For the first time in his life, Eli was in a house where he actually deeply respected all the people under its roof. Growing up as he had, he'd thought the constant noise, bustling of people, complete lack of privacy, were things that everyone lived with. For these deficits, he had worked hard on making himself an individual, a person of integrity, a person who did not follow along with everything else. Lately, Eli was feeling he had taken this extreme confrontational stance with the world too far. He appreciated his family, he loved them, he knew he was one of them, and wanted to help them despite their flaws. And slowly, Eli was seeing how this applied to the whole world.
In the home of his Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Isabella, Eli had his own room. There was quiet when he wanted it, company when he needed it, space for himself, but conversation that was intelligent and lively. It was almost too quiet, Eli reflected on his second day there. Too perfect. Maybe Eli needed a bit of insanity, challenge in his life, to keep him balanced. Definitely. That was what he'd been looking for his whole life. A counterweight to himself, a perfect mixture of soothing calm and invigorating chaos.
Having arrived late Friday night, the Garcias promised to take him sight-seeing the next day. The main "touristy" areas, they said, would be swamped on the weekend, so Benjamin got the idea they could go somewhere outside the city. He knew a great estate, Old Falligant Hill, in a very classy neighbourhood of Nassau County, not far from the (much less classy) area of Long Island Benjamin was from. The land belonged to a very old, wealthy family, and it had a huge grounds and gardens surrounding it, that was open a few months of the year for the public to tour. It was lucky, said Benjamin, because he had an old friend who worked there, and could get them in for free.
It didn't sound like the most exciting prospect for a day, but Benjamin seemed eager about it, so Eli agreed. In the morning, they stopped at a diner for breakfast. In a newsstand in front, he glanced as he was walking by, and saw the familiar image of a woman with long dark hair on a magazine. He stopped in his tracks.
"What is it?" asked Isabella. Eli grabbed the tabloid from the shelf, and saw the picture was of her stepping out of a limousine with a champagne bottle in hand. The headline ran, Faith's Drunken Night Out in Paris.
"Are you buying that or what?" said the newsagent.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, fumbling through his pockets for enough change to pay for it.
"I didn't think you were a rag reader," said Ben.
"It's not that. I just know the girl on the cover, I had to see what it said inside. It's Faith Diaz."
"Well, your eyes nearly bulged out when you saw that cover," chuckled Ben. "And you're in luck, too. "
"Huh?"
"Old Falligant Hill. Don't you know the family that estate belongs to? The Diazes. That's where Faith lives."
"No, no, no. No way. That's impossible."
"Is there a problem" Benjamin chuckled, looking over at his wife, who smiled back.
"We don't have to go if you don't want to."
Eli thought about it for a moment. He opened the magazine to the story on Faith. It said she had been spotted getting drunk and partying wildly in Paris, just the night before. She was planning on staying there for the rest of the year it said, noting, this infamous globetrotter can't stay still in one place for long. Eli smiled. "No problem at all. I'd love to go."
They drove out of the city, out of the highway, out of the suburbs, drove until they were on a small road with nothing but greenery and a few very large, beautiful houses. Already Eli felt like something was pressing against his chest.
There was a makeshift parking lot in an patch of dirt, where they got out of the car and approached a gate reading Old Falligant Hill. The hard stone wall that surrounded Faith Diaz's home looked strong and formal, but cold, severe, uninviting. The huge metal gate with the pointed edges was gorgeously formed but off-putting. Once they were opened, however, they revealed a lush field of natural beauty.
The tour of the grounds was beginning. They joined a small group with a guide, Uncle Benjamin showing their free passes. Eli was not paying attention to the guide's droning of the history of the house, or how the additions to the grounds came to be. He was enraptured by the sights. And in the centre of it, he could make out the house, high a top of a green hill, high above all else, the heart of this garden.
They went through winding stone pathways, passed fountains and courtyards, hedges, and statues and archways. On the edges, the land broke off almost unnoticeably into wild forest, but within the grounds everything was ordered, arranged, delicately, but vibrant and forceful. The rows of trees with the blossoms of Spring, the boundless patches of gardens, with every kind of flower, exotic ones, imported from all over the world. Everything was maintained, but it looked so natural. There was beauty in the order, the subtle logic, but still it ignited his emotions. There was, what was it? Equilibrium.
