Chapter 10

Liz sat and clapped her hands to the music, letting herself be absorbed into the world around her. Even her mother was dancing Cassidy running around with the other children.

Logan was squirming in her lap laughing at all the excitement.

"Come dance, Elizabeth." Sean came up to her. "You too, Serena, you two always look gorgeous dancing together."

"I couldn't." Serena said. "I'm the mother of two now, Liz can though, she'd be delighted."

"Come on, Miss Parker." The kids chanted.

"Sean…"Liz smiled. "Only if you dance with me, I know you dance as well if not better than me, Mr. Malloy."

"Should I dance with the lady then?" He asked the kids.

"Aye!" they chorused.

"Hand me the baby." Serena took her son who squealed when he landed back in his mother's arms.

Liz stood. The band struck up a fast tune and Liz took Sean's hand. "You'll regret this, Sean Malloy. I'm not steady on my feet as I haven't quite gotten well." She warned

"I'll catch you. It will be worth it if I can dance with you." Their feet took up the beat and the audience took one with their hands.

A few breathless moments later Liz found herself fully engulfed in the festivities. She had forgotten about everything going from person to person, dancing with different partners, but each time they returned her to Sean, as if she was his and that unnerved her.

"Mr. Malloy, recite something!" One child cried. Sean was a very smart man who Liz wished could have the opportunity somewhere to be something. He had studied as often and as much as she when they had been in school. He was one of the few people in the neighborhood who had gone to high school. Liz knew marriage to him wouldn't be bad, she'd be able to have conversation with him.

"Yes, Mr. Malloy, please." They said. He turned from his conversation with Liz and smiled.

"What should I recite?" He asked already knowing what they would demand.

"The Shepherd one!" They said together.

"But it's English." He said teasingly.

"My teacher's English, she's not so bad, Mr. Malloy." One little boy said. "She's kind of pretty."

"As pretty as Miss Parker here?"

"No one's as pretty as Miss Parker." The boy replied with a blush.

"I quite agree." Sean said and stood to take the center seat.

COME live with me and be my Love,

And we will all the pleasures prove

That hills and valleys, dale and field,

And all the craggy mountains yield.

There will we sit upon the rocks 5

And see the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers, to whose falls

Melodious birds sing madrigals.

There will I make thee beds of roses

And a thousand fragrant posies, 10

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.

A gown made of the finest wool

Which from our pretty lambs we pull,

Fair linèd slippers for the cold, 15

With buckles of the purest gold.

A belt of straw and ivy buds

With coral clasps and amber studs:

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me and be my Love. 20

Thy silver dishes for thy meat

As precious as the gods do eat,

Shall on an ivory table be

Prepared each day for thee and me.

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing 25

For thy delight each May-morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me and be my Love.

When he was finished his eyes had found Liz's. All the kids looked over to her.

"What have you got to say to that Miss Parker?" One of the older boys asked.

Liz smiled at Sean with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "I have a lot to say, Timmy."

Two could play, Liz said to herself.

Keeping her eyes locked on Sean's she turned and recited the response.

If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.

Time drives the flocks from field to fold
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complains of cares to come.

The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

The gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten,—
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
Thy coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.

But could youth last and love still breed,
Had joys no date nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy love.

One man guffawed and the rest of the boys chuckled.

"You wound me, Miss Parker." Sean held his hand over his heart in mock sadness.

"It would take more than a simple poem, Mr. Malloy." She smiled. "Or at least it should."

That set all the children laughing, and Sean got up and made his way across the room towards her.

"You, Miss Parker, need to learn to speak to your future husband." The room went silent and the Liz's cheeks flushed.

"When I find him, I will." She smiled. She didn't know how she could be flirting and jesting when her heart was aching so badly for Max.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled. "You're looking at him, Miss Parker." And he kissed her.

Stunned Liz held still. It felt nothing like Max, but she knew she would never have Max so she held on to him.

He pulled away and smiled down at her. The crowd cheered around them. "You'll forget him, soon, my Elizabeth." He said only for her ears. "I'll make you happy, you'll see."

At her smile, Sean turned back to the children.

"And that, is how you get your lady to listen to you, my lads."

Liz lightly smacked him and took her seat next to Serena.

Two months later

Liz came home from an evening out with Sean and was stunned to see her mother and Serena hurriedly putting things together.

"What are you doing?" She asked dreading the answer.

"We're moving." Nancy Parker said. Serena stood still looking down.

