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Post by Ian Johnson on Jul 19, 2008 21:27:34 GMT -5
Ian stormed into his apartment, and threw some things onto the table. He just came from his parents house, they called him and told him to come to dinner with them. He couldn't say no to his parents, so he went. He wished he never would have now. He was now engaged to the governor's daughter; Alice Roosevelt. Sure, it was great being engaged to someone of important status, but he loved someone else...he just couldn't tell his parents who he loved.
He plopped down on the nice couch in his apartment, and exhaled a sigh. Why was this happening to him? This was the one thing money couldn't buy, money couldn't buy happiness. Right now his money was making him miserable. He was having to marry Alice because his parents were too uptight to go against the grain and marry for love. "Oh don't worry, son, you'll learn to love each other." His father said. Psh, what a lier, he never could love someone such as Alice. She was the one girl he could never learn to love.
Ian stood back up and went over to the table where he threw some of the things his parents gave him. One was a piece of paper with a list of neighborhoods his parents approved of them to live in. Another was a list of recommendations of butlers and maids, and the last was a list of churches they could have the wedding at. Ian sighed, he didn't want to go through with this. If they did get married, he was having an affair and was going down by the docks where the prostitutes are every weekend. His affair would be with Laura of course, that's who he loved. Alice could just get over it, and go cry to her father.
Now, it wasn't very fair that Ian was judging her personality when he had no idea what type of a person she was. He was going off by what the papers have said about her, and what some people have said about her. So far he had heard that she was a rich snob. Sure, that's what people said about him, but it was true in a sense. He was getting better about being kinder, Laura was helping him with that. If only his parents didn't care so much about the money. He threw the papers down and stormed back to the couch. Ian leaned his head back and closed his eyes until he heard a knock at the door. He stood up grumbling, and went over to the door. "What do you want?" He yelled.
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Post by aliceroosevelt on Jul 19, 2008 21:49:35 GMT -5
The manservant kept his hand on Alice's shoulder as he knocked on the door to Ian Johnson's apartment. The firm grip on her shoulder kept Alice from walking away, as she so badly wanted to at the moment. But she didn't know where she could go. She didn't know her way around the Bronx, and the carriage driver wouldn't allow her to leave in the carriage. She was stuck, and as much as she hated it, she would have to meet with Ian, as was planned.
The manservant had accompanied her as an escort thus far. He would come in three hours to bring her back home again. It had been arranged between the Roosevelts and the Johnsons that the two young people would meet to discuss their wedding plans between themselves (sympathetic Edith thought that would be best for them) before allowing others to take over the planning. Alice had protested loud and long, until finally she was taken by force to the carriage and made to take the drive.
Now, the manservant knocked on Ian's door. From inside came a disgruntled sounding, "What do you want?" Alice flinched at the sound. Good God, that's what her father expected her to marry? It was even worse than she had thought. The manservant spoke up. "Mr. Kirkson here, sir, escorting Miss Roosevelt as was planned..." Kirkson tightened his grip on Alice's shoulder. Alice violently shrugged him off. She wasn't a child or a dog. At this point, she couldn't run.
The door opened, and Kirkson gave Alice a slight push inside. She staggered in to meet Ian, first giving Kirkson a fierce glance as he closed the apartment door and was on his way. Alice turned to look at Ian, her eyes bespeaking loathing and her face stony silent.
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Post by Ian Johnson on Jul 19, 2008 22:11:23 GMT -5
"Mr. Kirkson here, sir, escorting Miss Roosevelt as was planned..."
Ian flinched inside, he forgot that he was supposed to meet with Alice to discuss the wedding. He flung open the door and glared at both of them, just to make sure that they both knew he wasn't happy. This wasn't right, he wasn't getting his way. Ian always got his way, so this felt like torture. He glared at Alice as she walked into his home. HIS home, not hers.
He slammed the door in Kirkson's or whatever his name was's face. He stared at Alice for a moment, Laura was ten times prettier than her. Sure Alice was pretty, but there was just something more special about Laura. And no, no social status would help beauty. Unless you were like Ian, he had looks, charm, and status all going for him. Well in his mind anyway...
"You can sit down." He said, leaning against the wall. He didn't want to be within five feet of this girl, he surely didn't want to be getting married to her. Just the thought of sharing the same home...the same bed, ugh, it made him feel sick. He felt in a way that he was being unfaithful to Laura, she would understand...right? He had to do this. His parents were forcing him.
He came a little closer to her, "I'll have you know one thing. I do not like the idea of us getting married. I'm already with someone, I'll have you know that." He folded his arms across his chest. "The only relationship I would care to have with you if for publicity only." Ian liked the idea of getting attention from the press because of their relationship, but he didn't want to marry her just to get attention. That's the last thing he would want to do, get married just for attention. That's probably what his parents thought he wanted.
