Beginning, Section II, Next Section
Later that day, Elizabeth grabbed her best friend. Jane was anxious to talk, because Elizabeth had kept so much to herself. What Elizabeth wanted however, was to ask a question that had gnawed at her.
"Jane, what exactly did you think about my going out with Wills?" Her friend took a deep breath and looked at Elizabeth uncertainly. "I'm serious. I want to know the truth. It might hurt now, but it will really help me get over it." Jane nodded, and said
"I was happy because I knew you liked each other, but I was worried because I thought it was a fool's paradise. He wasn't really trustworthy when it came to his hormones. A one-girl show just wasn't his thing." She paused and looked concernedly at Elizabeth. Her friend looked pained. Jane put one hand on Elizabeth's arm. "I'm sorry-- it's quite likely he changed with you-- in fact, I'm almost positive. He was completely satisfied with you, and even though you wouldn't have sex with him, he admired and respected that, even though I could tell he wanted you. But someone like him can only handle so much celibacy." Elizabeth nodded dumbly, and tried to smile. Jane looked at her again, worried, and then grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come on. I'm going to buy you an ice cream. Nice, fattening, chocolate-y ice cream." Elizabeth smiled truly this time, and concurred;
"Chocolate solves all female problems-- cramps, PMS, bad break ups, bad hair days. . ." The two girls laughed as they headed off.
"Can you believe it?" Elizabeth asked Mary as they walked down the hall together. "I have to sit behind Caroline in Italian, and she thinks we're friends. She keeps trying to talk to me, and says 'hi' in the halls." As they walked by, Caroline smiled and waved at Elizabeth. She nodded curtly, yet unable to snub the girl completely, she smiled. Mary stared at Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth, you need to make up your mind. Do you hate her or not?" Elizabeth threw up her hands in uncertain irritation.
"I have no idea! I feel badly if I ignore her, so I say 'hi' back, but I don't want to be friends with her." Mary grinned.
"You don't have to be friends with her-- be casual acquaintances."
"Good idea."
The year went on pretty uneventfully. Elizabeth did well on her AP's, and well on her Regents' and other finals. Then it was graduation. As she was no longer in the school band, she didn't get an automatic seat, so she went early to make sure she didn't have to stand. Charlotte and Kristen were graduating, as well as a few others that Elizabeth had gotten to know well over the course of her three years. She grinned until her face hurt, and cried a little, and hugged people hard. She was sitting on the bleachers afterwards thinking about how much she would miss her friends, and that now technically she was a senior. She was thinking about the colleges she had picked to apply to, and what she was going to do over the summer when she saw someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. She didn't pay any attention until the person sat down next to her. She sat up and looked over in surprise to see Wills.
She stared at him in surprise for a moment, then pulled herself together and said,
"Wills! Hi. How are you?" Her words were calm, but her hands, clenched in her lap, told how calm she really was.
"I'm fine, thanks Elizabeth. How are you? Did you do OK on your tests? How were the AP's?"
"A bitch, but I did pretty well on them. I was just thinking how much I was going to miss everyone." She sighed and put her chin back in her hand. "And I'm a senior now. Gosh, it seems so old! But it doesn't." She shook her head confusedly. "I'm not making sense." Wills shook his own head.
"Not at all, I know what you mean. It doesn't seem old because you are almost 17, but it seems old because you always thought of 17 as being old."
"Yeah. Oh, how do you like college life?"
"I like it a lot. There are parties every weekend, but there's also study groups and the professors care, which is really good. You know I'm majoring in Nuclear physics, but I decided to minor in Italian and Spanish. Rather an odd combination, and I have you to thank for it." Elizabeth looked confused.
"Me? How?"
"Well, I remember your saying that you wanted to minor in foreign languages because you love languages, and you're good at them. Do you remember my saying that I loved them too? Well, it got me thinking, and I decided to minor in something else I loved. I'm going to do a semester in Italy this coming year, so we'll see."
"Wow! That sounds awesome. I'm glad you've found a few things you're passionate about." He laughed.
"Yes. It's a lot of fun. The classes are so different. I mean, in one I'm learning really complex equations, and in the other I'm learning how to write, and I'm learning how to read and speak old Italian. I'm considering taking up French on the side, but maybe I'll wait until I'm out for that." Elizabeth nodded.
"I love French, so I would recommend taking it up, but you have a lot on your plate, so taking it up afterwards sounds like a good idea. I told you I started Italian?"
"Really? Do you like it?"
"Yes. It's a beautiful language. My accent is a little better than in French, but then French is the hardest to pronounce and Italian the one with the most strange additions. I'm continuing next year. I'd like to take Spanish too, but I have a feeling it would be too much. You never know, though." She shrugged.
"How's Nanuk?" She grinned.
"He's doing very well. He still almost has a heart attack when I come home, which is no joke because he's now so big I have to be careful he doesn't knock me over when he greets me at the door. He's done it before-- luckily always on the grass. It's nice to have a welcoming committee every time you enter the house." He laughed.
"Sounds like it! I understand you've been letting Tim come over to visit him."
"Yes. Nanuk was kind of his for a few months, and Tim really likes him. Nanuk likes Tim, too-- just not as much as me."
"As I recall, you were his favorite by far." At this point, a honking came from the parking lot, and Elizabeth looked over to see her mom's car.
"I've got to go. It was nice talking." She stood and began to walk away. He hesitated, then ran after her.
"Elizabeth! Wait." He reached her and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her close, marveling the way their bodies remembered each other, that they fit together as well as before. He pulled back a little and kissed her. Their eyes closed, and he felt her kiss him back. Then she pulled away, smiled at him tremulously, and ran to the car. He stood looking after her, his heart aching. It never got easier, this longing for her company, and he had given up even the right to phone calls. For the millionth time since it had happened, he cursed his stupidity in cheating on her. He shook his head glumly, watching her drive away, then turned and trudged back to his car.
Senior year was a nice break after junior year, but she was still taking a lot of classes. She sent off about twenty applications, and got down to picking up her GPA.
She didn't have much time to run, but she still joined the track team again, and got so angry with herself over remembering Wills every time she saw a runner that she won nine out of ten races that she ran in. This put her up for competing in States, and she came in ninth. She was very proud of herself, especially as she had been so awful starting out in tenth grade. Nanuk was a help for her running, as he needed a lot of exercise and she was the one to give it to him; she took him for a two mile run every day. Her coach knew that she had a lot on her plate, and he also knew that he could trust her to do a good workout even if she wasn't with the team. Wills's family was still in touch, as they loved her as much as she loved them. Now that Wills was at college, the Darcy's and the Howard's were in almost constant contact. Elizabeth was pleased to see some stirring of romantic interest between Chris, who was now in 11th grade, and Magda, who was a freshman. Scott and Tim were friends, despite the age difference, and enjoyed each other's company. Anne and Maura were very good friends now, despite the differences in personality. Anne was a go-get-'em kind of woman-- very much type A-- and Maura was laid back and kind of floated purposefully rather than speeding towards her goal-- a type B all the way. George and Peter were a little more wary of each other-- they respected and liked each other, but they didn't click immediately like Anne and Maura had. However, all four parents were united in their love of Elizabeth and their desire for Wills to mend his ways and get back together with her. Elizabeth seemed to be the only one who knew that getting back together wasn't an option.
