"You know when I found out they messed up my registration and the course was full, I thought it be way worse?" Una says into the phone one evening. "But here I am working part-time in a lingerie store, living in the city with my sister, and occasionally her boyfriend? At least until next year?"
"Oh please let there be a staff discount?" Alec grins.
"Oh hush you," Una tells him blushing. "But yes there is."
"Well, you can also come here for school, put some of that lingerie to use?" he says casually with a grin.
"Oh sure, because I have twenty-five thousand dollars lying around," Una rolls her eyes. "That's what international students cost Alec."
"I mean I think if we get married, you can be considered a home student?"
"I'm not getting married to get cheap tuition, also isn't that almost like a felony?"
"Only if we don't mean to honour our vows?" Alec grins at her.
Una gives him a look. "I'm looking for a better job and then I will figure things out from there. I'm welcome to stay here in my room at home or at Faiths of course, but I need money and something to do to fill my time with."
"Makes sense," Alec says nodding his head. "Are you disappointed that you are staying home?"
"Yes and no?" Una says after a moment. "I like being home, but it always means seeing more of him, or them. This is tough enough as Faith is marrying Jem, he's understanding though at least. Faith and I are going to go dress shopping this weekend though, make a day out of it as I am her maid of honour. See what she likes and all that, and she says I can choose something for myself as well, but I rather do that at another appointment. It is wrong to not focus on her dress first."
"I'm sure you will have fun either way," Alec tells her. "What about the others from his family that must be awkward?"
"Far as I know, Mrs. Blythe is still holding one of her famous grudges, though her husband being a doctor is understanding and doesn't hold any resentment. Jem is lovely and authentic at thinking his brother is a fool, Nan is conflicted as we used to be decent friends, though her twin Di is close to Walter and refuses to even acknowledge me. Shirley his younger brother well I'm not entirely sure. I don't think he really cares, and Rilla his youngest sister is only sixteen and idolizes him so you can only imagine his attitude about it all." Una tells him truthfully. "which is interesting because apparently she spent the summer chasing after his friend Ken Ford, who was like go away little child I have no interest in barely legal affairs."
"Wait his baby sister was trying to shag his friend who is in his 20s?" Alec says mouth dropping.
"Indeed, kind sir," Una says shaking her head. "No one has said anything about it either, like how inappropriate it is for her to be doing such a thing."
"Come on, come out have some fun," Faith says to her sister. "We never got to celebrate my engagement together and a few other people and friends we'll be there as well."
"If I say yes, will you quit annoying me about it," Una looks at her sister.
"Of course," Faith flashes her smile. "Come on, we'll see what's in my closet for you to borrow."
"I have plenty of clothes!" Una objects.
"Yes for bookstores and nunneries," Faith teases her. "Come on live a little? I am sure if you message Alec he will tell you to go out and have fun."
So that is how Una found herself in fake leather black pants and her own sparkly blue top she had recently bought. She shakes her head, she felt out of place in this that was for sure.
The bar is the local watering hole essentially, half of the patrons are college kids home for thanksgiving, while the other half are old men drinking beer. She finds herself having more fun than she thought she might as she brushes up on her pool skills, and darts after two glasses of wine that go straight to her head.
When Alec's phone rings rather in the early morning, he is partially confused as the number that is calling should be asleep as it is the middle of the night. He answers it anyway.
"Is this Alec?" A man's voice asked which send him off into a not sure if he should be worried, afraid or possibly angry. "This James Blythe—"
James Blythe, Blythe as the famous Blythe family that haunts Una's life?
"Blythe?"He says, his voice narrowed and filled with shortness.
"Faith's fiancee, betrothed, groom-to-be," The man jokes awkwardly.
"What's wrong? What happened, why are you calling at 3 am?" Alec asks him, his defence falling slightly knowing that at least this Blythe was on the Meredith's side of things. But still, his voice was filled with edged steel. He didn't trust those Blythes, not fully anyway.
"There was an incident?"
"An Incident," the accent is cutting through.
