Chapter Two

 

 

It was perfect.

She was delighted with her charming aunt. Aunt Edithe, it turned out, was nothing like she’d expected. Rather than being a bit of a loon, she operated a holistic health center, where she had a very busy hypnotherapy practice specializing in learning disabilities. Malcolm worked with her, and their practice provided them with the means to enjoy a comfortable life. Maggie had to admit the man seemed like a perfect companion for her aunt, and she realized she couldn’t have asked for better guides on this holiday. A part of her worried that she was expecting too much and that her expectations might be unrealistic, yet she couldn’t deny what she felt.

Something wonderful was already happening, she thought as she sighed with contentment.

Maggie, snuggled in her robe, was curled up in a huge armchair in front of the fire. A cup of tea sat on a lovely accent table by her side. Aunt Edithe, in a silky caftan, her legs pulled under her, was sipping Earl Grey and smiling into the crackling flames.

“I am so glad that we were able to transfer our relationship from paper to in-person,” Aunt Edithe whispered.

“So am I. I feel very comfortable,” Maggie answered, staring into the flames and feeling the affection in her aunt’s words. “It’s the oddest thing. Ever since we arrived here earlier in the day, I can feel myself relaxing, as though the muscles in my body are slowly unwinding. Kind of like a twisted rubber band.”

“I’m glad you like my home.”

Maggie looked around the comfortable, eclectic room, and smiled. “I do like it. It’s lovely, and very peaceful.” Rugs from Turkey lay under the overstuffed furniture. Carved bookends from Bali held together leather-bound books on shelves that surrounded the fireplace. An African mask hung on the wall, next to ornate sconces that held thick creamy candles. Dotting the tastefully papered walls and on every shelf and table corner, were varied antique frames bearing testimony to the time, love, and worldly travels Aunt Edithe and Malcolm shared. The entire room emanated comfort and peace, and was filled with the soothing scents of flowers from Aunt Edithe’s abundant garden right outside the double French doors. Maggie knew she couldn’t have found a better sanctuary to figure out her future than this lovely home in the country.

“Thank you for asking me to visit and making this possible. It was the perfect time.”

Aunt Edithe grinned. “I did a little more than ask, I think. When I sent you that ticket, I was so afraid you might assume I was being manipulative.”

Maggie laughed. “My ex was manipulative, not you.”

“Ahh… love. The paths we take to follow it.”

“I like Malcolm,” Maggie said, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to bond with another female. Her aunt seemed like a contemporary who was open and caring, and she realized it had been some time since she’d had this experience. It was nice. “You appear to have finally found the right path with him.”

Edithe’s smile became tender. “Yes. We have a good life together. It’s relatively quiet, and we have a wonderful group of friends here in Trowbridge. We’ve been together for eleven years this time.”

Maggie glanced at her relative. “This time?”

Edithe sighed. “Malcolm and I know we’ve been together before, in other lives, and live now in gratitude for each other. I think I wrote to you about my belief that everyone who comes into our lives is fulfilling a contract with us.”

“Hmm,” was all Maggie could reply to that statement. “I guess my ex’s contract with me was to make me miserable.” She always resorted to humor when faced with an uncomfortable situation, and a discussion of past lives or any other of her aunt’s far-out theories was definitely uncomfortable for her. At least she hadn’t brought out any tarot cards or started channeling. Yet.

Edithe chuckled at Maggie’s answer. “I’m sure there was something in the experience for you to learn. All our encounters serve our growth in some way. It will come to you, eventually, when the hurt lessens. So how’s the love life now?”

It was Maggie’s turn to laugh. “Nonexistent. Love is not on my agenda.”

“What a shame,” her aunt said in a thoughtful tone. “Love is my agenda.”

“You have Malcolm. You didn’t have a depressed artist who divorced you and then sued you for alimony.”

Edithe nodded. “True. Malcolm is a blessing but, Maggie… how fair is it to judge all men by your experience with one?”

Shrugging, Maggie murmured, “I know that. A part of me is glad the marriage is over. Living alone is easier than being with someone and feeling lonely. Besides, I have more important things to think about now. Like finding a job, paying bills, straightening out my life. If I’m introspective right now, it’s because in my current circumstances it seems a little irresponsible to have just taken off on a holiday.”