That year, in January, just as Elizabeth was starting to get depressed again, a new boy came to the school. He was a junior, and his name was Geordie, and he was from Chicago. His family was Irish, and he was really, really cute. In spite of her occupation, Elizabeth couldn't help noticing both his cuteness and his supposed preoccupation with her. All her friends exclaimed over the very particular attention he was paying her, and all decided that if he asked her out, she had to say 'yes', because she shouldn't think about Wills anymore. Elizabeth agreed to this last, but she wasn't sure about Geordie. He seemed nice, seemed charming, but she had an instinctive distrust of his suavity. What the hell, she thought. Might as well give it a shot. She continued to be friendly, and eventually, Geordie decided to bite the bullet and ask her out. She thought about it for a few minutes, and then said,
"Okay." He grinned and reached for her to kiss her, but she held up one hand. "Hold on a sec. I have to explain my policy so you can back out. I'm waiting for marriage, and if you try and push me, I will walk out. I'm dead serious. I will kiss you, but no petting or anything like that. If you can't or won't adhere to that, you'd better say so now." Geordie was staring at her in disbelief.
"You're waiting for marriage? You mean, no sex? Why? Isn't that the point of going out?" Elizabeth stared at him.
"No. It isn't. If you are saying you're too horny, say so clearly and now." He thought again. He looked at her carefully. He would really, really, like to have sex with her. Well, he thought, she may say that now, but she'll change her mind. Maybe when we're in the heat of the moment, she won't want me to stop. So he said,
"OK. How about a movie on Friday?"
"What time?"
"6:45. Is that OK?"
"Yeah. I want you to meet my parents." He started to get a little nervous.
"Um, is that necessary? I mean, parents make me kind of nervous." She smiled.
"It's necessary, yes, because they won't let me go out alone with someone they haven't met. And don't worry, they'll like you. They don't eat people, you know. They loved my last boyfriend." He stared at her again.
"Who was your last boyfriend?" He asked.
"Wills Darcy," she said stiffly. He let out his breath in a whistle.
"What a coincidence. My last girlfriend was his cousin Anne." Elizabeth looked interested.
"Really? Wow. I didn't know he had relatives living in Chicago." Geordie nodded.
"Yeah. I have really close ties to the Darcy family." She was even more surprised.
"You do?"
"Uh huh. You see, my father was the head of the Darcy company in Chicago for years. He was George Darcy's right hand man, and he trusted my father implicitly. A few years ago, my father died of a massive heart-attack." He was interrupted by Elizabeth's condolences. "It's OK, we weren't that close to start out with, and it's been a few years. Anyway, Darcy provided a comfortable income for my mother and me. She died a year after my father, and I moved here to live with my Aunt in Briarcliff. Mr. Darcy put the money he would have sent me into a fund for my college expenses. I wanted to go to Duke, just like Wills always has. We were really good friends for a long time, but last summer I went to visit my uncle in Chicago, and I met his cousin Anne. We really liked each other, and I asked her out. In the middle of August, her mother came storming out of the house and told me to leave and never come back. I still don't know what it was, but apparently Anne had been writing to Wills like they always have and Wills mentioned our relationship to his parents. Anne called Anne's mother, Catherine, and told her what was going on. Catherine knew we were together, but Wills had told Anne that I had seduced Anne. Of course, the 'Lady' couldn't have her position in society ruined by rumors of her daughter's imagined sexual activity. None of it was true-- Wills made it up to get back at me. He was always jealous because his father liked me better. I haven't seen or talked to Anne for over a year. Mr. Darcy stopped making deposits into my college account, and now there's no way I could go to Duke unless a miracle occurs." Elizabeth had been nodding and making sympathetic noises at appropriate moments, and now he was finished, said,
"I'm so sorry-- that is really rough on you. Listen, Geordie, I have to get home. I'll see you tomorrow." She left quickly, torn between a desire to laugh and a desire to slap him. She was certain neither Wills, Anne, or George would have done any of the things he attributed to them. She got home and wrote a really long email to Wills.
Dear Wills, there is a new boy in school named Geordie Wickman. He has
seemed to like me for a while, and today he asked me out. I said yes and
explained my policy. His remark was 'Isn't sex the whole point?' and then
proceeded to tell me his sob story about how he was mistreated by you, Anne,
George, and your Aunt Catherine.
She told him the whole story.
I don't believe a word of it, but if you can would you tell me the real story?
It will help a lot, because if I know Geordie at all, he will find Caroline, and
the combination will be poisonous. I'm not going to go out with him-- the
combination of his desire to pressure me into sex and his lying is not
something I want to take on. How's school going? Senior year is pretty
different than Junior. I'm realizing I have to leave because every second
person I pass says 'hi' including all the teachers. It's nice, but kind of
scary. Nanuk says hi.--Elizabeth
She sent it off to him, and two days later got a reply back. It read as follows--
Dear Elizabeth, it's really good to hear from you. I've been missing you like
mad. Lookout for Geordie-- he's bad news. I can understand his desire to
have sex with you, as I did and do myself, but his disrespect of you is not
acceptable. I'm glad you aren't going out with him. As for his sob story, he
puts new meaning to 'twisting the truth'. His father did control our company
branch in Chicago, and he was my father's right hand man. Mr. Wickman was a
wonderful person, and I liked him. He and my father were really good friends.
He did die of a massive heart attack a few years ago, and my father did
provide for Mrs Wickman and Geordie. Mrs Wickman did die a year later, and
Geordie did move to Briarcliff. We were really good friends for a while, but
I began to distrust and dislike him. Last summer, he went to Chicago to visit
his uncle, and came in contact with my cousin Anne. She was then twelve. My
aunt did not know what was going on, but as I have always been her favorite
cousin, we have written to each other twice a month for most of our lives. In
early August, I got a letter from her telling me that in mid-July, she had met
Geordie, and began going out with him. She also said that they had begun to
have sex almost immediately. He pressured her into it, and even though she
didn't like it, she liked him a lot and wanted to please him. In the same
letter, she told me she was pregnant and really, really scared. I was
naturally shocked, and I told my parents, wanting them to help. My mother
called Catherine, who is her sister, and told her what was going on.
Catherine, outraged at Geordie, had him thrown out of the house and told him
not to come back. She had no idea what was going on, as she is a widow and
works full time. Anne had a miscarriage in October, which we all considered a
good thing. She has been in intensive counseling ever since. My father,
naturally outraged, had a talk with Geordie. He was not only unrepentant, he
was scornful and rude. My father had already deposited one hundred thousand
dollars into Geordie's college account, and he stopped. He didn't take it
out, because he felt he owed it to Mr. Wickman to make sure Geordie had a
chance, and $100,000 is more than enough money if he's careful.Will you write back, please? I really miss having you to talk to, Elizabeth.
