Chapter Twelve
“Is this truly necessary?”
“Yes. It embodies the spirit of the day. Don’t be such a party pooper.”
“I’ll never understand that phrase.”
“Never mind that. What matters is that you learn to relax and have fun.”
Ethan raised a skeptical brow, but Bethany refused to back down. She’d planned this outing down to the last detail, and his cooperation was crucial.
“We are visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Why does it require that I wear this tacky T-shirt and ridiculous foam thing on my head?”
“Hey, I’m wearing the same thing. Besides, an I Heart NY T-shirt is not tacky, it’s iconic,” Bethany insisted. “You in khaki dress pants instead of jeans and sneakers is what’s throwing off the look. And the Statue of Liberty foam crown is fun. We are doing fun touristy things so we might as well embrace it. Look around. It’s a crisp fall day, perfect weather for this outing. Just remember how lucky we are to be alive right now, here in the greatest city in the world.” She cocked her head, tongue firmly in cheek. “I am proud of you though. You rode the 1 train with me all the way down to South Ferry without a single complaint. I told you it wouldn’t kill you.”
Ethan threw her a look. “I have taken the subway before. Multiple times. I keep telling you, I’m not that much of a snob.”
Ignoring him, Bethany took him by the arm, and steered him toward the ticket line. “The point is,” she barreled on, as if he hadn’t spoken, “doing corny, touristy things is part of the American experience. And immigrants are what make New York the city it is today. You gotta embrace it. And what is more immigrant and American than Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty?”
“The statue isn’t even American. It was a gift from the French,” he pointed out.
Bethany narrowed her eyes. “You take that back right now,” she insisted. “How dare you?”
“Mr. Ethan!”
Ah right on time. Priyanka was bouncing in excitement, with her own I Heart New York T-shirt, foam crown, jeans, and unicorn sneakers with rainbow laces.
Bethany refused to admit how her heart melted at the smile that lit Ethan’s face when he saw Pri and Jaya.
“Hello, Priyanka. Are you visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with us today?”
The little girl nodded her head vigorously, which sent her pigtails flying. “Mommy said we get to ride a boat.”
“Yes, a ferry.”
Bethany looked at her best friend and frowned. “Why aren’t you in your T-shirt and foam crown?” she demanded. Jaya wore sandals, a Hamilton Schuyler Sisters T-shirt and cute cut-off shorts.
“I forgot the crown and I had an accident this morning and got a huge dollop of blueberry yogurt smack dab in the middle. I figured what I’m wearing is an acceptable substitute. In the spirit and all that.”
“Mommy, I saw you throw your statue crown in the trash can yesterday. And you asked Daddy if you needed to smear more yogurt on your shirt so you didn’t have to wear it.”
“You need a muzzle,” Jaya mumbled while covering her daughter’s mouth. Then flashed her best smile at the other two. “Tell you what, ferry and museum tickets are on me.”
Bethany glared so Jaya would know that she’d pay for her treachery.
“It strikes me as slightly unfair that your friend doesn’t have to wear the T-shirt and I do,” Ethan remarked mildly.
“For God’s sake, what do you want? There’s no Armani or Ralph Lauren store nearby. You want to go shirtless?”
Where the hell had that come from? To her horror, Bethany felt herself begin to flush, and she couldn’t blame the heat. And the way he kept staring at her wasn’t helping at all.
“Mommy, where’s our boat?”
“We have about twenty minutes, sweetie,” Jaya explained. “You’ll have to be patient for just a little bit longer, okay?”
Priyanka pouted then her eyes lit up. “Can I have a pretzel and a hot dog?”
“Yes,” Bethany interjected. She grabbed her wallet and took out a twenty-dollar bill. “There’s enough for a soda if you want too.”
Jaya shot her an evil look. Oops.
“Mr. Ethan, will you come with me?”
“I would be honored.”
With ease and confidence, Priyanka took Ethan’s hand and the two of them made their way to procure the requested snacks.
Bethany saw the shit-eating grin on Jaya’s face and held up a pre-emptive hand. “Don’t. Just don’t. I will babysit for free for two weekends if you keep your mouth shut.”
“It’s beyond me why you haven’t hit that yet. What’s wrong with you?”
“My sex life is none of your business.”
