A Spooky Little Girl Like You, Part VII
By Christine
A Halloween Tale
DISCLAIMER: Scarecrow and Mrs. King is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. My use of these characters is intended purely for fun.
It was 6am Friday morning, and Lee was awake before his alarm. He kept his eyes tightly closed, wanting the sensations of his dream to continue, trying to will himself back to sleep. He could still feel Amanda's arms around him, could feel her slender body curled into his. It felt so good and so right, he didn't want to give it up. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost smell her shampoo and feel the tickle of her hair on his cheek. Maybe if he tried a little harder, he could feel her heart beating in his chest. But this last effort was too much. He was too awake now, and he felt the dream slowly slip away from him. He sighed and gave her memory one last squeeze, and then she was gone. Now fully awake, he opened his eyes and looked around his dark bedroom. "Alone again, naturally," the words to the old song sprang into his mind ironically. "Well, Lee," he said to himself, "you have a big day ahead of you. Unless, of course, you want to be alone for the rest of your life." Knowing within himself that this was no longer an option, he marveled again at the amount of change one little brunette could cause. But when did his feelings for her begin to take over his whole life? Lately, he thought of her constantly and dreamed of her every night. She was driving him crazy, all right. And he had to do something about that. So, he stepped into the shower, preparing for his big day.
But it was Amanda that made the first move. She had to talk to him, to try to make things right. His anger was killing her. It didn't matter that he would never love her. She had to have him in her life, and she was willing to accept his terms. She had rehearsed what she would say to him, how she would begin, but all that flew from her mind as she watched him hunched over his reports, typing with the hunt-and-peck method. Amanda immediately felt a sharp pang of guilt. She had watched him struggling with paperwork since Wednesday. She knew if she were helping, the work would be completed in no time at all. Oh, how did things get so complicated so fast?
"Um, hi, Lee," she began hesitantly as she came up behind him.
Lee stopped typing and looked straight ahead, afraid to breathe. She had caught him off guard. He had heard her voice, but didn't immediately turn around for fear it was just another apparition. So he stared straight ahead and answered her softly, "Hi, Amanda, how've you been?"
"Oh, I'm fine. How have you been?" She tried her best to appear casual and relaxed.
Lee exhaled slowly as she replied, thankful that it was really her standing there talking to him. He had been prepared to make the first move, and had timed it right before lunch, but this was even better. "Maybe she wants to make up as badly as I do," he allowed himself to hope as he turned around to look at her.
"Oh, well, I'm fine too," he replied nonchalantly, his heart pounding in his chest. "Um, Amanda, I've been kind of busy this week, and I haven't had a chance to talk to you about the other day. But I've been wanting to." Lee dived headlong into the problem at hand before he lost his nerve.
"Oh, yeah, I've noticed how busy you've been with your reports and all," she answered nervously, "and I can't help but feel awful. I should be helping you, not off somewhere else when you need me. I'm sorry. But I can't back out on Daniel now. We're almost halfway done. But, listen, if you don't mind leftover meatloaf, you can come over tonight and I'll work with you to help you get done. Mother and the boys will be out all weekend and I don't have any plans. If you're not busy and you still want to work with me, that is." She finished quickly and squinched her eyes shut, afraid to look at him. Afraid that she might see anger or contempt in his eyes. Afraid that he might yell at her again. She didn't think she could sit through another of his fits without crying.
But since her eyes were closed, she missed the look of relief that swept over his features. Lee thought he might faint with happiness. He had treated her so horribly, and here she was, asking HIM for forgiveness. Whatever did he do to deserve her?
He smiled at her gently and took her hand in his. She opened her eyes to peek at him, and found an expression of relief and gratitude in his eyes. She assumed it was because she offered to help him, and not because she made the first move at reconciliation. But whatever generated that look, it made her the happiest person alive. And she thought she would cry out with joy as he replied. "I love your meatloaf, Amanda. And I would be grateful if you would help me this evening. See you about six?"