Aunt Edithe chuckled. “But what better time to take a holiday… when you truly need it? Seems to me that when we plan for such things, they rarely turn out as we had imagined. It’s those spontaneous moments that have been special for me. I found out years ago that when I tried to force everything in my life, I complicated it miserably. But when I chose a direction and just allowed the universe to fill in the details, everything worked out so much better than I could have directed. I found it to be quite freeing, actually.”

Maggie listened to her aunt’s words and tried to make sense of them. “But isn’t that what most people do? Take a direction and keep pushing until the goal is achieved?”

Her aunt laughed. “I guess you could say I’m not like most people.”

Maggie joined her laughter. “No, you aren’t, Aunt Edithe. You are… unique.”

“I shall take that as a compliment. The very last thing I want to do is disappear into the masses, although I know how to do it when necessary.”

Maggie turned to her attractive aunt. “When necessary?”

Edithe smiled softly. “Doesn’t do to stand out, you know. We human beings have such a need to fit in, to know that if someone else believes what we believe, then it must make it right, and we feel so much better about ourselves. If people think you’re odd or different, then fear enters into the exchange, so my eccentricities are more private. I may reveal them to those I trust, such as you, dear child, in my many letters to you over the years. I’m sure you’ve been… curious, to say the least, over the ramblings of your silly relative.”

“I’ve never considered you silly,” Maggie said, though in her heart she had had many moments of such thoughts through the years. “Your letters may have been a tad… eccentric, as you put it, but they were always thought-provoking. You never really discussed your work, just your views. You know, I think I’ve secretly admired you. To leave everything and make a new life across the ocean. What courage that must have taken.”

Edithe shrugged. “I suppose one could see it like that. Now it seems the most intelligent move I’ve ever made. It’s when my life really began to make sense to me. Oh well.” She sighed and looked back to the fire. “Everything happens as it should. For me, there are no accidents or matters of chance. I am just grateful I recognized the opportunity when it arose almost thirty years ago and followed through. I had a choice. To stay in the States, or leave to begin a new adventure. I chose the adventure.”

Like me, Maggie thought, looking once more around the room and thinking of Stonehenge ten miles away. Just being here in her aunt’s home in England… this was her adventure.

“It was the appropriate choice for me… to follow my heart,” her aunt added, and sipped her tea. “That’s how I make most of my decisions now, by following my heart. It’s why I sent you the ticket. My heart told me you could use a break, and I could visit with you as you healed.”

Maggie gulped her tea. “Healed?” Why did her aunt use that word?

Edithe’s smile was filled with compassion. “Isn’t that how you feel right now? Sitting here in this house, in front of the fire? Don’t you feel yourself relaxing, maybe for the first time in years? There isn’t anything for you to do here, except to relax, have fun, and heal, Maggie. And maybe have a reunion. Not just with me. With yourself. That’s the kind of healing I’m talking about.”

She felt a lump in her throat as she listened to her aunt’s words. Was it from gulping the tea? That couldn’t explain the ache in her chest as Edithe’s words struck a chord within her. The very last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of her aunt. How odd that she felt so close, so quickly, to this woman. The years of letter writing had produced an intimacy that was rare for her. Usually, she was the strong one, the one who tried to fix everyone else’s problems. Maybe that was an excuse not to face her own?

“I feel like I’m running away,” Maggie murmured, as the stinging in her eyes increased.

“Good,” her aunt answered in an emphatic voice. “No point in staying within something we perceive as not working. Did you know the Chinese symbol for chaos means opportunity? Your chaos may have provided you the opportunity to grow, to experience yourself now. Could you have changed anything by staying in New Jersey for this week?”

Maggie thought about it while blinking to ease her eyes. She really was fighting tears and took a deep breath to give her the strength. “Well, I could have tried to find another job, but it would have taken days to set up interviews. It’s just that it seemed unreasonable to pick up and leave. Who knows, maybe I’m feeling a bit guilty.”

“What I would consider unreasonable would be to stay in a situation where nothing was working,” her aunt said, and looked at her. “You have an ascendant Aries moon. The ram. Your moon rules your emotions. Aren’t you tired of trying to ram down the barriers, child, to make everything work the way you think it should? Don’t you have a headache yet?”

Maggie laughed, picturing herself making running starts at brick walls that never tumbled, no matter how much force she applied. “I think my head is pounding from the effort. You’re right. I need to heal. At least my head.”

Edithe grinned widely. “Why, Maggie… that’s where all healing takes place. In our minds, then it settles into our hearts. What is it that you want? Really want in life? Have you figured that out yet?”

