So this week its a particularly long one... BUT its because I combined two chapters into one, the reason I did this is that it flows much better then if I didn't, so you just get one long chapter!
Ineedaname: I appreciate what your saying about Gilbert not correcting the minister but it won't come back and bite him in the butt! I did think about doing that but decided not to as CatieGirl said he needed not to say it to be a comfort to her. It made more sense in that minute for him to not contradict the minister so he could be there for her.
Amanda Pall: They aren't actually going into the house at this point but that will happen later when Anne returns with our Phillipa!
Queenofthenight82: Yes he's totally wormed his way into her heart! She doesn't know how deeply it runs yet!
"Anne!" Diana cried throwing herself in both Anne's and Gilbert's arms at the train station. "Oh Anne! I've missed you!" she exclaimed.
"Gilbert physically laughed while Anne looked to her wrapping her arms around Diana "I've missed you too Di." She said quietly. "But I've only been gone 4 weeks."
"Oh but four weeks in the holidays! I've had simply nothing to do…!"
"But spend time with Frrrrreeeedd!" she teased.
"And you Gilbert."
"We're not dating!" Anne exclaimed.
Diana turned happily with Anne down the platform leaving Fred and Gilbert talking behind them. "four weeks of ordering in takeout together? Watching Netflix? Going hiking together?" Diana teased. "It sounds like your dating to me."
"Diana, it wasn't like that, and it wasn't every night we did it." She said rolling her eyes at Diana. "Just every Saturday, we ditched the other bores and we…"
"What's he like?" Diana squealed.
Anne laughed out of disbelief "I can't believe you! the giggling school girl over Gilbert Blythe."
"Oh everyone is the giggling schoolgirl over Gilbert Blythe." She said almost flatly. "Who wouldn't be!?"
"Me!" Anne objected.
"You must be the only one then Anne." Diana said with the shake of the head.
Behind them Fred and Gil spoke.
"Buddy!" Fred said with a smile to him and a high five "Good time?" he asked.
"Yeah, it was awesome, we got some really good ideas for student council." He said with a grin to Fred.
"Sounds intriguing." He said with a knowing smile to Gilbert which shrugged back. "So how was spending four weeks alone with Anne?"
Gilbert paused and looked up at the back of Anne's neck. She had spent the last part of the journey with her hair straighter out pulling her hair through them making all the soft curls flat straight down her back.
"Why are you doing that?" he had asked her.
"Look people with curly hair have a look people with straight hair have a look and I have a ball of mess unless I do this."
He sighed and looked at her "Your armour again supergirl?" he asked her.
"Yes, I'm glad I have a friend who accepts me exactly as I am." She commented with a smile to him "but not everyone will."
"Its Diana and Fred!" he said with a chuckle and his head shaking but hadn't objected any further.
"It's been fun." He finally admitted. "Just as I always thought a friendship with Anne would be."
Anne turned and looked at him at that moment "Oh are you going to tell them your idea?" she asked him.
Gilbert grinned before nodding "We were wondering if you'd like a hike up Hester's Hill with us?" he asked them. "There's the prettiest garden and outlook up there. We could take up a picnic, make a day out of it?"
"That place is real?" Fred asked. "I just thought it was local legend."
"Oh there's a legend?!" Anne exclaimed her eyes lighting up.
"I thought everyone knew the legend!" Diana exclaimed.
"Nooo," Anne said "Not me."
"I think the legend itself is written down somewhere in all those writings with my family history stuff." Gilbert said looking at Anne.
"Oh we can tell her it!" Diana exclaimed,
"No, no no!" Anne objected and she looked to Gilbert "You don't think she would mind us reading it? Taking it up there with us and reading it outloud?"
Gilbert smiled "No!" he exclaimed "Why would she write it down if she had no intentions of anyone reading it!"
Anne smiled widely then looked to Diana "A dramatic and poetic reading at the location. Don't you think that would be far more romantic?"
Diana chuckled for a moment "As you wish milady."
"Why thank you kind sir!" Anne said in return with a laugh to Diana.
With time places are forgotten and although once upon a time Hester's Garden used to be quite a walk away, now the hill seemed higher and the walk longer up the hill and into the valley where the farm once stood the walk was a long one, out of the village through the woods and then the walk up the hill and back down, Diana let out a huge puff of air as they arrived there late two mornings later.
