has tears streaming down her cheeks. "Baby you have to go to school. " Amy states.
"I don't wanna!" Hailey exclaims.
Ephram and Amy both get out of the car and close the doors, "maybe we could try this another day. Let her get acclimated to the idea of kindergarten."
Amy shakes her head, "we let her miss preschool, she has to start school this year. I don't want to make her go anymore than you do..."
Ephram sighs, "I know, I know, she has to start school on time." Ephram pulls Hailey's door open, "come on Hailey Boo we have to go in there now. You are going to have a lot of fun."
It took nearly an hour to get a sobbing Hailey into the classroom with her teacher and then to get her to let Amy and Ephram to leave. But when Amy and Ephram picked her up after school that day it was all Hailey could do to contain her excitement about the day and she couldn't wait to go back to school.
Amy stares at the picture frame holding all of her school pictures but she isn't really seeing them. Instead, in her head she is picturing Hailey's 3 years of school pictures, Hailey had loved everything about school from her classes to her friends. She had been devastated when she'd had to go to the hospital, not so much because she didn't want to be there as how much she hated missing school. Hailey's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Rose, had been amazing she had visited one a weekly basis and treated Hailey like she was still a part of her class, bringing her homework and telling her everything they were doing in class.
"Knock, knock." Bright's words pull Amy out of her reverie as he sticks his head in Amy's old bedroom door.
"Hey." Amy greets, "come in."
Bright kisses Amy gently and becomes the first person not to ask Amy how she is, "so what's up?
Amy shrugs, "going through some old school pictures."
Bright picks up a picture of Ephram and Amy at their junior prom, "I remember this prom, it was the first time I saw you smile in a long time."
Amy stares at the picture, what Bright said was true. Amy had been in such a slump after Colin had died that she hadn't really pulled out of it for the entire year, but Ephram had kind of goaded Amy into going with him to prom. Amy had felt bad for him because he had just broken up with his girlfriend and he had no one to go with but Ephram really had made the night memorable. The prom after that had been even more so because it was the night Ephram had proposed.
"You don't have to go to this dinner tonight if you aren't up to it." Bright states after the silence has descended upon the brother and sister.
"I want to go." Amy states, "I'm happy for you, and I...I like Delia a lot, and I'm sure you will be very happy. Besides the Brown and Abbot family is merging again, I can't avoid any of the Brown's anymore, that's just a fact."
"I guess so." Bright shrugs, "but Ephram normally isn't around and he'll probably be at the dinner tonight..."
"Giving you the 3rd degree I'm sure." Amy interrupts with a soft smile, "I'm a big girl Bright, don't worry about me. I'm can face my ex and your future brother-in-law, there aren't any hard feeling between me and Ephram, we just couldn't make things work."
Bright wraps an arm around Amy's shoulders hugging her tightly, "I love you little sister."
"I love you too Bright."
By the time the Browns and Abbots arrived at the new Italian restaurant in Everwood the tension was evident between everyone except Delia, Bright, Rose and Nina. Delia in her early twenties was gorgeous with her long hair pulled up into a graceful twist and a gray blue dress that complemented her eyes and the instant Bright slipped his arm around her waist she nearly glowed. Despite the fact that Bright had made a reservation the restaurant was so busy that they still had to wait outside in an uncomfortable silence for nearly 10 minutes.
"How are you Rose?" Nina and Rose converse as if to encourage their families to do the same, but their husbands' stony silences do nothing to help.
When they finally arrive at the a table there is so much shuffling around of the seating arrangement Amy and Ephram sit down next to each other unintentionally. Feeling bad for putting her brother in such an uncomfortable position Amy whispers to Ephram, "maybe if we can calm down it will calm everyone else down."
Ephram looks up and down the table and nods, "you're right." After a long pause where neither of them know what to say Ephram asks, "so tell me about your dance school."
Amy and Ephram converse back and forth about their jobs, Amy's at the dance studio and Ephram's job as a music consultant for an advertising agency and eventually their conversation encourages the two older men to let go of whatever their latest problem is, at least for the evening, and talk.