Life, Liberty, and Pursuit

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  She sighed. She guessed it was a compliment that she was the real prize, but it only left her sad. It seemed selfish, in a way, to want to continue to be his friend. It would be easier for him if he forgot about her and started a new life at Princeton. He deserved to be happy, and she was determined to find a way to make that happen.

  “Have you thought any more about a major?” she asked conversationally.

  He looked at her as if to say So, we’re going to talk, huh? With an exaggerated sigh, he said, “As a matter of fact, I have been doing a lot of thinking this summer …”

  They talked for a while about majors and classes and what waited for them at Princeton. He wanted to study public policy, which surprised her. She told him about maybe wanting to teach, but that she wasn’t sure yet. Their conversation carried them into Missouri, and they didn’t quite make it to Illinois before they had to stop for the night. By the time they said their good nights and went to their separate rooms, they had recovered some of the ease they used to have. She slept well, deep and dreamless.

  * * *

  The first three weeks were the hardest. There was the brief moment of insanity, when he found out Eliza was driving to Princeton with Nicolas. David was utterly convinced, in that moment, that he had made a horrible mistake. Then the sweet sound of her voice on Friday night soothed the raging jealousy in him. Not only had she arrived safely, but more relevant to his mental health, she was still in love with him.

  After “lockdown” lifted, they moved to the apartment Clayton had secured for them, and things got much better after that. He and Eliza talked or texted almost every night. Clayton and David were studying so much that Tea started to complain. Clayton, not being quite so desperate to make it into the Attaché program, ended up studying less and spending his evenings at Tea’s apartment. That was when David usually called Eliza. Or texted, like tonight, when he didn’t want to keep her roommate up.

  Eliza> WYD?

  David> Studying, apt U?

  Eliza> Reading, dorm. Miss you.

  David> Miss you more. WRU reading?

  Eliza> Eng Lit, essay tomorrow. Teacher looks like you. Makes my heart race.

  David> Do not go to office hours.

  Eliza> Yes, sir!

  David> Dreamed about you, last night. In Arabic.

  Eliza> How is that diff than in English?

  David> Steamier.

  Eliza> Not fair, 3014 miles away.

  David> You started it. Write me. Get me back.

  Eliza> Ah, a challenge.

  David> Take it any way you like.

  Eliza> Sigh. L8. Should go to bed.

  David> Call me tomorrow night before bed OK?

  Eliza> Promise.

  David> Good luck tomorrow morn

  Eliza> Nite

  David> G nite sweet dreams

  It was late in New Jersey, but it was three time zones earlier in California, and he still had some studying to do. He tried to shake his mind free of thoughts of Eliza, snuggled in her dorm bed, thinking delightful thoughts about him. He focused on conjugating the verb “to write”: katabtu, katabti, kataba, katabat. It almost made a song. There was a lyrical quality to the way the consonants and vowels alternated—consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel, consonant. He memorized a few more verbs before he tackled the homework. He had just finished it, and his eyelids were drooping, when Clayton walked through their door.

  “Did you finish my homework for me?” he asked with a grin.

  “Ibn al-kundara,” David said, roughly implying Clayton was the son of a shoe. David was quite pleased with his ability to put their recently acquired swear words to use.

  “Hey, no need to get nasty, son!” Clayton said, hands up in mock surrender.

  David laughed. “Do your own homework.”

  Clayton grimaced. “How bad is it?”

  “Not too bad. Should only take you an hour or two. I’m going to bed.” David yawned and stretched. Only a couple of more days until Thanksgiving break when he would fly out to see Eliza in Albuquerque. Eliza’s mom had given Eliza her frequent flyer miles for the holidays, and they had agreed to meet in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving and Green Bay for Christmas. Convincing their respective mothers this was a good idea took some effort, but it was worth it. He could hardly wait.

