A Little Help from a Friend
Chapter 1:
All Saint's day was a tradition that Scarlett's mother had held onto from her French Catholic upbringing, and this year it was most important to Scarlett to uphold it, for Bonnie and Melanie.
The wind rattled the shutters on Scarlett's bedroom window, beckoning her from her warm bed. It had been a week since Melanie's funeral, and Scarlett had begun to prepare for her trip to Tara, where she planned to stay until after New Years. Suellen must have spit nails when she got the telegram yesterday.
The house was so quiet, Scarlett had curled up by the fire with Brandy and chocolate last night and fell asleep in the chair, hoping the pranksters wouldn't bother her house last night, It was Pork closing up the shutters at midnight that woke her up, and she trudged up to her empty bed.
Rhett had been gone two weeks now, without a word. And her habit of an evening brandy now included five or six chocolate bonbons, to make her stomach stop growling from the dinner she couldn't stomach. He had left for longer, and returned to her, and she had made going to Tara her first priority, and she would deal with Rhett when, and if he returned.
"He cant stay away forever," Scarlett told herself, as the brandy/chocolate stupor overcame her each night.
Prissy brought her the huge tray, and the coffee seemed to be the only appetizing item on the tray. SHe placed it on the side of the bed, and smiled, "Good Morning, Miz Scarlett."
"Good Morning, Prissy, get me something warm to wear today, I'm going to visit the cemetery," barked Scarlett as she stirred cream in her coffee.
"You going there again?" Prissy asked with big eyes.
"lm bringing flowers, if it's your business."
Prissy ignored Scarlett's bad mood and set to her work of dressing her mistress.
Scarlett picked at the fluffy stack of eggs and tried to eat a spoon or two, but the eggs felt like lead in her mouth, as she willed herself to swallow them. She dropped the fork, and went to her vanity.
"I'm finished, Prissy, bring the tray back to the kitchen."
"But, you never ate your toast and-"
"I dont want it, its terrible!" Scarlett called over her shoulder as she brushed her hair.
She just couldn't bring herself to eat, the food would not go down her throat, and her ravenous nature was dulled. Scarlett stared into the mirror and passed her hand over her cheeks, the usual plumpness was gone, and her eyes had dark circles in spite of her long hours of sleep.
"I have to get a hold of myself," Scarlett thought to herself, but her body felt as though a demon had control, and she couldn't eat, but slept for hours at a time, and her body felt a surge of pin pricks that rose from her chest and attacked her head, bringing her to the point of fainting as she panted to catch her breath.
These spells had her worried at first, and they had started the day of Bonnie's funeral, but she never gotten sick, so she pushed it to the back of her mind, and dealt with her life as she usually did, with determination. But these spells were coming more often, now that Rhett was gone.
Tara would do her well to spend this time gathering her thoughts, and maybe the spells would go away. Yes, Tara is what she needed, but today was about honoring her beloved daughter and her best friend.
Prissy came back in the room, and started pinning Scarlett's hair, oblivious to the quiet that had come over Scarlett. Finally, Scarlett broke the silence and said, "Remind me to pass by Mrs. Leinder's shop, I need to pick up the winter dresses I ordered, even though I can't wear them until next year."
"Yes'm" Prissy said, "You want me to go with you?"
"Yes, I need you to stop by the florists, I ordered two bouquets, and then you need to go to the post office for me."
"Miz Scarlett, it's cold out there, and I don't like the cemetery."
"Prissy, you are my ladies' maid, you have to go!"
Prissy pouted and then she continued without a word, then she asked, "Miz Scarlett, what you going to do about CHristmas?"
"I wont be here, we're going to Tara for the holidays."
"I's going see Momma and Mammy?"
Scarlett looked at Prissy's face through the mirror, and smiled. She wished her world was so simple that a trip could bring a smile to her face like that, and her eyes started to fill with tears.
Two tears dripped on her hand, as her nose began to run, and she wiped it quick remembering the handkerchief that Rhett always kept handy for her. Scarlett opened her drawer to find one, when the case stared her in the face, Ashley's photo.
She tore the case from the drawer and clutched the case in her fist, "DAMN you!"
Prissy yelped as the curls were pulled from the pin and the case cracked on the floor near the fireplace. Scarlett settled herself back on the bench, and ordered Prissy, "Hurry up with my hair!"
Ashley had been locked up in the house since the funeral, and he barely spoke a word to a soul at the service. He attended the funeral that Scarlett and Aunt Pitty had planned, and never even uttered a "thank you" to Scarlett. He was lost in his own pain, and Beau was comforted by India, as the casket was closed on Melanie's coffin. Scarlett had decided to keep her distance for now, and deal with her own issues, but she would make a visit to size things up to AUnt Pitty's before she left for Tara, after all she promised Melly.
The wool suit stunk of the black dye, and Scarlett's only solace was that she could wear a pale gray blouse under the heavy black jacket, as she buttoned up the black buttons. SHe checked herself in the mirror, she looked tired and pale, she promised herself, no brandy tonight.