Song: What might have been
From: Phineas and Ferb
Start song at (1)
"Did you ask for Grandpa's blessing Daddy?" Sophie asked her father.
"I did, and just like in Uncle Paul's story it was a moment I learned how special a daughter is to her dad." Mr. Bennet said squeezing Sophie.
"Yes, but you almost missed out on that lesson and this wonderful family with your shall we say 'blindness'." an aunt said and snickered.
"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.
"She doesn't mean anything, right?" Mrs. Bennet commented pointedly.
"Oh, you are not getting out of this. They are both old enough now that I can break my vow of silence." The aunt pushed.
"NO!" Both Mr. and Mrs. Bennet yelled, which of course got all the younger generation's attention.
"You just sealed your chance of getting out of this. Now they want to know and will never let you get away without telling the story of when you two were ending your last summer before college."
Jamie and Sophie's parents shared a look and seemed to come to a resined agreement.
"All right, gather around." Mr. Bennet told their waiting audience.
The table was abandoned and the kids crowded around on the floor while the adults grabbed chairs and other sitting spots.
"When we were young we spent a lot of time together, playing, having adventures, building things, and more. But it never went any further than friendship. It wasn't a spoken thing we agreed on, more like a silent assumption on both our parts."
"But at some point I found myself trying to get his attention in a more personal way. I did everything except come out and say how I felt, or at least I thought I was being really obvious." Mrs. Bennet told everyone.
The adults snickered but said nothing.
"As time went on I felt like there was no point and kind of gave up trying, though I never sought out others to be my boyfriend."
"And of course that is about the same time I started noticing her and developing my own crush. But I didn't want to ruin what we had so I didn't act on the feelings. So we kept up the friendship and became blind to what might have been, enjoying what we had."
"That is until the summer after graduation. The days flew by as we finalized college plans and began thinking about what life held for us in the future, and what never would be. It was on the day I was going to leave for the college I picked that was out of state that it all hit me." (1) Mrs. Bennet looked at her husband and recalled that day's thoughts out loud. "I wanted you to see me but for so long you were blind. But it's time to face tomorrow and leave all that stuff behind. Of what would our lives have been like if you'd just given me a sign, 'cause I like you more than every other thing I like combined. I thought that I was over you but here I am again. What might have been?"
"Meanwhile my friends decided they had watched us pine for each other long enough and tried to set up a blind date for us, only to learn that she was leaving a week early because of club activities. I showed up at the spot they told me to and found them sitting there sad. That's when they spilled the bean of what I had missed and then been too afraid to try for. I freaked and rushed to try and catch her before she left but arrived just a few minutes too late." Tears at the pain of that moment resurfacing filled Mr. Bennet's eyes. "I walked sulkingly back home thinking my own what might have been thoughts. "I never even noticed, I guess I wasn't that alert. Now our endless summer is coming to an end, I tried to make the most of every day but now the years just seem miss spent. What might have been?"
"As I drove I decided I needed to say goodbye at least so I headed to his house. But even then, I didn't know how to voice my feelings. All I could think about was the time we missed."
"And all I could do was downheartedly walk home thinking: Why haven't I reached out to Isabella?"
"I could have been his girlfriend."
"I could have been her fella. We might have been an item."
"They would have called it Elbeella"
"I would have held the door for you, I would have shared my umbrella."
Then Elbert and Isabella sang together as their thoughts converged. "We could have been together all you had to say was when. And though I wanted so much more I guess you'll always be my friend. What might have been?"
"But, that's not the end, it can't be!" Sophie exclaimed. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here now!"
"Your right!" Isabella told them all. "As it happened Elbert arrived home just as I was pulling up to his house. We stared at each other till finally we started talking. More awkward than we had ever talked to each other before. I stopped myself from just laughing or shrugging off my feelings, which left me with nothing to fall back on when I didn't know what to say."
"And I had nothing to keep my hands or mind busy with so I kept playing with my shirt," Elbert added.
"Then in a rush they both spoke together, finally confessing how they felt about each other." Their teasing aunt finished.
"I thought you wanted us to tell the story?"
"I couldn't hold back anymore, so sue me."
After a good laugh, Isabella continued. "Once it was out in the open we stumbled over each other's words till we finally hugged it out. Then we made plans to meet halfway between our colleges in two weeks. And that became a continuous thing for us till the summer after freshmen year in college. The summer was a whirlwind courtship that solidified for us that we were meant for each other."
"Four years later, after we both finished our degrees, we were married," Elbert concluded with a kiss for his wife.