Chapter 10
Marriage Is
Eric went down the ramp to Megan's room at ten o'clock because she had told Hunter that she wanted to go to bed early and although he was worried about her as it wasn't like her not to want him to cuddle her, he respected her wishes, kissed her, told her he loved her, and would see her tomorrow in the morning. He was tired himself and couldn't wait to go to bed, either. He just wished that they could share a bed. It was a LONG day. Megan was about to take out her hearing aid and take off her glasses when she saw her Father come down the ramp.
"Daddy! You're still sick! You should be in bed."
He turned his head to sneeze, "I know," he grabbed a tissue from the box on her desk, "but I wanted to talk to you."
"I wanted to come up and see you, but---"
"You don't have to explain it to me, Megan. I understand," He sat on the bed.
"But you don't ever have to be afraid in your own home." He kissed her forehead
"Is Mom STILL here?" Megan asked with disdain in her voice.
"That's what I came down here to talk to you about, sweetie," Eric coughed, as made sure to turn his head and cover his mouth, "Your Mother, once we get our house back, will be sleeping in one of the guest rooms."
'Where's she sleeping now, the garage?'
"Are you two getting a divorce?"
"No, we're going to TRY to work out our problems. I think she is only letting me sleep in the master bedroom due to the fact my cold germs are all over the place."
Megan slightly smiled, "I don't know what to say, Dad. Mom is not my favorite person right now."
Eric brushed the hair out of her eyes with his hand, "Despite what you are feeling, I hope that you realize that your Mother loves you. And she still is your Mother, so don't think you can shut her out, because I won't have that." He replied softly.
"Okay." She replied in a dry tone.
"Your Mother was hurt that you threw her presents in the garbage. I can't say that I can't blame her."
"I'm sorry, but SHE GETS ME SO ANGRY!"
"Believe you me, I CAN very much relate to that. But give your Mom a chance. Because even though we're going through our own issues—it has nothing to do with us being your parents, I hope you don't think I'm being too harsh with you, Megan, because you know that I love you, dearly. It meant a lot to me to see how much that you do care for ME, but NOT at the expense of your Mother. You have TWO parents NOT one, remember that."
"Okay, Dad."
Megan LOVED her Father very much, but she didn't know if she could actually say right now that she loved her Mother at all, despite everything he said to her.
"I'll let you sleep. I know this wasn't the best Christmas ever, I never should have said that, I'm sorry."
"It's fine, Dad. Your heart was in right place."
He gave her a small hug and kissed her on the cheek. He had to break free so he could turn his head and sneeze.
"Bless you! Dad, you need to get back in bed yourself!"
"I know. Nurse Jackie is trying to chase me around with a thermometer."
"ERIC!" She ran down the ramp.
Megan laughed; it felt good to do so.
"Get your ass back in bed! I don't want you getting Megan sick, who in turn will get my baby Hunter sick with all of the kissing that they do!"
"JACKIE!" Eric and Megan said in unison, as Megan's cheeks blushed crimson
Before Eric could get up, Jackie stuck the thermometer in his ear.
"One hundred! That's STILL a fever. Get to bed, Eric."
"Shouldn't you be with your Husband right now?"
"Yeah, I should, he's in the shower right now! But you aren't getting Megan sick, scrawny man!"
Megan made the same face as her Father; they didn't need to hear about Jackie wanting to join Hyde in the shower!
"Okay, okay," He turned his head to cough as he covered his mouth, "Night, lollipop. Love you," Sometimes, he STILL needed to call her that. "And remember what I told you about your Mother." he whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, okay. Night, Daddy, get better. I'm sorry that you didn't get to enjoy your Star Wars marathon. Love you. Night, Jackie."
"Don't worry about it, sweetie. They're ONLY movies."
Megan raised her eyebrow; she couldn't believe her Father, Mr. Forman-Skywalker had just said that!
In the grand scheme of things it really meant nothing, and Eric knew that, he ALWAYS knew that. They were JUST movies.
"Goodnight, Megan. Are you going to be dreaming about my son?"
Eric rolled his eyes as he drudged back up the ramp coughing and sneezing.
"JACKIE! That's embarrassing. I'm going to turn my hearing aid off on you."
"You know I'm only teasing you, honey."
"I know. Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Megan, what's on your mind?"
"Where's my Mother sleeping?"
"On the living room sofa."
For a brief moment Megan almost felt sorry for her Mother. Almost. The disdain was still there.
"Oh," Megan was too wound up to sleep now, "Is Hunter asleep?"
"Yeah. As soon as his head hit the pillow. I wished the holiday was better for you two. It sucks when parents fight."
