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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 16, 2007 13:37:15 GMT -5
“Hello?” It was apparent by her tone that she was crying.
“Carmelita, what happened?” Jerome asked. “Esmé just rushed out of the apartment and—”
“Oh, Jerome, isn’t it obvious? She and Nero can’t stand each other! Esmé called to apologize, and the next thing I knew they were both shouting!” Carmelita was sobbing uncontrollably now. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take before I have a nervous breakdown.”
Jerome sighed. “Nobody is going to have a nervous breakdown,” he said calmly. “Would you like me to come over?”
“No,” Carmelita replied. “That really isn’t necessary. And besides, Nero is here.” She didn’t add that he was currently in the back bedroom practicing the violin.
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Post by Jenny on Sept 16, 2007 15:45:24 GMT -5
Jerome wasn't having any of her excuses. She had never liked being comforted much--preferring when he knew her to get on with her troubles alone and figure it all out by herself. He always had wanted to help.
'I'm sure Nero and I can get along fine,' he said reassuringly. 'Come on. I'll have a chat with you both. I'm sure we can all coax Esmé into something,' he smiled.
'Oh,' she wiped her eyes. 'It isn't all her fault. Nero, stupidly, starting shouting at her first. She tried her best this time, really, but--'
'It doesn't matter,' Jerome said quietly, grabbing his coat. 'I'll be over in a minute.'
So he hung up and left the apartment, taking the elevator and ending up in the lobby of 667. Suddenly and unexpectedly he caught sight of his wife, slung across one of the chairs in the lobby with her briefcase on the floor, head in hands.
It was so typical of her to have to leave his company before she could show any emotion.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 16, 2007 18:02:07 GMT -5
“Esmé?” Jerome asked, and approached her cautiously. “Esmé, are you alright?” He sat down next to her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I thought you had gone back to work.”
She removed her head from her hands and turned to look at him, her beautiful face streaked with tears. “Carmelita hates me,” she said. “I know she does.”
“No,” Jerome said, and shook his head. “No, darling, she doesn’t. She’s just upset.” He hesitated for a moment, then continued: “I’m on my way over to her apartment now. She told me how you did your best to sort things out with Nero, but I guess he’s just as stubborn as you are.” Jerome smiled a little as he said this, hoping his wife would see a comical side to the situation. Apparently she did, for she smiled back. “You know, you do look awfully pretty when you smile.”
Esmé blushed at the comment, but did her best to distract Jerome enough to keep him from noticing. “Well,” Esmé said, “if we’re going to sort things out with our daughter and potential son-in-law, then I suppose we had better head over to their apartment now, shouldn’t we?”
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Post by Jenny on Sept 17, 2007 15:41:00 GMT -5
He nodded before he oculd stop himself, but then paused. 'Perhaps not,' he said soflty, holding on of her hands supportively. She looked up.
'Why?' she said quietly, soflty.
'Nero mightn't be so reasonable today, sweet,' he told her kindly. 'Perhaps you should leave it a few days before you make any contact with him. I'm on my way over now,' he told her, and her eyes widened. 'But perhaps I should just drive you to wrok, and tell you the outcome later.'
She sniffled and nodded a bit. 'That is, if you're up to going to work.' he said. 'If not, you go upstairs again and I'll make you some tea.'
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 17, 2007 16:52:54 GMT -5
“No,” Esmé said. “I think I had better get back to work. The distraction will be good for me. And besides,” she added, “didn’t you already tell Carmelita you were coming over?”
“Yes,” Jerome replied. “But I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I dropped you off at work.”
Esmé nodded. “Alright,” she said, and together she and Jerome left the building.
After he had dropped her off at work, he headed over to Nero and Carmelita’s place. As Jerome approached the building, he realized it looked a lot more rundown in the daylight than it did by moonlight. He rang the doorbell and stood back when he heard the door unlock from the inside. A moment later it opened and Carmelita appeared.
Her face was damp from crying and her mascara was smudged, though Jerome hardly noticed. He was more concerned about his adoptive daughter’s emotional state than by her overall appearance.
