Fran had just hung up the phone after ordering a slew of new items from the catalogs. Max had moved the ottoman all the way against the couch after they finished their coffee and he had gotten comfortable under the blanket up next to Fran, their legs stretched out in front of them. Fran leaned over to set the phone down and turned back to Max, smiling at him, then slipped an arm behind his back and the other around his middle. He pulled her close and smiled at her.
"Oh, Max! Look at the snow coming down now! It looks like it's sticking out there, too," she said, looking out the front door from their vantage point on the couch. Max turned his head to see for himself.
"It sure is. Oh, damn, I bet that means I'll have to get out there at some point and clear off the steps and sidewalk. We're out of salt, too."
"Well, you might have a little while before that needs to happen. And anyway, you're looking a little sleepy, sweetie."
He turned to look at her. "So are you, darling." They smiled at each other.
"You want to maybe try to take a nap for a little while? Before we figure out lunch?"
"That might be nice. Here? On the couch?"
"Mmm hmm…"
"As long as you're here with me…"
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Fran lifted the blanket off of them and grabbed a couple of pillows, tossing them towards the corner of the couch. She crawled over in that direction and patted the couch cushion, signaling Max to come join her. He spread out the blanket and laid down next to her on his back, and she rested her head down on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her again.
"Got enough room?" He asked softly.
"Plenty! Mmmm, this is nice. I got my big teddy bear to sleep with now!"
Max chuckled. "And now I've got one, too. That pillow with your perfume on it just can't compare."
Fran laughed. "Did you really cuddle with a pillow last night?" She lifted her head up to look at him.
"I did. I missed you." He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and put his hand on her back.
"Aw, sweetie!" She caressed his cheek. "You know, I had to stop myself from running to your room last night. I didn't like being away from you. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that went on yesterday. And our date. The dancing, and the music. I even got up to write down as much as I could, because I don't ever want to forget about it all."
"You wrote it down? That's a wonderful idea. And I almost went to your room, too. I wanted to wrap my arms around you, like this. And I could smell your perfume. I just couldn't wait until I could see you again. Feel you again. Kiss you again…" he smiled at her, and she leaned down to kiss him softly, several times.
"I love you, Max," she whispered, and kissed him again.
"I love you, too, Fran." She kissed his cheek and rested back down against him, and he tightened his arms around her. He stroked her arm under the blanket and kissed her forehead. She sighed and closed her eyes.
Max closed his eyes too, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. They relaxed in each other's arms, and quickly settled to sleep as the snow continued to fall outside, blanketing the city in white.
They were woken up a couple of hours later by the loud, scraping drag of a passing snowplow coming down Park Avenue. Max jolted his head up at the noise, and Fran- startled and disoriented- grabbed him around the middle, wondering what was going on.
"Oh… plowing the snow…" Max grumbled. He flopped his head back down on the pillow and Fran rolled to her side.
"Snowplow? Oh. Woke me up! Were you sleeping, too?"
"Mmm hmm. Was in a dream." Max pulled the blanket back around them and they closed their eyes again, trying to recover from being startled out of their slumber. Fran stretched her arm and yawned, making Max yawn, too.
"That's contagious," he mumbled sleepily. Fran chuckled.
"Sorry. I wasn't done sleeping, I guess. But that was really nice- falling asleep with you."
"Mmm hmm. It was. Nice to sleep with my teddy bear," he tightened his arm around her back and smiled. Fran ran her hand over his chest and then patted him.
"Yeah. I got the best teddy bear!"
"Oh, I don't know about that." He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Fran pushed herself up on her elbow and crawled over on top of him, resting her head back on his chest. Max pulled the blanket up over her and stroked her back. Fran sighed.
"Can we stay like this all day?" She asked.
"We can try. Might be hard to eat like this though. Or answer the door when the food comes…" Fran chuckled.
"True… mmmmm, I just like this so much. You feel so good, and warm, and smell so yummy!" She gripped his sides with her hands and arms.
"So do you, sweetheart!" He stroked her back some more, then played with her curls in his fingers. "Hmmm… we might need to get that fire going soon, it feels like it might still be chilly in here. I think Niles turned the heat down when we had that nice weather, but now we need the heat. I mean, outside of making our own, that is…" Fran giggled. She lifted her head up to peek up at him- he had his eyes closed and was smiling- then she turned her head in the other direction and rested against him again.
They were quiet for a little while as they comforted each other and slowly woke up and began to open their eyes.
"I think I really like this couch," she said softly.
"Me too." This time, Max stretched his arms out and yawned, then wrapped them back over her back, and it made Fran yawn in response.
"That's contagious!" They both laughed. Fran opened her eyes, and saw Max's upper arm near her face as he stroked her back. She saw the blue of the back cushion of the new couch beyond his arm. She felt the butterflies and the happiness wash through her. "Max?"
"Mmm hmm?"
"Have you thought about us maybe staying together, like this, sometime… at night? I don't mean- intimately, I mean just staying like this- together. Just so we don't suffer so much from being apart at night?"
He stroked her back again, then moved her hair away from her neck with his fingers. It gave her another wave of goosebumps. "Well, sure. I thought about it last night. I just wanted to run to you, and hold you. Stay with you. All night."
"Really?"
"Of course I did. I do. I mean, maybe yesterday it was too soon to take that step, but at some point, it won't be."
"How long do you think it will be until it won't be?" She almost whispered. Max was quiet for a moment.
"I don't know. I mean, it feels pretty right right now. But, you know, we aren't in a bed with our pajamas on."
"No, but that sounds nice."
"Yes, it does." He hugged her again and let his lips graze across her forehead, then kissed her softly there. He stared blankly up at the ceiling as he thought about what she said. Would it be so bad- so wrong- for them to stay together at night? After all, they were adults and they'd known each other a long time. They had been seeing each other for several days. And the children weren't home. He knew the main reason he might hold back from staying with Fran at night was because of the children. He had some concern for what kind of example he might be setting for them if Fran stayed in his room, or he in hers. But maybe- as long as the children weren't there yet- maybe it wouldn't be wrong. He remembered how much it hurt to be away from her the previous nights, how much he couldn't stop thinking about her and wondering if she was thinking about him. And she was thinking about him, and missing him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself feel how nice it was to have the pressure of her body on him like that- and how nice it was to hold her tightly, and run his hands over her back. He just wanted more, of everything. With her.
"Maybe…" he almost whispered.
"Hmm?"
He cleared his throat and she lifted her head to look up at him. "Maybe we see how things go. Doing the 'best friends' thing, today. So we aren't rushing too fast, causing too much temptation. Not to say that I don't have those feelings for you, because I do. I really do. It would be so easy to just let things happen, you know? But I feel like- at least for a little while- that we should have a little more intention. That we need to think things through as much as we can. You know, how we were going to talk about as much as we could think of to talk about today?"
