An Englishwoman in New York.
Before the month of July came to an end, there were visitors for Niff to welcome to the street. In the last week of the month, Nick's former boss at the UN Offices in London arrived to stay for a week with his wife and two teenage sons in the house above Seth's new home. Nick had taken time out to meet them at the airport on their arrival, and had just laughed as rather than greeting him with a formal handshake, the youngest of the two sons had just hugged him in gratitude at being in the city, his older brother following suit a few moments later. Nick had organised a car to take them all to the West Village with the firm that handled the UN requirements, and had requested that they travel into Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge. He took a seat in the front with the driver, and couldn't help but grin as the familiar vista of tall buildings clustered together at the foot of the island came into view. The four people behind him reacted much as he expected; only his former boss had been in the city before, and that had been only once on a visit to the building at the end of 42nd Street; he too had seen nothing of downtown, and all the famous buildings that dominated the skyline…
They were all staring out the windows as they carried on, and as they headed into the smaller streets of the West Village he could see their smiles growing wider, until eventually they pulled up outside their temporary home. Nick had ensured that the cupboards were stocked with food for the night and breakfast the next day; that they had passes for the subway and for the major tourist attractions they would wish to visit. The trip he had planned for them to the Spotlight Diner that night would hopefully just be the start of an unforgettable vacation for the family, one that they would be grateful to Nick for organising for them for some time to come.
On the day that they headed back to the United Kingdom, Jeff made his way to the airport in the early afternoon to pick up a house guest of their own, someone who had been persuaded to come by the pleading eyes of a little boy that had now reached the grand old age of four. With a little help from Ethan and his contacts through Mackenzie Inc, a very reasonably priced transatlantic flight had been arranged, although Hester Frobisher had still been shocked when her ticket was upgraded, and she was shown to the business class lounge; then she had been treated like royalty in her opinion for the entire duration of the flight, nothing too much trouble for the cabin crew. As she exited from security, where she had been given priority clearance, her eyes quickly spotted a familiar blond haired man, but she was a little surprised to see that he was alone.
"This is one of the days that Nick has free from work, and so I let the two of them spend some time alone together so that they build up a strong father son bond. It also is the case that it is a lot easier to wait for someone in the arrivals hall of the airport without an overexcited four year old, trust me!"
Miss Frobisher smiled, and replied, "I can imagine that it must be. It had of course not slipped my mind that he would have celebrated a birthday, and I have a card made and signed by all his former classmates in my bag for him, along with a gift. They were all very keen that I said an individual hello from each one of them to him. He is very much missed."
"He misses them all too as it goes," replied Jeff. "Maybe one day we could see if we could Skype before he heads off to kindergarten here - it would be around lunchtime over in London…"
"That might actually work out very well. I take it that he has settled back into his routines here?"
"He was only back at his kindergarten here for a few days before the summer vacation started, but his old friends were all happy to see him back, and of course, he also has the benefit of someone nearer his own age on the street in the form of Evie… Now, of course, neither she or Drew know you are coming, although Ethan does. And to be honest, we haven't exactly told Wes when you were coming either; he is at that age were secrets can be accidentally let slip…"
Jeff had not hired a car to take them into the city, instead opting for the Airtrain and then the subway to take them into the city, a form of transport that he knew would satisfy Miss Frobisher's concerns about the climate, as she would see it as a partial offsetting of the long flight she had just taken. He insisted on taking her case from her though, and as they travelled into the city, they chatted away about the events that had occurred in both of their lives since Jeff had returned to New York. As they walked up the stairs at the A Train station on 14th Street, Miss Frobisher went silent for a moment, then said, "I am sorry to say that those hard seats, whilst making it easier to keep the train clean and tidy, do very little for the comfort of the passenger. The tube might have its issues, but if you do manage to get a seat, it is padded."
"Funnily enough," replied Jeff, " a certain young lady said much the same thing to Ethan after her first trip on the subway, and I know that Nick misses the padding now he is back to his usual commute. It is practical, but not comfortable for a lengthy trip."
