FicWad

November, 1985


“Lorraine, maybe I should have changed my mind about this and let you and Reggie go without me.”



It was extremely early in the morning in Bedford, and Regulus and Lorraine were naturally, still in pajamas. Regulus, meanwhile, was uncertain of what he’d just gotten himself into- The previous weekend, his wife Lorraine had approached him on whether or not he wanted to spend Thanksgiving (an American Muggle holiday, that much he knew) with her relatives in Spencer, West Virginia. And like a fool, he had said yes.




Regulus now sorely regretted that decision- Not necessarily because he didn’t want to go, or that he didn’t love Lorraine, no, it was nothing like that! It’s just that apart from Lorraine’s word of mouth, Regulus knew precious little about America. And even less about the customs of their non-magical folk. To be honest; within the past few years, Regulus’ opinions about Muggles had shifted dramatically.


Before he’d actually began to live as one, Regulus had been so sheltered in his parents’ little world of blood perfection and lavish decadence, he had been thoroughly convinced that his parents were right; that they were all crude, inferior people who had no right to so much as look at him.


But living in the Muggle world, of course, had changed all of that. Regulus had learned that, like wizards, some Muggles were decent people; but others were swine. It was simple enough. Still, he would likely always hold them with a slight indifference (with the exception of Lorraine and her family.) merely because that’s what he’d been taught.



And Regulus was especially lacking knowledge on the most intriguing Muggle holiday that was Thanksgiving.



Lorraine answered him:


“Reginald, don’t be silly! I’m sure we’ll all have a great time- look how excited Reggie is.”



“Then tell me again, just one more time, what all the fuss is about.”


Regulus still found the concept of Thanksgiving somewhat confusing.



“I still can’t believe you’ve never heard of Thanksgiving.”



“Homeschooled, remember?”



She nodded.



“Right. Thanksgiving….. I can’t think of any other way to sum it up other than it started hundreds of years ago, when America was first settled, you get the picture. Nowadays Thanksgiving….”


Lorraine smiled a bit as she continued.



“It’s all just an excuse to get together with family, and eat a crapload of great food.”



“But couldn’t we do that any other day of the year??”


Regulus was exasperated trying to wrap his mind around this logic.


“We could, but Thanksgiving only comes once a year, and although I wouldn’t mind the luxury, we can’t just fly to America when we feel like it.”


Flying. Regulus was of course, aware they would be getting to America in some sort of flying contraption the Muggles called airplanes. But he had only seen them from a distance; and had no idea what it would be like to actually be ON one.



“I know.”



“Reginald….”



She put an arm around his shoulder.




“I know you’re worried but everything is going to be fine. So you’ve never been on a plane before- they’re perfectly safe; there’s virtually no chance we might crash.”



Regulus was unconvinced. Planes didn’t look like the safest means of flying if anyone asked him.



“Are you quite certain?”



“Yep.”


There was nothing belittling or at all condescending, and Regulus felt bad for that- his wife truly did want to make him feel better; and he was doing the situation little good by continuing to worry the way he was. He decided to sit back and think about the situation as a whole. He was going to get a chance to spend more time with the Rifkinds.


And despite the fact that they were Muggles, Regulus could tell they were a friendly, respectable family; and it was clear Lorraine was close with her various family members. In addition, Lorraine had assured him repeatedly that planes were extremely safe. And unlike himself, Regulus knew his wife to be an honest person. It sounded like a plausible claim, and he was sure he could take her word for it.



It was too late to back out of his decision now, and maybe he would have a good time holidaying in America once he truly got into the spirit of things. There was always a chance to have fun- And on that note it was looking extremely likely Regulus would enjoy himself: After all, he was going to be with his wife and son the entire way there. And now that he looked at it, really, how could he say no to that?



His mood steadily and definitely improving, Regulus said to Lorraine:



“You know, thanks a lot; Lorraine. I’m actually starting to feel a lot better about all of this.”



“You’re welcome.”



And with that, the two split up to change out of their pajamas and put on some decent clothes before waking Reggie (who was now four).

_____________________________________________________________



Half an hour later; having finished breakfast and made sure their son was also ready to leave, Lorraine and Regulus emerged into the predawn shadows with their son right behind them. Reggie burst into a grin and gave both his parents bear hugs as they left the house and waited to meet the town car that would drop them off at Heathrow.