“The least you can do is help a girl out and let me live vicariously. Can’t remember the last time I got a tune-up. Totally missed my Sex in the City moment.”
“Do you want free babysitting or not?”
“Oh, hell yeah. I may order some La Perla and finally splurge on that negligee I’ve been eying. And I’m saying now, it might get loud, so earplugs. My husband loves me in satin and lace.”
Bethany took a deep breath. “Jaya, I love you but there are things I just don’t need to know.” And she may never be able to look Rahul in the face ever again. Or look at him at all.
“All I’m saying is when kids come along your sex life takes a hit. I have no sexy lingerie anymore. My drawers are now full of granny panties.”
“Does giving birth remove all TMI filters?” And why did no one inform her of that when she did her OB rotation? That was the sort of thing she’d need to know.
“I’m home alone with a four-year-old all day for the most part now that I cut back to working at Helping Hands part-time. I’m starved for adult conversation.”
“And sex.”
Jaya nodded. “And sex.”
“If you come back from your sex-a-thon pregnant, it’s not my fault. Just wanna make that clear now.”
“Don’t mess with me,” her friend warned. “No take-backs. And that pregnant comment was out of order. You know better than to tempt fate.”
“I’m serious. But I’m starting to regret it.” This was what happened when she tried to do something nice.
“Nope, too late. I’m taking you up on that deal.”
“Should be enough time for you to book a nice hotel or something. Because I swear if you’re too loud and Pri asks about the noise, I’m not explaining.” Her desperation to avoid talking about whatever the hell was happening with her and Ethan only went so far.
“Thin walls,” Jaya muttered to herself, suddenly absorbed with her phone.
“Jaya. TMI.”
“Are you available next weekend?”
A quick glance at her phone and calendar. “Yes. I have off Thursday night until Sunday morning. So you can get your freak on Friday and pick Pri up Saturday afternoon.
“Hotel booked!” Jaya threw up her hands in a cheer. “I thank you on both my and my husband’s behalf in advance.”
“I’d still watch the volume if I was you. Hotel walls are only so thick.”
“At this point, I’d do the walk of shame with pride.”
“Shit. Has it been that long?”
The look Jaya shot her was all the answer she needed.
“I feel like I’m doing some sort of act of mercy. Humanitarian aid.”
“I’ll personally vouch for you with the Nobel Peace Prize committee.”
“Mommy, we got a pretzel for you too.” Priyanka beamed, brandishing the snack with a flourish. Both she and Ethan were loaded down with snacks and drinks.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Jaya broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth.
“I don’t get a pretzel?” Bethany pouted.
“We found this for you instead,” Priyanka explained, showing her a big bag of Twizzlers.
“My favorites,” she exclaimed. She ripped open the package and dug in.
“That’s what he said,” Pri said, her eyes wide. She turned to Ethan. “Are you a mind reader?”
Bethany frowned. “How do you know I love Twizzlers?”
All she got back in return was an enigmatic look.
“Time for us to get in line for the ferry,” he announced. Bethany was puzzled but followed as Jaya and Priya led the way.
In short order the four of them were seated on the top deck of the ferry. Bethany enjoyed the feel of the wind in her face and the fresh air. Meanwhile, Ethan and Pri chatted away, Ethan listening attentively while the little girl babbled, and picking Priyanka up and keeping her safe while they leaned over the ledge to wave at the bird and people back on shore. Now he was giving a mini lecture on the size, weight, and various other trivia factoids about the Statue of Liberty and Priyanka was a rapt pupil.
Jaya gently elbowed Bethany and cocked her head in the duo’s attention. Look at that, she mouthed.
Bethany pulled down her sunglasses a fraction and studied the scene. “Pri’s crush is still going strong. It’s cute,” she admitted.
“Not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Then what?” She wasn’t ready to admit how she felt about Ethan making another conquest. He’d won her family over without breaking a sweat, and had Pri eating out of the palm of his hand since the moment they’d met at the park months ago. It was aggravating. Everything seemed to come so easily to him, and she felt she had to work so hard for each achievement.
What must it be like to have everything in life handed to you on a silver platter?
Even as she had the thought, Bethany knew she was being unfair. Yes, Ethan had grown up with numerous financial advantages and never had to worry about money. But she couldn’t deny he worked hard and was smart as hell. And he’d uprooted his whole life and was trying to start fresh here in New York. That took courage and guts and she had to admire that. He definitely wasn’t a trust fund baby, resting on his laurels and taking the easy way out.
