Post by Kelly Melly on Jul 16, 2007 23:20:59 GMT -5
Hey! Just an idea I had! Hope you like it! Constructive criticism is welcome! I do plan on continuing this, so let me know how you like it!
Thanks for this board Sw! It's great!
Scarlett walked into the nursery and immediately saw Rhett sitting next to Bonnie’s crib, the children, Wade and Ella, were standing next to him. He was apparently deep into a story and Wade and Ella seemed to be standing on the edge of every word that he said. But as soon as Rhett saw her in the door way, his story abruptly stopped and he turned his full attention to her. She lifted her chin in defiance, instinctively ready for battle, though there was no way of Rhett knowing what it was that she was about to suggest. She opened her mouth once in an effort to speak but closed it again only to open it once more to say in very clipped tones, “We need to talk”.
Rhett’s eyebrows went up quickly, whether out of amusement or curiosity at her attitude, she wasn’t sure. He turned to the children and explained that he would finish the story later. He patted Wade on the arm and pinched the end of Ella’s nose, both reacting with a grin and a giggle. Scarlett was so glad that Rhett loved her children so much. There were so many step-fathers who dooted on there own flesh and blood and left the step-children out in the cold. Rhett was a good stepfather.
Rhett lifted himself out of the chair, as Scarlett turned around and quickly made her way to their bedroom. Her conversation with Ashley was vivid in her mind, and this gave her strength for what she was about to do.
Before this afternoon there was no way that she would have ever thought to suggest what she was about to suggest. Not that she would have been afraid to do it, though she was a little unsure. She hadn’t ever suggested something to this extent before because something this drastic had never come to mind when thinking about her relationship with Rhett. Sure, it could be somewhat uncomfortable with Rhett next to her on some nights, especially when she was thinking of Ashley. The intimacy was embarrassing in itself, but it was on the edge of mortifying to wake up next to him the next morning. But she had never been, in the sense of the word, repulsed by Rhett. She would have to admit, that on occasion, she even enjoyed waking up to Rhett’s warm and caring embrace. These embraces were always most appreciated on nights when she had that awful nightmare of running lost in the fog. And how sweet he could be on those nights, when he would snuggle her close to his heart. This always had comforted her, and it was almost like he instinctively knew that it would.
But on both sides of the table, looking at all possible angles, Scarlett’s treacherous heart refused to come to any conclusion but this. That in moments of the most pure ignominy with Rhett, she and Ashley would be more than comfortable. And in those few moments when Rhett could be so precious, she imagined that Ashley would be sweeter and just as comforting. Not to mention that she and Ashley would never quarrel and bicker with each other as she and Rhett did inside and outside of the bedroom.
She smiled as her mind wondered to scene after scene of what life could have been like with Ashley by her side. She and Ashley running the mill together and having beautiful blonde-haired and green-eyed children. How beautiful their children could have been.
But there really was no use in thinking about this fairy tale. She knew in her logically-trained mind that this would never be and she hated to use her time thinking about things that were of no use thinking about. But something in her heart would not let her refuse. She wanted this one thing to give to Ashley.
As she walked into their room, her resolve was even stronger than before. She was going to do this. She was going to do it for Ashley. She heard Rhett behind her and as soon as she heard the gentle click of the door behind him, she turned around lightly. She spoke quickly the first words to come to her lips.
“We need to talk.”
Rhett spoke too, his laughter at her outburst mingling with his words. “So you have informed me, my dear.” He walked towards a chair in the corner of the room and sat down while taking a cigar out of his pocket. Once seated, he crossed his leg over his knee and swiftly lit a match with the bottom of his shoe. After lighting the cigar and putting out the match, he turned his attention back to her. After taking a draw or two of the cigar, he leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair, his hand holding the cigar in mid-air next to his face. He pushed the chair back onto its two back legs and stared at her inquisitively.
As she watched Rhett, she slowly started to lose her nerve. Though she had never been openly receptive to Rhett’s affections since they had married, she had never, in the sense of the word, rejected him either. She knew, though she tried to forget, that in some ways this marriage was indeed a business contract, and she was about to britch her end of it. She wasn’t at all sure how Rhett would respond to her “propostion”, and she didn’t like to think of what the worst possible reaction could be.
What if he divorced her? He was just low enough to do something like that. How would she show her face in society again? Her mother and father would turn in their grave to know that their daughter had been divorced. Her family name would be as good as dirt. How would she face her sister Suellen without seeing a sneer on that unprepossessing face? How would she read the letter full of shame from her saintly sister Caureen?