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Post by Jenny on Sept 18, 2007 12:31:07 GMT -5
He clicked his tongue and hugged her before she had even said anything at all about her situation. He could hear Nero squeaking away in the background, and almost felt like berating him for not coming to see about his young fiancée's welfare before this.
She sniffled into his shoulder. 'I don't want to lose either of them, Jerome,' she said softly. 'I couldn't bear to marry Nero if it meant I would never see Esmé, but equally I couldn't bear not to.'
'You won't have to, Carmy,' Jerome told her kindly. 'Esmé was quite upset when I found her in the lobby hiding from me.' Carmelita looked up, amazed. She remembered Esmé had done that before when they had been younger and Carmelita only a child at the time. It suprised her how little she had changed then. 'She thinks you hate her,' he said.
'I could never!' Carmelita sobbed. 'It's her that was so so cold after her conversation with Nero!'
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 18, 2007 13:03:13 GMT -5
“Yes,” Jerome admitted. “But she’s sorry, and sends her apologies. She wanted to come with me, but I told her it wouldn’t be a good idea seeing as she and Nero are so…” Jerome paused, trying to find the appropriate words. “So much alike,” he said, and smiled.
“That’s true,” Carmelita agreed, and glanced briefly over her shoulder in the direction of the sounds of her fiancée’s violin. “They’re both so stubborn.” She turned back to Jerome. “Come into the parlor. We can talk there.”
Jerome stepped into the small apartment, closing the door behind him.
He followed Carmelita down the hall and into the parlor. When they arrived, there was Nero standing with his violin, his back to them.
Carmelita cleared her throat. “Sweetie,” she said, “I hate to interrupt your recital, but we have company.”
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Post by Jenny on Sept 19, 2007 15:34:19 GMT -5
Nero looked up from his instrumental recital to see his red-eyes fiancee and Jerome Squalor behind him.
'Hello, Jerome,' he welcomed quietly, kindly. 'Would you like any tea?'
'No, I'm quite alright, thankyou,' Jerome answered. 'And I'm almost positive you must know what excatly I am here to discuss. Or who, rather.'
'It was not my fault,' Nero said instantly.
'It wasn't strictly hers, either, dear,' Carmelita interjected. Jerome rolled his eyes. Nero was going to take some talking to.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 19, 2007 16:42:13 GMT -5
“Oh,” Nero said. “So you’re siding with her now, I suppose?”
“I’m not siding with anyone,” Carmelita insisted, looking as though she were ready to cry again.
“Please,” Jerome said, shifting his eyes directly to Nero as he spoke. “Let’s not argue. I came here in the hopes that I could help you and Esmé come to some sort of agreement, but in order for me to do that you’re going to have to set aside your stubbornness and listen.”
Carmelita heard a small noise escape her throat at her adoptive father’s words. No one had ever spoken— let alone stood up —to Nero like this before, and Jerome was the last person Carmelita had ever expected would do so. Anxiously, she waited for Nero to say something.
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Post by Jenny on Sept 20, 2007 15:41:36 GMT -5
Nero paused unahppily. 'This is my house, Mr Squalor,' he told the rich man in front of him. 'And I will not be spoken to--'
'Oh, Nero, don't!' Carmy cried, almost in tears again at the prospect of her adoptive father and Nero getting into an argument as Esmé and Nero had. 'Please just listen!'
Carmelita's voice told him that this really was not the time for pride to get in the way of his apology.
'Perhaps it's bes you never apologise,' Jeorme mused. 'never speak. I'm sure we can all stay apart at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter--'
'No!' Carmelita cried, and one tear did slip from her eye. 'I won't have that! Learn to get on with her, or...' she paused and bit her lip. There was no going back. 'Learn to get on, or I will not marry you!'
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 20, 2007 16:17:47 GMT -5
It was impossible to tell who looked more shocked— Nero, who stood there gaping as if someone had just insulted his violin skills (again), or Jerome, who had inadvertently pressed the fingers of both hands to his lips.
“I love you, Nero,” Carmelita said. “But I also love my parents, and I won’t jeopardize my relationship with them for the sake of your pride.” Her voice wavered as she said this, and she found it necessary to avoid Nero’s face for fear she would burst into tears if she did so much as meet his eyes.
“So, what are you saying?” he said. “That if I don’t learn to get along with your… mother, then it’s over between us?”
