A Modern Day Persuasion (8 page)

“I knew this was how it would be. If there is anything difficult going on, men will be sure to get out of it, and Charles is no different. Look at him! He gets to go enjoy himself and just because
I
am the woman, I have to stay here. What do I know when it comes to medical care? I’m no doctor! I am just as useless as Charles is in that regard,” Mary ranted.

Anne tried to make peace. “Nursing doesn’t come naturally to men, Mary.”

Sulkily, Mary spoke, “Well, it doesn’t for me either, but do you see me avoiding my duty? It’s just that I don’t handle stress well. You saw how hysterical I was earlier. I’m quite exhausted. I hardly know which way is up. What good am I here?”

Anne looked at her sister, amazed at how different they were. Trying to hide the annoyance in her voice, she asked, “Mary, would you be comfortable spending the evening away from Nicholas?”

“Well, if Charles can, why shouldn’t I?” Mary justified while blushing slightly. “After all, the doctor
did
say Nicholas was perfectly fine.”

Anne looked down, knowing her eyes would betray her disappointment in Mary’s un-motherly and selfish nature. Sighing, Anne offered what Mary wanted. “If you wish to go, I’ll stay with the boys.”

Mary jumped at Anne’s suggestion, eager to escape. “Really?” she asked.

Anne nodded. Perhaps it was for the best. If Mary had stayed, Anne was certain the night would have been filled with continual complaints. This way at least, Anne could have some peace and quiet.

Chapter 13

Anne fell asleep in the chair next to Nicholas and Little Charlie. It had been a restless night and Anne knew her appearance would be the worse for it.

The sound of clicking high heels coming down the hospital hallway was like an annoying alarm. She opened one eye and looked at the clock—eight-ten in the morning.

“Rise and shine!” came the shrill voice of Mary.

Sitting up, Anne felt the effects of a poorly slept night.
Boy, Mary’s sure up early…no doubt she slept like a baby
! Anne thought crossly. Her joints were stiff after dozing pitifully on the hospital recliner. Glancing at the small mirror on the wall, Anne’s suspicions regarding her appearance were confirmed. She looked awful! With hair all amuck and clothes wrinkled, she was a dreadful sight to behold. Stretching, Anne instinctually yawned before heading towards the bathroom.

“You look ghastly!” Mary commented.

Anne grimaced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and made a half-hearted attempt to repair the ravages of a sleepless night.

“I bought you a croissant and coffee,” informed Mary. Anne gave up trying to salvage her appearance and accepted the coffee. The warmth of the cup felt good to Anne’s hands. “Has the doctor been in yet?” Mary inquired before taking a bite of her Danish.

“No, but the nurse is certain the doctor will send Nick home today. He was fine through the night.” Anne sat back down, exhausted. She glanced over at Mary and could tell there was something her sister was bursting to tell.

“Well…don’t you want to hear about the dinner?” Mary breathed with excitement. Anne immediately became alert. She had momentarily forgotten about last night. But before Anne could respond, Mary began to share. “Louise cooked again. Obviously a ploy to try and impress their dinner guest, but she really shouldn’t have. The chicken was so tough I could barely cut it. But…the real scoop of the evening wasn’t how badly Louise cooked.” Mary paused for effect, and then burst out, “It
was
him! Your old boyfriend! Rick Wentworth! He’s one and the same! I couldn’t have been more surprised! And not only that, he’s rather handsome. I didn’t remember him being so nice-looking, but then, I only got to see him once or twice since Daddy packed me off to boarding school. I’ll tell you one thing though…Etta and Louise sure noticed what a fine specimen he is. The girls ignored me the whole evening. You’d think they’d never seen a man before.” Anne tried to look surprised. Mary handed Anne her croissant. “Anyway,” continued Mary, “I found out he’s an author of all things. Charles told me he’s very good at it. He even has a fan club! Can you believe that?” Mary laughed. “Boy! Would my mother-in-law love to see him marry one of her girls! It’s so annoying.” Mary shoved the rest of the Danish into her mouth, then brushed the crumbs from her hands. “Well, Charles should be arriving soon,” Mary added. “Once again, it’s me that misses out on everything. First thing this morning, my husband headed back over to his mom and dad’s house. Can you believe that? And all because Rick was invited to breakfast. Charles and Rick really hit it off last night. They talked of nothing but hunting and fishing, blah, blah, blah, hunting and fishing.”

