A New Beginning

Chapter 34: Something Different

Chapter 34: Something Different

Emma wakes up smiling. Peter's arm is around her. She feels complete again, her life is completely back on track.

She rolls over to see Peter's face, instead of the grimace is a smile, most likely a smile of relief and happiness. She leans forward and kisses him on the cheek. A sharp pain hits her arm again. She can't wait for this injury to pass so she can fully work again. She also wants to be able to hug her husband and hold her sister again.

Peter's blue eyes open to meet hers.

"Good morning handsome," she smiles.

"Good morning beautiful," he whispers.

"Sleep well?" Emma asks.

"So much better now that I know you're alive,"

Emma smiles. "I'm just glad the house is full again. It's been empty and sad since I got home."

"I just can't believe you've been running the office and the household by yourself and with one arm."

"Me neither, I just found the strength within me. I think it was the hope that I would see you again and I wanted to fulfill my promise of starting my life over once we got to back home."

Peter leans in.

"Welcome home," he smiles and leans in and kisses her.

There's a knock at the door.

"Uncle Peeta! Aunt Emma! Are you awake?"

Emma smiles. "I forgot about our guests."

Holly's voice comes from behind the door. "Thomas please, give your aunt and uncle some privacy."

"What's privacy Mommy?!"

"It means to give us some time to get dressed," Emma calls out.

She rolls over to smile at Peter. "I want Sybil to be just like that,"

"What loud and curious...?"

"Maybe..." Emma smirks. "I just want her to have a normal childhood."

"And so she will..." Peter smiles and kisses her again.

"Thomas puts that down, it's not yours!" Holly's voice rings out from down the hall.

There's a smash.

"THOMAS!"

"You ready for that?" Peter smirks.

"Parenthood, the gift that keeps on giving," Emma shrugs.

...

When Emma and Peter emerge from their room, Holly has pancakes, bacon, and eggs on the skillet. Sybil is in her high chair banging a spoon against her tray and Thomas is licking batter out of the bowl, most likely to keep the tiny kid quiet.

"Oh, Holly!" Emma says. "You didn't have to..."

"It's the least I can do after what Thomas did to one of your china vases."

"Which one?"

"A blue one with little flowers."

"It was an accident Mommy!"

"I know honey but what do you say when you break something that isn't yours,"

"I'm sorry Aunt Emma!" Thomas says shamefully.

"It's okay, it was a gift to my mother from her least favourite cousin, she only ever used it to be polite. Mom was like that..."

Holly smiles sympathetically and puts the bacon on a plate. "How do you want your eggs, Emma?"

"Scrambled please."

"Sunnyside up for me please," Peter says, going out to the stoop for the morning paper.

"I know that little brother, whenever mother tried to cook them differently you threw a fit."

"I'm an adult now Holly, I won't be banging my fists and shedding tears like a toddler."

"That's Thomas' job," Carl says, coming out in his work clothes.

There is a chuckle of laughter from all the adults as the children look on in innocent confusion.

...

"No Holly, you have a home of your own... Yes, I'm sure." Emma says through the telephone. "Now that Peter is home it won't be such a chore. Besides, his leg is healing and my arm is pretty much functional again."

There is a knock at the office door. Emma and Peter both went into town that morning to get everything back on track. Holly was willing to stay home and watch Sybil once more. Peter's sister had also offered to stay longer at their house until her brother's leg was better.

"Just one moment please," Emma calls out to the door. She turns back to the mouthpiece. "Holly, you have your own child to worry about. Yes, I'm going to hire someone to watch Sybil and on alternate days I will be home to care for her. I've got to go I'll talk to you later." Emma hangs up the earpiece.

"Come in," Emma says.

"Ms. Carson?" the secretary asks.

"Yes, Felicity," Emma says, organizing a case file.

"Sorry to bother you Miss, but I wanted to let you know someone came by with something interesting."

"What is it?"

"We've been asked to sponsor an upcoming dinner event," Felicity says. She hands Emma a pamphlet.

"Dinner for Women's Rights," Emma reads the pamphlet. "Hosted and run by Margret Brown and sponsored by local churches and other businesses. Silent Auction, Key Note Speaker, Local Band with Dancing, delicious dinner...It sounds interesting."

"Apparently, some of the proceeds will be going to the widows of Titanic," Felicity adds.

"Really?" Emma says. "That is definitely a worthy cause. Who sent this?"

"A representative of Mrs. Brown's committee."

"Well, please call them and tell them I would like to set up a meeting with them. Tell them I would be very happy to sponsor the event."

"I will miss, also there is another client waiting in office number 3."

"Thank you, Felicity, I will be there shortly,"

...

Emma leaves the office early to go home and help Holly. Since she was the owner and Peter was now back, she was permitted to leave earlier in order to care for her sister.

She's walking down the street when she sees a poster in one of the local shop windows.

Continuing Education for Men and Women, it read. The slogan is Do Not Be Caught Without a Job

Emma stops and thinks about it.

I do need business courses and a few additional ones could allow me to take on cases of my own... Emma thinks to herself. Maybe then some of the men at the office would treat me with more respect.

Emma goes into the shop and asks for a listing of classes available. To her horror, there was only a few, very limited number of classes available. Mostly English and Cooking. Emma is infuriated, women had just as much of a right to these classes as men. Besides, she needed these courses to run her father's business.

Ignoring the gendered labelling, Emma signs up for the classes she wants. She also adds her phone number under one of them so if they wanted to call her they would.

As she walks down the street, she thinks to herself.

I am most definitely going to support that dinner!