Love, in all of its forms.
After their visit from Wes and Tim, during which time they had regaled the two teenagers with tales of the good times they had enjoyed whilst studying at Princeton, Beats and Flint had taken time to reminisce some more about those days, when they had been known as the Preppy Boys in their working hours. They had laughed a lot, but eventually Flint became more serious and turned to his best friend. "Do you think that we should say something to Nick? It sounded to me as if Wes was rather unhappy about doing that course at Princeton; he could end up resenting his father if this step means that he can't do what he really wishes to do later."
Beats looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "I have the feeling that Nick would not thank us at all for intervening on this topic. We have to face the fact that on one level he is doing what every good parent should; he is ensuring that his son is not left stuck in a career that is not going anywhere, without any other options if his dreams do not come to fruition. However, in doing so he is ignoring what Wes wants to do in life, and I agree, that is potentially a recipe for disaster later on. I am hopeful that Nick will not stand in his son's way if he decides after his course at Princeton to pursue what will really make him happy… Of course, you still have all of this to look forward to with your own children and I suspect you might also have to face the same internal conflict. I'll be honest, if either Dante or Ty had been wanting to focus on a baking career, I'd have been concerned…"
Flint nodded, then added, "You would have also had the added complication of Elliott working in the same service industry; arguing with your adopted sons that you think a career in food is a dead-end job would not go down well when your husband is working in that very industry!"
"Oh, I am fully aware of that, and I am eternally grateful such a moment did not arise. Of course, you also have an added complication in the shape of your mother, because she will have her own specific ideas about what is a suitable job for a good Jewish child, and that is something that her condition will not have had any impact upon."
A look of sadness had come over Flint's face the minute that Beats mentioned his mother, and now he replied, "It certainly hasn't; she will be extremely disappointed if Aaron ignores medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or accountancy for a start. I think that a legal career would also be tolerable, but anything else would be beyond the pale. Sebastian once showed me a video on YouTube, an old British television advert from the 1980s; it was for a telephone company and featured an actress playing a stereotypical Jewish grandmother. She had called her teenage grandson to ask about his exam results, and it turned out he had failed them all… On prompting though she discovered that he had actually passed two, pottery and sociology. Her response to that – 'People will always need plates' and 'You got an 'ology, that means you're a scientist!' He didn't realise that would not be how my mother would react in those circumstances…" He paused, then looking down at the floor he said, "To be honest, if it was one of her bad days, she wouldn't even be aware of who Aaron was…"
Beats reached out then and took his friend's hand, as he simply did not have the words to express how much sorrow he felt for Flint at that moment. Mrs Wilson had not always been either his or Flint's favourite person, but she was his best friend's mother and the idea that part of who she was was now vanishing before his eyes was nothing less than horrible. It had to be worse than if she had just passed away in her sleep suddenly, because the personality of the lady in question had been so unique; without it, she would not be the same person…
Flint did not speak for a moment, but then he was looking right at Beats, blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes, and was changing the subject… "Enough about me, how are your eyes? It can't exactly be easy for you either with that hanging over your head…"
"I actually saw the specialist for one of my routine checks last week and he said that there was no real change at the moment. Some people would see that as a good sign, but I am much wiser than that; there is every chance that they might just deteriorate overnight without any warning signs… Still, at least Dante and Lachlan are trying for a baby, so with any luck I will be able to see my first grandchild. I have also enrolled myself on an adult education course to learn how to read braille; I decided that it would be easier to learn the basics of it now than to have to try and learn it after the worst has happened…"
Flint smiled at his friend, before saying, "That is what has always impressed me most about you, your courage and fortitude. If it was me that was facing what you are I'd be angry all the time, screaming and howling, taking it out on those around me; but you are calm and so accepting of it all. Honestly, I think that you are beyond brave…"
"I am just now," Beats confessed, "but when it actually comes to that day, I'm not so sure that I will be…"
"Well, when it does then I will be there for you; I can promise you that much," Flint replied.
