Thunderheads – A gathering storm
"Can we go back to mommy's garden Aunt Sarah?" asks Jake.
"Yeah, can we? It was pretty," Cameron chimes in.
"It's not mommy's garden, it's Elizabeth Gamble Garden," their beleaguered aunt answers.
Elizabeth stops eavesdropping and opens the door to her worn out sister and two oldest boys. "Did you have a good day with Aunt Sarah?"
"Yeah," both boys reply and then they begin speaking over each other. "We saw a tall pine tree." "Jake almost got run over by a car." "It's sooooooo big, really tall and old."
"What? What's this about a car?"
Sarah gives Cameron a dirty look, "Thanks Cam, now your mother will never let me take you anywhere. There goes our trip to the park."
"It wasn't that bad mommy, Jake didn't listen is all. But he's just little. He'll do better next time."
"Cameron take Jake into the bedroom and go play while I have a talk with my sister. And do it quietly please, Aiden is sleeping." Elizabeth leans on the back of the couch and cocks her eye at her sister. "You look exhausted."
Sarah collapses theatrically against the closed front door. "I don't know how you manage. I'm dead, I have nothing left. You have no idea how hard this was. I was worried the entire time. I drove the car like mom, slower than slow. I was so worried that we'd get in an accident and I'd have to explain to you that I hurt your children. Then at at the garden, they would run off to see plants and I was always looking, always aware, constantly vigilant and I still managed to lose Jake. Just for a second. He was running out to the street. Thank God a stranger stopped him before he could step into oncoming traffic."
Elizabeth just laughes at her sister, "You should see yourself. You're a mess. It's okay Sarah. You did fine."
"How do you do it and still look so calm and refreshed all the time."
"A stop at hair and make up between every take. No seriously, I got used to being exhausted years ago."
"But now you have three little terrors, cute terrors, but terrors."
"I'll manage, I always do," Elizabeth answers as she pulls Sarah up off the floor.
The sisters relax with lemonade on the terrace, Sarah's is liberally spiked with rum to help her relax after her trying day.
"Have you decided what you're going to do when you go back to Port Charles?"
"No. It's complicated."
"Complicated huh. Sorry if I'm speaking out of turn Lizzy, but what you described to me about last year doesn't seem that complicated.. Either you have feelings for the man or you don't."
"It's not just that. It's everything." Elizabeth looks out into the distance where storm clouds are gathering. "I thought I knew who I was, what I wanted. What life I wanted. When Cameron was a baby, after a long shift at the hospital I would take him home, feed him and tuck him into his crib. I would watch him sleep for hours. Just watching him breath. Those hours were perfect. Just him and me, our little family. By the time Jake arrived I knew that all I wanted to be was a mother. I wanted all the little family moments I missed out on. Before last summer, I could honestly say that I would be content for the rest of my life if I could just watch and be with my children. I love to just look at them."
"And now?" Sarah encourages.
"I don't think I can or want to give up my idea of what a perfect family is."
"I'm no expert on marriage and family Elizabeth, but I've moved a lot for my job and one thing I know is that no matter where I live or work, my life doesn't change much. I'm still me, I still do the things I like. I've also learned that sometimes I have to do the things that make me uncomfortable, if for no other reason than to see if it's something ,that after getting over my original trepidation, I may actually enjoy. For example, taking my nephews out, without their mom, to a crowded garden." Sarah places her hand on Elizabeth's, "Let me tell you that having extra money (yay for my new high paying job) just makes it easier. Lizzy, children grow up and move away. What will you do then? Will you still have a life you love? Someone to love? Call him Lizzy, avoidance will not help you find the answers to any of these questions."
With that Sarah leaves Elizabeth alone with her thoughts. Elizabeth plays with her forgotten lemonade, not noticing the first few drops of rain. Wondering if the real reason she felt uncomfortable at Wyndemere was the size and richness of the place or if really she still doubted her place in Nikolas' heart and just how much she wants that place. A loud clap of thunder startles her, she picks up the glass and hurries indoors just as lightening streaks across the tumultuous sky.