As they walked to the house in the West Village, there was another moment when Jeff almost burst out laughing; they were crossing the street on a green signal, and a car turned right across their path. The very English kindergarten teacher raised her eyebrows, then shook her head, muttering about the sort of idiots that would decree that such a thing was acceptable. Then they were in the street, and Jeff was soon bounding up the steps to the front door; then he noticed that their guest was still standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the house with a smile. Then she followed him up, her smile only growing as he let her into the house and she saw all of the period features that existed in the hallway…
The house was empty, Nick and Wes still out, so Jeff showed her up to the guest suite on the first floor, then headed down to the kitchen to make tea. He carefully handled the large traditional brown teapot that had come back to New York with them from the shelves of John Lewis as he waited for the kettle to boil, knowing that he had to warm the teapot first before he added the freshly boiling water to the tea. He had just completed the former task when he heard the front door open upstairs, and the sound of the voices of his husband and son as they entered the hallway. In a moment Wes came running into the kitchen, and hugged his papa as the kettle boiled again, and began to tell him all about the day he had just spent with his dad, who had taken him to Central Park and the Natural History Museum.
As Wes talked, Jeff made the tea, and waited for Nick to appear. He had not followed his son, and he could only surmise that he had popped into his study, or had paused to greet their house guest. It seemed that the latter was true, as a minute or so later they came down the stairs together, Wes chatting away and not even noticing them at first. Eventually though he realised that his papa was looking at the stairs behind him, and turned round expecting to see his father. His face lit up as he saw that he was not alone, and that there was someone very special with him. With a squeal of delight he ran across the room to hug his former teacher, who looked more than a little tearful as she hugged him back, a little overwhelmed by the warmth of her reception…
They spent the rest of the day at home, allowing Miss Frobisher to rest after her flight, and adjust to the time difference. The next morning though saw Jeff and Wes head along the street and up a flight of stairs to ring a doorbell, with a rested Miss Frobisher at their side. It was Ethan that came to the door; he had been forewarned by Nick the previous night that she had arrived, and what time they could be expected the next day. Both he and Drew were working from home that day, so the visit would not be an issue…
Ethan escorted the trio into the house quietly; he directed Miss Frobisher to wait in the lounge, whilst he took Jeff and Wes into the kitchen. Then he knocked on Drew's door, and told him that he had a visitor, and they were waiting for him in the lounge. Drew emerged, his face a mixture of curiosity and worry, as he was certainly not expecting anyone to call round, and if he was honest, he had work he needed to be doing, and a distraction was a little unwelcome. However, he put on a smile, and headed into the room…
"Good Morning, Mr Symons. I hope that you are feeling better than you were the last time we met," came a voice as he stepped in, one which immediately had the smile on his face grow genuine, whilst blinking back tears of joy.
"Miss Frobisher! This is such a wonderful surprise! What brings you to New York?"
"An invitation from your neighbours, coupled with a desire to see the city I have read so much about over the years first hand, and of course, the opportunity to meet up once more with old friends," she replied. "I have to say that you look much better physically and dare I say it, mentally, than you did when we last were together."
"I am a very different man here; the dark clouds have been lifted, the constant threat removed. I now have all that I have ever wanted in my life, and I am surrounded by so many good friends that care for me. The fact that life is no longer a living nightmare is a very good thing for Evie too, of course…"
"I am so glad to hear it. I have missed her and her tales of the handsome prince. I do admit that I often wonder if I should have done something about your situation when I realised the implication in her tales, but I do not regret my inaction now. The problem that I had was that there was no proof that what she was telling me was true, even when you would arrive to collect her with a fresh limp or a black eye. Unfortunately as far as the authorities are concerned, all too often they believe that the abusive partner in a relationship has to be the male…"
Drew nodded, then reached over to take the older woman's hand. "You have nothing to reproach yourself for or feel guilty about in the whole situation. I have thought about the whole mess since I left, and I now realise that I could have walked away from the situation at any point, but I didn't because I felt so stupid and ashamed. All that matters in life is the here and now, and everything is fixed," he responded with a smile. Then he stood up and went back to the door; he put his head into the hallway, and yelled, "Evie, we have a visitor! Can you come into the lounge just now to say hello please?"