"Yes."
"And then, maybe, that will be another step closer that we can get to each other. Maybe a couple of steps closer. Get used to the idea, and then… take the step. Does that make sense?"
"Yes. It makes a lot of sense. I don't want to push things too fast, either. But I also don't think I could stand staying still. I mean, unless we were together like this. I need this. With you. I don't want to come off sounding needy, but I guess I am needy. I need you. I don't even like letting go of your hand. I need to be touching you somehow, all the time. Maybe, I guess it might be stirring a little anxiety in me- that if we let go, then somehow that distance will creep back in, between us. That still scares me a little, I guess."
"Darling! I'm so sorry if I make you feel that way. I don't want that, not at all. I need you, too! And yes, I need this, holding you like this. That's why I thought that- maybe, maybe tonight, if it feels like the right step, then maybe. As long as we make sure it feels right for both of us. And that's why I thought maybe we stay with the 'best friends' thing, even if we do stay together at night. Like our alter egos are watching out for us, if either of us might have any nervousness about that sort of thing, then we just remember that we're best friends. We're caring for each other, looking out for each other. And then maybe that will help us not feel sad and lonely like last night." Fran smiled.
"Yeah. I like the sound of that. I do want to take care of you. I don't want you to be sad."
"I don't want you to be sad, either. That hurts to think about."
"Then let's focus on that- taking care of each other so neither of us is sad. Maybe we can get the Nerf guns again later, or play something else. And talk, too. Best friends having so much fun together…" she crawled up closer to his face and smiled at him.
"Yes, let's play like children today. And talk. Curl up together and talk," he grinned at her, and she looked over his face. She reached a hand out from under his back and caressed his cheek, then leaned in for a soft kiss.
"Sounds like a plan!" She kissed him again, then slid off of him to her side. She propped herself up on her hand and looked towards the front door. "Oh, geez, Max! Everything's covered in snow outside! I didn't think the ground would be cold enough for it to stick."
"Oh, yes… the shoveling…" he frowned. He pushed himself up on his elbows and craned his neck to have a look out the front door. He made another face.
"You hungry?" Fran patted his stomach. "I can call an order in while you do that, if you want. As long as the streets aren't too snowy, it shouldn't take all that long to get here. At least I hope. Because I'm pretty hungry."
"Yes, by all means," he looked at his watch, then tried to sit up all the way. Fran moved over so they both could start to get up. "I am getting hungry myself. But what do you want to eat?"
"Well, something we can eat right here. So… probably no soup. Do you want finger food? Or a sub, or sandwich? Or pizza?"
"Hmm… maybe let's hold off on a pizza. If we run out of all that other food then we can order a pizza. But finger food might be an idea. Or we can just cut up whatever it is into smaller pieces to make it easier to eat. How about this- why don't you surprise me? You know what I like to eat, so see if there might be several different things we both like. And maybe even something new we haven't tried. Oh, and some drinks, too. Hey, maybe we can find a good movie to watch. I mean, really watch. Since we'd be stuffing our faces, it would be hard to talk. So maybe we can think of some things to talk about after lunch and a movie?"
"Sure! That's good with me. But if you're going outside in that mess, you need your coat that has the hood, and gloves, and your Wellies. Okay? I don't want you getting cold and frozen."
"But then you could warm me up when I come back in…" he smiled. She swatted him.
"Oh, I'll warm you up, alright!" They both laughed. Now, I'll get the fire going while you find your boots and that snow shovel." Fran squeezed his knee and got up to tend to the fireplace, and Max ran a hand over his hair and got up from the couch. He smiled at her as he headed for the entry closet to dig out his Wellies and coat, then sat on the stairs to put the boots on. Fran got the fire going and came over to Max as he stood up to put his coat on. She reached her hands inside the coat to wrap them around his waist. As he pushed his hands through the sleeves, he wrapped his arms around her and grazed her nose with his, then kissed her on the lips.
"I better go get that shovel…" he said.
"I better go order us some lunch…" she said, smiling up at him. He let go of her and she headed back to the couch as he hurried through the halls to the kitchen, then out back to retrieve the snow shovel. Once he found it, he hurried back through the kitchen and out to the front, then looked over at Fran before he went out the front door. She smiled and waved at him.
"Don't forget to put your hood on! Oh, I better go grab a beach towel or something for you to step on when you come back in."
"Oh, yes, good idea. But I also might need to do the back walkway, too, in case it might freeze over tonight."
"Okay. Well, you can get the boots dry when you come in, and I can follow you through just in case, if the shovel drips. Then when you come back in, you can leave your boots in the kitchen."
"Okay, will do. Be back in a few minutes."
"Okay, sweetie. And don't go shoveling the whole block. The neighbors have people to do that."
"I won't. Well, maybe just next door, if they haven't gotten it shoveled yet. I don't think they have any household staff."
"Oh. Well, okay, but just them. If the snow is heavy, then take it easy. We don't need you getting hurt at all, okay?"
"I'll be careful. And I'll be extra hungry when I'm done!"
"Okay, okay! Finding some food right now!" They both laughed as Max took the shovel out the front door, pulled on the hood of his coat, and then went out the vestibule door to start pushing the snow out of the way. Fran grabbed the pile of take-out menus from the ottoman and began sorting out the ones she didn't want. She decided on a place that seemed to have the best variety and marked the items with the pen, then grabbed the phone and called the number, and placed an order for quite a bit of food. She picked up Max's credit card to pay for the meal over the phone, and then hung up when she was done. Now she was really hungry.
She turned to look out the front door and couldn't see Max at all, but could still just barely hear the scraping of a shovel. He must be doing the sidewalk, she thought. She picked up the TV remote and began flipping through the channels to see if she could find a movie channel that might be getting ready to start playing a new movie. It was getting close to the hour, so surely there must be something good about to come on.
"Oh shoot! A towel!" She dropped the remote and jumped up from the couch, then ran upstairs to dig out an old beach towel from the linen closet, then hurried back downstairs. She rushed up to the front door and peeked out, looking for Max, and could just barely see him on the sidewalk at the base of the steps next door. She spread out the towel on the floor in front of the door, and waited for Max to come back. She looked out front at how neatly Max had shoveled the snow aside and cleared the sidewalk, and saw that across the street none of the neighbors looked like they had done their share yet. For some reason, it made her feel proud that Max took it upon himself to get the job done himself. Even though if Niles had been home, surely he would have been the one to clear off the snow- but Max stepped up and went ahead and got it done himself. She hoped it impressed the neighbors, too.
