Chapter 10:
The middle school looked very appealing from the road. It was relatively small, a brick building with gravel pathways and a rose garden and beds that Melly had overseen the design of, edged with thyme and santolina that the kids were responsible for tending. But didn't all exclusive private schools have the same exterior appeal?
For twenty thousand a year, you'd expect all that and more ...that was until you actually entered the hallowed halls and were in the company of the privileged kids and their teachers, sly, smug creatures who thought that teaching at private school gave them a significant class advantage over their counterparts at public. Many were alumni - too comfortable in their old environment to want to go anywhere else. Or perhaps, Scarlett thought alternatively, no other institution would have them. The horrors of the school were crying out to her as she walked down the cool, dark, polished corridors, which were adorned with trophies and photographs of alumni and a gigantic mural of the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War which she had never noticed before, although she had walked by it a dozen times or more. And then the kids. Reminders of her own childhood, as a good deal of them had parents she knew well. Recognition flared in their shrewd little eyes as she walked down the hall, and not the good sort. They were all out of dress code, wearing either khakis or jeans and blue or gold polo shirts. She could make out the cliques just from her short trip down the main hallway to the office: the jocks, their cheerleader counterparts, the smart kids, the nerds, the black kids who were good in sports (those were the only black kids enrolled at the school) - and then there was Wade, who as far as she knew, had no group of friends. Not any friends at all. It made no sense for him to even be at the damned school. It never did. She felt like pulling him out then and there, putting him in public and saving twenty grand a year…then she remembered that Rhett was paying for that education and it weighed a lot less heavily on her conscience.
The school secretary had been employed there since Scarlett herself had been Wade's age. She wondered who would want to spend that many years as a school secretary. Ugly women, naturally. It made no sense for anyone else. She told the woman whose mother she was and why she was there and the secretary replied that Miss Tarleton was having a word with Mr. Kowalski the principal, and that he'd see her directly.
Miss Tarleton. She should have known that Randa Tarleton would have something to do with whatever it was that had brought Wade there. She was his Spanish teacher, although Scarlett knew for a fact that she didn't speak one word of Spanish. She had taught Social Studies the year before, and math before that…not really doing a fantastic job at any of the subjects. Another charity case of the administration of this godforsaken school, Scarlett thought, glancing down at her watch and wondering how Rhett was doing at the Neighbor MD across the street.
Finally, the door opened and she could hear a male voice saying: "Is Mrs. Butler here, yet?"
Principal Kowalski was was in his late sixties or early seventies. He had retired from a small college somewhere in New England and had been a friend of Melly's, although none of the other parents really liked him all that much. His eyes were remarkably wide and luminous as he stood up and motioned for her to enter.
Scarlett stood up and passed through the door, not bothering to correct him that she was not Mrs. Butler at all, but Ms. O'Hara again.
Wade was sitting stonily in one of the chairs opposite Principal Kowalski, who returned to the desk in the rear of the room. Randa Tarleton was standing, her bright red hair looking bigger than usual. Silver threads were showing up at her temples, Scarlett noted with immense pleasure. Gaudy rings adorned her fingers, chosen for maximum sparkle - but none of them were real, Scarlett observed. Randa had on a bright green satin shirt with pearl buttons and silver and turquoise earrings that didn't quite match the blouse. She was rubbing her fingers against her soft, doughy chin. Wade looked quite stoic, although visibly shaken. If he could just hold it together while she straightened whatever mess this was out, he would have a good long cry in the car if she knew him.
"Why there's Scarlett!" Randa chirped.
"I apologize for calling you all the way out here, Mrs. Butler," the silver-haired Principal Kowalski began.
"It's O'Hara, sir. She's not married anymore."
Scarlett plastered on her biggest fake smile. "And how are you, Randa? Still living with your parents?"
