Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Eight
Melly's funeral was a quite simple funeral. Everyone in polite society in Atlanta had attended. Scarlett had smiled when she saw Belle there. If Scarlett hadn't hated the woman so much, she would not have recognized her. The woman was certainly dressed down. The first few times one of the matrons asked Scarlett where Rhett was, she had said, "He had to leave town on an emergency." When Mrs. Merriwether asked Scarlett where Rhett was, Wade had said, "He ran away like the coward that he is. He has deserted us once again." Scarlett's cheeks had turned red, but she did not correct her son. The boy had spoken the truth. When Mrs. Bonnell asked the same question, Wade replied the same way. Nobody else talked to them or asked them any questions.
The day after the funeral, Scarlett with India's help had made Ashley move to Hamilton House. They told the man that he would need help taking care of Beau. It was a nice lie and it made it possible for Ashley to save what was left of his conceit.
Within three days, Ashley and Beau were completely moved into Hamilton House, the little house on Ivy Street was up for sale, and all of Melanie's clothing had been disposed of, sort of. Scarlett had taken everything back to the mansion with her. There was a cameo that Scarlett had given Melanie during the first year of the war when they had money. Scarlett would never wear it, but she did want it as a keepsake. After she had gone through it all, she had taken the clothes to the Catholic Church. She had thought about making a quilt from Melly's dresses, but all the dresses had been pretty threadbare therefore it would not have been worth the effort. Scarlett had chastened herself by saying, 'You should have realized what a lousy provider Ashley was by the state of Melly's clothing. I was a child and I saw things as a child.'
The last thing Scarlett did before leaving Atlanta to spend time at Tara was pay Melly's bill with Dr. Meade. He had not wanted to take the money but eventually he had let Scarlett browbeat him into taking it. She was fine with having to make him take the money. She didn't understand Southerners and their pride which she thought was amazing considering she had so much pride.
After the funeral, she and the children had gone to Tara. She had found a bible in her mother's office. It was not her mother's bible but her father's. As she had been flipping through it, she found some passages that had been underlined. She read them every day. She embraced the words.
The family had been at Tara for three weeks when Hugh had telegraphed her and informed her that there were problems with the store, and she needed to return to Atlanta.
On the train ride, back to Atlanta Scarlett had decided to just sell the store. She just wasn't emotionally up to dealing with the store. Once she had talked to Uncle Henry, she found out she could not sell the store without Rhett's permission. That had, of course, infuriated her that he still had so much control over her life. The man that didn't want her. The man who wanted instead to divorce her despite the shame it would bring her. So, what else was new? Hadn't the man shamed her most of their marriage.
Since Scarlett couldn't sell the store, she would have to save it. She had spent the next two months getting the store back solidly into the black. She had made Hugh work with her the entire time. She was tutoring him on how to run the store. She was still thinking of selling the store. She could sell it to Hugh. He would do a decent job of running it with a little bit of training.
In December, there was Rhett's new settlement offer for a divorce. Scarlett had dealt with the offer quickly by telling Uncle Henry to tell Mr. Powe no.
There had also been Christmas. Scarlett thought about spending the holiday at Tara, but she had shelved that idea because she didn't want to spend it with Suellen or her memories of the Christmases with her family before the war. She decided to take the children to New York and Boston for the holiday. They had left on the nineteenth, the day after the children had gotten out of school. On the evening of the eighteenth, Scarlett had invited Ashley, Beau, India, PittyPat, and Henry for supper. Everyone had a fun time. After their guests had left, Scarlett allowed her children to open their presents. Wade's enthusiasm over his telescope made Scarlett's heart so happy. When Wade had thanked her, she had said, "Thank Ella she was the one who picked it out." Ella's enthusiasm for hair clips that would allow her to put her hair up made Scarlett so happy. She gave Wade all the credit. She did tell Ella, "You will need to be twelve before you can wear your hair up outside the house, but you can wear it that way in the house if you wish."
Pork had helped Ella and Wade get a picture of Scarlett and her children. He had not paid for it. Wade and Ella had the money. Instead, he had been the one to take the chosen picture to the photographer and instructed him to print another one. The photographer had smiled and said to Pork, "Another one." Pork had not known what he was talking about, so he simply said, "Yes." Pork had purchased the frame also with Wade and Ella's money.
When Scarlett had opened the present and seen the picture there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling also. She then hugged both of them. She had told her children, "I will put it on my nightside table. I will treasure it always."
Scarlett, Wade, and Ella had a delightful time in the North. The outerwear they had brought with them just wasn't thick enough. They had to buy some ready-made coats, mittens, and scarves. Readymade clothing had amazed all three of them. They had a wonderful time. Nobody talked about Rhett, Bonnie, or Melly except Christmas night. Ella had started the conversation when she said, "I miss having Aunt Melly's raisin bread."
"It was always good. Maybe I can get the recipe from Ashley."
"No, it wouldn't be the same."
"Of course."
Wade said, "Bonnie would have enjoyed sledding with us."
"She certainly would have."
