Lois, thank you for the beta...you are the greatest!
Chapter 5 – Happenings Later Wednesday Night…(Day 17) Melanie was restless during the night. Her own thoughts were disturbing, and hopes of a restful night’s sleep proved elusive. Melanie was ashamed of what she felt, and she was disappointed that she hadn’t found some way to give voice to her thoughts and maybe discuss them with her partner before she blurted everything out like that during their counseling session today. Melanie knew that she and Lindsay loved Debbie like a second mother. Debbie had been her biggest supporter during the custody battle, and Melanie felt that Debbie was loving and kind…the perfect grandmother. But, Debbie had raised Michael to be whiney, dependent, and eternally childlike and these were not behaviors that Melanie wanted instilled in her daughter. Melanie had to examine her own motives at the choice of Michael as the father for her daughter. She realized now that she had failed to think through that decision. Although Michael was a loving and devoted father, Melanie had to admit she chose him to be Jenny Rebecca’s father because she believed he wouldn’t give her any trouble, and she would be free to raise her daughter as she saw fit. Once again, Melanie could see how she tried to control things. Melanie couldn’t help what she felt. Wasn’t it her responsibility to take care of Jenny Rebecca, just as she had taken care of Gus? Then, she thought back to when Gus was born. In her zeal to take care of everything so that Lindsay could stay home with Gus, Melanie had been consumed with resentment. Things didn’t go the way she planned, and her reaction had been to have an affair, which ultimately caused her separation from Lindsay. Hadn’t she tried to protect Gus from Brian’s lifestyle in the beginning? Maybe she was so fierce in her protection of Gus that she was slow to recognize the fact that Brian had changed. Maybe she didn’t see the changes in Brian because she didn’t want to see them…because those changes didn’t fit her plans. Melanie realized that Lindsay was right. Brian had supported Melanie during their separation. He had not taken sides. Brian had relinquished his parental rights so that she and Lindsay could get back together. Melanie stopped and thought about it. In all the time that she had known Brian…in spite of all their sparring over the years…Brian had never tried to undermine her relationship with Lindsay. The problem was that Brian just didn’t conform to her plans. Melanie had planned that once Gus was conceived, Brian would have no further involvement. She didn’t plan on Brian falling in love with Gus after he was born. Melanie never planned on Brian being an involved father. Her plans! There it was again. Nothing that Melanie had planned over the last six years had worked out exactly as she had intended…not Gus…not Jenny…not her life. Melanie started to wonder why she even bothered planning at all. Why not live spontaneously from day to day? Then she had to stop for a moment…for there was no need to go off the deep end. She could make some changes, but living spontaneously, without any plans at all, was a bit far fetched. Melanie realized that she wasn’t perfect, but she did know some things about herself. What was she going to do…all her plans seemed to do so far was to antagonize Lindsay? She could still hear Lindsay saying in the counseling session that everything was ok, but this time Melanie wasn’t so sure. She would have to come up with some way to make this up to Lindsay. Melanie knew that she needed a plan! Oh, if she could only talk to Brian! He would help her figure out what to do! Brian would help her devise a plan…he was an evil genius! Melanie suddenly listened to herself and wondered where, in the cosmos, these thought were coming from. Then she no longer cared where the thoughts came from, right now Melanie became consumed with the idea…and this really scared the hell out of her…that ‘she needed to talk to Brian’. She started to panic, thinking that she was losing her sanity. Melanie knew she had finally lost all reason! She realized she must truly be desperate if her mind drifted to ‘she needed to talk to Brian!’ Melanie immediately started to look for alternatives. It was time for a different approach. Melanie started to ask herself, what would Brian do in a situation like this. She already knew the answer…Brian would go out and buy a mansion for Justin. But then, of course, Brian would never be in a situation like this, because Justin would have already figured things out long before Brian got around to recognizing there was an issue. Well maybe not the marriage proposal! So the mansion was probably what it took to get Justin to say yes, or maybe that was merely a nice touch on Brian’s part, to seal the deal. Melanie was still trying to sort that one out. Melanie realized that she couldn’t afford that mansion. But she could still equal Brian in the campaign department. Melanie located her cell phone and she quietly entered the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the light. Very carefully, Melanie sent a text message. With that done, she returned to the guest room to rejoin Lindsay in bed. Melanie quickly fell asleep. Melanie finally had a plan. *** The Next Day, Thursday Morning…(Day 18) Melanie checked her cell phone for both text and voice mail messages. The message she had hoped for had been received. Melanie had a date for lunch. At the appropriate time, Melanie kissed Lindsay goodbye with the simple explanation that she had an appointment, but she promised to meet Lindsay at Elizabeth’s office in time for their counseling session. As Melanie was leaving, the phone rang. It was Justin, inviting Lindsay and Melanie to an impromptu early lunch at the Diner. Lindsay accepted for herself, but explained that Melanie already had a prior engagement. Lindsay quickly got dressed and headed for the Diner to meet Justin.
Author’s Comment: For the details of Lindsay’s lunch with Justin see Talisman Of Time, Chapter 13.