There. That wiped the smirk off of Randa Tarleton's face. Scarlett felt a little guilty for dragging the elder Tarletons and the rest of the family into it, for she liked Randa's mom and dad, old friends of her parents, and she had dated both Brent and Stu, Randa's twin brothers…but Randa and her sister Hettie, Wade's and Ella's teachers respectively, hated her from childhood and extended that hatred to both of her children. Case in point.
"So, why am I here?" she asked, trying to change the subject back to Wade, but Randa wasn't done.
"I've been meaning to call you before now, Scarlett. We've been racking our brains trying to think of someone to talk to the eighth grade girls about teenage pregnancy…and I told at least three different people that you'd be perfect…I mean, what better experience than firsthand?"
Scarlett glared at the other woman and suddenly wished that they were back in high school, and she could have beaten the living crap out of her -
But Mr. Kowalski intervened. "Miss Tarleton was concerned with Mr. Hamilton's behavior today, concerned enough to call you, Mrs. Butler-"
"O'Hara." Scarlett snapped.
"O'Hara, excuse me. But…we have you in the directory as Mrs. Butler..?"
"I'm divorced."
"Oh I see. Well, you must correct the school secretary on the way out…it's essential that our directory be up to date."
"I can never keep up with Scarlett," Randa laughed hollowly, "…as many times as she's changed last names…"
"I have no trouble keeping up with yours, seeing as it hasn't changed."
She thought that Wade grinned a little, even in his misery.
Again the principal spoke. "Mr. Hamilton was caught cheating this morning-"
"Cheating? Wade?"
"Caught him red handed," Randa interrupted.
"He'd never cheat, he doesn't need to cheat. Come on, Wade, let's go."
"He sent out an email with the correct answers for my pop quiz today. I confiscated the phone -" Randa looked triumphant. "And I suspect that this is not the first time it's happened."
"Wade?" Scarlett looked at him, "What's she talking about?"
"I took a picture," he sniffed.
"What? Speak up."
"I took my quiz and took a picture and sent it to someone," he mumbled.
"Let me guess, someone asked you to do that for them…" she looked at him expectantly, knowing her son.
But he shook his head.
Principal Kowalski seemed to catch onto her drift. "Did someone else ask you to do this, Mr. Hamilton?"
Wade shook his head. "No sir."
Randa rolled her eyes. "Of course he thought it up. He's clearly not been taught any better."
The elderly principal set back and shook his head. "Well, Mr. Hamilton, I have no choice but to send you home for the day. You will receive no credit for the assignment, as a punishment for your actions."
Randa looked aghast. "That's it?"
"I think that the lesson has been learned, do you not, Miss Tarleton?" the Principal looked knowingly at Scarlett, who, like her or hate her, was a board trustee and a substantial donor. He knew that she had already been offended by the scurrilous comments of his faculty member, and he was content to see Wade walk out and let the issue pass.
Randa looked profoundly hurt at the outcome, and short of stamping her feet and pulling her hair in protest, had to shut her mouth as Scarlett put her arm around Wade's shoulder and steered him out of the office and out to the secretary's desk, where she signed him out for the day.
"What classes are you going to miss?" she asked him as they walked back through the dim, airless hall.
"Algebra. History. We're in the Civil War right now and I've been lost since last week. And English. We're just memorizing poems."
He looked so utterly pitiful with his lower lip out, she felt compelled to tighten her grip on his shoulder. She had called it. As soon as they were out to the car the tears flooded his eyes and he let out a loud wail, throwing himself into her arms. There was something oddly sweet about holding one's twelve-year-old son as he cries his eyes out, despite the obvious discomfort when being leered at by the maintenance men, who were ogling her instead of trimming the shrubs.
Finally he was done crying and she suggested that they get a burger at Sonic, that food might make him feel better. Despite his initial protest that he wasn't hungry, he managed to polish off a double cheeseburger and two orders of fries in short order. She slurped on a vanilla milkshake while he ate, then gave the rest to him to finish.
