Finding Home Pt. 17-18

When they got back to the house, Judge Carlson pulled him aside. "Andrew, Heather Benson stopped by this afternoon. She left a box of things for you. I put them in the study, just in case," he raised his eyebrows as he said this.

"Thanks grandpa," he said smiling.

Sara had already gone upstairs to their room, so Andy went up after her. She was laying out her clothing for tonight, and looking radiant. He stepped into the door and leaned against the doorframe, carefully considering his fiancé. After a bit, he spoke.

"Heather Benson stopped by and dropped off a box of stuff. I have no earthly idea what's in it," he grinned. "If you would be so kind, we should probably go through it together."

The walked arm in arm downstairs to the study, and Andy saw a cardboard box with the words 'Drew Stuff' written on the side. He walked over to it, and let out a long breath. "OK, here goes Pandora's box," he said nervously.

Inside were numerous Groton hockey t-shirts and sweatshirts. Sara held up one and giggled. "I guess I'm not the first hottie to sit in a freezing ice rink wearing 'DeGroat 51' on my back," she smiled at him teasingly.

"No, Bellissima. But you will be the last," he smiled at her.

As they continued deeper into the box, they found his USA Junior Worlds sweater. It was the white away jersey, and he smiled when he saw it. "I had no idea where that thing had gotten to," he said appreciatively. They also found his silver medal from that tournament. "How 'High School Harry' is this? I gave her this when I told her I loved her for the first time. We'd just gotten back from Germany, and we hadn't seen one another for 3 weeks." He smiled as he remembered their reunion.

At the very bottom of the box were a series of cringe-worthy pictures -- at least as far as Andy was concerned. Their prom pictures from their junior and senior years were there, as well as a photo of Drew and Heather kissing at a party with the state championship trophy on their laps. Sara giggled, and Andy grew increasingly uneasy.

"Sara, I'm sorry. I should not have asked you to come down here," he said nervously.

She went and hugged him. "Baby, it's OK. When you were being Captain Drew the Groton hockey stud, I was an awkward 13-year-old who had never heard of Colton College, The Groton School, or Andy DeGroat. I've got some old soccer stuff in the basement of the apartment, but none with my high school boyfriend. 'Sara from the block' didn't rate that kind of treatment," she giggled.

Just then, Eden and Kail walked past the door. "What up my bitches?" asked Kail as she stuck her head in the door. Sara giggled, and asked them both to come in. She gleefully showed them Andy's prom pictures, and he was the butt of good-natured ribbing from their friends. Eden held up one of the t-shirts. "Wow, she wasn't very big. No way she could be a Misfit," she mused. "Andy, did you used to date midget dwarf women?" she asked him teasingly.

Sara giggled, "Andy's worried that he should not have asked me down here to see this stuff. His old girlfriend -- the one I told you about from last night -- dropped it off today."

"So, the high school version of Kisses kept all this stuff?" asked Kail.

Andy nodded. "There's a couple of things I'm glad to have back, but she could have pitched most of this."

"She probably didn't want her current boyfriend to see her going through the box," said Eden. "She had a whole box of heartbreak and didn't know what to do with it."

"Well, you did get to see 17-year-old Andy in his prom tuxedo!" said Sara giggling.

Andy retreated to his room while the three continued to look through the box. On his way out the door, he paused and asked, "Are the two of you set for dinner? I'm sure we can add you if you like," he asked Kail and Eden.

"No joy, Dreamy. We've got nada to wear at some swanky Boston steak house, and besides, Priya and Juliette invited us to have dinner with the four of them," explained Kail.

Eden went to him and kissed him on the cheek. "We're fine, Captain," she smiled. "Thanks for thinking of us."

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"Judge Carlson, welcome back. It's always a pleasure to see you and your beautiful family," smiled the Maître D. He led the party of 9 to their table at Abe and Louie's. Try as she might, Sara could not get used to the Secret Service entourage that had to accompany them given Aunt Jane's presence.