Eli loved walking, and he felt that if he lived here, he could walk through this landscape every day of his life and never get tired of it, always being able to find something new, in any season of the year. He longed to see what it looked like in the green of summer, when the autumn turned the trees crisp and golden, and to see the bare branches strewn with snow.
"And what about the house?" Eli startled from his reflections. A little old lady had asked the tour guide. They had reached the end already.
"Sorry, but the house is still a private residence, and not open to the public."
They were much closer to the house now. It was a wooden thing, with traditional New England architecture. Beautiful on the outside, but very old-fashioned, not all that interesting.
The tour group headed to a small cafeteria, really just a converted old stable, but Benjamin did not follow. He spotted someone coming from the house, towards them.
"Jeremiah!" called out Benjamin. "You old son of a gun!"
"It's about time you finally came round here," answered the older man. "I've been inviting you here for years."
"Oh, this is tourist crap. But luckily, I have my own little tourist here. This is my wife's nephew, Eli Bennett. He's from Canada."
"Ah, well, it's a joy to meet you. I'm Jeremiah, I'm the groundskeeper here. Do, come in. I'll take you the staff house. I'm sure we'll manage to get you better food than that dingy cafeteria."
He led off the main path, around the hill where the main house lay, to a smaller building attached as a wing to the rest of the building, at the back. It was a little room, where the staff took their breaks, he guessed. There was a long table with chairs, a fridge, sink and such. He told them to sit down, and got on fixing them a drink from the coffeemaker.
There were a few pictures hanging on the wall. One of them, it looked to be some years old, featured a group of smiling servants, and in front of them, two little girls, one with brown curly hair, baring a crooked-tooth smile. The other one, a bit taller, with long straight hair, a pretty pink bow, but no smile. Benjamin noticed Eli looking at it, and elbowed his side.
"Who's the little girl in the picture?" asked Benjamin.
"Ah, that's the head housekeeper's daughter. Must have been taken almost twenty years ago. She was so adorable back then. I hear she's grown up to be a bit of a troublemaker though."
Benjamin winked at Eli when the groundskeeper turned his back. Eli faked a chuckle then quickly looked away.
"And the other one is of course the heiress, Faith Diaz."
"What do you think Eli?" asked Benjamin. "Not changed a bit, huh?"
"Oh, you know her? Well, I guess a lot of people do. She's tabloid filler when they can't get the news on any A-list celebrities…"
"I know her a bit better than that," said Eli, flustering. "We, we've met before. Through friends. We've hung out together a few times."
"Gorgeous young woman, don't you think."
"Uh, yeah. Yes. She's very…good looking."
"The men must come lining up for her," said Aunt Isabella.
"Oh sure, not that any of them get a chance. I don't know who's good enough for her standards."
Before Eli could second guess it, he said, "So you think she's usually picky with the men she dates?"
"I'm just saying what I see. But that's not to say anything bad about her. I never had a cross word from her as long as I've known her, and I've known her since she was four."
And Eli could tell he was being sincere. This man had never seen Faith in a bad mood her whole life.
"Not all such, well, privileged children turn out that way. Are you saying she was never bratty, spoiled?" asked Benjamin.
"Oh, no, no, no. As far as I know, being raised rich hasn't made her turn out any worse. She's the same today as she was as a child, sweet-tempered and generous, with a heart of gold."
Eli wondered whether his jaw was open. Was he really describing the same woman he knew?
"I've heard that her mother was an excellent woman," said Benjamin.
"She was, God bless her soul. And her daughter is too. So giving with her money! There's hardly a charity she hears about that she won't contribute to, and quite a lot. The public never finds out, she makes sure to keep it done privately, but there's no secrets inside the house. Why, the only reason she opens the grounds up for tours is to fund one of her causes. And as an employer, she's just as generous, fair, patient. Always gives us what we want. No, she isn't like some of these young people today, spending their time partying, and doing drugs, and God knows what else, only thinking of themselves. People like to spread rumours about her – but that's all they are, rumours. A more down-to-earth, level-headed and kind woman I never met."
"Doesn't exactly sound like the same woman Genesis described, does it?" Benjamin whispered in his ear.
"Well, maybe we were wrong about that." Benjamin chuckled.
"Jeremiah's just got a blind spot for his pet."