Max came walking back as he banged the shovel on the pavement a few times to knock off the remaining snow, then smiled as he saw her through the glass of the front door. He hurried up the step and into the vestibule, then scraped off his boots on the doormat as Fran opened the front door for him.
"Here, sweetie, right on the towel. My goodness, you're covered in snow! You can set the shovel down a minute and get the drips off."
"Thank you, darling. The back shouldn't take as long, and I'll just leave the shovel back there. We can keep an eye on things outside in case I need to go over it all again later."
"Okay. You know, I can do the next round if you want me to."
"Not a chance! I'm taking care of you! And then you can just warm me up again when I come back inside…"
Fran pulled on the front of his jacket and kissed him. "I can do that!"
"You order the food?"
"Sure did. I might have gotten a bit much, but we can have some for dinner, too, if we need to. Now, let me follow you with the towel in case you drip." Max stepped off the towel so Fran could pick it up, then she followed him through the house to the kitchen as he carefully carried the shovel so he wouldn't bump it into anything. Once he stepped out the back door, she shut it behind him and folded the towel in half and dropped it on the floor by the door so he could put his boots there when he finished. She pulled one of the chairs from the kitchen table over to the door so he would have a place to sit and take off his boots, then hurried back out to the living room to finish looking for a movie on the TV.
Max came in the back door and shut and locked it behind him. He stood carefully on the towel Fran had left and took off his snow-covered coat and hung it from the door knob, then saw that Fran had moved the chair over for him to sit down on so he could take off his boots, which he did. He loved how thoughtful she was. He set his boots against the wall on the towel, then put the chair back at the kitchen table, grabbed himself and Fran a bottle of water from the fridge, then hurried out to the living room to see her again. He walked behind the couch and handed her the water bottles after he took a swig, then leaned over the back of the couch to try out kissing her from there.
"Mmmm!" He kissed her several times, sideways and upside down. "I'm definitely going to like doing this more often!" He said.
"Yes, please! Hey, we need to warm you up a minute. Let me come over there and we can try out the love seat before the movie comes on."
"Oh, you found one?"
"Yes! And it's perfect!" She jumped up from the couch and ran around it to join him, then took his hand and pulled him to the love seat. They laughed as they had to remove the Nerf guns before they could sit down. Fran sat down and Max pulled out the footstool for her, then sat next to her by the fireplace.
"Oh, that feels nice!" He said. He wrapped his arm over Fran's shoulders and she took hold of his other hand. "So what movie is it?"
"Should I go ahead and tell you, or do you want to be surprised? I think you'll like it."
"Hmmm… I guess you can surprise me. Is it a new movie, or an old one?"
"It's older. But it's fantastic!"
"Oh, wonderful! This should be a good afternoon then, won't it?"
"It absolutely will be!" She rested her head against his shoulder, and began to work on warming up his cold hand. "You had gloves on, right? Your hands are cold."
"Sure did. I should have had a mask on, because my nose is even colder!" He nuzzled into her neck with his cold nose and she squealed and poked at him and they laughed. She clutched his cheeks in her hands to keep him from doing it again.
"You're so cold! You poor baby, let me warm you up!" She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs and kissed the tip of his nose, then pressed her cheek against his for a moment, and switched sides to warm his other cheek against her.
"Mmmm, that feels nice. You're nice and warm." She leaned back just enough to look into his eyes, then kissed him on the lips.
"Gotta warm those up, too…" she smiled.
"Mmmm… okay. I think they're still pretty cold," he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, they're not so bad!" She grinned, teasing him.
"I suppose I deserve that."
"Deserve what?" She asked, as if she didn't know what he meant.
"You know. Since I said we should ease up a bit today, and do more of the 'best friend' thing. But I just like kissing you. And I like you kissing me."
"I like it, too, sweetie. But you are right, you know. If we keep kissing each other, we'll just keep kissing each other. And kissing. And kissing. And it'll be hard to do any best friend stuff if we get carried away with that. And it's still fairly early in the day, too. If we got carried away kissing too much now, well… we'd miss that movie… and lunch, too…"
Max sighed. "Probably. Yes. I suppose we might." He looked defeated.
"Hey, now, don't look so sad, baby! We can still have all the hugs we want. All of them! You know how I don't like letting go of you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He nuzzled against her and let his arms slide around her waist and hold her tight. She kissed him all over his cheek. "And we can kiss each other on the cheeks. That would still be okay."
"Really? Oh, good!" He kissed her on the cheek several times and they laughed and smiled at each other. Just then, the promo for the next feature film came on the TV and Max looked over. Fran watched his reaction as he listened. He grinned and turned back to look at her. "Charade!"
"Yes! Have you seen it before?"
"Yes, but ages and ages ago. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant! That's perfect!"
"Isn't it? Come on, let's get back over there and get comfy before it starts. I think they might cut in for commercials, but hopefully they don't cut anything out." They both got up from the loveseat and Fran pulled him by the hand back around the couch. They left the ottoman pushed up against the couch, and Max removed the second board so they could use it for their lunch. He set one board across one end of the couch and the other board along the other side of the couch, and they sat down in between them and stretched their legs across the ottoman. They grabbed their water bottles, and Max put his arm over her shoulders, and Fran tucked herself up against him. Then the movie began.
They both sat quietly as they watched the movie, their eyes smiling with contentment. Fran took his hand in hers and softly rubbed her fingers over it, which she seemed to be completely unaware she was doing. Max glanced down at her hands briefly and smiled, then looked back at the television. They were completely absorbed in the movie when a commercial cut in, and then suddenly the doorbell sounded. They both jumped in their seats and Max got up and ran to the door, trying to retrieve the food as fast as he could before the movie came back on.
"Oh! Sweetie, here, hand me some!" Max handed her the carrier of drinks and she took one out for herself and put it on the board near her, then set Max's down on his board. He set the bags of food down on the ottoman and sat down next to Fran. They both opened a bag and began looking through everything.
"Wow, there is a lot here. So what is what?"
"Here, I ordered two of each thing, so let's split up all of these containers so we each have one, then you can see what you want to have first." They sorted out all the small boxes and containers of food, then split the stack of napkins with each other, and put their legs back across the ottoman to get comfortable.
"What are these drinks? They look good."
"Oh, that's iced vanilla chai. It does look good, doesn't it?" They both popped their straws into the lids of their drinks and took sips. Max closed his eyes and grinned.
"Mmmm! That's good!"
"Yes, it is! Oh! Movie's back on!" They got quiet again and began eating as they got sucked back into the film.
