Meeting the English Parents.
The following day, as the hordes rushed to the stores to purchase items that they did not need, seduced to do so by the fact that the were advertised as being at an unbeatable price in the Black Friday sale, the circle of friends learnt the big news of the week, namely Mike's new role, and the engagement of Dave's father to the family's nanny. The latter had been predicted for some time, of course, and the messages of support that came were heartfelt and genuine. The most fulsome praise ended up coming from Burt and Carole, who knew what it was like to find love again later in life. Burt was very quick to congratulate Paul, a fellow father who had reacted in the correct way when his son had admitted he was gay. Paul admitted to Burt that he was waiting for the comments that his ex-wife would make when she found out about it, but Burt was hopeful that she would have learnt her lesson after being burnt by her comments after Dave's accident, and would keep silent this time.
Mike would also receive warm congratulations from the congressman and his wife, but that was nothing when compared to the reaction that came from his own parents. His mother, whose own ambitions in the world of dance had been thwarted by the expectations of society when she married, was beyond excited by the fact that her son was to be in such a senior role in one of the nation's major dance companies. His father had burst into tears when he was told, and that set Mike off as well. The words of pride that followed meant more than anything to his son, as Mike knew what his father had once felt about his choice of career. The fact that his father went on to express his belief that one day Mike would be the director of the organisation was just the icing on the cake…
With Thanksgiving past, it was time for that period of around four weeks in which the holiday spirit never seemed far away. The stores replaced the Thanksgiving themed items in their displays with more Christmassy ones, and the tree at the Rockefeller Center became the new focal point of New York once again. It was at the start of that period that Adam found himself heading out to JFK to meet his parents off their flight from London. They had originally intended to visit him in the summer, but circumstances back home had forced them to postpone the trip until now. He had been able to take a few days off from the show, which was now approaching its second Christmas on Broadway, with as yet no rumours of major cast changes…
That was not because the offers of new roles had not been forthcoming; on the contrary, both Mason and Marley had been approached, but they had agreed that they would commit to Mary Poppins until at least Easter of the following year. As for Cooper, he too had been offered other roles, but they were not enough to make him give up Mr Banks; he was a great character to play, and the actress that portrayed his wife had become a good friend too. The critics stated that they had great chemistry, but both also had spouses with whom they had an unbreakable bond. The two spouses in question had met, and had become friendly with each other too, able to sympathise with the problems of being married to a performer when you had a job in a profession…
The show could not go on forever in the same way, and when the wind changed, it would be as a result of an Austrian air. The cast all knew that there was a revival of The Sound of Music in the offing, and that the casting directors wanted Marley for the part of Maria, one that was as made for her as Mary Poppins was. There had even been a suggestion that the perfect Captain Von Trapp for her, given that he was an older man with teenage children, might well be the actor currently portraying her employer. As for Mason, he was seeking a more serious role, just as Sebastian had done, and whether that would be in a Shakespeare play or a Tennessee Williams one was the subject of much debate…
Of course, all of that talk gave Adam much to think over. It had been put to him by the producers that when, not if, Mason left, then he could take over the role of Bert full time. He had not let them down on those nights when he had taken the role on as the understudy, and it would be seen as a natural progression. However, there was also his role on TV with Sam Evans to consider; his role as Clive opposite Darrin in the sitcom had made him famous across the USA and indeed, the world. As they began the slow build up to the moment, that would be aired at Christmas, when they finally moved in together as a couple, the number of scenes he was in had started to grow…
Both of his employers had stated that they would accommodate him, but to keep them both satisfied he would have little time left for himself, and more importantly, for his relationship with Lawrence. He had not spoken to him yet about the prospect of being Bert full-time, not wishing to raise the subject until Mason going was a reality…
For now his focus was on his mother and father, who were crossing the Atlantic for the first time in coming to visit him. Standing in the arrivals hall, he waited for them to appear, knowing that they might be a little mad at him for secretly organising an upgrade from economy for them. Then they were in front of him, and he didn't care that his mother would soon be scolding him; he was just so pleased to have them there…
"You should not have wasted your money on getting us that upgrade," his mother said as soon as she was in his earshot, and he laughed, which made her laugh too….
