This one is for Kylie because I’m sitting here writing and she just made me smile (March 6, 2008 at 5:02 PM).

Anyone But You

Chapter 18: Epilogue

Seven months after the wedding...

It was a sunny, late winter morning; the warmth announced that spring would be in England soon, and while waiting for it, Kent’s countryside was a good place to be.

Crabtree Cottage was a charming propriety, the cottage itself was cozy, with four bedrooms, a dinning room and a big kitchen as well as a small parlor and library; and it sat a top of a small hill in the middle of a field that was just starting to green after winter’s dormancy. Two women sat together on the lawn facing the house, shaded by a tree

“Egypt I didn’t like,” Caroline was saying to Megan as they shared bowl of fruit, enjoying the cool yet sunny morning. “The pyramids were pretty but the weather was just too vile… hot and dry and sandy.”

“And you hate sand.” Megan said, popping a piece of sliced apple into her mouth.

“Just a little bit, I don’t like it when it gets inside my undergarments, and it does get there… and it itches!”

“I don’t even want to know how sand got in your undergarments… but I bet you and your husband had a lot of fun.”

“We did… but mostly in the hotel.”

Caroline and Gerry had just returned from their honeymoon and Caroline was showing Megan the illustrated travel diary she had kept while she was away.

“You certainly used lots of yellow and brown in your drawings from there.” Megan said, running her fingers over the small neat drawings.

“That’s how it looks like, I swear!” Caroline answered. “Then we went to Spain and from there we sailed to Istanbul, which is pretty and exotic.” The pictures of Istanbul were colorful as the ones from Egypt were dull and brown, but even in the dullness, Megan could see that there had also been a bit of awe at what Egypt represented for a person who liked history as much as Caroline did. One could always tell Caroline’s feelings by her drawings.

“It looks lovely, darling.” Megan said without even the smallest hint of jealousy.

“It was. I learned many things…” Caroline said and blushed; she had learned many things in deed about history and art… and other things as well.

Megan sighed and leaned back on her arms, resting her back a little, her small baby bump barely showing though her gown. “I have gotten a few letters from Mother,” Megan said with a sigh.

“She wrote to me too, I found the letters when we got back home. Gerry didn’t want to give them to me but I found them on his desk. He says I don’t have to answer if I don’t want to.” Caroline said, remembering how a couple of days after her wedding, Gerry had packed up her parents and sent them away, telling them in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want to see them again, and that they were forbidden from trying to contact Caroline again because they were always so mean towards her.

“I was thinking on telling them about my baby, but I’m not sure how they are going to react, so I’m keeping the secret a little bit longer.” Megan said, patting her stomach as a silence stretched between them, a soft smile lingering on Meg’s face.

Caroline looked down at her hand, where her engagement and wedding rings sparkled, sending rainbows across her hand. And then she looked at Megan’s hand, the one over her stomach; she didn’t have an engagement ring but only a plain, gold wedding band. For someone who had been taught to want and expect the best of everything, Megan had adapted to middle class with amazing ease.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.” Megan said, reading her sister in a way that only happens between sisters.

“I feel a little ashamed about telling you all of this… partially because it should have been you.” Caroline said.

“It was never meant to be me, darling.” Megan said. “And don’t worry about me, I’m so happy here with Chris, he loves me and I love him and we have a good life together, it might not be as luxurious as it was back in New York with our parents but when was I ever happy then? I am happy now, and I’m happy you’re happy. Don’t ever think I’m not.”

“You really think that?”

“Yes.” Megan said. If Megan’s voice had been more serous or as if she was laughing it off, Caroline would have thought she was laying, but Megan’s face glowed with quiet happiness and she knew that Megan was as happy with her situation as Caroline as with hers.

“Meg,” Chris called from the house. “Come back inside, you shouldn’t be in the sun for too long!”

Megan got up slowly, stretching a little, waiting until Chris reached her and cupped her elbows gently, helping her get back to the house.

Caroline watched them go and laid down on the grass, staring at the few clouds lingering in the sky, one of them looked like a bunny and it made her smile. Then the bunny was gone and instead her husband was staring down at her; and her smile widened.

“What have I found here?” Gerry said, crawling over her and kissing her before she could answer.

Caroline linked her arms around his neck, and wrapper herself around him the best she could. “Your adorable wife?”

“Indeed,” Gerry said nuzzling her neck. “You took so long to get back home that I came for you.”

“I said I would be back by noon.”

“It’s already noon.” Gerry declared.

“Is ten in the morning and you know it!” Caroline said.

“It always seems forever when you’re not with me.”

“You’re lucky then, because you’re stuck with me forever!” Caroline yelled the last part and laughed.

“Forever is not enough, but it’ll have to do.” Gerry said, kissing her again.

The sun was shinning, she was kissing the man she loved and everything was okay with the world.

End of Chapter 18

End of Anyone But You