Then again maybe he wouldn’t care. But she knew that this wasn’t true. He would care. For some reason, this kind of thing was important to a man.
And as she stood pondering all of these things, she suddenly couldn’t even dredge up the nerve to even say one word to Rhett. She stood there before him for a few moments, sure that she looked a fool but couldn’t seem to do anything about it. What was she to do now? She couldn’t tell him what she was originally going to tell him.
‘Think Scarlett!’, she thought frantically, hating that she was standing exposed in front of Rhett and afraid that he would now get the upper hand.
“Cattus got vestri lingua carus?” Rhett grinned at her with amusement and it made Scarlett want to throw up. He now knew that he had the upper hand and he was going to do everything in his power to keep it. He knew that she didn’t know how to comprehend…whatever language that was. He was making a fool out of her. She was making a fool of herself.
“I wanted to ask you a question about…the store.” She looked at him now with a little more confidence in her stance. She really had wanted to speak with him on the subject. Her profit on china and glassware had went down drastically in the past two months, and she had wanted his advice on what to do about it.
“The store?” Rhett looked at her quizzically. For a moment he remained silent, looking at her in an all-knowing way. It was as if he knew that this was not what she had originally wanted to talk about. “Alright, what did you want to ask?”,he said as he took a draw from his cigar.
She told him of her predicament and, as always, he had a solution. The kitchen ware was placed farther back in the store. She should move them up closer where they could be seen and she should also put a few of the items on sale. She agreed and decided to start rearranging the store to fit this new idea the next day.
“Is that all that you needed?”, he asked knowing somehow that this wasn’t her reason for pulling him to the side.
She paused a moment and thought. No, she wouldn’t talk to him about it right now, but sometime soon she was going to tell him of her feelings on the matter. Hopefully, she could get her nerve up again. Not only did she want this for Ashley, but she didn’t like the prospect of having another child. She didn’t like it one bit.
“Yes.” She answered as simply as possible.
Rhett stood up from his chair and started walking towards the door. “Okay.” He passed by her as he walked and stopped momentarily. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “But when you are ready to talk about what you really wanted to talk about, come find me.”
Her eyes got wide and when Rhett saw her expression, he laughed an almost jeering laugh and walked out of the room.
‘That…varmint!’ Scarlett thought to herself as she sat down on her bed and flung a pillow in her lap.
Thanks for this board Sw! It's great!
Scarlett walked into the nursery and immediately saw Rhett sitting next to Bonnie’s crib, the children, Wade and Ella, were standing next to him. He was apparently deep into a story and Wade and Ella seemed to be standing on the edge of every word that he said. But as soon as Rhett saw her in the door way, his story abruptly stopped and he turned his full attention to her. She lifted her chin in defiance, instinctively ready for battle, though there was no way of Rhett knowing what it was that she was about to suggest. She opened her mouth once in an effort to speak but closed it again only to open it once more to say in very clipped tones, “We need to talk”.
Rhett’s eyebrows went up quickly, whether out of amusement or curiosity at her attitude, she wasn’t sure. He turned to the children and explained that he would finish the story later. He patted Wade on the arm and pinched the end of Ella’s nose, both reacting with a grin and a giggle. Scarlett was so glad that Rhett loved her children so much. There were so many step-fathers who dooted on there own flesh and blood and left the step-children out in the cold. Rhett was a good stepfather.
Rhett lifted himself out of the chair, as Scarlett turned around and quickly made her way to their bedroom. Her conversation with Ashley was vivid in her mind, and this gave her strength for what she was about to do.
Before this afternoon there was no way that she would have ever thought to suggest what she was about to suggest. Not that she would have been afraid to do it, though she was a little unsure. She hadn’t ever suggested something to this extent before because something this drastic had never come to mind when thinking about her relationship with Rhett. Sure, it could be somewhat uncomfortable with Rhett next to her on some nights, especially when she was thinking of Ashley. The intimacy was embarrassing in itself, but it was on the edge of mortifying to wake up next to him the next morning. But she had never been, in the sense of the word, repulsed by Rhett. She would have to admit, that on occasion, she even enjoyed waking up to Rhett’s warm and caring embrace. These embraces were always most appreciated on nights when she had that awful nightmare of running lost in the fog. And how sweet he could be on those nights, when he would snuggle her close to his heart. This always had comforted her, and it was almost like he instinctively knew that it would.