They ate partly with their hands and partly with plastic spoons and forks, and giggled as they fed each other bites of chicken on skewers and cubes of seasoned potatoes. Finally, as Max found himself getting full, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a big sip of his chai, then leaned back on the couch and looked over fondly at Fran. When the next ad came on, Fran realized he was still resting back against the couch cushion. She turned to look at him and saw that he was watching her. She set her food down and leaned back next to him and looked him in the eyes.
"What?"
Max sighed softly, and looked over her face. "You should see your face."
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Fran asked, a little concerned.
"It's lovely." Fran's concern quickly rushed into a look of joy. "You remembered the line!" She swatted his arm.
"So did you."
"I guess I did, didn't I? You sure set me up for that one! And just for that, I think that's worth a kiss…" she started to lean close to him.
"Really? Then I guess I can go after that bit of sauce in the corner of your mouth…"
Fran laughed and swatted him again, then grasped his cheeks and pulled him to her for an intense, suction-filled kiss, then she started laughing again.
"What?" Max asked, grinning.
"Do I really have sauce on me?"
"I got most of it, but here, let me check…" he reached for her cheek and kissed her again, holding her as he worked his way from one corner of her mouth to the other, then they both fell into laughter again. They rested their foreheads together and she stroked his cheek softly with her thumb.
"You're something else, Max, you know that?"
"Not without you, I'm not. But I happen to think you're pretty spectacular, Fran. I've been having such a wonderful time."
"So have I." They smiled at each other some more, until the movie came back on, then Max shifted up on the couch next to her and began cleaning up the mess from his meal. They moved everything onto the boards next to them and cuddled up together to watch the rest of the movie.
"Oh- here it is- they're about to get on the boat, aren't they? Isn't that where he says the line?" Max asked.
"Yes! Yes, it is!" They both smiled and clung to each other as they watched the boat scene play out, then Fran elbowed him playfully when Cary Grant's character finally said it. "That's the best line, ever!" Fran whispered.
"It sure is," Max agreed. They glanced at each other again and smiled, and cuddled back together.
They watched the rest of the film like that, barely moving as they clung together. When it finally ended, and the two characters were happily together, they felt themselves relax and come back into reality. Max kissed her lightly on the cheek, making her smile.
"Hey, let me take this mess into the kitchen, clean all this up, and then maybe… Maybe we should find some things we can talk about, and talk for a while. Would that be okay?" Fran asked.
"Of course, darling. Yes, maybe we should. We can turn the television off for a while. But you know- maybe we could watch another movie later? Maybe with dinner? Would you like to do that?"
"I would! I loved watching Charade with you! Maybe we'll luck out and get another good one. Sure we can do that. Here, hand me all of your stuff. Let's wipe off these boards and put them back in the ottoman. Then we can spread that blanket out again."
"Alright. Let me help you." Max grabbed a napkin and wiped off the boards as Fran gathered the bags of leftovers and empty drink cups.
"I'll go put the leftovers in the fridge. You need anything in the kitchen?"
"No, thank you, I'm good. I still have water left."
"Alright. Be right back!" Fran hurried to the kitchen and Max slid the boards back into the ottoman, then picked up all of the catalogs and odds and ends they had gone through earlier and set them on top of the piano. He came back to the couch, turned off the TV, and picked up the blanket, fluffed it out, then spread it over the couch. He looked over everything, then decided to crawl over the couch to the corner and set up the pillows so they would be more comfortable, then crawled under the blanket and got comfortable.
Fran came back into the living room and saw Max, all cozied up sitting in the corner of the couch with his legs stretched out and the blanket over him.
"Hey, you," he smiled.
"Hey, yourself," she grinned. She knelt on the couch and crawled towards him, and he moved the blanket so she could get under it with him, then sat next to him as he put his arm over her shoulders.
"Comfortable?"
"Yes. This is a good spot for cuddling!"
"Mmm hmm," Max agreed. He stroked her shoulder for a little while as they relaxed and got quiet.
"So…" Fran said softly, as she took his hand.
"So…"
Fran turned her head to look up at him, and they looked over each other's faces, then into each other's eyes. Max laced his fingers through hers and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Have you thought of anything we should talk about?" She asked.
"Nothing specific. But I'm sure we'll get there. Was there anything on your mind?"
"Well, I don't know. I guess- well, I guess I was kind of thinking about how it's seemed like you did the bulk of the sharing these last few days. You had some pretty major things you needed to tell me. I mean, I know it's not a competition, but I was trying to think if there was anything big in my life that I should tell you. I just can't think of anything. I mean, I've had loss in my life, but not nearly the kind of loss you did. I lost both of my grandfathers, and I was young when that happened, but not so young that I don't remember them. But I guess I just wasn't as close to them as my grandmothers. Especially Yetta. I really grew up with her. And Ma's daddy- he was still working. He never stopped working, even when he could have. I remember every so often Ma would take us kids over to his shop so we could see him. But it always seemed like he didn't have much time to talk to us. But he would give us pennies for the candy and gum machines up front. I never really understood why he always seemed so busy, there were never that many people in the store. I wouldn't think there would be a huge demand for fur coats in Queens. But he made a living."
Max watched the expressions on her face as she remembered back. "What about your other grandfather? What was he like?"
"Well, I guess you could say he was a bit like daddy. He liked to keep to himself a lot, unless it was summer, then he would sit out in front of their building with a few friends and play cards. They'd set up a little table and some folding chairs. I remember how they all had hats on, and they'd unbutton their shirts so you could see their tank top undershirts. He liked baseball. He had this little transistor radio he would bring outside and the old men would listen to whatever game was on, until the weather started getting cooler. Then he would just watch a game on TV. They had a little black and white TV in the kitchen, and he would sit at the table and watch, and eat snacks. All kinds of snacks. Cheese and crackers, potato chips, maybe even ice cream and cookies. Grandma Nettie doted on him."
"What did he pass away from?"
"Heart attack. He used to carry a bottle of nitroglycerine pills in his pocket. I think he had them for angina. But I think he was happy. He seemed to like retirement much better than working, but it probably wasn't so good for his health. But my other grandfather, I always thought maybe he worked himself to death. I thought maybe he kept working because they wouldn't have enough money to get by if he didn't. But Yetta said they were fine. But I don't think she handled any finances to know for certain, because that's why we had to put her in the home. My parents couldn't afford to pay their mortgage for her after he died. The insurance and Social Security wasn't gonna last long if she stayed there, so they found a cheaper alternative, and at a place where she could get help right away if she needed it. That always made me kinda sad."
"It did? Because Yetta had to go into a home?"
