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The summer of 2013, Aria received a photography internship with Laurel Fields, a photographer from Philadelphia. She spent most of her time in the city and the rest of the time with her friends. To commemorate her new ventures, Ezra gave a biography of Ansel Adams on June 12. On June 18, she announced to her family that she had decided to go to Columbia in the fall. Spencer, who had also been accepted there, was going to go with her. They had both decided that it was close enough to Rosewood that both girls felt they could come home when they wanted, or in Spencer's case close enough so Toby and Jason could visit her in New York but far enough away to avoid her father. But Aria had always wondered what it would be like to live there and the sight of Ezra's apartment sparked a curiosity about his life that she could not voice.
That night Ezra wrote in his journal, "Aria's moving to NYC. I think I'll look in to the donors program at Columbia and see what the Fitzgerald family has contributed."
On June 26 Ezra was talking to his financial advisor on the phone. "Is everything taken care of?"
"Exactly to your specifications," replied the other man confidently.
"So she'll have absolutely no idea that this is coming from me?" asked Ezra.
"None of the girls will have any inkling that you were any way involved in this."
"Thanks, Thomas," said Ezra, smiling.
"Your welcome," answered Thomas. "How's the book coming along?"
"Should be in stores by next spring," responded Ezra.
"Marlene is really looking forward to reading it," said Thomas.
"How is Marlene?"
"The morning sickness just started to kick in about a week ago. But she's taking it like a champ."
"Good for her," answered Ezra. "Thanks for everything, Thomas. I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Ezra. I'll see you the next time you're in New York."
"Okay, see you then. Bye," he said, hanging up the phone.
Thomas King, who was sitting in his corner office in New York City, could not have known that Ezra, who was sitting in his study, looked at the picture of Aria he kept on his desk wistfully, thinking about their unborn children. I his journal that day Ezra wrote, "I'll be ready, when the times, to be a husband and a father. That time just hasn't come yet."
On July 3 both Spencer and Aria received letters in the mail from Columbia. They stated that through donations from alumni and other generous members of the Columbia community, both girls had qualified for scholarships that paid for their tuition. Too excited to be suspicious, Aria celebrated with her family. Ezra was sure that it was a load taken off the shoulders of both Ella and Byron. "Thomas came through," Ezra wrote in his journal. "Now I have to wait for the other part of the plan to pull through."
The other part of the plan came through on July 7 and 10 respectively. July 7 Hanna, who was going to spend her college years in California with Caleb and his family, received a letter from the Art Institute in Los Angeles that they were looking forward to her presence at the school as a part of their fashion school. Hanna was so excited that she dragged her friends out to go shopping.
July 10, Emily received a letter from the University of North Texas, a liberal arts school near her father's military base, that in addition to the funds she would receive from her swimming scholarship, she would also be given money from a grant the university had recently received. It looked like most of her schooling would be paid for too. Emily was too thankful to voice it in words. "What makes Aria happy makes me happy," he wrote in his journal.
July 21, 2013, the same day Ezra turned twenty-eight, was the day he turned in his final manuscript to his publisher. He was happy about the final product, but he was even more excited that Aria had taken time out of her busy schedule to come visit him.
"I know you're coming over to the house to have dinner later," she said, walking into the door, "but I wanted to give you your present now." She sat down on the sofa next to him and grabbed a package from her oversized purse.
"What is it?" asked Ezra.
"If I wanted you to know, I would have wrapped it," Aria teased.
He opened the brown packaging slowly, untying the white string with care. "It's beautiful," he exclaimed breathlessly. "You did this?" he asked.
"All of it," answered Aria proudly, leaning closer to him so she could point out the details. "I took the picture a few weeks ago. Remember that practice shoot I told you, I needed to do? I developed the film, transferred it on to paper, picked out the frame, and here it is," she finished opening up her arms expressively. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," replied Ezra. "You're really talented."
"Thanks," said Aria, daringly leaning against him as he held the present in his hands. "It's kind of hard to think of something to give the person that has everything."
"I don't have everything," Ezra retorted, setting the picture frame down and wrapping his arm around Aria. He leaned his head in to kiss her on the forehead, but she moved at the last moment and his lips captured hers. He leaned in to it and Aria turned to push her body closer to his.
After several seconds Ezra pulled away and shook his head, "We can't do this right now."
Aria didn't argue; she didn't want to bother with the futile effort. "I love you, you know," she sadly said instead.
"I love you, too," answered Ezra watching as Aria got up from the living room sofa and, grabbing her bag, walked to the front door.
"See you later?" she asked hopefully.
"Always," he answered. Later that night, Ezra hung the picture she had given him in the bedroom right above the bed. It was a picture of the both of them in black-and-white. Years later, it hung in the same spot. Ezra refused to move it. "It means more to me than you'll ever know," he would explain. And it did.
August 16, 2013
Ella told me that Aria began packing up her room today, organizing everything into boxes and suitcases. Aria is going to do well in college. She will blossom. I'm glad she has Spencer going with her. I have a feeling that they'll be leaning on each other. I hope she understands that I'll be there for her too, even if it's not in the way she wants me to be. Soon, I think, soon we can be whatever it is she wants us to be.
I heard back from my publisher today. Everything seems to be going well and on schedule. My editor says that his boss was absolutely raving about it. I wrote about Grandpa and Grandma, their marriage, and all the joys and tragedies life brings. I took a lot of the material out his journals. I don't think he would have minded. I rather feel like he and Grandma are watching over me right now, as I work on this book. I hope they watch over me as I head to New York to be near Aria and tie up some other loose ends in my life.