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John and Eliza Harrington were running late, their plane had been delayed and they had to race to their hotel to get changed and make it to their lunch date on time. They’d been invited to the New York office to meet the new team and the new young hotshot investment banker. He apparently was a whiz at numbers and had recently been promoted and was working under his mentor, who also happened to be the man John’s team reported to. He was going to be taking over some of the accounts and the company wanted them to meet and become familiar. They were ordering drinks when a young blonde man arrived at the table.
“Sorry I’m late, traffic was ridiculous. You must be John, I’m William, William Hargrove. This must be your wife.” he smiled and sat down then set about ordering a drink.
“Nice to meet you as well William, I’m John Harrington. This is my wife Eliza.” they shook hands.
“Harrington? Indianapolis acquisition, correct?” Billy asked
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m looking forward to this move for the company.” John smiled.
“What does your husband do?” Eliza asked
“He’s a private tutor. He also works two days a week at an elementary school. He specializes in helping kids with learning disabilities. He has one and unfortunately it wasn’t addressed until after he graduated high school. He wants to make sure other kids don’t feel as bad as he felt.”
Dinner went on while they talked about work, discussed profits and Billy laid out his expectations for John and his team. He was amused by John’s attempts to impress him. He spent the whole dinner fighting back a smirk. He wanted so badly to tell him who he was, but he decided that Steve needed to be there too. He deserved to see his dad’s reaction when he found out his disowned son’s husband was his new boss. Billy decided to invite them to the dinner party He and Steve were throwing that Friday.
Steve’s jaw had dropped when Billy told him about who he had dinner with. Then he laughed at the situation. He couldn’t believe his husband was going to be his dad’s boss. He almost smacked Billy when he told him that he’d invited his parents. But he thought the better of it, this was his chance to show his parents that he hadn’t needed them. He had a beautiful life, a job he loved, a wonderful husband, two perfect children, and a gorgeous home. They did that. And a little petty part of him wanted to see the shock on his parent’s faces.
Steve had taken the day off, he wanted to make sure everything was set up and ready to go when their guests arrived. He made his way around the house, making sure all the finer details were set, fluffing pillows, making sure toys and books were picked up. Once he was sure everything was set he headed upstairs to make sure the kids were packed up for the weekend. They were going to stay with some friends from school and he needed to make sure thy packed more than video games and action figures. His final chore was to lay out some fresh clothes for Billy. He had just finished gathering his clothes when he heard his kids yelling for him.
“Daaaaadddddddd!!!”
“Daddaddaddaddad!!!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming. Why are you so rowdy, did someone give you sugar?” he joked
“Julie got us ice cream,” James said
“I got chocolate chip,” Christopher added, looking proud.
“Did she? Well, she’s the one who’s got to get you guys to eat dinner so it’s on her.” Steve smiled.
“It’s Friday, I figured I’d give them a treat,” Jule said, smiling as she hugged Steve.
Julie had been the boys surrogate and egg donor. She and Steve had met in school and had become great friends as well as partners. She was much better with the business side of things and ran the office end of the tutoring service. She had been so supportive when Steve and Billy started talking about kids, finally offering her services. She had been agreeable to having two pregnancies within two years and Steve was over the moon that he kids would have the same mother. She often babysat for them, the boys were unaware of who she was. They’d all decided to wait till they were older to explain.
“They’re all packed. Did you want us to pick them up on Sunday or will you drop them off?”
“I’ll drop them off in exchange for dinner.”
“Deal. Here’s some cash in case you go out anywhere.”
“Thanks, we’ll go grab their stuff. Good luck tonight.”
“Thank you, see you Sunday. “ He gave her a hug and kissed the boys.
Billy walked in as Steve was finishing with his hair. He smiled at him and walked up to hug him from behind, resting his chin on Steve’s shoulder. Steve smiled back and leaned back into the embrace. Billy had made it home early, Mr. Johnson, his mentor, and boss sending him home to help Steve. Billy knew Steve was nervous to see his parents, it had been over 11 years. His father had cut him off when he couldn’t get into college. His mother had just gone along. Billy wonders just how they’ll react to Steve’s life now. He kissed Steve on his cheek and headed for the shower.
The guests had begun to arrive and Steve was flitting around like a good host, making sure everyone was greeted and had an hors-d’oeuvre or drink. Billy was standing with his boss a few colleagues from work, all laughing and having a drink. The closer to dinner it got Steve began to think his parents weren’t coming and he felt a little relieved but also a little disappointed. He so badly wanted them to see his life and see how well he did for himself. He thought it was a little sad that the disappointment felt familiar, but he was used to it. The thought had just left him when the doorbell rang. He took a deep breath and went to answer.
Eliza looked at the large building in front of them. It was definitely more modern and towered over them. It was very sleek and sophisticated looking, the kind of building Eliza would have loved to live in. She had enjoyed her time in the city, she had gone shopping and seen several museums. She and John were going to a Broadway show on Saturday and Sunday they had dinner reservations. She just wanted to get through this dinner tonight, John’s business functions usually bored her. She hoped they’d make a good impression, hoped that maybe this would lead to a promotion and a move so she could finally live the life she wanted.