"How far!?" Diana exclaimed flopping herself in the grass.
"Its only been two and half miles Diana!" Anne exclaimed taking a breath as she stood beside her looking out over the vale. Gilbert and Fred were close behind them, had been carrying the old-fashioned picnic basket though the hike while Anne had a backpack for them all.
Fred opened the picnic basket as Gilbert brought out the picnic blanket he knew the small stream would be the best place for the picnic so came over closer to Anne and spread it on the ground before he stood beside Anne as she exclaimed "Gil it's beautiful!" she said with a smile.
He grinned at her. "I knew you'd like it." He said with a low voice then said louder " Maybe Diana would like it more if she wasn't lying on the ground!"
"Come on Di." Fred said holding his hand out to her to get a hold of "it is pretty."
"Pretty?!" Anne exclaimed. "That doesn't go far enough, neither beautiful," she whispered. "Its wonderful."
"And ours to enjoy for the day." Gilbert said with a smile. "Now I do believe…" he said with a grin "That we have some tea and coffee in these flasks." He said with a smile. "Can I tempt anyone?" he asked them.
Sitting on the blanket Diana and Fred cuddled as Anne sat beside Gilbert. Tea and Coffee was being enjoyed when Anne asked "Did you remember the writings about Hester's Garden?" Anne asked Gilbert.
"Yes." He said pulling an old book out of his bag and handing it to her. "Since you are by far the best public speaker of us all, would you care to do the honours?" he asked her handing her the book.
Anne smiled and took the book from him holding the old leather in her hands "Ohhh," she exclaimed "I have chills just holding it!" she exclaimed. "They don't make them like this anymore!" She opened the front cover "This book belongs to A. Blythe." She said with a smile to Gilbert. "So this is your…"
"Great Great Grandma." He said with a smile to Anne.
She opened the book and saw the pages were filled with her writings. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "A Blythe" she said with a smile running her fingers over the letters. "Don't they write so eloquently?" Anne asked with a smile to Gilbert. Anne cleared her throat and turned the page.
"My kindred spirit Miss D Barry (Now Mrs D Wright) introduced me to this place, though I admit I've been up there more often with my sweetheart Gilbert…" Anne stopped and smiled "Awww, she really loved him!" she smiled and continued. "And it was described it as such; Beyond were the "back fields" of the farms that ran out to the upper Carmody road. Just before them, hemmed in by beeches and firs but open to the south, was a little corner and in it a garden . . .or what had once been a garden. A tumbledown stone dyke, overgrown with mosses and grass, surrounded it. Along the eastern side ran a row of garden cherry trees, white as a snowdrift. There were traces of old paths still and a double line of rosebushes through the middle; but all the rest of the space was a sheet of yellow and white narcissi, in their airiest, most lavish, wind-swayed bloom above the lush green grasses- only there will you find Hester's garden, the story goes that Jordan bought the nearby farm and built this garden for his wife Hester. Hester loved the garden and cared and tended for it for the four years she lived. Then she caught consumption(!) but continued to tend the garden, Hester grew weaker and weaker, unable to tend to the garden any more. One day in 1852, Jordan took her out to her garden for the last time. Lying there happily on the bench in Jordan's arms, she died there happily and was buried there." Anne sighed and looked up to her friends. "Gilbert, your Great Great Grandma has a way with words! She exclaimed.
Gilbert smiled and lay back on the picnic blanket "I think she was a kindred spirit." He said with a shrug "I bet we would have all got along famously!"
Anne laughed and then looked at the book "do you mind if I read some more of this?" she asked him.
"Sure." He agreed. "She wouldn't have written it down if she never meant for them to be read."
"You know now I've caught my breath…" Diana started "It is pretty up here." She admitted.
"Pretty?" Anne questioned "Oh Diana, don't you think it's beautiful?!"
"What difference does it make?" Diana said with a laugh.
"I don't know Diana, there's a hell of a difference between calling a girl pretty and a girl beautiful." Fred admitted. "Pretty can be something very unsentimental, when you're attached to it and know it and you love it as it is, that's when pretty becomes beautiful."
"Exactly!" Anne said with a smile to Fred "See Diana, if Fred says it, it must be true."
Gilbert came over and sat beside the boulder Anne was sitting on. "You seem to have made a new friend." He said with a nod to the diary.