"Why…where?" Liz asked.

"We're moving into Jim Valenti's house."

"Why?" She said sitting down.

"Because, you my girl, are his daughter."

"I don't want to go." Liz sat down.

"Elizabeth." Her mother said sternly.

"No, Mama, it's not fair." Liz said. "I'm going to marry Sean, isn't that what you wanted?"

"Not anymore." Nancy Parker replied and set her clothes in a box. "Cassidy's already there and having a grand time with her grandfather."

"That's not fair to Sean or me, Mama." Liz said. "I don't want to go. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Elizabeth what has gotten into you?"

"What about you? Are you just going to leave Papa?" she asked.

"I'll be living with him here. He's not your father."

"I don't care!" She stormed. "I don't care, Mama. It's not fair. You're selfish! You don't care about anyone other than yourself. I'm going to stay here, I'm going to marry Sean, I'm going to become a nurse, and I'm going to forget about you."

"No you're not. You, are going to become a society lady, you are going to marry a rich man and be well off. You are going to be what you were born to be."

"No, Mama, you made it quite clear, a few weeks ago. I'm not a lady. I can't marry Max Evans." She said softly, she didn't need to raise her voice. "You ensured that for me, Mama. Max Evans doesn't want me."

"You don't know what you want."

"You don't know what I want, Mama. What I want is to become a nurse. I want to help other people. I want to help other people put there lives back together, unlike you who tears them apart." She turned and walked back outside.

"Can you believe that girl?" Nancy turned to her daughter-in-law.

"I can, I can't believe you though." Serena straightened her spine. "You're tearing that girl's life apart. You just don't want her to be happy, do you?"

"Of course, that's all I want."

"No, I don't think so. She's right, Nancy, you are selfish. You can't keep interfering with her life. She has a chance to be happy. Leave her alone."

"Of all the things I've done for you, Serena, you have no right to speak to me like that." Nancy looked appalled.

"I do." Serena said. "I thank you for what you've done for me. But you're still a bitch, so leave the girl alone."

"Serena." But the door had slammed behind her. Nancy sat in one of the chairs.

The next evening Liz met with Sean.

"Hello, beautiful." He kissed her forehead.

"Hello." She said solemnly.

"What's wrong?" His heart sank. "What is it?"

"I can't marry you, Sean." Liz said quietly her eyes filling with tears. "I haven't been very truthful to you Sean."

"Why not?" Sean took her hands.

"My mother."

"What has she done?" Sean said.

"Sit, and I'll explain."

"I don't want to hear this do I?" He said.

"I didn't either." Liz said. "I'm sorry." They sat and Liz explained.

"Son of a—" He said and held his tongue.

"I'm sorry. I was going to overlook it, but she won't let it go and neither will he. Kyle wanted nothing to do with him either, but it can't be helped, he's a powerful man." She said truthfully.

"You're going to marry that Evans?" Sean asked feeling inadequate.

"No." Liz shook her had. She wasn't going to marry any man. "I'm going to become a nurse. I'll make it on my own."

"And if your father won't allow you to go to college?"

"I don't know what I'll do." Liz answered.

"You'll not be happy, if you're not happy come back to me?" He asked.

"Maybe, Sean. Most likely not." She told him.

"Go then, Elizabeth, is it bad for me to wish you not to be happy, so you'll come back to me?"

"No, it's normal." She told him. "I don't think I'll come back to you."

"I'll be here, I don't know for how long though." He said.

"Don't wait too long, Sean, you'll make some lass very happy one day."

"I was hoping it would be you."

"I think part of me was too." She answered. "Have a good life."

"You, too, Eilis."

Two Months Later

Michael and Maria had decided to stay in the city and have the baby. It was still five months away and Max wasn't sure he should stay or go back.

He knew the Parkers no longer worked for his parents and had no idea where to find Liz. He was on his way to her apartment. He knew she would have written to him if he wanted to see her.

He pulled up outside the apartment buildings and noticed the strange looks he was getting from people.

He was disappointed to find that once he got to the apartment that the Parkers no longer lived there.

On his way out he ran into a young man about his age.

"Do you by any chance, know where the Parkers went to?"

"Who's asking?" The man asked.

"Max Evans."

Max could have sworn his eyes turned black.

"No."

"You know something."

"No, nothing." He smiled and Sean Malloy went on his way.

TBC
Disclaimer: The poems are by Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh, respectively. We read them in English and I've fallen in love with them.