That's one of the main reasons I have been kicking myself ever since the whole
Marianne thing. Tell Nanuk and your family I say 'hi'.--Wills
Elizabeth hugged herself as she read the opening and closing of his email, but she was absolutely disgusted with what it told her. What kind of person would do a thing like that? she wondered. It was really, really sick. It was too bad Geordie hadn't been 18 then, or they could have gotten him on Statutory Rape. She thought carefully about it. She would just let on to Geordie that she knew the real story, and hope that it would be enough to keep him spreading his version all over the school. She hoped it would be. She may no longer be going out with Wills Darcy, but she was still in love with him, and she loved and respected his family. There wasn't going to be a scandal if she could help it. She reached for the piece of paper on which he had written his phone number and dialed it.
"Hello? Geordie? It's Elizabeth. I just wanted to tell you, I know the real story. I wouldn't suggest spreading around your version unless you want to be a social outcast. Oh, and Geordie? I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last male on earth." She slammed down the phone and went to do her homework
The rest of the year passed without event. Elizabeth and Wills exchanged platonic, ordinary emails about everyday things, but both looked forward to the other's with an almost pitiful eagerness. In April, Elizabeth wrote eagerly that she had decided to go to Washington College in Maryland. She was so excited. Her major, she wrote, was to be English, specifically learning to write like a professional. Her classes were mainly Creative Writing and structuring. She was minoring in French and Italian.
Wills wrote back that he was really pleased that she had found a college she liked. "Maybe," he wrote, "I can come visit you at some point. It's not a far drive." She was pleased, and wrote back,
"I'd love to have you, but maybe I could come visit you. I mean, Duke is a little more famous than Washington."
"But isn't it the 10th oldest university in the country?" He wrote back. "I'd love to have you too. The invitation is a standing one."
"Thanks. Yours is, too."
Graduation came and went. Elizabeth was in the top 5% of her class. She wore her white satin robe for two hours, changed sides with her tassel, and sat down. She received several scholarships and awards, and was applauded duly. Afterwards, she changed and went to find her friends. They hugged and cried and laughed and made sure they had each other's email addresses, phone numbers, etc., and promised to keep in touch. There were quite a few people from previous graduating classes. Elizabeth was swept up in a bear hug by Kevin, now a 2nd Lieutenant in the Naval Academy, and Georgia and Kris and Charlotte all were there to cheer. She got hugs and flowers and small pieces of jewelry, and she lugged them all around dutifully. Finally, it was time to go. Her parents left, and she walked to her car to put the stuff in it. She sighed, glad she had worn flat shoes, as her feet were beginning to hurt anyway. As she was nearly there, someone came up behind her and grabbed the two bunches of flowers on the top that were in danger of falling out of her arms. She turned slightly to say "Thanks" but she couldn't see who it was. When she reached her car, she opened the back door and laid all the flowers in it. She turned to accept the flowers being held out to her, when she looked up. "Wills!" He smiled. She took the flowers, mentally registering that there were three bunches, not two. Then it clicked-- the huge bundle of crimson roses were from him. She took them and sniffed, drinking in the scent, then put them down and turned to hug him. "Thank you. They're beautiful." He grinned.
"Congratulations Elizabeth. You look gorgeous. Are you glad to be out?" She shrugged.
"Well, yes and no. I'm glad that it's over, but I'll miss everyone like hell. It's really sad-- I mean, there's all these people that I talk to in school but I'll probably never see them again now." Wills nodded.
"Well, there's your reunions, but I know what you mean. It's sad." She nodded. He straightened and said, "Oh! I almost forgot. My parents had to leave without finding you, but they gave me this to give you." He held out a small wrapped box that evidently held jewelry. She took it, saying,
"Thank you." She opened it to find a beautiful gold and garnet tennis bracelet. "Oh! It's beautiful. Thank you!" She hugged him again. "I'll call your parents when I get home and thank them. It's perfect." She was grinning, and he grinned back.
"I'm glad you like it. By the way, how's Nanuk?"
"Nanuk is well. I'm trying to figure out how to take him to college with me. He'll survive if I don't, but he won't be very happy."
"I know how he feels," Wills mumbled. She pretended not to hear him.
"Anyway, I have to go. Thank you so much for the flowers and the bracelet. And thanks for coming, even if it wasn't just for me. It means a lot." She hugged him one last time and kissed him on the cheek, then got into the car and drove home.
That summer was a very, very busy one. Elizabeth was packing, and packing, and packing, and worrying and worrying and unpacking and packing again. Finally, her mother said, 'Enough is enough!' and wouldn't let her change her mind. Elizabeth was relieved that the decision had been taken out of her hands.
Her parents were to come down with her to see her settled. They would stay the night in a hotel, and then drive back the next day. Elizabeth, very excited, fidgeted in the back seat as they drove for hours to get there.
When they did, she fell in love with the campus. It was perfect. She wandered around, talking to random people. They all told her how much they liked it, and she was told that 80% of all students lived on campus. As there were other accommodations to be had, Elizabeth realized that this was a pretty good recommendation.
She wrote to Wills that Geordie was going to the New York State College at Birmingham, because the tuition was cheap. The visiting dates were set-- Elizabeth would go to Duke for Memorial Day weekend, and Wills would come to Washington for Columbus day. Because Columbus Day is Canadian Thanksgiving and Elizabeth's parents were both from Vancouver, BC, they celebrated both Canadian and American Thanksgivings. As Elizabeth intended to keep up the tradition, and was a really good cook, Wills was glad that this visiting day had been open.
Elizabeth took the train to Durham, and Wills would pick her up at the station. She was very proud of herself, having only brought a very small suitcase and a purse. When Elizabeth got off the train, she looked around anxiously for Wills. She knew he would be there, but she wasn't sure if he'd be late, or if she was lost, or what. But sure enough, as she looked around anxiously, she heard a shout,
"Elizabeth!" She turned around to be enveloped in a huge hug. She threw her own arms around him, and he swung her around.
"Wills! I'm so glad to see you. How are you?" She asked breathlessly as he put her down gently.
"I'm well. How are you? You look gorgeous. And I hear you came 9th in States. Congratulations. That's better than I did for Cross Country-- I was 17th. I was so proud of you when Coach Rainey called me to tell me." She stopped walking and said,
"He called you? Why?" Wills smiled and took her arm to keep her walking.
"He knew I'd want to know. Why else?" She smiled.
"I'm flattered. So. What do you have to do around here?" He shrugged.
"Well, I figured for starters I'd introduce you to my roommates. I'm moving in with Charlie, and you'll have my room."
"Thanks. That's really nice, but I'm fine with the couch." He laughed.
"You forget yourself. There will be four twenty year old guys walking around; you want your own room."
"OK, I don't want particulars. I'll take the room. So, other than you and Charlie, who else is there?"
"Well, there's Calvin, but if you call him anything but Cal, he'll kill you. Then there's Rupert, but he's called Shorty. Don't ask, he's about 6'5". I suppose it's kind of like Little John. Well, that's the works." By this time, they were at his car. Wills put her bag in the trunk and they drove to the apartment he shared with his three friends. When Elizabeth stepped in the door, she looked around in astonishment. It was a really nice apartment. There were three men draping themselves over different pieces of furniture. Wills, following her, introduced them.
