[Reviews - 4]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 2538 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 6 – Grandma

A/N – I know very little about England, I’ve only been their once and spent my time doing touristy stuff. Please excuse any incorrect information from this point forward due to my lack of knowledge of the country and culture. Thanks!


“My Grandmother?” asked a shocked Buffy.

“Oh Lizzy dear, I am so happy to see you.” Cried Lilah with tears in her eyes. She went over to Buffy and hugged her. Buffy stood there stiffly.

“Lady Lilah, she doesn’t go by Lizzy anymore – we call her Buffy,” said Joyce.

“When did I ever go by Lizzy?” Buffy looked at Joyce, trying to figure out what was going on. She was so confused.

“I’m so sorry, it’s just in England it was Lizzy – all these years I’ve just been thinking of my little Lizzy.” apologized Lilah as she stood hugging Buffy tightly. She started to run her hand over Buffy’s hair. “Buffy dear, your hair is all rumpled? You smell like you’ve been at a pub! What have you been doing? Joyce, where has she been all night?” Lilah looked disapprovingly at Joyce. Joyce gave her a weak smile, but didn’t know how to respond. She was a little bit shocked at Buffy’s appearance as well.

Buffy pulled out of the embrace and stood their mortified. She could not believe this was happening to her. She finally meets her grandmother and her hairs a mess and she smells. She looked over at Ethan and he gave her a smile. He looked very tired.

“So why the visit now?” Buffy asked coolly. She had a lot of pent up rage about her father and his family. “Where’s my father? Why didn’t he come visit me?”

At this Lilah burst into tears. Ethan rushed over to comfort her.

“Buffy dear,” Joyce came over to her, “your father has passed away. There was a car accident. That’s why Ethan and Lady Lilah are here. They wanted to tell us the news in person.” Joyce had tears in her eyes as she said this. It tore her up how Rupert had died. In the back of her mind she had always hoped that one day he would stop drinking and would have some type of relationship with Buffy.

Buffy sat down in a chair. This was just too much at once. Her father was dead and now she would never get the chance to know him. To tell him how upset she was at the way he abandoned her. To find out what he was like, what his voice sounded like or his laugh. She would never know if he was proud of her. And here was a grandmother she never met, sitting in here calling her Lizzie, as Buffy sat all smelly and hung over.

“So are we going to England for the funeral,” Buffy asked, looking over at Joyce.

“Buffy dear, the funeral happened three days ago. The family wanted it over and done with.” Ethan explained.

“Why didn’t you call us? Didn’t you think we had the right to say goodbye?” Joyce asked with tears in her eyes.

Lilah looked coolly at Joyce. “Well since their had me no efforts made by either party to reconcile up until this point, I saw no point in delaying the funeral. Besides, the car wreck was quite severe and the body could not be shown for viewing.”

At this, Buffy burst into tears. “I’m sorry, I can’t take all this right now.” Buffy ran up the stairs to her room.

Joyce looked at Lady Lilah and Ethan apologetically. “I’m sorry, but you must realize what a shock this is to her. We really haven’t talked that much about her father or England, so you can imagine what a surprise this is to her. Why don’t you two go back to your hotel? I’ll talk to Buffy and we will come there and talk with you later this afternoon.”

Lilah started to protest, but Ethan interrupted her. “Yes Joyce, I think that would be best. The girl did look quite shocked. We are staying in the Presidential Suite at the Sheraton downtown. Why don’t you and Buffy come around 4? We’ll have tea and talk.”

Joyce nodded and agreement and escorted Lady Lilah and Ethan to the door. She then went upstairs to talk to her daughter. Buffy was in the shower when Joyce got upstairs. She sat down on Buffy’s bed and waited for her.

When Buffy came out of the bathroom, Joyce stood up and hugged her. “Buffy, I’m so sorry about how things went today with your grandmother. You must understand that she is very upset; not only about your father’s death, but also about how I never returned to England or invited her here. I have so many regrets now. I should have never kept you from your father, no matter how upset I was with him. Buffy, please forgive me.” Joyce burst into tears.

“Mom, of course I forgive you! I understand why you did what you did. I can’t stand her and say that I’m not sorry I never met my father, but what’s done is done. You gave me a great life here in Sunnydale.” Buffy handed some Kleenex to Joyce.

Joyce dabbed her eyes. “Buffy, before you came home this morning, Lady Giles, Ethan and I had a long talk. They are not only here to tell us about your father. They are here to take you back to England with them.”

“What!”

“Buffy, your fathers family is very wealthy, and they… well you too, are distantly related to the royal family. Lady Giles not only hold her deceased husbands title, but she is a second cousin of the queen. Due to your fathers death, you stand to inherit a large some of money, as well as a title.”

Buffy sat down on the edge of her bed. Stunned was not a strong enough word to describe what she was feeling. “Mom, I need some time alone. I have to think about this. It’s just too much all at once.”

Joyce patted Buffy’s shoulder. “I understand honey. You take some time and relax. I told Ethan and Lady Giles we would meet them at their hotel this afternoon for tea to talk about things.” Joyce left the room, and went into her own bedroom. She needed some time to think too. She opened up the trunk at the foot of her bed and started leafing through old photo albums of her and Rupert. They had looked so happy, and now he was gone. Tears flowed at the memories. She had never been able to be with another man since him and now she was sure she never would. She had been so foolish all these years, denying her love for him. Letting him destroy his life because she couldn’t forgive him. She should have stayed in England. She wasn’t going to make another life altering mistake. She was going to make sure Buffy went to England and got to know her family.





You must login (register) to review.