Benjen wasn't versed in drinking etiquette so he followed suit. Noticing Erik and his mother raise their glass, he did the same. When they drank, he did so as well. He smiled as his soda was quite refreshing and said to Erik, "Thank you, Dr. Corvin. I will be a hard-working man, I promise."
Doreen was looking at the contents of her glass. She loved Gallic wine but the Greek wine was quite good. "What is this?" she asked Erik. "I like it." When it was explained to her what it was, she smiled and finished the contents of the glass. It was good and it went down smooth. It was the type of wine that would be easy to over indulge oneself in. Knowing this, she held off on a refill for the time being. It was, after all, Ben's day and for the moment, Ben and Peter were chatting again. Standing close to Erik, she took the moment to speak to him softly.
"I didn't get him much," she said, "I figured this whole thing would be better than what I could give him. Still, he will like it. One day, he'll get his citizenship here and he'll finally have a sense of belonging......" She turned and looked at him again playing with Peter before turning back to Erik, ".....if he doesn't feel that way already.
When she turned back around, she didn't realize how close he was to him. With her left hand holding the now empty wine glass, her right arm was holding a rail, right behind Erik's back. Realizing it at the last second, she chuckled, apologized, and pulled back a bit, "Sorry."