Carmelita could feel a headache coming on, and she pressed her hand to her temples. “Yes,” she replied firmly, despite how much she was struggling to hold back her sobs. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
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Post by Jenny on Sept 25, 2007 14:42:53 GMT -5
Jerome dislike of arguing intervened.
'No!' he cried,more high pitched than was ever usual for him. 'No, that's not what she means. What Carmelita means to say is that if you don't get on with Esmé, she won't marry you on the date you expected. Isn't that right, Carmelita?'
Suddenly and to his surprise, Jerome noticed he was traeting his adopted daughter much like he had treated his wife in the years she had spent her time acting the petulant child every minute. He didn't think this of Carmelita, but he thought that her move was too bold for the situation to fix it.
'No, that's not what I meant at all,' Carmelita said, softer than her mother ever would have in the earlier days of their marriage. 'I meant ever Jerome and you know it.'
Nero palmed his forehead. 'What if--'
'No 'what if's',' Carmelita told him sternly. 'I won't put up with it. Get along or I won't marry you, Nero. That's your choice.'
Nero knew he didn't ahve a choice, not really. He oculdn't let a trivial matter such as his dislike of Esmé get in the way of marrying Carmelita. He would have to think of something, and fast.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 25, 2007 16:01:55 GMT -5
“Alright,” he said, and both Jerome and Carmelita turned their heads simultaneously to look at Nero. “I will do my best to get on with Esmé, but if she even dares to—”
“She won’t,” Jerome said hastily. “I can assure you of that.”
Nero smiled wryly. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Well, I have an idea. Isn’t that enough?”
Nero nodded silently. He knew there was no point in saying anything more when it revolved around his dislike for Esmé, for it would only upset Carmelita, and that was certainly the last thing he wanted to do.
“I suppose,” Nero said at last.
Carmelita sunk down into a chair, grateful that things seemed to finally be going in a better direction. She only hoped it would last.
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Post by Jenny on Sept 30, 2007 13:00:29 GMT -5
Jerome breathed out slowly. 'Perhaps you could both come to 667 for dinner one night. I'll have a proper meal made, like when you were young Carmy. How does that sound?'
Carmelita would have jumped at the offer, but instead she shakily sighed, tears welling up. 'I don't think that's such a good idea at all, actually, Jerome. We've had one bad dining experience this week.'
'It won't happen again,' he said convincingly. Then his eyebrow raised and he glanced at nero. 'Will it?' he asked sharply. Nero shook his head, saying nothing. There was simply nothing he could say of any use.
Carmelita swiped at a tear before answering. 'Alright, Jerome. But warn Esmé...that if she doesn't behave I'll never visit.'
'But you just said--'
'I know.' Carmelita replied quickly. 'It works two ways. If Nero doesn't behave, I'll leave him. If Esmé doesn't, the same rules apply.'
'What about me?' Jerome asked before he could help it. It was hardly his fault, and suddenly he was being forced out if Esmé didn't comply.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Sept 30, 2007 13:31:32 GMT -5
Carmelita offered him a weak smile. “You’re always welcome here, Jerome,” she said. “I’m sorry you’re being made to suffer on account of other people’s mistakes, but as Nero sometimes says, that is often the way of the world.”
Jerome didn’t answer, and Nero didn’t contradict his fiancée. They both knew that Carmelita was an intelligent young woman, and that when she made a decision she would stick to it. She was much like adoptive mother in that sense, often allowing her stubbornness to fuel her strength. And strength was something Carmelita was going to need a lot of if she was going to do what was necessary in order to live a healthy and prosperous life— whether it be with both her parents and fiancée by her side, or one or the other.
At last, Jerome spoke. “What if I promise to have a talk with Esmé?” he asked. “Will you and Nero come to the penthouse for dinner then?”
Carmelita turned to Nero, who was looking back at her sincerely. “Alright, Jerome,” Carmelita said. “We’ll come. But let’s play it safe and wait a week; give everyone a break from each other.”
By this, Jerome knew Carmelita actually meant ‘give Esmé and Nero a break from each other’, but Jerome wasn’t going to say so. After all, he’d had enough arguing that week alone to last him a lifetime.
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