"Likewise, when your troubles come to a head; you and me are best friends for life after all. In fact, I would go as far as to say that we are a pair of platonic soulmates," Beats responded before pulling his best friend into a tight hug, which was reciprocated after a moment without any hesitation, and the same amount of warmth and love…
When Christmas came that year, there was much more harmony in the Sterling-Duval household; Nick was content in the fact that his son had chosen a course of study that he fully approved of at Princeton, and Wes was happy that he was only postponing slightly the start of his baking career. He was also more than pleased that his soulmate would be at his side there, as once he had admitted the fact that going straight to culinary school would have separated him from Tim, he realised he could not deal with the separation easily…
On that Christmas morning, Wes and Tim exchanged promise rings, which came as quite a shock to a watching Nick and Jeff at first, fearing they were engagement rings and indicated a marriage in the near future. However, they soon realised that all they were was a physical indication of something that everyone already knew, namely that the two young men were in a relationship with each other for the long-term.
It was two doors down the street, however, that a much bigger shock was felt, although anyone that had been closely observing the people in question for a while would have said it was just as inevitable it would occur. As Owain had been rostered on duty for late shifts on both Christmas Eve and the 26th of December, he had been unable to head back to Ohio for the holidays; that left him alone in the shared house, as all his housemates had been able to head home that year. His mother and grandmother had also been unable to travel and so could not come and join him; his Uncle Ollie was on duty on Christmas Day and Michelle would be at work at the diner, their son joining her there. With all of that, it had looked as if Owain would be spending Christmas Day on his own…
Of course, that would never have been the case, and Nick and Jeff would have invited him to join them, as they didn't like to see anyone spending the holiday alone, but that invitation had been preceded by one at the last minute from Evie, who asked him to come and join her, her dad and Ethan. He had accepted, which had made her very happy; she was even more happy that when she then told her dad and Ethan that he would be coming they accepted it, as she might have failed to ask them if it was okay before extending the invite…
It so happened that Christmas that for once, Ethan and Drew would have a houseful of guests, as both sets of parents would be coming to enjoy the festive meal with them. It was the first time that both families had done so in New York, although it had happened in Ohio once before. It meant a lot of extra work for Drew as the main chef in the house, but the addition of Owain to the guest list was no problem, as it meant only one more plate to fill. In any case, his presence would actually even up the numbers at the table. Drew had taken advice from Nick, the resident expert in catering for large numbers and he had given him a number of tips to help make the process an easy one, even going so far as to suggest a menu that had a large number of elements that Drew could prepare in advance to simplify things. His centrepiece would be roast beef, something that was perhaps a less traditional dish at Christmas, but in some ways so much simpler to serve; there were no fights over drumsticks or arguments about dark and light meat with beef… He also had the great fortune that everyone of the guests liked their beef done in the same way.
He already knew just how to cook the perfect Yorkshire pudding, that most English of accompaniments to beef, and he could roast potatoes to be crispy on the outside but still light and fluffy inside. His starter would be a light vegetable broth and for dessert he would prepare a traditional British trifle; he would also have an English Christmas Pudding prepared as well, as he knew that his father preferred a warm dessert at this time of year. All of those things could be prepared in advance, and the Christmas Pudding could be left simmering away on the stove top with the other vegetables he intended to serve.
He had set Ethan one task in particular, that of rolling rashers of streaky bacon around chipolata sausages on Christmas Eve, the delicacy known as pigs in blankets an easy one to cook as well. The last thing he would need to make would be the gravy to cover it all, a rich brown one, and he had a strange feeling that his mom would offer to do it for him, a task he would allow her to undertake without a moment of regret; in fact, it would only be if she refused to do it that he would be left feeling upset. By the time that Owain arrived, later than all the other guests, everything was in hand, and the delicious aroma of the cooking food permeated the entire house, something that Drew had no issue with…
Owain had not been informed that Evie's grandparents would be there, and he was a little nervous as she solemnly introduced him to them all. As she was introducing him to her father's parents, she glanced over to the other side of the room, where she would later swear she saw Mrs Mackenzie typing Owain's name into her phone; if truth be told, she had seen her do that with every one of her friend's names. She had come to realise that such things went with the territory when you had so much wealth; you had to check the background of all those that came into close contact with your heir…
There was the usual discussion after that a family events and of global ones too, mention being made of the words that have been spoken by King Charles earlier that day in his Christmas message do United Kingdom and Commonwealth. That message was now part of the global Christmas celebrations. He seemed to have inherited his mother's touch and turn of phrase, all of which made it all the more pertinent.