“Hmm…” Maggie looked back to the fire and thought for a moment. “I want to be happy. And safe. It seems like I’ve spent my entire life searching for safety, some distant oasis of safety where I could finally freeze-frame it all and relax. Just stay there and be happy.”

“Bullshit!”

Startled by the word and the force of her aunt’s voice, Maggie turned sharply and stared at her relative who was staring right back at her. Edithe looked almost angry, and Maggie really wanted to cry, thinking she had somehow offended her aunt.

Edithe’s words, when they came, sounded full of authority.

“There is no safety, Maggie. Safety is the lie we’ve accepted. If you freeze-frame something, it’s done, finished. There’s no more growth, adventure, life to it. Safety is the illusion. If you just follow these rules, avoid these foods, believe this dogma, accumulate enough money or possessions, you’ll be safe. We’ll buy into anything if we think it could lead to safety. Why, you don’t know if when you go to sleep tonight you’ll wake up in the morning. You could be hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow, or fall in the bathtub and break your neck at any moment. All of this… life… could end in a moment.” Her expression softened, as she added, “I’m sorry to have startled you, but in this case, it’s the best way to get past the illusion. It’s not as morbid as it seems, Maggie. It’s taking the moment, and making it yours. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, that you’ll never get this moment back… but you won’t, love. Carpe diem. Seize the day. And the day can be joyful, or miserable. It’s your choice. There is nothing but this moment, dear child. This is it. Life. Right here. Right now. Anything else is the illusion of your past, which is over, or the imaginings of your future, which hasn’t yet occurred. Though time itself is the illusion, for I think it’s all taking place right now… it’s where we place our attention, our focus, that determines what we experience.”

Her aunt’s words seemed to echo inside her head, making her dizzy. “What do you mean? Nothing else is real, but right now?” It sounded… crazy.

“Isn’t it?” her aunt asked. “You’re worried that you must find a job. Why do you want the job?”

“For the money to pay my bills,” Maggie answered, feeling her throat starting to get thick again as emotion crept into her voice.

“Just for the money?”

She thought about it. “Well, for the peace of mind it would bring. I’m so tired of the worry.”

Edithe nodded. “I understand. So you want a job for the peace it might bring?”

“Yes.” Where was her aunt going with this?

Smiling, Edithe asked, “And how did you feel moments ago, when we were staring into the fire? Didn’t you say you felt peaceful in that moment?”

Maggie merely nodded, attempting to swallow the thick lump in her throat again.

“Maybe what you want isn’t so much a job or even money. Maybe what you really want, Maggie, after all is said and done, is peace. And you can have that right here, right now. If you don’t allow your mind to take you away from the present moment, where your life, child, is taking place. Don’t worry about nine days from now when you return. Stay here in your mind, where your life is right now.” Edithe smiled tenderly. “And that’s not irresponsible, Maggie. That is being responsible to yourself.”

Maggie felt like her aunt was confirming her worst fears, that being a good person and planning her life didn’t guarantee anything. It felt like madness, like she had spent her whole life seeking something that wasn’t real, a mirage that could never be reached. There was no safety. Even though she wanted to fight it, everything Edithe was saying made such sense, and her chest felt like it would explode if she didn’t yell or scream or…

Suddenly, she couldn’t hold back the tears, and they burst forth with such intensity that she covered her face in humiliation. It was embarrassing, and she wanted to apologize to her aunt, but the sobs were so thick she couldn’t speak. All those years of worrying, about life, about her marriage, about the divorce, it all played out in her head. The months of rejection and sheer terror since she’d lost her job and then spiraled into financial rain took their toll as Maggie continued to experience the convulsive sobs.

Being a good person didn’t guarantee anything.

“I… I’m so sorry,” she finally was able to mutter.

“Don’t ever be sorry, sweet Maggie,” her aunt whispered, still staring into the fire. “Get it out. It’s been a long time coming.”

She did. She sat in the chair and cried, cried for her screwed-up life.

It must have lasted two or three minutes. Maggie cried like a child, and Edithe sat in her chair, sipping her tea as she waited it out. Finally, when her despair had been exhausted, Maggie sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. “I am so sorry for falling apart like that,” she managed to mumble. “Must be the jet lag.”