Mary heard what sounded like Charles’ voice in the corridor. To confirm, she walked over to take a quick peek into the hallway only to hurry back to Anne. “Oh my goodness, they’re here!” Mary exclaimed in excitement.

“Who’s they?” Anne asked, finishing up her croissant.

“All of them! Charles, Louise, Etta, and Rick Wentworth!”

Anne stood up, stunned, the color draining from her face.

Mary swiftly barked out an order, “No! Sit down! We don’t want to make it look like we were expecting them.” Anne obediently reclaimed her seat. Recalling how she looked, Anne touched her face and hair mournfully, then glanced down to her wrinkled outfit. Meanwhile, Mary quickly positioned herself closer to the boys to look more attentive and motherly. She roused her sleeping children, “Wake-up! Daddy’s coming!”

Charles and his entourage entered the hospital room with Louise and Etta quickly rushing to the boys with outstretched arms.

Anne looked up at Rick who didn’t appear to notice her. In a way it was a relief, yet at the same time, Anne felt invisible and that hurt. Studying Rick, Anne thought him even more handsome than she remembered. Rick’s eyes were still the same vivid sky blue, but made even more so by his tanned face and light brown hair. He wasn’t a pretty boy like some of the leading men in today’s movies. Instead, Rick looked rugged and strong yet still having a persona of kindness—something that made him all the more attractive to Anne.

“Rick, let me first introduce you to the invalid, our oldest son, Nicholas,” Charles waved an arm towards his firstborn. “The other is Little Charlie.” Rick smiled a greeting to the boys.

“Tell me about your accident,” Rick addressed Nicholas. The sound of his voice made Anne’s heart catch in her throat. It brought back a rush of old memories.

“I climbed up a tree and fell,” Nicholas answered matter-of-factly.

“Oh…and over there in the chair is my sister-in-law, Anne,” Charles said.

Rick turned to look in Anne’s direction only to nod nonchalantly. To anyone in the room, no one would have ever suspected that Rick had just been introduced to a woman he once asked to be his wife.

During these introductions, Anne had yet to breathe. With her hand clenched tightly to her chair, Anne slowly began to release her grip, but couldn’t ignore the devastation she felt at his unemotional greeting. It was a pain that penetrated deep within and stemmed from Rick’s seeming lack of recognition.

“Since the doctor has released Nick to go home this morning, I thought I’d take Rick out to my favorite fishing hole today,” announced Charles.

The girls got excited upon hearing this. “Do you mind if we come?” Louise asked.

“We love fishing!” Etta exclaimed.

Charles gave his sisters an incredulous look, then smiled wryly. “I thought you two didn’t care for fishing…”

Louise looked at her brother as if to say,
Keep your mouth shut
! Then with an air of feigned innocence, she responded, “Where did you ever get that idea.” After scowling at Charles for his betrayal, Louise turned her charms on Rick, gracing him with a beaming smile before adding, “It sounds like a lot of fun!”

Charles relented. “Well, if Rick doesn’t mind?”

“Not at all,” answered Rick.

“What about me? If they’re going, I’d like to go,” Mary said to Charles.

Charles glanced up in surprise, “But what about the boys?”

“Oh, Anne can take care of them, can’t you Anne?” Mary moved to grab her purse, not waiting for a reply.

Charles looked to Anne for confirmation and she nodded, knowing she hadn’t really been given a choice. However, secretly Anne was glad for an excuse to go home. It would give her an opportunity to take a shower…plus have a heart to heart conversation with God.
For one thing, why, oh why, did Rick have to show up when I was looking the worse for wear
?
This isn’t amusing, God
.

Chapter 14

Showered and refreshed, Anne settled the boys comfortably in front of the TV to watch cartoons. She had spent the afternoon trying to keep her energetic nephews somewhat calm, persuading them to stay on the couch while entertaining them with a wide variety of games, coloring books, and puzzles. By the time Anne was finished making homemade soup for dinner, she was wiped out. The sound of the front door opening was never so welcome. Anne peered around the corner just in time to see Mary greeting her sons with a kiss on their foreheads. Anne was back at the stove when Mary joined her in the kitchen.

