Two Different Roads

The Great Suburban Showdown

Mike and Ellen quickly fell back into the rhythm of their life, Long days at work followed by long, lazy nights trying to escape from the world outside entirely. They spent a great deal of time simply curled up in their bed, talking, soft music playing in the background. Music accompanied nearly everything they did, cooking, cleaning, driving, making love...and there was still a great deal of THAT. Mike not only employed sex as an expression of their love, but obviously as a stress reliever as well. After making love, tense muscles relaxed and his restless, seeking mind quieted enough that he could at last fall asleep in his wife's arms.
For her own comfort, Ellen still regularly asked Mike to sing to her, and he always complied cheerfully, flattered that she preferred his voice to be the last thing she heard before drifting off.
They were happy, and when Vicky had asked to move in immediately after their return from Hawaii it had seemed merely an expansion of their circle of love. That had brought Peter back into it as well of course. He visited often, and sometimes the couples went out together, usually to a high end restaurant for dinner. Mike's perfectionism had made him gravitate toward the finer things in life quickly. Nothing but the best would do.
In the twelve days prior to Christmas that year he bought Ellen a different expensive gift for each day: a candlelit dinner he prepared himself, a collection of albums from her favorite musicians, perfume, a ring, a necklace, a diamond bracelet, a first edition of one of her favorite books, a rare marble chess set, a painting, a piano, a pair of pedigreed Persian cats, and lastly an exquisite fur coat that even he couldn't refrain from stroking when she wore it. It was all nearly overwhelming.
Nothing was as overwhelming as the idea of meeting his mother however. Bette Nesmith Graham seemed larger than life, an almost mythic figure. This was a single mother struggling to make ends meet who had risen to be an inventor and entrepreneur, owner of her own quickly growing business, The Mistake Out corporation which produced the product Bette had created herself to allow typists to correct errors. She was a strong, determined, self-made person much like her now famous son, and Ellen felt more than a bit insignificant by comparison.
"You've got nothing to worry about Baby," he tried to assure her. "She'll love you. You're intelligent, cultured, work hard, and you make me happy. What's not to love?"
She only wished she could feel as certain as he did.

II
"Merry Christmas Mom," Mike said in greeting, giving her a brief hug. Ellen remained behind until he took her hand, encouraged her forward. "Meet the missus. Mom this is Ellen."
"Don't be shy Young Lady. I promise I don't bite no matter what my son might have told you."

"I only told her nice things."
"Somehow I doubt that, " she smiled. "At any rate, come in. Dinner will be ready soon."
They filed into the elegantly decorated living room. Ellen was introduced to Mike's stepfather, Robert Graham, and they settled in to acquaint themselves with each other. Bette was indeed a formidable woman with rapier-sharp intelligence who accepted no nonsense, but Ellen sensed a great deal of love and pride there for her son. She didn't detect any hostility toward herself though. Bette seemed to be quietly assessing her instead with a cautious but open mind.
When asked if she would care to join Mrs. Graham in the kitchen to help oversee dinner preparations, Ellen accepted gratefully. She was introduced as Mike's new wife to an older woman named Marguerite who seemed to be the household's cook.
Ellen immediately fell into the familiar habit of domestic duties, her mother in-law remarking at one point, "You definitely know your way around a kitchen."
"I didn't have much choice," she told her honestly. "I moved in with my older sister when I was fourteen, and I found out right away that she hated cooking ANYTHING. If I hadn't learned we'd have survived on takeout or starved."

"It sounds as if you had to grow up rather quickly and be the responsible one."
"I really didn't mind. Everyone always said I was BORN older."
She chuckled, "Michael too."
"Oh I can easily see that, but tell me more."
"You want to hear ALL the childhood secrets."
"Definitely. I want to know EVERYTHING about my Michael."