There was silence for a moment, then the sound of a door opening along the hallway, and small footsteps on the parquet floor. As she stepped in, Evie said, "I didn't know that we were having a vis…" Her words stopped as she saw who was with her father, and then she was running across the room towards her former teacher, and throwing her arms around her. As quickly as she did though she pulled away, as if she was worried that she had done the wrong thing.
"We are not in the kindergarten now, Evie, so hugs are perfectly okay, and welcome," said Miss Frobisher kindly, before getting down onto her knees to let a smiling Evie embrace her once again…
After a chat over coffee, it was decided that Evie should accompany Jeff, Wes and Miss Frobisher on a trip to the Children's Museum of Manhattan; Drew was invited to join them, but he declined, stating that he had a pile of work to get through, and he would be able to get a lot done when he was alone. This came as a bit of a surprise to Ethan, but he said nothing as he watched Drew get Evie into her lightweight summer jacket. He then handed Jeff some money to pay for her lunch and treats, which the blond took reluctantly, but he was well aware of Drew's need to always pay his own way. Then they were gone, and with a concerned look upon his face, Ethan followed his friend as he headed back into the lounge.
"Okay, so one of the reasons that you chose to work from home today was so that you could spend a bit of time with Evie, but you have just declined to go on a museum trip with her that will keep her out of the house for most of the day. So, something has to be up, and don't even try and fob me off with the usual old flannel, because I know you too well Drew; I will see right through any rubbish that you try and give me."
Drew sighed, and sat on the sofa, his best friend sitting next to him. He looked up, and his face was a little pained. "It's just a case of me being me as usual, Ethan. Seeing Miss Frobisher like that was so good, and I am so happy that she is going to be here, however briefly, but it was just a reminder of how my life was just over a year ago. I still worry you know about what could have happened had I not bumped into Jeff that day; that is what I think of in my nightmares. I tend to wonder what would have happened to Evie if something had happened to me then, and honestly, that still concerns me now. If I should die, then where does she go? I guess that my parents would be awarded some sort of custody over her, but that would just cause all the more upheaval for her in a life that has been so full of it."
"Nothing like that is going to happen to you Drew," said Ethan quietly.
"But you can't be certain of that; none of us ever can be sure what is going to happen in even a minute's time. Did anyone imagine a few years ago that Seth would be laid low by MND? Did we ever imagine Wes being killed by a drunk driver? Did you ever imagine your dad having a heart attack, and your mother being left to take on so much more responsibility for running the company? And we all know that soon enough it will be time for you to take on more of that for her sake too…" Drew sighed again, then said, "Today has just confirmed what I need to do for me. I am going to sort out a will, as Wes did; maybe even call up an expert in family law and see what my options are for guaranteeing Evie has a good future if something does happen. Honestly, if the worst did happen, then I would want her to stay here in familiar surroundings with her friends…"
"In the unlikely event that the worst did happen, then I would be only too pleased to take care of her for you, that goes without saying," said Ethan. "I have come to love having her around, and I don't think I could cope if I lost you and then her."
Drew smiled, then taking his friend's hand, his face became more serious. "I am glad you said that because I might have already done a little bit of research on my own. As a single parent, I can appoint someone to be her guardian; to take responsibility for her should I not be around any longer. It is a legal commitment, and one that would stand up to any kind of challenge in a court of law; not of course that I think my parents would object to my plans in any case. The fact is, they have always seen you as another son for a start… Evie would like it too, I am sure. She has been through so much in her short life so far, so having her Uncle Ethan be there to look after her if she lost me would be a great comfort."