"Look we took Una out to the bar, if we let her she'll just hole up in her room and never leave it," Jem tells me. "Faith persuaded her and he wasn't supposed to show up but he was drunk and heard about it," Jem says sighing. "Look, I'm calling you because I know this will torment her and I want you to know that she did nothing wrong, even though she will say that she did. She will think it's her fault when it's not. It's my bloody ass-hat of a brother who doesn't think about anyone other than himself. I just hope that if you heard it from me first, you will believe her and ultimately me and not be angry."
"What the fuck happened?" Alec growls. Definitely not how he thought his morning would go.
"We were drinking down at the local bar, playing pool and darts, which by the way. Una is brilliant at both." Jem tells him. "Everything was fine until my brother came in drunk. He got all uppity when he noticed Una was there. I mean it was a bar and what she was wearing was still more modest than most things girls wear, but I don't know it, but he started by saying she looked silly and the colour seemed off. That she looked better in her old clothing than in her new things. Which she looks lovely in, but tonight she was also alive and happy for a change. She ignored him at first. When he kept bothering her, she told him to get lost and went to look at her play pool. He grabbed her by the hips and I jump in telling him to keep his hands by himself, or I would drag him home myself and get Dad to talk to him. He sort of sobered for a moment and left her alone for a little bit."
"Can you just get to the point?" Alec asks him.
"He kissed her, and she slapped him, but she was crying that he ruins everything and that he can't believe he would do something like that, which I mean I can I'm his brother. He's probably the biggest idiot that I know lately. I mean she was still crying to Faith when we put her to bed, and now I'm calling you because we haven't seen her this happy in a long time and you can't…..you have to believe her, us when we tell you that it wasn't her fault."
"Do you really think I would not believe her?" Alec says, his voice filled with resentment from being insulted.
"Look I don't know, she's known you for two minutes," Jem says with a bit of bit. "But I know she likes you enough to be distraught about this and wanted to give you a heads up."
"Look, tell her it's fine I won't be mad, but please tell your twat-spanner of a brother to keep it to himself, unless he wants it coming for him?" Alec says.
"Twat-what?" Jem says utterly confused.
Alec sighs into the phone.
"Tell your c-t of a brother to keep his hands and lips off my girl, and I don't mean that in the affectionate British way," Alec growls. "Thank you for telling me though."
"Well Faith was going to, but Jerry figured if it came from me you might believe it more," Jem says honestly. "Really, no one likes this, and trust me brother or not, I am this close to neutering him myself.
It's late morning when Una finally wakes up, Faith is curled up beside her, like old days after their mother died.
She doesn't remember right away, but the more she thinks about the night it all comes slamming back at her.
She was having fun, dancing, playing pool and darts with Faith and Jerry, Jem was there as well. She had been wearing a pair of tight black pants and a sparkly blue top. Something she didn't think she would ever buy but it caught her eye and Rosemary said it would look good on her.
Walter shows up already half in the bag.
Walter trying to get her to talk to him.
Walter grabbed her, and when he didn't take no for an answer, he kissed her. For half a moment she almost kissed him back.
She chokes back a sob, curling into herself.
She could feel his hands hot on her back.
Why did she have to ruin everything? Is everything good in her life always ends up being dead or ruined?
She looks for her phone and realizes that it's not around.
Alec.
Oh god Alec
What would she tell him? She had promised him that Walter was a thing of the past.
"Calm down," she hears Jerry's voice. "You have the silent panicked look on your face," he explains from the doorway.
"How can I? My life is a bloody mess! How did I think I could manage to stay here?" Una says getting off the bed, her sister waking up from all the voices.
"It's okay Una, Jem took care of it,"
"Jem?" Una asks confused
"Yea Jem" Faith tells her yawning. "Not that Jerry didn't jump in and give him a black eye, either but come coffee first," she tells Una
Jerry doesn't hurt a fly, Jerry is passive and quiet in his approach to life.
"Why Jem?" Una asks her sister.