************************************************************************
And so, Lee knocked nervously at her kitchen door at precisely a 5:45. He had showered and shaved, and had the air of a little boy all cleaned up for church. Lee had stopped by the florist and picked up a dozen pink roses the same exact shade as the Colonial gown. He had the roses in his hands but the gown was stashed out in the car, a surprise for later. He grinned happily as she saw him and motioned for him to come in. He loved being invited in to her home, it felt almost like he was coming home himself.
Amanda smiled warmly at him and noticed the flowers in one hand and the reports in the other. "Oh, my goodness, those are certainly beautiful flowers," she remarked expectantly. Maybe he wasn't mad at her anymore. Maybe he wanted to tell her he was sorry.
"Yes, they are beautiful," Lee agreed. "And they're for a very special lady. See I didn't realize how much this particular lady helps me until she wasn't there anymore. And, um, I guess I lost my temper and said some pretty nasty things to her. I sure do regret that. I want to tell her it's been strange working without her, and that I'll be waiting for her whenever she's ready to come back and work with me again. Do you think she might forgive me if I give her these pretty flowers and tell her how sorry I really am?" Lee looked into Amanda's eyes, begging her to accept the flowers, the apology, and him.
"Well, Lee, um I think that if you, you know, talked to her the same, the same sincere way that you're talking to me now, well, I don't think she could refuse you. I know I couldn't. And, you know, she's probably got a few things she wants to tell you, too. I mean, misunderstandings are usually never just one person's fault. And I'll just bet she has some things she regrets too. And I'm sure she'll be very happy when this whole mess is over and you two can get back to business again." Amanda looked up at him hopefully, her eyes wide with longing. He was so close to her now, it was getting hard for her to think. She nervously took the roses out of his hands and began to arrange them in a pretty crystal vase.
Relief flooded Lee's features. She was gonna let him off the hook! She wasn't gonna pressure him for a long explanation or try to fish more out of him. She was ready to go back to the way things were. He hadn't lost her after all! Lee began to relax for the first time that week, feeling the tension ease out of him like air out of a balloon.
And so they passed a companionable evening, first with leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, then in her den with coffee and paperwork. They were both relieved to get back to normal, to be in each other's presence without tension, happy in each other's company. As the sun set, Amanda lit a fire in the fireplace and also lit the jack-o-lantern in the window. Lee had never felt so cozy, so at home. He allowed himself to pretend that this was his home and that Amanda was his. Lee pretended that very soon she would snuggle up against him sleepily and ask if he were coming to bed. And he dreamed of kissing her tenderly as they lay down together, falling into a peaceful sleep.
Amanda looked up from the report she was working on to find Lee staring into space with a very contented expression. His features in the soft glow of the firelight almost took her breath away. She knew she loved this man with all her heart and would do anything for him. She hated so much for this beautiful evening to end. But it was nearly midnight, and she was very tired. She had a busy day ahead of her tomorrow with the costume fitting and Mr. Melrose's party. "THE PARTY! OH, NO!!" her mind groaned loudly. She and Lee had just gotten over a very troubled week, and they had just made peace with each other. How was he going to react if he knew she was going to Mr. Melrose's Halloween party with Daniel Paulson? Maybe she didn't have to deal with it. She knew from earlier that week that Lee was not planning on going, so maybe he would assume she wasn't going either. Maybe it would be a non-issue. Maybe he would never find out. She wished desperately that she had told Daniel no, that she'd made up some excuse. Amanda was now afraid that her date for tomorrow night was going to ruin everything between her and Lee. But she decided that if he didn't ask, she wouldn't tell him, and maybe this one little incident could slip by unnoticed.
Fat Chance.
"Amanda," she was brought back to reality by Lee's voice. She glanced at him nervously and found him smiling at her, studying her face. She returned his smile weakly. "I know it's late, and I'm getting ready to go," Lee began, misinterpreting her expression, "but I have a surprise for you in my car. Wait here a minute and I'll be right back." Lee whistled out the door into the chilly night, and Amanda felt her blood run cold.
He returned a few moments later with a huge box under his arm and a mischievous grin on his face. "What's in the box?" despite her feeling of dread, she was very curious.
