Hidden Scars (17 page)

“It wasn’t easy. I was sweating.”

“And thanks for talking the girls out of helping me with a shower…I couldn’t allow them to see…you know,” I whispered softly even though Mimi’s slow steady breathing indicated she must be asleep.

“I didn’t figure you needed to explain the condition of your back to them.”

“No, I didn’t. It was hard enough when Chuck saw the scars.”

“What did he say?”

“Oh, Becky, it was awful.” I could still see his face. “He didn’t notice at first—everything was so dark and all. But later, in the bathroom, he walked in and caught me by surprise.”

“And saw what I saw?”

“He traced each one with his finger and cried, apologizing over and over as though it was all his fault.”

“I bet he’s pretty angry at your parents?”

“I don’t know. Chuck doesn’t have much of a temper.”

“Maybe he’ll understand now why you’ve always been so afraid, and why they’ve had such control over you.”

Unable to sleep, I laid awake, thinking about the love Chuck and I had shared tonight as husband and wife. The room had grown quiet. I was sure Becky had finally drifted off to sleep.

“You know, Morgan…”

I jumped at the sound of her soft voice.

“… I’d never guess you and I would be sleeping together on your wedding night.” She sniggered softly.

I knew she wanted to lighten the moment, but I bit my lip to keep from crying and said nothing.

While Becky and Mimi slept, I eased out of bed and folded the covers over where I’d laid. Mimi’s nightlight allowed me to locate my house-shoes without getting on all fours.

Becky propped up on her elbow and rubbed her eyes. “Where’re you going?”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Are you too excited to sleep?” she whispered.

“Yes, and nervous. I still need to get in touch with Richard and do something about the note I wrote Mom.”

“Why didn’t you mail the thing?”

I sat on the edge of her bed. “Because, if for some reason it got there too early—”

“Then they might have stopped the wedding.”

“Exactly.”

Becky eased herself up in bed and braced her back against the wall. “Listen, since your first class starts at eight, and mine doesn’t start until nine, I’ll call Richard.”

“And tell him what?”

“How about if I tell him you’re leaving with someone else? It’s the truth, and I don’t have to give my name.”

I played the scenario over in my mind. “What if he recognizes your voice?”

“He won’t, darling,” Becky drawled with exaggeration.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to suffocate a burst of laughter.

“And don’t worry about the note,” Becky continued. “I’ve got that all figured out, too.”

My amusement stopped cold. “What are you going to do? Waltz in the store and say, ‘Here you go, Mrs. Selby. A note from your daughter. By the way, congratulations, she and Chuck are married.’”

“I’m not that brave
or
stupid. But does the thing have to be hand delivered?” She shrugged. “I mean, I could tape the envelope to your parents’ front door or put it under the windshield wiper of their car, wouldn’t that work?”

“I don’t know, Becky. I love you for wanting to help…”

“Then let me.” She scooted closer. “This way, you can stop fretting and enjoy the next few days.”

I reached over and hugged her. “All right. I’ll bring the note and Richard’s number.”

“You won’t have to.” She beamed.

“What do you mean?”

“They’re in my desk drawer. I took them out of your room yesterday.”

My mouth hung open. I couldn’t picture Becky snooping through my things. “And what if I hadn’t agreed to your plan?”

“Then I wouldn’t have told you where they were.” She nudged my shoulder. “Now stop worrying, and get ready to enjoy your honeymoon.”

“Oh, if only Chuck and I could leave right now, but the professors made it clear—for every class missed—we get a zero. Otherwise, I’d skip today entirely.”

“You and me both,” Mimi Clair’s voice rang loud and clear.

I twisted around so fast, I almost fell in the floor. Mimi stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

“I’m sorry, Mimi. Did we wake you?” I asked, trying to appear calm.

“Nope. I’ve been awake.”

I sucked in my bottom lip and glanced at Becky. Mimi rolled over and turned her back to us. What had she heard? At this point, what did it matter?

“What time do you and Mimi plan on leaving for Greer?”

“Not before twelve thirty or one. Why?”

“I’ll see you before then. I’m going to get dressed and tell the girls bye before my first class.”