  The two days flew by, and he got top marks on their test right before the holiday. The extra studying was paying off. He had earned the break and could safely not think in Arabic for four days. He realized as he flew over the California desert, barely visible below in the dim light of the setting sun, that they would roughly double the time they had spent together in this short Thanksgiving break. And yet, he knew Eliza so well that they sometimes finished each others’ sentences on the phone. The time apart evaporated in the jet contrails as he sped towards her.

  Classes had ended early for Eliza, and she had taken the first flight out, beating him to the airport by an hour. Their plan was to meet at the baggage claim and take a taxi to Mia and Johnny’s house.

  It was nearly midnight when he saw her standing by the baggage carousel with her hair down and disheveled from a long day of travel. All he wanted was to take her somewhere they could spend the next four days alone. She was looking all around, but hadn’t spied him yet. He snuck up behind her, grinning like a fool and hardly able to keep from grabbing her.

  “Are you looking for someone, Miss?” he asked in his deepest voice.

  She nearly jumped off the ground, whirled around, and didn’t waste words greeting him. She pulled him down to kiss her, which of course he did.

  “Missed you,” she murmured between kisses. He didn’t bother replying, just pulled her up off her feet so he could kiss her properly. When he finally put her down, his head was spinning from the late night and her intoxicating presence.

  “Ready to meet the parents?” she asked.

  “I’ve already met your parents, Eliza.” His brain was foggy, but that much he knew.

  “Yes, but you’ve yet to spend a Thanksgiving with my mom’s cooking. There’s going to be a ridiculous amount of food.”

  He smiled. Stuffing himself with turkey was the least of his concerns. Escaping Johnny’s overprotective stares would be a more pressing problem. As he gathered up their luggage, David wondered how much kissing they could get in during the cab ride. Eliza’s eyes never left him as they navigated through the travelers to the taxi stand outside. Happiness was his again.

  * * *

  She was still floating on the residual high from her Thanksgiving break with David. Those four days of constantly snuggling on the couch or lacing fingers or touching under the table felt like a stolen treasure. That she would see him again soon in Green Bay was completely distracting, filling her thoughts with visions of a Marek family Christmas. Her Early Childhood Brain Development class was fascinating, and she had no problems with it before Thanksgiving, but now she had a hard time keeping her focus. It didn’t help that Nicolas and Lisa were arguing again.

  They sat on Lisa’s bed, legs crossed and facing each other in their now familiar battle pose. Lisa was Eliza’s roommate, but she was also in Nicolas’s Public Policy class. He had been coming around a lot lately, ostensibly to work on homework, but all they did was argue.

  “You know a flat tax is better for the economy—it has all the right incentives to increase investment and production.” Nicolas held his hands out, palms up, as if explaining the obvious to a toddler.

  “You can’t ignore the regressive nature of a flat tax—it hurts those at the bottom of the economic ladder, the ones that need help the most in a down economy.” Lisa’s curly dark hair bounced on her shoulders as she shook her head at the apparent inanity of Nicolas’s argument.

  Eliza tried to ignore them and focus on how infants acquire speech almost from the womb
. It was closer to science than literature, but she really was enjoying it. When she could concentrate, which was almost impossible with the two of them going at it.

  “How can you ignore the effect it has on real people’s lives?” Lisa’s voice crept up a notch. This was the part where the accusations usually started to fly, and one or the other of them would stomp off in a huff. Eliza honestly didn’t see the point of the arguments, or why they kept coming back for more. She was contemplating stepping in and calling a cease fire, when Nicolas’s tone suddenly softened.

  “Of course I care about the effect on people’s lives,” he said. “I’m not a monster, you know.” Uh-oh. Eliza recognized that tone. She hoped Lisa picked up on the slightly wounded sound of it.

  “I know you’re not a monster,” Lisa said softly, making Eliza sigh with relief. The last thing she needed was a moping Nicolas to worry about. “You’re just incredibly pig-headed and completely wrong.” Oh, no. Eliza looked up, expecting to see fury on Nicolas’s face, but he was smiling. She was slow sometimes, but even she could see there was a lot more than public policy going on between the two of them. Then she had a fit of inspiration. She grabbed the Starbucks gift card her mom had given her at Thanksgiving and winged it across the room, hitting Nicolas in the head.

