Past won't go away: Story of my life – Day 4

See I was just thinking,

Now my life is on the road

The straight and the narrow

On the route I've been shown

"Molly..." Lexie called wearily as she entered the studio in which Molly sat in her armchair gazing out of the window to the loch.

"Lexie" Molly replied, her face lighting up, as Lexie had called. Lexie smiled back at Molly and then looked quickly around the room, until her eyes set on a stool opposite Molly. She quickly travelled across the room and sat herself down.

They both sat in silence, waiting for the other one to talk, finally Lexie spoke, "Molly...I have a few questions"

"I thought you might" Molly answered

Lexie took a deep breath, "Um...Where to start...ok we've known each other for a long time right?"

"Yes, since you turned up on my doorstep, just a young girl"

"Aye, and I still cannot thank you enough from that day, you changed my whole life from the minute you took me in"

"Believe it or not, you too changed my life" Molly replied, which totally threw Lexie off course from what she was about to say next. Instead her expression changed to confusion, Lexie had never thought about it that way, ok well she had realised that it had changed Mollys life a bit by her being there, because she had then became another member within the household, and they were to see her every day. But She hadn't read beneath the lines, the meaning of it.

Lexie knew, and Molly knew that they had been more like mother and daughter, than boss and housekeeper. That partially was the reason why Lexie kept coming back to Glenbogle, her home and even her daughter Ami called Molly 'Nan' because that was how it worked. So to think again how Lexie had changed Molly's life, it was a lot in fact.

"You May of thought of it as just a job, but to me it was like having another daughter" Molly explained.

"Oh Molly, you know I never thought of it as just a job, it was much more than that, you were my family"

"Even so, when you arrived, I realised how much I missed not having my children around me. Lizzie and Archie both left for London and left me here in Glenbogle. Then you and Duncan arrived, and I couldn't have been more happier."

Lexie laughed "Me and Dunc?"

"Yes, in some ways, you acted just like Lizzie and Archie...always teasing each other, well mostly you teasing poor wee Duncan but it's all the same"

"Yeh, I guess I did that a lot," Lexie admitted

"Then Archie came home" Molly stated

"And everything changed?" Lexie questioned

"No, not so much. In fact I realised something was happening"

"What?" Lexie asked, now very much involved in the story

"Some one was slowly falling in love" Molly giggled

Lexie could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, she already knew they were bright red and she couldn't help it, so instead she went quiet.

"Lexie, I stood and watched both my son and yourself grow up, I saw you get challenged by situations you had never come across before, feelings that were new to you, and sometimes hurt you. Yet all the time, I believed, dreamed that maybe one day it would be ok for you both, that the hurting would stop and you would realise the wonderful thing before you. I was happy, and the ones I loved most where all around me, we were like one big family."

"That I agree on, I know I felt that I finally had the family I had never had before, but Molly I still don't understand why you never mentioned Archie to me" Lexie explained, going back to her questions.

"You broke his heart when you left, I watched as he hid his feelings away further and further, until no longer would he show expression, he was unhappy, depressed. It seemed to affect the whole household. Irene, the new cook and housekeeper would be around, yet the regular de-tours to the kitchen stopped, there was no longer a reason to go there. Duncan took it bad too, maybe this was a time when he grew up a bit, no more messing around and jokes, with no one to tease him or talk to him, he just got on with it. Then Paul arrived..." Molly paused, tears were in her eyes, and her voice went quivery. Lexie felt a silent tear roll down her face as she experienced Molly's sadness with her.

"And Archie went away, and I watched as my family got torn apart, and taken away from me. Then when you returned for a visit, I saw your expression when you realised Archie had left, and that's when I realised how much this had both hurt you, and I no longer wanted you to suffer, or Archie. So from then on, I didn't mention him to you, and I didn't mention you to Archie. I went out of my way to make sure you both had nothing to do with each other"

"Oh Molly" Lexie exploded in tears as she lent forward and draped her arms around Molly and the two woman sat and cried together.

"I really had no idea, I didn't think about anyone but myself, I was so selfish, all I cared about was how it had effected me, I didn't even think to give it a thought how you were feeling, I'm so sorry" Lexie confessed

When they both had calmed down a bit, Lexie suddenly remembered her last question. "Then why now?" Lexie questioned

"Lex?" Archie interrupted, coming in the doorway. "Hey Lex what's the matter?" Archie came rushing over and stood infront of Lexie, he put his hand on her shoulder as he spoke to her. His soft touch comforted Lexie, and she reached out and put her arms around him as she hugged him tight. She looked over his shoulder to Molly, she was smiling but it was a smile with a meaning.