{"id":583,"date":"2021-11-30T14:49:50","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T19:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/?page_id=583"},"modified":"2021-12-17T16:20:04","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T21:20:04","slug":"homeward-bound-and-bound-to-stay","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/2021-writing\/literary-london-prize\/homeward-bound-and-bound-to-stay\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeward Bound and Bound to Stay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Megan Copenhaver | Creative Writing | Class of 2022<br><strong>Education Abroad Program<\/strong>: Literary London, Summer 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Prize Winner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr style=\"dotted\"><p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A woman makes her way down Church Street. The street is bustling with activity, which is to be expected on a warm spring day. She passes by people on their way to Bridge Street to trade in the markets. She clutches her daughter\u2019s hand a little tighter, keeping her close, until they reach their destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna makes this trip to New Place daily, bringing along Elizabeth so that her mother can see her only grandchild. She also makes the trip because she oversees the house on her father\u2019s behalf. Her mother despises the trivial tasks of keeping up with the accounting of such a large house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Susanna doesn\u2019t mind, in fact, she likes it. It gives her something to do, something to pass the time. It gives her an excuse to get away from the constant callers wanting her husband\u2019s attention. She can\u2019t seem to get a moment of peace before there is another knock on the door. Most of the time, she must tell the poor person that her husband, Dr. Hall, isn\u2019t there, but that he has gone to cure an ailment elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Husband<\/em>. Even though she has been married for almost six years, the word still sounds foreign to her. Sometimes she thinks she\u2019s still just the girl living with her mother and sister instead of the woman living in her own house with her husband and daughter. But her husband is always there next to her, sound asleep at night. She watches his chest as it rises and falls. She can\u2019t sleep unless she sees the signs of his breathing. Once she does, she creeps over to Elizabeth\u2019s room, and watches for the same thing. Ever since her brother died years ago, she has never taken their breathing for granted. Every night she must check, or else her heart doesn\u2019t rest, doesn\u2019t let her rest. And so, the Plague still has its hold on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unknown to Susanna, her father makes his way to Stratford from London as she walks to visit her mother, his wife. His business in the theatre industry is highly successful, the playhouses and his many investments are bringing in quite a lot of coin. He has had his fun in London, and sure, he will miss the city, but he also misses Stratford. He misses his hometown, the quiet of country life, especially now that he\u2019s older and not as able to keep up with the excitement of a big city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most importantly, William misses his family. He regrets that he missed seeing his daughters grow up as well as the birth of his grandchild. So, he decided to spend his retirement in Stratford, so he wouldn\u2019t miss anything else. It was his chance to make up for all the years he was gone. He only hopes that it will be enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the time Susanna enters the house, it\u2019s already mid-day. She looks around the house and is told that her mother is at Hewlands visiting Susanna\u2019s uncle. She\u2019s glad that her mother seems to have taken the day off from her remedies. Her mother\u2019s practice did not bother her as much when she was younger, but now that it\u2019s in direct conflict with her husband\u2019s practice, Susanna secretly despises it. She knows that every person her mother helps is one less person that John does. But her mother does not open the window as much as she used to, in fact, her mother doesn\u2019t do a lot. She hasn\u2019t done a lot since they lost Hamnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His death changed the family. There\u2019s always an emptiness that looms around the house, even though it\u2019s not as strong anymore. Time has made the feeling faint, but it has not erased the weight of her brother\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She finds that grief takes its hold on her at random times when she\u2019s least expecting it. The last time she felt the pang was the other day when she saw a blonde-haired boy run past her, with the same playfulness that reminded her so much of Hamnet. She had to stop and catch her breath, and painfully remind herself that it was not her brother. She would never see her brother again, the cruel consequence of a life taken too soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna sits at the desk, opening the book that contains the accounting of the house and her father\u2019s other properties. She doesn\u2019t know how long she sits there, but the sound of the door opening, and Elizabeth\u2019s laughter, makes her pause. Smiling to herself, she makes her way toward the sound, expecting to see her mother and her daughter playing in the doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What she doesn\u2019t expect to see is her father, standing in the doorway, holding his granddaughter. For the moment that she stands unnoticed by the pair, she sees the large smile on her father\u2019s face. She feels many things in this short period of time. She feels joy at seeing her father play with her daughter. She feels anger that he was never around to play with her like that. She wants to hug him now that he is here, and she\u2019s realized how much she missed him. She wants to yell at him for being gone so long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before she can decide what to do, her father\u2019s gaze finally lands on her. \u201cMy dearest Susanna,\u201d he says softly. She tries to stand tall, but her resolve crumbles as she runs into his arms. In that moment, she\u2019s not a wife, she\u2019s not a mother, she\u2019s a daughter, a little girl again. She doesn\u2019t even try to stop the tears, instead she lets them fall down her cheek and land on her father\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have missed you so much,\u201d she whispers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know,\u201d he replies. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a few moments, she breaks the hug and wipes her tears away. \u201cSo, Father, you must tell me, how have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William laughs, and just like that they start talking. The tears are gone, and it\u2019s <em>almost<\/em> like he never left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anne walks through the garden on her way home from visiting her brother. The flowers are blooming nicely. She takes in the wonderful scents of lavender and roses as she walks to the house. She can hear laughter from inside the house, unable to be contained by the walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curious, she enters the house and finds her eldest daughter, sitting with Elizabeth on her lap. Her eyes fall on the other figure in the room, her husband, her William. Upon seeing him, she\u2019s surprised and happy, but she also can\u2019t ignore the dreadful feeling that he will not be staying long. She doesn\u2019t know how to tell him how much she misses him when he\u2019s gone and how lonely this big house is. They lock eyes and she can see how London has changed him, he looks older every time he comes home. Life in London has both treated him well and unwell it seems. She looks for what is new about him, as she always notices something different every time he comes home. This time, it\u2019s his new brown doublet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna notices the intensity in their gazes, and quickly takes a protesting Elizabeth outside to the garden. As soon as they are gone, he\u2019s the first to speak. \u201cAnne, I am staying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She says nothing, still quietly observing him, this man that she has not seen in over a year. This man that is her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He touches her elbow gently. \u201cI am not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His words shock her. He has never seemed to want to live here, with her. She thought he could not resist London\u2019s pull. She has gotten so used to his coming and going that she has abandoned all hopes of him staying. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI bought this house; it would do me good to make it my home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And make it his home he did. William announces his retirement and moves in with his wife. It took a few weeks, but Anne finally comes to accept that he\u2019s here to stay. At night, she starts to move closer to him, until her back hits his chest and his arm wraps around her waist. They take walks in the garden and around Stratford, they visit Susanna and John and dote on Elizabeth, but most importantly, they talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They talk about anything and everything and eventually Anne starts to recognize the man she fell in love with, the man she married. She stops looking over her shoulder to make sure he\u2019s there and stops trying to memorize his face, so she won\u2019t forget what he looks like when he leaves again. Instead, she memorizes his face because she can\u2019t stop looking at him. It was like they were young again, the passion of their youth rekindled as she finds herself falling in love all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a day in late June of 1613, the family is getting ready for their weekly dinner. Susanna and Anne are in the kitchen preparing the stew. Judith and Elizabeth are at the table playing a game. The house is warm with the summer heat and alive with the sounds of life. William is in his study, writing, when the mail is placed on his desk. He decides to take a break, seeing that it\u2019s almost dinner time. He combs through the letters, until he sees one from his friend Richard Burbage. He smiles and opens the letter, making his way to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His smile turns to a frown as he reads the words <em>fire, the Globe, burned down<\/em>. He collapses into his seat at the table immediately drawing all eyes to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat is it?\u201d asks Anne, concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was a fire,\u201d William sighs. \u201cThe Globe burned down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The table is silent as they all take in the information. Susanna picks up the letter and reads it herself. \u201cWell, no one was hurt.\u201d Her father nods. \u201cAnd they plan to rebuild quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen will you leave?\u201d Anne says, almost in a whisper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPardon?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI assume you will leave as soon as possible to help with the rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI will do no such thing.\u201d He stands up. \u201cI told you I was going to stay, and I meant it, Anne.\u201d He pauses as he sits back down. \u201cThey can manage without me. I want to stay here with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A huge smile replaces the frown on Anne\u2019s face. It seems he really is here to stay. \u201cWell then, we better eat this stew before it gets cold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna sits in the garden, watching Elizabeth play. Suddenly her father is right next to her. \u201cShe\u2019s beautiful, you know,\u201d he muses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes, she is,\u201d Susanna answers with a smile. They watch as Elizabeth studies every rock and plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe is just like you. Curious about everything.\u201d William chuckles. \u201cI remember how you were full of questions, always eager to know more.\u201d He turns to face Susanna. \u201cWhich is why I wonder why you never asked about your mother and I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou never noticed the age gap?