LOST - PART I
GOSSIP
Chapter 9
Adam was taking a very slow, but much appreciated stroll through Thea's gardens on a bright, sunny, Saturday afternoon. He was still using a cane, but was not nearly as dependent on it for support as he had been a week before.
He stopped to sit down on a bench under a weeping willow tree and sighed as he stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankle. Then he leaned back with his hands clasped loosely in his lap and closed his eyes. He had almost fallen asleep when he heard a voice speaking behind the hedge that bordered Thea's property.
"Did you miss me?" a pleasant male voice said.
"Of course," Adam heard Glory answer.
He opened his eyes, sat up and reached for his cane, preparing to leave and give the couple some privacy. But when he heard the man say Thea's name, he froze.
"Has Thea noticed the neighbors trying to give her the cold shoulder yet?"
"I don't think so, you know she never pays any attention to things like that."
"Yeah I know, but she deserves some respect from these damn people. Who was it that pulled Mrs. Simpson's youngest through pneumonia? Who was it that talked that snooty doctor from Boston into taking Mrs. McGuire's boy on because of his clubfoot? And yet I heard those two women at the apothecary yesterday, going on and on about how shameful Thea's behavior is. 'There MUST be something going on with that man she brought home,'" he quoted in a good imitation of a middle-aged woman's indignant tones. Glory couldn't help but laugh at that.
"They're jealous Nate," Glory said quietly. "Thea is everything they aren't - young, beautiful, independent, and well-to-do."
"I guess so, but you'd think they would at least be a little grateful..." Glory laughed softly again.
"You don't really understand anything about their kind, do you Nate?"
"I understand you."
"But I'm not like them."
"I know, and thank God for that," he answered with laughter in his voice. "Now tell me about this man, what's his name?"
"Adam."
"Alright, tell me about Adam. Do you think he's trying to take advantage of Thea? Is he after her fortune?"
Adam's brows rose - this was the first time he had heard anything about Thea being wealthy.
Glory burst out laughing. "Good Lord no! But it IS the funniest thing I've ever seen Nate. You know anytime some man tried to pursue Thea, she would give him the sharp edge of her tongue and he'd run away with his tail between his legs!"
"But not this one?"
"Oh my...you just won't believe it. I have NEVER seen Thea act this way before, and it's like the two of them are fencing. One attacks, and the other retreats. She's also becoming extremely irritable. I think he's gotten to her and she can't stand it."
"I wish I could say I'm happy to hear that, but I'm not. Thea's always been like a sister to me and I want to meet him. Somebody has to protect her."
Glory cleared her throat. "Ah Nate...I'd be very careful if I were you. I don't think Thea will take it very kindly if you were to be...um... unfriendly to him."
"Is it that bad?"
"I think so. I could be wrong, but I think I know Thea better than anyone. And I also know she's never met a man who was her match before. At least her intellectual match."
"This just keeps sounding worse and worse."
"Why? Just because he doesn't know who he is?"
"Of course! He could already be married with six kids. Or he could be a criminal. Didn't the police say they believed his attackers were part of a gang? Maybe he really does know who he is and is just lying low for now, taking advantage of Thea's compassionate nature. Didn't you even think of these things?"
"No I didn't," Glory said quietly. "But I just can't believe that about Adam. I think you'll understand what I mean once you meet him."
"I hope you're right, but if he hurts her, if he breaks her heart I'll take it out of his hide!"
Adam couldn't help but smile, glad to know at least one man was trying to protect Thea, even while his temper sparked at the other man's threats.
Glory laughed again. "Right now you probably could, but I kind of doubt you'll be able to once he's recovered."
"Tough guy, huh?"
"Yes. He's bound and determined to get his strength back and with the way Thea is pushing him now he's going to do much more than that."
"Then I'll shoot him."
"Nate! You wouldn't!"
"Yes I would! I'm sick and tired of people taking advantage of and hurting her. I can't shoot Mrs. Simpson, or Mrs. McGuire, but I can at least wing HIM if necessary."
"Nate, that is so sweet!"
"It is?"
"Yes it is," Glory answered and the couple fell silent then.
Adam continued to sit there going over everything he had heard, surprised that he hadn't even thought of what their living situation must look like to outsiders. Shaking his head, he stood and quietly walked away - he needed to find Thea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later his mood had worsened when Thea came home. He was waiting for her in the kitchen and went to stand when she entered. She gestured for him to stay seated, pulled the chair opposite out and plopped down with an exasperated sigh.
