Location: Beverly Hills, California
Date: February 15th, 1950
Name: Eleanor Hazel Bush
Age: twenty-three
The waves hit the shore making the cold water splash on Patrick's attempt at a sandcastle.
"It's okay, daddy! Just keep trying!" Fox yelled to his daddy while playing with his Uncle Stephen.
Patrick smiled at his son and gathered some fresh sand and molded it for his fifth attempt at a sandcastle.
Eleanor and Isla stopped talking for a second and looked at Patrick. He was determined to make his son's a nice three-tiered castle.
"He's certainly a man of persistence. I would've given up after the second time," Eleanor laughed and shook her head.
Isla laughed as well. "Not to turn the mood of our conversation, but growing up with parents like his, persistence and resiliency came in handy." She looked at her handsome husband and smiled wistfully. His parents were awful.
Eleanor noticed her sadness and placed her hand on Isla's hand.
"Have you met their parents yet?" Isla asked softly.
Eleanor shook her head. "I haven't. Have you?"
Isla pursed her lips and closed her eyes. "I have. You don't want to meet them. I believe that everyone has at least one redeemable quality about them, Annie-Mae and Grover's are the fact that they didn't completely screw up their sons." She said haughtily.
Eleanor couldn't help but laugh at her tone. She wanted to know why Isla felt that way about them. "Are you comfortable enough to talk about what happened?" She just wanted to be prepared just in case she met them.
Isla smiled at Eleanor and nodded her head slightly. "It was a day that I'll never forget. It was something that should've come from a dark comedy film, but instead, it came from my husband's dysfunctional parents." Her eyes focused on the rhythmic waves as she went back to the rueful day.
"It was ten years ago. Somehow Patrick had reconnected with his parents and they were so excited to learn that he was married. I didn't know why they were so happy, but I didn't think anything of it. Patrick only told me about his parents from his point of view, he's a very forgiving man who tries to see the brighter side, but he made it known that he saw Mr. and Mrs. Howard as his parental figures now." Isla explained pointedly. The Howards were amazing people.
Eleanor already knew that Dale's parents were racist among many other things, but hearing about them from an outsider so to speak was even more enlightening.
"I only expected them to be poor and a little country because they're from Mississippi. I was shocked beyond measure when I met them and found out that Patrick didn't give enough information about his parents. They didn't greet me, instead, they just started yelling at Patrick for bringing "swine flu" into their home." Isla scoffed and looked Eleanor in the eyes. "Their house seemed to already have the swine flu and every other disease known to man in it. They looked at me as if I was a pariah, but I stood my ground and asked them who they think they are to talk to me any kind of way." She said sassily and rolled her eyes.
Eleanor couldn't believe that those people could just talk to a stranger that way.
"Girl, let me tell you, Stephen and Patrick pulled through with their handsome looks by the grace of God," Isla said seriously, making Eleanor laugh.
"Are you exaggerating?" Eleanor asked after recovering from her laughter.
Isla shook her head and imagined those two trolls. Her face scrunched up in disgust.
"Oh, wow." Eleanor started to laugh again at the look on Isla's face. She really liked her. She was genuine and refreshing.
"Their father, Grover, looks scraggly and he's just a little taller than me. Their mother, Annie-Mae, isn't a hideous beast, but she's almost there." Isla added while shaking her head.
Eleanor couldn't believe it. "Do their personalities make them ugly?" She didn't believe that Dale's parents could be as ugly as Isla made them out to be. Not when Dale and Patrick were so handsome.
"If they were kind people I wouldn't be plagued by the sight of their resemblance to a witch's warts," Isla didn't care if Patrick heard her talking so harshly about his parents. He knew how she felt about them. They were horrific people.
Eleanor choked at Isla's brash words and looked at Patrick, and back at Isla. "You're totally opposite to Patrick. You click well though," She liked how outspoken Isla was, but she was still kind.
"I agree," Isla smiled and then laughed. "He was in shock after they called me swine flu. He didn't think that his parents were so awful, but he found out. They asked him if he was playing a trick on them, but Patrick told them that I was his wife and that we lived in Beverly Hills," She explained. Patrick wanted to rectify the situation, but his parents weren't open.