"Yeah, and because you'd think if somebody worked so much for their whole lives, that there would be some kind of substantial savings to take care of them when they were old. I'm sure that was always in the back of my mind when I needed to work. But I also didn't want to be a slave to any job. I had to enjoy it, or I wasn't gonna stay. And if it interfered with me trying to enjoy my life at the same time, then I'd definitely leave."
"I'm glad you didn't leave us."
Fran looked back at him and smiled. "Me, too. You know, this is the second longest I've been at a job in my life. That's gotta count for something, shouldn't it?"
"It sure does. And you're the one nanny that stayed the longest. Of course, now… with us… that'll be changing a bit."
"Yeah, but those kids are still mine to take care of. That won't change." Max smiled and rested his forehead against hers. They got quiet for a while again.
"So, you mentioned loss. That you hadn't gone through the same kind that I had. But you know, that loss is also heartbreak. You must have had some heartbreak in your life, even if it wasn't because of the death of someone close to you."
"Heartbreak? Well, sure, I suppose. I mean, of course I've had my heart broken. I try not to dwell on those kinds of things, though. I really try to move on with my life as fast as I can."
"That's one of the things I like about you, Fran. I think you're one of the most resilient people I know. If not the most."
Fran looked at him a moment, smiled slightly, and wrapped her arm around his stomach. "Thank you for saying that. But I kind of have to wonder, is that always such a good thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I mean, you guys did therapy and all that. I never did that when I was growing up, or after high school. Could I be in denial of how stuff affected me? Or do I maybe have some kind of personality that just doesn't care?"
"Hey, now, you know that's not the case. You're one of the most caring and loving, and resilient, people I've ever known. And therapy is mostly about having someone you can talk to about things that you might be struggling with- you know, things you need to process in a healthy way, or to figure out how to deal with when you don't know how to do it yourself. But you've been the one that other people go to when they have problems. You're like a therapist yourself. And I'm sure with your family- you never really had trouble communicating with them, right? I mean, sure you may have hid things from your parents, but you know what I mean. You always talked about what was going on, and helped people out when they needed it, right? Your family seems pretty fiercely loyal when it matters. Even if you have arguments or misunderstandings, once you resolve it, it's all hugs and kisses again, right?"
"Well, sure, I guess so. We do talk a lot. A lot." They giggled. "Do you really think I'm like a therapist?"
"Absolutely. But in a much better way- not so clinical. The children locked onto you that first day, and they hadn't really trusted anyone since they lost their mother. And I didn't either. And you never betrayed them, so they knew they could keep coming to you. I think that's pretty fantastic." He squeezed her shoulder.
"Well, I wasn't perfect. I did kind of betray you guys. When I almost went back to Danny. I think that was about the stupidest thing I ever did in my life. I thought Brighton would never forgive me."
"Oh. I almost forgot about that part. But, you know something? For the child who was known for keeping everyone at a distance and not talking about anything that was bothering him, he sure was truthful to you about that. Raw honesty."
"Yeah. You know, you're right! He really let me have it. I'm glad he did. He knocked me right back into reality, made me realize what I wanted in my life. And what I didn't want." She was quiet for a moment. "You know, that was a pretty big moment in my life. I really broke his heart, didn't I?"
"You know he had a huge crush on you, don't you? I think you gave him a lot of security, knowing you'd be here every day in case he needed you. I'm sure that was scary for him, and the girls, too. Especially with how fast it happened."
"See, that's what I mean. I almost did something really stupid that would have ruined my life. It's like I completely ignored all the history with him and the way he treated me. And I'm not really sure why. Just so I wouldn't be single? I don't really know why I get so fixated on that."
"Maybe that's something we should talk about more. Especially since you aren't single anymore…" he grinned at her. His smile made her melt, made her feel so secure.
"You make me feel so good when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Say things like that, and that happy smile you have. It makes me feel so good. I need to see you smiling and happy. Genuinely happy."
"I am happy, darling. I'm very happy, because of you. And I need to know you're genuinely happy, too. I need to know you aren't just putting on a tough exterior, like you're trying to prove no one can hurt you."
"Is that what I do? Act tough?"
"Well, I'm not sure you're acting. I think you are pretty tough sometimes. And tender. But I've wondered sometimes where that toughness comes from. If things happened that made you feel the need to protect yourself, or protect others. Or both."
Fran looked at him again, then turned away, thinking. "Now you sound like the therapist in the family."
"We can take turns. And I want you to feel like you can come talk to me about anything. Especially now."
"I do. I do feel that way. Even before, I usually did, I just didn't want to bother you with dumb little things."
"If they matter to you, they aren't dumb."
"Some of them were dumb." They laughed again. They hugged each other and shifted under the blanket. "Do you think I'm insecure?"
Max had to think about it for a while. "I think that you might be, at least a little. But I don't think I've ever been quite sure why. I don't think it's because of the pressure from your mother, at least not completely. I think that you don't like to be alone. Maybe you don't like other people to be alone, either. Like a certain fear of loneliness maybe?"
"A fear of loneliness?"
"Maybe. What things do you feel when you're alone for a while?" He stroked her shoulder and watched her expression shift on her face.
"Well, I guess I think about other people. I wonder what they're doing, what they might be thinking about. When they'll be back."
"But what do you feel?"
Fran seemed to squirm a bit, then relaxed. "Maybe it is loneliness. Especially if I get bored and don't know what to do with myself. I need people around. You know? That's what I do. Talk to people. Listen to people. But I see what you're saying. Why does it bother me to be alone? I mean, it's not the end of the world to be bored for a little while."
"Have there been times when you were alone that you weren't bored?"
"Well, sure. But I might be reading. Or watching TV. I guess that could still be like being involved in other people's lives, even if they're just fictional characters."
"But that's more on the passive side- you can't have a two-way conversation with them. Maybe you just need that active engagement- you won't feel as much loneliness when you're really into something. It doesn't have to be escaping into a book or show, it can be doing something. Making something, maybe?"
"Making something?"
Max nodded.
"Hmmm, something to think about, I guess. A lot to think about. Thank you, sweetie." He kissed her forehead.
"But there's still the other side of all that…"
"The other side?"
"The relationship thing. Not wanting to be single."
"Oh. That side. Hmph," she grumbled.
"It's alright, darling. We aren't experts. We're just talking. Wondering."
"Yeah, I suppose. So you think my obsession with wanting to be in a relationship might not be all from my mother's pressure on me?"
"It's just a theory. Have you ever wondered about that?"
"Well, I guess my wondering was wanting to be my own person and if my mother was in my head too much, making me feel the same things she does. But if she's only a part of all that, then what would that mean? I don't think I ever wanted to define myself by whoever I was in a relationship with. I never wanted to lose myself. But maybe part of me did? Maybe that's why I stayed with Danny so long. I lost myself, so to walk away from that on my own terms- maybe I thought I would be nothing. No one. Gosh, that's sad to think about."