"Of course, what your mother isn't saying is that the airline upgraded us again from Premium to Upper Class, and turning left on boarding a plane is like stepping into a whole new world," said his father. "They have also told us we will be upgraded on the flight home. The cabin crew might have been seen your picture on your mother's phone, and that made us beneficiaries of celebrity status…"
Adam would have been happy to take the subway back to the West Village, as would his parents, but when she heard that they were visiting, Ms Kudrow had immediately organised a town car for them at the expense of the show, and Adam knew better than to argue with her. That said car turned out to be a limo had Adam blushing bright red, and his frugal mother shaking her head. "It was all Lisa's idea mum; if it had been up to me, we'd be on our way to the Airtrain for the subway into the city right now," he said, then he noticed that his father was laughing again.
"Son, could you take a video of the two of us getting into the limo so that we can send it to your great-aunt Beryl? She has always looked down on us, and has never approved of your career choice as you know. The fact that she will see us getting into a limo, something I know she always wanted to do, will really irritate her…"
Adam was happy to oblige as his mother shook her head disapprovingly at her husband at first, but was all smiles when the chauffeur, having stowed their bags, held the door open for her and called her ma'am. The journey into town was on a route which took them into Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge, which allowed Adam to watch his parents' reaction as they saw that famous skyline in person. He pointed out the Woolworth Building, which allowed his mum to reminisce about her first job in that fabled store, one that was still often mentioned now, many years after its closure, in Britain, and inevitably met with a sigh of disappointment at its demise…
She was still talking as the limo turned into the street in the West Village and pulled up outside his home. It was too small to have his parents join him there, but Jeff had been only too pleased to allow them to have use of the guest apartment, as it was known. When Adam had told her that, his mother had been overwhelmed at the prospect of having their own apartment whilst in New York. As he took them up the stairs, he knew that there would probably be a welcome cake on the kitchen counter, baked by Nick. Such small touches would all help to guarantee that his parents visit would be a good one…
That first evening was all about recovering from the long flight for Adam's parents; he prepared a simple meal for them, and they caught up with all of each other's news around the table. What was plain was how proud they both were of their son, and all that he had achieved. It was no easy task to crack the United States for any British actor, even now in the days when celebrity was global. That Adam had done so both on stage and the small screen was something that they could and did use against his great-aunt's jibes, as she had always been of the opinion that he would not amount to much, and that his parents had been stupid to allow him to embark on an acting career. So when, quietly and in the strictest of confidence, Adam told his parents that there was a possibility that he might be taking over as the male lead in Mary Poppins, there were smiles all round…
"So," said his mother, "when do we get to meet your young man?"
Adam smiled broadly, having expected the question, and said, "He is on his final night duty of his current run tonight, so you will have to wait until we join him and his older brother for dinner tomorrow night."
"I am looking forward to meeting him in person. He sounds like such a nice young man from all you have said. When I think of how he lost both of his parents in that earthquake…" said Mr Crawford.
"Oh, no, his birth father is alive, but they are estranged. Lawrence no longer blames him totally for the death of his mother in the quake, but their relationship was already damage beyond simple repair before that occurred. Even he and his brother Dexter did not see eye to eye for a long while, and most of the boys they went to school with did not even know they were siblings, thanks to their different surnames. However, time is a healer, and they have a good relationship now, although I think Dex sees himself as being in loco parentis to him to an extent. He was the one that took me aside and gave me the talk when Lawrence and I got together. He told me that his greatest fear was that I would head back to England and his brother would quit med school to follow me. I told him that I would never have allowed that to happen; his career matters more than mine. He is learning to save lives after all, and in honesty, I am a little bit in awe of him for that…"
The next morning saw Mrs Crawford awake early, a common symptom of the effects of the time difference. Her husband seemed to have no issue in sleeping, and so she carefully climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen to make herself some tea, and a slice of toast. She took them through to the sitting room, and sat down in a chair where she could observe the street below. In many ways it was the archetype of New York streets that she had seen on television and film, with its brownstones and trees; it was like the set of the sitcom that her son now starred in…
She watched as the neighbours headed off to work; a couple, one in a suit and tie, the other in a restaurant uniform went first, two young men clearly in love. They were soon followed by another young man in a suit, which to her eye was just a little bit more expensive than the other's, the cut just a little better. Moments later he was being followed by a dark haired young man with a smart leather satchel over his shoulder, who waved at the house next door before he hurried away. She knew that he must be Nick, the young man that somehow in between working full time in human rights at the UN, had managed to make the best cake she had ever tasted…
She recalled then what Adam had told her about the generosity of the couple next door, and what their daily routine was. She got up and hastened back to her room, getting dressed quietly and heading down to the street. It took her less than ten minutes, which was just perfect. As her son had told her, exactly ten minutes after Nick had headed out, the door of the house next door opened again and a blond haired man stepped out, accompanied by a dark haired boy. It was the boy that saw her standing on the steps, and he smiled, before whispering to his father. Then the boy set off to the house two doors down, and the blond approached her.