"Elizabeth, this is Charlie." Charlie was Latino, about 6' with black hair and dark skin and brown eyes. He was nice looking. "This is Cal." Cal had carrot red hair, gray eyes, was 6' 3", and had freckles like Elizabeth. "And this is Shorty." Shorty was, as Wills had said, 6'5", and had light brown hair and green eyes. He was gorgeous. Elizabeth shook hands, and said,
"Pleased to meet you." Wills showed Elizabeth his room.
"Here's the bathroom, the kitchen, and your room." His room was nice; blue paint and a blue striped bed spread.
"Thanks. I want to change and wash my face, and I'll be out in a second." Wills nodded.
"OK. We'll all go out for lunch after."
"Great."
Wills went outside and closed her door. His friends were on him in a second. "That's Elizabeth?"
"She's really pretty."
"Does she have any friends?"
Wills laughed and held up one hand.
"Yes, that's Elizabeth. She is really pretty, and as a matter of fact, I think her three best friends are unattached at the moment." His friends laughed.
"Well, we'll be on our best behavior." Wills grinned and punched Shorty lightly.
"You'd better-- none of your womanizing with her." Shorty grinned.
"I wouldn't dream of it!"
"Where are we going out for lunch?"
"Hey. Where are we going for lunch?" She asked. All four of them got up quickly, Wills turning the TV off.
"Hey gorgeous. We're going to a little cafe that Charlie recommends. His sister used to work there." Elizabeth nodded.
"Did she go to Duke too?" She asked Charlie curiously. He nodded.
"Uh huh. She graduated last year."
"Cool. What kind of cafe is it?"
Wills took her arm and propelled her to the door. "We'll talk on the way there." The four guys piled into Shorty's car, the only one that seated five.
"You sit in the front," he insisted.
Elizabeth declined. "No-- that's not fair. You're all bigger than me. I'll sit in the middle in the back." After a little arguing, Elizabeth found herself wedged between Wills and Charlie in the back seat. They weren't large enough that they crushed her, but their broad shoulders effectively hemmed her in, making sure she would find it hard to breath. But with two huge cousins, she was used to being dwarfed and crowded, so she was quite in her element.
As Elizabeth found that day, despite the size and intimidating looks of Wills's roommates, they were all gentlemanly, and having had practice with Josh and Eric, she knew how to wrap them around her little finger. She loved all of them, and it was mutual. Mentally she matched them up with her three best friends. Charlie was perfect for Jane-- his smoldering good looks and quiet sense of humor was just the thing her friend needed. She approved of having him for an almost-brother in law. Cal was perfect for Shannon-- he was about a foot taller, but he was a go-get-'em type that knew how to relax. He would fit well into her busy family, and he loved to cook-- so Shannon was safe. Shorty was clearly Sabrina's-- he was tall and gorgeous, always good, and he had the kookiest sense of humor Elizabeth had ever encountered-- almost kookier than Sabrina's. He was the type that always looked out for people he loved without letting them feel crowded, and often without them knowing. He had incredible foresight and planned for every eventuality, yet he stayed light-hearted and never worried. Elizabeth's brain was whirling as she figured out how to bring them all together.
Her visit was a lot of fun. Every time she turned around, they guys were planning something new. She was whirled around town and shown off and babied and never allowed to pay. This got frustrating, so she eluded them one day and went shopping. When she came back, they were waiting for her, and they brought her bags into the living room, groaning, 'What did you buy, bricks?' She grinned.
"Nothing of the sort. I'm sending you all out today, so don't complain and be back at eight." Grumbling good naturedly and confused, they all trooped out. As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth grabbed her purchases and distributed them. For Charlie, six new Latin dance cd's, a new set of cooking utensils for Cal, and the complete set of Monty Python TV shows on DVD for Shorty. Wills had been harder to shop for. She had wracked her brains over and over before she remembered he had told her his favorite author was CS Lewis. She had bought him all the Narnia books, and hardcover copies of The Screwtape Letters and The Four Loves. She was looking for wrapping paper when she remembered seeing a lot of stuff in Wills's closet. She ran to her room and flung open the closet door, her eyes roving.
She didn't find wrapping paper, but her eye was caught by three familiar looking boxes. She caught her breath and stared. Why were they here? Why hadn't he left them at home, or thrown them out? She knelt slowly and reached out one hand to run a finger over the top shoe-box. She realized that there was no dust on them. Either they had just been put there or they were used often. She opened the top one to check, half expecting to see it full of old term papers. It was full of papers all right, but they were small; movie ticket stubs, prom tickets, a chocolate stained Ben and Jerry's napkin. She closed the lid not wanting to see any more. She stood quickly, and reached out to steady herself.
She felt something soft and tough and her heart almost stopped. Not wanting to look, she turned her head unwillingly and saw a wisp of green silk. She pulled away the suits and shirts that were there, and saw her dress. In his closet? WHY? What was the point? She shook her head and closed the door. No wrapping paper. She left the presents on their respective beds unwrapped and returned to the kitchen and her other bags.
When the guys came trooping in at eight, she was waiting in the living room watching an old Carole Lombard movie. The other guys laughed and teased her about it, but Wills was frozen, staring at the screen. He switched his gaze to Elizabeth who was watching him. When she caught his eye, she smiled shyly and held up a picture of Clark Gable. Despite himself, Wills's eyes got wet. To hide it, he turned and walked into the kitchen. Elizabeth was on her feet and sprinting for the kitchen, reaching it just before he did.
"Not yet! Go wash first. All of you. Run along!" Grumbling again, they did so. When they came back, she allowed them into the kitchen. They stopped and stared. It was full of food. Really good food, too. There was pasta and chicken and steak and salad and potato salad and coleslaw and everything. The table was set and she sat, asking each of them what they would like. Dazed, they told her. They finally snapped out of it after their first bites. It was really good.
"Hey, Liz! This is wonderful!" They chorused it.
She smiled, pleased. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it." They ate everything. After the plates were cleared, Elizabeth stood and got the deep-dish apple maple pie with maple whipped cream out of the oven and served it. The guys went into raptures.
"Hey! You're an even better cook than Cal!" Shorty called. He dug Cal in the ribs. "He's good at steak, but if he's ever made pie this good, I'd think he had help." Cal expressed indignation.
"I have too made good pie. Maybe not this good, but Liz's obviously a natural." She grinned.
"Thanks. My mother's influence and recipes." Now was the time to bring up the visit. "By the way, Wills and my three best friends are coming to Maryland for Columbus Day which is also Canadian Thanksgiving, which I celebrate. Do you guys want to come too?" She waited hopefully. The three turned to look at Wills. He shrugged and nodded. They burst into acceptance:
"Hey! Great! We'd love to!"
Liz smiled. "Good. Good."
The doorbell rang and Elizabeth called,
"They're here!" The other three girls skidded out of their room as she opened the door to be enveloped in a hug by each huge guy. They chattered and laughed and exclaimed, catching up.
Elizabeth, remembering her plot, introduced her friends.