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI did, but I did not question it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was quite common for an older man to marry a younger woman, but a younger man to marry an older woman was rare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo why did you get married?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOh, for love of course.\u201d William pauses. \u201cAnd because your mother was pregnant with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna looks at her father, the shock clearly visible on her face. He laughs. \u201cOh yes, you caused quite the scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elizabeth picks up a flower and shows it to them. They both smile as she starts searching for another one to add to her collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut I did not care about the scandal. To me, it meant that I got to marry your mother sooner.\u201d He takes Susanna\u2019s hand. It is silent between them for a moment, but not awkward. \u201cHave you ever heard the story of how you were born?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo, I just assumed it was a normal birth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William laughs. \u201cIt was anything but normal. When she felt the pains, your mother left. Packed a basket and headed to the woods. Did not tell anyone.\u201d Susanna leans in closer in anticipation. \u201cI was worried sick. No one could find her. It was one of the scariest moments in my life.\u201d William shakes his head. \u201cWhen we finally found her, she had already given birth to you, a healthy baby girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe gave birth in the woods? With no help from a midwife?\u201d Susanna asks, shocked once again. Her father nods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour mother is strong. Stronger than me,\u201d William states. \u201cAnd you are strong too, Susanna, and Elizabeth is too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd Judith?\u201d Susanna asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes, Judith as well.\u201d He sighs. \u201cShe\u2019ll get through it. I knew I could not trust Quiney, his actions prove that. How dare he ruin Judith\u2019s reputation by whoring around with other women.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFather!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSorry, sorry. But Judith does not deserve this. Lord knows she has already suffered enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes, but she is strong. She\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes, she will. All the Shakespeare women are strong, I have no doubt about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a rainy spring day in 1616 when the strength of the Shakespeare women is tested once again. Susanna stands by her mother\u2019s side and watches as they bury her father. His death was sudden, as death often is. Even so, the Shakespeare family are no strangers to death. Standing at the foot of his grave, Susanna suddenly remembers the plague that quickly took Hamnet, snatching him from right under their noses. She remembers the makeshift grave they made for him, how it was so small, and he was so young. And so, she thinks, the Shakespeare men are finally reunited. Susanna is glad that her brother gets to spend some time with their father just like she did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her mother\u2019s cries bring her back to reality. \u201cHe promised he would stay!\u201d Anne wails. Even though it seems impossible, Susanna\u2019s heart breaks again. For her brother who never got to live a full life. For her father who had just come back into her life. For her mother who lost the love of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut Mother, he did stay. He will always be here, right here.\u201d She points to his grave. \u201cHe is not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A man walks down the street. He carries a thick book in his hands. He walks with a purpose, with a very clear destination in mind. He doesn\u2019t stop to chat and doesn\u2019t get distracted. He stops at the front door of the house called New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon. He diligently checks to make sure the address is correct. Satisfied that he found the right place, he carefully wraps the book in cloth and sets it down. Then he knocks on the door and leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~ ~ ~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna is sitting at her father\u2019s desk when Elizabeth, now a teenager, enters carrying a heavy book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSomeone left this at the door,\u201d Elizabeth says anticipating, and answering, her mother\u2019s question before she even asks it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell, bring it over here.\u201d Together, they place the book on the desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna unwraps the cloth and reveals the title of the book: <em>Mr. William Shakespeare\u2019s Comedies, Histories, &amp; Tragedies.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIs that grandfather?\u201d Elizabeth asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna carefully traces her father\u2019s name on the book. \u201cYes, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s only one way to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susanna sits down, opens the book, and starts to read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Megan Copenhaver | Creative Writing | Class of 2022Education Abroad Program: Literary London, Summer 2021 Prize Winner A woman makes her way down Church Street. The street is bustling with activity, which is to be expected on a warm spring day. She passes by people on their way to Bridge Street to trade in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4544,"featured_media":0,"parent":575,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-583","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/583\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/international-education-week-contest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}