Edithe set her teacup back onto the saucer, got up, and handed Maggie a few tissues. She sat on the arm of Maggie’s chair and smiled with such sweetness that Maggie felt like crying again.

Stroking Maggie’s hair back off her forehead, Edithe gathered her into her arms and held her closely. “Shh… it’s all right now,” she whispered against her hair. “The reason I didn’t hold you when you started crying is because I didn’t want to anchor that energy around you, so you’d have to deal with it again in the future. You were releasing.”

It felt so good to be held in a woman’s arms, soft and comforting, and Maggie missed her mother. They didn’t have many moments of closeness together, and she hadn’t cried in front of her mother since she was child. “Maybe I’m having a breakdown,” Maggie muttered, and laughed.

Edithe rocked her slightly. “Not in the conventional terms, but you are breaking down and releasing things you’ve held inside of you for too long. I’m honored you could do it with me.”

“Guess you didn’t figure on inviting me to visit and having me become hysterical on you.”

Edithe chuckled. “Nonsense. You aren’t hysterical. I think you aren’t used to releasing. It can be a scary experience, but—”

“Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, but not express’d in fancy: rich, not gaudy: for the apparel oft proclaims the man.”

Both women froze for a moment, then turned to see Malcolm at the doorway in a ridiculously theatrical stance. He was dressed in maroon tights, a short green jacket with gold piping and puffy sleeves, and a plumed hat atop his head.

Edithe burst out laughing and rose to her feet. “Much Ado About Nothing?”

“Hamlet, m’lady,” Malcolm proclaimed, coming into the room. “Act one, scene three.”

Maggie was stunned. She didn’t know what to say. Wiping at her nose, she started to giggle at the sight of Malcolm, knobby knees and all, in tights.

He took his hat from his head and bowed to them with a deep sweep.

“You look wonderful, love,” Edithe said, then walked up to him and ran her hand over his shoulder, feeling the rich material of his jacket. “Very… courtly this year.”

“Yes,” Malcolm murmured. “About time, too. The jester was wearing a bit thin.”

Edithe giggled, and Maggie couldn’t help smiling at her aunt’s delight. Even though she had no idea what was going on, she could see the couple were enjoying themselves.

Maybe the wacky part was about to begin?

“Well, m’lady?” Malcolm asked, looking at Maggie. “What do you think of my attire?”

Chuckling, Maggie said, “I think you look fabulous. Is this for a costume party?”

Malcolm glanced at Edithe. “You didn’t tell her?”

“Not yet,” Edithe said, and looked down at Maggie. “I mentioned the Renaissance Festival tomorrow, but I didn’t say we’re all going in costume.”

Maggie again wiped at her nose, used her finger to rub the running mascara away from under her lids, and sniffled. “How nice,” she answered, hoping Malcolm wouldn’t ask if she were upset, and then thought she’d feel silly walking next to him and her aunt dressed in period costumes. But what the heck… she didn’t know anyone, and if it pleased Edithe and Malcolm to be in costume, then so be it.

All of us, Maggie. That includes you.”

She looked at her aunt, smiling Malcolm, and laughed. “I don’t think so. I’m not a costume person. You two have fun.”

“Nonsense,” Edithe said, and sat back in her chair. “It’s the last day of the festival, and everyone will be dressed in the Renaissance period.”

“Well, I don’t have one.” A wave of relief swept through Maggie at the easy out. Costumes. Role-playing. She didn’t even like to play charades.

“Yes, you do,” Malcolm said. “I picked it up this afternoon while you and Edithe were strolling through the garden and getting reacquainted. I laid it out on your bed before I tried on mine.”

Maggie felt her easy out disappearing. “I really don’t think I’d be comfortable.”

Edithe nodded. “Well, we certainly want you to be comfortable, though I must say that most will be in costume. It’s a tradition here, and such fun, Maggie, to get into the magic of that period. It takes place in the woods. There’s a small village built, very authentic, and everyone speaks Shakespearean English. Actually, Elizabethan. There are actors, of course, who will stroll through the town and have an impromptu sword fight and such, yet with everyone dressed the part you never know who’s an actor and who’s a visitor. It can be a bit overplayed by the frustrated thespians, though some are very, very accomplished, but it’s all in good spirit. Won’t you at least look at your costume before you make up your mind?”

Maggie didn’t want to look at any costume. Sleep was suddenly very appealing. “I thought we were going to Stonehenge.”