"I know, I'd rather not talk about that, Jackie. I'm kind of tired now," She lied
"Okay. Goodnight, Megan. I'll make everyone a big breakfast tomorrow."
"Night, Jackie. Thanks again, for the diary."
"You're welcome. A girl needs a place to write her private thoughts in." Jackie couldn't help but tuck her in and kiss her on the forehead. She loved being a Mother.
Megan took out her hearing aid and placed it on the end table before removing her glasses. She held one of her pillows as she thought of Hunter for a few minutes before slumber finally did catch up to her. She hoped tomorrow would be a better day.
Half Way
Megan fixed the buttons on her new sweater as she sprayed what was left of her perfume. She knew there was a new bottle waiting for her upstairs with the rest of her Donna gifts. She didn't want to face her Mother, but she knew that she had to. And not just because of what her Father said either.
"Good morning, Megan." Hunter seemed to have a spring in his step.
"Morning, Hunter."
He sat on her lap and kissed her good morning on the lips.
"Is SHE UP?" Megan asked, not wanting to stop at kissing. No, she decided, they had to go a little bit further today.
"Your Mom? Yeah, she's helping my Mom with breakfast. Did you get this sweater for Christmas? It looks very pretty on you." He was 'afraid' to touch the buttons.
"Yeah, My Dad bought it for me. Thank you. Hunter," She traced his belt buckle with her finger.
'Does she realize-Of course, she realizes what she's doing!'
"Yes, Megan?" his voice cracked
"Wheel me to my bathroom."
"What?"
"You heard me. Come on---"
Hunter was extremely nervous and excited all at the same time. It couldn't be sex. If they got caught now, they would be grounded until THEY were middle age! 'But it would be worth it' Hunter thought.
"Okay, we're here."
"Lock the door, baby."
Hunter locked the door. He wished he had her forthrightness.
"Megan, what are you up to? Are you trying to corrupt my morals?"
"Only after you corrupt mine. Sit on my lap again."
They kissed each other, regular and French for five minutes before Megan had the gumption to do what she wanted to do when she had the idea when she got dressed this morning. She tried to unbuckle his belt, but she was also nervous and couldn't work the buckle.
"Here, let me."
"After all this time you never introduced me to—Um, I don't suppose you ever read "Forever" by Judy Blume?"
"I can't say that I have—but," Megan watched Hunter blush, he was so cute, "I think—"
"The name, Hunter, say it. If you are man enough to propose marriage then you are man enough to tell me what you call your d***. All men have names for it and since you are an artist I KNOW you do!"
"Promise me you won't laugh." He whispered, god, what this woman did to him!
"I promise."
He whispered it softly in her ear, "Nuh-uh. Say it out loud, Hunter."
"Captain Hook."
Megan tried to smile, but it wound up being a laugh. If she weren't in a wheelchair, she'd have fallen down from laughing so hard.
"Megan, you promised me that you wouldn't laugh!"
"Sue me, so, do I get to be Wendy?"
"If you want to be." His cheeks were as red as her toothbrush.
Megan rubbed her hands together vigorously, "Good. I'd say we have ten minutes before we have to go upstairs for breakfast, so let's make it good, Captain!"
Hunter blushed and then thought for a brief second that shouldn't he be the forward one in this area? Then he thought for an even briefer second that labels suck, as he knew what Megan wanted to do. He hoped that once he showed her how that she would do this just as good as he did, actually he wanted her to do it better than he did it himself.
Eric although his fever was still one hundred degrees he wanted to sit at the table with the rest of the gang and have something to eat as he somewhat had his appetite back.
"How are you feeling, Eric?" Donna asked
"Sh***. But thanks for asking." He didn't doubt the sincerity of her question as he stirred his tea.
Hannah was doing a crossword puzzle with Hyde as they took turns.
"River in Africa, four letters." Hyde said to her
"Nile. Write it, Daddy." He was giving her just the easy ones! But Hannah didn't mind.
"Is Tiffany still sleeping?" Jackie asked, she was hoping that she wanted to go shopping with her and hit the day after Christmas sales.
"Yeah." Hyde replied
"There you two are! What took you so LONG?" Jackie asked
"Megan was showing me her stamp collection." Hunter replied, his cheeks pink and he could swear everyone knew exactly what they did. It felt so good, but it was downright bad! Just because she was in a wheelchair that didn't make her any less of a pervert! But he loved her so it was okay.
"Megan doesn't have a stamp collection." Eric replied with a raised brow.
"Hi, Daddy. Are you feeling any better?" Megan asked for two reasons, one she wanted to change the subject and two she really wanted to ask her Father the question.
