The Gift

5

The mood in the Abrams household had hit an all-time low, the worst it had been since they'd moved to Val-d'Or. Mary was angry at Wayne nearly constantly, while he defended his position on her boyfriend. Mary had ignored him and was still seeing Sebastien behind Wayne's back. So much focus was on the tension between father and daughter that neither had noticed Betty's slow slip into isolation.

Things were tense between Mary and Sebastien as well. All in all, Mary's life was quite stressful. Sebastien was, of course, angry at Wayne rejecting him and, while Mary agreed with him on this point, at the same time she didn't want to alienate herself from her dad entirely. In her mind, it was still possible that, somehow, the two men would one day be able to coexist without coming to blows. For now, though, she had to focus on keeping Sebastien from cutting his losses and leaving her over the argument.

"You still love me, right?" she asked one night, while staying in the trailer he called his home.

"What? Of course I do. What made you ask that?"

"It's been playing on my mind. I don't want to lose what we've got."

"Is this because of that dinner?"

Mary sigh and when she answered, she did so reluctantly. "Yeah. I can't stop thinking about it. Our relationship is special and I really don't want things to go sour between you or my dad."

"I don't either, but... what if it's the only choice? If he keeps pushing, I want to know that you're on my side."

The walls of Sebastien's bedroom seemed to close in on Mary. She moved herself to the edge of the bed and sat up, staring into the darkness.

"This isn't about sides, Sebastien. I don't want to have to choose between you or him, I want to choose both of you."

Sebastien reached out and stroked her bare hip. "I know. But what if he doesn't?"

"Oh, I know he doesn't," Mary said, pulling on a shirt of Sebastien's from the floor. "He's made that clear. I'm worried about you."

"What, you think that I'll leave you if don't pick me over your dad?"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about."

"You don't trust me?" Sebastien asked, pain in his voice.

Mary stood up and Sebastien moved to where she'd just been sitting. Moving to get a glass of water, she adjusted the volume of her voice to keep the conversation going.

"Of course I do, baby. I just..." Returning to Sebastien, Mary sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her emotions welled up behind her eyes. "I love you like I've never loved anyone before, and I couldn't bear to lose that." She pressed her lips to his in a kiss fuelled by her passion and desperation. Sebastien leant in, returning the kiss and pulling Mary closer to him.