Series: Snapshots of the Past

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Nobel Laureate

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed told Leo he was asked to run for Congress

Summary: The Bartlets and the McGarrys take their kids to a storybook museum; Lizzie opens up to Abbey

Because the sun never quite emerged from behind the thick clouds on Thursday, the morning light cast a shadow over the city of Stockholm. Millie had arrived in Sweden early that day. Jetlagged and groggy, she insisted on using the afternoon to get settled into her room and catch up on her sleep while everyone else boarded a steam boat to Djurgården Island, a popular children's destination floating among the calm waters of the Baltic Sea.

A sprinkling of fresh snow covered the ground following the first snowfall of the season and though it was wet and wimpy, it didn't stop the kids from frolicking in it on the baby hills that shaped the curvy sidewalks outside the cottage known as Junibacken. Junibacken, the kids had read, was a fairy tale museum where characters created by popular Scandinavian storybook authors would gather to greet them.

Liz and Brad said they were too old for such a place, so Jack and Kellie took them to the Nordic Museum a few feet away while Jed, Abbey, Leo, and Jenny followed their eager daughters through the majestic walkway of a house designed to mesmerize them upon entry.

And that it did.

When they reached Storybook Square, they came face-to-face with heroes and heroines that appeared to have leapt out straight from the mystical depths of Swedish folklore. Some of them Ellie and Zoey recognized since Jed had been reading them the English version of Scandinavian fairy tales in the weeks before their trip to Stockholm. But truth be told, it didn't matter whether they knew them or not. To them, these characters were the stars of children's books and that alone was enough to elicit a shriek of excitement.

They overheard the story train preparing to embark and just as fast as their young feet would take them, they sprinted down the blue-stoned path towards the engineer. Ellie and Mallory jumped into the same cart while Jed helped Zoey up and sat beside her to hold her hand through the twists, turns, and tunnels along the tracks. Leo and Jenny assumed it would be the girls who would be spellbound by the magic of it all, but as the train departed and Jed began pointing at all the colorful sets, they realized he'd probably have as much fun as they did.

Always young at heart, Jed enthusiastically narrated and guided the girls on all the stops in the town square and through all the enchanted villages on the make-believe countryside. He went with them when they climbed inside a replica of Villa Villekulla - the home of Pippi Longstockings - and tried on her clothes, he enthusiastically led them to the contraption that propelled them into the air as if they were living the life of Karlsson in Karlsson on the Roof, and he happily sat with them inside a life-sized castle made entirely of glass as they perused the books of the Snow Queen series.

"Will you read to us, Daddy? Ellie asked him.

There was no hesitation on Jed's part. "You bet I will."

And so he did. He made himself comfortable on the glittery red carpet, sitting Indian-style with Zoey on his lap and Mallory and Ellie just across from him. He flipped through the book and glanced at the brilliant illustrations he knew would captivate the girls and as he held the pages out just a few inches so they could get a look, he began to tell the story of a girl who lived in a spectacular castle hidden in the forests of the Swedish north country.

Princess Katarina was her name, he told them, and her palace was made entirely of ice. It was lit by the soft glow of the moon and the vivid illumination of the Northern Lights reflecting off the glaciers that guarded the kingdom from intruders along the coast. She slept on a bed of clear crystal cubes at night and was driven over the frozen ponds into the village every morning in a golden carriage steered by reindeer.

Ellie and Mallory sat perfectly still, engrossed in every word of the plot, but it was Zoey who seemed to be hypnotized by Jed's deliberate tone. Anytime her father read to her, she fixated quietly on his mouth, bewitched simply by the sound of his voice.

From the railing high above Kiddie Corner, Abbey, Leo, and Jenny watched the foursome hover in Princess Katarina's starry night kingdom. Abbey looked on adoringly as her husband's expression changed with every syllable when he acted out the dialogue in character.

"'What does our Fair Princess say,' the villagers asked the maiden." Jed shifted his posture and cleared his voice. "'There's a storm on the way,' she shouted to the crowd. 'You must help my sisters and I build igloos to sit in the center of town and give shelter to those who have none.'"

Upstairs, Leo shook his head in amazement at Jed's way with the kids. "I think he could tell them that the sky is purple right now and they'd believe him without a second thought."