"Oh Gil!" she exclaimed. "I can't falter her, she lovely, the perfect great great grandmother." She said with a smile to him. "You know she had red hair too?" she asked him "She said that Gilbert teased her over it." She said with raised eyebrow to him.
"Ah now I have an excuse it was genetic!" he said with a laugh.
She laughed with him, "and she loved him, very very much and so deeply. She calls him her soulmate."
He nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment "That'd be nice."
"You believe in soulmates?" She asked him.
Gilbert took a breath and looked serious for a moment. "I don't know if you'd call it a soulmate exactly." He admitted. "I think we're all more inclined to like another person because their personalities complimented our, or matched, even in certain ways differed from our own." He sighed "and I think that would make a good match with any two people." He sighed "but I like to think that soulmates are chosen not born." He said looking out over the valley.
"That's not very romantic." She said with a slight huff to him.
"Isn't it?" he asked her. "I think it is."
"How?!" she demanded.
"If soulmates are born then you have no choice in the matter, you have to fall in love with them you have to choose them, but imagine…" he started then sat up a little and grinned "someone saying 'yes, I could have him or her' or 'yes I could be with them'" he took a small sigh then whispered "but I pick you, I want to go through this world with you side by side, not because I was predestined to do so, but because I choose it because I love you that much." He said then snapped out of his gaze and returned to himself.
Anne smiled and said to him "I think you've inherited some of your great great grandmother in you Gil." She whispered.
Anne followed Gilbert into the assembly hall. Today was the first day of senior year. The two-friend smiled as they took their seats on the podium with Charlie sitting on the other side of Anne.
"Are you looking forward to senior year?" Charlie asked Anne as they waited for the rest of the senior class to filter in the room.
"Oh Yes!" Anne admitted, "It's the longest I've been in any school before, I look forward to a second year with the same people!" she said to him.
He looked to her shocked. "I didn't know that Anne."
"Well I don't talk much about my past really, it's a kind of need to know bases." She said quietly.
"Of course." Charlie said almost humbly. "You know we're all here for you Anne, you have friends here in Avonlea." Anne turned and looked him in the eye in shock that Charlie wasn't acting his lofty self in the moment and saw sincerity.
"Well thank you Charlie, that's very sweet of you to say." She admitted, to which he nodded.
"I'm sorry for the way I left things after the Christmas dance last year." He said quietly.
"No Charlie, there's no need to apologise." She said with a grin. "water under the bridge."
He smiled for a moment before straightening himself back "That's very gracious of you to say Anne, but probably just as well." He admitted "If we are going to be a successful student council." He said to which Anne agreed. "Good good." He finished.
Anne turned to Gilbert in amazement to see him chuckling "He was being serious for a minute there." Anne whispered to him.
Gilbert whispered back "Most the time he's himself, but then there's moments like that of real sincerity and you realise he's not all that bad." Gilbert admitted "He's just a Sloane, he can't help it."
Anne smiled and looked out over the senior class and suddenly felt the responsibility she had taken on.
"Welcome back, senior class." Miss Stacy started talking from the podium. "I want to wish you all a very productive year. I want to begin by reminding you that I think it's most unfair that the teacher should always have to ask all the questions, and I'm hoping that you'll be enthusiastic enough about classes this year that you'll pepper my staff with questions. Remember you're in senior year of high school, you've done the majority of your growing and at your age the best teachers will serve as guides. It is now you need to form strong ideals; ideals which will be the foundation of your future lives. I want to look back on this class as being the brightest, the most imaginative, the most committed students on Prince Edward Island." She took a moment to break her speech. "Now you'll notice we have some new members of the facility. I'll admit we missed our staff meeting this morning so I have yet to welcome them personally. Miss Lewis and Mr Irving if you could stand." She said. Two new faces stood in the teacher's line. Anne and Gilbert watched as the two staff members looked at each other with a glance. To which Anne and Gilbert looked at each other confused at the look on their faces.
"Miss Lewis will be taking the place of Mr Phillips who left us last year." Miss Stacy said to which a low murmur went through the room. "And Mr Irving is our new English teacher, we'll look forward to both…"
"Did you see that?" Anne whispered to Gilbert. "They know each other."
"Yeah." Gilbert agreed. "History?" he said to Anne.
"I think so." Anne agreed as the two teachers stood back in line. Anne and Gilbert gave each other a knowing look before they started listening to the introduction to senior year.
