"David! Mariam!" Michael wrapped his large arms around both of his children with enthusiasm. His grandchildren came into the big hug. The small dogs headb.u.t.ted into the ma.s.s as if they wanted to be included too. As the family was catching up with each other, the Wongs were strangely given a moment of reprieve. As the family had moved back towards the house, Henry had taken off his gla.s.ses and turned to open the door for Ellie. Both of them began to unpack the trunk of the taxi. Ellie avoided making eye contact with Michael as he smiled at something his son had said. She looked up at the dreary sky and the riverfront behind the house. Ellie turned to Henry. "I can"t believe that Michael wouldn"t visit here more often. I can"t believe that he would leave Liverpool for New York. The air is so fresh here and the view is just to die for."
"It"s not to die for. I"m sure the job opportunities here are limited." Henry put his gla.s.ses in his mouth as he heaved another bag to the ground. He took the gla.s.ses back on his face as he pointed at the shabby building behind them. "The United Kingdom is going through a recession right now because of the heavy taxation from our government. You can see it all around here, they"re all suffering. My father was looking to invest in England a couple of times, but was turned off by the people. They have laws that prioritize their own people over outsiders. I mean no offense as I know as a dual citizen and a member of the n.o.bility you enjoy those privileges as well. Michael was dest.i.tute as a veteran suffering from PTSD when my father found them. I know he raised his sons on the money that my father gave him for salary. They were quick to find their way in the world when they became adults."
Ellie gritted her teeth. "I"m glad that Michael"s sons have done well for themselves. I often forget that Michael is on your payroll. He"s like family. That makes me feel like I don"t appreciate him enough. Now that I have my inheritance, I feel guilty that I have more than I need."
Henry shrugged. "Your family worked hard for many generations to give you what you have. It"s true that you didn"t earn it yourself, but you shouldn"t be ashamed of enjoying what was left to you. You"re not showing it off. You"ve always been generous with your time and money. I have looked into your charitable endeavors and I have no doubt that you are very apt to give back." The way that Henry had a steadfast trust that she would be a very giving person in the future made Ellie"s stomach flutter in a strange way. She liked when he looked at her like that. It made her flush to think that Henry could admire her so much.
As the dogs began to wine down, Michael turned back and extended his arm out to the duo. The whole family turned to Ellie and Henry who were frozen now that they had attention. Michael"s wife, Kelsey, looked at them fondly before gesturing to them. "I hope you won"t mind taking a bit of a break with us. I know you"re both raised American, but maybe we could give you a bit of our English hospitality. Would you be obliged to have tea with us, your graces?"
Henry put his hand on Ellie"s back naturally, "I think we would really enjoy that."
The taste of the food was nothing special, but it was sitting in a table surrounded by too many people -- all of Michael"s children and family who were so happy that the energy was infections. Ellie and Henry couldn"t help the smiles that stayed alight on their faces. The tea was distributed with a generous slice of bread pudding and Bedfordshire clanger. Even though there wasn"t much flavor in each, they were hearty as they were obvious made with a lot of care. As Michael sat flanked by his descendents on either side, he seemed at last finally completely at ease. He had his practiced smiles that he gave to rea.s.sure Ellie, but here Ellie learned that he did have a secret smile that he shared only with those he loved.
As she made her way around the table, eating things that she was unfamiliar with, Ellie couldn"t help looking around the small living room. It was cluttered, the daisy wallpaper was incredibly pleasant, but it was peeling in many places or covered in children"s imaginative crayon drawings. It was charming and homey as Ellie could see Henry had one of Michael"s granddaughter"s on his knee as she was trying everything on his plate. Her little ankle socks had lace tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs that matched the white lace on her bluebell dress. Opposite of the enormous bay windows was a large grandfather clock that had so much dust that she wondered if it has worked at all in the last decade. The china cabinet next to it had plates from all around the world, which seemed to also hold oddities from Michael"s time in asia. There was a little statue of liberty that looked quite worn and seemed to hold the place of pride in the cabinet. Ellie was reminded of the house she had grown up in and wondered if she had the opportunity she would like to see Henry adapt to living middle cla.s.s. It was funny to think of the serious man trying to understand how a vacuum would work. Henry would be the idiot who read the whole manual and understood only that it would be more economical for someone to do it for him. He was such a businessman.
After the food had been consumed it became darker outside and Michael had nodded at Henry. Kelsey had decided that she would say with her son while Michael moved forward to travel with his charged. Michael"s son had shaken hands with Henry and thanked him over and over again for giving his father a job in his advancing years. Henry had tried to be cordial about it, but in truth he felt incredibly awkward. He was not really paying Michael all that well and here was Michael"s son thanking him.