Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
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This chapter mentions a controversial topic. If I offend anyone please forgive me.
Chapter Twenty
The next night at nine Rhett and Scarlett were on the train to New Orleans. Rhett said, "Does this remind you of our honeymoon?"
Scarlett said, "I hope we have just as much fun."
Rhett made arrangements for them to stay at the same hotel in the honeymoon suite which was the same suite they stayed in last time. When they got to their room Scarlett said, "I hope there won't be any storming off in the middle of the night this time."
Rhett smiled and said, "No there won't be because I'm pretty sure there will only be two people in the bed this time."
"You know I was over him once I found out when he had asked Melly to marry him."
"Yes, I do. For the record I never said, 'I told you so.'
"No, you didn't. But you did use that opportunity when I was hurt and vulnerable to get back into my bed."
"Yes, I did." Rhett smiled his cockiest smile. And she looked at him with all the love in her heart. Rhett thought, 'Good enough.'
"Let's lay down and make sure the bed is as comfortable as it was last time."
"Yes, Let's"
She was definitely more opened to experimenting in their relations now than she was on their honeymoon. On their honeymoon it was a major accomplishment to get her nightgown off. It was another major accomplishment to get her to have relations any time but at night in the dark. She was no longer concerned with what was ladylike and what wasn't now that she was receiving lots of pleasure from the act. That was his Scarlett a woman whose scruples were flexible.
Later that day they went to supper at Tujague's and she had two helpings of the crawfish etouffee. She was so miserable all they could do was go back to their room. Rhett just laughed whenever she moaned or groaned. Rhett said, "This is not how I planned to make you moan and groan."
Scarlett said, "I would laugh but it would hurt too much."
Rhett said, "I didn't know we were going to repeat our honeymoon exactly."
Scarlett had looked at him and smile sensuously and said, "Maybe in an hour we can repeat what we did the last time I overate. You can read me a book in the meantime."
Rhett laughed and got his book out of his bag and just began reading from where his book mark was. She wasn't going to listen anyway. As she was lying there, she thought, 'Rhett has a nice voice.' She remembered that low-life Ashley Wilkes reading her romantic poetry. She didn't want that memory. She wanted it to be Rhett who had read her romantic poetry not that scum Ashley Wilkes. She said, "Would you read me romantic poetry?"
"I don't have a book of poetry with me but I can buy one tomorrow."
"Good. Now continue."
Rhett smiled and continued reading his book out loud to her.
The next day they walked around the city. Rhett bought her a candy called a praline which was a specialty of New Orleans. They found a book store and he bought a book of poetry. She would reach for his hand which he enjoyed. They squabbled over what they were going to do that afternoon and finally decided to go back to the hotel after dinner so Rhett could read her romantic poetry. As Scarlett was sitting there listening to the poems, she decided it was much better with Rhett than with that bottom-feeder Ashley Wilkes. She could tell he wasn't just reading the words but he really meant it. Scarlett's thoughts pleased Rhett.
Rhett arranged for them to have supper that night with his ward, Joshua. He was a very nice young man. He was polite to Scarlett and deferential to Rhett. Scarlett could see there was affection between the two but there wasn't a great bond between them. Rhett was right. He was the boy's guardian and the Smiths were his parents and the people he loved. It was clear that neither person wanted more from the relationship than what already existed.
The third day they were there after they woke up Rhett said, "Let's go take a tour of the city. Let's see how it has changed."
"Unless this tour includes Tobias' Smithy then no. Stop procrastinating Rhett. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Maybe I did." He then told Scarlett the entire story.
She said, "If you had known what the consequences of your actions would have been you would have gone with your father. What your father did was wrong not you."
They laid in the bed for a little bit longer and Rhett jumped up and said, "I will get us some breakfast."
After he left the room, she knew he had needed to leave in a hurry. She didn't understand it really but she knew it had something to do with him not being in control. He returned and they ate the breakfast then he helped her get dress. Once she was dressed, she said, "Let's go. Do you have the address? We can just go. We don't have to speak to him. You can just make sure he is alright."
Rhett reluctantly agreed.
They took a cab to the address. It was a nice part of New Orleans where the working class lived. It was not where the people of the gentry lived but it was still nice. They walked up to the Smithy and a large man turned around and saw them. A big smile broke out on his face and he said, "Mr. Rhett? You look just like your father."
Rhett knew it was true, he did look just like his father. Rhett said, "Another cross I have to bear." Once Rhett had seen the man, he knew it was his friend. The man looked good.
They talked for a few minutes then Tobias asked, "Do you know what happened to my mama? I never knew my father." When Tobias said that about not knowing his father Rhett looked at Tobias's face and saw the resemblance to their father. The knowledge was almost enough to bring Rhett to his knees with the pain. He couldn't think about that right now but he grasped Scarlett's hand tight. When he did that she knew too. She saw the resemblance to Rhett in Tobias's face. She had heard whispers about what some masters did to their female slaves. No one she knew. No one in Clayton County would do such a vile thing.
Rhett gave a sad smile, "She died a few years after you were sold. She got ill and never got better." They both knew Tobias's mama had died of a broken heart.
Rhett stood there and talked to Tobias for a long time. Rhett held Scarlett's hand the entire time. At times he grasped her hand a little tight but she never complained. Scarlett who had once never had patience with any conversation that wasn't about her stood there and held her husband's hand and never got exasperated or restless. Her arrogant, proud, self-sufficient husband needed her. She thought, 'This is what love was all about. Not that paltry emotion she had felt for the rat-bastard Ashley Wilkes.' For once Rhett had not been listening to her thoughts so intent was he on his conversation with Tobias.