Halfway through the last lecture of the day, I’d decided I deserved a zero for each class. I hadn’t been able to muster up one bit of interest. The history professor rambled on about dates, places, and people who’d long been dead, when all I wanted to do was live in the present with Chuck.

“Enjoy your time off,” barely left the instructor’s mouth before I grabbed my books and sprinted toward the door. Out of breath, I spotted Chuck walking toward me.

As he took my books, he leaned in for a kiss.

I put my hand on his chest, sure we’d broken enough of Midway’s rules. “We’re on campus, remember?”

“You know, it’s a sad day when a husband can’t kiss his wife in public. At least we can hold hands.” He laced his warm fingers between mine.

We exchanged flirtatious looks and strolled toward the dorm. The parking lot was busy with girls hauling luggage and laundry bags to their cars. Then I saw him: Richard Webster swaggered across the pavement, going the opposite direction.

“Chuck!”

“I see him. Did you forget to call?”

“Becky was going to. She must not have been able to get in touch with him.”

“He doesn’t look too happy, does he?” Chuck stated matter-of-factly.

“Should we say or do something?” But it was too late. Richard reached his car and peeled out of the parking lot.

Chuck tugged my hand. “Come on. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

When we entered the lobby, I turned to him. “I’m all packed, but need to talk to Becky. Be right back, okay?”

He settled into a nearby chair. “I’ll be here.”

After getting my suitcase and saying good-bye to Paige, I headed to Becky and Mimi Clair’s room. Clothes were scattered everywhere. Mimi glanced up, but didn’t say anything.

Becky tossed a laundry bag on the floor. “Hey, girl. You and Chuck taking off?”

“Yeah, he’s waiting on me downstairs. Becky, were you not able to get in touch with Richard?”

She stopped stuffing items in her suitcase and jerked around to face me. “I called him and told him what we’d talked about. Why?”

“Because, I just saw him in the parking lot.”

“Maybe he came after someone else.”

“I didn’t see anyone with him, and the way he squealed out of the parking lot, I’d say he’s pretty mad.”

“Oh, he’s mad all right.” Mimi plopped on her bed and started laughing.

Becky turned toward her. “What are you talking about?”

Mimi looked at Becky, then me. “I thought the fink needed to be taught a lesson.”

Becky and I stood there with our mouths gaped open.

“He’s been snooping around for the past three months, asking me all sorts of questions about you, Morgan.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Who you were dating. Had I seen Chuck hanging around? Those kinds of questions. I should’ve told you, but to be honest, I didn’t think too much about it at first. Then when the questions persisted I became suspicious, but by then…well, I didn’t think you’d believe me. Especially after you got the phone call warning someone might be watching you. Between the way you and Becky both acted, always clamming up whenever I came into the room, I got the impression you thought it was me.” Mimi studied her hands. “I figured by then if I said anything, you’d probably think I was trying to divert attention away from me.”

“You’re right. I did think it was you. You were always asking questions: ‘when are y’all getting married, and where.’ And you seemed to pop up at the oddest times.”

“I tried to find out everything and then feed Richard false information. He’s such a dork. He thinks any girl should jump at the chance to date him, and the way he cons the adults…his own father would disown him if he knew what he was really like. But I got him good. I heard y’all talking and planning and knew Becky was going to call him. So I waited until she did and called him back, and told him you changed your mind. That way, he’d drive all the way up here, thinking he’d have the honor of driving you back to Greer.” Mimi held her stomach and howled. “The only thing he’s taking back to Greer is the note you wrote your mother and a piece of my mind.”

Becky walked to her desk and opened a drawer, then turned to me. “She did.”

“You gave the note to Richard?”

“Yep. The dude doesn’t have a clue what’s in the letter unless he opens it. And if he does, so what? He’ll still hand deliver it. I don’t know if your mother used him to get information about you, Morgan, but if she did, you’ll get the last laugh.”

I dropped in a chair. “I don’t need the last laugh…I don’t know what to say.” And I didn’t. I couldn’t believe she’d pulled such a dirty trick on Richard, or he’d had any reason to care about what I did or didn’t do. But, more than anything, I hated I’d hurt Mimi by not being honest with her.