“We’ll make sure you get there before you leave,” Malcolm said. “But it might be better to wait the five days until that concert is over. If I might make a suggestion, Maggie… Try on your costume. See how you feel. If you aren’t comfortable, then don’t wear it. The Renaissance is a special time for us, and we do enjoy revisiting it. But that’s us. You do what you feel is right for you.”

Smiling, Maggie picked up her cooled tea. “Thanks, Malcolm. I don’t know that much about the Renaissance, except through art.”

Edithe sighed with pleasure. “Ahh… it’s when civilization, at least European civilization, came out of the Dark Ages. When song, poetry, literature, sculpture, chivalry was reintroduced. And love. Romantic love was openly acknowledged. Civilization broke free of those bonds the Church had placed upon it, and thinking, creative thinking, was again allowed.”

She could only nod. Sounded like a good time in history, but she wasn’t about to dress up in a silly costume and pretend she was going back into it. She had enough to do trying to live out her own history right now, let alone playacting four hundred years ago with a bunch of Renaissance fans.

“Just try it on, Maggie. See how you feel in the morning.”

Again she nodded to her aunt, for she wasn’t up to discussing it further right now. She was already embarrassed by her show of emotion, and didn’t intend to humiliate herself any more than she had.

“Shall we take a look?”

Edithe’s expression was so hopeful that Maggie didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. “Sure,” she said, rising from the comfortable chair after her aunt. As she passed Malcolm, she whispered, “Hey… nice legs.”

He chuckled and answered, “Compliments are only lies in court’s clothes.”

Edithe laughed. “Shakespeare again?”

“I don’t know who said it,” Malcolm answered, propping his hat upon his head and walking up to an ornate wall mirror. Pleased with his reflection, he smiled at himself. “I do have a noble bearing, if I say so myself. My legs are another matter entirely.”

Edithe walked up behind him and touched his shoulder. She smiled at him in the mirror, and said, “I would know you anywhere. Whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.”

Maggie watched as Malcolm turned and touched Edithe’s cheek. “Emily Brontë knew, didn’t she?”

“Yes, love, even though she was termed a spinster, somehow she knew.” Edithe turned her face and kissed Malcolm’s palm. “Now, let me show my niece her beautiful costume.”

Maggie observed the interaction, and her heart constricted. Edithe really was blessed to have found her love, and she was happy for her aunt. So why did she have this sadness, that she might never experience that kind of love herself? Stopping herself from mentally going down that hopeless path, Maggie followed her aunt from the sitting room and up the stairs. She had enough to deal with right here, right now… like how to get out of wearing a costume.

She walked into the guest bedroom and stared at the dress laid out on her bed. Nothing could have prepared her for it. The gown of rich ruby velvet was simply breathtaking. “Oh, my…” Maggie murmured, going closer and touching the material of the wide skirt. “This is… so beautiful.”

“It is,” her aunt agreed. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Who wouldn’t like it?” Maggie insisted, looking at the gown and thinking she probably would look wonderful in it. Damn. Now how was she supposed to get out of wearing it tomorrow? The dress was lavishly trimmed with a gold embroidered and jewel-set border around the square neckline. An undergarment of elaborate gold-embroidery extended upward to a standing collar of thick, white, starched ruffles, the same smaller white ruffles appearing under the wide and deeply cut sleeves that must hang to the ground, cascading like trains on each side. The waistline slanted downward to form a broad yet deep rounded point and yards upon yards of ruby velvet, studded with hundreds of tiny seed pearls, billowed out to create the skirt.

“Oh, my,” Maggie repeated. “It must cost a fortune. Those jewels look so real around the bodice.”

Edithe laughed. “They aren’t. And we’re only renting it. It’s fairly authentic in style though,” her aunt said, as she picked up the dress by the shoulders and held it in front of Maggie. “Do you want to try it on now?”

Thinking about it for a moment, Maggie shook her head. “Not really. I feel kind of wiped from our healing session. No wonder you have a successful practice. You sure know how to get to the issue.”

Edithe returned her smile. “I understand. Releasing can be exhausting. I’ll just hang it here on the armoire, and you can decide later.” Her aunt took the dress, placed it on a thick wooden hanger, and smoothed the material down. “It is lovely though, isn’t it… oh!… I have something for you. I’ll be right back.”

Maggie sighed, already knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist this dress. “Wow,” she again whispered to the empty room. Never in her life had she worn anything quite so beautiful.