"And such a sister, too," said Jeremiah, who came back with a coffee pot and poured them all mugs. "She just a room set up upstairs, opened up the windows to fill it full of light, and bought a brand new piano to be in the centre of it. Her brother Angel took an interest in learning the piano while at school this year, and she wants to surprise him with his own music room when he comes back. There's nothing she won't do to put a smile on that boy's face."
Jeremiah went on talking with his uncle, but Eli was not listening. Okay, so maybe this guy did have a soft spot for Faith. But he had to have reason for having one. This was someone who had known her for years, and knew people who worked in her own house. He knew what he was talking about. All those things he said about her – he tried to remember what she looked like. Always in his mind before, he saw her with a condescending sneer. Now, it was like the picture in his mind had been repainted. Quite suddenly, he realized to himself, Faith Diaz was gorgeous.
"You know," said Benjamin, "your account of Diaz just really match what we just saw in the paper this morning. Do you still have it with you Eli?"
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out, showing the headline to Jeremiah.
"'Faith's drunken night out in Paris?'" Jeremiah laughed.
"Just goes to show you can't believe everything you read," came a quiet voice behind them that made Eli almost fall out of his chair.
There was Faith, standing in the doorway at the back of the room which connected to the main house. Her eyes were wide, her face frozen and flushing as she stared incredulously at him. For his part, Eli stared back just as shocked, terrified to speak. He wondered if she could hear his heartbeat from across the room.
"I thought, I thought you were in Paris…" he muttered.
"That's crazy. That picture was taken a year ago, when I was on my way to a friend's wedding in France."
"Oh." He jumped up, felt tempted to run straight out the door. He did turn towards it.
"Where are you going?" she breathed.
"Nowhere, I. I mean, hello. Um, it's really a surprise to see you. I mean, of course it is your house, so I guess you should be the one surprised. Have you met my aunt and uncle? Wait, no of course you haven't. Um, how are you?"
He said this all very quickly, his eyes wandering around the room but never once resting anywhere near her face.
"I'm…great." Eli dared to glance at her for two seconds. She was clearly taken aback, maybe embarrassed, but there wasn't any of what Eli expected. Not discomfort, anger, not even her usual rigid formality. She was smiling brightly, and there was a sincerity in her voice as she spoke. "Why, how – what are you doing here?"
"I was visiting my Aunt and Uncle. They live in Brooklyn. My Uncle Benjamin is friends with your groundskeeper here, so he invited me to come tour the estate. I, I had no idea you lived here until, well…"
"I see, I see. It's definitely a lucky coincidence."
"Very lucky."
"It's almost scary how the two of us keep running into each other."
Her calm manner of speaking was more unnerving that anything. What did it mean? He could still remember all of the things they said to each other the last time they spoke, and before that – awkward silence, silly little arguments where each tried to one-up the other. Why was she acting so differently? Was she really happy to see him? But why should she be? Was she trying to make him see he hadn't hurt her? Was she trying to get him back? Wanting to start over as just friends? Wanting to make him sweat. Every possibility ran through his head.
And how should he act? Would it upset her if he acted too cheerful, like he was coming here, prying into her house while he thought she was away, mocking her? But what if he was too cold, or just quiet, or too polite and not casual? Would she think he still thought the horrible things about her he did in the winter? Or maybe she wasn't thinking at all, and he was being an idiot by getting worried…
Eli thought all of this was still managing to answer all of the usual questions Faith was asking – how long was he staying, how were things at home, how was school going. He wished so badly he had never come here. And yet, Faith was alright. Better than alright. She was being more relaxed and friendly than he had ever seen her, even if her range of conversation wasn't all that interesting. He tried to say something substantial, wanted to compliment her lovely home, or something, but nothing felt appropriate to say aloud.
"But I'm sorry, I've ignored your Aunt and Uncle here," said Faith. "I'm so sorry. Hello, I'm Faith Diaz. It's a pleasure to meet you." She reached forward and shook both their hands, as they introduced themselves. "Those are beautiful earrings, Mrs. Garcia. I have you to thank for bringing Eli here. Jeremiah, you haven't seen Mrs. Williams, have you?"
"No. She went out."
"That's all I came in here for."
"I guess we should be going then," said Eli.
