Obstacle Number One.
It was just prior to 9am when Ethan arrived back outside the Walker Hotel, hoping that his mother had enjoyed her stay and had a restful night. Entering the lobby, he instructed Drew and Evie to take a seat for a moment on a convenient sofa, then approached the door to the Society Café, where breakfast was being served; one of the senior staff was waiting at the door, and looked up as he approached. "Good morning, I have a reservation for a table for four in the name Mackenzie; my mother was a guest here last night, so she may well already be down…"
"Indeed she is; Mrs Mackenzie arrived two minutes ago and is already seated at the table you requested," came his reply.
"Thank you; I wonder if you could give me a moment? I have to inform her that we will have company this morning that she is not expecting…"
"If you wish sir I can show the other two guests in at a prearranged signal; I quite understand that some subjects need to be approached with delicacy…"
Ethan suddenly realised that the manager was assuming that he was about to introduce his mother to his partner for the first time, and for a moment he almost blurted out that she had the wrong end of the stick entirely, but then decided against it. "That would be most helpful. I will raise my right hand like this when we are ready." At that moment, the clock chimed for nine, and he headed in, finding the door to the private alcove and stepping in. His mother was sitting there glancing at that morning's New York Times, and he was relived to see that she was smiling. "Good morning, mom! How did you sleep?"
"Good morning, dear," she replied. "I slept very well, much better than I ever do at the Plaza to be honest. The décor here is so wonderful and period, and the general ambience is perfect. It is so quiet too; I had no idea just how close we are to Union Square here until one of the staff pointed it out to me this morning. Then there is the fact that the New School is just across the street. I will certainly be returning here when I am next in the city. Now, sit down…"
"Well, before I do, I have a little confession to make. We are not having breakfast alone; there are two guests joining us, as they are the key to the future that I alluded to in the car last night…"
He made the signal, then studied his mother's face. "You haven't found a girl, surely!" she said in a hushed voice.
"Not in the way that you are thinking, no, but there is a young lady involved…"
Mrs Mackenzie did not get a chance to question her son any more before she noticed that a man her son's age was walking towards the alcove, with a little girl of about five years of age walking in front of him. She looked at the man closely again, and it came to her that she recognised him, and that she had indeed met him before, very briefly, when he and her son had been younger… Then she knew; he was Drew, her son's best friend. A thought immediately crossed her mind, just as it had formed in the restaurant manager's head, but she dismissed that at once. That meant that the little girl had to be his daughter, and she looked more closely at her now. At once, she saw that she was enchanting. She had such a pretty face, was perfectly turned out, and the smile on her face said it all. She hurried over now and took her son's outstretched hand, and she got it. This was the young lady, and she was the future…
"I am sorry to be springing this on you like this, mom, but we need to have a serious chat, and it could not wait any longer. Anyway, this is…"
"Drew, if my memory serves me correctly. I know that we only ever met very briefly in passing, but I did ensure that I made a note of the young man that is my son's best friend. How are you?"
"I am much better than I was a few years ago, but that is all down to Ethan. To be frank, he rescued me from a very bad situation that was entirely of my own making."
"He rescued you?" exclaimed Mrs Mackenzie. "I'm afraid that I do not understand…"
Before anyone could say anything else, Evie piped up. "Daddy and I were being held prisoner by a wicked witch; he always said that one day Prince Ethan would come and save us, and eventually he did. He told me that you are his mom - does that make you a Queen?"
Mrs Mackenzie looked bemused for a moment at the little girl's question, then saw the serious expressions on the faces of her son and his friend; she realised then that there was a point to all of this, and a lot she did not know. So she smiled at her, and said, "No, I am not a queen, but your Prince is indeed my son. Now I am afraid that I do not know your name…"
"I'm Evie, and it is very nice to meet you. Uncle Ethan doesn't talk about you or his daddy very often, but he did say that you were a very busy and important lady who loves him very much."