"His mother said that he needed to take me back to "darkville" and bring home a nice white woman. Preferably as white as snow to make up for that stunt," Eleanor gasped at the blatant evil.
"Patrick told her no and asked them why they have so much hate in their hearts," Isla paused. "I don't know if Stephen told you this yet, but their parents were sending Patrick to a reformation camp," She said calmly and Eleanor nodded. She hated that.
"Well, his father said that the reformation camp screwed up. It was the final straw for Patrick and it was the first time that I'd ever seen him get angry. He was hurt by the comment, as he knew from his adoptive parents about the camp." Isla's face grew grim and tears filled her eyes.
Eleanor held her hand tightly and tried not to cry as well.
"He said so many things to his parents in true anger. He spoke his true feelings about them and how he always wanted to see a bright side to their horrid parenting and neglect, but they were terrible. He told them how Stephen saved him that day and brought him to live with the family that he truly loves and cherishes. He told them that if they didn't change their ways and turn to God, they will burn in that hell that they spoke to him so harshly about as a boy." Hot tears ran down Isla's face as she recalled the pain in Patrick's voice.
Eleanor closed her eyes and let the tears in her eyes fall. No one deserved that from their parents. It hurt her heart to know that someone so kind and sweet went through that.
Isla kissed Eleanor's hand. "He spoke from his heart and his parents looked genuinely distraught when he was done speaking." A triumphant smile grew on her face as she remembered what happened next. "He took my hand and told his parents that I am the woman of his dreams, and he knows that they don't care, but until they change, he's no longer their son."
Eleanor gasped and huffed. They twisted the story! "They told Dale that they disowned him, not the other way."
Isla laughed and rolled her eyes. "Of course they did! They still want to own someone, but they want to control them and hold crap over their heads." She said smartly.
Eleanor hummed and looked at Patrick. He was almost done with the sandcastle now. He was focused on making it perfect for his sons. "He's a great father, Isla. It's beautiful to see someone who went without a loving father, be a loving father. No excuses." She said to Isla proudly. He was so admirable.
Isla lit up at Eleanor's words and beamed happily. "He is truly amazing. I love that man, Eleanor."
As if he could tell that Isla was talking about him, Patrick turned away from the sandcastle and blew her a kiss.
Isla caught it and held it to her chest joyfully.
Patrick wiggled his eyebrows and winked at her. Then he turned to Eleanor and waved at her.
Eleanor's heart melted at their adorable exchange and waved back. He's truly a sweetie.
"So, how's wedding planning going? I'd love to hear about it," Isla said changing the subject smoothly and Eleanor sighed.
"Well, it's been fun, but also tough."
-
"I got him, Elm!" Fox cheered as he successfully tackled his Uncle Stephen onto the sand.
Elm cheered and tackled Uncle Stephen as well. "Finally! We're stronger than you!" He sang with his tongue out.
Dale chuckled and stood up with both boys hanging from his neck.
"Ahh!" The boys yelped and clung to him.
Dale walked over to his brother and smacked his shoulder.
"Ow," Patrick murmured as his shoulder stung.
Dale grimaced and sat next to him. "Sorry." He apologized and the boys let go of his neck and sat next to the sandcastle.
"Wow, daddy! This is cool!" Fox gushed and then stared at Dale. "Uncle Stephen, did you know my daddy when he was five?" He asked with wide eyes.
Dale laughed and ruffled Fox's hair.
"Yes, he did," Patrick answered for Dale.
Elm looked at Dale in confusion. "How come we're just meeting you? Will Fox and me be like that when we grow up?" He asked curiously.
Dale sighed at his question. "Because I'm a piece of crap." He wanted to answer, but they were just kids. "You're only just meeting me now because Uncle Stephen is selfish sometimes. I didn't think of your dad's feelings or yours," He admitted to the children.
Patrick looked away from his sandcastle and shook his head. Stephen was always so hard on himself. "No. After Uncle Stephen went to the Navy, he was just busy." That's what happened.
Fox and Elm looked at each other and nodded.
"Will Uncle Stephen and Aunt Eleanor live with us? I love them so much and Aunt Eleanor is so beautiful!" Fox pleaded to his daddy with rosy cheeks.