“How was it?” Anne asked.

“Boring.” Mary took a spoon out of the drawer and sampled the savory smelling broth. “At each fishing spot, the men had to test the water, standing there for what seemed like forever. And to make matters worse, Etta and Louise couldn’t stop laughing the whole trip, acting like silly schoolgirls. I think it even wore on Rick’s nerves and who could blame him! Speaking of Rick, he did eventually admit to knowing you. However, he said you’d changed so much he barely recognized you.”

Anne felt as if a dagger had been plunged through her heart. She instantly averted her face from Mary to hide the devastation this remark caused.

Mary continued, not noticing the pain that had just been inflicted upon Anne. “I’m amazed at how fast he and Charles have become friends. Men are so much luckier that way… by the way, we’re getting together again tonight as well. Is dinner ready?”

Anne nodded. She didn’t feel much like speaking or eating. Mary pulled two novelty bowls depicting super heroes from the cupboard and started dishing up soup for the boys as Anne walked away.

Heading straight for her room, Anne struggled to keep her tears in check, finally allowing them to cascade at will as she fell onto her bed. Anne was crushed, all hope wrenched from her. What a fool she’d been! To think she believed Rick when he told her that no matter how much time passed, she forever possessed his whole heart. Obviously, that sentiment must have been contingent on her maintaining her looks! Anne studied herself in the mirror. No wonder Rick barely recognized her; she wouldn’t have recognized herself either. She had changed. Anne no longer was the young high school girl from back then. Even Anne couldn’t deny the effects age and sadness had caused. Fine lines around her eyes were becoming more evident and the dark circles were getting hard to ignore. Her complexion no longer exhibited a youthful glow. Anne wasn’t happy inside and it showed, giving her a tired look. Rick’s comment had burned her to the core. If he no longer found her attractive—a man who previously swore undying love—then who would now? Was she destined to become an old maid like both her sisters believed?

Anne hated it when married women or divorcees would try to bring comfort to her single status by confessing marriage wasn’t all that it was cut out to be—even going as far to say Anne was actually “lucky” to be spared marriage since it allowed her to do whatever she chose. But what fun is that when you don’t have someone special to do things with?

Anne once believed Rick to be the man of her dreams, but yet he hadn’t considered her worth fighting for. Anne had been so hurt and disappointed by love that she found her heart hardening towards the idea of romance. With divorce rampant and infidelity common, Anne was almost convinced marriages like her parents’ or Carol’s were one in a million and something she’d never find. The type of relationship Anne desired could only be found in her favorite books or movies—but those were only fairy tales. Anne had allowed herself to fall for such nonsense when she met Rick. But now…well, she knew they were just lies and falsehoods meant to lead young hearts astray. It was evident Rick didn’t want her, and since she couldn’t envision herself with anyone else her life seemed destined to be lived alone.
But at least now, the only person who can disappoint me is myself.

During the past several years, Anne had thrown herself into schooling and work—anything to take her mind off her heartache. She hadn’t bothered much with her appearance nor to keep up with the latest trends. Even wearing a little makeup was rare and reserved for special occasions—and those were few and far between. Anne’s feminine pride just wished that Rick could have seen her at her best
—
but then, did it really matter? Rick’s reaction, or rather lack of it, was like the closing of a door…the door to her heart, which had still been so open to him.

Chapter 15

Mrs. Musgrove had been busy…busy plotting that is. Her scheme was to invite the whole family out to dinner, as long as Rick was to be one of their party. Clara reasoned that the more time Rick spent in the company of her daughters, the greater the chance he would form an attachment. Anne, upon learning she had been invited, was not keen to attend. She was torn though. A part of her wanted to hole up in her bedroom, drowning her sorrows with Dove chocolates. But another side of her wanted to be around Rick, no matter how much it hurt. Anne attempted to excuse herself from dinner by saying she needed to watch the boys, but Clara would not hear of it. Anticipating Anne’s excuse, Mrs. Musgrove engaged a babysitter in advance. So, with mixed emotions, Anne accepted, but this time, dressing in something new and more flattering. At least the evening would give her an opportunity to present herself to Rick in a more positive light.