"It would have been fun to learn how to … what was it called, Wade?"
"Ice skate. That would be fun. Who knew that visiting the North could be so much fun."
Both Ella and Scarlett had laughed. It was a forced laugh, but it was better than crying.
The three of them talked some more. Nobody said a word about Rhett. By then nobody was really missing him, certainly not the children.
As Scarlett later was sending everyone to bed, she said, "We survived our first Christmas without Rhett, Melly, or…" With a catch in her throat she had continued, "Or Bonnie."
Wade cheerfully said, "Yes, we did."
Ella looked at Wade, then at her mother and said, "It will be easier next year."
Scarlett smiled as she remembered that it had indeed been easier the next year and every year thereafter. Although, the day never went by without Scarlett thinking of her lost daughter. After Bonnie had been dead for over three years, she noticed that Ella and Wade had more or less forgotten their little sister. Scarlett knew it was part of the healing process but that didn't mean she liked it. Although often Scarlett wished she could forget about Bonnie altogether also. Thinking of Bonnie hurt always too much.
On the family's way back to Atlanta from their first trip North, Wade said, "I wouldn't mind living in either New York or Boston."
Ella said, "Me either."
Scarlett had replied, "We just might."
Bonnie's birthday had been a distressing day for Scarlett because she had been filled with so much guilt because she strongly remembered what she had felt that day. Not joy that she had another daughter but relief that the whole ordeal was over. She had stopped drinking with Rhett's departure but that night she had several drinks. She had tried to be a comfort to her children, and she guessed she was, but she wasn't sure. She herself was hurting so badly that it was hard for her to tell if she had comforted them or if she had burdened them with her emotional need.
In March there had been her birthday that thankfully nobody had mentioned. Right after her birthday was Rhett's latest offer. He had offered her a half a million dollars. That was a lot of money to turn down but at the time she still hadn't wanted to be divorced.
Scarlett wouldn't have divorced him or moved away from Atlanta, but four events happened one on top of another that convinced her to sign the papers.
Scarlett had reread the letter her Aunt Eulalie had written to her during the month of February. She had told Scarlett about her husband. Rhett was still in Charleston. He had lost the twenty pounds he had gained because of overindulgence of alcohol after Bonnie's death. He was in Charleston and spending time at the harbor. He, of course, was not welcomed at any social events the gentry were giving but he had been seen at the opera and the museums. He had been seen with a nice-looking woman a couple of times. Nobody knew who she was, but she looked like a very proper lady. Aunt Eulalie had written that he seemed at peace. That he had a calm demeanor about him. Rhett's mother had said that she thought he had come to accept his loss. At that moment she had known in her heart it was finally over. She would never be anything more than Bonnie's mother, which would mean pain and agony for what could have been. Her face would never be attractive or striking ever again. It would just cause him a painful memory. She knew then the marriage really had been over the day that Bonnie had died.
The next day Scarlett had picked up the note Uncle Henry had sent her regarding Rhett's latest offer. It was for a half a million-dollar settlement, the mansion, her business, Tara, and her children. It was an extremely good offer. Uncle Henry had written: You should seriously consider taking this offer. Being divorced will not be as bad for your reputation as staying married to Rhett Butler.
That note had let her know how seriously tarnished her reputation was that even being divorced would not have done any damage to her standing in the community.
Scarlett had been seriously considering taking Rhett's offer. She had been thinking about it for the last several weeks. She had been so torn. She didn't want to let Rhett go but she also had not wanted to pass up a half a million dollars when the man might never return to her. She had paused from looking at the note to look at the date on the calendar to see how long she had been considering taking Rhett's offer.
When Scarlett saw that the date was the tenth of April, hers and Rhett's anniversary. Tears had flooded her eyes. She had put the note down and walked away. She had left her office and the mansion. She had gone for a long walk.
On Scarlett's walk she had thought about her life. Primarily since that barbecue at Twelve Oaks. That girl that day was so vain and ignorant. It had never occurred to her that Ashley didn't want her as much as she had wanted him. It had never occurred to her that her life would be so completely different than it had been that day. It would never have occurred to her that a man would not want her. In fact, that man didn't want her so much that money was no object just to be able to rid himself of her.
Yet it was an incident involving Wade that had finally convinced her to sign the papers. Later that day, Wade had gotten into a fist fight with Bobby Fisher. Bobby's parents were part of the gentry in Atlanta. Wade had won the fight. Wade would not tell her what the fight was about, so she said, "I suppose Bobby said I was a murderer."
Wade had blushed and looked away. He had not spoken.
Scarlett gave a mirthless laugh and said, "Bobby said I was a loose woman."
Wade's face had gotten redder, but he still had not replied.
Scarlett smiled sadly and said, "Bobby said I was such a cold hard-hearted woman I didn't even grieve my daughter's death."
Wade had looked at his mother then and she saw the tears in his eyes. She had said, "Let's move to Boston. You can go to the preparatory school your father had attended."
"Thank you, Mother."
"Tomorrow I will make the arrangements. I will go see Uncle Henry first thing. You will not go to school any longer."