As she had hoped, Jane and Charlie were eyeing each other with interest, as were Shannon and Cal and Sabrina and Shorty. She and Wills exchanged pleased glances.
After a moment, Elizabeth clapped her hands. "Girls, let's show them their room." They ushered then in, and Elizabeth instructed the girls to help them get settled, and then for everyone to wash up while she set the table and finished dinner.
Wills came to help. "My family all send their love." She smiled.
"Tell them I love them, too." She stopped by the bathroom and opened the door, out of which an orange blur came leaping at her. She, laughing delightedly, said, "Down, boy. You've only been in there for fifteen minutes."
Wills laughed. "His devotion is unswerving, I see." Nanuk, distracted by a familiar voice, turned to him. Recognizing him, Nanuk licked his hand and wagged his tail, then turned his attention back to Elizabeth. She shook her finger at him.
"If you try and interfere with my cooking once more, you're going back in the bathroom." Nanuk subsided, and went to check on the other guests.
The dinner was a huge success. Most of the turkey was eaten, all of the stuffing, mashed potatoes and asparagus, and three of the pumpkin pies. They didn't stay up after eleven; all the food had made them sleepy. But they talked and joked and got to know each other better.
The next day, Elizabeth showed them around the campus, and they went into Washington DC on the train.
Elizabeth had a never--ending subscription to Air and Space, a continuous birthday gift from her father, and as the Smithsonian museums were free, gave her fifteen percent off any gift shop purchase. The guys bought models of famous aircrafts, the girls bought romantic prints.
Elizabeth was in heaven, living so close to the Air and Space museum. They guys went off on their own for a few hours, and the girls could dish.
"Oh my God!" all three cried. "He's so hot!" They all stared at each other, and Elizabeth laughed.
"Let me guess-- Jane and Charlie, Shannon and Cal, and Sabrina and Shorty."
"How did you know?" They were focusing on her now.
Elizabeth laughed. "I planned it like that, of course! Wills and I thought it was a wonderful idea, and they all said they wanted someone like me, but they don't want me. We get along very well, but it's like they're my big brothers. So, we figured that we might as well try to get you all together." They started laughing.
"What are we going to eat tonight?" Sabrina asked. Jane, with her usual brilliance, had a brilliant idea.
"KRAFT!" They all started laughing hysterically. (It's a long story-- suffice to say, we love Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.)
"All right," Elizabeth agreed. "You can take my car down to get it." The three left together, talking animatedly about how many boxes they would need.
When the guys returned, they were laden down with bags of all sorts. Food bags, shopping bags, every kind imaginable. They presented Elizabeth with the food bags, and rushed off to their bedroom to dispose of the shopping bags. Elizabeth was very pleasantly surprised. In the food bags, there was milk, flour, sugar, eggs, bacon, bread, scones, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, whipped cream, hot fudge, butterscotch, maraschino cherries, and about twenty boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese. When Elizabeth saw this last, she burst out laughing.
"Great minds think alike," she said, through her amusement. "I just sent the girls to get some Kraft. It's our favorite." The guys chuckled.
"Yeah, one of ours, too. I mean, it doesn't take much work, it's so good, and it's filling. I don't know about healthy, but it does the job," Cal remarked.
"Well, I don't know what job you're talking about," Shorty quipped, "But at least all the preservatives must keep us from aging. We're a couple of Peter Pans." Elizabeth raised one eyebrow.
"That explains so much." They all laughed. Elizabeth turned to the door as she heard the sound of laughter. "If I'm not mistaken, these are my three other halves."
Wills smiled. "I always knew you were quite a woman," he said. "You're twice anyone else." The girls piled in the door, raising their dripping shopping bags in triumph.
"Got it! We also bought Ramen and ice cream and fudge and cookies and chocolate and juice and soda and . . ." Elizabeth laughed and grabbed the nearest bag.
"As I said earlier, great minds think alike! The male contingency also showed up with the same prizes." The girls stared at the guys, then accused,
"Hey! This is our party. What d'you think you're doing, bringing home the bacon? Come on, you can help us cook." They all trooped off to the kitchen. Wills, falling back, noticed Elizabeth heading for the girls' room. He followed, and again saw the orange blur.
"Hey, baby! You missed me, huh." Elizabeth dropped to her knees and stroked his ears, scratching his head and his back. The dog was all over her, licking her and whining. "Ooh! No lip kisses!" She cried, jerking her head back. "You know I don't like that."
"Actually, I didn't," Wills kidded, coming in. She turned to look at him, and laughed.
"I didn't mind yours--they weren't quite so messy!" She blushed slightly and turned back to the dog. "All right, baby, I'll take you for a run. I think the cooking is being handled competently." She smiled at Wills as she stood. "Would you like to come? It won't be a strenuous run; I just need to give him some exercise to wind him down; and I'm a little hyper myself." He nodded.
"I'd love it. I'll change."
"Great."
Elizabeth showed Wills her favorite run. It was in a residential part of the town encompassing part of the campus (which wasn't big) and part of her neighborhood. All the kids waved and called to her, and she stopped several times so they could pat Nuk while she chatted with people. Everyone seemed interested in Wills, and Elizabeth introduced him with pride. She just said he was a good friend who was visiting for Canadian Thanksgiving. They were back at the apartment within an hour. The others had cooked and eaten, so Elizabeth and Wills each grabbed a huge bowl and warmed it up, enjoying it to the farthest extent. After lunch, they had a sundae--Elizabeth's was vanilla with hot fudge and whipped cream and nuts and two cherries, and Wills's was vanilla with hot fudge, whipped cream, no nuts, and a cherry. They enjoyed it very much, and their friends, who were naturally determined that they should get back together, viewed the companionable scene with considerable interest.
Wills turned to Elizabeth and took a deep breath. He stared at her for a minute, then started to laugh.
She turned to him, puzzled. "What?"
"You've got ice cream on your nose. You must really get into it."
She laughed and went to the mirror. "I seem to be having major deja-vu."
"I know." He sat back in his chair and watched as she primped. "You look gorgeous. Come eat before it melts." She smiled and returned to her seat, reaching for the fudge.
"I need some fudge to go with my ice cream."
"If you're not careful, you'll need some ice cream to go with your fudge!" They laughed. "I've been thinking, Liz." He moved a little closer and looked down, as though he couldn't meet her eyes. "I know it'll be hard, but I've never felt about anyone the way I still feel about you. I haven't gone out with any other girl since we broke up, because none of them have completed me the way you did. I love you, Liza, will you give me another chance?" He looked up suddenly at the last, looking into her eyes with a painful mixture of hope, uncertainty, and emotion in his own. She looked at him earnestly, searching his face.
"Can I trust you, Wills? I want to, so much, but can I trust you not to break my heart once I give it to you again?" The pain flickered over his face and he picked up her hand and kissed it.
"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Elizabeth. I didn't think. I wouldn't do it for the world. If you give me your heart, I will treasure it and keep it safe." She looked at him closely, and then her face burst out into smiles.
"Yes, Wills. Yes." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
In the background, Jane, Charlie, Shannon, Cal, Sabrina, and Shorty all grinned at each other and shook hands. Their work was complete.
