This Is Us

S2E18

I own absolutely nothing.

The reception was in full swing and Kevin was feeling good; even though he thought his toast had been a bit meandering he found that he really didn't care what their guests had thought about it: they had been the words he needed to say and the feelings that he needed to express. He knew they had been the right ones when Randall, Kate and his mother heeded his plea to let go; each cleansing breath that he witnessed from them was a reaffirmation of their familial bond and their love for one another; tested; weathered; unbreakable. After wiping a few tears from his eyes at the end of Randall's toast he was stopped in his tracks by the first of two intriguing women who would delay his date with the tame contents of the non-alcoholic punch bowl.

"Uh...Dr. Everly?"

Kevin's shock was genuine, as was the warm smile that grew upon his face.

"Thanks for the formality, Kevin, but you know that you can certainly call me Charlotte."

The woman before him was as lovely as he remembered, even though the full pleasure of his memory was disallowed, tainted by the shame he'd felt over his treatment of her on the night of his high school reunion.

"Well...I'm long-overdue for the respect that I owe you, Charlotte," Kevin replied soberly as his smile faded and his look became a serious one, "and for my apology. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Even if you don't accept my apology...well, I'm just really happy to be able to offer it to you. Sincerely."

Charlotte stopped him from speaking further with a light touch of her hand, which landed gently on his shoulder as she graced him with a subtle nod of forgiveness.

"So...Kate's an old married woman now..." she managed then as she drew her hand quickly away from him to make short work of a traitorous tear drop.

"Yep. Are you...are you okay, Charlotte?"

Kevin's concern for her was evident; quiet and true; his protectiveness of her in that moment was like an embrace, even better than the actual one she had felt from him that night at her house and it overwhelmed Charlotte, struggling then to hold her composure.

"And another heart-tugging speech...toast... wow," Charlotte fanned herself, half in jest, half in a swoon.

"Weddings, right? Who can't not cry at a wedding, huh?" Kevin's graceful out was a gift to Charlotte which elicited a cathartic little giggle from her and their moment became blessedly lighter.

"Yeah, really. This is all so beautiful, I'm so happy for her."

"It is, isn't it? Her husband, God, he's the greatest guy on Earth. And he worships the ground she walks on. Yeah, we're all really so happy for them both. But now the bad dancing has fully commenced, yikes..." he joked.

"No...not bad...pretty joyous, actually," Charlotte smiled as her eyes traveled over the full dance floor. "But, uh, how about we don't join in, huh? I have two left feet, really. May we sit and talk for a minute?"

"Well, yeah...of course...over here..." Kevin led her to a nearby and happily deserted table where they took their seats. "Look, before you say anything, Charlotte, I just want to say that I'm so sorry for what happened after the reunion, and-"

"No, Kevin. Don't apologize, please. I'm good, really."

Kevin gave her a quizzical look.

"I...I heard you, that night...on the field; I heard it all. I knew that you were...you were in a lot of pain. Anybody that cared could have seen that, just from your speech alone. On that field, though? Wow. But...you weren't really around anyone who cared, were you?" Charlotte's question was a scathing indictment against her own self. "You were around a lot of star-struck idiots. I count myself, surely, as one of them."

"Oh...no, Charlotte...I'm sorry that you saw that..."

"I am too, Kevin. Because...I did nothing...nothing to help you; whether I could have or couldn't have-I didn't even bother to try. Because all I wanted to see was Kevin Pearson, the hot high school quarterback, who was really nice to me...but who I never stood a chance in hell with; Kevin Pearson, TV and movie star, whom I'd had a moment with over horrible punch even if he didn't even remember my name-but humbly honored me, and others in his speech-and called us real heroes."

"Charlotte-"

"People are so fucked-up, huh? You were having a problem and I didn't care; couldn't see past getting you alone and in my bed. How fucked-up is that?'

"Charlotte, stop."

"No, it was really fucked-up of me. I was so...so humiliated when I heard the door close behind you, Kevin. Bed picnic...yeah. I was pretty delusional, huh?"

"No, Charlotte, not delusional, not at all...you're a beautiful woman and-"

"No, Kevin...please don't do that."

"Charlotte, I was drunk; desperate for a fix-not just for drugs but for my life. I'm an addict, Charlotte; I was at rock-bottom, that night; barely holding on to my empty soul..."

