Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Five
After the low-class women were seated, Melly stood up. She excused herself by saying, "I have some errands to run."
One of the Scallawag wives, Betsy Youngblood, said, "Just get your servant to run your errands for you."
Scarlett remembered Betsy because she was such an idiot. Scarlett stood up and laughed. She said, "Betsy, Melly is old fashion. She likes to run errands for herself. Come on, Melly. I will show you out."
As Melly and Scarlett walked to the front door, Scarlett said, "Just ignore Betsy. She is stupider than a mud swamp."
Melanie giggled. She said, "See you tomorrow."
"Wonderful."
"What do you think of the book Emma?"
"Let's talk about it tomorrow."
After Scarlett closed the front door, she hurried back to the parlor, so she didn't miss any of the fun.
Later that afternoon when Wade got home from school, Scarlett asked him all sorts of questions about his day. They talked for about ten minutes while he ate a snack. It was boring to Scarlett, but she wanted to form a relationship with her son, so she gave him her full attention. She never acted bored or impatient.
After Wade had finished his snack, he tentatively said, "Will you play a game with me?"
"Yes, but just one time. I must rest because of the baby."
"What baby?"
"The baby your mother is going to have in a few weeks. That is why Mother's stomach has gotten so large. There is a baby inside me."
"How did it get in there?"
"God put it in me."
"How will it get out?"
"That is a discussion for another time when you are much older."
"Alright, Mother. Do you want to play a board game with us, Uncle Rhett?"
As Scarlett turned around, she saw Rhett leaning against the door jamb. He was smiling. He was smiling like he had before they had gotten married. He was amused. It was something she knew she hadn't seen in a long while. It made her happy. She was reaching him.
"Yes, I think I will."
Wade, Rhett, Scarlett, and Ella played a board game. Once again, Ella moved her token all over the board. The first several times Ella moved her token, Rhett looked at Scarlett. The third time Ella did Scarlett looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. She said, "She is a rule breaker. She comes from a long line of rule breakers."
Rhett laughed. Not a snide, mocking laugh but a truly happy laugh. After the game was over Scarlett got up to leave.
As Scarlett started to leave the room, Rhett stopped her. He whispered, "I have been called many things before but never a god."
"Just hush up, Rhett."
Rhett would never hush up for long, so Scarlett scurried from the room. She knew he was going to tease her about that for the next several days. She was happy. He wouldn't tease her about that in a mean or malicious way. Just in an annoying way. The way he had teased her until they got married.
The next morning, Mammy brought Scarlett her breakfast tray. Scarlett smiled. She knew why the old nursemaid had brought her breakfast to her. It was to lecture her on the Scalawag wives being trash. Scarlett was not wrong.
Mammy said, "Miss Scarlett, you just can't be letting that white trash into your parlor. In fact, you shouldn't let them into your house."
"You are probably right, Mammy."
"Your mother would be rolling over in her grave at the thought of you treating those women like they were ladies."
"You are probably right about that too, Mammy."
"You should ban them from the house."
"I will certainly consider it once I am out of my confinement. Thank you for bringing me my breakfast. I can get myself dressed."
Mammy harrumphed and left Scarlett's room.
Scarlett smiled as she watched Mammy walk away. This was real. She could change hers and Rhett's destiny. She could save Bonnie's life. She paused. Could she avoid her daughter getting that nickname that had always reminded her of the war. She would try.
As Scarlett ate her breakfast, she considered if she was going to do anything about the Scallawag wives. She might as well stay friends with them and the Yankee wives. It wasn't like she could redeem her reputation now that she welcomed the Republican governor into her home. She still didn't understand how she had gotten the blame for that when the governor had been Rhett's friend not hers. She wondered once again why most women didn't like her.
In the fall of seventy-four, she had finally known she would never truly know why they hated her. She had made herself accept that it was because she didn't care about them or their silly rules. It was because for whatever reason, men always preferred her to any other woman. All except Ashley. She knew now that Ashley had just been the one that got away.
After Scarlett had lost Bonnie, Melly, and Rhett, she had not gotten an ounce of sympathy from the fine women of Atlanta. She finally truly stopped worrying about them and their opinion of her. Not caring about anyone else's opinion had been what had allowed her to embrace being a businesswoman. Her not wanting to get married had certainly allowed her to funnel most of her thoughts and energies into building her empire.
Scarlett briefly thought of Wade and Ella. In her old life, she had been part of their lives true enough, but she was not part of their day-to-day lives, despite the fact that Wade and Ella's husband, Bruce, both worked for Emporium. She probably had only seen them once a month on a personal level. They came to the mansion for Christmas dinner and her birthday supper. They invited her to their homes when they had a special event, but they never just dropped by or came by to tell her something new and exciting. She shook off those thoughts. She would do better this time. She was going to be a better wife and mother.
After Scarlett finished her breakfast and was dressed, she stopped by the nursery to play with Ella. It was only for a few minutes, but Scarlett decided that something was better than nothing. After playing with Ella, Scarlett went downstairs. As she went downstairs, she had thought, 'Ella is still a silly little girl. Maybe all two-year-old girls were. I don't remember Bonnie being silly, but I spent less time with her than I did with Ella.
Scarlett hoped Rhett wasn't home. She wanted to read his copy of The Economist and The Political Beat. She wanted to know how accurate the experts had been.
Scarlett found the latest copy of both magazines and took them to the parlor with her. When she heard the dinner chime, she rose from her seat. She decided they hadn't been far off from what had happened. She took the magazines back to their office and returned them to where Rhett had left them. She didn't mind Rhett knowing she had read the magazines. She just didn't want to listen to him make snide comments about it.