But on both sides of the table, looking at all possible angles, Scarlett’s treacherous heart refused to come to any conclusion but this. That in moments of the most pure ignominy with Rhett, she and Ashley would be more than comfortable. And in those few moments when Rhett could be so precious, she imagined that Ashley would be sweeter and just as comforting. Not to mention that she and Ashley would never quarrel and bicker with each other as she and Rhett did inside and outside of the bedroom.
She smiled as her mind wondered to scene after scene of what life could have been like with Ashley by her side. She and Ashley running the mill together and having beautiful blonde-haired and green-eyed children. How beautiful their children could have been.
But there really was no use in thinking about this fairy tale. She knew in her logically-trained mind that this would never be and she hated to use her time thinking about things that were of no use thinking about. But something in her heart would not let her refuse. She wanted this one thing to give to Ashley.
As she walked into their room, her resolve was even stronger than before. She was going to do this. She was going to do it for Ashley. She heard Rhett behind her and as soon as she heard the gentle click of the door behind him, she turned around lightly. She spoke quickly the first words to come to her lips.
“We need to talk.”
Rhett spoke too, his laughter at her outburst mingling with his words. “So you have informed me, my dear.” He walked towards a chair in the corner of the room and sat down while taking a cigar out of his pocket. Once seated, he crossed his leg over his knee and swiftly lit a match with the bottom of his shoe. After lighting the cigar and putting out the match, he turned his attention back to her. After taking a draw or two of the cigar, he leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair, his hand holding the cigar in mid-air next to his face. He pushed the chair back onto its two back legs and stared at her inquisitively.
As she watched Rhett, she slowly started to lose her nerve. Though she had never been openly receptive to Rhett’s affections since they had married, she had never, in the sense of the word, rejected him either. She knew, though she tried to forget, that in some ways this marriage was indeed a business contract, and she was about to britch her end of it. She wasn’t at all sure how Rhett would respond to her “propostion”, and she didn’t like to think of what the worst possible reaction could be.
What if he divorced her? He was just low enough to do something like that. How would she show her face in society again? Her mother and father would turn in their grave to know that their daughter had been divorced. Her family name would be as good as dirt. How would she face her sister Suellen without seeing a sneer on that unprepossessing face? How would she read the letter full of shame from her saintly sister Caureen?
Then again maybe he wouldn’t care. But she knew that this wasn’t true. He would care. For some reason, this kind of thing was important to a man.
And as she stood pondering all of these things, she suddenly couldn’t even dredge up the nerve to even say one word to Rhett. She stood there before him for a few moments, sure that she looked a fool but couldn’t seem to do anything about it. What was she to do now? She couldn’t tell him what she was originally going to tell him.
‘Think Scarlett!’, she thought frantically, hating that she was standing exposed in front of Rhett and afraid that he would now get the upper hand.
“Cattus got vestri lingua carus?” Rhett grinned at her with amusement and it made Scarlett want to throw up. He now knew that he had the upper hand and he was going to do everything in his power to keep it. He knew that she didn’t know how to comprehend…whatever language that was. He was making a fool out of her. She was making a fool of herself.
“I wanted to ask you a question about…the store.” She looked at him now with a little more confidence in her stance. She really had wanted to speak with him on the subject. Her profit on china and glassware had went down drastically in the past two months, and she had wanted his advice on what to do about it.
“The store?” Rhett looked at her quizzically. For a moment he remained silent, looking at her in an all-knowing way. It was as if he knew that this was not what she had originally wanted to talk about. “Alright, what did you want to ask?”,he said as he took a draw from his cigar.
She told him of her predicament and, as always, he had a solution. The kitchen ware was placed farther back in the store. She should move them up closer where they could be seen and she should also put a few of the items on sale. She agreed and decided to start rearranging the store to fit this new idea the next day.
“Is that all that you needed?”, he asked knowing somehow that this wasn’t her reason for pulling him to the side.
She paused a moment and thought. No, she wouldn’t talk to him about it right now, but sometime soon she was going to tell him of her feelings on the matter. Hopefully, she could get her nerve up again. Not only did she want this for Ashley, but she didn’t like the prospect of having another child. She didn’t like it one bit.
“Yes.” She answered as simply as possible.
Rhett stood up from his chair and started walking towards the door. “Okay.” He passed by her as he walked and stopped momentarily. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “But when you are ready to talk about what you really wanted to talk about, come find me.”
Her eyes got wide and when Rhett saw her expression, he laughed an almost jeering laugh and walked out of the room.
‘That…varmint!’ Scarlett thought to herself as she sat down on her bed and flung a pillow in her lap.