Then however came an awkward moment in which Mr Mackenzie started to talk about the latest gossip from Ohio and in particular about a former surgeon at the main hospital in Columbus; a man that was about to be sued in a massive class action by several patients who had subsequently discovered that he had been negligent during that time in his care. "The man has apparently been guilty of error after error from the last decade of his career; as he was effectively in charge of the entire hospital at the time, he ensured that it was all kept quiet. Of course, there was a coup eventually, led by his own children of all people, which removed him from the hospital in Columbus; he has subsequently gone on to work in hospitals elsewhere, including a number of African countries…"
There was silence around the table, the other grandparents listening intently, but Evie and Ethan just looked on in horror as they knew it was Owain's grandfather he was talking about.
Ethan was just about to interrupt his father when he continued, "He has been working in the United States too and I believe he has been implicated in two botched operations in Arkansas in the last few months; it was the investigation into that and the potential lawsuit there that led to the investigation in Ohio. In normal circumstances, when a surgeon messes up, it is the hospital that is found liable for their employee's actions and they are the ones that have to pay out the compensation; however, the man in question was such an egotistical fool and so convinced of his own infallibility that he waived having the hospital be liable and took the whole burden upon himself. Not only is he facing financial ruin, but there is also the possibility of criminal charges being made against him, so serious are some of the allegations. If that was not bad enough, I was informed yesterday that his wife has also been accused of malpractice and with performing illegal procedures outwith the hospital system. I had the misfortune to meet the man once and I took an instant dislike to him. The people I feel most sorry for in all of this are his children and their families; I trust that you will not come across people like this in the course of your own studies, Mr Davies…"
There was silence then, before Owain said quietly, "I sincerely hope so too, because he is guilty of much more than people are aware of. I actually happen to work alongside his son Oliver, and he shares the low opinion of him that you and most of society do, sir."
Mr Mackenzie looked a little stunned, realising that he had made an enormous faux pas, but before he could speak his wife said, "I believe that Dr Oliver Harwood was estranged from his family for a great many years because he refused to ignore the existence of his youngest brother at the insistence of his parents. You would have been taught by that brother, Thad Harwood, of course, as a former student of Dalton Academy. I take it is those other crimes that the man committed that you wish to remind us of?"
"Not just that I'm afraid; in confidence, I know that he is also a sexual predator that took advantage of at least one member of the female staff at the hospital in his time there. I know, because the lady in question is my grandmother… Thad and Oliver are my half-uncles, although I only became aware of that family linkage in 2033, after Thad had passed away. The man that we have been referring to is technically my grandfather, but he is unaware of the fact, and I have no desire for him to ever discover that. I do not wish to meet him, not even to attack him for all that he did to my grandmother all those years ago…"
As the rest of the room looked on, Mrs Mackenzie nodded, then replied, "My apologies that this was so inadvertently brought up on what should be a day of celebration and happiness for us all; I would however have to agree with the idea that he deserves everything that he gets when the law comes down upon him. Medical negligence is bad enough - no doctor is ever a God, no matter how skilled they might believe themselves to be – but if he is also guilty of assaulting women, then he needs to face charges for that, particularly if your grandmother was not his sole victim."
No more was said as at that moment Drew called them all to the table, which he had laid out beautifully, having even gone so far as to set out the cutlery with a ruler to ensure all was perfect, something a butler would have been proud of. He had then set out place cards and had seated people according to an old formula he had read in a book many years ago; thus, the two oldest gentlemen were seated at either end of the table, flanked by their wife and son, leaving Evie and Owain facing each other in the middle. He had ensured that he was sat at the end of the table that was closest to the kitchen door, so that he could fetch in the food without issue. Ethan was on the same side and Owain was between them; on seeing where he was seated, the younger man immediately offered to assist with bringing the food in from the kitchen, something that Drew was only too happy to agree to when it came to the time for bringing in the main course.
The soup course had been served with fresh baked rolls; he had cheated slightly and bought part baked rolls from the store. The fact that he had chosen kaiser rolls decorated with poppy seeds would go down well with both his parents and Ethan's; he had provided two butter dishes as well, one at each end of the table so that no-one need wait. There was genuine approval of his homemade soup, the light nature of the dish meaning that they would all have room for the largesse of the main. The meal was a formal one, with none of the Christmas crackers and paper hats that would normally have featured, but the conversation was jovial and free from the usual business matters that a meal with the Mackenzies often involved.
The main course was a roaring success too, the beef tender and cooked to perfection, the Yorkshire puddings light and well risen and the selection of vegetables fairly vast. As he had expected, his mother had helped him with the gravy for the meat and when it was rightly praised by Mr Mackenzie, he ensured that his mother took full credit for it. Before the dessert course there were crackers and cheese, something that not all of the guests partook of as they allowed their main course to digest a little.