"Wow..."

"I know it sounds all kinds of over-dramatic and shit, but it happens to be true."

"I know. I read about you going into rehab later. I'm aware, now, that I wasn't being anything but a-starfucker? I think you Hollywood types call them?"

"Wow. Now I'm a 'Hollywood Type'. But I deserve that dig."

"No," Charlotte began after they both recovered from their light, nervous chuckles, "you really don't. And I'm sorry, Kevin. I just wanted to find you and tell you that. And to give you this...I promise that this is clean," Charlotte joked as she opened her evening bag; she retrieved an object wrapped in a frilly handkerchief and handed it to him.

"Oh...oh, my God...oh, my God...Charlotte..." Kevin sang his thanks at her in whisper after he'd unfolded it to reveal his father's necklace.

"I was so humiliated, Kevin; so embarrassed at myself, for throwing myself at you...for luring you away...believing that...trying to make-believe that you and me...could ever have anything real...even if it was just a one-night stand. And then the way you left me...but what other way could it have possibly gone, right?"

Kevin looked up at her and revealed the tears of joy and relief in his eyes.

"Anyway, when you came back...I was just so angry at myself-and you; I still refused to see you, Kevin. I had your necklace...right in my hand. But I was angry and hurt and got more angry because you were causing such a scene in my respectable neighborhood at two in the morning...calling so much attention to what a fool I really was. And so I punished you; kept it from you...

"I didn't realize just how important it was to you. Not that it mattered to me then, apparently. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this back to you. I didn't know where to begin to try and get in touch with a big star like you without coming off as stalker to your people, or something..."

"I'm not that A-List, Charlotte, I don't have 'people'," Kevin lightly laughed his reprimand at her through his subsiding tears.

"Yeah, well, says you. But I finally remembered to try your mother; I went to Facebook on the off chance-and there she was!"

"Thank God she hyphenated herself, right?"

"Right? So, yeah. Anyway...I didn't go into any details or anything, I just said that I found your necklace that night at the reunion, in the auditorium; so she invited me to the wedding, and I'm so glad, because I really wanted to give this to you in person. So...here I am. I know it means a lot to you-God, your family...your dad...whew! I'm sorry, these tears..."

"Look, it's okay, Charlotte...it's a great day for happy tears," he beamed a smile at her.

"Again, I'm so sorry for taking so long to return this. I'm really happy to see that you all are healing... happy-happier-you really seem better."

"We're getting there; day by day. Thank you, Charlotte. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, so, so much."

As Charlotte rose to go Kevin jumped up to attention to assist her out of her chair, the action of which caught Beth and Zoe's eyes from across the tent.

"What the hell is going on over there?" from Zoe.

"Hell if I know, girl..." from Beth.

"Hell if you know what, wife?" From Randall, who swooped in, took Beth into his arms and then waltzed her away to the dance floor as Beth waved a goodbye at her cousin. Zoe's gaze went back to the little drama playing out across the tent from her.

"Well...I better get out of here..." Charlotte said then, totally wanting to do the exact opposite; she gave no chance for Kevin to respond, or for herself to indulge in any further delusions. "Congratulations, Kevin, to you and your family. I will forever wish you all only the best." Charlotte made to go.

"Come here," Kevin took Charlotte into his real, warm and final embrace. "Right back at you," he whispered into Charlotte's ear.

As much as she wanted to linger in his strong embrace forever, Charlotte extricated herself abruptly, turned and marched away and out of the tent without another word.

Kevin watched her walk briskly out of sight. "And that's how heroes do it, right dad?" Kevin smiled down at the necklace in the palm of his hand, then held it up to his lips and gave the pendant a gentle kiss; he folded the handkerchief gingerly and tucked it into his breast pocket. "Goodbye, Doctor Charlotte Everly," he whispered after the disappeared woman as he unclasped the chain and returned the necklace to its rightful place.

On his way back to the punch bowl Kevin was accosted by the second intriguing woman that would surprise him that evening; a bohemian vision draped in hues of amber and majestic turquoise; crowned by a honey-gold-tipped halo of curls; a smile on her face as warm as sunlight streaming through a burst of Autumn trees on a bright fall day.

"I liked your toast. I've always been a sucker for a good toast."