As they walked back, Andy squeezed her hand and smiled at her. She felt so special to be with him -- to be seen with her man and his family out in public. She was dressed very conservatively this evening; Ellen had given her a heads up on that front. But she still giggled when Andy looked at her appreciatively when she came down the stairs. He had ditched his gray suit for a navy one, and she could not believe how good he looked. The cut of this particular suit highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Plus, the navy set off his eyes in a way she found irresistible. She had never had to pay attention to men's clothing sizes, but with Ellen's tutelage, she knew Andy wore a 46 long in a jacket. More impressively, she learned, the drop from his suit coat to his suit trousers was 12 inches.

Andy held her chair out for her, and received a kiss on the cheek for his trouble. He then turned and did the same for his Aunt Jane. She too kissed him on the cheek. Jane leaned to Sara and whispered, "Sara, I can't get over how lovely the two of you look together. You're absolutely striking as a couple. To be honest, I can't wait to see your children."

Sara smiled at her, "I can't wait to see them either. Two of the wives of Andy's high school friends are pregnant. Between the two of them and Jessica, I've got baby fever pretty badly right now," she admitted.

"Well, there's no need to rush. Besides, you've got five years of school left," she said lovingly.

"Maybe," she said. "I think that's one of the things we want to pick your brains about tonight. I may not be going to law school right away."

"Well, I look forward to it," smiled Jane. "And, before I forget -- I want to do this quietly, dear." She slipped her an envelope. "You and Andrew can open that when you get home. It's your birthday gift. He'll need to explain some of it, I'm afraid."

"Thank you," said Sara. "And please, being here with Andy's family is more than enough. In fact, that's what I told him I wanted for my birthday. Just family together for dinner."

"Well then, I'm honored to be included in your birthday dinner," Jane said warmly.

They had no more been seated then the Maître D came and embarrassingly asked them to come with him. They went to a private room to be greeting by a grinning, and very apologetic Uncle Hank.

"Happy birthday young lady!" boomed Hank. "Please forgive the subterfuge. The Secret Service detail usually likes a bit more lead time than I gave them." He kissed her cheek and whispered, "I'm not officially here."

Andy smiled when he saw the name of their new dining location: The Board Room.

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Once they were seated and dinner had been ordered, Andy nodded to Jessica, and she broached the topic of their breakfast conversation.

"We know about the family business," said Jessica, looking kindly at Helen and Jane. "And we want to thank you for not telling us before now. It would have been hard as a 20-year-old being put through her paces by Robert George to know I could have just opted out because I didn't really need to work," she smiled. "Driving a 10-year-old Volvo was a good experience for me, even when I complained about it when my friends drove sports cars. We all thank you for that."

"We're also glad that you've asked Drew to manage the financial side of things. Alex, Ellen, Christopher, and I have talked, and for what it's worth -- we think he's the only one of us who could do the work well. He's got the mind and the temperament."

All four of the elder folks at the table nodded. Ellen took up the stream next.

"We had an interesting talk at breakfast this morning. Since all of us are going to settle here in Boston, and since one of us in pregnant and two of us are dying to be," she grinned as she said this, "we were talking about where in town we will live, and what our next steps would be. Sara has a wonderful idea -- or at least we think so -- but we want your input on it." She turned to Sara, "Would you care to explain the rest?"

Sara smiled -- and felt the reassuring pressure of Andy putting his arm around her. She looked at him, and he nodded lovingly to her.

"Juliette Broquard is expecting as well. She's due in January of next year. Their plan -- ultimately -- is for Andre to try to sign with Boston. They want to live here. But for now, she's a special education teacher, and she's found how beneficial it is for those kids to have access to educational experiences outside their school," Sara paused and took a drink of her wine.

"They plan to homeschool their kids. They want the freedom to travel as a family. Both Andre and Juliette are exceptionally bright, and they're worried that given their father's fame and their innate giftedness, the public schools would not be a good fit. Plus, if Andre stays in Montreal, the kids won't have to switch schools when they come back to Boston after the season."

The Judge nodded knowingly; he began to smile as he put together where this conversation was going.