Patrick pulled him in for a hug and kissed his cheek. "No. They live on the other side of the country. But you can cherish the time we have with them now," He explained gently to his precious son and kissed his cheek once more.
Dale's eyes widened at the sight of Patrick kissing his son's cheek twice. He doesn't understand how. Their father never kissed them. He always told them that a man only needs a kiss from a woman, and if that woman didn't want one, then she was a nasty plague.
Their father was outrageous with his morals.
A soft pair of lips hit his cheek and brought him back to reality. It was Fox.
Dale's eyes narrowed at the little boy. What just happened?
Patrick noticed the look of shock on Dale's face and he looked at Fox cautiously. He knew that Dale wouldn't hurt his child, but he was most likely uncomfortable now.
Dale surprised himself and Patrick by smiling at Fox. He wrapped his arm around Fox's tiny waist and pulled him onto his lap.
Fox's smile grew wider and he stared at his Uncle Stephen with stars in his eyes. "Can you tell me a story about my daddy while my daddy makes the sandcastle?" He asked sweetly.
Patrick wanted to hear about himself from Dale's point of view.
"Hmm, give me a second, bud." Dale was old, not really, but his childhood was so long ago.
Elm sat next to his daddy and started helping him with the sandcastle. He wanted to be a nice helper.
"I got one. It was the summer of 1925. Your daddy was just a little older than Elm, he was ten and I was fifteen. One day after church I was heading down to the river to go swimming and your daddy begged me to take him with me. You know how older kids act when it comes to youngins, but he convinced me to take him. I remember seein his eyes go so wide, I didn't have the heart to say no." Dale's diction grew lazy as he recalled a summer of his youth.
Patrick stared at him in disbelief. He remembered that day and he knew that Dale was going to say no, but for some reason, he agreed.
"That boy jumped higher than a rabbit. I told em to make sure he kept up, cause I wasn't gon pick em up. He said he'd walk and then we made our way to the river. He was so glad to be at the river, he tired himself out and he couldn't walk back home. I knew when I agreed to take em, I'd have to carry em back home." Once Dale finished telling the story, Fox started giggling.
Fox thought it was so silly that his tall daddy had to be carried home by Uncle Stephen.
Dale looked down at Fox as he giggled. "What's so funny?"
Elm stopped helping his daddy and shook Fox's arm. "What are you laughing at?"
Fox took a deep breath and huffed. "Daddy is so tall and it's funny that Uncle Stephen had to carry him!" He couldn't get his sentence out without laughing.
Elm squinted his eyes and started laughing. Fox was right. Their daddy is big!
Suddenly, lightning struck the water and thunder rumbled the sand.
Fox's laughter seized and he jumped in Dale's arms. Using his arm to shield him from the scariness.
Dale rubbed Fox's shaking arm and held him tightly. "That lightning can't hurt you, bud." He said comfortingly.
Fox peeked from behind Dale's arm and huffed. "Are you sure?" He asked, dragging out the ending.
Dale chuckled and nodded. "I promise." He told the boy.
Eleanor and Isla, who both noticed how dark the sky was, came over to the boys.
Eleanor's heart jumped at the sight of Dale holding Fox. It was so sweet.
"You look so handsome holding Fox," She noted happily and Fox jumped out of Dale's arms and ran to Eleanor.
"Hi!" He said while blushing. He hugged Eleanor and then held her hand.
"Hi, sweetie." Eleanor kissed his cheek and sat down next to Dale. Fox took this opportunity to sit on her lap. "You're beautiful," He whispered and smiled.
Elm left his daddy's side and sat next to his mommy. "Do you see the castle that daddy made? I helped a little, but Uncle Stephen started telling us a story about how he had to carry daddy home!" He raved to his mommy.
It was a sweet moment for everyone.
-
Their time in Beverly Hills was coming to an end, but Dale wanted to take Eleanor out for a little alone time.
They'd spent all of their time out of the hotel with Patrick and his family. It was only natural because of how well they clicked with each other. And Dale was truly making up for the lost time.
