“So, my lovely fiancé got a very encouraging call at six this morning from my brother,” he said grinning. Ellen turned bright red as he spoke.
“OK, so why is Ellen turning Groton scarlet all of a sudden?” asked Jessica.
Christopher nodded to her, and she shared her tale.
“So, Cooper has a serious girlfriend,” she began.
“Sydney is totally adorable,” interjected Sara.
“I agree. That girl is special,” said Jessica. “You know, for being gay and an ass slapper, you Hughes men have rebounded remarkably well,” she smirked.
“Well, with Droobie’s encouragement, Cooper and Sydney spent the night together last night,” a smiling Ellen shared. “He called me yesterday afternoon, a bit nervous, and asked me for some pointers for their time together.” She once again turned Groton crimson.
As the chuckles around the table died down, she resumed her story. “At 6 AM Christopher’s phone goes off. It’s Cooper — and he wants to talk to me. Apparently last night went very well. The lady was quite pleased, and he wanted to thank me. They also wanted to know what an appropriate thank-you gift would be for Drew,” she said smiling. “I told them we’d go see your cigar guy today. A box of your favorites would go a long way to say thank you.”
“That’s very thoughtful, and very unnecessary,” said Andy. “Besides, I doubt they want to drop the $300 for a box of those sticks.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, senior, are quite insistent,” said a grinning Christopher. “They don’t know about last night, but they met Sydney in New York City at your engagement party. My mom absolutely loves her. Apparently, they text or Marco Polo one another daily. My dad is on Cloud 9. All he sees are tall, bright, beautiful women interested in his sons, and he’s seeing very talented, athletic grandkids in his future.”
Andy nodded.
“Speaking of the future, Ellen and I could really use your advice,” he admitted. Jessica and Andy looked at one another pensively, until Jess nodded at him. Andy sat back a bit in the booth.
“Sara had a great idea — or — at least I think it’s a great idea. Let me start with a question: what’s here in Boston that would not wait a year or even five years for the two of you?”
Ellen and Christopher looked at one another. “Well, other than Christopher’s job, there’s not much. I mean, he would like to make partner one day, so leaving the firm now would certainly postpone that goal.”
“OK. So, let me cut to the chase: what if Ellen took the job with Donna, and Christopher auditioned for Broadway roles — instead of getting another architecture gig?” Andy asked smiling.
He continued, “Look. Sara and I had a great talk when we were thinking through putting my name in for the NHL draft. Playing pro hockey was never my dream. It was not that hard for me to pass on it. I’d like to think I still know the two of you well enough to know that this plan would allow you both to pursue your dream career. Christopher, you’re a hell of an architect, but at the end of the day, you made the sensible decision — not the one to chase your dream. I get it, and as Ellen’s brother, I appreciate what you did. But, since you’ll have a serious sugar momma, why not pursue that dream now? The two of you could evaluate every year where you are, and decide on an annual basis,” Andy proposed thoughtfully.
“Drew, work is one thing. But family is another. Both our families will be in Boston, or at least really close to Boston. We want to be near family,” said Ellen.
“Please know that we would come see you,” said Jessica. “Once the baby gets here, and we get back to Boston, we’ll have the flexibility of an academic schedule. I know Sara would love any and all excuses to come see you in New York City. Plus, with Gina there, you will have family in the Five Burroughs. Besides, it’s an hour and fifteen-minute flight from Boston to NYC.”
“Look, we don’t want you to feel like you absolutely must come back. You have options. You guys are just starting out. We just want you to know that we’re behind you, whatever the two of you decide,” said Andy.
“My firm now has three major projects at Colton, plus the remodel on your house,” Christopher said, nodding to Andy and Sara. “The ice arena remodel was my ‘Misfits’ moment. My boss was blown away by the design. The fact that Mike and Priya loved it didn’t hurt, either. There have been a few tweaks, but essentially the vision is mine. That’s a big deal for me and my career. When you add it up, there’s roughly $40 million dollars of work that’s mine. There’s no way I could leave before the first of the year. If I told them we were going to NYC now, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I’d work as an architect in Boston again — like ever. Drew, I appreciate what you’re proposing, and yes; Broadway sounds amazing. But I really do love my work. We love the adulting that this decision is making us do. And — we love the fact that Ellen’s siblings have our backs. We do not take that for granted.”
“Thank you, Droobie,” said Ellen sweetly. “It does mean a lot to us.
She paused and smiled at him, “But — enough about us. What are the two of you going to do? I hear the Carlson house is in your future.”
Andy looked at Sara and smiled. He nodded to her, and she spoke first, “I’ll either go to law school, or be a stay-at-home mom.” She looked at Andy as she said this, sporting a huge smile on her face. Jessica saw the expression on his face and began laughing. She spoke some amused Russian to Alex.