"Maybe it has to do with those insecurities. A fear of loss- loss of yourself, or loss of the relationship?"
"You mean, like which one would feel worse to go through?"
"Maybe. What would be more heartbreaking."
"Ug. This is getting deep."
"Too deep?"
"No, it's okay. We should deal with all this. I should deal with all this. I don't want to repeat any bad mistakes. Especially not with you." She reached for his hand again and held it.
"So may I ask you something else?"
"Of course."
"I know you were with Danny a long time. But did you ever have a similar experience with anyone else? Where you may have lost yourself like that? Or let yourself be mistreated and didn't walk away on your own terms?"
"Before Danny? I don't think so. I wasn't in any long relationships when I was younger. And I had a lot to do for school, so I guess I had my own stuff to do separate from the relationship. Maybe- maybe it was more my decision to be in the relationship. I made the guy work for it if he wanted to go out with me. If he didn't, then he wasn't the right one for me. You know? Gosh, I never even thought about all this before. Once I didn't have school to try to get through- maybe I put all of myself into that relationship and not enough into doing things just for myself. God, I was always the one who compromised. I excused his behavior. I guess I lost my confidence. Not all at once, but piece by piece." She got quiet. Max pulled her curls off of her neck and rubbed her shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"But how did you feel once you were out of that relationship? When you had a chance to see what else was out there?"
"Relief. I mean, anger, too. I really felt humiliated by what he did. It showed me he wasn't invested at all. But then- I guess it was like I woke up and realized I couldn't sit around and wait for things I wanted to come to me. I had to go get them. So that's what I focused on, taking care of myself. Finding my own job, that didn't have anything to do with him. It felt- kind of liberating, actually." Max smiled at her, and that realization seemed to ease the tension she was feeling. Her shoulders relaxed up against him and she rested her head against him. He thought a moment, took a breath, then asked what he needed to ask.
"Fran, that first weekend you were here- when I fired you- and all those other times, when I threatened to, or when I pushed back at you, and I wasn't nice at all. When I was mean or rude to you… did it trigger that insecurity in you? I mean, was it like having your heart broken again?" Fran sat up straight and turned to look at him. He had genuine concern in his eyes.
"Sweetie! You aren't like that! You didn't- You weren't- You aren't that kind of man!" She exclaimed. He stayed quiet, letting her process it for a while.
"Did I ever break your heart?" He asked quietly. He was pretty sure he knew the answer.
"Max! I never thought of it like that! I- I-" She didn't know how to say it. "I mean, sure, it hurt when you fired me, and I didn't think I deserved to be fired. I could be mad at you about it, but I didn't know you. You couldn't break my heart if we didn't know each other. Back then, it was the kids I was most worried about. I had to stand up for Maggie. She needed me to stand up for her. She needed someone to-" Fran froze, realizing something. She leaned away from Max and her blind gaze looked across the living room.
"What? What is it?" Max asked, with a worried tone to his voice. Fran turned back to look at him, wide-eyed.
"Oh my god, I totally forgot! I totally forgot about that!" She put a hand on her forehead from the jolt of realization.
"Forgot about what? What is it, Fran?" He reached for her arm.
"Oh, geez!" She slowly slumped back against the cushions and looked at the ceiling. Max stared at her, almost afraid of what she might be reliving. She covered her eyes with both hands and took a deep breath and sighed. "I can't believe I didn't remember that, even when you were asking me about things. About things before Danny."
"Darling, you're about to give me a heart attack! Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, sweetie! I didn't mean to freak you out." She reached for his hand and squeezed it in both of hers. She took another breath and looked at him. "We were talking about heartbreak before. You asked if I ever had my heart broken. But sometimes, you know, we learn about that sort of thing from watching other people go through it. Like Friday night - when you told me all of that about Sarah. It hurt me to see you going back through all that again, to see how it hurt you. I know that'll probably affect me forever. It'll affect how I see you, how I come to know you. Well, I must have blocked some things from my mind over the years." She paused for another breath, remembering back. Max leaned back against the cushions next to her and held both of her hands in his. "So, back in high school- I guess it was Freshman year? Yeah, Freshman year. There was sort of a pack of us girls. It wasn't always all of us hanging out together, but at any given time it would be most of us. And there was this one girl- even though she was our age, she looked a bit younger. She was a little quieter. We kind of watched out for her, like a little sister. Her name was Veronica, but we mostly called her Ronnie. She was really pretty- I mean really pretty- but she never acted conceited or anything. It was like she didn't think she was all that good looking. All the dirtbags at school would always be coming at her, you know? Some would try to be smooth, some were just the absolute worst. So we kind of fought them off for her. That was back when I was really tough. We had to be.
"So, I guess it was later in Freshman year, towards the end of the school year, maybe. She met this guy that she liked, and he seemed to like her a lot, of course. He was her first boyfriend, so we kind of gave her advice on what to do, and what to not let him talk her into. From what I remember, she really was trying to do everything right. She didn't want to get into any trouble, and he didn't seem to pressure her at all. We thought he was an okay guy. He was a bit quiet, too, from what I remember. She went out with him through the summer and all of Sophomore year. When we were hanging out with different boys, he was sort of a constant with her. I mean, he didn't really hang out with us a whole lot. He played sports so sometimes we'd go to the games. But the two of them would go on dates when they could, or would hang out together, separate from us.
"Then, I remember it was that summer after Sophomore year, because that's when our parents would let us go do more things, because the kids were all getting their driver's licenses. We had so much fun. So, she was gone a lot of the time, off with him, or working her summer job. But we'd get together once in a while. We should have realized something was off, because he didn't want her hanging out with us all the time. She would say he was shy, or just wasn't comfortable around so many people. I don't think he had much of a sense of humor. Before, we all thought he was kind of okay, that maybe he just had to warm up to us. Because we could be a bit much, you know? But by that summer, we just weren't sure what she saw in him, but figured she'd see that on her own. So we weren't there enough to watch out for her." Fran got quiet again, remembering.
"What happened with them?" Max asked. Fran looked over at him, with a sad expression.
"Well, you know how when you're a kid, and you have a fun, crazy summer, and it's getting close to time to go back to school? Like on that movie Grease, people meet and have a good time, maybe they go all the way, either because they're sure they've met 'the one,' or they figure they have nothing to lose. Maybe they don't go to the same school, so they won't have to run into each other if things get weird. So, um, the rest of us quit our summer jobs early so we'd have some time to really hang out before the first day of school, but Ronnie- she was a good girl, you know? Always on time, always had her homework done, never snuck out at night. She was good at her job. So we go over there to visit her. She was a waitress at this diner the next town over. We go in and get a table and look around for her and don't see her. So we ask another waitress where she was, and she says she didn't show up for work, and didn't answer the phone. We thought maybe she was sick, or she finally got rebellious and skipped out for the day.