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Post by aliceroosevelt on Jul 19, 2008 22:25:35 GMT -5
"You can sit down."
Alice sent Ian a harsh glare as she brushed past him to the couch and sat. She looked over the papers on the table and tossed each one aside lazily as she looked at it. She didn't want to plan a wedding. What made Edith think that Alice could plan a wedding? Edith didn't trust Alice to pick out her own clothes, much less plan a wedding. She then left the papers alone and folded her hands tensely in her lap. She still did not speak to Ian, not wishing to.
"I'll have you know one thing. I do not like the idea of us getting married. I'm already with someone, I'll have you know that."
A surprised look came across Alice's face. She turned to look at Ian. "Really?" she exclaimed. If Ian really loved someone else, why was this wedding even in the question? If they both refused to marry, what prayer did her father have to force her? Alice rose to her feet. "Why didn't you say anything?" she demanded bossily. Good God, if he had said something in the beginning neither of them would be in this wretched mess.
"The only relationship I would care to have with you if for publicity only."
Alice rolled her eyes. And for a moment she thought she had seen a less shallow side of Ian Johnson. "With all due respect, Ian," she said coldly, and looked at him, shaking her head, "not even for publicity." She wouldn't care to have any kind of relationship with him at all. Still, at the moment she could forget his egotistical manner. There were bigger things to worry about. "Well, now! And I'll have you know, that I don't want to marry you, either. You're not the only one with someone else in mind, believe me!"
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Post by Ian Johnson on Jul 20, 2008 12:28:25 GMT -5
"Really? Why didn't you say anything?"
Ian scoffed, "Have you ever heard of 'actually trying to please the parents'?" He asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He couldn't say no to his parents, it was a big enough struggle for him to live on his own, without his mother...well without his mother's servants. It was an eye opener when he began to live on his own. There were perks, such as not going to school, and freedom without his parents breathing down his neck.
"With all due respect, Ian, not even for publicity."
"Well good, I was just trying to be nice. I don't want a relationship with you at all." He felt like he was still being faithful to Laura, and that made him feel happy. Laura had a lot of trust issues, she wouldn't be happy knowing that he was in another 'relationship'. Panic struck him, what if Laura found out about the marriage and thought him and Alice had a relationship all along? He made a mental note to find her and tell her it was their parents' doing. It wasn't his choice, if Ian could have his way, Alice wouldn't be in his home planning a wedding.
"Well, now! And I'll have you know, that I don't want to marry you, either. You're not the only one with someone else in mind, believe me!"
Ian was shocked. Perfect little Alice Roosevelt had another relationship, and didn't want to follow daddy's commands? Well that was a first. "Well, good. So we're even." He said. "What are we going to do? I don't want to marry you. Hell would have to freeze over and re-thaw itself before the thought even crossed the front of my mind." He said, sitting down on the couch with his head in his hands. Why did their parents have to be such sticks in the mud and force them to marry each other for money?
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Post by aliceroosevelt on Jul 26, 2008 22:48:10 GMT -5
"Have you ever heard of 'actually trying to please the parents'?"
Alice scoffed openly. "Please my parents? My goodness, I spend most of my time displeasing them..." she said lightly. It wasn't intentional, of course. If Alice felt she could, she would have gladly obeyed her father and stepmother like she knew she should. But with such strong differences of opinion in almost every aspect of life, how could she stand there and let them dictate what she was to do? The main difference was that Alice's point of views were newfangled and unconventional. As a political family, a lot of Theodore Roosevelt's premises were traditional, and this was where the father and daughter clashed.
"Well good, I was just trying to be nice. I don't want a relationship with you at all."
"Well!" Alice said, momentarily offended. But then she realized that he had said nothing to her that she hadn't said to him, and she relented with a wave of her hands. "Oh, fine, all right. Fair enough, you saying that..." It was almost a relief that he wouldn't have a relationship with her for publicity. She had regarded him as shallow for saying that, and perhaps he was less so now that he changed his mind. Perhaps.
"Well, good. So we're even."
She nodded. "We certainly are." Maybe her and Ian weren't all that different after all.
"What are we going to do? I don't want to marry you. Hell would have to freeze over and re-thaw itself before the thought even crossed the front of my mind."
Despite herself, Alice found herself laughing at his comment. "Likewise," she said with a nod. "I wouldn't want to marry you for any reason, really. Now why don't you say something to your parents? I've been arguing with my father the past week about it. Don't you see? If neither of us agree to the union, they couldn't possibly force us..." If Ian would only protest, perhaps the wedding would be off, and neither of them would have to worry about marriage. For good measure Alice added, "And if not me, what about this other girl? I'm sure she's from a good family, isn't she?" She couldn't imagine Ian loving a girl who wasn't of an upper class. Then again, look where she found herself, head over heels for a mysterious, destitute young man she had met solely by chance one day...
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