It was as the dessert was about to be served that Drew suddenly noticed his daughter stare across the table and then nod at Owain, who had turned a little red and looked nervous all of a sudden. Before he could say anything to either of them, Evie stood up and said, "I have an announcement to make, and this is the perfect time when everyone is here. Owain and I have been friends for a little while now and we get on very well; that is why I want to tell you all that we are making it official. Owain is my boyfriend, and in the long term, I expect him to become my husband…"
The table feel completely silent as Drew and Ethan looked at each other past an even more nervous looking Owain, as he had no idea how Evie's fathers would react to the news, let alone her grandparents, given the age difference between them for a start.
"From what I have seen today," said Mrs Symons, breaking the silence, "You have made an excellent choice in Owain, Evie. He has good prospects, and his manners today have been nothing short of impeccable. I am sure that he will treat you well and the love that you obviously have for each other will continue to grow and bloom as the years go on."
"I agree and it also explains why Evie was so keen to have you join us here today, Mr Davies," Mrs Mackenzie then added. Ethan knew from her tone and her face that what she was saying was genuine and heartfelt, but he was also aware of the fact that from now on Owain's life and that of his family was going to be placed under such close scrutiny that a lesser man might have fled. He knew though that the young man had already been warned by his daughter of the way that the family, given its wealth, treated all those that were close to them to investigation by lawyers and the private detective agency his mother had on call. At least the main skeleton in Owain's closet was well and truly out thanks to the words of his father before dinner…
Suddenly, Ethan realised who had still made no comment and he turned to look past Owain at Drew. "I should have been expecting this to happen," his best friend began, "as the two of you have been close more or less since Owain arrived on the street; however, like all men in history with a daughter, there is a great reluctance on my part to accept that Evie is all grown up. As my mother said, I cannot fault her choice of beau, particularly because we already know so much about him and his history. I mean, he is a fellow Warbler! However, I will still need to have a one-on-one chat with him about his intentions – and don't look at me like that Evie, because you know what I mean; it is the job of every father to interrogate their daughter's intended spouse…"
There was laughter around the table at his last words, even from Owain, who was looking a lot less nervous now. "That conversation is for another day; just now, I think that we need to carry on with our dessert course. Evie, could you assist me in serving it alongside Ethan, as that way we can leave Owain at the mercy of your grandparents, who probably have a whole list of questions that they want to fire at him right now, rather like the Spanish Inquisition…" Owian went pale then, but when he saw Drew wink at him, he knew that he was actually just joking about what was to happen next….
No more was said during the course of the meal on the subject, the conversation instead turning to the topic of Christmas films. The English Christmas pudding and the trifle both proved equally popular, some of the guests actually trying both. Once the meal was over and they had all headed to the living room, Owain found himself involved in a game of charades, which made him quite nostalgic for the Christmas Days of his childhood, when he had played the same game at home with his mother and grandmother; their home had been small, but it was filled with love. There had never been that much money to spare, but he had wanted for nothing as a child, as what they did have, they used wisely. His full ride scholarship to Dalton had been the icing on the cake and going there had changed his life completely… He could never have imagined as he grew up in those straitened circumstances that one day he would be living in a New York brownstone, studying medicine at prestigious school; Dalton Academy and most importantly of all, Thad Harwood, had given him the courage and belief in himself to get where he was today.
Eventually the time came when the two sets of grandparents took their leave for their respective hotels, and they all said goodbye with affection for everyone else present. As soon as they were gone, Evie found herself dispatched along the street to the home of the Sterling-Duvals; her father needed her to pass a message to Nick, and it was also suggested she should spend some time with Wes and Tim. She knew why she was being sent and after hugging Owain, she left him alone with her two fathers…
To say that he was nervous as they stepped back into the house would be an understatement, but Drew was quick to comfort him. "Okay, relax. I have no qualms or objections about you and Evie being together; all we need you to know is exactly what you are taking on by embarking on a lifetime with her."