Ethan blushed, and was relieved to see that his mom was smiling at what she had just heard. "That is true; I do love him very much indeed. Now, I think that we should all sit down and have some breakfast, and whilst we do, maybe someone should tell me the whole story of what is going on here from the very start…"
As if on cue at Mrs Mackenzie's words, a server appeared ready to take their order, and that lead to a quick study of the menu for the three later arrivals, Mrs Mackenzie having already perused a copy in her room, and able to place her order with clarity at once. With the food ordered, Ethan began to talk, telling his mother first the facts that she already knew; how they had both gone to university in England to study after finishing at Dalton, and how he had decided to return to the United States for a final year of study at Princeton. He then fell silent and let Drew fill in the next part; how he had met and fallen in love with Lucy, and then had discovered much too late what she was really like. He did so in a low voice, and in such a matter of fact tone that Mrs Mackenzie soon felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She could only shake her head at his hints at the violence done towards him, but then noted the hopeful note as he mentioned his chance encounter with Jeff…
"He went home and told his husband Nick that Friday, and he immediately called me," said Ethan, taking over the tale. "Less than 24 hours later I was knocking on his front door. Evie was a complete surprise to us all. Thanks to the fact that Trent Nixon, another ex-Warbler, is working in the Oval Office, and could get us special treatment, I got him home before the weekend ended. Drew wasn't sure what he wanted to do at first, apart from not be a burden, but eventually he agreed that he wanted to be in New York, and that he would be my roommate. We always worked well together at Dalton, and we still compliment each other even now. However, recently there has been one thing in particular worrying Drew, and once he admitted it, it started to concern me too. The fact is, if something untoward were to happen to him, then Evie would be taken to her only next of kin, his parents, in Ohio. Now don't get me wrong, the Symons are lovely folks and doting grandparents, but Evie has her life and her routine established here in New York. She has already been uprooted from all she knew once, and neither of us wish that to happen again."
"I can understand that sentiment," said Mrs Mackenzie. "She has been placed in a situation that no child should have to endure, and now she is finally happy. Because she is living with you, son, she sees you as her uncle, and if she was wrenched from you if something happened to her father would be awful for her."
"Which is why I asked your son if he would consider being named as her guardian," began Drew. "It seemed like the ideal solution, but on investigating it in depth, it does not come the necessary guarantees I would wish. If my parents chose to challenge it in the courts they would find no restrictions in place, and in all likelihood, the courts would decide that my daughter should be with a blood relation rather than a family friend."
"Which was why I looked into further options with a lawyer friend, and we found one that was watertight," continued Ethan. "It is a solution, and we have both agreed that we could make it work. We want to be co-parents to Evie; essentially, I would adopt her as my daughter too…"
If Mrs Mackenzie was stunned, she did not show it, merely nodding and keeping her thoughts to herself. She could see now why she had been asked to join them for this meal, and the subsequent discussion. If Ethan did adopt his friend's child and became her co-parent, then she would be seen as his heir, and that meant that one day in the far distant future, she would be in line to inherit the family business, and all the wealth and responsibility that came with it. She knew that on the one side of the argument, some would have an immediate problem with that, and would say such a move was a complete no no. However, she had always been a realist. Her son had never shown the remotest interest in anyone as a sexual or marriage partner; that in turn meant that it was highly unlikely that he would ever father a child of his own. He did however know that he was the last of the line, so to speak, as an only child, and he would not leave things to end so dramatically like that for the Mackenzie firm. He would probably have looked to adopt a child at some point of his own choice. He had never been told that her husband had been hinting to her that they needed to sit him down and remind him of that need ever since his heart attack…
She looked again at the little girl sitting across the table from her, listening to music on her earbuds, and oblivious to the conversation going on around her. It was clear that she loved her son as much as she loved her own father; not unexpected, given that he was the hero that had rescued them from the peril they had been in. She was suddenly conscious that her silence had now been a long one, and that nerves were starting to appear on the faces of the two young men sitting across from her. She cleared her throat, and spoke.