"So soon? I couldn't," said Faith. "Come on, I'll give you a treat. Would you like to venture where no tourist has gone before? I'll show you the house."
Eli could see the Garcias were thrilled at the prospect. He had no choice but to accept.
Eli had guessed, from what he had saw of the outside, that the house would be old-fashioned, stately and dull. It was in fact, anything but that. It was nothing like the home of Caleb Anderson. That had been gaudy, filled with every luxury upon luxury to flaunt wealth disgustingly into a visitor's face.
Faith's house was simpler. Deceptively simple, perhaps. It had taken time and care for these designs. Every room was styled differently, but there was a flow. It was cheerful. There was lots of lively colours, balanced with neutral ones, so that it did not look flashy. Most of the rooms had wide open and spacious, but arranged with bright, natural light, many windows and skylights, that it still managed to feel cozy.
The designs were odd, quirky, almost postmodern. He knew they hadn't been picked from a catalogue. There were funny looking chairs, ultramodern light fixtures, and all sorts of abstract artwork he hardly understood. In fact, all of this interior decorating stuff went over his head, but there was one thing he got out of it. The person who would choose to remodel an old house in this way, which could bring delight to someone with not interest in design, was smart. They were adventurous, unconventional, edgy, creative. And "they" was right there, leading him through her house.
And throughout all of this, Faith was actually speaking! It was a bit strained, maybe, but she was sincerely trying to be polite, to keep a conversation with "common" people, and she and her aunt and uncle talked and joked. It was true, Eli thought, that Isabella and Benjamin were more sophisticated and intelligent than most of the people she'd seen Faith interact with either in Toronto or in Florida. But still, even that was not enough to explain such a drastic change.
Faith was telling Isabella about all the great, undiscovered spots in the city to go shopping, to dine, to meet new people. And with Benjamin, who loved travelling more than anything, she talked about places they'd been, and both recommended vacation spots to the other. Why was she being so nice? Was it for his sake? Impossible – how could she still care about him after what he said to her?
Finally, they ended up in a little sitting room, with a wide bay window on the front side of the house that overlooked the whole of the land around the hill. Leaving the other three chatting on the sofa, Eli rose to take in the view from the window. It seemed even better now that he could observe it all at once. Out near the border of the trees, right where he had walked by not even an hour before, he noticed a small river coursing, that looked like a ribbon wrapped around the grounds. Odd, how he had been so close to it before, and missed it completely, but now, standing high above, he could see it all so clearly.
"Do you like it?" He was so caught up he had not noticed Faith had joined him by his side.
They looked out the window, rather than each other, as they spoke.
"You know, the reason I came into the staff room," said Faith, "I wanted to speak with my head housekeeper. There's preparations I need to make. See, I'm having a bit of a get-together tomorrow. You actually know a few of them. Chloe Brown will be there. And her brothers. Also, my cousin. Grace's brother, Daniel Griffin."
Eli nodded his head. He wondered if she, too, was recalling the last time they had spoken about Chloe.
"There's something else I wanted to ask," she started. For the first time, she seriously faltered. He glanced anxiously at her through the corner of his eyes, waiting to see what she would say. "You don't have to say yes. It's a lot to ask. I'd really understand. But there's someone else who will be arriving here tomorrow, someone I'd like you to meet. I think he'd like to meet you, too. My brother, Angel."
Eli's neck snapped around, straight towards her. She wanted to introduce him to her closest family member? That must mean, despite everything, she didn't hate him. And he suddenly felt the full worth of not being hated by Faith Diaz.
He felt obliged to stay talking with her for a while longer, of nothing very interesting. There were a million things he wanted to say, but how could he? But he felt so welcomed, so flattered by her hospitality, her graciousness, that he could not dare of being rude to her.
She pressed them to stay longer, but Benjamin and Isabella felt sure they'd invaded on her long enough. She would not let them go, though, without making them promise they'd come back again tomorrow.
They talked about her all of the drive home. "She was such a lovely girl," said Isabella.
"Nothing stuck up about her at all," said Benjamin.
"More than that," said Isabella. "She was so kind and attentive to us. Much more than I ever could have expected from someone we just met."
"I still don't think she's quite as much fun as the infamous Genesis," said Benjamin, "but definitely nothing like what you described to us last summer."
"Well, I did start to like her a bit more when I saw her through Christmas," said Eli, "but she was never as nice as she was today."