It wasn't until they were leaving the assembly hall that Charlie pulled Gilbert to one side for a moment and whispered "Say Gil, what happened to Anne over the summer?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"What do you mean what do I mean?!" Charlie exclaimed. "I don't think we saw her legs all last year and here she is in a skirt just above her knees and a top tight enough…" Charlie ow whistled as Gilbert swallowed and blushed slightly. Yes, he had noticed, Anne's clothes were a lot more fitted, you could see that tiny figure of hers she hid so well last year. "she's hot!" he slapped Gilbert on the shoulder "you might have competition for her this year bud."
Gilbert and Anne entered the room with 24 doughnuts (from a doughnut shop which shall remain unnamed for the story) along with coffee's and teas for the all. The student body smiled as the student body president and the body president passed around the said items.
"I can't eat these." Josie exclaimed. "The Gluten and the carbs I just couldn't!"
Gilbert stopped and looked at her shook his head and pulled a strawberry apple out his pocket "Happy?" he asked her. "I take it you're not opposed to this." He said taking a coffee from Anne and putting it in front of Josie, "No milk no sugar, just 100% coffee." He said with a smile.
"I know we're all anxious to get to work." Gilbert said "But today its really about getting to know each other." He said.
"We think the best way to work together is to be friends, don't you think?" Anne asked to the group.
"So we thought this would be a good way to introduce ourselves."
Around the table sat the new student council with every president of every club. Gilbert retained being captain of the football team and Captain of the debate team along with Anne who was head of the literature club. Josie was head cheerleader again and with Charlie being class president this year he attended also. Gilbert had made Joseph Secretary, Eleanor treasurer, Jessica as historian and Harrison as representative. There was also the class president from the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years.
"Well that was a success!" Anne exclaimed at the end of the meeting. "I really think everyone felt like they could contribute."
"Not to mention the doughnuts." Gilbert said with a grin "good call."
"Oh thanks, I liked your resolution for Josie's dietary needs."
"I wouldn't call them needs, more like demands no gluten or carbs?" he questioned "I mean if your body has a problem processing them sure, but surely its about a healthy balance?" he said with a grin.
"I think we tipped the scales today." Anne laughed.
"Not as much as we did in Ottawa." Gilbert smiled as they walked out the classroom. The pair smiling when they looked down the corridor.
There they saw Miss Lewis coming down the corridor her hands full of books and Mr Irving coming out of his classroom reading a paper. Gilbert almost yelled to stop the collision but knew he would have been too late. The two teachers fumbled for a moment, Gilbert pulled Anne and himself out of the view of the two teachers and watched the exchange between the two.
"I… I'm sorry." Mr Irving said.
"No, it's my fault, I was carrying too many books." She said quietly.
"No but I wasn't looking where I was going." He admitted.
She nodded and looked him in the eye "well I suppose we both have place for blame Mr Irving."
"Mr Irving?" he questioned. "Is that how it must be Lavender." He whispered (to which Anne and Gilbert exchanged a glance).
"Mr Irving…" She started.
"Stephen…" he corrected.
"It must be Mr Irving." She said.
He swallowed and picked up the books from around her. "At least let me help you to your car with these?" he asked her.
She took the books from him with a blush and whispered "No thank you." She started to walk away before she realised. "The papers on the top are yours." She whispered. He took the papers and she walked away down the corridor turning just before she could see Gilbert or Anne in their current hide out. They watched as their new English teacher stood frozen for a moment before his head bowed with an obvious distress on his face before he walked back into the classroom.
They came out of their hiding place and looked at each other incredulously.
"Okay, that wasn't just me, was it?" Anne asked Gilbert, "there's some definite chemistry, right?"
"No kidding, you could cut the tension in the air." He said with a deep sigh.
"I wonder what happened?" she said with her eyes wide and sad.
"No, you don't Anne Shirley." Gilbert said with a smile to her.
"No, I don't what?" she asked him looking at his coyly.
"try and find out." He told her. "I know how your mind works."
"But, what if we could help?" she asked him.
He shook his head "What could two seventeen-year-old kids do to help in an obviously delicate adult situation?"
Anne sighed as they walked down the corridor. "I don't know." She admitted. "But if we don't know the truth we'll never find out how we could help."