"You were trying to do something for Alice, weren't you?"
He nodded. "She forgot to study. I really didn't think it'd matter-"
"Well, it did, didn't it?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Well, are you going to do it again?"
"No ma'am."
"Don't just yes ma'am and no ma'am me. You know better than this, Wade Hampton Hamilton."
"I'm really sorry!"
"Well, sorry doesn't cut it. You're grounded, mister."
"She was…she was so nice."
"What?"
"About the quiz. She said thank you. That I was smarter than any of her other friends and that she-"
"I don't care if she told you that you were the next King of England - I did not raise you to help other people cheat."
He looked hurt, but replied, "Yes, ma'am."
"We better go and get Uncle Rhett," she said, then turned on the ignition and backed out, not seeing that a black truck was backing out behind her and that she almost hit him. When the driver honked at her, she honked back and shouted: Blow it out your ass!
Wade was silent as she pulled into the walk in clinic, but then asked, "What's Uncle Rhett doing here?"
"There he is-" Scarlett pointed at the bench out front.
There he was indeed. Much less offensive when not in the company of a woman who was not her, looking like a middle aged gentleman in the navy blue T-shirt and white shorts he had changed into after she had left. She had a fleeting mental image of him and Anne having quick sex in her kitchen, so she was pleased to see him sporting a cast that covered his whole hand so that only his thumb was exposed. He looked miserable, as though he'd just been hit by a Mack truck. He deserved it.
She didn't even ask how are you, because she knew the answer. He was no good when he wasn't in control. And a broken hand certainly didn't qualify as control.
He got in the backseat and didn't say anything, except to say no thank you when Scarlett offered a sip of her milkshake. He didn't seem to notice that Wade was in the front, and Scarlett mouthed to her son that Rhett was just tired.
After about ten minutes of driving, Wade asked in a soft voice.
"What's wrong with me that I just don't fit in anywhere?"
"Middle school's just not your métier. High school will be better, I promise you that."
"Was it better for you?"
She smiled, thinking of Randa Tarleton's barbed comments about her having Wade. The big-haired bitch. Just because she had dated her brothers in succession and every other boy at Fayetteville had wanted to date her and not Randa or her equally ugly, catty sisters. Well, she was just damned glad that she had Charlie Hamilton's kid and not Brent or Stuart's. Not that the boys weren't great in their own rights; no, she was just -
She took a look at her son's eyes, red and swollen from crying, and then took a look at Rhett in the back seat, pretending to snooze and not really doing so.
She gave Wade a little smile. "You just need to learn not to care so much about what anyone else says or thinks. I used to be upset when people would talk about me. And you know, I was young too…I was-" She felt the need to reassert that fact to the gentleman in the back who was almost certainly listening intently.
"Were you sorry that you had me?" Wade finally asked.
Scarlett shook her head emphatically no, meaning it this time. "No. I mean, you were coming whether I was ready or not…and in a lot of ways, I wasn't ready. You know, when you were a little boy, I was just eighteen and on my own. But you turned out okay, in spite of me being me…I guess I was just meant to be your mom. You know, you're the only boy I've got, so I guess I'll keep you."
He smiled broadly then, as if she had made him the happiest boy in the world.
She glanced up at the rearview mirror again. Rhett had closed his eyes and was pretending to sleep again.
Since he was asleep anyway, she figured that he'd be alright while she ran into the restaurant to see how Ashley was handling the lunch crowd. It took forever to find a parking space. So that was good, at least. She told Wade to wait in the car and come and get her if Rhett's pain meds wore off and he needed to get home.
Ashley was looking frazzled when she came in, on the phone saying something about Thursday night being completely booked up in the venue room. He hung up, sounding supremely frustrated before he noticed Scarlett standing there.
"What was that?"
