Past won't go away: Story of my life – Day 6
So now I try to find,
A place to leave it all,
Memories in my mind,
We try our lives away,
Then stumble to the grave,
We cry, and still they say,
The Past won't go away
"Pass that here please Ewan" Lexie called across the kitchen as she managed to stir the gravy with one hand and keep an eye on the potatoes.
"I'm steaming vegetables here" Ewan replied already getting annoyed with Lexie's bossiness in his kitchen.
They were preparing a roast dinner for dinner tonight, everyone was due round as it would be the last dinner together before Max left to go back to Glasgow.
Lexie sighed "Fine I'll do it myself" she muttered. Archie appeared in the doorway and smiled at Lexie, "Can I help?"
Ewan crept round to Archie as he went to get the seasoning "Run Archie, Run now while you can" He whispered laughing
"Er Ewan, back to work please, we're on a time slot here!" Lexie answered
Archie gave Ewan a glance as if to say 'you heard the woman' as Ewan turned back to his vegetables.
"Right Arch you can cut the meat please" Lexie replied pointing Archie in the direction of the meat on the kitchen table.
"I thought I was gonna do that?" Ewan piped up again.
"No I said you might have to do it if Arch wasn't free, any way it's the lairds duty" Lexie answered
"Er Lex I'm not the laird anymore remember" Archie replied
Lexie fell silent "Oh yeh, your not, I forget, I guess like this…it's a bit like old times isn't it?"
Archie stared across into Lexie's periwinkle eyes as she stared back, then broke a smile at him before looking down again and continuing to prepare the potatoes onto a plate. It was just like the day of the midsummer's ball, then that sudden anger came across him again as he got angry with himself for messing that night up so much as he hacked away at the meat.
"Oh hello dear, you've come to baby-sit the children I suppose?" Molly answered the door to a young girl from the village who Lexie had asked round tonight to watch the children while the adults had their meal.
"Aye Miss, that's me, my names Charlotte" the blonde haired girl entered the house smiling back at Molly.
"Charlotte McManus?" Molly questioned
"Aye, do you know me?" Charlotte replied
"Why dear, I haven't seen you since you were a wee girl" Molly smiled "Come this way I'll show you to the children"
"Right Ewan, can I leave you do dish up while I go get dressed?" Lexie asked as she untied her apron.
"Aye sure" Ewan replied relieved she had finally calmed down.
They stood at the top of the stairs as Paul took Molly's arm to walk down to dinner as Golly stood at the bottom of the stairs playing the bagpipes.
Amber was making a fuss at the top about the noise but Archie ignored her.
"Max, do you mind if I take Lexie's arm?" Archie asked politely
"Go ahead Arch, I'll take Amber's" Max replied
Archie nodded in reply and went and linked arms with Lexie.
"Well Archie Macdonald, this is new, I don't think I've ever been walked down to dinner by you before" Lexie whispered as they walked
"Well I never got the chance, you were always in the kitchen" Archie winked back, as Lexie smiled and they continued into the dining room.
As Paul sat in the big chair at the end of the table with the others all around him. Ewan appeared with a trolley of food.
"Now everyone, for tonight's dinner, Lexie and Ewan have prepared a roast dinner for us all" Paul announced as Ewan started to set out the food on the table.
"Just pick what you want everyone" Lexie called out as everyone started picking up spoons and dishing their food up.
"You will eat something" Archie whispered harshly in Amber's ear. Amber turned to face Archie then called across to Duncan who was pouring out wine. "I'll have some please Duncan"
"Your doing this on purpose" Archie whispered back, then as he turned to face the table again he noticed Lexie staring at him, as his glance caught hers she quickly picked up the spoon infront of her and turned to Max talking.
Archie sighed and picked at his food, he didn't feel up to eating at the moment.
After everyone had cleared for dinner and disappeared into various rooms, Lexie looked out the back door and saw Archie sitting in the dark on the steps at the bottom of the garden. She wrapped her poncho round her and walked outside, the wind caught her hair as she walked slowly up behind Arch.
"Hey wee man" Lexie called out as she got nearer Arch. Arch turned to look at her, and gave her a small smile. "Hey Lex"
Lexie sat herself down next to him and stared out onto the loch with him. Then she turned to face his glance at the side. "Whatcha thinking about?" Lexie asked, as Archie then glanced to the floor and shrugged his shoulders.
Lexie understood and then faced the other way, looking out across to the gardens.
The two old friends sat in silence for quite a while, until Lexie shivered and took a deep breath. Archie turned to her. "Lex"
"Yeah?" Lexie replied turning back to Archie.
"You must be cold" Archie answered wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer.
"And you must be hungry, Arch you hardly ate a thing" Lexie replied
"Well it wasn't your cooking, I'll tell you that much" Archie answered
"Is there much to tell then?" Lexie questioned
"No its nothing" Archie answered
"I can't help ya Arch if you don't tell me"
"I don't expect you to help Lex, I don't think you can"
The two went silent again. Until Lexie giggled.
"What?" Archie asked
"Just imagining if us two had got together, we'd be laird and laird's wife" Lexie laughed again
"And would that be so bad?" Archie questioned
"No…No I guess not, different, but not bad" Lexie replied smiling at the thought.
"Next lifetime hey Lex" Archie replied as he placed his head against the top of hers.
"Yeah…next lifetime" Lexie whispered as she snuggled her head against Archie's chest, as they watched the moonlight glide across the loch.
