A/N: Rather than keeping this in reserves for the next week or so, I figured I'd let you go into 2013 with it! Enjoy and Happy New Year!
"You're doing it wrong!" shrilled Ella with laughter.
"I am not! I am a professional at playing pat-a-cake," Rhett humorously said in defense of himself.
After picking up Wade, they all headed back to Rhett's estate. A picnic had been set up for them in the backyard that included various sandwiches and corn chowder. Ella and Wade barely touched their food before they wanted to do various activities and neither she nor Rhett stopped them from doing so. Scarlett was currently sipping on lemonade and enjoying the spectacle Ella and Rhett made out of a simple game of pat-a-cake while Wade ran around flying his large colorful kite.
"Mother! Come fly a kite with me!" Wade yelled as he ran by her in an attempt to keep his kite in the air. Scarlett hadn't flown a kite since she was a girl and she decided that now was a good a time as any to try her hand at it again. Picking up Ella's pink kite that was lying nearby, she made her way towards Wade who was reigning his kite back in.
"Where do you want to fly them?" she asked him since he seemed to be looking around for a different spot.
"Follow me. There's something I want you to see and we can fly our kites there," he said excitedly sounding more like the boy she remembered rather than the young man she had encountered earlier.
"Lead the way," she replied following him towards the back of Rhett's estate towards a thick row of trees. She followed his path closely when she was immediately struck by the intensifying sea salt smell. The whole of Charleston smelled of sea salt since it was surrounded by water, but walking through the trees she knew the smell meant that they were getting closer to water. It took all of one minute to get through the trees when she was greeted by the Ashley River. Scarlett, like Rhett, had always adored being near water and it came as no surprise to her that his land would border on the Ashley.
"Look over there," he said pointing to his left and she saw along its path where the Ashley spilled into Charleston Harbor. It was a beautiful sight that she knew she could wake up to everyday and still revel in its tranquility.
"It's beautiful Wade. Do you come here often?" she asked walking toward him to stand by his side.
"Every time I'm here," he replied smiling. Looking at his face, Scarlett could not help but feel an overwhelming affection for her son. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, which seemed to surprise him deeply. Can't find that shocking, Scarlett thought bitterly. It's not as if you ever showed him much affection.
"I'm really happy you're here," Wade said to her. His genuine happiness at her being there warmed her heart.
"So am I," she replied. "You want to fly the kites here?"
"Oh yes! This is my favorite place to fly them!" he said gleefully as he launched his kite into the air to get caught by a gust of wind. Taking his cue, she launched hers as well and gasped in surprise when it was caught by a gust on her first try. Wade found her reaction amusing and started laughing. Scarlett could not recall hearing him laugh so much in his life and the sound of it was almost soothing.
"Mom, can I ask you something?" Wade piped up after they had flown their kites for a couple minutes in silence since they were doing their best to keep their kites afloat.
"Of course," she replied wondering what was bothering him.
"Does Uncle Ashley plan on coming to visit Beau?" he inquired. The tone he took alerted Scarlett that he was deeply concerned about this.
"To be completely honest Wade, I don't know. I saw him briefly before I came here but all I could gather was that he was happy Beau was here. Why do you ask?" she said wanting to get to the core of why he was worried.
"Because Beau misses him and the whole time he's been here he's only gotten one letter. He's starting to become angrier about it more than anything. If I may be so bold, Uncle Ashley has been a terrible father to Beau since Aunt Melly passed away! Why, Uncle Rhett has been a better father to me than Beau's own father has been to him!" Wade responded with such ferocity that Scarlett was taken aback by it.
"Wade Hampton Hamilton! You mustn't say such things about your Uncle Ashley!" she scolded, shocked at her son's audacity and anger.
"Why not!? He basically ignored Beau's existence before he came here and now that he's gone, he makes no attempt to communicate with him! He only wrote Beau back after God knows how many letters he sent!" he replied vehemently. This was obviously an issue that had been eating away at him and he was only now able to get it off his chest.