"Bye! Don't forget to call!"
"Bye!"
"Bye!"
"Love you, Elizabeth!"
"Love you too, Wills!"
"WHOOOOOHOOO!!!" (this last was from everyone else.) They all waved and waved and called good-byes until the car was out of sight. The girls walked inside, deflated.
"I'm going to miss them."
"Yeah, me too. And we've only known them for three days!"
"Three days is long enough to know."
"Know what, Ina?"
"Well, if they're worth while. If they're the One." The other three girls whooped and laughed.
"Wow! Fast mover."
"I'll say. It's a good thing he left when he did; we might have been planning a wedding!"
Sabrina whacked them all playfully (kind of) and marched off inside, her nose in the air.
"Don't walk into the door!" Elizabeth called, weak with laughter, seconds before a THUMP was heard, followed by an OW! The other three laughed so hard Jane fell down, Elizabeth was bent over so far she almost overbalanced, and Shannon was leaning against the wall, making no sound, she was laughing so hard.
The three girls left later that afternoon.
"Bye Elizabeth!"
"Don't get into trouble."
"Girls, call me when you get back, all right?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"We'll see you at Christmas!"
"Yeah, we're going to go clubbing on New Years Eve. Sabrina has a friend with an apartment on Times Square. We're going to drop in later in the evening."
"Great! Bye! Bye!"
"BYE!!!"
The girls were gone.
Elizabeth did well in school those few months before Christmas. She finished her term finals without a mental breakdown, and she had made quite a few friends. She liked her classes, and although they were hard, they were fun. She drove up to Westchester, NY, tired, but excited. She had missed her family more than she thought she would. She hadn't been quite homesick, but she had wished her sister and parents had been there so she could tell them stuff. As it was, she was glad. So was Nanuk. He liked the apartment, and he preferred cramped living where she was to any other kind of living where she wasn't, but he knew that the car meant going home. She had a coil of nervous excitement in her stomach about seeing Wills. She couldn't wait, but she hadn't gone out with him since she was fifteen. That was three and a half years ago. She wanted it to be different, for them to approach the relationship as adults instead of children. Or, worse, teenagers. Her hormones had settled down a lot, but still, sometimes when she saw Wills, she was filled with an overwhelming desire to jump him. From what he had told her, the feeling was mutual, but they both knew they couldn't act on it. His principles weren't the same as hers, but he did understand that hers were important to her. The closer she got, the more she shifted around in her seat. All right, she said to herself. Enough is enough. She stopped at a rest stop and went to the bathroom, got some tea and a blueberry muffin, and let Nanuk out in the woods. When she was sure no-one could see her, she jumped up and down fifty times and stretched. There, that's better. She called to Nanuk and headed back to the car. When she got home, she drove down to Food Emporium and bought the sparkling pear juice that they liked, and some Kraft, and some nice chocolate. When she arrived home, her welcome was very nearing ecstatic. It was really very nice. She wasn't surprised, but she enjoyed every minute. Her father carried her suitcase down to her room and her mother took the shopping bag, exclaiming over it. Magda and Scott hugged her so hard she could hardly breathe, and told her that the phone had been ringing off the hook for her for two days.
"Kristen and Charlotte called and Carolyn and Jane and Sabrina and Shannon and next door Sabrina and Shayne and Caitlin and Rebecca and Zac and Craig and Aaron . . . oh, and Wills called too. He's getting home today, but Chris wasn't sure when." Magda and Chris, Wills's second brother, had been going out for two months. Elizabeth teased Magda for copying her. Magda was in 10th grade, Chris in 12th, Scott in 6th. "Oh, and Anne called. She wants to get together, and she wants you to go shopping with her. She always did like you best." Elizabeth turned in surprise to find Magda grinning at her. They laughed.
"Only because I deserve it. Nanuk is glad to be home, aren't you, baby?" Nuk jumped up upon hearing his name and rubbed against her thighs, asking to be patted. Elizabeth complied. "Do you need to go out? Or are you ready for dinner?" Magda stared at her.
"You still talk to that dog?"
"Yeah. He answers, too. Don't you?" She was proven right by Nuk's rapid movement to the kitchen from where he came back, his bowl in his mouth. Elizabeth laughed and poked Magda as she stood. "I told you so. All right, babe, I'm coming."
They had waited for her to trim the tree, but it was standing in the corner of the living room where it had always been. Elizabeth climbed up into the attic and brought down all the boxes of decorations. She made a cranberry string and Scott made a popcorn string. Magda was helping Maura bake gingerbread and make toffee-- they were having a small Christmas get together. The DePaolos, from next door, the Menchins, from across the street, and the Darcys, all on Christmas afternoon. The Darcy's didn't have family nearby, and the Menchins and the DePaolos were Jewish. Elizabeth strung the lights and then the cranberry and popcorn strings. She called Magda in and they put all the ornaments up. Finally, Elizabeth dragged over a chair, stood on it, and placed the beautiful star on the top of the tree. Her siblings clapped and exclaimed. Elizabeth jumped down and said,
"Now, everyone get your presents!" There was a mad scramble for the bedrooms as everyone rushed to their bedrooms to grab the presents they had been hiding. Elizabeth trotted out to her car where the presents were reposing safely in the back seat. She grabbed the bag and hauled it inside, neatly laying out the pretty gold wrapped gifts. She took down the huge basked from the top of the bookshelf and distributed the gifts from relatives that were sitting there. While she was doing this, the others came into the room, balancing piles of gifts. The two kids put theirs down carefully, placing them neatly on the five different piles Elizabeth had already made. As was expected, the kids' piles were larger than the adults' piles, but not much.
"All right," Maura said. "Everyone get ready for dinner. We eat in half-an-hour." Everyone went to get dressed up. Just like they always had, Magda got dressed and then went to Elizabeth's room so Elizabeth could do her hair and makeup. Magda had cut her hair fairly short, so Elizabeth made her an early Christmas present of some nice curl-scrunching cream. Magda wetted her hair, and Elizabeth scrunched. Soon, a crop of very cute curls were in a disheveled array.
"Now," Elizabeth said. "I have a ribbon clip to pull it off your face. But you have to give it back." Magda agreed, and the clip was placed. Next, Elizabeth got out her makeup. She did the works, but left Magda's eyes as they were. They were huge, and she had long, dark, curling eyelashes. They were quite her best feature, being a gray-blue. Elizabeth outlined her lips gently in a soft pink and smudged the liner in to her lips. Magda's lips were very full and pink already, but they needed to be pinker. As Elizabeth was finishing up, Magda said,
"The Darcy's are coming to Midnight Mass." Elizabeth started and looked up. "I just thought you might like to know before you got ready." Elizabeth smiled and shoved Magda out of the room.
She already knew what she was going to wear. She had a sleeveless black velvet stretch top with a high neck, and a gorgeous deep red taffeta skirt that swirled. She wore her black satin strappy shoes with it, and her grandmother's pearls touched it off. She brushed her hair until it shone and curled it under. She did a full makeup job, making it look natural. She finished just as Maura was calling them to dinner.
