Family Matters

Chapter 1

Liz was on her way home from work, as always, she was riding the subway for around 20 minutes. She had her headphones put in listening to her anti-aggression playlist like every day when she left the office. She loved her job, she really did, but there were just times when she hated everything about it. The deadlines, her co-workers, her boss, the customers, just everything. And the last few days were just like that. A million deadlines, co-workers trying to dump their work on her, her boss not acknowledging her work the way she deserved and of course the customers just being... well, customers.

She was just listening to one of her favorite songs, Nemo by Nightwish, when a woman surrounded by five kids and pushing a twin stroller entered the subway. The woman must've been in her mid-fifties and because the kids were all well below ten years old, she figured she was their grandmother. She was looking quite young for her age, shoulder long light brown hair with warm brown eyes. She ordered the kids to sit down and checked on the twins before sitting down herself and letting out a deep sigh.

Liz felt the eyes of the other passengers on the woman, shaking her head a little and rolling her eyes. Yes, she could be judgmental from time to time as well, but only when she knew a person for longer than a minute.

A few stops later the woman told the kids to get ready which made them all jump up and run to the doors. "Ready, not crazy. Jesus." She rolled her eyes and pushed the stroller towards the door. The doors opened and the lady left the subway with all the kids, when Liz suddenly noticed, that she had forgotten her purse. Without hesitating, she picked it up and rushed after her, not caring that it wasn't her stop yet. She could just take the next subway in ten minutes.

"Ma'am! Sorry? Ma'am!" she called after her, but the woman didn't hear her, she was too busy dealing with the kids around her and the twins in the stroller, who had just started crying.

"Please, we're almost home, not yet," she begged them and hurried a little. "Whoever is home first gets some ice cream." she motivated the kids to hurry up, which they did.

Liz was still calling her, following them through a park to a giant modern house with at least ten stories.

"In, in, come on!" the woman ordered the kids, who quickly entered the building before she pushed the stroller inside.

Liz finally caught up with them – she's never been much of a runner – and held the door open, so the woman could push the stroller inside. "Oh, oh thank you, my dear."

"No worries. Um, you forgot your purse in the subway," Liz explained and reached out her hand.

"Oh my, where was my head, thank you so much, honey. Would you mind coming in with me? I just need to get these rascals upstairs and I can take it off your hands."

"No, of course I don't mind," Liz smiled.

"Thank you so much." The woman gave her a warm smile and Liz followed her to the elevator. They all entered, it was big enough to transport at least seven more people, the walls were mirrored, and Liz saw the woman typing a code into a pad and then pushed the button to the highest, the twelfth floor.

The doors had just closed, when Liz felt someone pulling her shirt, so she looked down and saw a little girl with blonde curls smiling up at her. She smiled back when the girl said, "You're very pretty." Liz giggled quietly. "Why, thank you very much, little munchkin. You're very pretty, too." The girl giggled and blushed a little.

"She's not pretty, she's our sister," one of the boys about the same age as the girl said.

"So? Just because she's your sister means she can't be pretty?" Liz asked him.

He and the boy next to him exchanged a look, then looked back at Liz and nodded. "Yeah." they both said in unison.

Liz shook her head and looked back at the little girl. "Don't listen to them, they're just jealous." She winked and the girl grinned.

They finally reached the twelfth floor, and all left the elevator. To Liz's surprise, they didn't enter a hallway, but the apartment right away. Liz could smell that there must've been food in the oven already, the kitchen was right next to them and spread a tasty scent throughout the apartment. The living room was across from them, three giant sofas were placed towards a television. The wall behind it was made of glass and Liz could see the entire city below them. Her jaw dropped a little as she imagined how wonderful the view must be during a sunrise, a sunset or at night, when the people were asleep, but the city was still wide awake.

The woman pushed the stroller aside, the twins inside were quiet and probably asleep again, and told the five other kids to go tell their mother they're home before turning to Liz. "Thank you again so, so much. I sometimes don't know where I keep my head," she said smiling and took her purse.

"No worries, I would forget my head if it wasn't attached to my head," Liz replied smiling.

"Mom! You're back, finally! I was getting worried." A young woman with blonde hair put up in a bun, not older than thirty-five, came rushing down the stairs towards them. "Who's that?" she asked looking at Liz.

"Oh, this is... I'm sorry, dear, I didn't catch your name."

"Um, Liz. Well, Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Liz."

"Ah, yes, lovely. Liz was kind enough to carry my purse after me after I had left it in the subway," the older lady explained.

"Mother."

"I know, I know."

"Hey, better the purse than a kid, right?" Liz asked jokingly and smiled at the two women. They looked at her a little confused, but then started laughing. "I wouldn't be surprised if that would happen to me one day." the older lady said and sighed. "Anyway, Liz thank you so much for your help."

"Really, it was nothing."

"Hey as a little thank you would you like to stay for dinner?" the younger woman asked.

"Oh, no. No, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Please, who's imposing! We would love to have you; I always cook too much anyway. So many kids and I still haven't learned, a little sad, isn't it?" she said smiling, "We eat in half an hour, is that alright for you?"

"Well... if I'm really not bothering anyone."

"Nonsense!"

"Well then... thank you, I would love to."

She suddenly heard a loud squeal behind the women and saw the little curly haired girl standing on the stairs. She quickly turned around and ran back up – as fast as you can run as a four-year-old – while yelling, "The pretty girl is staying for dinner!"

Liz and the two women laughed.

"I'm Jean, by the way," the younger woman said and shook Liz' hand.

"I'm Diane, her mother," the other woman said.

"Can I show her my room?" the little girl suddenly interrupted the introduction, now standing at the end of the stairs.

"Sweetie, I don't think Liz is very interested in seeing your room."

The little girl pouted, and Liz smiled warmly. "Actually, I would love to see it." Again, the girl screamed, and Liz quickly walked up the stairs when the girl took her hand.

Liz couldn't see it anymore, but Jean and Diane exchanged a surprised look. "Looks like Ellie made a new friend," Diane said smiling.

"Yeah, looks like it. There must be something about this girl then," Jean replied looking after them.