January fifteenth was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. It was a day meant to be spent outside. Nonetheless, Scarlett was stuck in the house. She played with Ella, talked with Rhett (who was treating her politely these days), checked on the preparations for Wade's party, and read her book Emma. As Scarlett was reading the book, she found it tedious, and she really didn't like the main character, Emma.
The party started at three thirty when Wade got home from school. The children were playing on the lawn. Wade and Beau were pretending to be Lee and Stuart with Ella being the Yankees.
Scarlett served sandwiches and different types of appetizers she had found in a magazine. After Rhett had tried one of the appetizers, he spat the item on the lawn. He turned and looked at Scarlett. Once he had her attention, he said, "Stop trying all these cutting-edge ideas. Stick to the tried-and-true ideas that have passed the test of time."
"Yes, Rhett."
Scarlett would have argued with Rhett, but the appetizers really had been awful. She hadn't been as gauche as Rhett to spit it on the lawn, but she had taken the food out of her mouth and placed it in a napkin.
Rhett who hadn't been nasty in several days when on, "Just like this eye sore you built and decorated. It is ugly. Don't tell me this design was in Harper's Bazaar. Just because something is in Harper's Bazaar doesn't mean it is pretty."
To Scarlett the décor was so dated that it made her cringe. This style had quickly gone out of fashion. She had redecorated the summer after Rhett had died. And five more times after that. She had always liked new styles. Furthermore, when it went out of fashion, she had Rhett's money to redecorate one more time.
Scarlett frowned and said, "What would you have me do about the décor?"
Scarlett noticed Rhett's slightly shocked expression. She knew that she had always defended the décor instead of responding to his complaint. She had acted like he didn't have any say in the type of décor they had. She could be excuse to that attitude somewhat because he had said the mansion was his gift to her. However, a caring person would have wanted to make her partner happy. She now knew that he never clearly voiced his opinion on matters. He just made mocking, sarcastic comments which didn't tell the other person anything. She also knew now that he wasn't angry about the décor or anything else. He had been using his other complaints as a smoke screen because he could not openly express his anger at her preferring Ashley to him.
Rhett said, "Rip it all out and start over again."
"That will cost so much money."
"It will be worth every penny not to look at this pile of…"
"Rhett! Melly is sitting right there."
"Please forgive me, Miss Melly
"Of course."
Scarlett asked, "Is there nothing we can salvage from the original design?"
"No, it is all ugly."
"I will start working on it tomorrow."
"You will clear any changes with me first. I don't want to go from ugly to horrible, although I don't know how that is possible."
"Yes, Rhett."
Rhett was eying Scarlett suspiciously. Scarlett knew she was being too docile, but the truth was she was tired of listening to Rhett complain about the décor of the mansion. His ugly comments had made her remember all the ugly comments he had made last time. It seemed the worse their relationship was the uglier the comments were. Where was that insight last time? Nowhere. She had no insight or awareness then because she had not cared about anyone but herself.
Scarlett said, "But I will not live in a house with bland, boring décor"
"The word is tasteful not bland and boring."
"After I make the changes that you have approved of you will stop burning up the rugs. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
Rhett looked more relaxed now that Scarlett had argued back. She smiled at Melly and said, "I'm sorry we are being so uncouth as to argue in front of you, Melly."
"It is alright."
The rest of the party was fun for everyone. Scarlett noticed that nobody was eating the appetizers. She guessed everyone found them awful.
Wade had gotten clothes, models, and books for his birthday. Scarlett was as surprised by the gifts as much as Wade. She had no idea what the boy had gotten the first time.
Scarlett walked Melly and Beau to the door when the party was over. Beau was carrying a sandwich but neither woman said anything. They both knew the boy was starving.
After the party was over Rhett asked, "Are you going to have another party for your Scalawag and Republican friends' children?"
"That sounds like a great idea, Rhett. I will just make it a casual get together. Wade would have so much fun. I will just invite everyone in his class."
"Are you supposed to be entertaining while in your confinement?"
"No, but I'm not entertaining. Wade is having some friends over. Let me go send the notes around. We can do it tomorrow after school. That way I can serve the same appetizers as I did today. We certainly have plenty leftover. Mrs. Cloud can make some more sandwiches and cupcakes." Scarlett hurried over and kissed Rhett's cheek. She said, "That was such a great idea."
Scarlett wasn't just doing it for Wade's sake but so the ladies would come over and entertain her which they did.
As it turned out it wasn't just the boys that came to the party. It wasn't just the mothers who came to the party. The fathers came to the party also.
As the Youngbloods were leaving, Clark, Betsy's husband said, "I really liked those appetizers."
Scarlett said, "Let me fix you up a plate to go."
"Thanks, Mrs. Butler. You are too kind."
Rhett said, "Scarlett has always been a fountain of generosity."
Betsy said, "That is true."
That night after Rhett and Scarlett had retired, he said, "Abraham Lincoln was right. You can fool some of the people all of the time."
Scarlett said without thinking, "You can fool some of the people all of the time."
Together they said, "But you can't fool all the people all of the time."
When Rhett looked sharply at Scarlett, she quickly added, "How much money did you make today?"
"Enough to pay for both parties."
Scarlett laughed and Rhett joined her.
Rhett said, "How many appetizers were left over?"
"Almost all of them despite the Youngbloods taking an entire plate with them."
The couple laughed again.
Scarlett sighed a sigh of relief while she was listening to Rhett's stories. He hadn't asked any questions. Lincoln's quote was something she definitely wouldn't have known at this time last timeline.