  “Hey!” he said, glaring at her.

  “Take that and go get some coffee! I need some quiet around here so I can study!” She grinned at her own brilliance. Nicolas picked it up and peeked uncertainly at Lisa, who looked like a deer in headlights. Oh, for the love of all that’s holy, what’s wrong with these two?

  “Coffee’s on me, but only if you promise to talk about something besides public policy,” Eliza said. “And bring me back a double latte, extra cream.” She might as well get payment for her match-making efforts. Understanding finally gleamed in Nicolas’s eyes, and he took Lisa’s hand, pulling her up off the bed. They scampered off, leaving Eliza to concentrate on studying brain development while trying to avoid fantasizing about the upcoming holiday with the Mareks.

  The two weeks until Winter Break went by faster than she expected. Winter was in full swing in New Jersey, but as she flew into Wisconsin, she could see that the snow had blanketed the Midwest as well. Austin Straubel Airport was buried in fresh snow, reflecting the muted afternoon sunlight and creating a blinding sea of white. The flight had only been a few hours, but she was tired from studying all night. The fatigue disappeared, though, as she disembarked and hurried down to the baggage claim where David waited for her.

  He stood in a swirl of holiday travelers, dark hair almost completely grown out to the wavy look he had when she first saw him on the boat. He was bundled up in a jacket that covered way too much of his body, but he looked strong and rugged in his jeans and boots. It was a subtle change from when she first met him, but she could see it—he had the confidence of a soldier. When those blue eyes finally found her, they made her knees go weak. He hurried toward her, and she was glad because she didn’t trust her legs to move. When he reached her, concern was etched on his face.

  “You okay?” he asked softly.

  She ran her hands up his arms to his face and pulled him down to her. “You better kiss me before you make me swoon.” He chuckled and kissed her. It was molten sweetness on her lips, and it was a good thing he had a firm hold on her.

  When he finally broke that delicious kiss, he mocked her. “Do I need to carry you to the car?” He was very pleased with himself, but it was hard for her work up much disgust. It was just too good to see him.

  “No, but it would be best if you drove.” She snaked her arms around his waist as they walked.

  “Everyone’s dying to see you, you know.” They were weaving through the holiday crowds.

  “They’re not waiting for us, are they?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m certain they are. They want to make sure I bring you home, instead of whisking you away somewhere.”

  “Is that an option?” She arched her eyebrows.

  He grinned. “Unfortunately, no. I think my mom would skin me alive if I didn’t bring you straight home. But we have a whole week.” He sounded as giddy as she felt. Knowing David, there would be some kind of scheme for snuggle time in there somewhere.

  They quickly left the city behind, traveling down a country road lined with snowy trees glistening in the misty sunlight. They drove Tomasz’s oversized truck, the giant snow tires and four wheel drive dispatching the icy road with ease. Since they talked almost every day, she thought they were all caught up, but there still were a million things to share. She told him about her recent match-making success with Nicolas and Lisa, which had taken off like a rocket since Nicolas had literally been smacked in the head with a clue. David was very pleased to hear about this new development, which was why she had saved it to tell him in person. She hoped it would finally put to rest his silly jealousies in the Nicolas department.

  When they pulled off the main road, taking a barely plowed road through the forest, she thought they were taking a detour after all. She wondered what David had up his sleeve until they turned off onto a winding driveway that ended in a red brick and stone mansion that looked like a hold-over from a prior century. She knew David’s family was well-off, but she had no idea … she wondered if there were servant’s quarters.

  He watched her carefully. “A little imposing, I know, but it’s really just a house.” There were no other houses in sight, only an endless white forest.