"Good morning, Mrs Crawford. I hope that you had a good night's sleep, although judging by the time, I suspect you suffer from the same problems with the time difference that I do."
"Yes, Mr Sterling-Duval, that is exactly my issue, although my husband is seemingly unaffected…"
"Please, call me Jeff; we aren't big on ceremony around here…"
"In that case, you must call me Margaret," Mrs Crawford replied. Looking past him, she saw his son returning with a young girl, and she smiled. "Now, I can see that you are on the school run, so I will not delay you. I just wanted to thank you for all the kindness you have shown my son since he came back to New York…"
Mrs Crawford would head back inside then, to wake her husband and make his breakfast; had she waited a moment longer she would have seen Lawrence returning home, looking tired but satisfied. He glanced up at the guest apartment as he passed, knowing that his potential future in-laws were inside. He hoped that he would make a favourable impression on them later, but for now, he just wanted to sleep…
He would do so whilst Adam took his parents down to the southernmost tip of the island, where he had booked a timeslot for the excursion boat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was the latter that his parents most wanted to visit, as they both had cousins, several times removed, that had back in the mists of times emigrated to the United States and then vanished from the family records. They would both be lucky enough to find a relative in the central database, and Adam agreed that those leads were something that he needed to pursue further, once he had the time.
They would move on to the new World Trade Center, pausing at the memorial. His mother had a close friend whose daughter had been in the building on that fateful day, and while she narrowly escaped, so many of her colleagues had not; worse in the confusion afterwards, it had been nearly midnight in the UK before the daughter had been able to tell her mother she was alive…
The views from the top of the new tower left Adam's parents breathless, and like children as they pointed out the landmarks that they knew from the media. Then they all laughed at the mention of the fact that the restroom was the highest in the Western hemisphere. They returned to the West Village all smiles…
As they did so, Lawrence was getting himself ready to meet his boyfriend's parents for the first time. He had spoken to Mrs Crawford on the telephone once, quite by chance, as she had called when Adam had been busy in the kitchen and he had been asked to pick up the call. Their conversation had been fleeting, but she had seemed very nice, and had known all about him. It was a very different prospect to meet them in person though. People suddenly found reasons to object to someone being in their child's life that had not been there before when they only had photographs to judge them by.