Although Lorraine smoked the entire way to London; it seemed the driver thankfully had no qualms with that. Reggie worked on an extensive coloring book he’d gotten from Lorraine’s parents (imported from the U.S.) for his last birthday, whereas his father contented himself with staring out the window and watching as the quiet, gentle scenery of Bedfordshire gave way to the gray, grimy landscape of bustling London.



At Heathrow, they waited in the airport lounge for what felt a millennium until Flight 5528 was FINALLY ready for takeoff. To say the least, this was the part Regulus dreaded most. Until then, he’d been able to convince himself that he was going to have an amazing time in America with his in-laws; and in all actuality, he probably would. But Regulus truly did have no idea how his first airplane flight was going to go, and that made anticipating it all the worse.


As the three of them gathered their luggage and went out through the gate, Regulus’s hands were shaking, and he was beginning to sweat just a bit. Beside him, Lorraine looked concerned. But for their sons’ sake Regulus managed to brush her off and mouthed:



I’m fine.



A lie, and they both knew it- but one Lorraine was willing to accept so as not to frighten Reggie.


On the plane, everyone took their seats, and almost instantly the long, tube-shaped room was filled with the sounds of various passengers putting away their luggage and buckling on their seatbelts.



Regulus ended up taking a seat beside Reggie; with Lorraine sitting behind them should any trouble occur. Thankfully, Reggie got the window seat instead of his father and chatted happily away about how blue the sky was and how high they were flying. The heavy feeling in Regulus’s heart was almost palpable as he listened to his son- what he wouldn’t have given to tell him about another just as amazing, but magical form of flying he would probably love just as much; if not more. Hell, Regulus had been Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team from his second to seventh years; being in the air was something he was well acquainted with. By all means, the sky should have been his friend.




But that was when he was a carefree young boy, racing through the sky in a sleek, swift Nimbus 1997, not this rambling, metal miscreation of a Muggle flying machine that was in all likelihood going to crash at any moment! A flight on a broomstick was smooth and relatively safe as long as you stayed on (Watching the First Years taking and repeatedly failing their first flying lessons was enough to give one a headache on sight), gave you a feeling of weightlessness and freedom.



This, on the other hand was not. Sitting in the vinyl-and-leather chair, his hands gripping the armrests until they turned white, Regulus felt lightheaded, and there was a certain heavy sensation in his arms and legs. Was this what Muggles called jet lag??



Nonetheless, Regulus attempted to put aside these more bothersome thoughts for the time being and tried his hardest to focus on his son- It would hurt the boy so badly if he knew his father was so lost in thought it seemed like he’d ignored him….




“Daddy? Daddy are you okay?”



As though sensing Regulus’s exact concerns, Reggie had just given his father a few light swats on the hand in a bid to get his attention.



“I’m fine, Reggie. Now what were you saying?”



The child grinned and went on about how excited he was to meet his cousins in America because they’d never met before. Regulus smiled, and soon he and his son were having a lighthearted but exciting discussion on what was waiting for them in the United States.



_____________________________________________________________________



At noon, lunch arrived in the form of fake-looking premade food that even tasted a bit like cardboard. Regulus merely picked at his and threw away the remnants when he was done; a stark contrast to his son beside him, who ate everything on his plate and also requested dessert.





After lunch was over, Regulus grimly realized he had little to do now but sleep off his jet lag. And with that, he reclined as far back into his seat as was possible, and eventually was able to rest.



By the time Regulus woke up, it was 1:32 in the afternoon and the plane was taxiing onto the runway. The wizard cringed and braced himself for what he anticipated would be a turbulent landing, already feeling his insides lurch uneasily.



Instead, he was greeted by a relatively smooth touchdown and the Captain saying:



“All right, Flight 5528 has arrived in John F. Kennedy Airport. We will be disembarking shortly, so take a few minutes to gather your things. Welcome to America, land of the free and the home of the brave, and enjoy your stay here!”



A smattering of applause. Reggie broke out into a grin, and asked:



“Now that we’re here, can we go? I wanna go to Spencer!”



Regulus ran a hand through his son’s hair so it was slightly less unruly before standing with a yawn.



“We’ll get there, bit first we have to go through the airport. Come on, let’s find your Mum and then we’ll go.”



Lorraine emerged from behind her seat, armed with her familiar light orange suitcase.


“Reggie! How do you feel now that we’re in America? This is where I spent my whole life,”


“Before I was born?”


