The days following that emotional Halloween night went by as pleasantly uneventful. The days were officially shorter due to daylight savings time but that didn't stop our ordinary routine. It felt nice to still feel so inspired while sitting still for a change. The only thing that caused me a little bit of anxiety was the fact that holiday season was pretty much already here. Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away and I don't think Scout has mentioned anything to anybody in Maycomb about our relationship. Things were going better than I had ever hoped and I didn't want to ruin anything adding her family into our equation so soon.

"It's Sunday," I mentioned one morning while I was thumbing through the Times.

"So?" Scout asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee. I swear she drinks a whole pot by noon.

As if one cue, the phone rang and Scout looked slowly up from her coffee mug. I smirked at her from behind the newspaper while she smacked it in my face. It didn't bother me and I watched her walk to the telephone with the same grin. I had to refrain from laughing when she so cheerfully answered the phone.

"No, I'm all right, Aunty," she said while she looked at me and raised her fist in the air. I gave her the finger and she unclenched her fist to show me her finger. We are such mature adults.

"Well, gee, Aunty," I heard her say next. "I don't know about Thanksgiving..."

That was when I folded up my paper and headed into the bathroom. My anxiety got the better of me and I couldn't listen to any of that anymore. I decided to hop in the shower and hopefully she would be off the phone by the time I got out. The only problem is that I'm am as graceful as a bull in a china shop when I'm nervous. I almost twisted my ankle just trying to get into the damn tub. I turned the water on too hot and I had to refrain from shrieking. I learned something new from this shower though: Prell shampoo is poison for your eyeballs. I screamed like a little girl and it made Scout come running.

"What the hell?" She said as she pulled the shower curtain open.

"Shampoo got in my eyes."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Scout mumbled as she grabbed a towel. "Here, wipe your eyes."

"So, what's going on?"

"About what?"

"About Thanksgiving."

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know."

"I don't know," she said as she took the towel away from me and slunk on the toilet seat.

"Do you want to go home?"

"I guess it would be a good idea."

"But do you want to is what I'm asking."

"Well, what are you going to do? Do you have any plans?"

"Not in particular."

"Well," she sighed as she got up and went to the sink. She studied her face in the mirror before she spoke up again. "If you're brave enough, you can always come with me and face all my family again."

"You act like you're not brave enough to see your own family again."

"I'm not," she said as she looked down at her feet. "I mean, I love Jem and Atticus and all that but things are different now. I still can't get over what happened over the summer."

"I think you should go," I said on the spot.

"You do?" She asked as she looked up at me with an incredulous look.

"Start fresh," I said as I grabbed the towel back and got out of the tub. "I think you've already went through the worst."

"What about you, though?" She asked as she turned around to look me in the eyes. I wrapped my arms around her waist as I was about to speak my peace.

"You need to go for yourself this time. I can look after things here while you're gone. We'll be just fine, it will all be just fine. You'll see."

"I'll miss you, though."

"It's only for a few days. If I can survive fifteen years without you, I can survive a few days."

"You're so sweet," she said as she gave me a kiss. "You always make things feel like they're going to be all right."

"Until Christmas," I joked off-handedly. Scout just laughed, though.

"Jem's getting married December 14th and I'm planning on staying in Alabama until New Year's; you can come with me then."

"Sounds good," I said as I pull her close to me. "Jem's getting married?"

"Shit, I never told you?"

"No."

"Her name's Sara Ann and she's really pretty."

"Scout Finch pretty?"

"Shut up."

There was the Scout Finch that I knew and still love.