"We think we want to homeschool our kids, as well. But we want to do it communally. By that I mean, Alex and I would handle the basics, but we'd plan for each individual kid and what they're gifted at. None of us had great school experiences, and we really want our kids to be who they are and not have to apologize for being gifted. We're also worried about the money side of it. We'd all crawl up and die if any of our kids gave off a spoiled, rich kid vibe -- and any kind of school -- public or private -- develops a pecking order quickly. We'd like to avoid that."

The Judge sat forward and raised his hand off the table, but only a bit. Sara saw this and said, "Yes, Grandpa Ralph?"

"So, let me get this straight: you want your obviously gifted future children to have an environment where they can excel, surrounded by their cousins and siblings, taught by their parents, aunts, and uncles?"

"Yes," said Sara smiling. "We also want them to be fluent in the three languages that are spoken around this table. Alex, Jessica, and Andy know Russian. My French is pretty good. If we can start them early, they would have a great foundation for all three. Plus, they can skate, paint, draw, sing -- do all the things that most schools really don't do anymore because of either budget or time."

"If I may," said Christopher apologetically, "there's another more personal side to this. I got pigeonholed because of the things I was good at, and had an interest in. We don't want our kids to have the same experience. If our girls are excellent hockey players, we don't want people jumping to conclusions about their sexual orientation because they're excellent athletes. Nor do we want the boys being judged because they can draw, or sing," he paused.

"On top of that, I was bored half the time I was in school. It wasn't until I got to Stanford, and I got into my major requirements that I felt like I'd found something that was worth giving my full time and effort to. Our kids will probably be very gifted. We want them to know that's OK, and we expect them to use, and pursue, that giftedness. We just don't think that public, or even private, schools are a good place to get them started. Andy said it well this morning, we want them knowing it's OK to eat lightning and crap thunder."

The table laughed.

Sara turned to Jane and said, "This is why I may be putting law school off for a while. Andy and I have talked, and I think I'm going to change my major to education and French."

Hank Donovan spoke next, "Sara, I personally would advise against that. You'd get indoctrinated into the very thing you've trying to avoid. If you could go French and the Classics?" He smiled broadly. "Now we're talking."

"Is there still a Classics major at Colton?" asked Jessica.

"Not really, but technically, that's my major," answered Andy. "In fact, Dr. Adams is my advisor. It's more of a British model that she and I have worked out. I'll read, write, and have weekly tutorials with her. Though, I may change to finance."

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" asked the Judge. "I'd say we'd get up, but having Hank leave the room would cause a riot. Maybe the six of you could go to the bar for a few minutes? I love this idea, but I'd like a chance for us gray hairs to discuss it," he said smiling.

"Sure," said Jessica.

"Before we go, there's one thing Sara and I have talked about that I'd like to add to the conversation," said Andy. Everyone nodded.

"We talked about the end goal of this educational experience. It's not just so that our kids will be uber-educated, or kick ass athletes, or so they can let everyone know they're the smartest kid in the room in three languages. We're also not just grooming them to be able to add to the already impressive pile of cash the family currently possesses. The goal would be for them to use their gifts and abilities for the common good. People who aren't as gifted, or fortunate as they are should not feel intimated by our kids -- they should feel empowered and protected. If Boston -- or wherever they end up -- is not a better place to live because they're living there, then we've failed in this endeavor."

Hank nodded approvingly at Andy, and the six exited the room.

_________________________________________________________

15 minutes later, Jane texted them to come back.

The Judge spoke first, "We think this is an amazing idea -- for lots of reasons. To that end, we have two recommendations -- and please know -- they're just that. First, our advice would be that Sara and Andy both go the Classics route -- with Andy doubling up in finance, and Sara in French. Education majors learn to teach to a test. You're teaching your kids with a much more noble goal in mind. We'd also recommend a course of reading for Alex." He turned to him and said, "Helen and I would love to serve as your tutors on that end, son."

Alex nodded. "It would be my great pleasure to be tutored by the two of you. Thank you."