"Sort of," he looked at Donna and then looked at Megan
"Morning, Mom." She really didn't want to talk to her, but her Father gave her 'The Forman Look' so she knew that she had to say something.
"Good Morning, Megan."
"What's for breakfast, Mom? I'm starving." Asked Hunter
"How could YOU be starving? I'm famished, though!" Megan exclaimed
They'd never EVER think that their precious little girl in a wheelchair would have given her boyfriend (ahem-fiancée) a **** *** and that was the whole point of this mornings "exercise".
"Eggs, bacon, and sausage."
Hunter dropped his fork nervously as Megan tried to stifle yet another giggle.
"It's just one BIG conspiracy, right, Hunter!"
She was being so naughty! He wanted to hold up those small triangular orange waving cones that they used to land airplanes—Parents Ahead
Hyde looked up they must have had quite a make out session downstairs in the basement before breakfast.
"He's gotta crow." Megan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Something is clearly in the Point Place water."
Hunter blushed, he couldn't be angry with her even if he wanted to. And he wasn't. It was great to hear her cute giggle. But he just wished that she would remember that they weren't at a table with friends and that they were at a table with THE PARENTS and ONE ANNOYING TWIN SISTER. Even if they were at a table with friends, he wouldn't want her gabbing about what they just did! Because she probably would say it outright and he'd have to hide under the table.
"Good morning," Tiffany said tiredly to everyone as she entered the kitchen
"Hi, baby,"
"It's too early for hugs, Mother. I must have coffee."
"Sit down. I'll pour you a cup. I was hoping that you'd like to go shopping with me later today, Tiffany."
"I wanna come, too!" Hannah piped up
"I'm sorry, sweetie, this is just for Tiffany and I."
'Oh, that means you want to TALK to her.'
"I don't know," She yawned, "I was just going to lounge around in my pajamas and do nothing all day."
Jackie held back a disappointed look, "Think about it?"
"Okay," she picked a piece of toast from the stack on the table, "I will. Let me wake up FIRST, Mother."
"Megan," Donna began, "I'd like to speak to you in the living room before your breakfast is ready." Donna thought her house smelled like cholesterol.
"Do I get to have some of that bacon and sausage that you're frying?" Hyde asked, he was a good boy, he took his medicine everyday.
"No, Steven—"
"Aww, come on Jackie, give him just one piece of bacon." Eric said
"Right now, Mom?" Megan asked
"Yes, right now."
Megan looked at her Father and knew that she had to wheel herself to the living room as her Mother walked behind her, but did not push her wheelchair like Hunter and her Father did.
"I'll be back, Hunter."
"Okay," He smiled; he hoped Megan and Donna weren't going to wind up having a fight.
He hoped that Megan and Donna and Donna and Eric could work out all their differences, he remembered when his Mom and Dad could have easily divorced over Tiffany's rebellion. It would have killed his spirit if his parents split and he didn't want that to happen to his fiancée. He wished he could be there in the living room with her, so he could at least hold her hand. 'Parents, don't make it easy for us, that's for certain.' Hunter thought as Jackie put his breakfast plate in front of him but he couldn't eat a thing not knowing how the conversation between Megan and Donna was going, so he just drank his orange juice.
"Thanks, Mom."
Donna sat on the sofa as Megan kept herself close to the kitchen door. She wished Hunter could be in the room with her, if only to hold her hand.
"Come closer, Megan, I'm not going to bite you."
Megan wheeled herself closer as her Mother instructed. She was only doing this for her Father.
"I'm sorry that I threw your presents in the garbage, but I STILL DON'T want them. And Dad reminded me that I have two parents not one, and you're sleeping on the sofa-can I go back to the kitchen now?"
Megan got it all out in one breath as she thought if she talked fast enough she'd back in the kitchen, eating breakfast, and flirting with Hunter.
"You're probably angry at me for staying at the Day's Inn—"
"DUH! You think?"
Donna wanted to yell, but she chose not to. 'You are just like your Father!'
"Megan, watch the smart mouth, I'm still your Mother."
"I know," She sighed, "Daddy, reminded me."
"You shouldn't have to be reminded of that," Donna coughed and stood up, she was losing track of why she wanted to talk to her daughter in the first place, "I know your Father told you that we're having an in house separation."
Of course knowing on how Eric told her, he probably wrapped it in flowers and cotton candy.
"DO YOU have plans on filing for divorce?" Megan had to know, and it would be just like her Mother to get her Father's hopes up only to pull the rug out from under him.
"No. We plan on working things out, together. That's what a marriage is."
