Rumor Has It.…
By Meggie
(Continues after "Boys Night Out" RR)
The warm water beat against her face and body. She stood there for several minutes, hoping the heat would soak into her, make her feel better. Meggie finally turned the water off and reaching for a white towel, stepped out of her shower. She wrapped it around herself and walked towards the sink. On the counter, she picked up some hair clips and pulled her long hair up into a messy bun. Her reflection in the mirror caught her attention, prompting her to stop and look.
Jeffrey had a great time with the ladies tonight….
Yeah, I saw the way the sheilas all kissed him when he stood up to congratulate them….
Did you hear about the brunette? Cheri, I think….
She really came onto Jeffrey there in the back of the bar….
He looked like he enjoyed it for a bit….
Meggie had heard the rumors, the tale from the Glen boys’ "Night Out" party, as it had been dubbed. Seemed like it had been a lucky night for many of them. Arthur, Colin, Jason. Leaning her head against the wall, Meggie’s heart felt like it had been torn into pieces, just like the photograph she had ripped up earlier. She wasn’t going to cry, she’d done enough of that to count for a lifetime of troubles. And besides, she’d told Jeffrey they needed some time apart.
A hysterical laugh came from her mouth: she’d told Jeffrey what he had been ever so diligently pointing out during their relationship. So why should it matter what he did or whom he did it with? They had shared no vows to be faithful to one another. They weren’t married, hell, not even proposed. He was free to do what he wanted now. And evidently moving on proved to be easier for him than she was finding it to be for herself.
"Stop it," she muttered, turning away from her reflection and entered her bedroom to get dress. She was going to start her life over, now, with or without Jeffrey. Maybe he had been right all along, she thought, pulling out a light brown top and her jeans to wear. He couldn’t, wouldn’t open himself up to her out of fear, rejection, pain, and loss. She couldn’t "give" herself completely to him out of fear and pain. Of the unknown of what would happen between them after they took that next step. Would it mean as much to him as it would to her? Or would he simply shut down and enter that dark "Wigand Hole," as she called it, not satisfied, or worse, disappointed?
Meggie sat down on the edge of her bed and put on her gym shoes, tugging the laces tightly. Cheri…did she make him feel more like a man, more alive and open? Shaking her head, her mind continued to argue with her heart. Poor Meggie…never had sex and wouldn’t know what to do…. That remark still caused her deep pain and insecurity, cutting her soul deeply like a knife.
She stood up, and walking over to her bay window, gazed outside to see what the day looked like. Sunny, probably warm again, without a cloud in that big, blue ocean above. The paddock and barn both remained empty. Turning around, she headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. Today she’d start making changes. First, she wanted her own horse and to learn how to ride. Next, she wanted to go back to working with books and people, even kids. Reading meant the world to her, and she wanted to share that gift of exploring and discovering new worlds and ideas with others. Maybe even start a monthly book club for the others in the Glen to participate in.
Joimus. She had mentioned that Alistair Harris, the reverend living in the mill, wanted to clear out some of his book collection, perhaps moving it to another location making it available for others to use. Now that sounded interesting. Meggie set her cup and bowl in the sink and headed towards her front door. She’d see about meeting with the Reverend and discussing this matter. And then she would check out horses. One step forward, she told herself as she stepped outside of her house.
The front yard, filled with trees, still felt rather empty. She always enjoyed watching birds and squirrels, and wondered, if she put out feeders, would they start showing up like they did back in the States. Something else to put on her to-do list. And flowers, she wanted to plant some flowers and bushes too. Give the birds a place to rest or seek shelter. Didn’t Joimus mention something about a greenhouse that sold all kinds of flowers and shrubbery?
All these ideas temporarily eased her emptiness inside. But what about Jeffrey? Maybe the rumors were simply that, rumors, just men bragging as they were so easily capable of doing around other men. Yes, she’d go see Jeffrey, just to say…what? Hello? I miss you? No, she’d let him know she was moving on like he was without her, and that she was doing okay on her own. Climbing into her Jeep, she headed towards town.
Jeffrey rolled onto his back, every nerve and inch of his body stiff and aching from the other night. He ran his hand through the messy grey hair, trying to gather his thoughts and make sense of everything. Meggie…the note…Cheri. Oh God, he thought, memories coming back to him quickly, filling his mind with images from the night before. Cheri’s lips on his mouth, her warm breath against his skin. Cheri’s voice, mesmerizing and so seductive. Her hands...on his neck, his leg, in his hair. Jeffrey suddenly sat up frowning. He remembered enjoying the moment of pleasure it brought him, how alive he had felt with the sudden absence of a heartache. And then the name that came rushing from his lips. Meggie….
Wearing navy boxer shorts, Jeffrey hobbled from the bed and decided to take a cold shower to help him think. Glancing at his nightstand, the clock said 10:35 a.m. He entered his bathroom, stopping to gaze at his own reflection. Tired and bloodshot eyes; sadness; the stubble of hair on his face. Sighing, he turned on the water and began to undress.