"Because he thought it if came from Me or Jerry, it would seem less honest? I mean it makes sense? If Jem calls about his own brother….it would have to be honest to go again family in such a way?" Faith tells her. Una finds herself sighing. It sounded like a fair enough assumption, but still, it made her angry that they called him without asking.
Una is still hidden away in the spare room when she hears Faith off in the kitchen area of the small apartment she and Jem shared in Charlottetown. At first, it sends her into shock when she hears his voice. Why was he here? Though Faith seemed to have it handled?
"Now Sit down and listen to me you weasel. I despise you, but you're my fiancé's brother so I have to deal with you. But you do not get to go around fucking with my sister. You do not mess up her chance at a relationship that is passionate and healthy and reciprocated and I don't like the fact I had to pick up my sister who was crying on the floor, while my brother had a bruised up fist while my fiancé guarded my sister, because you were drunk and kissed her and god know what else? Your ass should be in jail right now. Leave my sister the fuck alone, you didn't want her when you could have had her, you don't get to have her know when she wants nothing to do with you."
Una opens the door with a crack. "Faith Please," She says quietly. "I need some air," she tells her sister grabbing her jacket and shoes. Ignoring how Faith calls after her. She doesn't want to see him, she can't look at him right now. So she takes the one bus that goes out towards her small hometown. She doesn't go home, not yet anyway. Instead, she goes to the only place that she can think of.
Church, but it's not her father's church. She can't bring herself to go inside so she sits on the steps going inside.
"I didn't think I would find a Meredith on my steps"
"You're not going to kick me off of them," Una asks afraid. In Europe, no one cared or knew her. But here everyone knew her and her choices.
"If your welcome in your father's congregation, I see no reason to deny you whatever you are searching for here today,"
Una smiles weakly and plays with her bracelet from Alec.
"A Rosary," the father comments.
"Yes, from the Vatican actually, not that the person who bought me it would admit he bought me a rosary to me, let alone to his grandmother," she tells him. "I was in Europe and most of the churches I went to were catholic."
"Protestant?" He asks interest peaking.
"Church of England? So Anglican? Not that it matters, I messed that up as well,"
"I doubt that Miss Meredith," The Reverend hums. "You are very much like your mother, we knew each other when she was alive."
"Many people did," Una says quietly. "But I am far from like her, she was grace and patience and I am just a fool for thinking I could stay here again with all the potential trouble."
"Sometimes things happen for a reason, maybe God had a reason to get you to stay here instead of what you had plans for. Much like he gave you the reasons for your pilgrimage in Europe."
Una tries not to snort, God did not plan for all the premarital sex she had. Though meeting Alec had been a saving grace.
"Have you talked about what worries you?" He asks and Una can only shake her head. She hadn't the courage to call Alec yet. Nor has he tried to call her yet either.
"Maybe the fear you are feeling is the fear in itself and then his response?" He tells her.
"I just promised him that this wouldn't be an issue, and I'm back for almost a month and it already is? How is that going to look?" Una explains. "And sure my sister's fiances who is the brother of the person who creates all this trouble preemptively called and explained knowing I would be this way—but now it feels like I just had someone try and make excuses for me?"
"Did you wish whatever happened to happen?"
"God no! It's despicable knowing that he thought he could put his hands on me when he is with another and expecting a child as well!" Una cries.
"Then have faith and do not fear, talk to him and if he is a good person he will understand." The Reverend tells her simply.
Una sighs and looks at her phone. She still can't bring herself to call him. Such a coward she was after all, after everything. She ends up on the cliffs sitting on the tall grass, the wind whipping around her as she's stone.
How long did she sit there?
When she finally does call him, it's sent to voice mail.
She sighs once more standing up.
She walks back towards her home and it feels like an odd daydream when she walks into the old familiar kitchen to hear his voice coming from the living room.
She must look like she's a miss in her sister's hoody and last night's make-up and mused hair.
"What are you doing here?" She says bewildered and utterly confused.
"Well, funny thing this morning….I just jumped on a plane and came here?" He says with a certain amount of uncertainty.