Family Meeting.

[prodigalflame]

It was well past time. Ellen Allerdyce been sitting in her car for twenty minutes, considering how and what to say. War gaming various approaches was simply another delay, and she'd never thought of herself as a shrinking violet. So she fixed her hair in the small rear view mirror, checked her jacket, and ensured everything was as good as it could be. A woman's wardrobe was her armour. While the clothes were perhaps a few years (more than a few) out of fashion (much like the family car, a small hatchback), they were clean and in good condition. She may have looked a bit old-fashioned perhaps, a bit too perfect, but she had been an Avon saleswoman. She'd done a lot of things for her family. And she could make this sale.

So, taking a breath, she keyed the motor off, got out of the car, locked it, and marched up the small pathway to knock at the door.

Comments

[prodigalflame]

"Love often isn't enough to build a life around, I agree," Ellen said, with a cool regard. From the looks of the house, Ellen thought that it wasn't entirely clear what the Drakes were build around: everything was just a little too picture perfect, in her opinion. Still, she knew exactly what sort of woman Madeline Drake was, and wasn't about to back down now. "But I try not to judge my son's taste in partners, however they may disappoint me. Still, if it's over, then there's nothing for me to meddle in, is there? I can easily speak to Bobby and be on my way."

[cold_blueeyes]

Madeline's eyebrow rose. She was liking this woman less and less, and bristled that she'd had the nerve to show up here, now, and on top of that to throw a backhanded insult at Bobby, the very person she was demanding to see. If she talked like this to a perfect stranger, what on earth would she say to him? She shook her head and opened her mouth to flat-out refuse the request, unwilling to risk Bobby's well-being taking a step back now that he was actually doing better, but before she could get a word out, she heard the rhythmic thumping of someone descending the stairs and her heart sank.

She moved toward the stairs as if to form a protective barrier as Bobby descended in a t-shirt and sweatpants, hesitating a few steps from the bottom with a brief grimace when he realized he was hardly dressed for company. "Sorry, I didn't know we had--" the words died in his mouth as he stared at the woman standing in the living room, her face familiar despite having never met her in person. "Mrs. Allerdyce?" he said, confusion and a little dread in his tone. Immediately, the words almost tripping over each other as he clung to the banister, he added, "Is John okay?"

[prodigalflame]

Is John okay? Ellen suppressed a brief moment of triumph on hearing those words: from everything she'd been told about Robert Drake, and their scant conversations, she had developed a fairly detailed mental picture of just the sort of good young man whose instincts were to help and care, and whose affections were not shaken easily. If her quest had been a fool's errand, if he was driven more by hurt and anger, then that would have been his first, telling reaction.

She moved closer to the stairs, fixing her eyes on Bobby, and all but ignoring his mother, lips forming a reassuring smile. Nothing too eager, nothing too pleased. "Oh, he's fine, he's being a mopey little grump. But you're probably used to that more than I am," she gave a little chuckle, inviting him into her confidence. "And please, Bobby - call me Ellen. Now," and she glanced over at Madeline, somewhat significantly, before looking back at Bobby, "could I have a few words?"

[cold_blueeyes]

Bobby's grip on the banister relaxed a little as he was reassured that John was all right, although really, that just brought up more questions than it did answers. If John was fine, why was his mother here in their house?

At her request, he frowned and glanced at his mom as if seeking permission--or perhaps reassurance. "As I was just saying, I don't think that's a good idea," Madeline stated firmly, reaching up to pat Bobby's hand gently. He gave a small shrug, clearly not about to go against his mother's counsel at the moment.

[prodigalflame]

"God, you can sit in the room if you want and check to make sure I'm not upsetting your son," Ellen exclaimed, finally having lost her patience. "But I didn't drive from Pennsylvania to not say my piece."

Sighing, she turned her attention back to Bobby: "My son is an idiot, Bobby. He misses you terribly. I understand you were not well and Sinjin couldn't cope. He's under the mistaken impression you will get back in touch with him when you're better and all will be well, but I rather think he has no real idea what to do."

[cold_blueeyes]

Madeline made an irritated noise, but short of throwing the woman out of her home by force, there wasn't much she could do besides remain at her son's side, offering her support, so she just kept her hand covering Bobby's on the railing.

Bobby blinked a few times as he tried to take in what John's mother was saying. "He...what?" A strange mix of hope and anger thrilled through him at her words. "Why--why would he think that?"