Eleanor clasped her new diamond necklace that Dale bought her the other day onto her neck and smiled at herself. "This has all been magical," She murmured peacefully and put on the earrings that matched.
She looked at her dress and twirled around to see it flow. It was yellow and just plain beautiful. It fit her like a dream.
"I'm ready," She said and walked out of the bathroom.
Dale, who had been finalizing their plans, looked up and was floored at the sight of his fiancée. His eyes narrowed in on her lovely face and he offered his hand to her, which she took.
"I-," He stammered and groaned at his stupidity. He couldn't even form a sentence. That never happened.
Eleanor laughed lightly and kissed his cheek. "You look very handsome, Dale." She truly thought so. Within the six days they'd been in Beverly Hills, Dale had gotten a nice tan and his personality changed a bit. He was still Dale, but he was just kinder.
Dale cleared his throat and got his words together. "You're so beautiful, princess. Just perfect," He shook his head and kissed her. He was blessed beyond measure.
Eleanor blushed and leaned into his embrace.
Dale pulled away from their kiss and they walked out of the room.
All eyes landed on Eleanor as they walked through the lobby. For once it was just because of her beauty. Dale didn't mind much.
The valet handed Dale the keys and just gazed at Eleanor. "Woah," His mouth went slack as he stared.
Dale helped Eleanor into the car and turned to the boy. "Keep your eyes to yourself, boy." He hissed.
Eleanor smiled apologetically at the boy and he smiled back sheepishly. "Yes sir. Uh, have a great evening." He said nervously and walked away.
Dale huffed and got into the car. Eleanor's a beautiful woman, but he was standing with her. Didn't that boy understand?
Eleanor laughed at the frustrated look on Dale's face, which made him smile. He took her hand and pulled out of the hotel's carport.
"What restaurant are we going to?" She asked after a few minutes of riding silently.
Dale looked at her and bit his lip. He never bit his lip. Eleanor just looked so perfect. He shook his head and looked away from her. He didn't need to wreck the rental car.
"Uh, a place that Patrick recommended." He answered.
Eleanor hummed at his answer and looked at the beautiful city. She was in love with Beverly Hills and now she wanted to live there forever.
She loved that she wasn't an issue. She was just a woman here.
"I'm so lucky to have you, Norah," Dale said out of the blue and kissed her hand.
Eleanor smiled. "I'm lucky to have you, Dale. I love you,"
Dale squeezed her hand a little and turned into the parking lot of the restaurant.
Eleanor looked up at the restaurant and butterflies filled her stomach. She was a little nervous. Yes, they were in a better place, but people were still cruel no matter where you go.
"If there's a problem I won't be afraid to handle it. I don't mind possibly being arrested on the other side of the country," Dale told Eleanor, noticing that she was nervous.
Eleanor laughed and took a deep breath. "Thank you," She kissed his cheek and unfastened her seatbelt.
Dale followed suit and got out to open the door for her. He wrapped his arm around her waist securely and walked into the restaurant.
"Good evening and welcome to The Banks at Beverly Hills. May I ask the name your reservation is under?" The hostess asked kindly, making the rest of Eleanor's nerves fly out the window.
"It's Dale Curtis," Dale said and kissed Eleanor's forehead. He loved that woman.
The hostess smiled at the couple and led them to a table with a perfect view of the water fountain at the center of the restaurant.
"Your server will be with you shortly, and might I say, your dress is lovely ma'am," The hostess said kindly to Eleanor before walking back to her post.
Eleanor looked around the restaurant in awe of how beautiful it was, not noticing the stares of admiration from the staff and customers.
Dale noticed. When you're in the presence of a true beauty such as Eleanor, you can't help but look. He understood that, but he still wanted them to look away.
He reached for her hand and held it across the table.
The waiter came and took their order, and soon enough they began talking about random things.
"It was just so sweet! I've never imagined what you would look like holding a child, but it was beyond my imagination!" Eleanor gushed about Dale holding Fox.
Dale liked Patrick's kids. They were raised well and they were cute. "Do you want kids?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yes, of course!"
Dale smiled at her quick answer. "How many?" He didn't have a preference when it came to the number of children he'd have. He only knew that he wanted some with Eleanor. And since meeting his nephews, he wanted some sooner than later. Which was a newly formed opinion.