She stopped the Jeep outside of Millie’s. Taking the keys from the ignition, she paused for a moment, unsure of what to do or say next. Last time this scene had happened, she had met Ivy and was unaware that Jeffrey was even in Australia, let alone right here in the Glen, looking for her.
Okay, Meggie, you can do this. One step…keeping moving forward and don’t look back. She soon found herself going up the stairs in the boarding house and staring at Jeffrey’s door. She started to knock, and then stopped. Biting her lip, she almost considered turning away, and just eliminating this step all together. No, keep going. You can do this.
Meggie knocked, waiting to hear any sound coming from behind the door. The seconds felt like eternity waiting for Jeffrey to appear, to open the door and be standing there with the same look on his face. She knocked again. Oh God, she thought, what if he had passed out from drinking too much again or was hurt or something?
Instinctively, she grabbed the door knob and turned it, finding it unlocked. Meggie entered, looking around. Jeffrey’s bed was empty, sheets in a tangled mess. His clothes were piled in a chair next to the small wooden desk in his boarding room. She didn’t notice the sound of the shower running; instead, what caught her attention was something red on Jeffrey’s white shirt. She picked it up, holding it in front her.
Red lipstick. On the collar. Meggie winced. So the rumors were true after all. She touched the stained mark, her fingers lingering for a moment before she pulled her hand back.
"Meggie?"
She had been too absorbed studying the lipstick stain that she had failed to see Jeffrey enter the room. He stood there, a green towel wrapped around his waist, his chest and hair still damp from the shower. Meggie glanced up quickly, caught off guard, and starred at Jeffrey for a few moments before turning away.
"I…you didn’t answer when I knocked…thought maybe…" she stuttered, trying to make coherent sentences despite the deep blush on her face and the sudden warmth that filled her body.
Jeffrey frowned, confused and surprised to see Meggie in his room. He noticed she was holding his shirt from the night before and knew she must have seen the lipstick stain. Moving towards her, he reached out to take the shirt from her hands. Setting it down on the chair, he took a step towards her. The embarassment on her face had been replaced by confusion, pain, and anger.
"Darling, what are you doing here? Here, let’s sit down," he suggested, pointing to his bed.
"No. I…just stopped by to…."
"Meggie, let me explain."
Explain? Explain what? Did he think she needed, no, wanted to hear every detail from his one night of pleasure with Cheri? Crossing her arms, she turned away from him, tensing up.
He knew what she was thinking, imagining, and wondered how much of the night’s activities had made its way through the grapevine.
"Meggie, whatever you’ve heard…."
"It’s nothing. You don’t have to explain yourself to me."
"It was a foolish mistake. Too much to drink, and…."
"Cheri," she muttered through tense lips.
Jeffrey shut his eyes. She knew, or thought she knew, his mind sputtered. Reaching out, he gently turned her around to face him. "Meggie, I’m sorry. I wasn’t…."
"Did she make you feel better? Did you open up and share your deepest fears and feeling to her? Was she good in bed?" The bitterness spewed from her lips as she fought back the tears, stunning even herself.
Jeffrey shook his head. "No, it’s not like that. I didn’t sleep with her. She came on to me…" he stopped, wondering if she needed to know every detail.
Meggie’s blue eyes filled with pain remained fixed on Jeffrey’s face. "I can see that, the lipstick on the collar. Not my shade, too bright and gaudy, actually."
"Listen. I went out with the guys that night to get you out of my mind. I had some drinks with the guys, and then a group of rugby ladies came into the bar to celebrate their big win. I was sitting in the back of the bar, drinking when she came up behind me."
She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to hear anymore.
"She…do you want to know every detail?" he asked with anger mounting in his voice.
"Yes." Meggie replied, lying.
"Cheri started massaging my neck, whispering in my ear, running her fingers through my hair. For a moment, I…it felt good and I thought of you. Then your name slipped from my lips. Cheri, well, she…God, Meggie, I didn’t sleep with her, okay? I practically threw her off of my lap and sent her to the floor trying to get out of my seat and away from her."
Meggie shook her head slowly, not wanting to know or hear anymore. She quickly headed towards his door, stopping to turn around and face him before leaving.
"I just wanted to say…I’m glad you’re able to move on. I am too, starting today. You don’t need to worry about me, I’ll be fine on my own. Always have been." Meggie took one last moment to stare into his face, memorizing every detail of his skin, his mouth, his eyes. "I…hope she makes you happy. You deserve to be happy. That’s all I ever wanted for you."
"Meggie, no. Wait." Jeffrey moved towards her, trying to stop her from leaving. But it was too late. She had already left his room. Stunned, he stood there, staring blankly into space.
Hurrying down the stairs, Meggie climbed inside her Jeep and backed out in a hurry. Tears fell hard from her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away as she drove away from the boarding house, from Jeffrey, and away from a dead dream.
