The Night the Lights went out in Georgia

Chapter 3

Susie guessed that she always knew Lindsay was capable of something like adultery. To be nice though, she had always given her the benefit of the doubt (regardless if she had deserved it or not)…that was until she had witnessed Lindsay and Seth together.

After that, it became a whole new game. Everywhere she looked, she swore she saw Lindsay flirting with some guy. Now that she had become aware of Lindsay’s adultery, it seemed that she was learning of new sins from her everyday.

About a week after the incident at the Inn, she heard some people she had gone to school with say that Lindsay had been having an affair with Luke Hanson (another local) for some time now. It was surreal.

She wanted to tell Robb but…Would he even believe her? They hadn’t talked in so long, and wouldn’t it seem odd that, now, out of the blue she writes to him and tells him Lindsay is having an affair? Wouldn’t he just assume that she’s just trying to get him to go out with her?

No, that would never work, but he had to find out. What kind of a friend would she be if she let him be made a fool by Lindsay?

If only she could think of some way to get him home…If he came home and they became friends again, it would be okay for her to tell him.

But how was she going to get Robb to get home? They don’t even talk. Sure they had been best friends, but Susie was pretty sure she ruined that when she told him of her true feelings. Plus, she had nothing to appeal to Robb for him to want to come home. For another thing, if she did get him home by some miracle, who is to say that he will want to hang out with her?

Maybe it will have to wait until Robb decides himself to come home, and if he doesn’t want to be friends with me, I’ll confront him and tell him point-blank. Susie thought.

Game plan decided, Susie could finally get back to putting her new books on the shelves. She had to get them done before anyone came in.

As if she had summoned it, right at that moment she heard Grey’s door bell jingle as a customer walked in. She quickened her pace on putting away the books. Hopefully the person hadn’t come in just to talk to her; hopefully they were searching for a book.

“Susie?” She could hear Mrs. Seger call out.

“Oh well,” Susie sighed to herself, for Mrs. Seger, the new books could wait for a while. She walked over to behind the counter with a smile, “Hi Mrs. Seger!”

“Hi dear!” She smiled at Susie mischievously. “How are you?” she asked sweetly…too sweetly, even for Mrs. Seger. Something definitely was up.

Susie decided to reply earnestly anyways, “Well, I’m really-.” And then her words completely stopped. For there in the doorway was something, rather someone who shocked her completely. It was not just someone it was her one.

It was Robb.

Robb walked up and stood beside his mother with a rather familiar mischievous smile. “You are what Suz? Please continue.”

She gaped at Robb. HE’S HOME!!! YAY!!!

When she finally recollected herself she looked at both Robb and Mrs. Seger, who was grinning with evil delight. Susie cleared her throat, “I’m shocked. I suppose.”

Susie then realized that if she wanted to become close with Robb, (which she did. Not only because of saving him from Lindsay), this was the perfect opportunity. All she had to do was play it a little differently then she would have in different circumstances.

So, with all of the bravery she could muster, she ran out from behind the counter and literally jumped on Robb. He accepted her bear hug with a laugh and spun her around.

When he finally released her, she was so excited that he was excited to see her that she could’ve cried. She looked at him with true happiness gleaming in her eyes, “I can’t believe you’re home!” She pretended to think about it, “God, I haven’t seen you in like 3 years!” 3 years 2 months and 4 days to be exact. Susie thought. But she knew that she had to pretend that that night in the bar hadn’t happened to be close with him again.

He seemed lost in thought for a second, “Yeah,” he affirmed, “It’s definitely been a while.”

If the circumstances had been different, Suzie would have asked him why he hadn’t called. Why he hadn’t visited…but since the circumstances weren’t different, she let the opportunity pass her by and instead decided to invite him over.

“Hey, Robb, would you like to come over later?” then she added, “You know, to catch up.”

He seemed surprised, but relieved that she hadn’t interrogated him or henpecked him while his mother was there. “Sure, that would be great.”

“You still living in that apartment down by the bar?” He then asked.

Susie shook her head, “No I live in a house now,” she thought about it, “A cottage really.”

With a stomach full of exuberant butterflies, Susie gave him directions to her cottage and told him to come around 7:00 P.M.

As Robb and his mother were about to leave, he looked at Susie with an odd glint in his eyes that Susie couldn’t place. “Just like old times, huh, Suz?” He asked in an equally odd tone.

I’m still in love with you and you’re still gorgeous and… “Yeah,” she said softly back to him. “Just like old times.”

The rest of Susie’s day at work flew by erratically. Ever since Robb decided to walk right back into her life, she had been a bundle of awkward nerves.

If Susie wasn’t so scared and excited at the same time, she probably would have had a good chuckle at the way she was acting all day.

She had stuttered, dazed, daydreamed, dropped everything in her hands, hummed, sang, skipped, hopped, danced, and even more hilarious yet humiliating actions.

