The morning came and with it came the slight drizzle of rain. Rhett stood
on the platform at the train station, umbrella overhead, waiting for
Rosemary to arrive. At the first sound of the train's whistle and first
puff of steam in the distance, Rhett moved closer to where the travellers
would be exiting the train. When the train finally screeched to a halt,
the first person off was a grinning Rosemary who flung herself into his
arms.
"Rhett! No one told me that you were home! What a wonderful surprise to have my long lost big brother here to greet me," she laughed, stepping back to look at him. "And as handsome as ever!"
Rhett tipped back his head and laughed. "You flatter me," he said with a wink. "You haven't changed one bit." He reached out and wiped a raindrop from the tip of her nose. "I've missed you. I should have come to visit more often."
"I've missed you too, Rhett. And I should have come to visit you. Why, I still haven't met your wife. Did Scarlett accompany you on your trip?" she asked.
"No, it's just me," he said, taking her hand and wrapping it securely around his arm. "Scarlett doesn't like to leave her mill for long," he lied. "She thinks it will go under if she isn't around to keep an eye on it."
"That's too bad," Rosemary said with disappointment in her voice. "I so want to meet her. I admire a lady with a head for business. But, I suppose you will have to do for now," she teased. "Perhaps she will miss you and decide to join you anyway."
"I suppose that is possible," Rhett replied. "One can never tell what that woman will do next once she gets an idea in her head. But, enough about Scarlett," he said, eager to change the subject. "Tell me all about your trip to Savanna."
"Oh Savannah was as good as ever I suppose. Aunty was constantly begging me to settle down and get a husband. On and on each night at dinner about how gentlemen dislike a lady who thinks for herself and wants to be liberated. And of course *her* Jane is the portrait of the perfect lady and I should be striving to be just like her. 'Just do as she does and you will have a husband in no time.'" she mimicked with a laugh. "But really it was a wonderful trip. I met some great people, Rhett. Can you believe that they actually think that women will be able to vote one day soon?"
"Well I believe that with you on their side anything is possible, my dear sister," he said, holding out a hand to help her into the buggy. She ignored the hand and pulled herself up and he couldn't help but laugh to himself thinking of how much Scarlett would like his little sister. "But, I'd be careful talking that way in front of our mother. She will ship you off to the convent or worse yet back to Savannah to let Aunty find you a husband."
"Oh! Mother can be so old fashioned. And I don't want a husband. The idea that a woman is defined by the man she marries is so outdated. How is mother, by the way. I have missed her terribly despite her over protective ways."
"She is beside herself waiting for you to come home. She has missed you too."
"How long have you been home, Rhett?"
"Two months," he said, without thinking. And then he cursed his stupidity when he could see Rosemary's head turn and look at him.
"Two months?? Why Rhett, have you left your wife alone for that long?"
"It's a long story, Rosemary. One I will tell you when the time is right and when we have more time. Don't worry your head about me or Scarlett. We have a relationship that peole seldome understand, ourselves included." He changed the subject with a point towards their house that was just coming into view. "Look. Mother is on the veranda waiting for you."
Rosemary stood up in the buggy and started to wave. "Mother! I'm home!" Rhett grabbed onto his sisters arm to prevent her from falling all the time laughing. Eleanor started to come down the walk to meet them at the gate. Rosemary jumped out hardly a moment before Rhett pulled the horse to a halt. She hugged her mother who could barely contain the tears falling down her cheeks. Rhett walked over to them and linked an arm with each of his ladies.
"Ok you too. No crying in the street. Let's get our girl in the house, mother," he said. He walked them to the door and went back to get the bag Rosemary had carried on the train. He could hear them talking gleefully as he walked into the house. And it made him happy....happy that he had come home after being gone for so long. And he wanted to stay longer. But, he knew that it wasn't fair to either himself or Scarlett to leave their marriage in limbo like this. He would have to come to a decision soon as to what he was going to do with his life.
"Rhett! No one told me that you were home! What a wonderful surprise to have my long lost big brother here to greet me," she laughed, stepping back to look at him. "And as handsome as ever!"
Rhett tipped back his head and laughed. "You flatter me," he said with a wink. "You haven't changed one bit." He reached out and wiped a raindrop from the tip of her nose. "I've missed you. I should have come to visit more often."
"I've missed you too, Rhett. And I should have come to visit you. Why, I still haven't met your wife. Did Scarlett accompany you on your trip?" she asked.
"No, it's just me," he said, taking her hand and wrapping it securely around his arm. "Scarlett doesn't like to leave her mill for long," he lied. "She thinks it will go under if she isn't around to keep an eye on it."
"That's too bad," Rosemary said with disappointment in her voice. "I so want to meet her. I admire a lady with a head for business. But, I suppose you will have to do for now," she teased. "Perhaps she will miss you and decide to join you anyway."
"I suppose that is possible," Rhett replied. "One can never tell what that woman will do next once she gets an idea in her head. But, enough about Scarlett," he said, eager to change the subject. "Tell me all about your trip to Savanna."
"Oh Savannah was as good as ever I suppose. Aunty was constantly begging me to settle down and get a husband. On and on each night at dinner about how gentlemen dislike a lady who thinks for herself and wants to be liberated. And of course *her* Jane is the portrait of the perfect lady and I should be striving to be just like her. 'Just do as she does and you will have a husband in no time.'" she mimicked with a laugh. "But really it was a wonderful trip. I met some great people, Rhett. Can you believe that they actually think that women will be able to vote one day soon?"
"Well I believe that with you on their side anything is possible, my dear sister," he said, holding out a hand to help her into the buggy. She ignored the hand and pulled herself up and he couldn't help but laugh to himself thinking of how much Scarlett would like his little sister. "But, I'd be careful talking that way in front of our mother. She will ship you off to the convent or worse yet back to Savannah to let Aunty find you a husband."
"Oh! Mother can be so old fashioned. And I don't want a husband. The idea that a woman is defined by the man she marries is so outdated. How is mother, by the way. I have missed her terribly despite her over protective ways."
"She is beside herself waiting for you to come home. She has missed you too."
"How long have you been home, Rhett?"
"Two months," he said, without thinking. And then he cursed his stupidity when he could see Rosemary's head turn and look at him.
"Two months?? Why Rhett, have you left your wife alone for that long?"
"It's a long story, Rosemary. One I will tell you when the time is right and when we have more time. Don't worry your head about me or Scarlett. We have a relationship that peole seldome understand, ourselves included." He changed the subject with a point towards their house that was just coming into view. "Look. Mother is on the veranda waiting for you."
Rosemary stood up in the buggy and started to wave. "Mother! I'm home!" Rhett grabbed onto his sisters arm to prevent her from falling all the time laughing. Eleanor started to come down the walk to meet them at the gate. Rosemary jumped out hardly a moment before Rhett pulled the horse to a halt. She hugged her mother who could barely contain the tears falling down her cheeks. Rhett walked over to them and linked an arm with each of his ladies.
"Ok you too. No crying in the street. Let's get our girl in the house, mother," he said. He walked them to the door and went back to get the bag Rosemary had carried on the train. He could hear them talking gleefully as he walked into the house. And it made him happy....happy that he had come home after being gone for so long. And he wanted to stay longer. But, he knew that it wasn't fair to either himself or Scarlett to leave their marriage in limbo like this. He would have to come to a decision soon as to what he was going to do with his life.