The Wall Between Us

Chapter 10: Past (Scarlett)

For about a week or so she spent time healing on the doctor's orders, limiting herself to light duty such as tidying up the place, folding clothes, or reorganizing her drawers.

She re-read half the books on her shelves and watched soap operas, anything to keep her from becoming bored out of her mind.

The most exciting event of the week was the get-well gifts received from the towns folk, the only problem being that she was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of them.

"Well, I'll be darn!" Frank said as he walked in on her sorting through them. "Seems like em' folks being a li'l too generous."

"What am I going to do with all this?" Scarlett sighed, laying her hands on her head.

There was a variety of items from; pickled veggies, fruit, jam, flower bouquets, candy, tea, and even wine.

All her favorites.

"I'd be happy to take a couple of things off your hands, let's start with the wine." He told her.

"All you probably want is the wine!" She chuckled, handing over a couple of bottles.

His eyes lit up with glee. "T'is a blessin', thank you."

At the bottom of the pile, Frank fished out a small red box wrapped in white ribbon with a note attached to it.

"What's it say?" She asked, urging him to read it.

"A diamond shines the brightest even amongst the rarest of gems." He read, then flipped the paper over.

She stared at him expectantly waiting for him to read on, but he just handed her the box.

"Ain't a lotta there to be honest." He told her. "I reckon whoever sent this wanted it short and sweet."

Scarlett's brows furrowed in thought. "Wait...now that I think about it I've received a couple of letters from an unknown sender."

"I never knew if it was from the same person or not," She went on as she opened the box.

Inside was a red diamond ring shaped like a rose, the silver band portraying the vines of the flower. When she held it up to the light she noticed words engraved into the metal.

My one and only. A.H

Suddenly she couldn't breathe. It can't be! She gripped the edge of the table to steady herself.

"Scarlett, ya alright?" His voice faded into the background.

Tears welled up in her eyes as panic began to set in. There were no words to explain what she was feeling.

"It's Allen..." She let out a shaky breath.

"What?" Frank says. "What do ya mean?"

Scarlett turned to him showing him the ring. "This was my engagement ring...He gave it to me five years ago."

He inspected the ring and his eyes went wide.

"Allen...Harding?"

"What did you say?" She asked wondering if she heard him correctly.

"Nothin'." He avoided the question and averted his gaze. "Y'know I'll take a jar of those pickled peppers too."

"Uncle...!" She grabbed his arm.

When he looked at her again she saw the guilt on his face, then realization dawned on her.

"You knew?" Her lower lip trembled.

"Only what Darrel told me I swear!" He defended, throwing up his hands.

"And what did Father tell you?"

"That the two of ya were smitten with each other,"

"We used to be,"

"Ya were about to get married,"

"That was before he cheated on me!" She yelled, hurting her throat in the process.

Wet tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged herself willing it all to be some terrible joke.

"I didn't love him the way he wanted me to, so he found someone else who would..."

"Shucks, I didn't know Scarlett, Darrel only had good things to say about him." He confessed.

"Why would you," She told him wearing a tight-lipped smile. "I never told anyone the truth except Mom and Lisette and to Father, he was practically the perfect son-in-law."

"At the time I thought he was the one I would spend the rest of my life with, but he proved me wrong. More than once, I simply couldn't see the signs even when they were right in front of me."

Frank pulled her in for a hug and she let him. "You couldn't have known when he would show his true colors."

Just then three distinct knocks came at the door. 

"Scarlett it's me," a familiar voice yelled from outside.

"It's Lisette," Frank says as he walked towards the door.

The florist rushed over to her with her eyes as big as does. 

Lisette?" Scarlett said slightly confused. "Is everything alright?".

"I came as soon as I could!" She breathed out and looked winded as if she ran all the way here. 

"What's going on?!" Frank asked in a concerned voice as he joined them.

She has never seen her friend so distressed before, her usual gentle smile is replaced by a deep frown.

"I'm so sorry for the abrupt visit, but this is important," The florist explained as she held Scarlett's hands. "There's something you must know..."

Scarlett squeezed her hand gently urging her to continue. "What is it, you're scaring me?!"

"Allen," She says staring into her eyes. "Scarlett, he's here in Westown!"

Scarlett's stomach dropped. "I knew it was only a matter of time before he found me..." She trailed off eyes filled with cold fear.

Lisette looked at her sympathetically. "What are you going to do?! Should I get Megan involved?"

"No..." Scarlett said balling her hands into fists. "It's fine, he hasn't done anything yet."

Although she wasn't entirely sure what he would or wouldn't do. He'd always been so unpredictable and it's been years since she last saw him, she probably wouldn't even recognize him.

"And what if he does?!" Lisette asked as if she was more frightened for her safety than Scarlett was.

"It's alright, I'm not the same person I was five years ago. He'll have another thing coming if he thinks he can just walk back into my life as if nothing happened." Scarlett gives her a reassuring smile. "Besides, I have you and everyone else by my side isn't that enough?"

Frank patted her on the back with a soft smile. "That's the spirit!"

She hugged Lisette and then showed her the engagement ring.

"This doesn't mean anything to me anymore." The red-haired farmer sighed as she turned the ring around in the palm of her hand. "It was a thing of the past and that is where it'll stay."