Tribulations
of Honesty - Part 10
"Wine or soft drink?" Lexie asked Teena the next night as they stood in the
kitchen looking for snacks to eat in front of the movie they had just rented
"Um, wine ta" Teena replied, considering the fact that she felt like she would
need an alcoholic beverage to get through the task that Archie and Stevie had
assigned her
Carrying the biscuits and cheese back to the lounge she glanced across at her
friend and wondered whether the assumption her husband was making actually had
any credibility what so ever.
She waited until there was a break in the story line of the movie before
broaching the issue, with a lump in her throat and an entire flock of
butterflies flapping wildly in her stomach.
"Hey Lex"
"Yep" Lexie answered non-commitedly while munching on a biscuit, eyes glued to
the screen
"You and Arch were at Glenbogle not that long ago weren't you?"
"Uh huh" Lexie murmured, unsure of where this line of questioning was actually
headed
"Did you and Paul, well- you know…elaborate on any of the feelings you had for
one another?" Teena asked hurriedly, before taking a large gulp of drink
Lexie turned away from the television and stared at her friend, amazed at the
fallacy which she was implying
"Do you really think that I would do that when I'm married to Arch?" She
whispered, almost inaudible over the sound of the video
"No, of course not" Teena reassured, " Well not really, well…oh Lex you know
what it's like…sometimes we do silly things, and there's no real explanation
for any of it. I'm your friend; you'd tell me something like that wouldn't
you?"
"Yes" Lexie agreed hesitantly, "But Teen whatever put such an idea in your
head? Yes I may have found myself attracted to Paul while Archie was away, but
I felt guilty enough about that as it was. When Archie came back I realised how
much I had, and how much I didn't want to loose that."
Teena nodded, understanding her more than she knew
"My family is very important to me, and my family is Archie, Mel and this
little one in my tummy now. I guess I just got confused because my family had
always been the people at Glenbogle, and now all of a sudden in a new
surrounding, with new faces and circumstances I got a bit confused."
"If nothing happened, why did you bring up the Paul thing with Arch now?" Teena
inquired
Lexie tilited her head to the side and glanced at her commenting, "Have you
ever heard of a 'Freudian Slip?'"
Teena shook her head, mystified
"It's when you mean to say one thing, but you say something else that
reveals what you're really thinking about." Lexie explained, "I guess that
night the whole Paul thing was my 'Freudian Slip'. It must have been playing on
my subconscious more than I had realised, and it just slipped out."
"I've had a few of those" Teena agreed, then glanced at the glass in her hand
and winked, "Especially when I've had a few too many of these"
Lexie smiled, but she still looked slightly emasculated, haunted even, by the
revelation and the butterfly effect that it had had on her life.
"Has Archie been talking to Stevie about it all?" She asked suddenly
"Yeah I think so" Teena answered cautiously
Lexie nodded, "I suppose that's fair, I mean I have been talking to you too."
Teena nodded
"I don't know what I'd do without Arch Teen." Lexie finally confessed, I just
hope that he trusts me enough to stay with me. I'm hoping that this baby will
bring as together again, Archie's a great dad after all- and I have a feeling
that this little one is going to be just like him." She rolled her eyes, "Gives
me the same kind of mood swings that's for sure."
Teena smiled and reached out to hug her friend, " I'm sure it'll all work out
fine" she whispered, " Now….what is happening in this movie, we've been
blabbering so much that I've lost the plot."
Lexie smiled, "Real life is generally just as tangled up as these story lines
anyway"
"That's for sure" Teena agreed, sighing in relief at the task being over
without her having to actually be explicit about the inquiry, and turning the
volume up again to watch the lead woman twirling round an empty ballroom with
her leading man.
'She was very glad that she could now report back to Archie and Stevie with
good news…..she just hoped that this would now be the end of it all, the proof
that Archie seemed to need so badly'