“Damn straight. You’re my son, you’re half-American; you’ve got every right to see this part of your heritage.”



Reggie trotted eagerly out of the plane and off the landing with his parents only a few steps in front of him. As they entered the airport, Lorraine whispered to Regulus around her newspaper:



“I take it he wasn’t all that hard to babysit? I hardly heard a sound from you two the whole flight.”



“Oh, Reggie was excellent.”



Lorraine only sighed.




“God, he grows up so fast.”



Normally Regulus would have teasingly told Lorraine not to say that, in case he might blink and Reggie would suddenly be ten and not four. But Regulus had his valid reasons for enjoying every day of his son’s childhood- Six to eight years old was about when children first began showing magical prowess. Certainly there’d been the odd case of ten and eleven-year-olds who’d displayed magic; but growing up in a family like the Blacks had taught Regulus and his brother from an early age that any child who had no magic by nine was cast off as a squib and quietly disowned.




Certainly, it wasn’t impossible that Reggie might be a squib- there’d been another one in the family once before, Marius. As soon as he came of age Marius had disappeared into the Muggle world, where he was never heard from again. What exactly happened to him from there, no one gave a rat’s arse; and thus no date of death had been written on the Black family tree.



Merlin’s beard, Regulus…. Why are you worrying about how your son might be a wizard? You won’t know for two more years at the earliest!



Although Regulus had been telling himself the same rhetoric time and time again since he stopped writing in his journal, he knew that he could only dismiss himself so many times before fearing the worst might look like a real possibility. And his final option was always the same- if Reggie turned out to be a wizard; he’d be forced to confront Lorraine about his painful amount of lies to her. (Their marriage had been built on lies!) And how was she going to take that? How would Reggie, for that matter?



Fists clenched at his side, Regulus breathed in and out, trying to remain as calm as possible. Merlin knew he had extremely distressing things on his mind; but now was neither the time nor place to be thinking about them. He was supposed to be here for enjoyment, meeting his wife’s family and mingling with them for the Muggle holiday Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be a fresh, new experience.


He could do this. He could forget his troubles and have a good time.


Regulus was still silently reassuring himself of this as they entered the airport- Lorraine shot her husband a concerned look but said nothing on the matter for Reggie’s sake.



“I’m all right,”



He managed to whisper into Lorraine’s ear with a small grin.




“Good- I’m supposed to be the crazy one here.”



Lorraine whispered back in response, and together they entered.


____________________________________________________________


Everyone at the airport was kind to Reggie, which made things marginally easier for his exhausted and jet-lagged parents. It took some time, but they managed to endure the various procedures required to pass through Customs and Immigration.


It had generally been agreed upon beforehand that the family would briefly go sightseeing before arriving at the hotel (hence why they hadn’t arranged for a hired car). However, it was also decided that a taxi would drop them off at Times Square but the family would go the rest of the way on foot.

To say the least, it was the first time their son had ever ridden a cab; and Reggie was enchanted. Regulus found he couldn’t stop the inevitable smile as he watched Reggie press his hands against the window just above the backseats, staring out with a child’s curiosity at the urban, foreign world beyond.



Eventually, they were dropped off at Times Square and Regulus instantly cringed at the sheer amount of vapid Muggle advertisements they were assaulted with- the Coca Cola sign he thought he’d heard Lorraine talk about, signs for various toy stores, department stores, and other miscellaneous shopping venues.


They were surrounded on all sides by harried, rushing commuters who were clearly trying to beat the rat race, and exhausted, world-wearied parents who just wanted to get their pre-Christmas shopping done with so their children would be pacified until December. Every so often Regulus would receive a wayward stare from a shady-looking figure lounging on a street corner or hurrying past them for a split second, a cheap cigarette poking out of their mouth and for some reason making the sight unintentionally comic.



In addition, Regulus would occasionally notice a passerby or two carrying tiny steel knives on their person or partially hidden in their pockets, or else dazed-looking, apparently drunken homeless people who walked with a stagger. It was these people he would instinctively want to protect his son from; but did it extend beyond fatherly dutifulness, did Regulus want to shelter his son from the perils of life in general?



No. No, that was an awful idea. His parents had made sure he and Sirius were far too sheltered (even compared with the children of other extremely affluent Pureblood families) and look how well that had gone.