She was still going to win the Fellowship. He may be good, but she had a lot more to prove.
“Your boyfriend looks like prime dad material to me.”
“Shut up. What is with everyone telling me that?” Bethany realized her mistake and regretted it immediately. But it was too late. She glanced furtively around. Thank goodness Pri and Ethan were still on the starboard side, focusing on the waves and birds.
Jaya pounced right on cue. “So… Someone else thinks he’d be a good baby daddy?”
“Never mind.”
“This isn’t over,” Jaya warned.
To Bethany’s massive relief, the ferry arrived at Ellis Island and their party of four quickly made their way through the lines into the museum. Jaya and Pri went off to do the audio tour and focus on the interactive exhibits, while she and Ethan decided to explore at leisure.
Seeing all the artifacts and all the other treasures at the museum moved her deeply, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. All those generations of immigrants coming to America with little more than the clothes on their backs and hopes and dreams of a better life and future in the land of opportunity. It shined through in the photographs, letters, passenger manifests and other priceless artifacts.
“Is that a tear I spy?” Ethan asked, brow raised.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she denied vehemently. Just to be safe, she discreetly dabbed her eyes. “This place is dusty. They have stuff here that’s almost a hundred or a hundred fifty years old. Can’t be helped, I suppose.”
At his look, she relented. “I know most Chinese Americans and Asian Americans—at least the ones who came during the gold rush—went through Angel Island in California, but it just makes me think about my parents and grandparents.” All the sacrifices they made so she and her siblings could lead the lives they now led. Today’s adventure just reinforced how much she owed them to show their hard work and sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. She couldn’t let them down.
“All these people were quite brave,” he agreed. “Leaving behind everything they knew, and saying goodbye to friends and family, possibly never seeing them again.”
No argument there.
“Especially all the little children who made the journey. I couldn’t help but picture Priyanka. They must have been so scared and bewildered. Or maybe they were excited because they were finally going to see their father after five years because he came here first to establish himself.”
She was going to bawl in a minute if he kept this up. She took a deep breath, counted to ten, and got her shit together.
“No question that everyone who came through here and took a chance on the American dream is what helps make this country great.” Like Lin-Manuel aptly said, immigrants get the job done.
“I hope you aren’t the only one who feels that way,” Ethan continued, lips quirked.
“What are you talking about?”
He waved around the room. “I’m hoping to continue in that great tradition.”
“Get. Out.” Staggered, Bethany came to a dead stop.
He gave a shrug and a slight cough. “I’ve been in touch with an attorney,” he confessed. “It’s also why I’m applying for the Fellowship. Leigh said it might increase my odds of being able to apply for and receive permanent resident status.
“Wow.”
For once, Bethany was at a loss for words. She’d spent the afternoon learning about all the brave men, women, and children who’d come through Ellis Island to be part of America, inspired by their courage and determination. And here was Ethan Wu, making the same brave choice.
She hadn’t ever given it much thought, but she’d always assumed he’d head back to Taiwan or whatever. Land another cushy job where he didn’t have to worry about anything.
Instead, he chose to embark on this much more difficult and uncertain path. How could she be anything but full of admiration? Granted, he wasn’t exactly the “poor tired, huddled masses” Emma Lazarus wrote about in “The New Colossus” but still.
Ethan obviously had the same hopes and dreams and who was she to look down on him and his goal? He deserved the same opportunity provided to her parents and grandparents, and those masses.
Then the rest of his words landed. The Fellowship. Her parents and grandparents.
Suddenly things were so much more complicated than they were not even thirty seconds ago. The Bethany Way dictated that the way forward was to plow through any obstacles that got in the way between her and her goals. There was too much at stake for her to fail. She couldn’t afford any distractions. Her parents deserved to be paid back and to know she had not failed them.
And yet.
She needed to set her feelings aside. She couldn’t afford to let the sentiment of today’s outing get the better of her. And their kiss at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
She’d been so relieved when things had returned to an equilibrium after that kiss. Even if that kiss led to some very explicit dreams she was going to keep to herself.
Surely there were other prizes and fellowships Ethan could apply for. The Raskin Fellowship was hers. No matter what.