* The unexpected meeting. *
When Meg got the phone call that Friday afternoon, she couldn't actually believe it. Mainly, because she wasn't expecting that call at all. Or the invitation to tea for the following afternoon. It was something incredible and incredibly suspicious, now that she thought about it. But here she was now, parking at the gates of Plumfield with an apple pie on the passenger seat. John had decided to spend the day with Rose, so that meant she was all by herself at her aunt's house. She looked at the big estate for a few minutes, then sighed in resignation. She took the pie, opened the car door and got out. She walked to the big wooden door, partly regretting her agreement to that meeting. However, she composed herself and rang the doorbell. As usual, one of her aunt's maids came to the door and greeted her, then took her to the parlor where her aunt was already sat and waiting.
"Mrs. March, Miss March has just arrived.," the young and blonde maid announced, making a courtesy and leaving abruptly. The eldest woman turned her head to the door and looked at her niece. She was wearing a long, black dress with layers, a grey cape over her shoulders and black shoes. Her little Yorkshire terrier was sat on her lap, already asleep under the Saturday sunshine. Meg, on the other had, was wearing a light lavender sweater and jeans.
"Margaret." the woman said.
"Aunt March." Meg greeted politely. Aunt March gave her a sign with her hand to sit down in the opposite armchair of hers. Meg complied but didn't look at her directly in the eye. Silence was deafening and sharp between the two women. It was obvious that there was tension between them. Aunt March eventually decided to break the ice and sighed loudly.
"How's work?" she asked.
"Fine." Meg just answered.
"How's Rose?" Aunt March asked.
"Good." Meg answered.
"I heard you moved out from that daunting apartment of yours." Aunt March said, trying to make eye contact with Meg, but to no avail. Meg just nodded.
"Rent was too high for me to keep paying it and, eventually, John and I were going to move in together at some point before our marriage." Meg said.
Aunt March sighed. "Margaret, I... I've been meaning to talk to you after... after that dinner." the woman said. Meg sighed and looked at her. She knew what dinner the woman was referring to. They haven't uttered a single word to each other since Meg had come clean and told her family the truth about her daughter's father and the circumstances of her conception. "I always knew you were a smart girl... a sensible girl... and... when you told us about your pregnancy and the circumstances in which it happened some years ago... I must admit I felt utterly disappointed in you." she continued. Meg snorted. "I thought you were irresponsible and that you were throwing all your future away after a reckless night out." the woman continued. Meg opened her mouth, prepared to fight, but the woman cut her in. "But at Thanksgiving, when you told that story and everything you went through, I... at first, I didn't understand why you would lie about such an atrocity! I already said, I thought you were smarter and more sensible than that! But... I saw you crying like you were, and I heard the Laurence boy talking about how broken you were... and I was hoping to see you at Christmas or New Year but... well... the thing is... I... I'm sorry, Margaret. I'm sorry about the way I treated you. I'm sorry about making you believe that you were a disappointment." she said. Meg looked at her in the eye, shocked. Was she hearing correctly? Was Aunt March actually apologizing about something to her? This was unprecedented in the history of the March family, and she thought she ought to record it and play it on and on to her sisters, but she didn't move. She could barely think or say something. "I once was... molested by a young man and... it tormented me for years. I felt ashamed and scared and it scarred me more than I would like to admit. And when you finally spoke the truth, I... I remembered. I remembered the pain, the shame, the fear... and I finally understood why you never spoke, why you acted the way you did. And I wish I would have been as brave as you are to face what happened." the woman finally confessed. Meg looked at her even more shocked than before. "So... forgive me, Margaret, for what I said to you. If anything, you're braver than anyone in this family, not only for enduring what happened to you, but for the way you overcame it, for the way you raised your daughter, and for the woman you have become." the woman finished. Meg kept looking at her, astonished. If she was expecting something from Aunt March, it wasn't this. Not in her wildest dreams.
"I... I just... I'm sorry you also had to go through it, Aunt March. And that you had to go through it alone." Meg said, sympathetically. The eldest woman gave her a weak smile.
"It wasn't something we spoke about when I was your age, darling." Aunt March said. Meg opened her bag and took out an envelope. She gave it to Aunt March, who raised an eyebrow and looked at it, suspiciously.
"John and I are getting married in two months. It's going to be a small thing: just family and a few really close friends. It's going to be at Mr. Laurence's house. Marmee and John's mother are going to cook and probably Beth and Laurie will play something for us. We'll be delighted if you could come." Meg said, smiling a bit. The woman looked at the invitation, then grabbed the little bell that was on the coffee table and rang it. The maid came running. Aunt March handed her the envelope.
"Mark this in my calendar and get my green suit ready. Not the heavy one. The light one. It's going to be a hot day when I wear it at my niece's wedding. And please, bring the tea already." she told her servant. The maid made a courtesy and left nearly running. Aunt March looked at Meg. "No child on the way, Margaret?" the woman asked, suspiciously. Meg sighed and smiled
"No, Aunt March. I'm not pregnant. We just... we just love each other and we can't wait to spend our lives together." Meg answered. The woman looked at her. "He's a great man. He loves me and my daughter. He makes us so happy. And he's helped me heal. It seems rushed to get married when we've only been together for such a short period of time, but... I don't want to waste any more. I've known him since I was 17 and somehow been in love with him since then. So, this isn't a rushed decision to me. This is the right one." Meg stated. Aunt March looked at her, with a knowing smile on her face, and nodded. Meg relaxed a bit. She hadn't expected this unexpected meeting to go as it went, but she was quite content with the result.