After dinner, they always opened their presents. Because they went to Midnight Mass, they were always really tired on Christmas morning, so they left the stockings for that. Each person carefully took their pile of gifts and went to sit on the carpet in a circle. Elizabeth put on some Christmas music and they each took turns opening and oohing and ahhing over their gifts. Elizabeth got a lot of jewelry, most noticeably five bracelets in Mexican silver from her Aunt Janet who had been there that year. It was better than last year, though. Last year, the same aunt had sent her some pajamas. But no ordinary pajamas. There were triangles at the top for one's breasts, and that was edged with black lace, as were the very short, very skimpy bottoms. To top it all off, they had been made of very see-through dark green crepe. Elizabeth had stared at them and hoped very fervently that her cousins Josh and Eric hadn't picked them out.
When the present session was over, (Elizabeth had gotten a check for two hundred dollars from her parents) they went and touched up for Midnight Mass. They left in half and hour. When they got to the church, Elizabeth noticed that the Darcys had gotten there early. They parked next to their car and piled out. Going into the church, they sat in the pew in front of the Darcys who beckoned to them. As they were fifteen minutes early, there was a lot of welcoming and hugging and catching up. Anne insisted that Elizabeth come sit beside her and tell her about Washington. She leaned over, and said,
"Wills told me." Elizabeth pulled back, startled, and stared at the older woman. "About getting back together. I'm glad. He's changed for the better, and I know he's been regretting letting you go ever since it happened." Elizabeth smiled at her.
"Thanks. No more Marianne. Or Caroline."
"Oh! She called the other day wanting to talk to Wills. It took quite a lot to remind myself that it's his business how he handles things and not mine. I very nearly hung up on her." Elizabeth giggled. "By the way, he said he'd be here by ten to twelve. Oh! here he is now." They both turned as Wills, looking very handsome in a charcoal suit and burgundy tie, closed the door and walked up the aisle. He slipped in beside Elizabeth, Chris having gone to sit with Magda. Wills kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and squeezed his mother's shoulder.
"Merry Christmas, darling," he said very softly into Elizabeth's ear. She smiled slowly and turned to look at him.
"Merry Christmas."
The Mass was beautiful, and afterwards at the reception, Elizabeth saw many of her old friends. Charlotte and Kristen and Georgia were there, and so was Carolyn, who had overseen their girls' Bible study. Carolyn had never met Wills, though she had been a sympathetic and helpful listener throughout the whole tangled history. When she did meet him, she liked him a lot. It was mutual. It was hard not to like Carolyn. Georgia and Wills were glad to see each other, and while Charlotte and Kris took some convincing that he wasn't going to hurt Elizabeth again, they eventually came round. The girls and Carolyn made plans to get together in a few days, and watch 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' like they did every year. It was a tradition.
The next morning, Elizabeth woke up at nine. The cause, as it was every year, was Scott. He was standing by her bed, just having shaken her awake and looking disgustingly chipper. Elizabeth groaned and sat up.
"I drove all day yesterday, got home, trimmed the tree, had a shower, opened presents, went to Midnight Mass, and you wake me up at nine. What is your problem?" She asked good-naturedly. Scott shook his head and clucked his tongue.
"Sad; very sad. You're only 18-- you're not allowed to be an old fart for at least five years." Elizabeth chucked her pillow at him, which he ducked. "There's pancakes and maple syrup and bacon and eggs and cocoa and tea and orange juice and Wills and stockings . . ." Elizabeth stared at him.
"What?"
"I said, there's pancakes and maple syrup. . ."
"I heard that. Did you say Wills is here?" Her little brother nodded.
"Uh huh."
"I don't believe you. You tried that when I was in 10th grade. Go away. I'll be up in a minute." Scott nodded and trotted upstairs.
Elizabeth groaned as her feet hit the colder-than-under-her-comforter air and stepped gingerly into her slippers. She drank some water and brushed her hair and put on her nice warm flannel bathrobe. (Red, of course) and walked upstairs to the kitchen and into the dining room.
She heard voices and just had time to register panic as she saw that Wills was there. In the flesh. I mean, really. Everyone turned as she entered the room and made for the only available place, which was, of course, next to Wills. He stood as she approached and held out her chair for her. She groaned inwardly. Why did he have to be so nice? She sat down, thanked him, said good morning to everyone and reached for the pancakes. She put three on her plate followed by a spoonful of strawberries and blueberries, then two pieces of bacon and a spoonful of eggs. Then came the maple syrup. Then she poured a glass of orange juice and a cup of tea with milk. Then she started eating. Wills watched her closely, noticing the way she chewed exactly twelve times for every bite, and the way her nose wrinkled in pleasure as she smelled the fresh pancakes. It was very cute.
When she finished her breakfast, she brought her utensils into the kitchen and headed for her stocking. In it was a new modem, a new wallet, some Purdy's chocolates, and two clementines. She hugged her parents and thanked them and went downstairs. Wills followed. He sat in the chair as she put her gifts away, made her bed, and got out what she wanted to wear. She sent him outside while she dressed, then called him back in.
"So. Any particular reason you're here at," she checked the clock "10 o'clock on Christmas morning?" He shrugged.
"My family finished the stocking and breakfast thing at about 8:45, and all went off to do their own thing. I thought we could talk or spend the day together or something." She smiled.
"Sure. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Well, for starters I think you should look in your closet." She looked at him, puzzled, and did so. It was outside her room. She opened the door and looked around the closet. Then she saw three boxes on a shelf. She brought them back into her room and put them on the bed.
"Are these what I think they are?" She asked
"Open them," he said. She did. She opened the first one, and saw what she expected to see. But there was more-- about three hundred little notes overflowed the box. She opened a few and read them-- they were love letters to her from him, written at various times in the three years they had been apart. "I wrote about two every week," he said, "whenever I really missed you." Her eyes swam with tears as she looked at him. He gestured. "Open the others." She opened the next. It had the Ossining track sweatshirt, and the states shirt and the fairy, but it also had a Duke Track shirt and a medal. "That's the first first-place medal I've won in college, this year," he said. She hurriedly opened the third box. Her dress was there, and her shoes, but instead of inside the shoes, the box with the jewelry was on top of the dress. She opened it and saw a burgundy velvet box. A ring box. She looked up at him. He was watching her intently, seemingly nonchalant, but his hands, gripping the armrests, were white. She picked up the box slowly and opened it. In it was the most exquisite ring she had ever seen. It had one emerald cut golden stone in the middle, with two small deep red stones on either side, like a square. She looked at it, her mouth open in a gasp.
"Wills! It's beautiful!" He smiled, and swallowed, coming over to kneel beside her.
"In the chair," he said, pulling her up. "I want to do this properly." She obeyed, eyes wide. She sat in the chair, and he knelt down before her, holding her hands in his. He kissed one slowly, then the other. "Elizabeth," he said slowly, "I love you. I will never be in doubt of that, and you need not either. I will love you until the sun burns out, I will love you for eternity and beyond that. I love you more than I love myself or my family. I realized the other day that I would give my life for your happiness. My heart," he said, placing one of her hands on his chest so she could feel it, "beats for you. If you say yes, we cannot get married for probably five more years, but I need to ask. Elizabeth, will you marry me?"