I chewed on my thumbnail and tried to think of the right words. All kinds of excuses popped in my head, but that’s all they were…excuses. “I’m sorry, Mimi. I hope you’ll forgive me?”

The intercom crackled. “Would Mrs. Chuck Mathews please report to the lobby?”

I sprang to my feet. “Oh, no. He’s been waiting all this time. Mimi—”

“Forget about it. I don’t blame you, Morgan. I probably would’ve come to the same conclusion. Just be happy.” She waved toward the door. “Go. I’d hate to see you and Chuck start your marriage off on the wrong foot.”

The three of us hugged and said our good-byes. By the time I made it back to the lobby, Chuck was not so patiently waiting, but we were soon in the car and headed to a destination unknown. At least by me.

Once I got it all out of my system by sharing with Chuck about Richard, Mimi, and how badly I felt over the whole mess, I snuggled up close to him and rested my head on his shoulder. I woke as the car slowed and Chuck took an exit off Interstate 55.

“Did you have a good nap?”

Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I nodded. “Where are we?”

“You’ll see.” He pointed to a small white block building with two rustic gas pumps out front. “We take a left up here, and then we’re less than ten minutes away.”

A large yellow sign, Sammy’s Grocery And Tackle, hung over the door. “Are we going fishing?”

He laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. “We can if you want to.”

Around us, bare patches of ground were as orange as a terra-cotta pot. Rolling hills also hinted we’d left the Mississippi Delta. Once we turned off the blacktop, gravel crunched under the weight of the tires. Large stands of long-needled pine stood on both sides of the road.

“Here we are.” He stopped in front of a gray wooden cabin with a tin roof aged by the sun and rain. Two majestic oak trees stood guard at each corner, their bare limbs reaching outward as if welcoming us. Beyond them, a thick grove of pine, as far as the eye could see, waved.

I got out of the car and took a deep breath, inhaling the rustic scent of burning wood, pine needles, and red cedar. “I don’t know where we are, but I love it and can’t wait to see inside.”

We walked up wooden steps and entered a large room that served as kitchen and living room. A pool table sat where a dining table belonged. He opened the refrigerator. “Kyle and I tried to think of everything. We’ve got steaks, hotdogs, ground beef, bacon, eggs, and ham.” Then he opened two cabinets to display other bounty. “I hope we didn’t forget anything.”

He was kidding, right? No way could we ever eat so much. “When did you two do all this?”

“Monday.”

“The same day you got your cast off and swapped cars with Marvin?”

“Yep.” His smile widened, as if pleased with himself. And rightly so.

“You were a busy fellow.”

“I tried.” He curled his arm around my waist. “Come see the rest of the place.”

The little cabin was adorable. A screened-in back deck provided a great view of the lake. The bathroom had an old claw-footed tub big enough for two or three people to bathe in at the same time. I stifled a giggle at the thought of us trying it out later.

In the larger bedroom, he handed me the card laying beside a vase of red roses. I flipped open the cream colored card, my heart catching at the words
I’ll love you forever
.

He
had
thought of everything.

At twilight, we followed the trail leading to the water. He built a fire on the bank to roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Frogs and whippoorwills serenaded us as we gazed at the stars. By the week’s end, I’d even tried my hand at fishing with nothing but a happy heart to show for it. We never saw or heard anyone. It was as if we were the only two humans on the planet. The perfect setting for making unforgettable memories.

Sunday arrived too quickly. He came inside from taking a load to the car. I placed the broom and dustpan in the closet, then looked around one last time. “I could stay here forever.”

“We’ll be back someday,” he promised. “But right now we have a little house in Waitsville waiting on us.”

Once we reached Interstate 55, he announced, “I promised my grandmother to bring you by for a visit. It’s a little out of the way, but I thought while we were in Greer, we might as well face your parents and get it over with.”

I shook my head to the point of becoming dizzy. “No…No!”

He pulled off the road and put the car in park. As he faced me and gathered my hands in his, he spoke calmly, “We can’t avoid them forever. They live in the same town as my family. Sooner or later, we’ll run into them. I’d rather it be on our terms with us prepared for it.”

“You don’t understand.”