"Well, this is a subject that I will need to think about for a while, and your father will need to be informed too, and not by me. However, I will say this here and now. I have no real objection to the idea. The company does need to pass on to someone after you, Ethan, however, and that is something that Drew does need to take into consideration. If my son does adopt, to all intents and purposes, your daughter, then her future will turn out to be very different from the one that you might well have envisioned…"
Drew nodded, and replied, "Oh I know that it will be, that much is for certain. However, if there is anyone that keep her grounded in normality, it is your son. At school, none of us had an inkling of just how wealthy he was, even me. I mean, I had an idea that he was from the wealthiest family of all those in my generation, but the sheer scale… The fact is that we live modestly in a small apartment in a quiet street, when he could quite easily have plumped for living in a penthouse overlooking Central Park. He doesn't splash out on long exotic holidays, flash sports cars or designer clothes. He doesn't use the firm's jet to fly here, there and everywhere. He is diligent, modest and hard working; he could quite easily have gone completely the other way given his circumstances, and I met a few people that fit that bill in Oxford and London…"
Drew paused, then continued, "He will see to it that money doesn't change Evie, and that is so important to me. I do worry about what having access to all that money and power could do to her, because I have always taught her to appreciate the small things, to be generous and to share. To be a selfless person… Ethan helps me with all of that already, and in many ways he is already her other parent. All this is about is making that a formal, legal arrangement. We haven't spoken to my parents about any of this yet, because if I am honest, they already see him almost as their other son, and they will have no issue with him adopting Evie and parenting her with me."
Mrs Mackenzie responded with a wry smile, "But the situation is obviously a different one when my husband and I are concerned. There is much more at stake for us in the eyes of the world."
"Exactly," replied Drew. "The business that the two of you have nurtured and built up is one of the most highly regarded in the world, and the Trust that Ethan chairs now on your behalf has done so much for the good of society around the world. I have seen it's work in actions, and well, Ethan does sometimes sit down with me and ask for my opinions on the various causes that are applying for funding, because as he says, I am on the outside and have a different viewpoint from those on the board."
Ethan suddenly felt his mother's eyes upon him, and he waited for censure; instead she said quietly, "I didn't know that you did that, son, but if I am being honest, I used to consult with the staff in the offices from time to time, just to see what their opinions were. They did disagree with me and the board sometimes, and when we looked again, it was usually the case that they were correct to do so. Well, can I just say that there is another thing that will come out of all of this, if I am assuming correctly of course. If Ethan is to be acting in loco parentis to your daughter, so to speak, that would make me a kind of grandmother to her?"
"Of course it would," stated Drew firmly. "We would want you and your husband to be as involved as you wish; in my opinion, having a second set of grandparents would do her no harm whatsoever."
"Well, if that is to be the case, then maybe I should get to know your daughter a little better myself beforehand. If you would allow me, I can cancel all of my plans for this afternoon, rebook myself onto a later flight home, and then indulge in a pleasure trip for myself that I think Evie might well enjoy too…"
Ethan and Drew had both been thrown a little by her words at first, confused as to what she meant, and in her son's case, stunned at the fact that she was abandoning her plans at all. They decided though that they would agree to whatever she suggested; firstly, because it was something that she really wished to do herself, without prompting, and secondly, it was a sign that she really did have no problem with the adoption concept. After they had finished breakfast, the hotel was only too happy to hold on to Mrs Mackenzie's luggage, and the manager was left even more delighted when she handed him her business card, and revealed exactly who she was; that she then gave him a list of the dates she was currently booked to be staying at the Plaza and asked if they could accommodate her on those dates, ideally in the same room, was the icing on the cake…
As the hotel attended to that task, granting her request without any question, a cab was summoned for them, and soon the four of them were heading uptown. Once in the taxi, Mrs Mackenzie turned to Evie, and said, "I am going to tell you something now that nobody else knows; I always wanted to have a daughter as well as a son. One thing that I have always regretted is not having another child, a little girl of my own…"
"I don't have a brother or a sister, and I probably never will, and that does make me sad sometimes. Then I hear my friends at school that do have brothers and sisters talk about the things that they do that annoy them, and I am glad that I don't… I am happy because I have daddy, and Uncle Ethan, and all of my other uncles and aunts that aren't really uncles and aunts, and I have a big brother figure in Dante… It would be nice to have another grandmother though, like my friend Wes…"
Mrs Mackenzie looked surprised, and wondered for a moment if she had been prompted, but she could see her son and his friend were every bit as shocked, so she just smiled and replied, "Well, if my son is your Uncle, then that would make me very close to being that, wouldn't it? That is why I was thinking that you and I could make each other happy and do something today that you have probably not done with your daddy. Have you ever heard of somewhere called American Girl Place?"