"He is convincing," Abbey replied. "More than anything else, he loves to read to kids. He loves their response to literature. In fact, if they already know the story, he'll change it just to see their reaction. Sometimes when he reads to the girls, he makes it up as he goes along."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. He says it helps with their imagination. And he's right. Ellie's already written so many stories herself and she gets most of her ideas by sitting there and thinking about how Jed constructs his."

"He does it extemporaneously?"

"Yep. Speaking, whether it's to adults or children, is probably his greatest talent."

"Is he making up this story?" Jenny asked. Abbey nodded. "How do you know that?"

"The book's written in Swedish and Jed is far from fluent."

The trio grinned as they turned their heads, once again, to spy down below.

"And so the townspeople gathered around to collect snow from the tall drifts all over the village. But they were quickly running out of time, for just beyond the hills where a glimpse of sunlight usually peeked above the horizon, dark, angry clouds covered the sky and colder temperatures forced a gust of wind to churn the fallen snow into a silver storm headed straight towards the kingdom..."

The girls gasped at the thought and when they did, Jed proudly smiled and turned the page.

After an authentic Swedish smorgasbord on the steamboat bringing them back from Djurgården Island, the Bartlets rushed up to their room to change into more formal attire. Every December, it was tradition in the Bartlet house to attend a performance of The Nutcracker and this year, they'd get to see a Swedish production at the Royal Opera House.

While her daughters milled around the suite trying to hurry her along, Abbey sat in front of the mirror in the master bedroom, carefully curling her long brown lashes before twisting her mascara wand. She was staring at her own reflection when Lizzie snuck up behind her.

"I'm almost ready," she insisted.

"Take your time," Liz replied.

The teenager was dressed in the elegant theater dress they had bought days earlier. Bubblegum pink, just like she wanted. It was made of a slimming knit fabric and jeweled with just enough matching pink sparkles to give it the illusion of a subtle shine. She was taller than she normally was and when Abbey turned around to find out why, she saw her daughter wearing a pair of clear pumps, similar to her own.

"Those are the ones your grandparents bought you?"

"Yeah. The heel's a little higher than the ones I had before." Lizzie turned her ankle to model her 'Cinderella Slippers' and as she did, she gazed up at her mother and asked, "Do you like them?"

"I do. They look lovely. And you, my dear, look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks."

Abbey noticed her fidgety demeanor as Liz collapsed heavily onto the bed. "What's going on?"

"I'm nervous."

"About Sven meeting your dad?"

"Yeah."

"Just remember, no matter what happens, your father loves you."

"The fact that you have to remind me of that scares me, Mom."

Abbey chuckled. "It's not gonna be that bad, Lizzie. Sven is just a crush. We both understand that. It's not like you're asking for permission to date him. And besides, your father will revel in the fact that in a few short days, we'll be leaving both Sweden and Sven."

"Still not making me feel better."

"This'll do the trick." Abbey joined Liz on the bed and grabbed the back of her head to hold her stare. "We'll be there to buffer."

"You won't let him ask embarrassing questions?"

"I promise."

"Okay." Lizzie gave her mother the hint of a smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"When was your first kiss?"

That wasn't entirely unexpected, but Abbey was surprised by her timing. She pretended to think for a moment before she answered. "My first kiss?" She paused once again and then looked straight into Liz's eyes and said, "When I was your age."

"Do you remember him?"

"Yeah. His name was Evan Williston and he was the most handsome boy I had ever met...up until that point. When he asked me out, I thought I was going to faint."

"Were you allowed to date when you were my age?"

Now she understood. This was another attempt by Liz to convince her she was growing up. "It was a different time back then, Lizzie."

"Were you allowed to date?"

Abbey thought about fibbing a little so she could derail her daughter's questions and avoid a disagreement, but she had vowed as a mother to never lie to her girls. "Yes, I was. Mostly in groups, but yes, I was allowed to date. But the idea of dating was different."

"How so?"

"When I say date, I mean a bunch of us would meet up at the pizza place or the soda shop for a milkshake and a bite to eat and we…or at least I…would be home at 10 p.m. every night. It was nothing like what you want to do."

"How do you know what I want to do?"

"Let me guess. If I told you you could go out with any guy you wanted without a curfew, you'd insist on hitting the new string of teen night clubs in Boston and staying out until two in the morning. Right?"

"The club doesn't even close till two."

"I rest my case."

Lizzie surrendered her point. "So did you do anything more than kiss this guy?"

"No. Maybe it was the time period or the fact that my parents kept me more sheltered than my friends, but kissing was the biggest thing in my world."