Madeline saw the spark of hope in Bobby's eyes and looked away, her own stomach knotting uncomfortably as she realized that her hopes for Bobby eventually moving on from this whole mess and settling down with a nice young woman were withering right in front of her eyes with every word Ellen spoke.

[prodigalflame]

"Oh, why does Sinjin think anything?" Ellen dryly wondered to herself, before taking a breath to forestall her own indignation and frustration at the situation she'd been placed in. "To put it simply, Bobby, he loves you. He's loved you since he was 16. He's convinced himself that you'll recover and let him know, because he can't abide the idea you might not come back to him." She wasn't exactly impressed with her son's deluded star-crossed lovers routine herself, but it did seem to make him happy.

"As I realised you're not actually telepathic, I thought you might appreciate knowing that he's waiting for you. And he'll probably wait his entire life."

[cold_blueeyes]

Madeline sighed and pulled her hand away from Bobby, wishing she'd never opened the damn door. Although she hoped that Ellen's words were true, for she hated to think what effect it might have on Bobby if he found out she was mistaken, after getting his hopes up once again.

"I'll make some tea," she said, resigned and retreating towards the kitchen.

Bobby felt like just sinking onto the stairs, but he forced himself to walk down them instead, waving a hand at the couches and chairs in the living room in invitation as he sank down into one himself. "But he dumped me," he said quietly, confused and fighting desperately not to get his hopes up too high before he understood the full situation. It wasn't working as well as he would have liked. "If he wanted me to come back, why'd he dump me?"

[prodigalflame]

"Thank you," Ellen said quietly. She could afford to be magnanimous, and frankly, didn't bear the other woman any ill will.

She let Bobby go first, considering her words. Certainly while he didn't appear abject, there was still an understandable frailty and confusion to him. This was not the happy-go-lucky young man her son had spoken of across the years. Sinking down into the chair nearest his, she sat so her body language was entirely attuned to the man who might become her son-in-law. "I honestly don't think he realised that was what he was doing. He seems to think he was giving the both of you a break, and trusting that things would resolve themselves. At this point, it's just become an article of faith." She shrugged. "When he talks to me or to his sister, he mentions how you'll probably be back for Christmas. I don't think he honestly thinks you will, deep down, but he doesn't know what else to do, Bobby. He has to believe."

[cold_blueeyes]

Bobby closed his eyes and scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the stubble that a few days of not shaving had left. The image of John, patiently waiting for Bobby to reach out to him when he was better, twisted his stomach, with guilt, with resentment, with pain at the thought that he had caused John to suffer by not interpreting what had transpired between them the same way John had.

He stared at his knees, considering her words for a long moment, and then murmured quietly, "I guess I should call him then." The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating.

[prodigalflame]

There were no tears, no anger: just acceptance, and a graciousness that touched her despite herself. Maybe this boy was good for Sinjin, her driven, cynical boy.

"Do you - do you still have his number?" She questioned, before trying to reassure. "There's no urgency. You can definitely take your time. Just not too much time," she added, with a wry, slightly eye-rolling twitch of her lips that Bobby might have recognised from her son.

[cold_blueeyes]

"If he hasn't changed it, yeah, I'm sure I do." Okay, he might not have John's cell phone number anymore: deleting his contact from his phone had been a step toward accepting that it was over, but he at least knew his mom had the house phone number written down somewhere. "And no, I--I won't make him wait long. I just need to..." he ran his fingers restlessly through his hair, exhaling heavily before continuing, "To figure some stuff out first. This is kind of a lot to process, you know?" He smiled faintly and leaned toward her, his eyes suddenly shining with threatening tears as he added, "Thank you. Thank you for coming here, and telling me."

[prodigalflame]

A lot to process. That was probably an understatement. At the same time, what she felt for the young man was tinged with a slight sense of amusement, until the tears glimmered and she knew, really knew, that nothing she or Madeline could have done would likely have stopped this.

It made it easier to deal with.

"Oh," she said, waving off his gratitude, "it was nothing. Despite what John's told you about me - and I have no doubt it's all true, I do love my son. I want to see him happy. You," she paused, because some of the old doubts flooded back now, in that nice quiet middle class house, with this nice quiet middle class boy, "made him happy." She settled her hands in her lap and hoped she hadn't done a very stupid thing.