"I have no objection to making that relationship a formal one," said Ethan.
"Good. So I might just go ahead and speak to my lawyer. I initially thought of Grace, but she said she was too close to the people involved, and so she recommended someone that had a bit of distance instead…" With that, Drew stood up, and with a small smile on his face, headed back to his bedroom to make the necessary phone call with a degree of privacy.
Ethan sat there for a moment, stunned by the sudden turn of events. Then he came to his senses, and grabbed his laptop from the table where he had been working before Jeff arrived. If he was being completely honest, he had thought that something like this might happen one day, but his own preparation had consisted of nothing more than a chat with a lawyer friend at work who knew something about the field in question. Now he decided he should study the whole of the law on guardianship, just to be clear on exactly what he was signing up for. He needed to be aware of all the ins and outs, and how to steer clear of any potential traps and pitfalls…
Drew was away in the privacy of his bedroom for the next 30 minutes, although in reality, it was only his room in the eyes of those living outwith the apartment. In reality he ended up in Ethan's bed most nights, although neither of them could recall when he had last had a serious nightmare that caused him to need the comfort that Ethan's presence gave. The habit had been formed, and the comfort of having his best friend lying in the bed next to him each night was something that Drew had become accustomed to. The truth was that Ethan too had come to enjoy have the company of his best friend every night, and so it carried on, a platonic and fraternal relationship that suited both their needs.
Drew left the room after a fruitful chat with his lawyer had confirmed all that he had expected. The papers for a guardianship would be relatively easy to prepare, with no necessity for lengthy checks into his suitability for the role. Drew had therefore made an appointment for the following week to set the wheels in motion, and give the lawyer all of the necessary details. He had chosen a time when he was sure that either Jeff or Dante would be around to look after Evie, the most precious thing he had in the world.
However, as he walked back to the lounge, Drew was suddenly struck by how silent the house was. Ethan was working from home too, and that usually involved a lot of conversation on the phone or on a video call. For a moment he wondered if he had popped out for a moment, but he usually said he was going out. He stepped into the lounge and saw Ethan there, hunched over his laptop, studying something intently. He wondered if he should go, and almost did, but then he decided to carry on, and tell him what was going on before he became tied up with work once more.
As he approached, Ethan looked up, and said, "Hey Drew, have you been there long? I am afraid that I have been caught up with some reading that was actually inspired by you and our conversation earlier. I decided that I would be advised to check up on just what becoming a guardian entails, just in case there was something hidden in the rules, some factor that might stop me taking up that role. Of course, as you probably already know, there is nothing of the sort; I have no criminal convictions of any sort to worry about, nor do I live abroad, or in a dangerous location for a child. However, my search did bring me across something else, a little concept that I feel we should at least discuss before we proceed any further along the road we decided upon. Firstly, your intention so far is that I would take a significant and legally binding role in your daughter's life should anything happen to you, and only in that scenario?"
"Well yes, it is my intention that you should only be troubled with all of the legal stuff in the event that I am no longer around to look after her."
"What if I told you that it was no trouble for me to take on a larger role on that level in Evie's life right now?"
Drew looked at Ethan for a moment with curiosity, and then a raised eyebrow. "I don't understand what you mean… Wait, this isn't a proposal, is it? I mean, if it is, I am flattered, but first off I am sworn off marriage forever; secondly, neither of us is gay, and finally, what on earth would everyone think if we suddenly got hitched?"