"Why did you guys break up?"

"Because at that age, you have no idea what you want in a boyfriend. And they have no idea what they want in you."

"Yes, they do. Some of them do."

"Lizzie, if this is about Sven, I want to emphasize again that we're leaving in just a few days. I don't want you to be crushed when you have to say goodbye to him."

"I won't," Liz insisted. "And anyway, it's not about Sven. He's just a boy I like. It's not like I think I'm in love with him."

"Your first kiss should be special. It should be something you'll always remember, something you'll tell your own daughter about one day."

"It was special...when it happened last year...with Jeff."

"Oh." As thrilled as she was that Liz was telling her this, Abbey couldn't deny that when it came to her daughters, Jed wasn't the only one who still thought of them as babies.

"It was no big deal. But...the thing is, the reason Jeff and I broke up...it wasn't for the reason I originally told you. It wasn't because I didn't like him anymore. It was because he didn't like me...well, I mean he did...just not the way I wanted him to."

"What do you mean?"

"After the Homecoming game, all he wanted to do was make out. Some of my friends were going hot and heavy under the bleachers and in their boyfriends' cars and that's what Jeff wanted to do too."

Abbey braced herself for the rest. She worried about what was coming, but she wasn't about to overreact now that Lizzie was opening up. "And what did you want to do?"

"Not that. I mean, we had kissed before and stuff, but he was like clawing at my sweater...almost like he was trying to show off that he could do it too. It was just...it didn't feel romantic, you know?"

"Did you tell him to stop?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah. But at the dance the next night, he did it again. This time, he even ripped a few of the sequins off my dress when we were alone. I told him to knock it off and he called me a little girl and told me to go back to eighth grade. He said if I wanted to be in high school, then I had to accept that this what everyone does."

"It's not what everyone does, Lizzie."

"It's what a lot of them do."

"Sweetheart, we've talked about this. We've talked about how important it is for you to decide what's right for you and not give in to peer pressure."

"I know, Mom. I don't need a sappy lecture about how I'm special just the way I am. That's my point."

"What's your point?"

"That you can trust me. I said no to Jeff. At the eighth grade dance, he was just like me, but then in high school, he changed. I broke up with him, even though I really liked him, because I know that I'm not ready for the kind of stuff he wanted to do. So why won't you and Dad trust me to make that decision with other boys?"

"We do trust you to stand up for yourself in those kinds of situations. You're a strong girl, Lizzie. We know that."

"No, you don't. If you did, you'd give me more freedom. You won't let me date, not even in groups. You won't let me go out alone with Sven, you won't let me wear make-up, you won't even let me choose my own clothes."

"Lizzie, there are reasons, besides trust, that you're not allowed to do some of those things. The make-up thing...you don't need it. And as for the clothes, for the most part, we don't interfere with that, but when it comes to dances and parties, I do like to check out what you're wearing. Because if I don't, you're gonna walk out the door in nothing but miniskirts and tube tops."

"I wouldn't do that."

"Ah, so you didn't try to show up to a Halloween party in a French Maid outfit with your underwear hanging out just a couple of months ago?"

"I was just having fun."

"Just having fun is the problem. You intentionally misled us. You made us think you were wearing an entirely different costume and you switched it at the last minute because I was working late and you thought your dad wouldn't notice."

"Okay, I was wrong."

"Yeah, you were. And it's that attitude that makes me less sympathetic when you complain about not being allowed to date "

"What does that have to do with dating?"

"You've given me no reason to believe that you won't try to pull similar scams on us if we let you date. You're not old enough to know people. I mean, really know people. And for that reason, your father and I get a say in who you date, not because we want to irritate you or control you, but because we want to make sure that whoever takes you out of our house will treat you well."

"I know that."

"I'm glad you do, but I fear that you'll do what you want to do, just like you do with so many other things. That's unacceptable, especially when it comes to dating."

"I won't."

"I wish I could take your word for it."

"So you don't believe me." Liz let out a frustrated sigh. "Great."

"Hey, you haven't made it easy to believe you. I don't think you're lying to me right now. I think you're telling the truth when you say you won't sneak around, but I'm just not convinced you won't change your mind one night when your dad and I say so-and-so can't take you out. I think you'll be tempted to lie to us and I can't take that chance."

"So then lock me up forever!"