Adam took in her slightly red face, grim mouth, and the annoyed gleam in her eyes and briefly considered not bringing up the subject of the neighborhood gossip. But he decided to plunge ahead to get it over with.
"I heard we're the subject of some nasty neighborhood gossip," he said simply and waited for her reaction.
Thea's brows rose as she eyed him testily. "Worried about what they're saying, eh? Well don't, I'll do the honorable thing and marry you since your reputation has been compromised."
Adam's mouth almost fell open. Of all the reactions he had expected, THIS was not one of them. His lips began to twitch and he tried not to let his amusement at her sarcasm show.
"Thea, you know MY reputation is not what I'm concerned about," he said, trying to be serious.
"Of course not," she spat out, her eyes turning greener with her anger. "MEN don't have to be concerned about such things, damn it!"
"Doesn't seem fair, does it?" he found himself saying and couldn't understand why he was stirring up the fire of her anger.
She gave him a disgusted look. "Tell me something I DON'T know."
Adam suddenly realized he was enjoying this acerbic, sarcastic part of her character and firmly reined in his sense of humor.
"Thea...do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly.
Her eyes narrowed, and she stared at him almost coldly for a moment before abruptly standing. The backs of her knees shoved against her chair and it toppled over with a loud clatter. She slammed both palms flat on the table and leaned forward as far as she could to look him right in the eye.
"Don't you DARE!" she practically shouted right into his face. "No one tells me how to live my life, not those nasty minded people out there, not my friends, and not you either!" Her mouth suddenly snapped shut and he watched her struggling, trying to get her fury under control.
He bit his lip hard to keep himself from laughing - he had never seen anyone literally hopping mad before. Her eyes were almost glowing green now with her rage and he was struggling just as hard to keep a straight face.
She ducked her head, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. Then she straightened up and calmly walked around the table and behind him. He turned in his chair to watch her go. She paused in the doorway to the hall with her back to him.
"Don't you dare," she repeated in a hard voice he had never heard from her before, and then was gone.
Adam's eyebrows rose and he softly whistled, not quite sure what to think of what he had just seen. His eyes narrowed as he went over everything she had said, and he slowly smiled.
GOSSIP
Chapter 9
Adam was taking a very slow, but much appreciated stroll through Thea's gardens on a bright, sunny, Saturday afternoon. He was still using a cane, but was not nearly as dependent on it for support as he had been a week before.
He stopped to sit down on a bench under a weeping willow tree and sighed as he stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankle. Then he leaned back with his hands clasped loosely in his lap and closed his eyes. He had almost fallen asleep when he heard a voice speaking behind the hedge that bordered Thea's property.
"Did you miss me?" a pleasant male voice said.
"Of course," Adam heard Glory answer.
He opened his eyes, sat up and reached for his cane, preparing to leave and give the couple some privacy. But when he heard the man say Thea's name, he froze.
"Has Thea noticed the neighbors trying to give her the cold shoulder yet?"
"I don't think so, you know she never pays any attention to things like that."
"Yeah I know, but she deserves some respect from these damn people. Who was it that pulled Mrs. Simpson's youngest through pneumonia? Who was it that talked that snooty doctor from Boston into taking Mrs. McGuire's boy on because of his clubfoot? And yet I heard those two women at the apothecary yesterday, going on and on about how shameful Thea's behavior is. 'There MUST be something going on with that man she brought home,'" he quoted in a good imitation of a middle-aged woman's indignant tones. Glory couldn't help but laugh at that.
"They're jealous Nate," Glory said quietly. "Thea is everything they aren't - young, beautiful, independent, and well-to-do."
"I guess so, but you'd think they would at least be a little grateful..." Glory laughed softly again.
"You don't really understand anything about their kind, do you Nate?"
"I understand you."
"But I'm not like them."
"I know, and thank God for that," he answered with laughter in his voice. "Now tell me about this man, what's his name?"
"Adam."
"Alright, tell me about Adam. Do you think he's trying to take advantage of Thea? Is he after her fortune?"
Adam's brows rose - this was the first time he had heard anything about Thea being wealthy.
Glory burst out laughing. "Good Lord no! But it IS the funniest thing I've ever seen Nate. You know anytime some man tried to pursue Thea, she would give him the sharp edge of her tongue and he'd run away with his tail between his legs!"
"But not this one?"
