Chapter 7: Love, Fights, and Sleep
The time George spent in New York was filled with complete happiness. Meara could not believe her luck, that her boyfriend would show up unannounced at her apartment and sweep her off her feet once more. He could only spend three weeks away from the store and seemed determined to do as much as possible in that short time. They enjoyed shows and museums and especially loved sitting at home, alone, just watching the snow fall while Meara read a book. It was heaven on earth, a beautiful time away from reality.
Sophia had rarely seen her daughter so happy. Even when George and Meara had a fight, she could tell that Meara was much less depressed than before. She couldn't help but like this boy with his British accent and fun loving personality. He brightened most every room with his jokes. However, similarities between George and Meara's father began to present themselves. Both had an amazing sense of humor. Both loved a good, home cooked meal. In fact, there was very little in which the two did not share.
Finally, Sophia couldn't stand it anymore. When Meara was out buying groceries and the band was out frolicking in the new snow, Sophia pulled George aside.
"I have to know," she said, trying her hardest not to freak the young man out. Not that it mattered; he'd been living with them for the past two weeks and if he was apt to be scared off, he would have done so long before. Instead, he simply raised an eyebrow.
"And what knowledge might I impart onto you?" he asked politely. Sophia took a deep breath and plunged in.
"I need to know your intentions in regards to my daughter," she said. "I don't want to see her heart broken like mine was."
George looked her full in the face. "I came here to ask her to marry me," he said quietly. "I'm not in the business of breaking hearts."
Sophia visibly relaxed. "Good," she breathed. She made to stand up again, but George pulled her down.
"Who was he?" he asked quietly. Sophia bit her lip but remained silent. George sighed. "He obviously was the love of your life and Meara's father. I would just like to know what I'm getting into."
Sophia sighed. "I don't know his real name, only that he was a wizard," she breathed. George released her arm but she made no move to stand. "He was amazing. Funny, smart, good-looking… He shared your sense of humor, but he had hair black as night. One night he just left. I waited for him until it was painfully obvious that he wasn't coming back. That's when I came to New York and had Meara. I never found out his name, not even to tell him that he was a father." George looked away.
"And he never knew that you carried his child?" he asked quietly.
"No," came the answer. He shook his head.
"How could anyone leave a woman they love?" George asked, more to himself than anyone. Sophia stood.
"That's what I asked myself in the years since he walked away. I've come to two conclusions: either he had something that was so important that he couldn't tell me where he was going, or he…" She trailed off, not willing to voice the dreadful thought that gripped her. George looked away, embarrassed. He stood and began to walk away when he paused and turned to Sophia.
"I'm sorry," he said, words not being sufficient to voice the regret he felt at forcing her to relive the horrible past. Sophia waved her hand in a gesture that clearly expressed that she was impartial to it.
"Don't be," she said. "It happened a long time ago, and you needed to know the truth at any rate. After all, she will be your wife, and now you know why I'll be watching you like a hawk." George laughed and made his way into the living room. He sat down on the couch and turned on the television, trying to sort out all of his feelings.
He couldn't imagine his father walking out on his mother. It was inconceivable. His father had been mad at Molly Weasley, certainly. All married couples have their spats. And yes, Arthur Weasley had stormed out of the house from time to time, only to be found a few hours later in the shed tinkering with the lawnmower or in the village buying his wife flowers. Molly had her fair share of leavings as well. Hot tempered, she often left the house when on the brink of an outburst for a long walk around the yard to cool off. The children had gotten used to this. The fights were often enough, but they usually locked themselves in one room and played a game until the adults were done yelling. In recent years, the kids simply left the house. Fred and George found a nice little coffee shop in the village they began to frequent, and they often took Ginny there for a treat. They accepted the fights as part of love. Put any two people together for any length of time and they're sure to find something to fight about, however silly or insignificant.
But to simply walk out… George shook his head again. He couldn't imagine simply walking out. His father had made a promise to his mother to always be there, and she returned the promise. They kept that through good times and bad. They were in love. Walking out was not an option.
He felt all the pain from Sophia. Obviously, she loved this wizarding stranger. The betrayal of him walking away from the home she was trying to provide must have been immense. But to then find out that the man she knew and loved was gone forever, and that she had no way of finding him… He could feel the pain from Meara at never knowing who this man was. So much pain…
He laid down on the couch and tried to block it out. He closed his eyes. The lack of sleep finally caught up with him, and he fell into a deep slumber.
Meara walked in the door to see her mother holding a finger to her lips. "Shh," Sophia said. "George is sleeping." Meara craned her neck to see into the living room. George was curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly for the first time since he had come to New York. Meara smiled and quietly closed the door. She then placed her things on the floor by the closet and walked into the living room. She turned off the still-running television and pulled the quilt off of the back of the couch. George rolled over onto his back and continued to slumber. Meara gently pulled off the sleeping form's shoes and placed them beside the couch and covered him with the quilt. He curled up once more on his side but didn't wake. Meara gently kissed his forehead and joined her mother in the kitchen.
A/N: Hello. If you are enjoying this story so far, please, review. I write for myself, of course, but it would be nice if someone gave me a bit of positive feedback. So please, for the sake of all that is good, review. Thank you.