"Believe me, your dad wants to," Abbey teased in hopes of lightening Liz's mood. "Lizzie, there are a lot of creeps out there...a lot of young men who aren't just going to walk away if you reject them. And you're fooling yourself if you think you can handle all of them."

"Well, the guys I'm interested in aren't like that."

"I bet you didn't think Jeff was like that."

"Now I know better."

"It's not good enough." Liz rolled her eyes and got up. Abbey followed her, pressing a comforting hand to Liz's shoulder from behind. "You're fourteen and right now, you think you know what's right for you, but you have to listen to me when I say there's a lot you still need to learn about the world, Elizabeth."

"I'm not arguing with you about that."

"Good. So in the meantime, you're going to have settle for the fact that your father and I trust you to back out if something doesn't feel right, just like you did with Jeff. But Sweetie, don't ask much more from us because as much as we both love you, we realize that when you want to do something, you tend to have a tenuous relationship with the truth."

Liz opened her mouth to defend herself again, but this time, she couldn't. Abbey was right. In just the past few months, she had lied about wanting to try out for the basketball team, she had made up a story about why she had broken up with Jeff, and she tried to sneak her provocative costume past them at Halloween. She really didn't have a case to plead for their trust and they didn't have any reason to give it.

"Can we start over? I'll be more honest with you guys from now on."

"Yes, we can start fresh, but understand it's a two-way street. If you want us to trust you, then you're going to have to trust us enough to tell us what you're up to. When you do that, you'll prove to us that we can loosen up a little and then maybe we can sit down and talk about the other things you want to do. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So you kissed Jeff, huh?" Lizzie nodded. "And he broke your heart." She nodded again. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I would be mad at you?"

She shook her head. "It was just embarrassing."

"There is nothing you should ever be embarrassed to tell me. That's what I'm here for. Besides, I'm proud of you."

"For breaking up with him?"

"Yes, and for not doing what someone else tried to pressure you into doing. Part of being an adult is being comfortable enough with yourself to know your limits and to not let anyone change them."

"I try not to."

"In the future, don't ever be afraid to tell me anything, okay?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

A devilish smirk framed her lips as she replied, "On what you say when I tell you I really wanna try on some of your make-up."

Abbey stood in front of the vanity to block her view of the cosmetics, but when Liz caught on to her playful reaction, she surrendered. "You know, I do have some pink lip gloss that might go really nice with your dress."

"Can I?"

She moved out of the way as she handed her daughter a tube of gloss. "Don't go overboard. I get final say on how it looks."

"I'll take it easy. Will you do my hair like yours?"

"You bet. Sit down."

"I want it really big!" Liz watched her reflection as Abbey pulled the sides of her hair up towards her crown and twisted it around a center lock.

"Like that?"

"Bigger."

Abbey pushed it forward to poof her bangs out a bit more. "I'm not going any bigger than that."

"Will you do my hair for the awards ceremony too?"

"No."

"No?" Liz turned in her chair too look up at Abbey.

"We're going all out for that, Baby Doll! I thought you and I could get our hair and nails professionally done and maybe, if you really want to, we'll get you a make-up lesson."

"Are you joking?"

"No."

"Is this because we're starting over?"

"No. This is to show you that while there are some things that are not negotiable, I'm capable of compromise. I want the best for you, but I also try hard to be reasonable, Lizzie. You just have to trust me enough to let me."

"Liiiiiizzzziiiiiieeee!" Ellie's voice echoed down the hall before she walked into the room. "Your boyfriend's here."

"He's not my boyfriend, Ellie!" Liz blotted her lips of the gloss as Abbey pinned her hair in place.

"That's what Daddy called him."

"Dad called him my boyfriend?"

Ellie shook her head. "He asked what makes him think he's good enough to be your boyfriend."

In her haste to jump to her feet, Liz nearly knocked over the vanity. "Sorry!" she shouted as she ran out.

Hearing Ellie's mischievous giggle, Abbey signaled her middle daughter. "Come here." She kneeled down to the eight-year-old's level. "Your dad didn't really ask him that, did he?"

"Sven isn't here yet. Daddy told me to come in here and say that because he said that's the only way to get you and Lizzie out of the bedroom."

"He did, did he?"

"Uh huh!" She laughed and with a quick turn, Ellie skipped out of the room while Abbey made herself comfortable on the cushioned vanity chair.

"Let's just see how long I can make him wait when I put my mind to it."

TBC