Part One
Part Two
“Henry, what are you doing up?” Emma said standing.
Henry smiled at her and held up the tray of coffee cakes that the housekeeper said she would bring down. On it was a modest tea pot with a matching cup and saucer, “You need these.” He said placing them on a side table across from the chairs and couch, and next to the other door. Emma scowled at him.
“You should be resting-” Emma started.
“If I was to be with you, and our guest, then I would be well rested.” Henry said going up to her. He grasped her arms gently and kissed her head, then smiled down at her.
Christopher watched him with great interest. It wasn’t like Emma had said… He seemed kind, but he still hated him. It would take great strides to make him think that any man was good enough for Emma. Besides, he hadn’t made Emma back to the creature she used to be: Happy.
“Oh, well if you die then it won’t be my fault.” She said scrunching up her face at him. All Henry did was smile at her.
Christopher watched as he let go of Emma and hold her hand as she sat back down in her chair, and then turn to him as he let go of her hand. He smiled politely and bowed his head in greeting.
“You will forgive me if I do not shake your hand, Mr.Moltisanti.” He raised his head and looked him in the eye, “I have been sick, and do not wish spread germs.”
Christopher shrugged, “Whatever you’se want.”
He watched as Henry went back to the tea tray that healed coffee cake as well.
“If I was woken, I would have received you as well as Emma.” He served himself some tea while speaking, “Though, I have told my mother-in-law and housekeeper she is to have privilege in this house, I still would like to receive guests as well.” He turned with a two pieces of cake and placed them next to the coffee tray on the coffee table between the chars and small sofa. Smiling at him, “I love guests.”
Christopher looked down at the coffee cake as Henry turned back to get his tea. He then looked at Emma. She was pulling at her skirt, her nervous habit in that thing, and looking at the cake.
“Well have a treat before work Emma if you wish.” Henry said with a good nature as he went to sit down with his cup, “I shall have mine at work.”
Christopher watched as Emma looked up at Henry, and smiled. She said nothing, but Christopher could tell that there was a message in that look. He looked at Henry and he was smiling back at her. The smile was one he had never seen him give before to Emma. He touched her hand, brushing it with his fingers, moved back and towards the empty chair.
Henry sipped from his cup as he sat, as the ticking of a clock in the room filled the silence. Christopher took up his piece of cake, and bit into it.
“Hey! This stuffs is good!” he really thought so. He had never had coffee cake like it before.
“Now you know why I keep Luisa around.” Henry said placing his cup onto the saucer in his other hand. He smiled happily, “Plus, she does the laundry.”
“Ya know,” Christopher said taking another bite, “Em should bring home some coffee cake from her work. They sell’s the good stuff.”
“Ah, but it is store bought then.” Henry said, “I’d rather have homemade.”
“I did help make this you know.” Emma said quietly.
Christopher looked at her and said, “Really Em, you should bring some of the cakes from you’res work before you can’t anymore.”
He instantly knew he said the wrong thing. Not only did he know it, but the scared “deer-in-the-headlights” look Emma gave told him that she knew what he was talking about. He looked at Henry, and he had a confused look.
“What’s wrong?” he said to Emma. Henry didn’t elaborate on it, but the tone in his voice sounded worried.
Again there was silence, deep enough to hear the ticking of a clock. Henry looked between Christopher and Emma, not angry, but worried.
“Well…. I’se don’t know if I’se want to say…” Christopher said at a loss for words.
“Henry…” Emma said sounding ashamed. Christopher looked at her, and she looked like she was a guilty child: Looking at her hands playing with the hem of her skirt. “It’s not really bad, but…” She looked at him like a child when they were caught doing something bad, “Well, I quit my job.”
Christopher looked at her, then at Henry. If he was angry at her, he had yet to show it. All he did was place his cup down on the table, and leaned toward her, taking her hands gently into his, keeping them from fidgeting. He looked at her kindly, with a very soft smile.
“Is this something you wish?” he said in a soft voice, “You know I don’t want you to do anything that would make you unhappy.”
“No. This is something I felt I had to do. ” Emma said looking up at him sadly, “I- I was just standing there one day, and I wanted to be- Well I wanted to be, ‘Not there.’ ”
Henry closed his eyes and nodded his acceptance. He patted her hands, smiling, then reopened his eyes looking at her with that smile that he had before when they shared one as he sat down with his tea. Suddenly, he saw a trace of a similar smile appearing on Emma’s face.
“As long as you are happy.” Was all Henry said squeezing her hands gently, with loving care.
Christopher felt, for lack of a better word, shocked.
From what Emma told him, Henry should be in an all out rage by now. But he seemed OK about it. Was Emma wrong about this man? Christopher could only guess, but Henry seemed better than Emma’s description of his behavior.
Christopher went back to the cake, to be discreet. It helped that it really was good.
“Aren’t you a little angry?” asked Emma in a soft, meek, voice.
“Why should I be?” Henry said. Christopher looked up and saw him smiling, “It’s your life.” Christopher looked back to Emma, and she was starting to fidget with her skirt again. She shrugged, and Christopher went back to the cake. “We can talk about this later Emma if you wish.”
“Ok.” Was all she said.
“Besides, I want to use what little time we have here to talk about how we slept together.”
Christopher nearly choked on the piece of cake he had decide to swallow at that moment.