"I'd like to have three, but the number is up to how many God wants to give us," Eleanor answered honestly.
"Being with Patrick's kids has been something that I didn't expect, but I like it," Dale confessed and Eleanor hummed in agreement.
She could see that he had changed so much from being with them. "I can tell. You're just different now. You're still Dale, but you're more open. I saw how sweet you were to Patrick, I'm really proud of you for owning up to your mishaps and spending time with him." She loved seeing him with Patrick. It was beautiful.
"I realized how much I missed out on by not seeing him for twenty-one years. If you're up for it, we can visit them often." Dale wanted to see his family, well, he actually had a solution for that.
"Oh, I'd love to! They're all so sweet and Isla is my kind of friend. She's amazing!" Eleanor mused.
Dale chuckled and winked at her. "I can see that. Y'all were yapping on about wedding stuff and woman things," He added jokingly.
Eleanor rolled her eyes and the waiter came and placed their food before them.
"Enjoy," He said and walked away.
Once they finished eating, Dale had an idea. He was going to bring it up later, but better now than later. It was crucial.
"How do you feel about making a stop before we head back to the hotel?" Dale asked.
Eleanor looked at his expression to see if she could figure out what he had in mind, but he was wearing a poker face. "I wouldn't mind," She answered.
-
"Do you have a friend that you didn't mention?" Eleanor asked after gazing at the beautiful two-story home they were parked in front of.
Dale shook his head and got out of the car and opened her door. "No."
"Then why are we here?" Eleanor persisted.
Dale kissed her cheek sweetly and walked her to the door. "Do you like it?" He asked her simply.
"I mean, yes. It's beautiful, but I'd have to see the inside to make a complete judgment." Dale was acting suspicious and Eleanor was going to get to the bottom of it.
Dale pulled a key from his wallet and unlocked the front door. "Now you can make your complete judgment," He whispered in her ear and then kissed her.
Eleanor couldn't stop herself from melting in Dale's arms.
"Come on, I'll show you around," He murmured and led her around the house.
Eleanor's brain snapped back to reality and she was utterly amazed at how beautiful the house was.
The house had a unique look, the light fixtures were unique, the staircase was unique, the kitchen and its appliances were unique, everything was beautiful though.
"Why are we just wandering around someone's house? We do have permission right?" Eleanor asked once they finished looking around. It was too late to ask, but she just had to know.
Dale decided that it was finally time to just tell his cautious fiancee. "Two days ago when Patrick and I went out, we saw a house for sale. It was perfect and I thought of you when I saw it. I thought of how happy you are now that we're here and I want you to stay that way, so I called the real estate agent and now it's ours." He explained and watched as shock took over Eleanor's beautiful face.
Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped. "You, I, what?" She sputtered out.
Dale took her hand and led her to the couch. "Are you upset?" He asked genuinely concerned. He only wanted to make her happy.
A house. A beautiful house. A beautiful house in Beverly Hills. "N-no, thank you." She murmured and hugged him tightly.
Dale sighed in relief and kissed her forehead carefully. "You're so much happier here, princess. I saw it in the way you've been smiling and laughing. I couldn't let this God-given opportunity pass us by," He explained and peppered kisses on her face.
Eleanor's heart fluttered at how caring Dale was. He really loved her. "Thank you, Dale." She hummed as peace overtook her soul.
Authors Note
Y'all don't know how badly I want to change the course of the story and have it end with them-wait. Let me hush😂😂
I'm serious though, seeing how happy Eleanor and Dale are in BH, I wanted to change everything!
I'm sticking to my original plan, unless God tells me to change it.
Anyway, did y'all love this chapter?
I honestly didn't think that I would be able to get a chapter written for Thursday and Sunday, but God really did that! He's so wonderful y'all!
This was a longggggg chapter! I enjoyed writing this chapter so much and I really hope y'all enjoyed it.
As usual let me know your thoughts on the chapter! What's your predictions? Do y'all miss Mildred and Leroy? I've already writing Tuesday's chapter and y'all are gonna love it😌
That's it for now and see you guys on Tuesday!
Bye!👋🏽