"I find it hard to believe she's as bad as what Genesis told us," said Benjamin.
"The thing about that is," said Eli, being careful to choose his words. "I find out some stuff about Genesis while I was in Florida, um, from Faith's relatives and stuff. I don't think she's been telling people the whole truth…"
That night they went out to a nice dinner, and he met several of the Garcias' friends, but he could not enjoy himself. All he thought about was Faith.
She had vaguely invited to see her again the next day, and gotten Eli's phone number, but made no other specific plans. It was a big surprise then, on Sunday morning, when he got a call from her early in the morning. She asked how would he and his Aunt and Uncle like to spend the morning with her and some of her friends. She said she would love to show Eli around the best sights of New York, go shopping and such. How could Eli refuse such an offer?
Eli and the Garcias met her an hour later, at the subway stop she had instructed. She was not alone. There was a younger boy next to her. He was very tall and lean, but his face still had the soft roundness of youth. He had neatly combed light hair, and big soulful puppy dog eyes. There was an awkward half-smile on his face, as he whispered, "Hello," staring at his shoes. "It's nice to meet you."
"You must be Angel," said Eli, suddenly anxious to get his approval. He shook his hand vigorously, and grinned hugely until Angel returned with a smile just as big.
"He just got back in town from school last night," said Faith. Eli had barely noticed the other two figures standing behind them. Chloe Brown's blonde hair had grown some in the months since he had not seen her, but she was still as beautiful as always. And standing apart from her was a man he had never seen, muscular with slick hair.
"That's Daniel Griffin, my cousin," said Faith. "And of course…"
"Eli!" screamed Chloe, who ran forward, and wrapped her arms around him. "I can't believe I'm actually seeing you again!"
So they set off for a few hours of fun, wandering through the spectacles of downtown New York and (at mostly the ladies' request) walking in and out of many shops. Any resent Eli had felt towards Chloe had long died away, and he could not start disliking her again, as she was as sweet and lovable as always. She spent most of her time talking to him, asking about how things were at home, very particularly. He guessed she was trying to get news of Jacob.
Eli never thought he could have felt so relaxed and had so much fun with the company he was dealing with. But Chloe could never be disappointed, and Faith and Angel were no problem either. Angel mostly followed quietly in Faith's shadow, never adding anything into the conversation but a word or two, and these only when pressed. But his quiet attitude was nothing similar to that of Faith's, when Eli first met her. Faith had been quiet, but composed, not so much that she was afraid to talk, that she just had no interest in it. But Angel's problem was the exact opposite. Whereas Faith had had too much arrogance, Angel had no confidence in himself at all. Eli could see his head moving back and forth while the others were talking, picking up every word, lighting up at a funny comment. He clearly wanted to join in, but his shyness held him back, so Eli was always doing his best to include him, to nudge him towards the conversation, to ask his opinion on whatever subject came up.
And with Chloe back, Eli kept thinking of Jacob. He was dying to know what she was thinking. But one thing at least made him hopeful. She and Daniel Griffin seemed to have no interest in each other at all. In fact, Daniel was standing on the periphery of their little circle, the least acquainted with these new people, and the lease willing to find out about them. Chloe and Daniel never so much as glanced at each other the whole time they were out. If ever anything had existed between them, it had clearly died away long ago. Daniel was no rival for Chloe's heart.
Eli could not deny what Chloe was obviously pushing for. He talked briefly about Jacob. They had been reminiscing about some of the fun they'd had together last summer, it was only natural to bring him up. A hint of sadness tinged her face.
"It feels like an eternity since I've seen him."
"Yeah, almost half a year."
"More. The last time I saw him was on July 24th."
She had not even forgotten the date she last saw him. To think Eli was worried she'd have forgotten about Jacob.
This distraction kept him from talking much with Faith, but what he did see blew his mind. She was just as open and friendly as she had been the day before, if not more, now that some of the initial awkwardness had worn away. The way she talked attentively and calmly with her Aunt and Uncle were something he never would have imagined. He'd seen her alone with her best friends. He'd seen her in private with her family. But he had never seen her act so warmly towards anyone. The fact she was even here was enormous. Imagine, the great, rich Faith Diaz, who had once snubbed being in a dingy Toronto nightclub, was now happily spending a day playing tour guide through the streets of New York, and never looked happier.