After a couple of hours Rhett and Scarlett left. As they were leaving Rhett asked, "Do you need anything?"
Tobias said, "I have a trade, a good woman, good health and freedom. No, I don't need anything. It would have been nice if Bessie and I could have had children but we never did. Then again we never had to worry about our children being taken away from us."
"Are you sure? Maybe something for the Smithy."
"You can give me some money to help feed the orphan children that are always showing up on our door step. Bessie won't turn any of them away." Rhett and Scarlett knew Tobias couldn't either.
Rhett took out his wallet and gave Tobias all the cash he had which was close to two hundred dollars. Tobias looked at the money and then took it. He said, "It wasn't your fault your father sold me. Your father was a mean man."
Rhett said, "I know it wasn't my fault but I still feel guilty." Rhett shook his hand and they walked away. Both men knew they would never see each other again. They lived in different worlds now.
They got a cab and went to a bank so Rhett could get some more money. On the way to the bank Rhett had his mask on and for once Scarlett knew why. His emotions were too raw for him to let anyone see them even her. She sat as close to him as she could and held his hand. Scarlett waited in the cab while Rhett went in the bank. When Rhett returned to the cab Scarlett knew he had his emotions under control. After Rhett was back in the cab, they talked about Tobias's good fortune to find a man who would take care of him. The man, Caesar, protected him from others and didn't ask anything from him which isn't often the case. The man was a blacksmith and claimed Tobias was his son. Caesar taught him the trade which gave Tobias a decent life while being a slave. Rhett was happy that everything had turned out okay for his friend.
Scarlett didn't know what to do. She wished she could ask Melly. She had never been any good with dealing with other people's emotions. Did she make him talk about it or did she pretend he wasn't dealing with a shock? When they got back to the hotel, she decided she would ask her best friend what to do.
After they were in their room, Scarlett said, "Rhett, I have a friend who received some tragic news today. I don't know if I should make my friend talk about it or just ignore it and pretend that I don't know he is very upset." Rhett had not been listening to Scarlett's thoughts because he had been too lost in his own. He stood there and stared at her for a long time.
He finally said, "You noticed it too."
She nodded her head.
Rhett swallowed and said, "Just when I don't think my father can be any worse of a bastard, I find out there is a whole new level of awfulness he sank to. Scarlett, he sold his own eight-year-old son to teach his other eight-year-old son a lesson. And don't think I don't know the significance of our ages being the same."
Scarlett could see the tears in Rhett's eyes and just patted the spot beside her on the bed. He came and sat down next to her. He put his head in his hands and cried. Scarlett wondered when the last time he had cried was. Certainly not since he was a little boy. She laid him back on the bed and laid down next to him. She held him until he stopped crying. He told her everything his mother had told him. He told her about his father rigging the buggy wheel to break. Scarlett was not good at giving comfort to others and she truly wished Mammy or Melly was here. They were so good at it. He was really crying now. So, she did for him what he had always done for her. She held him and she spoke soothing words. Scarlett didn't understand most of what Rhett was saying now but she did hear 'Alex', 'Tobias' and 'Scarlett.' She held him tight and kept speaking soothing words to him until he stopped crying. She never even acknowledged that he had been crying she just kept holding him tight. Rhett fell asleep and Scarlett just laid next him and watched him sleep. She was so worried about him that she never left the room. Not even to get dinner even though she was starving. She got out of the bed and she found a croissant and a muffin she had stored away in her bag and ate them. She was still hungry but it wasn't the first time she had gone to sleep still being hungry. She was not leaving Rhett alone. She went to sleep and hoped Rhett would be okay. She was very glad she had come with him. Who knows what trouble he might have gotten into if he had been alone? The next morning Rhett acted like nothing had happened and so did Scarlett. She knew about preserving one's dignity.
They went to dinner at Antoine's the next night and then out dancing. They had a wonderful evening. Rhett felt loved, cherished and protected. Scarlett felt loved, cherished and protected too. They got back to the hotel and made love. They went to sleep. The rest of their stay in New Orleans was wonderful. They had toured the city, eaten delicious food, Scarlett ate more candy, Rhett had read Scarlett romantic poetry every day, had relations more often than they had on their honeymoon and just enjoyed being together. It was a good time for them. It was like the honeymoon they should have had.
They never talked about Tobias, what Rhett had told Scarlett or Rhett crying. Neither party wanted to talk about it. Scarlett didn't because she didn't know what to say and Rhett never wanted to talk about his father again for the rest of his life. He now had no regrets about his actions all those years ago which resulted in him being disowned. He hoped and prayed he never treated Bonnie any where near as badly as his father had treated him. Maybe Scarlett was right. They shouldn't have any more children.
Their last night on the train before they went to bed, while pretending to read a magazine Scarlett was thinking about Rhett. He had been fun and delightful the rest of their days in New Orleans but she knew something was bothering him. She thought she knew what it was but she didn't know what to say to him. She thought he was worried about becoming like his father to Bonnie. She wished she knew how to tell him that he was a wonderful father and an excellent stepfather. If there was a chance of being like his father, he would have treated his stepchildren badly but he didn't. He treated them like they were his own. She was afraid to talk about it because she was afraid of him retreating behind his mask. She just didn't know what to say.
Rhett was amazed with the changes in his wife. She loved him and wanted to help him but she didn't know how. Strangely enough her faith in him allowed him to release his fear of being like his father. He realized right then that he had never worried about her taking advantage of his being weak from the other night. He guessed they were both growing up.