They made their way to the 12th floor and to the apartment William had given them. The hallways resembled a luxury hotel, with sconces on the walls, various plants, and large windows outside the elevators that looked out at the city. There were only two apartments on the floor, each taking half the floor, so Eliza knew the apartment must be large. She dreamed of the day she could live in a place like this. As she stood outside the door she was excited to see the inside of the apartment.
John rang the bell and a few moments later he was met by a set of brown eyes he never thought he would see again. Eliza looked up and gasped as she looked into the face of her son. He looked well, he was still a lovely boy, she’d always thought he was. He looked much less startled to see them, she only hoped he wouldn’t bring up the past, hoped he’d grown up enough to know when and where to have a conversation.
“John, Eliza, won’t you come in. Billy, I’m sorry, William mentioned you were coming.” He moved aside and gestured for them to enter. He took their coats and handed them off to a uniformed man stationed by their offices.
Eliza was taken aback to have her son addressing her by her name, John looked like he wanted to scold their son. He managed to hold his tongue and followed Steve into the home. As they walked through the halls Eliza looked at the photos on the walls. She saw vacation photos and photos of the kids’ Steve used to shuttle around. Their wedding photos were on the wall, Eliza recognized Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers in one, looking proudly at the boys. They couldn’t have been older than 21 in the pictures. What took her by surprise were the photos of two young boys, they looked to be close in age, one resembled Billy ant the other was clearly Steve’s, he had the same eyes.
She turned her attention back to Steve who was directing his father toward the bar set up. He motioned for one of the waiters to come over and offered Eliza some food. Once they were set he excused himself to go check on the dinner. Eliza took the chance to take in the apartment, while it was not her style it was still immaculate. It looked comfortable and lived in. There was life in the decor. She could see into one of the rooms, it was clearly a playroom, toys in bins, an art table, brightly colored walls. It hit her then, her son had a family, he was a father and she had a grandchild.
She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, as Steve had announced that dinner was ready and began to move them to the dining area. This dinner was much different than she was used to. There was no talk of business, no talk of money. They spoke of mundane topics such as their children and families and what was happening in their lives outside work. She hadn’t realized how snobbish their dinner conversations were, til now. During the dinners at their home, it was all business talk and competition over whose numbers were better. Billy’s colleagues seemed to be genuinely interested in Steve’s work, whereas John’s would’ve found it beneath them. And Steve was proud of what he was doing. She listened intently as he answered a question.
“It’s amazing what can happen when you identify a child’s strengths and impairments. You can teach them how to work with them. A little encouragement also goes a long way. “ Eliza didn’t miss the pointed look Steve gave her and John.
“Do your children have any issues?” someone asked.
“No, both boys are coming right along in their development. I was a little worried about James, but he didn’t seem to inherit anything other than my looks.” Steve grinned.
“They’re both in kindergarten right?” Mrs. Johnson asked
“James is in first grade, Christopher is in kindergarten,” Billy answered.
“Where are they tonight, I’m used to seeing them run in every so often.” Mr. Johnson asked
“They’re with Julie for the weekend. “ Steve answered.
“Who is Julie?” Eliza piped up
“Their mother, she was our surrogate and donor. We wanted them to have at least one parent in common.” Eliza nodded at Steve.
The conversation drifted to other topics and Eliza watched as her son drifted into comfortable chatter. He radiated warmth and confidence she doesn’t remember him having. He had always seemed small and timid in their presence. He moved around their home and avoided them, trying not to be seen. She really didn’t know who this person was. The child she remembered had grown up and she realized he’d done it without their help.
Dinner had finished and a people had begun to trickle out, small desert boxes in their hands. She listened as someone excitedly raved about Steve’s baking, happy to have received the treats. She wandered the living room as a few people mingled about, having an after-dinner cocktail. She sat next to John, waiting for him to finish his drink, she overheard Mr.Johnson and Billy’s conversation.
“You and Steve are still coming up to the Hamptons next weekend aren’t you?”
“That’s the plan, the boys are looking forward to being on the boat.”
“We’ll make sailors out of them yet. I should collect the missus, this old man’s got to get home. You enjoy your weekend son”
Eliza had to admit she was jealous, while she was going to back in Indiana Steve would be enjoying a weekend sailing in the Hamptons. She was surprised to learn that their kids were going. When Steve was a child she wasn’t able to enjoy her time when he was around. He wasn’t any worse than any other kid, but like all children he required attention. She had wanted to be able to focus on her good time. The more she learned about Steve’s life, the more she realized they were completely opposite. Somewhere along the line, he’d learned how to have a family.
The night had come to an end and Steve saw them out, sending them on their way with their dessert boxes. He was polite and kind to them, but as they left and he referred to them by their names, Eliza felt a pang of sadness. Her son was living the life she had wanted. He had a career he loved, beautiful children, a partner who loved and respected him, and a gorgeous home. He managed this on his own and she’d missed it. He was living a beautiful life and she realized, she would have liked to have known him.