His brother, Dex, was on his way home from work, but he shared the same worries as his brother as to what could potentially happen that day. So much was riding on this first meeting going well, and he was also facing quite a responsibility himself. He wanted to like the Crawfords for Lawrence's sake, but he knew that if he saw any indication of hostility towards his brother from them, then he would not hesitate to show his disapproval of that attitude coming from them. He would not be able to sit idly by whilst his little brother was criticised. He had been through far too much already in his life, and he was building himself a career in medicine, a field that would see him saving lives…
At the same time, Dex was aware that he could not go in one the defensive, with all of his hackles raised, but at the same time, he was not going to go in unprepared. He had to be careful to strike the correct balance at all times. He wondered if this was how he would be when or if he had children of his own, and he chuckled a little as he realised that what he did today was great practice for when that day came along. His priority for now had to be Lawrence though; the one major dread he had for that day was that he did something that harmed his brother's future relationship, as he knew that the reaction to that would not be favourable for him..,
As the time came that Lawrence and Dex were expected, a part of Adam began to wish that he had arranged this first meeting for somewhere more public, like the Spotlight Diner, or indeed taken up Nick's generous offer to host and cook a meal for the five of them. On the plus side, his mother had taken over in the kitchen, which was a bonus if he was being honest; he had become a little distracted due to the enormity of the event, and there had been a great risk that he would be the one to ruin the meal by burning the main course, or missing out one of the key ingredients, sugar, in the dessert…
His mother had laughed when he admitted that, and told him that it was history repeating itself as it is wont to do. "The first time I cooked for your father's parents I decided to impress them with my culinary skills by making a soufflé; it looked magnificent when I took it out of the oven, but it immediately sank without trace as I went to serve it up. If that was not bad enough, I noticed just before I served up the dessert that I had mistaken the jar containing salt for the one that held the caster sugar and had created an inedible cake. I had to own up, and your grandmother just laughed, but at the time, I was mortified…"
Seeing the expression on her son's face, she then continued, "If you like him, Adam, and we can see that he is being good to you, then your father and I will have no issue with Lawrence. Having said that, I suspect that your father will bristle at his brother if he is constantly on the defensive over his sibling…"
"Which is highly probable, given how protective Dex is of him, and if dad then acts like that… Can't we just leave Dad and Dex here to fight whilst you, me and Lawrence go out for a meal somewhere nice?"
Mrs Crawford laughed, then said, "Unfortunately not, my darling. I will try and rein in your father if you could hint to Lawrence to do the same with his brother…" Adam nodded, and quickly sent his boyfriend a text message. The minute he did so, he had a horrific image of Dex overreacting because he had been instructed to behave…
As is so often the case on these occasions, all of the worst fears of both Adam and Lawrence were not realised. Mrs Crawford was effusive in her welcome to both young men, and took the chance to ask the latter's brother all about his studies at once. Lawrence had mentioned what he did, and she knew that it was a subject that her husband was also interested in; the connection was made at once between the two men, and they chatted animatedly together, allowing Mrs Crawford to chat with Lawrence one on one. She was able to learn all about him, and exactly how he felt about her son. She did not really need to ask, as she had seen the expressions on both of their faces the moment that they saw each other, and she knew what they had was love in its purest sense…
She eventually managed to prise Dex away from her husband, and had a chance to talk to him herself, which gave her husband a chance to talk to Lawrence as Adam hovered anxiously in the background, ready to jump in at a moment's notice if his father said something wrong. In the end, he did not need to do so, as Mr Crawford seemed more than impressed from the moment that Lawrence apologised for yawning, but he was still tired after a busy night the night before on his shift at the ER. Mr Crawford enquired about it, and Lawrence was happy to tell him all about the major cases he had dealt with, and what he had been required to do…
Mr Crawford was left in awe of the young man, and by the time that the meal was ready, he was convince that Lawrence was more than worthy of being his future son-in-law. The meal was therefore a great success, helped by Mrs Crawford's culinary skills, although she refused to take any of the credit that her son seemed determined to push her way. As they finished eating, Mr Crawford stood, raising his glass, and said, "I would like to raise a toast at this point to Lawrence and Adam; may they both enjoy all the happiness life can bring them in their future together."
Dex stood then, and with a smile at Mr Crawford, responded, "I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. To Adam and Lawrence!"
The two young men in question could only smile, holding hands under the table, a sight which made Mrs Crawford wonder how long it would be before they married, and when they did, would the ceremony be here in New York, or over in England…
The remainder of the Crawfords time in the city was taken up in an equal mixture of time spent visiting all of those attractions and landmarks that every tourist regards as essential parts of NYC, and meeting the other people that were important in the life of their son. They had a meal at the Spotlight Diner, of course, where Adam was only too happy to get up on the stage and sing for the audience. This was much to the delight of the lunchtime crowd, and of his mother in particular, the most outgoing of his two parents. That lunch came after they had toured the UN Building, something that Nick had helped to expedite at short notice; that was for the benefit of Mr Crawford, as he found that being in the actual places that he had seen on the television for years was a special event…
They had dinner with Nick and Jeff the following evening, after they had been to both the Guggenheim and the Met. Nick had managed to concoct an American menu which showcased the best food and cuisine that his country had to offer; his New England Clam Chowder went down a treat with the fish loving Crawfords. The glazed ham that he served after with candied yams went down well too. For dessert, he had prepared a Key Lime Pie, and it managed to outshine even Nick's own previous attempts at the dish, with just the right combo of sweetness and tart lime to leave the mouth watering.