"Who are we helping?" Diana asked her Anne as she came out of the music room. Hi Gil." Diana smiled.
"How's music practice?" Gilbert asked her.
"Oh good." She said with a wave. "The band really could do with some new music." Diana sighed.
Gilbert looked over and said "well you're talking to the right people." Gilbert told her with a grin.
Diana smiled "Yes I am aren't I?" she said. "well in that case can you spare us $300? That will get us six new scores. " she asked.
Gilbert shook his head but then looked at her serious "But if they band is willing to put some work into it, I bet we would raise the money. A series of events over the term. Buy them progressively, practice them, we can make nights of it, ask for donations where you play and organise concerts, do you think they'd be up for the challenge?" he asked her.
"Really?" Diana asked. "I mean yes."
"Alright, We'll put it to the student council, the next meeting is on Wednesday of next week, do you think you can get a couple of representatives to come into student council to propose it?"
Diana looked to him with wide eyes. "I… I think so."
Anne smiled at the pair. "I bet if we found some popular music for the cheerleaders to cheer to, if the band plays it, it could be quite spectacular show."
"You'd need Josie on side." Gilbert commented.
"Oh I'm sure you could convince her Gil." Anne said with a slight giggle in her voice.
Gilbert sighed "Convincing Josie means I have to charm her." He said shaking his head. "Alright for the cause!" he exclaimed.
"Hey Josie." He called after her.
"Oh Hi Gilbert." She fluttered falsly.
"I was wondering if you'd help me with some research?" he asked of her.
"Me?" she asked him confused.
"Well its of a musical dance well musical cheer nature actually. I thought you were better equipped for it." He said with his best charming smile.
"You want to research cheer squads?" she asked him.
"Kind of, and the kind of music they dance to, there's the game between Spring Park and West Royal is on Friday, then St. Jean's and Sherwood is right after, I was wondering if you care to join me?" he asked her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed immediately.
Gilbert nodded then turned to walk away then turned and said "You better not wear school colours." He remarked.
Gilbert in truth found it remarkable interesting to watch another team from the side-lines. Being a spectator was certainly eye opening to other teams flaws. But he carefully paid attention to Josie's reactions when she watched the cheering.
When they were coming out of the last game Gilbert turned to her "So what did you think of the game?" he asked her.
"Their cheer teams and the football teams weren't half as good as ours." Josie said her nose upturning. Gilbert shook his head "Don't pretend you didn't notice, I heard you yelling instructions at the teams of how to win."
Gilbert sighed knowing she was right, he was showing he competitive side again. "What did you think of the music the cheer squads danced to?" he asked her.
"Oh." She said her face lighting up "well some of the music was lame, but I must admit the live band dance piece was my favourite." She said with a smile to him. "That rock band really rocked." She said.
"So you enjoyed the live music?" he asked her. "Even though it wasn't a named 'group'?" he asked.
"I went to see Taylor Swift last year in Montreal and I loved her concert!" she exclaimed, then she asked him coyly "Do you like live music Gil?"
"I do." He admitted. "I often wonder though Josie…" he continued ignoring her attempt to capture him to ask her out "why we don't have our cheer squad dance to live music?" he asked her.
"Oh." She said. "well we don't have a band like that Gil." She told him.
"What about the school band?" he asked her.
"Our school band?" she asked him.
"Sure." He confirmed
"Oh, the band is filled with nerds and geeks, they wouldn't know Taylor Swift from Selena Gomez." She objected.
Gilbert laughed and shrugged "but you do, if you directed the music the band could learn the music to your liking."
She thought for a moment before she continued "but they would need the music to it right? They don't have that."
Gilbert nodded and said "but you're head cheerleader, are you telling me you have no way of fundraising for the band so they could have this music, practice the music and give a live performance?" he asked her.
"A performance?" she asked her. "Do you think it would be?"
"Well you wouldn't just be cheering, would you?" he asked her. "It would be a performance." He said with a grin as her face changed to thinking before he added for dramatic effect "And you'd be centre stage!"
Neither Anne nor Gilbert were surprised when Josie volunteered to head the fundraisers for the school band.
Natural leader that one.
"You two do know class ended five minutes, ago don't you?" Mr Irving asked them as they sat at the back of the class continuing their work when everyone else had left the classroom.
Both Anne and Gilbert's head snapped up and looked around in a gaze. "Did you hear the bell?" Gilbert asked Anne.
