CHAPTER TWO

Eloise has been to Long Island multiple times since she met Stanley two years ago but this particular trip feels different. For one, they have both been very good at avoiding the discerning eyes of his family members and kept the true meaning of their relationship to themselves. As far as anyone else knew, they were just friends. Now, Eloise feels like they are finally making an announcement of both their intentions, baring their souls out for the world to see. This thought terrifies her so much that she squeezes Stanley’s hand tightly as they walked up to the front door.

“Break my fingers. That’ll get them to like you,” he says, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Eloise draws her hand back immediately. “I’m sorry. My nerves are murdering me.”

“Would you relax.” Stanley grabbed her shoulders as they stopped at the door and turned her so that they were face to face. “This may surprise you but I do not come from a family of snobbish monsters.”

“Alright.” Eloise takes in a deep breath. “Let’s do it.”

It is only after Stanley pulls the doorknob and announces their presence that Eloise lets out the breath that she has been holding. The first person to emerge is Phyllis Bradshaw. She stands at the top of the winding stairwell that leads directly to the center of what is the waiting area, tall and slender. She is wearing a long bulky beige dress and a three-cornered hat. Eloise remembers thinking that Stanley got his sharp facial features from her the first time she saw her at a party in this same house.

“Stanley,” she says as she walks down the stairs, the calmness of her voice, a smoking gun of her wealth. “You’re early. That’s unlike you.”

“Eloise made sure that we got here right on time.”

“Hmm.” She smiles as she reaches the end of the stairs and walks towards Stanley and Eloise. “I like this one already.”

“Good day, Mrs. Bradshaw,” Eloise curtsied.

“Don’t be silly, dear. Call me Phyllis. Mrs. Bradshaw is my mother-in-law and I do not want to be associated with that woman.”

Eloise raises her head to see if there are any signs the woman is joking but finds none. Instead, Phyllis has a warm inviting smile on her face. She glances at Stanley who is giving her a pointed stare as if to say ‘I told you so. My family members are nice people.’

“I hope you’re hungry, Eloise,” Phyllis says as she begins to walk away. Eloise and Stanley follow her closely. “I’ve had the kitchen prepare an entire dinner.” Slowly, Eloise can feel her mind begin to ease. Maybe this introduction to Stanley’s family will not be a nightmare after all.

Phyllis takes Stanley and Eloise to the living room where she begins to ask Eloise about work. She is fascinated to hear that she is a typist and jokes that she will begin to work for their own magazine to show loyalty. Charlotte, Stanley’s younger sister arrives while they are talking and ruffles Stanley’s head while completely ignoring Eloise. Eloise does not take this to heart; young girls can be very dismissive of strangers. The person who joins them last is James Bradshaw, a tall handsome middle-aged man, the picture of power and wealth. After Phyllis takes the time to introduce everyone, James gives Eloise a warm smile and they all move to the dining room to eat. 

“So,” Phyllis says as their food is being served. “Stanley tells me that you live in Brooklyn. Does your family live there too?”

Eloise feels as if a silence has enveloped her entire being and slowly diffuses from her until it spreads round the table and covers everyone. Even without looking up, she can feel that all eyes are on her. With every second that passes without her talking, she can feel the warmth that they used to welcome her slowly dissipate. 

It is not that Eloise has suddenly become mute; this is just a question that she had hoped would not come up. The question of her origin.

“Dear?” Phyllis says, her tone questioning.

“Yes, ma’am,” Eloise says hurriedly, still not looking up. The table setting looking more spectacular than it did when she first saw it.

“So, they live in Brooklyn?”

“No, ma’am.”

“So, where are they?”

“Not in New York,” Eloise says simply.

“That narrows it down,” Charlotte says, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Charlotte!” Stanley snaps at her and she immediately keeps quiet.

Another silence follows. Eloise cannot see their faces but she imagines that they are sharing awkward glances, wondering what could possibly be wrong. 

“Well, shall we eat?” Phyllis says after what feels like a decade of silence. It is obvious that she is trying to ease the tension of the sudden intense atmosphere. Eloise raises her head and sees that Phyllis and James have both diverted their attentions to their foods while Charlotte has a smirk on her face. Stanley is looking at her with a blank expression. Even though he does not seem to be showing any emotions, Eloise can imagine what is running through his mind; worry and apprehension. This is not the first time that the topic of where she comes from has come up. The first time, as they took a stroll in Manhattan, he had asked and she had told him she would tell him in time. She had made it seem like it was not a big deal, she just was not ready. Now, she knows that he suspects that it is a big deal and wants to find out. 

By the end of lunch, Eloise has realized her place with the family. What started off as an easy loving afternoon had taken a nosedive into hostility. Neither Phyllis nor James said another word to her throughout dinner. Stanley tried multiple times to start another conversation but his parents made it clear in their demeanor that they were uninterested in any more conversation by replying with monosyllabic words and refusing to expatiate. Charlotte on the other hand kept making Eloise move by asking her to pass the salt or asking her what she thought of the food as if pushing her towards embarrassment. Eloise made sure that she did not take the bait.

“You know, this entire afternoon would have been perfect if you had just told my mother where you come from. It really is not a big deal,” Stanley says to her. They are leaving Long Island now. He is taking her home as she tries to regain her sanity from a troubling afternoon. “Who knows? Maybe we would even be on my father’s boat right now drinking wine.”

“Well, I’m sorry that I am not fit to get on your father’s boat,” Eloise says, sounding more abrasive than she intends. 

Immediately, Stanley pulls over his car on the side of the road and faces her. She turns her head frantically, looking everywhere but at him. Behind them, she can still see the Bradshaw mansion. 

“You know that I am crazy for you, Eloise.” Stanley’s voice is low and warm. Eloise feels her resolve melt with every word. “But you must tell me where you are from. Surely, it cannot be so bad. I think that if you had told me when I asked two years ago, we would have been past it by now. So, tell me now, so that it will not be a topic next week.”

Eloise takes in a deep breath. She considers telling Stanley everything about her origin. About Blue Creek, Montana; about her mother who died when she was just a child; about her father, the local theatre director; about her best friend, Mary Lou, who she has not spoken to in years. But she cannot trust her memories for she has pushed them so far back in her mind that she does not know which parts are true and which parts are the products of her own invention.

“There’s nothing to say,” Eloise says in a cracked voice as she stares ahead. 

Stanley says nothing else after that. He just drives her home. Only when she alights his car does he tell her goodbye and Eloise cannot help but feel that that is really goodbye.