12-04-2019, 02:48 PM
Helen's issuing Denise a Royal Commendation for taking care of the Equals household's plants and mail while they were in San Finzione had caused her admiration to blossom into hero worship. Julie should have known that as soon as she'd heard the news that Helen was in danger, Denise would call her. She answered the phone.
"Hey, Denise." She said, getting up to leave the room. "Yeah, she's ok. No, she wasn't even there. Look, it's a long story..."
Troy and Helen looked at each other. Their train of thought had been interrupted, and the moment had become silent once Julie left. Helen eventually broke it.
"So, did you hear everything Julie and I were talking about?"
"Only the louder parts." Troy replied. "I was already coming down the hall when Julie said that last thing."
"You know I wouldn't ask this on an impulse, Troy. Any more than I would expect you to answer on one. Yes, it's a recent idea; since my brush with death, so I do factor in that I might just be wrestling with fears of mortality here."
"That's not how you work, Helen. The fact that it's to the point of us talking about it, means that you've taken time out and given it serious thought. You've certainly discussed it with Maria."
Helen chuckled and replied with a smile.
"She volunteered to propose to Stavro and start getting on it the next morning. I told her no." Helen chuckled again. "All-Powerful Athiesmo, I actually forbade my great-granddaughter, the fucking PRINCESS, from marrying the man she loves! I mean, I don't remember if I used the words 'I forbid it,' but shit; time to start having intense conversations with my mirror and offering her apples!"
They laughed at that for a bit before Troy replied.
"Ok, so that's Maria's take. Julie made hers fairly clear; yours is obvious. The only reasons I can think of not to right now are that it is, indeed, a matter worthy of serious contemplation; the fact that it's a decision that affects our whole family, which includes Susan, therefore, she deserves a say; and the fact that I overheard you telling Julie that your time was last week." Troy thought for a moment. "Sorry, I can't think of a non-gross and/or weird way to ask you to keep me posted there."
Helen thought about that, too.
"I could have Maisson text you."
"Maybe having it come from your doctor might take the edge off, sure. There's still the question I asked you on the lawn, too."
"Yes, there is." Helen nodded. "That, too, is something that should wait until I can talk to Susan. I hope she's not too tired, seems a lot of people need to talk to her."
* * *
Julie was still on the phone with Denise when the cab pulled up. Mander paid while everyone else got out. Susan ran toward her front door as Velasquez led Rita into the Green house.
Troy came to the door. Susan almost didn't register it in time and would have stumbled into Troy if he hadn't noticed she wasn't slowing down and got out of her way.
"Sorry, Troy!" Susan said, coming to a stop when she saw she'd nearly plowed into him. "I just... Helen's ok?"
"Yeah," Troy said, slightly confused, as if trying to figure out how Susan would have known Helen had been in danger. "She's in the living room."
Susan ran into the room. Troy followed. She'd stopped in front of Helen, who'd stood to face her.
"So, are you all right?" Susan asked.
"Yeah." Helen responded. "But damn, what about YOU, Susan?" Julie walked in from the office hall and stood at the top of the railing. "It's Susan, right?"
Susan got a look on her face that said that she was reading volumes into Helen's simple two-word question; a look that mirrored Julie's earlier question of "How would you think to even ask that question." It was replaced a moment later by a look that said "Oh, right. My deepest secret revealed itself to you without my permission, so of course you'd know."
"Yeah. Yeah, it's Susan. It's so much to take in... I don't even know how to feel about it. I know it's not something you did; I'm pretty sure it's not something I did." She looked over at Troy and Julie. "I know they never told you about them, and you didn't know Suzy-Q existed until she came to you. Hell, I can see that Julie's confused about why I'd even tell you about Suzy-Q to begin with, just like Troy's been confused about how I knew you'd been in trouble."
"That IS something that confuses me, Susan." Troy replied. "But it's not the biggest thing. Of the many things confusing me right now, the big one would be what's confusing Julie right now."
Susan looked up at Julie. "Why are you so confused, Julie?" Julie seemed to be processing the question. Helen's eyes lit up half-a-second before Troy answered Susan.