"Oh my...you just won't believe it. I have NEVER seen Thea act this way before, and it's like the two of them are fencing. One attacks, and the other retreats. She's also becoming extremely irritable. I think he's gotten to her and she can't stand it."
"I wish I could say I'm happy to hear that, but I'm not. Thea's always been like a sister to me and I want to meet him. Somebody has to protect her."
Glory cleared her throat. "Ah Nate...I'd be very careful if I were you. I don't think Thea will take it very kindly if you were to be...um... unfriendly to him."
"Is it that bad?"
"I think so. I could be wrong, but I think I know Thea better than anyone. And I also know she's never met a man who was her match before. At least her intellectual match."
"This just keeps sounding worse and worse."
"Why? Just because he doesn't know who he is?"
"Of course! He could already be married with six kids. Or he could be a criminal. Didn't the police say they believed his attackers were part of a gang? Maybe he really does know who he is and is just lying low for now, taking advantage of Thea's compassionate nature. Didn't you even think of these things?"
"No I didn't," Glory said quietly. "But I just can't believe that about Adam. I think you'll understand what I mean once you meet him."
"I hope you're right, but if he hurts her, if he breaks her heart I'll take it out of his hide!"
Adam couldn't help but smile, glad to know at least one man was trying to protect Thea, even while his temper sparked at the other man's threats.
Glory laughed again. "Right now you probably could, but I kind of doubt you'll be able to once he's recovered."
"Tough guy, huh?"
"Yes. He's bound and determined to get his strength back and with the way Thea is pushing him now he's going to do much more than that."
"Then I'll shoot him."
"Nate! You wouldn't!"
"Yes I would! I'm sick and tired of people taking advantage of and hurting her. I can't shoot Mrs. Simpson, or Mrs. McGuire, but I can at least wing HIM if necessary."
"Nate, that is so sweet!"
"It is?"
"Yes it is," Glory answered and the couple fell silent then.
Adam continued to sit there going over everything he had heard, surprised that he hadn't even thought of what their living situation must look like to outsiders. Shaking his head, he stood and quietly walked away - he needed to find Thea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later his mood had worsened when Thea came home. He was waiting for her in the kitchen and went to stand when she entered. She gestured for him to stay seated, pulled the chair opposite out and plopped down with an exasperated sigh.
Adam took in her slightly red face, grim mouth, and the annoyed gleam in her eyes and briefly considered not bringing up the subject of the neighborhood gossip. But he decided to plunge ahead to get it over with.
"I heard we're the subject of some nasty neighborhood gossip," he said simply and waited for her reaction.
Thea's brows rose as she eyed him testily. "Worried about what they're saying, eh? Well don't, I'll do the honorable thing and marry you since your reputation has been compromised."
Adam's mouth almost fell open. Of all the reactions he had expected, THIS was not one of them. His lips began to twitch and he tried not to let his amusement at her sarcasm show.
"Thea, you know MY reputation is not what I'm concerned about," he said, trying to be serious.
"Of course not," she spat out, her eyes turning greener with her anger. "MEN don't have to be concerned about such things, damn it!"
"Doesn't seem fair, does it?" he found himself saying and couldn't understand why he was stirring up the fire of her anger.
She gave him a disgusted look. "Tell me something I DON'T know."
Adam suddenly realized he was enjoying this acerbic, sarcastic part of her character and firmly reined in his sense of humor.
"Thea...do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly.
Her eyes narrowed, and she stared at him almost coldly for a moment before abruptly standing. The backs of her knees shoved against her chair and it toppled over with a loud clatter. She slammed both palms flat on the table and leaned forward as far as she could to look him right in the eye.
"Don't you DARE!" she practically shouted right into his face. "No one tells me how to live my life, not those nasty minded people out there, not my friends, and not you either!" Her mouth suddenly snapped shut and he watched her struggling, trying to get her fury under control.
He bit his lip hard to keep himself from laughing - he had never seen anyone literally hopping mad before. Her eyes were almost glowing green now with her rage and he was struggling just as hard to keep a straight face.
She ducked her head, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. Then she straightened up and calmly walked around the table and behind him. He turned in his chair to watch her go. She paused in the doorway to the hall with her back to him.
"Don't you dare," she repeated in a hard voice he had never heard from her before, and then was gone.
Adam's eyebrows rose and he softly whistled, not quite sure what to think of what he had just seen. His eyes narrowed as he went over everything she had said, and he slowly smiled.