Grimm's Last Fairy Tale (20 page)

And then Maggie did not do something she had always in her life done before. She did not run to him, cowering in fear, and apologize. She just walked out of the room, carrying her own bags and walked out the front door. She started down the sidewalk, determined and strong, and made it all the way to the corner before she started to cry. It was not a pitiful cry of someone weak and hopeless. It was a “so glad that crappy chapter of my life is over” cry. She pulled out her cell phone and looked up a cab company and called them to pick her up. It wasn't hard to tell them where she was. She just had to look up to the signpost she was leaning on. And, she told herself, it is alright to lean once in awhile, as long as you can hold yourself upright when you need to and lift your knees when necessary.

The cab came and took her to the mechanics where she received her car and planted a kiss on the hood. She loaded her things into the trunk and climbed behind the wheel.

“I've missed you.”

She put a CD into the player and cranked the volume. She was finally on her way to Virginia and Rachel's.

When “I Love How You Love Me” began to play, she heard a male back-up singer she had not heard before and turned to see Jacob in the passenger's seat. She huffed, showing her disapproval.

“Look, Jacob, I don't want to have to apologize for expressing myself to you to spare your feelings of insecurity. Can you understand that?”

“Wow, look who's all of a sudden Miss Assertive. You are a different woman, Margaret. Good for you. I'll just be floating around if you need me.”

“Thank you,” Maggie uttered on deaf ears that had already left the car.

She pondered on how she had changed and grown and yet still she wondered if this was for the best. Was she a better person? Was she still as kind? She never wanted to become so involved in herself that she began to exclude others, but neither did she want to go back to being that doormat. She speculated about fine lines and seeking balance.

She continued her drive, singing at the top of her lungs because no one could hear her, and really found herself enjoying the trip. She could think. She could cry at the songs that made her wish she was sixteen and could do it all over again. She could laugh out loud when she thought of some of the silly mistakes she had made. This was clearly the way to go. Not having to explain yourself to anyone when you expressed something.

Then, about five hours into the trip, the loneliness began to set in. She discovered she was missing Jacob, and so she called to him.

“There was a little girl in Budapest who was just discovering the fairy tales. I was watching her face. I wish I could take all the snapshots and videos in my brain and play them on the big screen. But if I could, I suppose it might go to my head and that would be the end of that.”

“That is actually one of my greatest fears. It is one that makes me try to do the right thing. I sometimes wonder if our entire lives might be shown to us and to everyone on the big screen when we die and go wherever it is we go. I don't think I would care to relive most of the moments of my life.”

“I understand. Here's an idea. Make restitution for anything you've done wrong and then the only things that would show up would be the good you did, because I know for a fact that when you repent and forsake your sins, so does God. Forgotten. Poof!”

With the word “poof,” Jacob made little motions with his hands that looked like old dandelions bursting into the wind. It made her laugh.

“OK, I'll go with that. I guess I'd better start making a list of things I've done bad or badly.”

“I'm sure it's not as extensive as you might imagine sometimes. You have been a good person mostly. Remember, I've watched you. A lot.”

“Jacob, how could I have even thought about someone like David? Clearly my judgment is cloudy at best. I don't trust myself anymore. Are you sure you're a good man?”

Jacob laughed at that.

“No, not at all. I'm just a man, but I'm a man you can trust because if I say it, it is true. I don't lie. What you see and hear is what you get.”

“Promise?”

“Promise! So, off to Rachel's, eh?”

“Yes, I'm a few hours out still, but I'm going to stop soon and rest for the night. I'll start out in the morning with a short drive so I'm more myself when I get there.

“Good idea. We can just relax and maybe have some nice conversation.”

“Sounds great, but I may want to do some writing. I've had some ideas kicking around in my head all day.”

“I suppose this is apropos, you being busy with your writing. I'm sure I snubbed a lot of people with my work. Not that you are doing that. But you might be. I'm not saying.”

“I read your profile. I would say that was probably accurate as you have no family of your own. But there must have been women in your life, no?”

“Yes, a few. None that I was ever serious about . . . at least none that I could make a forever commitment to.”

“That's too bad. I think it's hard to do that. At least for me it was. And would be. The more I live, the harder it becomes to trust anyone. I think I can trust you.”

“I'm counting on it.”

The sun was beginning to set and Maggie's eyes were getting tired of staring at pavement so she found a motel and pulled in. Once she got into her room, she excused Jacob and jumped into a hot shower and washed the day off of her body and out of her hair.

Once in her robe, she called for Chinese take-out and then for Jacob.

“Come watch me fiddle with chopsticks, Jacob.”

“Nothing I'd rather be doing, unless maybe it was eating Chinese with you. It's something I never experienced in my life. We ate things with names that would make you laugh. But Chinese always looks so good. Sometimes I miss the joy of eating a good meal.”

“I can certainly understand that. There's more to eating than putting food into your mouth. It should be an experience for all the senses.”

Maggie asked herself the difference between Jacob's advances and David's. She had no idea, except a feeling in her gut that Jacob's were more sincere. Still, she did have a momentary interest in David.

“Don't go to far! I want you to be able to hear me when I call you.”

“Promise.”

Maggie worked feverishly on her writing until she felt her head jerk on its base; then she knew it was time to stop for the night.

She saved her work and went horizontal on the bed and tried to make the industrial pillow conform to her head. This was a night of fitful tossing and turning on the TV a few too many times to find no decent options. She wished that she had a sleeping pill to aid her effort, but instead, she called to her friend.

“Oh, dear, I'm sorry. I didn't really mean anything untoward. I was just in need of some human touch and I don't have anyone else that I can . . .”

“Am I just a port in a storm to you?”

“I think you know better than that. Now I'm getting offended.”

“I'm sorry, Margaret. The last thing I want is to offend you or to be offended by you. We are from different times and different circumstances and it's just going to take some adjusting and patience on both our parts for this to work. Please forgive me.”

in which Maggie finally gets to see Rachel and her family and receives more startling news

After a quick dash to the bathroom, she threw on her clothes, packed the laptop and grabbed her things. She dashed out the door and into the car without even so much as a doughnut. There was a sudden urgency to get to Rachel's which she could not explain.

The hour to her house crept by, even with the distraction of the music. She couldn't remember the lyrics to these songs. Something was wrong. She just knew it. She tried to reach Rachel at her house and on her cell. Nothing. What was going on?

“I just felt like a visit and didn't want you going to a bunch of bother getting ready for me. Have you talked to Rhiannon lately?”

Rachel's husband, Sean, was as thoughtful as the day was long. He was just as laid back as Rachel herself. They were so perfectly matched.

Maggie sat and read to Sophie while she watched Rachel work her magic in the kitchen. She was a very resourceful woman and that had really helped their family to arrive at the station in life that they were at—young homeowners with children—without Rachel having to work outside the home.

Everyone gathered at the table and asked a blessing on the food and devoured the beautiful salad Rachel had prepared. She dished out ice cream and they all sat around and caught up on the kids' school adventures and other day to day stuff.

“Oh, my word! You guys are unbelievable! I've only been married twice and you knew about both of them well in advance. I'm beginning to tire of this record and I'm about to put a big old scratch in it and make it unplayable!”