Evie nodded with a broad smile, and said, "Most of the other girls at my kindergarten have been there with their mom or grandma, but I have never been. It does sound like a lot of fun, and the pictures that I have seen all look so good…"
"So if I was to say that is where you and I are going right now, that would be okay?" said Mrs Mackenzie. As Evie squealed in delight, she smiled, and Ethan and Drew couldn't help but smile along with them…
Nearly two hours later, the smiles on the faces of Ethan and Drew were just a little more forced. The trip to American Girl Place had been a dream come true for Evie, but it had soon become clear to both of them that it was not the greatest place in the world to be a father or an uncle. For that reason alone, Drew had allowed Mrs Mackenzie to take the lead. It was a shrewd move, and Ethan knew it, although he made no comment at the time. He was fully aware that this was his mother's way of testing both Drew and his daughter. The former had already scored ample points in the way he conducted himself, not just for his manners, but in the way that he acted towards his daughter, taking good care of her all the time, and reminding her of the correct ways to behave. Evie took Mrs Mackenzie's outstretched hand, and with a smile to her father, set off with her to explore every inch of the store.
Ethan's mother allowed Evie to lead the way, going through the displays, admiring all of the dolls and their accessories, but moving on to the next display with a happy smile in due time. She did not ask for anything, even though her eyes opened wide with enchantment at some of the things that she saw. It was only once they had seen all of the dolls that she made her way back to one in particular for a second look. It was not the largest or most expensive of the dolls displayed, but it was also not the cheapest. Seeing the way that she was gazing at it, Mrs Mackenzie knelt down to her height, and said, "You really like that doll, don't you?"
"Yes, she is very pretty, but also not the prettiest; she looks like an ordinary girl, not a model or a princess. Her clothes are ordinary and normal too, and that is very sensible. I do like her a lot, but she is still very expensive, so maybe if I ask Father Christmas very nicely I can have her as my Christmas present. I would not want anything else if I could have her…"
As it happened, Ethan and Drew had spotted them across the store from where they had been waiting, and had walked towards them, and had come into earshot just as the words about Father Christmas had been said. They glanced at each other, and both made a mental note of the name of the doll in question, and exactly what she was wearing so they could pass the information on…
Mrs Mackenzie smiled though, and replied, "I think that he can arrange that for you. He was spies everywhere during the year that tell him the things that people are wishing for, and if you are a good person, then he will do his best to give you what you wished for. You are a good girl, so I am certain that you will get her. Now, I do believe that you can have your nails painted here; is that something that you would like to do, as long as your father says that it is okay?"
"I have never had anything like that done before, so it might be nice to try," replied Evie, now spotting her father standing close by. He smiled and nodded, and with that permission given, Mrs Mackenzie lead Evie in the direction of the beauty salon…
After the nail painting, they had a very late lunch in the store's restaurant, then went on to look at the clothing and gift ranges the store also sold. Once again, Evie looked, but did not ask for anything, but every time her eyes lit up at the sight of something, either Ethan or Drew made a note of the information on the item tag. It looked as if shopping was going to be quite easy that year for two of Father Christmas' helpers. As they left the store, Mrs Mackenzie asked Evie if she had ever been up to the top of the Rockefeller Center, where the store was situated. On finding out that she hadn't, Mrs Mackenzie took her hand once more, and headed in the direction of the queue that snaked out from the building, with two young men following in their wake…
Once they reached the top, Evie and Drew headed off on their own, at a signal from Mrs Mackenzie, whilst she took Ethan to one side. Before she had a chance to speak, he said, "Well? Did they pass the test? Don't even try and tell me that this wasn't one, because you and I both know that it was…"
His mother looked shocked for just a moment, then smiled wryly. "That is the business side of your Mackenzie brain coming out, just as I always knew that it would do. It is that kind of knowledge and deductive power that has helped your father and I grow the business into what it is today. So yes, today was a test, and you will be pleased to know that they have both passed. Your friend has been through so much, but he devoted all his efforts and his life to raising his little girl when he was in England, and he is continuing to do that here. He loves her with every bit of his heart, and that these days is so good to see. He has also done an excellent job in her upbringing; she is unspoilt, polite and very mature for her age…"
Mrs Mackenzie paused, and looked over to where Evie was standing with Drew, looking out over the city. She smiled, and said quietly, "I have an idea that she also knew that she was being tested today; she knew exactly which doll to pick out. She genuinely loved the one that she selected, and so she told me. So many children these days would have wanted each and every one of them, or the most expensive. So many would have demanded one there and then, and screamed the place down if I said no to them. I saw a fair few of them today, as did you. So, to come to the point, you have my blessing to adopt her, and I think that between the four of us, we can sway your father too, but it will need to be done in person. You will all need to come back home and pay us a visit, and we should make it as soon as possible…"
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and soon it was time for Mrs Mackenzie to head to the airport for her flight home. She turned first to Drew, and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you properly, Mr Symons. You have been through so much, but you have emerged from it all stronger, I would think. Your daughter is a real credit to you, and as I have already said to my son, I would be more than happy to support the process of her adoption by my son. The only obstacle that I can see now is my husband; his attitude, particularly when it comes to the family business, can be hard to shift. We have worked so hard to create it, and he is naturally very protective of it as a result."