“Mum, how far are we to the hotel? We almost there?”


Reggie whispered, grabbing onto the sleeve of his mother’s wool coat.




“It’s about three blocks away. I’ll let you know when we get closer; maybe we can race. I bet I would beat you there.”


Regulus smiled again. It was always a pleasure to watch Lorraine’s free-spirited inner child poke her head back into the world.


On the walk to the hotel; they passed various other specimens of New York life: Busy young nannies pushing squealing toddlers in strollers, middle-aged women in fur coats and veiled pillbox hats (who reminded Regulus of Muggle versions of his own mother.), and whispering younger couples who all seemed awfully eager to be somewhere they were currently on their way to.



Finally, after three straight blocks on foot; Regulus, Lorraine and Reggie reached the hotel. It was a fairly anonymous little business sandwiched uncomfortably between a comic store and a donut shop, better than most of the rat-and-roach infested hellholes in Hell’s Kitchen, but cheaper than the more luxurious hotels Lorraine and Regulus found they could not afford.



Reggie distracted himself with a simple children’s magazine full of big text and colorful pictures (he had recently learned to read in nursery school), much to his parents’ boundless relief. Several minutes later, the checking in was complete, and Lorraine and Reggie indeed raced up a dingy flight of stairs to their room, 102.



Regulus trailed behind them, not wanting to distract his wife and son in their play, wincing slightly as he barely managed to avoid stepping on what appeared to be a crushed insect on the landing.


Room 102 turned out to be enough for their simple needs: The walls had been painted a sickly cream color, which went well enough with the mottled brown carpet. A bland-looking double bed for Regulus and Lorraine was in the center of the room, its sheets neatly tucked in around it- they were told the room additionally contained a foldout Murphy bed for Reggie to sleep on.


There was one couch, one stiff-looking arm chair covered in stains, and a TV set (That even Regulus knew looked shitty) that looked like it hadn’t worked properly since the 1960s.



Sitting down on the side of the bed, Regulus was fully aware his parents (his mother especially) never thought their son would have to stay in a place like this, even for one night, in his entire lifetime. Then again, they wouldn’t have thought he would marry and have a child with a Muggle woman, either.



Although of course they believed he was dead, some inner child in Regulus still thought it was entertaining to slip past his parents’ unending litany of rules and regulations he’d been expected to follow his whole childhood.



And on that note, he and Lorraine began planning the rest of their day in New York.


_____________________________________________________________


It was finally settled upon that lunch and then an outing to Central Park (more for Reggie than his parents, really- he would enjoy the park the most of the three of them.) would take up the remainder of their time in the city. At some point (When Reggie inevitably tired of play, most likely) they would return to the hotel, eventually go to bed and prepare to head to Spencer in the morning.




After a day of playing tag, hide and seek and various animal games with the local children, an all-too-reluctant Reggie was lured back to the hotel with the promise of one extra donut from the shop next store by his guilty parents. They arrived in Spencer at half past four on Wednesday, November 27th.




Upon entering, Regulus noted it to be what seemed to be a standard American Muggle town: Nestled in the woods of West Virginia; it was quiet and fairly idyllic. Spencer had an average amount of homes and local storefronts, as well as a high school and several other public landmarks.



All and all; it seemed like a charming enough place to live and Regulus could understand why Lorraine’s parents had wanted to raise children here.



When they arrived at the house marked RIFKIND on the mailbox, Regulus, Lorraine and their son were mobbed by an entourage of giddy children who seemed to have been waiting behind the door for their arrival.



“Aunt Lorrrryyyy!!! Uncle Reg!”



A few of the younger ones squealed. Fully aware they were too young to understand she hated being called Lorry and all its variants, Lorraine returned all the children’s’ clinging hugs and mussed up their hair in a familial manner.



Regulus had just finished exchanging hellos himself when he noticed Reggie being dragged up the stairs by two of his cousins; who appeared to be around seven.



“Mum, Dad, save me!”



He shrieked, but soon his cries were drowned out as the three children disappeared up the stairs.




“Lorraine…..Your nieces and nephews….. Are they feral??”



“No, but they sure as hell do get excited easily, don’t they?”



She chuckled.


“That’s just how Joel and Paula raise ‘em,”



Lorraine added, quickly explaining that Joel and Paula were her older sister and brother. Their other sister was estranged and lived in Texas, god only knew what she was doing now. Paula and Joel were both divorcees with six children between them (three girls, three boys) and who had stopped contact with their respective spouses years ago. Regulus took this story in, and he and Lorraine went off to see her parents in the kitchen.