Ethan looked at Drew for a moment, then burst out laughing; he suddenly had a vision in his head of those very faces if he did indeed get down on one knee and ask Drew to marry him. There would be gasps, disbelief, and in all likelihood, knowing the Warblers, someone collecting large amounts of money for winning their totally off the wall bet… "Much as I would wish to marry you if the circumstances were right, no, this is not a proposal; at least, not one of marriage. I just wondered if you had ever looked into the concept of a co-parenting guardianship? It is just one step above the basic, an agreement whereby I get to play an official role in her life even when you are still around. We both know that she already sees me as an unofficial, second sort of parent, someone that she can come to if she needs something or is troubled and you are not available. What I am suggesting is that I am willing, if you want to and have no qualms about it, to formalise what we already have going on. Then again, by bringing it up I have probably way overstepped the mark, so maybe we would be better forgetting I ever mentioned it…"
Drew was silent for a few moments, a stunned look on his face. Then he spoke quietly to his best friend. "I have to be honest, the whole idea of co-parenting guardianship seems a little strange. However, that you are willing to go there is good, and brings me on to something else. I looked into it too, and then I looked at the next level up. It would not be impossible for us to do it, although usually it is reserved for a married couple with a stepchild to consider. What I am saying is, that if you wished to, I would have no objection to you actually adopting Evie, and becoming her other dad. I am not 100% sure that is even a possibility without all the wedding stuff, but if it is, I have no problem with going there…"
"You would actually consider allowing me to adopt Evie?" said Ethan in a stunned voice again. "Well, I suppose that such things can be possible; after all, Burt and Carole Hummel adopted Rory, even though his parents are very much alive and kicking. It is a step that I would need to reflect on quite seriously though, as it would not just alter everything for me, but for all three of us - and then there is the other complication…" Ethan paused, and the corners of his mouth drooped just a little as he thought of the major issue that such a move as adoption could make.
"I'm sorry, you've lost me; what complication do you mean?" queried Drew.
"Well, as you know, I am the only child of only children; when my parents pass away, then the whole of Mackenzie Inc comes to me. It is a responsibility that I always wish did not hang over my head. After all, when my father dies, I will become all of a sudden one of the most wealthy and powerful men in the United States. The result of that is that any child of mine will be the next in line after me for that kind of responsibility, be they mine by birth, or…"
"…adoption," finished Drew quietly. "That prospect had not even crossed my mind. I always forget that you are potentially one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, and were you so inclined then there would be a bevy of young ladies queued up at your door right now."
"I could not imagine anything worse than that!" exclaimed Ethan with a shiver. "It would be my worst nightmare to be completely honest, even if I wasn't asexual; in fact, I sometimes wonder if the prospect of being subjected to so much attention might be the reason why I am asexual in the first place! So, to be frank, if I am to have an heir, then it will be by adoption. My father of course still hopes that I will find someone, that my asexuality is just a phase, but at least my mother has accepted that it is who I am now, thankfully. All of that does mean, however, that if I was to adopt a child, then both of them, and particularly my mom, would want to approve my choice, and that would involve a check into the child's background and credentials. I think that she would approve of Evie in every respect, but she would of course need to meet her first."
"If we are both as serious as each other about this, then I would have no objection to her meeting Evie, and indeed me. I mean, we have been friends for so long, and apart from those few brief meetings so many years ago when we were still at Dalton, all I have ever seen of either of your parents are photos. Does she come to Manhattan very often?"
"Frequently, but her trips are for business, and usually much to short to even make time to see me, let alone you and Evie. I guess that I could find some way to make her come for a longer visit. Maybe if I told her that I think I am ready to take my seat on the company board, she would bite…"
"But you aren't ready to do that, are you? I thought you wanted to wait at least another decade, all being well."
"Well, no, I am not ready yet, but if it got her here it would be worthwhile. I do have to face up to the fact that one day I will have to give up my current job and join the family business, without any option. The least that my mom and I should do is start to discuss that, although to be perfectly honest, when I tell her that I intend to adopt Evie and raise her with both of us as her parents, I should have her undivided attention, and the subject of the boardroom will not be up for discussion any longer." Ethan stopped, then chuckled as he imagined the look on his mother's face when he told her. Then he turned his attention back to Drew, and said, "All that is for the future. First of all we have to check it is even legally possible. Plus we have to consider another factor, the opinion of the most important person of all. Evie might love and adore me as her uncle, but for me to be her other 'dad' in all but name might just be a step too far for her…"