"Open it," Lee leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms folded after he placed the box in the middle of the bar. His anticipation was growing by leaps and bounds. "I saw this the other day and it reminded me of you."
"Oh?" she asked innocently as she opened the box, a smile forming on her lips. As she opened the tissue paper, she gasped in surprise. In the box was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. She picked up the dress and studied it wonderingly, all the while being watched intently by the Scarecrow. "Lee, what is this?" she finally managed to ask.
"It's your ensemble for tomorrow night," he said simply. Then suddenly he was beside her, moving the yards of silk aside to show her what else the box contained, "A complete outfit for you, Amanda. A Colonial ball gown, satin slippers, a shawl, costume jewelry, and hair clips all for you to wear to Billy's Halloween party tomorrow night. I know I've acted like a real heel and not just about Daniel Paulson, about a lot of things. And I thought that Billy's party would be a good way to begin to make it up to you. Come on, say you'll go with me, you know we're the perfect couple." As he spoke he had taken her arms in his hands and was looking intently in her eyes. Lee was hurt to see that Amanda's eyes were distant and unreadable, and then she closed them completely as if to shut him out. "Amanda, what's wrong?"
Amanda stood there with her eyes closed, wanting to shut out the nightmare she knew was about to happen. She could feel Lee's hands tighten slightly on her arms, and she was afraid of losing him once again. Maybe for good this time. All because of a stupid little yes when she should have said no. So she began to talk quietly, hesitantly, trying to pick her way through the minefield that had become their relationship:
"Lee, the gown is beautiful. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I am very touched that you picked it out especially for me. You don't know what that means to me. But I can't go with you to Billy's party tomorrow night. Daniel Paulson asked me just yesterday, and I said yes. He's gone to a lot of trouble arranging a costume for me, and making an appointment for my makeup and hair. I couldn't let him down now. I'm so sorry, Lee." Amanda whispered, tears of sadness and dread forming in the corners of her eyes.
Lee dropped her arms and was gazing down at the floor between them. When he looked up to face her, his poker face was in place again. She knew he had shut her out. "I'm sorry, too, Amanda. I had hoped things could go on between us, you know, a working relationship. But I guess those rumors at work were true."
"What rumors?"
"About you and Paulson. Come on, Amanda, don't play dumb with me. You know people are saying that when Paulson leaves to take on his new job he's taking you with him. I didn't believe it. I didn't WANT to believe it, but now I see it's true," Lee's face was completely unreadable to her; he wanted it that way. He couldn't let her see that she had just crushed him, that he really wanted to fall to his knees and beg her to stay with him. So his walls came up, his mask came down, and his voice filled with icy contempt. "Well, I hope the two of you will be very happy together. I wish I could say it's been nice knowing you, Amanda. But looking back over these past three years, all I can say is that I'll be glad to get my life back to normal."
"Lee, I don't know what you're talking about. That's just idle gossip! You've never listened to gossip before! Daniel Paulson has not asked me to go anywhere with him, and I wouldn't even if he did ask me. My home is here, and my job is here, in this Agency. He's just a nice man that offered me temporary work and asked me to a party, that's all. You're making it sound like I'm eloping with him. Now, come on, Lee. I thought we were having a lovely evening and getting quite a lot of work done..."
Lee cut her off angrily, "That's enough Amanda! We're done. For tonight. Forever. Goodbye." And with that, he was out the back door and across the yard in a flash, barely able to see where he was going through his tears.
"Lee!" Amanda shouted into the wind, "Please come back! Please don't leave me!" she shouted in anguished tones. She didn't care if the neighbors heard. She didn't care if the whole world heard. "Lee, please! Please come back! I love you!" She collapsed onto the picnic table and began to cry inconsolably.
But the mischievous wind had carried her voice the other way. He didn't hear her calling him as he stumbled to his Corvette. If he'd heard the anguish in her voice, he would have stopped dead in his tracks. And if he'd heard her shout, "I love you!" he would have turned around and raced back to her as fast as he could go. And they could have avoided this whole mess. But he didn't hear her, so he jumped into his car and drove off like all the demons from hell were at his heels. And things turned out very differently.