Leonard and Sheila had not seen their youngest daughter and her husband since the wedding, and to say that it was a happy reunion was a gross understatement. Both parents cried; and Leonard clapped Regulus over the back and called him son.



They spent roughly fifteen minutes swapping stories about how the past four years had been (Paula and Joel were nowhere to be found, Regulus noticed), and just as Sheila asked where Reggie was, said boy entered; flanked by his two female cousins and looking abjectly mortified.



“Dad, they made me play house,”


He gasped, running behind his father for protection.




One of the girls, the blonde one, stuck her tongue at Reggie and leered in the way only children can.


“He wanted to play dinosaurs!”



“What’s wrong with dinosaurs??”




“Nothing wrong at all.”




Regulus comforted his son reassuringly, giving him a gentle push forward so that he was in front of his cousins.




“Since Reggie was nice enough to play your game for a while why don’t you go play his? Maybe you’ll like it after all.”



Lorraine told the children as patiently as she could, trying to act as an intermediary.




Reluctantly, the girls agreed; and with that, the children fled; the dining room door swinging shut behind them. They were gone.



And so the rest of the day flew by so fast it was nearly surreal. Afternoon faded away, and everyone was called to the table for an ordinary enough pre-Thanksgiving dinner.




After that, Reggie and his cousins went straight back to playing. As the evening wore on, the children were inevitably sent to bed. Leonard attempted to bond with Regulus over late-night television; which was not as awkward as it sounded- There were some Muggle television programs Regulus found comical enough, and he and his father-in-law had always gotten along well anyhow.



The evening ended uneventfully, and Regulus was awakened to the sound of a half dozen overexcited children screeching and playing outside his and Lorraines’ bedroom. He groaned, checked the alarm clock and went back to sleep.


By the time Regulus awoke, he’d gotten up later than everyone else, and thus would have breakfast late. Of course, he was on time for lunch, which was a disaster: Dozens of adults and what seemed a small army of children were encamped around a table, the adults sharing humorous stories; and the many of the children getting mustard from their sandwiches all over themselves. Lorraine and Regulus were proud to say that their son, however, practiced exemplary manners at the table, and seeing their parenting skills pay off was enough to make the entire afternoon a happy one.



That is, until…. Dinnertime.



As he and Lorraine once again filed into the dining room for dinner that evening, Regulus still felt unprepared at how he was going to handle all of this, but he tried to take everything Lorraine had said at home to heart and….. Oh, Merlin.



Thanksgiving dinner that night was a formal, austere occasion: A fancier tablecloth had been put out, and everyone was currently seated. The table itself was piled high with various delicious-looking foods: A steaming, freshly-cooked turkey bursting with stuffing, platters of cranberry sauce, bread, cheese…..



The whole ambiance of the place was very overwhelming, and Regulus had to repeatedly remind himself it would all be fine as he sat down, Lorraine and Reggie claiming the empty seats to his right and left.



Lorraine took her time filling her plate with thick slices of bread and chicken; as she wasn’t one for turkey, whereas Reggie seemed to be eating just about everything on the table- and both his parents noticed that, unlike during lunch, Reggie was now eating extremely messily to the point where his arms and face were smeared with cranberry sauce.



Regulus handed his son a napkin, and began the task of cutting and piling turkey slices onto his plate- and the turkey itself was actually quite good!



As dinner went on, Regulus slowly began to get involved. He found himself laughing in all the right moments when Lorraine’s family members would tell stories, and even offered a few comments of his own that contributed some laughs. The Rifkinds sincerely were lovely people; and by the time the apple pie was being cut, Regulus truly did feel as though he were part of the family, even though he already had been for four years thanks to his marriage.

And so, the evening closed on a happy note.



Regulus, Lorraine and Reggie left for JFK early the next morning. That afternoon, as the plane continued on its unexpectedly unhurried flight to Heathrow, Regulus sat with his son beside him once again, Reggie having long since fallen asleep out of exhaustion. Regulus took a quick glance out the window before looking back at his sleeping son and deciding he had no right to interrupt his current slumber for anything.



So, this is how it feels to be a parent, and a father.



Regulus thought, to himself alone.




This is my life. And I love this.