"Here's our second recommendation," said Jane. "We think you should reach out to your friends and see if they have a common interest. Put your expectations and curriculum in writing. You may even want to invite their input. My guess would be that the Broquard's, O'Leary's and Jacobs' families might want to join you. There may even be others. There are classical schools that have one day of classroom instruction, alongside four days of in-home instruction. This way, when you send them to Groton, or Boston Arts, or wherever you ultimately send them, they're not the only kids with this kind of educational experience. Plus," she grinned madly as she said this, "your lovely children will eventually need spouses. Might as well cultivate a pool of possible matches."

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At 9 PM that night, the family gathered in the living room. Hank and Jane had gone back to DC, and Kail and Eden had returned from their evening out. Andy and Ellen were on stools, and Christopher was seated at the piano. Andy and Christopher began playing, and Ellen soulfully entered,

Now, here you go again

You say, you want your freedom

Well, who am I to keep you down

It's only right that you should

Play the way you feel it

But listen carefully to the sound

Of your loneliness

Andy and Christopher joined in the chorus, and their cover of Dreams was exquisite. Every time Andy played and sang it blew Sara away. How and where did this come from? These questions burned in her head as she listened, and gradually the questions would float away, leaving only the enjoyment of hearing her man sing with his sister and her fiancé. All too soon, the song was over. She looked up, and saw Andy grinning at her.

"For this next, and last, song of the evening, we need some help. We've already heard from the lovely Miss Sunderland," said Christopher as he moved from the piano and pulled a cajon over to take a seat on the instrument. "Tonight, we'd like to hear from Miss Adams and Miss Jones-Easley."

Sara looked at Andy in utter horror. He knew she could sing -- but not like Ellen -- or even Kail for that matter. She looked at Eden, who was laughing, and before she knew it, she too was getting off the couch. As she walked past Andy, she whispered to him, "You are so going to make this up to me later."

Ellen had raised her microphone, and put an iPad on a music stand. There were color-coded lyrics to the song in front of them. Sara smiled when she saw the title. This, she could sing. The day a R&B aficionado from Brooklyn couldn't represent on a Justin Timberlake song would be a cold day in hell. She looked at Andy and lovingly stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled at her -- in the way that only he could do -- and she felt herself get weak-kneed, and warm between her legs. "So that was his plan," she thought. This was public foreplay. She found herself grinning, both for what he was doing, and what would come later. She shuddered involuntarily, and she caught Jessica grinning at her knowingly.

Andy began playing and took the first verse,

Aren't you something to admire, 'cause your shine is something like a mirror

And I can't help but notice, you reflect in this heart of mine

If you ever feel alone and the glare makes me hard to find

Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side

Eden took the next couple of lines,

'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul

I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go

Sara entered in, her voice showing the soul and power she felt,

Just put your hand on the glass, I'm here trying to pull you through

You just gotta be strong.

Andy started the chorus, quickly joined by Sara, Eden, and Ellen.

Sara could not help grinning madly as they sang together. She loved her man -- more desperately than she could have imagined -- and this was just another expression of that love. She had grown up with music in the house, but not like this. All too soon, this song came to an end. Sara walked to Andy and kissed him deeply.

"Thank you, baby. You keep introducing me to myself," she said tenderly.

"It's about time somebody did," he said. "You're amazing, Bellissima."

___________________________________________________________

As they were getting ready for bed, Andy got a text from John Moses. He was heading to Seattle on Sunday afternoon to try and hire a new men's crew coach. Could Jen Land and Marty ride with him back to Colton? And, if it wasn't too much trouble, could Marty crash with Andy and Cooper Hughes at the Commons until Tuesday night? Andy called him back, and they made the necessary arrangements.

Sara came out of the bathroom wearing Andy's National Team sweater. Andy looked at her sheepishly.

"Baby don't get weird on me now. I know who had this -- but this is mine now. You're mine now. We belong to one another. No cute cheerleader from high school can change that. You kick ass, and this sweater reminds me of that. You're going to blow my mind, and then we're going down to the trophy room. Jake spilled the beans. You were the MVP of that tournament, and there's a bunch of shit you haven't told me or shown me. I get it -- or at least I think I do. I know you think that's ancient history, but baby, it's your history. I'm your wife, and I want to know all that history," she smiled at him.