"Wade, please listen to me," Scarlett pleaded with her son, trying to calm him down. "Your Uncle Ashley is in mourning. I won't deny that he isn't handling it in the best way, but... I didn't handle it very well either."
"No Mother! You mustn't compare yourself to him. What happened to you was far different and you know it," Wade said now pleading with his mother.
"How was my situation different? When she passed away, I became negligent of you and your sister. I handled it just as bad, if not worse, than he did," she replied. She knew that she would have some explaining to do to her son about what had happened, but that didn't make it any less painful.
"Your situation was completely different! You had that bout where you got sick and almost died, Bonnie died and Aunt Melly soon followed, and you and Uncle Rhett... went your separate ways. You did the best that you could! We were still taken care of! Uncle Ashley did nothing for Beau!" he replied inflamed that his mother would compare herself to someone of such despicable behavior.
"Make no excuses for me, for I deserve none! I faltered in my responsibilities with you and that is part of the reason I am here. You deserve to know how sorry I am about what I did. No excuse is good enough. I want things to get better between us. I want to be the mother that you deserve but I have not provided thus yet," she said passionately to her son. Now was the time when she needed to get through to him the most.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't crave a closer connection to you, but that does not change what has happened with Beau. He misses his father so much and I hate how sad it makes him," Wade said as his anger broke and was replaced with such distress that Scarlett was certain he would start to cry.
"Sweetheart, come here," she said gently as she held her arms open to give him a hug. It was only then that she noticed both her and Wade's kites were lying on the ground, long unused. Wade slowly, but surely, made his way towards his mother and into her arms. When she embraced him, he returned the gesture and laid his head on her shoulder. She could feel his body trembling slightly and she knew it was him either crying or suppressing the desire to. Scarlett had always seen crying as a sign of weakness, in both men and women, but she knew this was different. Wade had been so strong for so long and it was only now that he could find a release in someone who would not judge him for it. Only once his body stopped trembling did she speak.
"Wade, would it make you feel better if I had a talk with Uncle Ashley? If I found a way to make him come visit Beau?" she asked. This would be no problem to Scarlett since his extreme negligence of Beau was infuriating to her.
"Would you Mother? I know it would make Beau very happy if you did!" he said pulling away from her to look into her eyes.
"I will. In fact, I will send him a letter tomorrow morning before I leave," she responded hoping he wouldn't challenge why she would send a letter rather than telling him in person since she was seemingly going home.
"Oh thank you! Beau will be so excited!" he exclaimed as he hugged her again.
"Now there is something that I need to ask you before we head back to lunch and I need your honest answer, yes?" Scarlett posed to her son.
"Yes, anything," he replied looking into her eyes.
"Are you happy here? I mean, truly happy," she asked. At this moment, Scarlett desired nothing more than to see her son happy. Charleston provided a safe place for him to find stability in a prestigious school, but if he was even the slightest bit unhappy she would not hesitate to cancel her move to California in order to plan for him and Ella to come with her. She would simply find a way to deal with Rhett about it later, but judging from his reaction that would not prove to be necessary.
"Yes," he responded without hesitation. "I love it here and so does Ella. Why do you ask? You weren't wanting me and Ella to come back to Atlanta were you?" he finished with slight nervousness in his voice.
"No no, nothing like that. It's just that, well, I don't plan on going back to Atlanta. I'm moving somewhere new, away from everything that has caused me distress and if you weren't happy, I was going to bring you along," Scarlett said as she waited to see his reaction to the news. At first, he didn't seem to react, but then a small smile crept on to his face.
"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.
Scarlett hesitated, not knowing whether or not he would tell Rhett, but he did deserve to know where she was going. "California," she said.
"California!?" he asked surprised and amused. "Isn't that where Uncle Rhett struck gold?"
"Yes," she laughed. "I knew I wanted to go somewhere new and exciting and it seemed to fit the bill well."
"I would say! Does he... know?" Wade questioned.
