Holding On
Chapter 19- Buyer's Remorse
The next morning, Lizzie woke to the smell of waffles from downstairs. She guessed it was her dad cooking, and after venturing down the stair, she realized she was correct. "Good morning." She said.
"Morning, Lizzie." Sam put a plate in front of her. Matt came bounding down the stairs and sat down across from the table from her. "Did you guys have fun last night?"
Matt nodded and began to tell his father about his night. Maggie went over to Lizzie and sat down next to her. "You didn't come in to check on me last night." She said.
"I did, sweetie, but you were asleep." She thought that maybe one day it would be her and Gordo checking on Maggie.
"What are you planning on doing today?" Sam asked the table.
"I was thinking of taking Maggie to the zoo." Lizzie said. She was also thinking that Gordo could join them, but she wasn't ready to tell her family about her decision to let him back into her life. At least not yet.
After breakfast she called Gordo. Today was the start of their life together and she was anxious to see if it would even last one family outing. Fortunately, he was anxious too, and agreed to accompany them to the zoo. "I'd love to go" he had said when she asked him.
Luckily, the trip went well and it suddenly dawned on Lizzie that she would soon be leaving Hillridge to go back to Boston. She and Gordo had decided to wait until they were back in Boston to inform Maggie of their relationship. They thought that she would feel better about it if she was in a more familiar environment. However, Lizzie knew she would have to tell her parents before she left. She didn't know why it was so hard for her. They already liked Gordo, but maybe that was what made it so hard. Seeing her parents so happy for her, and knowing that if it didn't work out, they would be crushed. She then pushed her insecurities aside and resolved to tell her parents after dinner that night.
She called Gordo in the evening to see if he would like to come over for dinner so he could be there when she told her parents. As the phone rang, it suddenly dawned on her that she never did this with Jake. He had never even met her parents, and when she told them that they were dating, she had not fretted over it at all. Gordo was different, she had always known that, but she realized now how important that was. "Hello?" Gordo answered the phone.
"Hey, Gordo. It's me." Years ago their greetings had become informal. "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"
"Sure. What's the occasion?"
"I want to tell my parents about us. I think Matt already guesses, and he probably told Miranda." Lizzie noted that Matt had been with Miranda all day.
"What about Maggie?" Gordo had been against waiting to tell Maggie, but Lizzie had finally won him over, saying that she knew her daughter and it was better to wait.
"We can still wait to tell her, but my parents need to be told tonight." Her parents would be hurt if she kept them out of the loop for too long.
"What was it you wanted to say, Lizzie?" her mother asked her. It was after dinner later that night and Maggie was already in bed. Sam and Jo sat across from Lizzie and Gordo in the family room. Matt had had Miranda over for dinner, too, but the couple was no where to be found. However, prior to dinner, Matt had told Lizzie that he had indeed guessed what was going on with her and Gordo. She filled him in on the blanks and she suspected that he had already relayed the information to Miranda.
"Gordo's going to move to Boston with me." She blurted out, not as eloquent as she would have liked.
"Does that mean…" her mother trailed off as she looked at Sam. They both smiled. It was obvious they were pleased, they couldn't think of anyone better for Lizzie than Gordo, and they had rooted for him since the beginning. Nothing would give them greater pleasure than to see them finally end up together. "That's fantastic, sweetie." Jo told her. "I always knew you two would get back together. I always said it."
With her family's reaction, she felt as if they were, however unwillingly, putting more pressure on her. It was something that kept her awake late that night. What if the relationship failed? That was all she could think about for hours. Sometime around 3am she realized that she was dooming it to fail with that attitude. She needed to be more positive if she wanted it to work. She loved Gordo, and he loved her. That much she knew. But there were also other elements to consider; what about Maggie's feelings? She would most definitely have a say in this, especially as she got older. And there was also Gordo's job, or lack thereof, to consider. He loved directing and she couldn't honestly expect him to give it up without experiencing some kind of remorse. Could she even expect him to give it up at all? She scolded herself for not thinking this through.
In two days she and Gordo and Maggie would drive back to Boston together, but then what? When they got back there would be so many obstacles to face. She hadn't had these feelings the first time she began a relationship with Gordo, or when she was dating Jake. This was something entirely new to her. It scared her to the point of where she got a tight knot in her stomach. The knot burned there until she finally fell into a restless sleep.
Two days later she stood in front of her parents' house with a loaded car and the same knot in her stomach. Gordo sat in the passenger seat and Maggie was strapped in the backseat, eager to get going.
"Call when you stop for the night." Her mother told her as they hugged.
"We will." She promised. It was strange to say 'we' before it had always been 'I'. She moved next to her father, who hugged her. She kissed him on the cheek. Matt was next he also embraced her. Miranda was last. As they said their goodbyes, Lizzie wished her and Matt good luck. Ever since the reunion, they had become very close.
She slid into the drivers' seat and watched her childhood home slip away into the distance. As they drove, Gordo leaned over and kissed her quickly while Maggie studied the landscape out he window. Almost immediately the knot in her stomach melted. She then realized all she needed was Gordo. All the extra stuff, where they lived, what his job was. That was extra. She suddenly felt no worries. Everything would turn out for the best in the end, and right now, she believed being with Gordo was the best thing possible.
THE END