"She's confused for the same reason that I see Helen has just caught on to. Because Julie knows French, but not Italian, so she hasn't fully understood what any of us have been saying since you came home. Helen has been replying to you in Italian, and so have I, because you've been speaking Italian since you walked in the door, Susan."
"Hey, Denise." She said, getting up to leave the room. "Yeah, she's ok. No, she wasn't even there. Look, it's a long story..."
Troy and Helen looked at each other. Their train of thought had been interrupted, and the moment had become silent once Julie left. Helen eventually broke it.
"So, did you hear everything Julie and I were talking about?"
"Only the louder parts." Troy replied. "I was already coming down the hall when Julie said that last thing."
"You know I wouldn't ask this on an impulse, Troy. Any more than I would expect you to answer on one. Yes, it's a recent idea; since my brush with death, so I do factor in that I might just be wrestling with fears of mortality here."
"That's not how you work, Helen. The fact that it's to the point of us talking about it, means that you've taken time out and given it serious thought. You've certainly discussed it with Maria."
Helen chuckled and replied with a smile.
"She volunteered to propose to Stavro and start getting on it the next morning. I told her no." Helen chuckled again. "All-Powerful Athiesmo, I actually forbade my great-granddaughter, the fucking PRINCESS, from marrying the man she loves! I mean, I don't remember if I used the words 'I forbid it,' but shit; time to start having intense conversations with my mirror and offering her apples!"
They laughed at that for a bit before Troy replied.
"Ok, so that's Maria's take. Julie made hers fairly clear; yours is obvious. The only reasons I can think of not to right now are that it is, indeed, a matter worthy of serious contemplation; the fact that it's a decision that affects our whole family, which includes Susan, therefore, she deserves a say; and the fact that I overheard you telling Julie that your time was last week." Troy thought for a moment. "Sorry, I can't think of a non-gross and/or weird way to ask you to keep me posted there."
Helen thought about that, too.
"I could have Maisson text you."
"Maybe having it come from your doctor might take the edge off, sure. There's still the question I asked you on the lawn, too."
"Yes, there is." Helen nodded. "That, too, is something that should wait until I can talk to Susan. I hope she's not too tired, seems a lot of people need to talk to her."
* * *
Julie was still on the phone with Denise when the cab pulled up. Mander paid while everyone else got out. Susan ran toward her front door as Velasquez led Rita into the Green house.
Troy came to the door. Susan almost didn't register it in time and would have stumbled into Troy if he hadn't noticed she wasn't slowing down and got out of her way.
"Sorry, Troy!" Susan said, coming to a stop when she saw she'd nearly plowed into him. "I just... Helen's ok?"
"Yeah," Troy said, slightly confused, as if trying to figure out how Susan would have known Helen had been in danger. "She's in the living room."
Susan ran into the room. Troy followed. She'd stopped in front of Helen, who'd stood to face her.
"So, are you all right?" Susan asked.
"Yeah." Helen responded. "But damn, what about YOU, Susan?" Julie walked in from the office hall and stood at the top of the railing. "It's Susan, right?"
Susan got a look on her face that said that she was reading volumes into Helen's simple two-word question; a look that mirrored Julie's earlier question of "How would you think to even ask that question." It was replaced a moment later by a look that said "Oh, right. My deepest secret revealed itself to you without my permission, so of course you'd know."
"Yeah. Yeah, it's Susan. It's so much to take in... I don't even know how to feel about it. I know it's not something you did; I'm pretty sure it's not something I did." She looked over at Troy and Julie. "I know they never told you about them, and you didn't know Suzy-Q existed until she came to you. Hell, I can see that Julie's confused about why I'd even tell you about Suzy-Q to begin with, just like Troy's been confused about how I knew you'd been in trouble."
"That IS something that confuses me, Susan." Troy replied. "But it's not the biggest thing. Of the many things confusing me right now, the big one would be what's confusing Julie right now."
Susan looked up at Julie. "Why are you so confused, Julie?" Julie seemed to be processing the question. Helen's eyes lit up half-a-second before Troy answered Susan.
"She's confused for the same reason that I see Helen has just caught on to. Because Julie knows French, but not Italian, so she hasn't fully understood what any of us have been saying since you came home. Helen has been replying to you in Italian, and so have I, because you've been speaking Italian since you walked in the door, Susan."
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