Chapter Thirty-Five
The Sleepless Night
Turning over Ruthie looked at her alarm clock and let out a sigh. It was 2:30 am and she just couldn't seem to fall asleep. She'd been tossing and turning all night long. She wanted to sleep. She really did. As a matter of fact she was extremely tired but she just couldn't turn her brain or thoughts off. The wall clock was making the loudest ticking sound, the branches were scraping up against her window making a sound like nails running across a chalkboard, Happy was gnawing her bone, and she felt like her skin was melting even though it was freezing outside. But the truth was that none of these things were keeping her from sleep. What was keeping her awake as much as she didn't want to admit it was Martin. He hadn't called her in two weeks almost three and it was driving her crazy.
Freddie had said she should just 'suck it up' (her pride that is) and 'go visit the idiot because he wasn't answering his phone'. Olivia as expected disagreed with Freddie's advice. She thought that Ruthie should wait for Martin to call and if he didn't 'it was his loss and he was an idiot for letting her go'.
And if the Martin not calling her situation wasn't enough, she still had an enormous life altering decision to make and she wasn't just making it for herself. She'd been debating moving to Buffalo and not moving to Buffalo. She wanted to know weather or not Martin wanted to be apart of their child's life because that was what was going to make her final decision. He'd said yes that he wanted to be apart of the baby's life but he hadn't called her and he hadn't answered her calls. Sighing she kicked the covers off and headed down stair in search of macaroni and cheese.
Ruthie wasn't the only one that just couldn't fall asleep. On other side of Glenn Oak Olivia also found, herself unable to sleep, but her sleepless state was caused by a completely different guy though she'd never admit it. The one, the only, Martin's best friend, Mac seemed to keep popping into her mind uninvited. With a groan Olivia slipped out of her Egyptian sheets and grabbed her robe from Paris off her chair.
Olivia felt like a fraud, like her entire life was nothing but a façade that she put up and it was. She acted like she had such a grand life. Yes all of her clothes were designer and yes she'd traveled the world. She spent summer break in the Bahamas, winter break in Aspen, and spring break in Paris. And every night she ate food fit for a queen, the dishes and the chief costing more than most people spend eating out five times at a fancy restaurant, but did any of it really matter when she ate alone or when she went to Rome for mother daughter time and ended up spending the entire trip with her mother's sectary. She saw her father even less but at least his sectary liked her. She got everything money could buy but it just didn't seem worth it anymore. Had it ever been worth it? She wondered taking a seat in her sitting room with a cup of warm tea, that would hopefully put her to sleep.
What no one knew was that it hadn't been her mother's idea that she go to public school. No that was just something she said. The truth was that it was her idea. She'd never really fit in with the 'Richie Riches' at the academy she'd gone to. And at first she'd fit in with no one at Kennty High school but then she'd met Ruthie and Freddie. And for the first time she'd met someone who wasn't adding up what they could get out of her or adding up the dollar signs to see if she was cool (rich) enough to hang out with. Sighing she took a sip of tea and felt the warmth go down her throat.
Guys had always only been after her money until she'd met Mac. Mac, annoying Mac. Unable to keep a secret Mac. Funny Mac. Sweet Sensitive Mac. Mac that made her smile and feel not so alone. Mac. Mac.
"I'M IN LOVE WITH MAC!?" She yelled as the truth dawned on her.
"Miss, is everything ok?" Willington the butler said panting from his sprint up the stairs; she'd obviously woken him with her startling revelation.
"Yes I'm fine."
"Good Miss." Willington said in his British accent, "If you need me call."
"Willy?" Olivia asked looking up at the old man's wrinkled face, "Have you ever realized that you cared for someone too late?"
"It's never too late." Willington said raising a hairy white eyebrow, "Tell him…Tell him that you love him…it's never too late for that."
"How did you know it was a him or that I loved him?"
"I may be old but I still have my hearing." Willington said with a wink, "Good night, miss."
Mac had been spending his nights at Martin's because his apartment had caught fire and while it was being fixed he'd needed a place to stay but, he was beginning to regret his choice in temporary housing, because once again Martin had woken him up with the racket he was making.
"What are you doing now?" Mac asked charging into the kitchen to find all the dishes, pots, and pans spread out on the counters, "Once again what the heck are you doing?"
"Lining the cabinets," Martin replied as if every person lined their cabinets at four thirty in the morning.
"Why?" Mac asked a little afraid of Martin's answer, because his best friend had obviously lost it.
"To keep…to…oh I don't know what there for."
"Then why are you doing it?" Mac asked staring at the nut he called a friend.
"Because…because…it looks good." Martin said.
"Looks good? Come on Martin have you lost it? Its four thirty in the morning!?" Mac declared.
"I need to keep busy." Martin said.
"You still haven't called Ruthie back have you?"
"No I haven't."
"Martin this is ridiculous," Mac said moving a pot off a nearby chair and taking a seat, "Your going to stop moping around like a two year old and find out if Ruthie's moving or not. I'm going to Glenn Oak tomorrow to try and fix things with Olivia and you should do the same because you're driving me crazy."
While everyone else was unable to sleep, Freddie was dreaming of dancing chickens in his designs. A smile on his sleeping face.
Authors' Note:
Hey, I'm back and thank you guys for all your patience and support it is very much appreciated. I'm not sure if this is up to my usual standards….I'll let you guys be the judge….I'll get back on track…Promise!
Until Next Monday,
Caroline