If she had sensible enough to laugh at her behavior, she probably would’ ve been able to sum down why she was acting crazily in two equally nerve-wracking halves.

Robb was back in town.

Robb was coming over to her house that night.

She had no idea what she was going to wear, if and what she was going to serve to him, and how she should act when he arrived. She started to worry about it more and more as the hours at Grey’s rolled by.

Soon enough, though, it was time for her to go to her house to prepare for Robb.

As soon as she arrived home, she worked on her first step: Picking up the house. After that was quickly done (Susie had always been pretty neat), she worked on not the house’s appearance but her appearance. She decided on a white, cashmere sweater, some nice but causal jeans, and her casual, yet dressy shoes. As for hair and makeup, she put her hair up in an elegant twist and put a little eye shadow and mascara on.

And although she wanted to look like a queen to please Robb, she knew that casual yet pretty was the only style she could safely take with Robb for that night. Susie in a dress and heels was sure to scare the pants off of him. Plus, her appearance tonight would be a big step up from what she had been wearing when they’d met at Grey’s earlier in the day.

She then set to making sandwiches for them to snack on while they talked. After thinking a while, she decided also that putting wood in the fire pit out back would be a good idea. After that she found yet numerous little things she wanted to do, probably because of her endless amount of nervous energy.

By the time 7:00 P.M. rolled around and Robb had rung the doorbell, Susie’s stomach was so wrought with the thought of having him inside her house that she thought she might vomit all over him.

She still though with her head held high and a confident smile plastered on her face, marched to the door and opened it.

Robb stood before her, looked at her and let out a low whistle, “Wow…” Susie’s first reaction was to blush and for her knees to buckle a bit. His voice sounded a little different, “What a house!”

Susie felt completely embarrassed when she realized he had “wowed” at her new place and not at her appearance. She smiled anyways, “Thanks! How about you come on in?” She said as she opened the door wide for him.

He walked in and Susie couldn’t help but think about all of the times that she had dreamed him in her cottage. She always had thought he would fit in with the place.

She was right. He fit the house beautifully. He fit her beautifully…

She led him to the kitchen. “I just made sandwiches. I hope you don’t mind.” She opened the fridge and bent down and reached for two beers, “Oh, here. You still drinkin’ Miller Lite?” she asked, even though that was all she had.

“You know it.” He smiled.

She smiled back. “good boy.”

“Yeah, but let’s see if you pleased me…” he reached for his sandwich and checked the contents, “Good ole’ Suz…ham, turkey, chips, and mayonnaise…Just the way I like it.” He said with a twinkle in his eyes as he looked down at her.

Susie at that moment realized that she and Robb were close. Too close. Not close enough. Her body suddenly felt flush and alive. She felt like her body was humming.

Robb seemed to collect his wits first. “So should we go into the living room or…” he let his voice trail off.

“No.” She pointed to the fire pit in her yard, “Let’s go out there.”

He glanced to where she was pointing. “Okay, awesome.” He put his hand out as if to say, ‘lead the way.’

So she did. And after the bon fire was lit and Susie and Robb were in their seats, they began to do as Susie had said they would, they caught up.

They discussed job qualms, embarrassing moments, and even their personal lives…

“So, Suz, how come you haven’t settled down and tied the knot yet?” He asked her with bright eyes and a wide smile.

Before she could stop herself the too-honest words flew out of her mouth, “I did at one time want to settle down, but I was rejected.”

Her sentiment was met with absence and then finally a low-toned response. “Maybe he was already involved with someone, and was completely shocked by your confession.” This meant from him, ‘I was involved with Lindsay and also scared by your confession.’

Susie decided to play along and to throw all caution to the wind, “Well I guess after a few years, I am mature enough to realize that I approached the situation in the worst way possible, but this guy who was supposed to be my best friend, stopped talking to me almost completely afterwards.”

And after she started, she could just not stop, “I mean he rejected me for another girl not only romantically but also platonically because tonight is the first time I’ve seen him in 3 years.” She closed her eyes as she felt the pain come over her in waves.

Giving up on the “he” game she asked, “Why did you leave, Robb?”

Robb walked over and stood, towering over her sitting figure and Susie watched through angry, sad eyes the emotion that was written all over his face. There was shock, solemnity, and remorse written there in his beautiful face.

And before Susie could say anything more, Robb silenced her by taking her into his arms and holding her. In a husky voice he apologized for all of the wrongs that he had done regarding their friendship, and he told her that he would find some way of making it up to her.

After pouring his heart out to Susie, he looked down at her. “I love you, kid and I’m sorry that I left you all alone down here.” He then placed a tender consoling kiss on her lips and Susie’s anger for him melted away.

Later, after Robb had left saying that he’d stop over tomorrow (Saturday) to hang out, Susie’s heart was soaring at the things that had occurred that day. Robb was back, Robb was sorry, and finally, Robb and she were going to be close again.

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