Adulation / h.s

84

Elijah is 20, Mila is 18 and Noah is 15.

"Mum, dad?" Elijah called.

"Livingroom," He heard his dad call.

Smiling nervously at them, he turned their tv show off and got the focus on him.

"What's wrong?" His mum asks.

He took a deep breath. "I've got something I've wanted to talk to you both about,"

They both frowned but sat up to concentrate on him.

"You both know that my degree is the most important thing in the world to me,"

They both nodded. "Yeah.."

"I've enjoyed my first two years so, so much. It's been everything I could have wished for,"

"What is it Eli," His mum rushes.

"I've been offered a transfer, it's temporary; for a year but once I'm there it can be negotiated that I stay longer."

"Where?" His dad took his mum's hand.

Taking a deep breath, he smiled. "Australia."

"Australia," Rosie repeated in a shocked whisper. Her baby was moving to Australia.

"That's great," Harry grinned. "Well done my boy, when do you go?"

"Six weeks,"

The tears filled in Rosie's eyes quicker than she expected. "Six weeks.. You already accepted?"

He nods. "Of course, I couldn't turn that down."

Biting her lip Rosie tries to take it in.

"I'm proud of you," Harry smiles.

"Australia," Rosie repeats.

Harry nudges Rosie to say something else, he could see Elijah watching his mother carefully.

"Well, we couldn't be more proud of you. We'll facetime you when we can and all that, we could maybe come over." Harry smiles.

Rosie looked at him incredulously, she didn't know how he could be so calm and cool about it.

"Mum?" Elijah snapped her out of her daydream.

"Uh, yes.. amazing, I'm so happy for you." She pulls him in for a hug, a tear straying down her cheek.

"Australia Harry," She cries pulling back their bed sheet in preparation for getting in. "Fucking Australia!"

"Babe,"

"I'm losing him, he's going to go over, stay there and not come back, oh god." She gasps sitting on the end of the bed.

"Babe, he's doing this for his career. We aren't losing him at all."

"What if he meets a girl? What if he wants to stay there permanently for her?"

"This is all what ifs, Rose. It's not happening."

"Yet," She walks into the en-suite and brushes her teeth. Harry follows her and sits on the toilet with the lid down watching her exfoliate.

"What can we do? We can't stop him? This is what he wants,"

"I know," Rosie agrees, of course she wouldn't want him to not take the opportunity. "I am so proud of him, of all of them. They're my babies."

She wipes her face and turns towards Harry, her eyes cast down as her lip quivers.

"Don't cry," He soothes. "It's just for a year,"

"What if it isn't?"

"Then we deal with that if that happens. But for now, we give him all the support he needs in order to get ready for his move."

She nods. "He's my baby,"

"I know," Elijah and Rosie's bond was the strongest. She had a bond with Mila and Noah too of course, but the first born is always different.

She wipes her tears and looks up at Harry. "How are you so cool about this?"

"I'm not," He admits. "But it's hurting you more so I have to be there for you,"

"It can hurt us both, we can both hurt together."

He kisses her. "Let's go to bed, I'll make some hot chocolate?" He offers.

She nods. "Please."