"Yes, Wills. I will marry you." She kept a grave countenance for about thirty seconds as he stared at her, almost in disbelief.
"You will? You'll marry me?" She nodded. "YIPPEEE!!!" He jumped up, pulling her with him, and kissed her and kissed her and kissed her. "You won't regret this ever. I'll make you happy for the rest of your life." Elizabeth grinned.
"I must say, I never thought I'd be engaged at 18. Or you, at twenty. Wow. We've got an early start." She placed her hands one on either side of his face. "I love you, Wills. I always have. And I always will." She yanked his head down for another kiss. He pulled away after a moment, and said,
"Oops! I almost forgot the ring." She knelt down beside him as he picked up the box.
"What are the stones? Topaz and garnet?" He looked at her reproachfully.
"For an engagement ring?"
"Well, it's what I always figured I'd get. They're my favorites."
"I know, but I figured for an engagement ring you deserved something better. But you notice I stuck with the colors. No, that's a cinnamon diamond, and those are red diamonds." Elizabeth gasped.
"Red diamonds? But they're a fortune! Wills, you shouldn't have!" He patted her arm.
"Don't worry about it. It was my grandmother's. I just had the stones reset. She gave it to me and told me to give it to the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I have." She smiled at him, relieved.
"Thank you, Wills, it's beautiful." She kissed him again. "Ooh, I wonder what my parents are going to say?" He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.
"I asked their permission this morning, seeing as how we're still pretty young."
"And they agreed?"
"Well, I explained that I knew we were young, but we are also very mature, and we're not about to jump into something without thinking carefully. I explained that I didn't think we should get married until I finish graduate school and get a job, and asking you now was just to make sure you knew where I stood. I explained that I have spent the last three years knowing that I am an idiot of the highest order, and that I know I don't deserve you. When I finally convinced your father that I would do anything for your happiness, he capitulated. We always got along well, and I think he knows how much I love you." Elizabeth smiled, and said,
"Well, let's go give them a chance to test their acting skills. How surprised do you think they'll manage?" Wills laughed.
"Maybe they won't even try. Personally, I want to see Magda's reaction. She might freak out a little-- I mean, dating your brother-in-law's brother is pretty permanent sounding. Chris is likely to flip." Elizabeth laughed.
"Well, let's go see."
As they had thought, Magda was a little shocked. But she hugged Wills and welcomed him to the family, reminding Elizabeth that she was a bridesmaid. Wills took Elizabeth over to his house so they could break the news together. Anne was overjoyed, as was George. Chris was pleased for them, but he seemed a little nervous. Tim was very excited-- Scott would be his brother-in-law! Elizabeth called Jane and Sabrina and Shannon and told them the news. They were ecstatic, but not surprised. Ever since they had visited, they had been counting the days. Jane reminded Elizabeth that she was Maid of Honor and Sabrina and Shannon reminded her that they were bridesmaids. She then called Georgia and Kris (who are sisters) and Charlotte and Carolyn. They were all pleased, too. Elizabeth couldn't stop grinning-- so far, this had been the best Christmas ever!
The ceremony would be at St. Mary's, their church, and the reception would be at the country club, which was behind the church. They had the invitation list made out, and Elizabeth's old youth minister, Kathy King, had promised to fly in from Colorado to do the ceremony. They had agreed on the 1662 prayer book wedding, as being the prettiest and the vows being very explicit and binding.
Elizabeth and Wills had agreed that the word 'obey' as pertaining to women had gotten a bad name and everyone was seeing it wrong: the other half is that the husband must look out for his wife and do what is best for her always, without thinking of himself-- to the point of giving his life for her. Elizabeth had no problems with obeying someone who was laying his life on the line for her happiness and well-being, but they went to the 1662 prayer book and 'serve' for both of them.
Elizabeth was also working hard at her studies. She had a short story published in a fairly well-known magazine, and they just kept on flowing from her fingers. She was dancing on cloud 9 always, and she could tell Wills felt the same.
As the year drew to a close, Elizabeth had three more stories published and was starting to make a name for herself in magazines, and was looking forward to spending the summer with Wills.
She had a job at as a counselor at one of the Historic Hudson Valley camps. There was one at Van Cortlandt Manor, an Early Republic Era manor,(late 1700's) one at Sunnyside, Washington Irving's house, and one at Phillipsburg Manor, an early Colonial mansion. (1600's). She was a bookmaking and dressmaking counselor.
Wills had an internship at IBM, working with a friend of Peter's on an idea that Wills had. It was unusual, but the men he was working with had a healthy respect for him, and weren't too caught up in their own importance to realize a brilliant idea when they heard one. Peter had been pulled into it, too, and it was he who had drawn up the original machine.
Elizabeth wasn't really clear what the machine was supposed to do; it was some sort of detector. She was having a ball at the Historical Camps; dressed in the clothes of the time period, explaining to girls and boys what it had been like to live then. They learned to make bread, they each made a doll suit, and each made a small booklet with a leather cover. One day, they learned to make fishing poles and went fishing in the river which ran nearby. It was so much fun!
The summer went by quickly. Elizabeth made two thousand dollars from working at her camps, and Wills made even more. His invention had been snapped up; IBM having paid all four scientists (including Wills) one hundred thousand dollars each. Naturally, everyone was pleased; IBM because they had an invention that, now that they owned it, they could produce and sell, Wills, because at this early stage he already had a name for himself among scientists in the area, and because he had gotten four job offers for when he finished graduate school.
He had been accepted to Stanford for graduate school, and had received a full scholarship. He used the $100,000 for food, clothes, and books, and those twice-a-year flights to see Elizabeth and his family.
They started the school year fresh and excited, their love and admiration for each other increasing. His friends and her friends were somewhat unofficially going out. Everything was peachy.
The next year continued in the same vein. Elizabeth and Wills were as close as two people could be; reveling in talking and laughing, but even more so, in just sitting companionably together silently. Jane and Charlie were seeing each other exclusively; Jane having transferred to UNC partly to be with him and partly for the change. Sabrina and Shorty hadn't wasted any time; they were engaged and would be married a few months after Sabrina graduated college, next September. Shannon and Cal hadn't seen each other for a while; unsure as to how the other felt, they had avoided each other. Elizabeth and Wills, Jane and Charlie, and Sabrina and Shorty were determined to get them together. The time, it was decided, would be at Sabrina and Shorty's wedding, the next year, where Shannon was to be Maid of Honor and Cal Best Man. Sabrina had originally wanted Elizabeth, but they had agreed that Shannon being Maid of Honor would work out best. Elizabeth, therefore, was Head Bridesmaid.
The wedding drew near; it was June, and Elizabeth graduated with degrees suma cum laude in Writing and French and Italian. She had several job offers, both as a journalist and an editor. She had accepted a post in NYC at TIME Magazine as a junior journalist, writing editorials. She lived at home for the time being, and paid rent of two hundred a month for room and board. She knew she was getting off lightly, but she was saving up for an apartment.