"We all kind of split up when we left. The other girls wanted to go to the beach, and I walked Val home because she had to babysit. And I just had this weird feeling, you know?" Fran took a deep breath and started to get a little red in the face, as if she was getting angry. "So after I left Val, I went over to Ronnie's to see if she was home. I knew her parents were at work, so when nobody answered the buzzer, I got inside when somebody else came out of the building and I went upstairs to their apartment. I kept knocking on the door over and over, and no answer, so I started yelling for her, telling her it was me, and please come to the door and let me know she was okay. I just knew she was there. It must have been ten minutes, but finally I hear the locks on the other side being unlocked, then the door opened a crack and I see her, in the dark, her eyes all swollen from crying. She still had the chain on, so I begged her to let me in and talk to me. She lets me in. I locked the door back, then pulled her back to her bedroom. I was afraid she wouldn't talk if she thought somebody might come in the front door and interrupt.
"I shut her door and locked it and she started crying her eyes out again. I thought maybe they broke up, and it just hit her really hard, you know? But- well, that was only a small part of it." She looked at Max and gulped hard. Max was riveted to the story. "That jerk- apparently he had sweet talked her and made promises, said everything she wanted to hear, of course. But he didn't push her into getting physical until the end of that summer." Max's heart sank. "But it wasn't like the usual hormonal teenage boy stuff. She told me some of the things he had started saying to her. About us, about how she should spend time with him if they were going to be together the rest of their lives. The bastard was grooming her. You know how they say abusive men do things like that- get the girl away from her friends and family, get them to depend on the guy so they feel like they can't leave, and have to do what they say? Like a sociopath. She never saw it coming." Fran shook her head from side to side and closed her eyes. Max gulped and wasn't sure what to do. He shifted next to her, to see if she wanted him to put his arm around her. She did.
"It turned out that her parents weren't at work. They'd gone on vacation without her. She told them she wanted to keep working and earn some more money, but she stayed home so she could see him. You know what? Her parents didn't even know she was dating him! She never lied to her parents. She had no reason to lie about him. I don't know if he had some line to get her to keep it a secret, or if some part of her thought her parents wouldn't approve. So I guess once her parents left, she let him come over. He said something like how they could pretend it was their apartment and they were making a life together. It would be like practice for their future together. Got her really wound up, you know? Like he really loved her and they would be together forever.
"A couple days before I went there, apparently he was there, saying his usual things, playing like everything was great, and they weren't doing anything wrong. Well, he seduced her. Said all the right things, and nobody was there to stop it from happening. I guess it happened more than once before he finally left. He had stayed the night, then left in the morning and said he had to go home and get changed for work. I guess she was a bit overwhelmed, you know. She just lost her virginity. She didn't even have a phone number for him! He told her his mother, or both of his parents, or something, that they were alcoholics and he didn't want her to have to see that or deal with them, or whatever. So, she had that day off from work, and usually he called to check on her, and he didn't call. So that night she goes over to where his apartment building is and she looks at all the buzzers, and can't find his last name. She asks somebody there and they don't know who she's talking about. He doesn't live there! So she thinks maybe she has the wrong building, so she checks a couple other buildings, even though she knows for certain the first building is the one he told her he lived at. My god, you can imagine what she was going through!"
"Oh my god!" Max's face was white.
"She goes to a take out place that has a phone, and goes through the phone book to find the number of the place he worked at, and she calls over there. They don't know who he is. He doesn't work there."
"What?! You're kidding me!"
"No, I'm totally not! She's in a panic, and rushes home. Can't figure out what to do. He doesn't come over, he doesn't call. Nothing. That was it from him. He doesn't even say he wants to break up with her. I think she cried that whole night and the next day until I got there, then we both cried. And boy, I wanted to kill him! I was so mad! But I was scared for her, too. Her parents were gone, and school started the next week. I called her job and told them she was sick, so for them to just consider her done for the summer because she wasn't likely to be able to come back. Then I told her we all had her back. That we should have had her back before, and watched out for her. She was scared for anybody to find out, and I made sure anybody we might have to tell would keep it a secret, but that if we ever saw that bastard again, we couldn't be certain what we would do. I called Val and she came over that night after babysitting, and we made a plan. We made sure there was someone there with Ronnie every day and night until her parents got back. We just told our parents we were having sleepovers before school started up again.
"Um…" she closed her eyes for a moment before starting the story again. "She couldn't tell her parents. But she was scared she might have gotten pregnant. Thankfully she didn't, but we had to let her parents know. She was really destroyed. She was completely depressed and could barely take care of herself. She went from being so pretty and happy, to this pale mess. She didn't want to wear makeup, didn't want to fix her hair, nothing. Her parents deserved to know why, and why all of us were taking turns with her so much. We felt like it was our fault, you know? We didn't look out for her. We didn't see what might happen. We were too busy having our own fun." She got quiet again, and Max pulled the blanket up over her more.
"Did you ever see that boy again?" He asked, carefully. Fran nodded.
"When school started. I think her father was ready to file charges against him, but they were technically of age at the time. It was sixteen for consent. They couldn't do anything. And anyway, nobody knew where to find him. Until school started. We all had a lot of classes together, but it turned out she had two classes with him and none of us were in those. He would act like he didn't know any of us, even though everybody at school knew they were seeing each other before. She said when no one was looking, he would give her these looks- these icy looks like she better not say anything, or tell anybody. But that was too late. Because we knew. We didn't tell any of the boys we were friends with, but they totally knew something was up. We definitely insinuated some things, so the guys wouldn't ask questions. Ronnie was afraid everyone would think she was horrible for letting it happen, but we tried to explain to her how he played her, and he played her for such a long time. He played all of us, just enough to get what he wanted, then he was done with the game. There was definitely something wrong with him, mentally. But boy, we dished it out at him every chance we got. The word kind of spread around, at least through our grade, that he was a sicko bastard. And everybody really liked Ronnie, and saw how the whole situation affected her. It destroyed her. She wasn't recovering from it. After all he did to her, how he manipulated her, then to have to see him at school every day? That's abusive. So abusive. But he at least got a little of what was coming to him. We never figured out who it was, or if it was more than one person doing it, but at least once a week he would come to school with a black eye, or cuts on his face, or he'd be walking funny like he'd been punched, or kicked. I mean, not that I condone that, but that's one bastard who deserved it. He even got kicked off the baseball team, but I'm not sure why. Probably for fighting, but he always got the worst of it. But nobody else got kicked off the team. They probably told the coach why, so the coach took sides."