"After you run to a motel and hide and RUIN everyone's holiday. And YOU MADE Dad get sick, because he went out chasing YOU without a coat on."
Megan wished that she could run away.
Donna took a deep breath and tried to control her temper, of course had this conversation been with Eric, she'd have lost it by now.
"I regret doing that. But Megan there's a lot of things that you don't know about, and you are too young to understand regarding marriage and what it is."
"and YOU'RE the marriage expert? Please." She laughed.
"I can see this is getting us nowhere. I do love you, even if you can't see that right now. I wanted to give you your Christmas presents this morning, but since you told me that you 'still don't want them'. You might as well go back to the kitchen."
"Aren't you coming, Mom? Or are you going to run away from this argument, too?"
'Just LIKE her Father', Donna wanted to ram her head against the living room wall, 'Just LIKE her damn Father.' She thought as she walked to the kitchen as Megan stayed in the living room.
10 Minutes Later
Hunter couldn't eat breakfast without Megan at the table. Something was definitely wrong because when Donna came back into the kitchen after talking to her daughter, she didn't want to talk to anyone; she only wanted a cup of tea and to bury her head in the morning newspaper. He finally found her in the laundry room, hands over her face, crying.
"Oh, Megan," his heart collapsed, not only when he saw her crying, but when he saw the engagement earrings he gave her less than twenty four hours ago on the washing machine instead of in her ears, "What's wr-ong?" He stumbled over the words.
She looked up at her—boyfriend. If you had to stick a label on what to call people-boyfriend. Boyfriend. Simple as that.
"Hu—nt-er—I lov—e---y—ou."
How come he wasn't sitting on her lap?
"Are you breaking up with me?" He couldn't take losing her again. It was difficult to believe that just this very morning they advanced to another sexual phase. It was nice and beautiful. And now THIS?
"N-o. I," She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. He didn't take off her glasses to wipe them clean, "Take your earrings back, I don't want them. I CAN'T marry you, Hunter, EVER. Marriage Is---nothing but a big lie."
Hunter leaned against the wall; he didn't know whether to leave or if he should stay.
She couldn't bear to look at the hurt in his eyes and took of her glasses to clean them herself.
"I wouldn't blame you if you just walked away and never wanted to be seen with me again."
"Stop that." He replied quietly, looking at the floor.
"I do love you, Hunter, I just don't---"
He wanted to scream but he did the only thing that he COULD do. Talk to Megan, as she was the ONLY one he could actually CONVERSE with. Didn't she know that by now?
"NO. Every time we have a difficulty apart from Nash Winkler at the dance, it's ALWAYS been about OUR STUPID PARENTS. We are NOT THEM. We ARE US. And now you don't want to wear your special earrings. WHY? Because Donna did a number on you! That's why. Well, f*** that, Megan Forman. I LOVE YOU and YOU LOVE ME—WE ARE NOT falling into the angst trap that our parents specialize in. The CYCLE BREAKS WITH US."
The specialized angst was more Eric and Donna as of late, because Jackie and Hyde seemed to appreciate their love more and more as they had to fight longer and harder to get to their happiness. That they actually enjoyed life more than their best friends.
He sat on her lap and kissed her passionately. 'LET HER DENY THIS.'
"I love you, too, Hunter Hyde. Much more than yesterday, will you put my earrings back on for me?"
"Of course, honey."
"You were RIGHT about the parents. My Mom drives me f***ing insane. I can't stand her, anymore. Do you want to go out for a stroll?"
That was music to his ears.
He smiled, "I'd like that. Would you like to eat breakfast first?"
"No, we can eat after we come back," Megan smiled, "Hunter, are you going to eat the sausage that your MOMMY made?"
"Shut up, Megan." He tried not blush, but it wasn't working.
"You're cute when you blush."
Hunter remained bashful when he wheeled Megan out of the laundry room and back into the living room.
"I'll get my coat." He kissed her on the nose
"And I'll get mine, I'll meet you outside."
At that moment Jackie came out hearing the tail end of their conversation, "You guys didn't even eat breakfast yet."
"We're going out for a stroll, Jackie." Megan said as Hunter ran upstairs to get his coat. She loved watching him run up the stairs making sexy strides with each step.
"Make sure you button your coat up, Megan."
She smiled, "I will."
Hunter was right, they WEREN'T their parents (thank God), but still at that space in time on December 26, 2015 in her heart of hearts, Megan Forman still believed that the concept of marriage was one big lie. She just wanted herself and Hunter to be a serious couple without being a SERIOUS couple, per se. She wheeled herself down the ramp, past the well meaning to get her coat from her room and all she wanted to do at that moment was to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the block with the man she loved with all of her heart.