Ethan spoke next. "You are aware that my family are wealthy, but perhaps not quite how wealthy we are; we are in the top hundred families by wealth in the world…" Owain's eyes widened at that, and Ethan knew that he was right to let him know that recently established fact. "There is something else you need to be aware of. I am never going to have any children of my own, and that was an issue, given that I am the only child of two only children of only children. That is why I adopted Evie; she is my heir and thus the heir to Mackenzie Inc. She will eventually be one of the richest people in the world. Such things do not come without pressure and stress, and I need to be certain that you will be able to handle all of that alongside her…"
Owain was silent for a moment, and then he replied, "I have to admit that I am actually aware of that fact. As Evie and I came ever closer, I talked about it all with Sebastian, and well, he told me all about the fact that she is your heir. Then I went online to see how much Mackenzie Inc is worth… I must admit that it is a daunting prospect, and it must be even more of one to Evie, to think that she will be in charge of so much wealth one day. I had a moment when I thought that it would be too much to handle, but the fact is that I love Evie so very much…"
Owain paused and took a breath, before he continued, "When I was a boy, we had just enough to get by on, and I was taught to be frugal, something that is no longer taught to so many children in an age of relative affluence and easy credit. However, what Evie is inheriting is not limitless wealth to squander, but a scared trust. Your family, Ethan, does not flaunt its wealth, nor do you spend foolishly. You live modestly in a rented apartment, when you could afford to live in a luxurious penthouse like the one at the top of the Woolworth Building. Evie is like me with her own money because she was raised right; she values people and tradition. When she is running Mackenzie Inc, she will invest the profits in new equipment and better conditions for the employees, not waste them on fast cars, designer clothes, or luxury homes and holidays. Then there is the Trust, a beacon of philanthropy in a selfish world… Now I don't worry about the fact that Evie will inherit all of that; we will both still work, still budget, still save and should we be blessed with children, they will be raised to do the same…"
Drew smiled then, before saying, "I should have guessed that one of our close friends would tell you about Evie's status…"
"It would have been nice of Sebastian to have informed us of that fact as well though," said Ethan, a little tetchily. "Still, one thing that our Head Warbler doesn't know is that I have thought about what should happen if you and Evie did get together and marry; I would like to pass the Trust on to you when the time comes. The majority of the projects that we donate money to have some sort of medical connection, so it would be sensible to have a doctor in charge who can add some input of his own into their viability. On top of that, you have impeccable morals and decency… Obviously all of that is still some time off, but it makes sense to me to state these things now. Once you and Evie are married, I will have you come and sit in on a few Trust meetings so you can see how the whole process works…"
Owain nodded, a little stunned by it all if he was being honest. "I want to graduate and see Evie do so too before we even consider getting married; the two of us getting engaged officially before that is a distinct possibility, however. There is one thing though; it concerns telling my mother and grandmother about exactly what lies in Evie's future. I think that it would be best for now at least to keep them in the dark about exactly what she stands to inherit, as such wealth would just worry them to death…"
Later that day, once Owain had headed for home, Ethan called his mother, whose first remark was that she had just been about to call him. "I wanted to talk to you in private about Owain," she went on, which made Ethan groan.
"Mom, whatever your detectives have discovered can wait until it is officially verified…"
"I haven't received any feedback as of yet from the detectives and I am certain that when I do, there will not be anything negative in what they say. I merely wanted to tell you that I already know his grandmother; I wasn't aware of that fact until I found out her name. she applied to the Trust not long after you were born for assistance towards a project that would extend subsidised childcare availability for essential workers in the town in which she then lived in Ohio. She struck me then as a determined woman when she was making her case to the board; she informed us that she was a single mother, left in the lurch by the father of her daughter who was no longer around. She also informed us that after what he had done, she was glad that he was no longer in either of their lives. We funded the project and the work that she started in Xenia would eventually be taken up in other towns and cities across Ohio, helping out not just their nursing staff, but teachers and other public servants as well. If her grandson is as decent, moral led and kind as she is, then Evie is a very fortunate girl indeed."
"He is mom. He is one of the most dedicated medical students in his class, according to people I have spoken to at the hospital where he is based, and that wasn't his uncle, just in case that was what you were assuming. As well as his work there, his classes and his part-time job at the Spotlight diner, he also volunteers twice a month at a clinic for the homeless, assisting the doctors there. He is also a regular churchgoer, and now that I think about it, I have never seen him drink alcohol. He is the kind of young man that every parent fantasises about for their child, and we should be welcoming him with open arms into the family."
His mother laughed, then said, "There is no need for the hard sell, I am convinced from my first meeting with him. He will make an excellent husband for Evie, in due course of time, obviously…"