"No," she replied shortly. "I'm sure you wish were still together, but it just wouldn't work. I don't want him to know either. Can you keep it a secret, just between you and me?"
"I would never break your confidence," he strongly replied. "But, does this mean Ella and I will no longer see you?"
"Absolutely not! I plan to visit often and I will always send you letters, I promise. And if there is anything you need or you want me to visit for a certain day, do not hesitate to write me so. Just be sure to send your and Ella's letters to Uncle Henry and he can forward them to me wherever I am at," she said as she held her son's hands. He continued to smile the whole time and she couldn't figure out why, until he answered her.
"Good. I just want you to be as happy as I am here. Moving out of Atlanta was the best thing to happen to me in awhile. You do promise to be happy there right?" he questioned. Her son's unwavering support of her was overwhelming and she felt tears threatening to fall.
"Yes, I do promise to be happy there," she responded as a tear fell down her face and she quickly wiped it away, slightly flustered. "Are you ready to go back for the rest of lunch Wade?"
"I am," Wade replied. He went to pick up both abandoned kites and then made his way back over to his mother's side. When back at her side, he crooked his arm again in the same exaggerated fashion he had done earlier in the day to escort her back to the picnic area. Scarlett laughed again at his gesture and took his arm. Making their way back through the thick row of trees, they started to hear Ella's unceasing laughter.
"That girl certainly has a set of lungs on her," Scarlett laughed with Wade joining her. Emerging from the trees, they were greeted by one of the most amusing sights she had ever seen. Ella had evidently stolen Rhett's jacket and tied it around her as if it were a cape. She was doing her best to run away from Rhett, who was in hot pursuit of her and catching up fast because his legs were much longer than hers.
"NOOO!" screamed Ella in laughter and defeat when Rhett had caught up to her to lifted her in the air.
"I win again!" he said laughing as she started to shift her body around in his arms and onto his back for a piggyback ride.
"Father, over there!" she screamed pointing in Scarlett and Wade's direction. "Take me to Mother and Wade!"
"Your wish is my command," Rhett said as they started to make their way toward Scarlett and Wade. Rhett was smiling and looked happy to see the closeness that Scarlett and Wade were sharing. On their approach, Ella stuck her arms out for Scarlett take, which she did. Ella slinked off Rhett's back and into her arms, but Scarlett was not able to hold her up for long. Even though Ella was small, it didn't change the fact that Scarlett had little physical strength.
"Oh goodness Ella! You're just too big for me to hold up now!" she laughed when she set her down.
"That's because I'm a big girl and I'm growing so I can be a woman some day," she said with determination.
"I don't care how old you are, you will always be my little girl," Scarlett replied. Ella was already getting big and the thought of her growing older and not being as carefree and silly as she was now caused Scarlett an unexpected stab of pain. Before she could think beyond this, Ella grabbed her hand and started to lead her towards the picnic area to finish eating. Rhett and Wade followed them over and started to make their way through the picnic. It was largely uneventful until Ella dropped a bombshell.
"Mother, there is a girl at school named Madeline who is very mean to me," she piped up after finishing a sandwich.
"She's mean to you? How?" she asked knowing how mean girls can be from her days at the academy in Fayetteville.
"She said that you and Daddy no longer live together because you don't love each other anymore and that you're going to get a divorce. I told her she was a liar and that you two didn't live together anymore because you had business in Atlanta and he had business here but she didn't believe me!" she said with distress that still didn't distract from her desire to eat a dessert sandwich.
Scarlett's eyes widened and her blood ran cold at the mention of lost love and divorce. It was one thing to have rumors follow her around Atlanta but it was another to have them follow her children to Charleston. While Ella of course wanted an answer, she could feel Rhett and Wade's eyes burrowing into her to hear her response. She couldn't possibly tell the children now that she had filed for divorce so she had to come up with an answer quick. Besides, she told herself, if Rhett loved me he would have immediately interjected a response. His love for me truly is gone.