"We're overbooked as it is. I had to call Luke Fenton from British Airways and tell him that we had to cap his party at twenty. Maybelle did book the whole room first, in all fairness-"
"Call Fenton back. Tell him he can bring whoever he wants - how many did he want?"
"Forty-two. It's the Hartsfield Jackson business office."
"Call him back right now, Ashley! Maybelle's got a party full of kids - can you imagine how much money we'll lose if we cap the adults? God's nightgown, Ashley, I wish you'd think for a change!"
He looked hurt. "I'm sorry, Scarlett. I just thought that our policy was normally first come, first serve."
"Not when there's that much money on the line!"
"Scarlett, you seem -"
"What, stressed? Well, I am. Rhett's in the car with broken hand, Wade got sent home from school and now I have to deal with this. And then there's the fact that Anne was in my house today, prancing around like a goddamned queen and there I am - in my pajamas! What am I supposed to feel?"
He put a hand on her shoulder. "She was probably pretty damn jealous."
"Really?"
"I'm sure of it."
"Ashley, I don't know what to do. I don't, I really, really don't."
"You still love him, don't you?"
She shrugged. "Well, I don't know if I'd go that far…but last night he and I…well…"
"Oh, Jesus, Scarlett!"
"No, we didn't do that. Apparently."
"You mean, you didn't remember?"
"I was two sheets to the wind."
He rolled his eyes. "Surprise, surprise. And then Anne showed up, huh?"
She shook her head. "Too strange, isn't it?"
He agreed, then looked a little confused. "So, you said that Rhett had a broken ..?"
"Hand." She raised her hand as though to illustrate her point. "He got it caught in Jack's leash after his blushing bride went back to the airport."
"Interesting…so I guess he won't be driving back to Charleston?"
She thought about it. Yes, the hand would make it pretty damned difficult to drive anywhere, let alone nearly six hours and on a time schedule.
"He'll have to fly. And he's in a lot of pain, Ashley."
Ashley smiled wryly. "Maybe he won't be able to make the wedding at all."
Scarlett shrugged. "He'll make it. He always does."
She retrieved the papers she needed and said goodbye to Ashley and waved to Hugh, who looked extra cheerful, no doubt over his role in their current state of success. Now, if the two morons could just manage to not botch it all...
Wade and Rhett were in deep conversation when she opened the car door, and she felt vaguely bad about interrupting them. Talking to Rhett was exactly what Wade needed, man to man. And she noted with amusement that Rhett was a good deal more alert than he had let on…so that medicine wasn't as strong as he wanted her to think…he had just wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation…
"It's close to three," she said, "Think you can last if we just go on and pick Ella up from here?"
Wade nodded and Rhett said, "That'll be fine."
Ella was right on time, for once. And word had spread of Wade's early dismissal like wildfire, she announced proudly as she jumped into the backseat next to Rhett.
"Wow, you're picking us up, too? Gee. It is like you're staying," she commented.
"So it would seem," he said, pinching her cheek with his free hand. "For a couple days."
"So," she asked after several minutes of staring at his bandaged hand. "How are you going to get married with that thing?"
He looked down at the hand. "Well, the normal way, I suppose…"
"No, no - I meant - how are you gonna get the ring on?" she asked with utter seriousness.
Scarlett nearly lost it as he looked down and pondered the problem for himself.
"Damn," he muttered to himself. "Hell if I know."
Scarlett didn't say a word, but she exchanged a subtle glance with Wade, something akin to a smirk formed on both of their faces. Ella wasn't quite so subtle. "I think that this is a sign that you should just call off the whole thing," she said. "Then you can just stay here with us and it'll be like old times."
He touched her hair somewhat delicately, and laughed his big, careless laugh. "We'll see…we'll see…"
Half an hour later and they were home. Wade and Ella went to the television instantly to begin their ritual of fighting over programming for their allotted hour each, while Scarlett let Jack out in the back yard to pee while Rhett lumbered into the guest bedroom and said that he had to make a few phone calls.