Almost as soon as dinner was over, there was a knock at the door, and Ethan came in, full of apologies, but requesting Nick's assistance urgently with a work related issue. As Nick headed off to his study with his friend, Mrs Crawford remarked, "He is certainly a well mannered young man. Most young people these days would not even think to approach the guests that their friend was entertaining to apologise for the interruption…"
"Ethan is a Dalton boy, just like Nick and Jeff," replied Adam. "I firmly believe that being mannered and dapper is above the three 'R's' in the school curriculum."
Nick was back in no time, and apologised himself for being called away. "There was an urgent issue concerning the Trust, and Ethan knew that I would be able to find out exactly what was happening fastest through my UN connections."
"The Trust?" queried Mr Crawford, looking a little confused.
"Our friend's full name is Ethan Mackenzie. You might have heard of the charitable trust that he now chairs on behalf of his parent's firm?" stated Jeff, which made things no clearer for the Crawford parents.
"Ethan is the sole heir to a small firm known as Mackenzie Inc," said Adam quietly, and his father's gasp was all he needed to hear to know that his father now knew the truth, and would explain to his mother why the firm was so important…
On his parents' last night in the city, Adam had to return to work; however, that morning he received a phone call that left him shocked. Mason had asked for the night off to deal with a family emergency, so he would be playing Bert in his place. He decided not to say anything to his parents, not even at lunch, when he had arranged for them to join Sam at a good restaurant at the city. They were joined there at short notice by Lawrence, who Adam had asked to come along as he would need to leave his parents earlier than planned, and also by Ms Kudrow, who had intimated to Sam that she wanted to meet his parents too…
As the Crawfords had been firm fans of Friends back in the day, her presence would make the meal even more exciting. They chatted away, and then, when dessert arrived, Lisa suddenly announced that she thought it would be a good idea if Darrin went to England at some point to meet Clive's family, and of course, the only place to film London scenes was in the city itself. "Of course," she said directly to the Crawfords, "you would both be welcome to join us on set, and perhaps even be extras for the shoot…" As his parents sat open mouthed, she winked at Adam with a grin…
The meal broke up when Lisa had to get back to her work, and Adam also had to head to the theater, leaving his folks alone with Lawrence and Sam. The latter had also been tipped off about the course of events by Adam, and so he was only too happy to help Lawrence out with walking the Crawfords back downtown, taking a route through Herald Square. There, he pointed out the building that had been occupied by Gimbels, where the original Miracle on 34th Street film had been set. Sam knew from Adam that said film was a favourite holiday movie of Mrs Crawford, and so she was delighted to see it, and to listen as he told the tale of department store rivalry that had once been obvious in this corner of town…
The Crawfords would return uptown that evening with Lawrence, taking a cab to Sardi's, where their son had reserved them a table, before walking the short distance to the theater. They were shown to their seats, and found another surprise awaiting them there; Carmen Tibideaux was there, and they knew her name at once, although they had never met. Then she was joined by someone else, her old friend, Bette Midler. That left both of the Crawfords stunned, never having imagined to be so close to someone of that level of fame…
Carmen would take a photo of the three others with Bette, an image that Mr Crawford knew would silence his wife's sisters for a long time. That done, the lights went down, and the cast change announcement was made. Adam's parents were left in shock, but all Lawrence did was wink at them. From the moment that their son appeared on stage, singing "Wind's in the East…", in a flawless cockney accent they were entranced. They remained mesmerised as their son danced across the stage, both right way up and upside down, and were first on their feet as he took his bows at the end of the show. They were so proud of all that their son had achieved. As for Adam, all he could feel as the standing ovation grew was immense pride. He had proved himself to everyone, and his parents had witnessed it. Now he also had the prospect of filming in London, which was also so exciting. It would be even more so if Lawrence could be there at his side…