As he gulped coffee down to help, he saw the deer-in-the-headlights look Emma gave again, then saw Henry and a big grin.
“Whut?” was all Christopher had to say as he swallowed the last of his coffee.
“HENRY!” Emma said getting that wide eyed anger look so many women he knew got when they found out something their husbands did.
“Yes?” was all Henry said folding his hands together and smiling at her.
“We did not sleep together!” she shouted at him.
“Well, we were in the same bed-” he started.
“NOT like that!” she said.
Christopher had to grin inwardly. She was looking furious, and like she was about to strangle him then and here.
“Well if you want to go into details-” he started again.
“HENRY!” she said looking like she was about to cry.
“Mr. Moltisanti.” Henry said looking at him. Christopher saw the playful grin gone, replaced by a serious expression, “The details are that while Emma and I did sleep together, it was not in the fashion that many would think.”
Christopher was silent. Henry had begun his explanation, and he would hear it, mostly because if he had tried to do anything, he would hurt Henry if he had to. “She was asleep, and sick, and I, having just gotten home from work, wanted to lay on the bed, and not the chair by her. So, in order to protect her virtue, placed four cats on there with us, two of which were innocent kittens. Besides, she woke as I laid down, and we continued to talk from then on till I could stand no more, for I was in the throws of sickness myself, and went to my own room.”
Christopher looked to Emma, who looked on the verge of killing Henry, then looked back as Henry spoke again, “No clothes were shed Mr. Moltisanti. I swear on my child’s life.”
Christopher backed down from wanting to hurt the man because he almost made Emma cry, but he had to admit, Emma would have gotten the same treatment from him. He then thought that it had to be worse because she loved Henry, and to be teased to the point of tears must of hurt. He stole a glance at Emma, and she was looking at Henry strangely: she was frowning, but her eyes… They seemed to be dancing with laughter.
“S’ok. I guess.” He said nodding.
A small chiming sounded, and struck the quarter hour. It was fifteen past, and as Henry looked off, probably to the clock, he looked back to Christopher standing.
“I must get ready to leave.” He bowed his head to Christopher and said, “I am sorry we did not have more time, or that I could not show you to the door. Good day Mr. Moltisanti.”
He got up and placed his tea cup on the tea tray, and carried out the set. Emma stood as the door closed, and after a moment said, “I got to go too… I am sorry about this Christopher.”
“S’ok.” He said. He smiled and bite of cake, “I’ll… Have more of this cake before I leave.”
Emma smiled at him then left the room. Seemed like she was getting used to Henry’s jibes, and the man wasn’t attacking her as bad as he thought. He silently wished that it would continue to get better.
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Henry was choosing a tie from his closet when he heard the door shut. It was a soft noise, but lack of eyesight over the years helped his other senses become sharper. He walked out to see Emma standing there.
“Ah, if you want to speak,” he said smiling, holding up his tie, “tie this for me.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. He was just poking fun at her, and he could tell she was thinking over weather to tie it for him, or choke him with it. Henry grinned. He was a rotten man for teasing the woman he loved, but it was his father’s fault for teasing his mother all those years to show he loved her.
Emma then came up to him and grabbed the tie from him and pointed to the bed.
“Sit down, you bothersome man. You’re too tall.”
Henry then thought she was getting the hang of it.
He obediently went to the bed and sat down, flashing the only grin he would give her. He swore, for a moment, he saw her mouth twitch upward. As she began to tie his tie, she spoke.
“I didn’t mean for you to find out about my job…” she seemed shy about speaking about it, “But… I really did want to do it…” She looked into his eyes as she paused her work, “I- I just wanted to be with you, and help you, and the thought of you, well I just felt like my work was a chore now.”
“You don’t have to explain to me Emma.” Henry said placing a hand on both of hers, “If it feels right to you, then do it.” He then smiled the only smile he would give her, “I will love you no less for wanting to be happy.”
She looked at him, very unsure, then looked back down as she shook off his hand and continued her work.
“I just don’t know what I want to do… What I have to do…”
Henry stopped her hands by holding them loosely in his. He gently squeezed them and said, “I might have some information on a job that I think you will not only like, but will be good at.” He stood, straightening his tie, “I tell you what: Come tomorrow for dinner. Just you, me and Kenna, and after she is in bed, we can talk about it.”
Emma looked up at him, a strange, happy look in her face, and then touched his arm. He loved the feeling that it meant to reciprocate. He smiled as he felt: very happy. A show of emotion like that from Emma was rare, and far between, though he long ago learned to appreciate moments like this.
“I’d like to.” Was all she said.
Henry loved her. It was simple. He loved her for making these kind of moments, the moments where his heart wanted to, for lack of a better word, burst with happiness.
Henry touched her gently on her arms, very gently, mimicking where she touched him. He felt her flinch a little, but she didn’t slap him away. He looked into her eyes, and tried to tell her without words how she made him feel.
“You hold my heart.” Was all he said to her, and pulled her close into a hug, and kissed her on the head, “Never forget that.”
His watch beeped, and he looked at it. He was cutting it close. He planted another quick kiss on the forehead, grabbed his coat that was on the bed, and then flew out the bedroom door yelling, “You’ll be late too Emma! Give my regards to Christopher!”
He seemed to be flying, though his feet were firmly planted on the ground. He smiled to himself. Emma seemed to have that affect on him.
