All I Want Is Everything

Preparations

Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we would do

Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.

Mary Hopkin, Those Were the Days

"Let's go to lunch, Ella bella," Bucky said, startling Ella as he walked into the living room where she was taking advantage of a little down time to read a novel. "We haven't done anything together for a long time. My treat."

"How can I refuse an offer like that?" she said, joking, and Bucky grinned at her. They went to a deli, almost empty since the lunch rush was over, and sat down with sandwiches.

"Look, I also wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting, the girls and all. I feel bad that they stole from you, and it must not be very nice to see a stream of people you don't know coming and going. I didn't think about how you'd feel about that until Becca set me straight." He looked abashed.

"What did Becca say?" she asked nervously. Before Becs went back to school, she'd extracted a promise from Ella that she'd tell Bucky how she felt before the year was out. But Becca wasn't terribly patient...

"That women have more security concerns than I've recognized or thought about. It's not good to have even women running around the house. Or what if the door doesn't get locked. I want you to feel safe, I don't want harm to come to you because of me." Then, just as she was getting the nerve up to Confess All... "I'll see women outside."

"You don't have to do that," she said quietly. "It's your home too."

"Yeah, but me leaving rather than them will solve some headaches. But I realize that it's also diverting my attention from things that matter to me, like you. We haven't spent a lot of time together, just a little on the road.  I need to get back things that have meaning. I'm glad you talked my family into meeting us on the road for Christmas. It wouldn't seem like Christmas without them."

"Your parents have always been really good to us," Ella said. "And we have a gig the night of Becca's graduation; I feel bad about missing it. She deserves some fun before studying for the bar. I'm surprised your mom agreed, though. She loves making  a big celebration for the holiday, baking up a storm."

"I'm grateful that Becca is giving me a pass on graduation," Bucky sighed. "To make it up to her, I've invited her to stay with us on the road for a few days. I miss her, and once she gets into studying, she won't surface until the exam is over."

"I gotta get her something really good for graduation. I was going to go for a spa day for her, but Steve beat me to it," she fretted. "What are you getting her? Do you have any spare ideas? It has to be swank, befitting her accomplishment, professional." Bucky smiled.

"I ordered her a leather-bound copy of Black's Law Dictionary, Dad told me he uses his still and he's been practicing for ages. I thought about getting her a fountain pen, she covets yours, but I don't know enough about them. She wants a good-looking office." Ella brightened up.

"I can do that," she said. "There are some really nice ones."

"Don't go overboard, Ella bella," Bucky said indulgently. "She understands about the gig and also that we'd be there if we could. It's going to be a very small ceremony, there just aren't that many people graduating in December and she doesn't want to go to the bigger university ceremony. She'd rather sleep in and go to the one for the law school."

"Do you think I should mail my present to her or will waiting until your family join us be ok? I should ask her." Ella shook her head vehemently. "Ignore me."