Mr Irving laughed at the pair. "Are you two always like this?" he asked them.
Anne and Gilbert chuckled together and exchanged glances before their books closed and started to go in their bags.
"How are you two enjoying student council, you're a month into term now?" He asked them.
"Oh, lots of fun." Gilbert smiled.
"And it looks like we're going head to head for the Avery Scholarship." Anne nudged Gilbert to which he chuckled.
"I'm curious, won't it get in the way of your relationship." he asked them, "If one of you wins it and then the other goes off to college won't it cause a rift between you?" he asked.
Both blushed and laughed it off "No, we…" Anne trailed.
"We're not…" Gilbert said shaking his head.
"Oh." Mr Irving said seemly was surprised "sorry I just assumed." said he confused "just seemed natural."
Anne swallowed heavily while Gilbert spoke "as for our friendship, it seems to thrive on competition. Grades, knowledge and scholarships." He smiled.
"We work together study together swap notes." She continued.
"Just to make sure the other has a fighting chance." Gilbert added.
"Then see who wins." Anne smiled at him.
Mr Irving looked at the two and thought it was strange how they couldn't see the spark between them.
It was then there was a knock at the door, a boy of about ten years old came in the room and looked curiously at Anne and Gilbert. Both Anne and Gilbert were almost taken aback by the striking similarities he had to Mr Irving. The boy was tall for his age with eyes which spoke of intrigue and in search for the answers. His hair was mousy brown and he seemed very tanned for the beginning of October.
"Who are they?" he asked Mr Irving.
"Don't be rude Paul." Mr Irving said shaking his head. "Paul, this is Anne and Gilbert, they are two of my senior students this year."
"Hello Paul." Anne smiled. "How old are you?" she asked him.
"I'm ten." He told her. "But I'll be eleven in December." He defended.
"I'll be eighteen in ten days." Gilbert told the boy.
"Is that true?" Anne asked him.
"How come you don't know your boyfriend's birthday?" Paul asked Anne before she could answer he said "The other boys at school say its important to know your girlfriend's birthday."
"Paul!" Mr Irving warned as he was packing away his books and closing his bag.
"Do you have a girlfriend Paul?" Gilbert asked him with a cheeky grin.
"No." he said with a heavy sigh. "All the other boys say that girls don't like a wuss."
Mr Irving looked up and started walking towards the door looking at the boy worried.
"What makes you a wuss?" Anne asked him.
"I like poetry." He shrugged.
"That doesn't make you a wuss!" Anne exclaimed.
"It doesn't?" he asked looking directly at Gilbert.
"Let me tell you a secret." Gilbert said with a smile "The girl worth getting, will love the fact that you love poetry."
Mr Irving smiled watching them for the moment they were all sharing.
"Really?" Paul asked his eyes widening. He turned to Anne. "She dwelt among the untrodden ways, Beside the springs of Dove, A Maid whom there were none to praise, And very few to love:"
Anne looked at him amazed "That's Wordsworth!"
"Yeah, he's my favourite!" Paul said with a smile to her. "So, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked her. "All the boys will be jealous if I have a girlfriend like you?"
Anne giggled sweetly "You're very charming, but I think I'm a little old for you yet Paul." She told him.
The boy shrugged.
"Come on Paul, let's go home." Mr Irving called him by the door.
"Coming Dad." The boy said, to which both Anne and Gilbert's face looked amazed into space. "Pleased to meet you." Paul told them both before exiting the room.
Gilbert looked to Anne the shock still on his face. "Mr Irving is Paul's dad?"
Anne shook her head. "But Mr Irving can't be older than thirty!"
"He was a very young dad." He whispered looking blankly at the door.
"Wow." Anne said quietly.
"Yeah wow!" Gilbert agreed.
"But, Mr Irving doesn't have a wedding ring on his finger." Anne said quietly.
Gilbert chuckled "well you know people don't always wait for marriage nowadays Anne." He said with a grin to her.
Anne shoved him before they stood and she chuckled with him "No, what I mean is, do you think he's a single dad? And if he is where's Paul's mother?"
Gilbert sighed and let her go through the door first. "You're trying to solve it again Anne." He said shaking his head.
"Come on!" Anne exclaimed "aren't you curious?" she asked him.
"Of course, I am!" Gilbert exclaimed, "but it's none of our business."