"Look there," said Faith, suddenly wrapping her arm on Eli's shoulder. "That's the building my step-father works in. I think Lillian Collins lives around here somewhere. Wanna go pay her a visit?"
The roaring laughter that answered this was clearer than no.
In the early afternoon, they departed. Faith told them to be at her house that night for dinner, which they all gladly agreed to.
When they got home, Eli took more time to prepare himself, to style and restyle his hair, to decide just what clothes to wear, than he had ever done in his life. He no longer felt like the same boy he had been last summer, going out to a party in a sweatshirt, or ripped and dirty jeans, unshaven or with tangled hair. Suddenly, he had come to care, at least a little, about how he looked to other people. His Aunt and Uncle definitely noticed this change, and understanding of the situation was dawning on them.
If only Eli could get the same understanding. He had no idea what he felt for Faith anymore. He knew he didn't hate her. Every reason that he could have to hate her seemed to have vanished away. At first he had been ashamed to know how wrong he was, and wanted to not think about Faith at all, to not linger on his errors. But seeing her here now, he could hardly keep that up. It wasn't just that he had no reason to dislike her, now there were reason to like her. And he could not deny, he enjoyed knowing what she felt for him. He had hated when he first told her she loved him, but now, he thought it was a honour that she actually loved him! And not only that, she still loved him. She loved him even after the way he had rejected her, so angrily, spitefully, rudely, when she was pouring her heart to him as best she knew how. He had dreaded ever having to look Faith in the face, to see her hurt or her anger at him, but this reaction was overwhelming. She still liked him, she hadn't grown bitter against him at all. It was impossible for Eli to know he was loved so ardently, and not feel something for her in return. He liked her, he cared about her, he wanted to see her happy – but he could not allow himself to feel more than that.
The house was just as beautiful when they reached it that night, and certainly he felt privileged to actually get to drive straight to the house this time. Eli had always suspected Carter Brown was jealous of Faith's attention on him, as he was guided through the front door into a lounge room, he wondered how Carter would react to seeing him here tonight.
Eli and his Uncle walked in, and there they all were, and with them, Carter and Logan Brown. Angel was lying on the floor, furiously concentrated on a video game. As soon as he saw Eli enter, he quickly paused the game and turned to him, but then lost courage and barely spoke. Carter seemed hostile, whereas Logan seemed completely uninterested. He said hello to them quickly. He asked Logan how his fiancée was.
"We are no longer together," was all he answered. And there was Faith, across the room, looking at him. Carter's gaze wandered back and forth between Faith and Eli, although he spoke to neither for a while. The rest of the evening, Carter was continually by Faith's side, trying to interrupt every attempt she made to talk to anyone but him. He saw how much more interested Chloe was in talking with Eli than with Daniel, and kept trying to get Daniel closer to his sister, but he seemed used and fed up with this meddling. More worrisome for Carter, he saw Faith constantly staring at Eli, and always trying to get Angel to talk to him, like she wanted badly for Eli and Angel to get along. It was time for Carter to bring Eli down a few pegs.
"So, Eli, buddy," said Carter. "Oh, it's been so long since I saw you. Hey, are you still interested in that girl you were so crazy about last summer? You know, that one you were always talking about and chasing after? What was her name?"
Eli almost gasped when he realized what Carter was trying to do. Faith's eyes widened also. Carter had no idea about what had happened between Genesis and Angel. All he wanted was to remind everyone, especially Faith, how much Eli had favoured her, even though Faith hated her. Eli was momentarily furious, but knows he had to proceed with a cool head.
"I don't know…"
"Oh right, I remember now – Genesis Williams!" Angel dropped his controller, his face shocked. "I think you know her, right Faith?
Why Faith suddenly looked upset, Carter could not understand. But Carter was beside Eli's concern now. He was quickly at Angel's side, handed him the dropped controller, then picked up the other one himself.
"Hey, having trouble with this level? Let me show you how to do it. I work at a rental place, so I get to take all these games home for free. I know all the tricks, look…"
"Wow, really? Cool!"
Eli spent most of the rest of night playing with Angel, talking, joking, and each trying to beat the other. Carter just had to wonder why Faith spent the rest of the night gazing fondly at the pair.