"I still love your father very much Ella and next time that nasty girl says something like that, you tell her to go to the devil," she said with a little drama to make it seem like it was something to not be taken seriously.
"I can't say something like that!" she said laughing about her mom's over the top comment. Her answer seemed to do the trick because Wade also laughed. She smiled as well but it quickly vanished when she saw an expression cross Rhett's face that was so fleeting she almost missed it. It was a cross between anger, confusion, and realization; which role took higher prominence in it she would never know. Rhett quickly regained his signature bland expression, but his eyes continued to search her face for an answer to a question that was never asked.
"Will you be dropping Ella and I off at school before dinner with your mother... Father?" Wade asked interrupting Scarlett's attempts to avoid Rhett's cold, piercing gaze. Scarlett was taken aback by two parts of his question: First and foremost, was the potential that she would be seeing Rhett's mother tonight for dinner. Secondly, when he called him Father, it was not a slip of the tongue, but a conscious effort. She wondered if it was perhaps influenced by his revelation during their talk that Rhett was a better father figure than Ashley was to Beau. Gaining the courage to look at Rhett because of Wade's question, she noticed surprise flitter across his face as well before being drowned by a glorious smile.
"Yes son, I will be dropping you off, but I'm afraid your mother will have to take her depart of you here since she will have to get ready for dinner," he replied. "Now why don't you two go get anything you might need for the next few days so we can head back to your schools."
At this, Ella and Wade both stood up from their spots and headed into the house to gather whatever they wanted. This left Scarlett and Rhett alone for the first time today since the carriage ride to Ella's school. Rhett was the one to break the silence.
"I apologize that you had to find out about tonight's dinner plans like that. I meant to tell you before we got Ella but your nervousness took priority. My mother found out that you were coming and insisted on everyone coming to dinner to see you," he informed her.
"What the devil do you mean by everyone? It's not just your mother coming?" she asked with rising anxiety. Haven't I had enough surprises for one day, she thought wearily.
"Everyone as in my mother, sister, brother and his wife. Now Scarlett, do try to dress conservatively. I know that doesn't come naturally to you so just be sure to wear whatever dress in your collection is of the least offensive color," he replied snidely.
"Why bother? I'm sure you have already spoiled what little opinion your mother had of me," she snapped back, angry that he was provoking her.
"I would never do such a thing. If her opinion of you spoils, my pet, that will be all of your doing," Rhett taunted her.
"If you continue to be this nasty to me in front of her, I'm afraid that her opinion of you will spoil faster than mine," Scarlett bit back unable to control herself.
"Mother, will you come visit again soon?" Ella asked as she came back into the backyard, effectively halting Scarlett and Rhett's argument.
"Yes dear and I promise to write you so send me lots of letters!" she said embracing her daughter.
"I will! I love you," she said earnestly into her eyes.
"I love you too Ella. Always," Scarlett said in return meaning every word. After a kiss on the cheek, Ella ran up to the front of the house to wait at the carriage.
"Thank you for coming to see us Mom. And thank you ahead of time for talking to Uncle Ashley for Beau. I'm going to tell him about it straight away," Wade said coming up to her to say his good-byes.
"It's no trouble at all. I love you sweetheart and do remember to write me," she insisted.
"I promise I will. I love you too," he said giving her an embrace before going to join his sister at the carriage up front, leaving Scarlett and Rhett alone yet again. Neither of them moved from their spots until Rhett broke the silence again.
"You know Scarlett, when Wade called me Father that hardly sounded like a slip of the tongue?" Rhett posed as a question rather than a statement. His eyes were probing her for an answer to his question, wondering if she had something to do with it or knew why.
"Yes Rhett, I believe you're right. In fact, it sounded quite deliberate," Scarlett said innocently. He continued to look at her questioningly for a few seconds before his expression changed to one of amusement. With a smile on his face, he gave her a full bow and silently made his way to the carriage to take the children back to school. Once alone, she took in a deep breath before making her way into the house to get ready for dinner with the Butlers.