Not more than five minutes had passed before Scarlett heard him call her name and she had to help him get his injured hand through his shirt sleeve.
"Why did you need to change?" she scolded him playfully.
"I smell like dog and antiseptic," he retorted, and she felt the muscles in his chest tense as her fingers made contact with his skin. She looked him over, and felt a blush appear on her cheeks as her own body filled with it's own heat. God, she loved this man.
"Try not to stare, Scarlett. It's terribly rude of you."
"I was not-"
"You were."
"Well if you're going to be nasty, I'll just-"
"No. No, don't go. I need…"
"What do you need, Rhett?"
"I need you to get a clean T-shirt out of my suitcase."
She smiled cheekily as she held the white tee tantalizingly in front of him - then she realized that he was holding his arms over his middle for a reason…
"Rhett Butler, I have seen you in all states. There's no need for you to be embarrassed."
He grabbed the shirt out of her fist with his free hand and brushed by her stormily.
"What? What did I say?"
"Do you know how it feels, Scarlett?"
"What?"
"Getting old. Getting fat."
"I've had three children," she offered, then tugged the shirt out of his grasp and stretched the sleeve wide enough to allow for the cast to go in easily. "I understand, Rhett. But you're still…attractive."
"Attractive?" he growled.
"Well, I mean…you are getting married. Something must be working."
Again the noncommittal grunt.
"I mean, Anne must find you attractive…" she tried again.
"You know what it is?" he said, his voice husky and making her tingle in strange places.
"What?"
"My…relationship with Anne…it's not going as I had hoped."
"Oh." Bingo. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that when it started, it was like I was young again. With a young girl. Smart as hell. Sweet as apple pie and damned good in bed." He looked over at Scarlett, who was glowering. "But then I'd wake up in the morning, and realize that I wasn't kidding anyone…not even myself. And here I stand. Shirttail out. Here comes the fat old man."
Something stung in her then. That indifference again…or was it - he was looking deep into her eyes.
"I could never figure out how to live with you, Scarlett. I tried my best, but I could never make it work...But being here, with you and the kids…I'm finding that the idea of living without you might be even harder."
She stood there without saying anything for a solid minute, not knowing how to respond at all, but then, Ella let out a loud yell from the living room.
"Look, Mother! Look! Quick! Look!"
She ran down the hall and heard Rhett's footsteps reverberate from behind. So he did love her, he did miss her. He did care, after all.
Ella and Wade were enthralled by something on the TV. It was a black and white movie by the look of it -
"Look, Mother, it's Aunt Melly, look!"
"It does look like her," Wade agreed.
Rhett let out a loud laugh. "I bet you have no idea who that is."
"Aunt Melly's long lost twin?" Ella offered.
Scarlett turned the volume up a little so she could hear what the characters were saying. The Melly look-alike had rounded on the second of two men and was snapping curtly: "I'd have forgotten all about you in two weeks. I was in love with Clark Gable last year and if I could get over him in a cinch, I could get over you."
"Who is Clark Gable?" the blonde male character replied.
And then Rhett smirked. "And who does that remind you of?"
"Who is Clark Gable?" Ella looked up at Rhett expectantly.
"A very famous actor in the 1930's. Google him," Rhett said. "You know, in my younger years, all of my teachers used to say that I looked like Clark Gable."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. She had no idea who Clark Gable was, but it was somewhat endearing that Rhett looked like him, whoever he was.
He then said that he had forgotten what it was he was supposed to be doing. "I need to make another phone call," he said.
"Do look Gable up on Google," he said then, leaving Scarlett to stand there, wondering if she had heard what he said about Anne correctly or if she had merely dreamt it up.
Note: If anyone is interested, this is the scene from the movie that Wade and Ella are watching- see if you can spot the future GWTW principals. I couldn't resist including it somewhere in this, the modern cut: www. youtube .com/watch?v=bxvftnVU71Y