"That is only to be expected," replied Drew. "Indeed, were he to take any other position, I would find it strange. Knowing that we have your backing is reassuring though. I will say this though; should Mr Mackenzie object to the idea, then I will drop the whole scheme. I will not be the person that causes a rift in your family."
"I would not expect it to come to that, but I do appreciate the fact that you would make that consideration. I hope that you will have the opportunity to talk to my husband first hand in the very near future." Drew nodded, then watched as she knelt down to speak directly to Evie.
"It has been a real joy to meet you today, young lady, and I hope that it is an experience that we can repeat in the future. There are after all many other places that we girls can go together, if you would like that."
"It would be fun to do things like that," said Evie shyly. "I mean, daddy does take me to a lot of interesting places, but he is a boy, so he doesn't like to do the same things as me sometimes. He still does them though, and just doesn't complain."
"That is because he is a good daddy… I think that you and your dad will have to come with your Uncle Ethan next time he visits me and his father. I warn you, his dad can be grumpy, but I think that he will love you every bit as much as I am starting to. Now, I have to go, so take good care of the boys for me - and remember, sometimes Father Christmas can come early…"
After they had waved Mrs Mackenzie's taxi off to the airport, the little group of three headed in the direction of the subway, which would speed them back to the West Village. Both Ethan and Drew were content, knowing that they had jumped the first hurdle successfully by getting Ethan's mother on side, but they both knew that a far bigger hurdle lay ahead in the shape of his father. Evie was also happy, having enjoyed her unexpected trip immensely. Once they were settled on the subway and heading home, she said, "I think that your mom is really nice, Uncle Ethan. If I was ever to have another lady as a grandma, I would want it to be her. Do you think she would mind if I thought of her like that?"
"Not at all," said Ethan above the noise of the train. "In fact, I think that she would be very pleased."
"Of course, it would be easier if you were my daddy too. After all, Wes has two daddies, so it is possible."
"It is, but the thing is, I don't want to marry your dad. It could still happen, but it would be a little more complicated to arrange. However, we could maybe think about doing it, if that is something that you would like?" replied Ethan, with a look at Drew.
Evie looked at him for a moment, then said, "I would like that Uncle Ethan, but only if you and daddy were happy about it." Drew smiled at her words, and said nothing, just pleased to know that should they obtain the approval of Mr Mackenzie, then they would have no problem in convincing the young lady with them that their choice was a good one."
Just after they arrived home, Ethan received a text message from his mother, which at first confused him by its cryptic nature. 'I'm afraid I couldn't resist. My apologies for it being so early. My love to you all.' He shook his head, puzzled as to what she meant, and was just about to head to the kitchen when he heard a knock at the front door. He opened it to see Dante standing there, clutching two boxes. "Hey, I saw you guys coming back, and I thought that you might want these. They were delivered about twenty minutes ago, and as you were out, we took them in."
Ethan accepted the boxes, and thanked the young man, all the time wondering what on earth could be inside them; he had not ordered anything, nor to the best of his knowledge had Drew. He was about to call out to him as he set the boxes down on the hall table when he saw the label on them, and who they were addressed to…
Shaking his head, he picked the boxes back up, and carried them through to the kitchen, where Drew was making coffee. He placed the boxes down on the table in front of Evie, and showed her the labels. As she carefully opened the first and largest of the two boxes, Ethan walked over to a curious Drew, and whispered, "Mother Christmas couldn't help herself…" As Evie took the doll she had admired just hours earlier from the box, and squealed with surprise and delight, Drew really could not find any reason to complain about Mrs Mackenzie's actions…