"My god, Fran, I'm so sorry she went through that, and all of you girls, too. I'm glad you stuck with her. But what happened after all that? Was she okay?"
Fran sighed. "No. Pretty quickly she started skipping those classes. She couldn't change her schedule at all and stay on track. Her parents wanted to complain to the school and get him removed from the classes, but she told them no. She wasn't doing any of her schoolwork, and her parents had to come in for meetings. They couldn't tell the teachers why she was failing, but they all knew something had happened. It's like everybody knew but wouldn't say it out loud, or go after that bastard. His parents never got called to school. Maybe they actually were alcoholics or something. It might explain some of his behavior. But anyway, he got his weekly beatings. We wondered if it was her father that might have done it, at least once, but we didn't know. I know a lot of boys at school got their shot at him, but kids kept that kinda quiet. He'd just show up again with more bruises and then everybody would shove him around in the hallways. It was like he didn't care. Maybe he was a sociopath. Which is scary to think about. But he was gone all of a sudden before the end of the semester, and we don't know what happened to him. Ronnie ended up dropping out after about a month of school. She just couldn't take it anymore, and her parents were really scared for her. They had good jobs and couldn't move. At least not right away. And Ronnie had a little brother that was in school, too. So, she had an aunt in Pennsylvania who offered to help, and Ronnie ended up moving out there to get away. It all happened kind of fast, from what I remember. We all went over there to say goodbye to her. Gave her all our mailing addresses and made sure he had our phone numbers and we got her aunt's number. Said we'd call and write and everything we thought we needed to say. So her parents drove her out there. Sometimes we'd call her parents to see how she was doing and get updates. But we knew from their voices that it wasn't good. I imagine she was afraid to get back into school out there. It would have been too much for her. I think she started working somewhere. We wanted to go see her during vacations, but we couldn't. And then we found out her parents had found jobs out there, so they moved. We never got to talk to her, and she didn't write us. Maybe any kind of reminder was too much. And we didn't get any more updates from her parents. It was just like, poof, the situation's over. The people involved are gone away. What can you do, you know?"
Max ruffled his hair and shifted around, then turned to Fran and hugged her, hard. She wrapped her arms around his middle and let him hold her for a while. She couldn't believe she had forgotten all of that. Why would she have blocked that out? Or did she simply just forget? After telling Max the story, she felt for certain that the whole episode must have had a big impact on her. Maybe much more than she realized. The feel of Max holding her like that, and being there with her, gave her so much reassurance. She felt like a teenager again- trying to help a friend through a horrible situation. Only this time, she had someone there to comfort her.
"For what it's worth, darling, I think you did the right things, the best that you could figure out. I think you all did the right things. You were just kids, you couldn't have really known how bad that boy was. He was intentionally doing things to not let anyone figure him out, especially her. Maybe he was a sociopath. Then he could have targeted her long before they started dating. It sounds like you all taught her what to watch out for, and that she was doing a pretty good job being careful. But he seized that opportunity and did what he did. And it was wrong. I just hope he never hurt anyone after that."
"Yeah. But I was afraid he may have done that to other girls before her. Maybe girls that didn't go to our school. Because it was like he had a lot of practice and knew exactly what to do. Anyway, when he stopped showing up at school, we were kind of relieved. Finally relieved. We assumed maybe he dropped out, too, or maybe he got arrested for something. He didn't have any friends as far as we knew. Especially after what happened. Nobody would talk to him at all, unless it was to call him a name or something. Uh! Yuck! I don't want to think about it anymore. But why did I forget about that, Max? That had to have affected me. But why was that memory buried so deep? That bothers me. I mean, not that I want to keep thinking about all that. It was pretty awful, and scary. And it made me so mad! Really, really mad! Mad for a long time. We went from such a fun summer, to just this big, awful mess that we couldn't fix. We couldn't undo it all for her and make it better. That really is too much for a kid to have to deal with. I just think of Maggie- if she went through any part of that… oh, it would crush me!"
"Oh, don't say that. Now you see why I get scared. For all of you. But maybe- maybe you should talk to Maggie about all of this. Tell her what happened. Maybe there's something positive she could get from it. Maybe she could stop a friend from ending up in the same situation, or preventing herself from… god, I can't even say it. Or think it. Why do males have to behave so horribly? That's just awful! I mean, I'm not a violent person, I don't wish violent things on people, but I honestly really do hope he got his come-uppance. Whatever the universe feels he deserved, I hope he got every ounce of it, and then some. And as a parent, I'm glad you all talked to her parents. I can't imagine how hard that would be for a girl to have to do. She really needed you all there for her. Maybe especially you." He kissed Fran on the forehead and hugged her tightly again. It made her feel really good. And safe. Which was exactly what she needed to feel just then.
"It's weird, telling you all of that. I didn't even know I had it in me. But it kind of does feel like a weight off of my shoulders. One I didn't even know I had."
"I'm glad. And I appreciate you telling me. All of it. And I know it had to have affected you pretty deeply. It had to. That's probably why it got pushed to the back of your mind. You still had to grow up, too. You were just a teenager, not sure of how to process all of that. And when they had all left, it wasn't right in front of you anymore. In time, you move on. If Ronnie needed to separate herself from all of that, even from all of you, so she could heal and move on with her life, then maybe it needed to happen that way. You were a strong young woman, Fran. And you still are. You did all the right things, and it couldn't have been easy. Not even for an adult. So, if it makes a difference, I'm proud of you. I'm proud of that young Fran for listening to her gut and going to find her friend, and taking care of her. And thank you for telling me. That must have brought a lot of emotion back, I could see it in you. Do you want to talk about something else for a while? Change the subject to something lighter?"
"Yes! That would be good. I didn't mean to bring the mood down like that, after we were having such a good time."
"Hey, it's alright, darling. We knew that could happen, though, right? If we're going to try to talk about things we need to talk about, then that can happen. And it could happen again. So we just talk, okay? Whatever it's about. It's how we'll get to know each other that much better. So what would you like to change the subject to? Something happy? Or funny? Lighten the mood again?"
"Sure, yes. Something funny. Maybe we can watch a comedy later. A really good comedy. And take our minds off all the depressing things for a while."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, darling." Fran shifted and got comfortable up against him, and wrapped her arms around his middle as he covered them in the blanket. They looked out the front door at the snow, still falling, and they were glad they were inside, under the blanket, with the fire going, and with each other.
"So, what's a good comedy we could watch?" She asked.