  “Do you own the forest, too?” she asked, joking. He looked a little embarrassed, something that fascinated her as she rarely saw it.

  “Well, just a little bit, not the whole forest,” he said. Her mouth hung open. She wanted to know more, but right then someone came running through the knee deep snow around the corner of the house. He paused, turning to look back and bending down to scoop up and pack a snowball. He waited for a second and then started running toward the front of the house again. She realized it was Clayton, snowflakes crowning his sandy blond hair. He came to a halt when he saw the truck, a wide grin breaking out on his face. Then he was smacked in the back of the head by a giant, mushy snowball. Swearing something they couldn’t hear, he turned and whizzed his snowball back towards his assailant, who looked to be Tomasz careening around from the back. Eliza was laughing hysterically as they climbed out of the truck.

  Clayton had re-armed and was ready in case Tomasz had more ammo, but Tomasz had seen the new arrivals and was jogging over.

  “Hey there, gorgeous!” Tomasz swept her up for a hug. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and he blushed, which made her grin like it was her birthday. He set her down, smiling through his embarrassment. “Damn, it’s good to see you, Eliza!”

  Elbowing him aside, Clayton reached for her. “Don’t be a hog, son!” He gave her a warm hug as well, whispering, “Glad you’re here, sugar. He’s been going a little crazy without you.” For that, she gave him a kiss on the cheek as well, and he blushed, too. This was entirely too much fun.

  “Hey, now,” said David, stepping in and taking her hand. “That’s enough of that! This one’s mine.” He pretended to glare at Clayton, but mostly couldn’t help smiling. Tomasz and Clayton argued about who had won the snowball fight, based on points scored for body parts hit, as David towed her up the steps to the front door. His eyes blazed as he tucked her arm into his and opened the front door. A blast of warm air blew across her face, and they stepped through into the loveliest house she had ever seen. It rivaled the cruise owner’s house on the beach in the Bahamas, all bright and airy with white woods and polished floors, but with crown moldings and an elaborate fireplace giving it a retro feel. An enormous Christmas tree was tucked against the stairwell and filled the room with the smell of pine.

  Tea was hanging decorations on the Christmas tree, but ran over to greet them, ornaments still in hand. She hugged Eliza hard. “Eliza! Oh, I’m so gl
ad you’re here! You’re just in time!”

  Eliza had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s good to see you, too, Tea,” she said with mock seriousness. Tomasz and Clayton were right behind them, coming in the door and shaking snow off their heads.

  “We’re all glad you’re here, Eliza,” said Tomasz, “so David can stop mooning over you now.”

  “Oh, no, it only gets worse when she’s around,” threw in Clayton. David gave her an exasperated look that said Please ignore them.

  Eliza couldn’t help laughing at the look on his face and the sheer happiness of being there. Fiona and Jozef must have heard them. They came in from another room, which was probably the kitchen, judging from the holiday smells emanating from it. Fiona reached her first, taking her by the shoulders to look tenderly at her, and then hugged her. Her face was momentarily buried by Fiona’s cloud of dark curls.

  “It’s so good to see you, Eliza!” Fiona pulled back to search Eliza’s face. “Are you tired, dear? Hungry? What can I get you?” Fiona’s caring attention made Eliza briefly miss her own mom. This was the first Christmas they would be apart.

  “I’m okay.” Eliza smiled brightly for her.

  “She’s fine, Mama. Give her some room to breathe,” Jozef spoke softly with David’s lilting Polish accent, only stronger and more distinct. Jozef beamed at her. That sunshine smile was the same one David wore, and it was hard not to love it. Jozef pulled her in for a gentle hug, and she resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek, as she had Clayton and Tomasz. She was afraid she might be the one that blushed.

  “Welcome to our home, Eliza,” he said as he released her. David was getting hugs all around as well. All her life, it had been just her and her mom. Christmas was sweet and quiet and a lot like any other day. The Marek mansion was noisy and busy and filled with love. It was like finding something she never knew she had been missing.