“Maggie, this is to complete your costume.” Edithe returned and placed a twenty-inch strand of small pearls in her hands, then gently closed them around it. “They are very dear to me, child.”

“They’re incredibly beautiful, Aunt Edithe,” Maggie whispered, fingering the tiny smooth beads. “Maybe I shouldn’t wear them to an outside event. I would hate if something happened to them.”

Edithe smiled. “Nonsense. I’m giving them to you. An early birthday present, child. They were given to me many years ago by…” She smiled as though recalling the event. “… by a dear friend, a wonderful teacher. He said to keep them, to hold them, and I would know when it was time to pass them along. It’s time. Besides, they’re perfect for your costume. Wear them in happiness, Maggie.”

She wanted to protest that it was too extravagant a gift, but she saw the deep affection in her aunt’s eyes and smiled with awe and gratitude. “I will treasure them,” she whispered, feeling her throat thicken with emotion again. “Thank you, and thank you for choosing me. I’m honored.”

Edithe fastened the pearls around Maggie’s neck, and the weight seemed to rest at her heart.

“Perfect, Maggie. Look in the mirror. You are radiant, child, simply radiant. I knew you were the one.”

Maggie stared at her reflection and had to admit she did look… younger, peaceful. She’d heard crying was therapeutic, but a beauty treatment?

Edithe walked up to her and placed her hands on Maggie’s shoulders. “Rest well, dear Maggie. May your dreams be sweet.”

Turning, she kissed her aunt’s cheek and hugged her. “Thank you so much for our talk, and for handling my hysterics with such grace. I have a lot to think about.”

Edithe squeezed her in return. “Nonsense, child. We were communicating. Plain and simple. It doesn’t always have to be pretty. We just have to hear what each other is actually saying. I’m glad I heard you.”

Maggie pulled back and looked into her aunt’s eyes. “You really are a remarkably wise woman. No wonder you work well with learning disabilities. I’m feeling a little disabled myself tonight.”

Edithe stroked her cheek and smiled. “We’re humans. We all become disabled once in a while. How else would we learn what we’re really capable of?”

Maggie laughed. “There’s gotta be an easier way.”

“There is, child. It’s simple. Remember.”

“Remember?” Maggie could feel her brows knitting in confusion. “Remember what?”

Edithe smiled. “Remember that this is just a stop on your journey, so throw away your map and just enjoy it. Don’t take it too seriously. Remember that peace is a choice, and you have free will to choose it anytime you want. Do you remember joy, Maggie? What it was like to enjoy life with freedom?”

She thought about it. “Seems like a long time ago.”

“One day you’ll recapture that. When you do, you’ll remember it all.”

“I’m confused,” Maggie said with a laugh.

Edithe joined her laughter. “Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. Boredom did. Allow wonder to work its wonder. Seek peace, Maggie. Stay in the moment. That’s all you need to remember now. Rest well.”

Her aunt left and Maggie turned to look once more at the gorgeous dress. How could she not wear it now, especially after the gift of the pearls? Her aunt was the perfect hostess, and she knew in her heart she wouldn’t disappoint Edithe. Sighing, she walked over to the bed and turned down the thick comforter. Even before she climbed onto the crisp cotton sheet, she knew she was defeated.

She had an adventure awaiting her tomorrow, exactly what she had wished. She just never thought she’d be dressed up like some rich Renaissance lady. Trying to relax, she turned off the light and ran her fingers over the pearls while staring at the shadow of the gown, hanging like a ghost in the moonlight.

She didn’t even have to try it on to know it would look great, and she would wear it.

Giggling, Maggie shook her head and closed her eyes, giving herself over to the comfort of sleep. She envisioned Edithe and Malcolm and sighed… with a bit of yearning. Did she dare believe again… that somewhere, someplace, someone would really love her like she had always wanted? Was it real, or a myth women are fed? Edithe was real. The love she had with Malcolm was real. Maggie had actually felt it. Could it be that her disillusionment was fading, now that she had witnessed the kind of love she had been searching for her entire life? Was she actually opening up to the possibility again? It was scary, and a little exciting. Who knew what waited for her? Maybe she should just be more like Aunt Edithe and stop trying to direct everything. Just go for the adventure.

And she thought her life in the States was ridiculous? According to Aunt Edithe, there was no safety… and she was about to go on an adventure.

Talk about joyriding into the unknown.