Some Friday Fiction!

An animal, presumably a wolf, yelped in the woods: eliciting reactionary rustling. Nancy sighed and coughed softly. Hillary laughed to herself. “Whatever Charlie may have done, Nancy, he really loved you.” There was a tinge of dejected envy in her tone, which made it all the more genuine. “He said that you were stronger in spirit and in mind than anyone he had ever met, including himself.”

“Did he love you?” Nancy asked without bitterness. She had been sitting on the question since she first saw Hillary, bent over her husband in that jade green suit. Yes, the answer would either ease or magnify Charles’ betrayal. And, yes, the odds were a bit worrisome, but, as we may all know: the fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all.

“No.” Hillary answered definitively, but to be as honest as she was self-validating, added, “Sure, he may have loved me in a way, but not like you. You were the sun and he was Icarus. He strove for you. He thanked his lucky stars you fell for a goof like him, he said. I came easily. All he had to do was wait in line for the toilet. I was a patient, in a way. I was mad for him, Nancy.” Hillary leaned in confidence. “I mean, at first, I was really nutzoid. I was young. We were all young, I guess. But, I was always a little jealous of you.” Nancy looked at her with blank eyes, not quite sure what there was to be jealous of. “You’re an extremely intelligent, innovative, gorgeous woman. You could have it all by yourself, but then to top it off, you got a fantastic husband, too!” Hillary stopped abruptly, and Nancy continued to stare into the woods. It was a second before she looked over and saw that Hillary was crying. Not a lot, but enough to leave a mark. Hillary looked at Nancy with pathetic eyes, smiled a crooked smile, and went on. “Remember when you guys went to Switzerland for a month a number of years ago?” Of course Nancy remembered. “Well, I thought I would die without him. I don’t know; I wasn’t doing so hot. I felt so empty. When Charles told me he was going away, I thought I would lose it. I begged him not to go, but he said it was for his own good. He needed to be with you. You could heal him. I couldn’t.

“He sent me postcards regaling your adventures. He said he was happy, and even his letters looked more bubbly. He came back glowing, and treated me just the same, but I could see something had changed in him. He was more in love with you than ever. It was then that I realized he would never love me the way that he loved you. I would never mean as much or be as capable or as inspiring. But, in the end, that didn’t matter. I know he cared for me, and that’s enough. I feel lucky to have known someone like Charles Guthrie. Nancy, you should be proud that you could call him your husband! Shit, you must think I’m crazy?”

Switzerland provided some of Nancy’s best memories. Only a few years ago, she and Charles seemed more solid than ever, skiing together, and playing tricks on the hotel staff, running down the hall giggling like children. She remembered him writing postcards. He said that they were for a friend who was lonely and misguided. Standing behind him as he wrote, her hands languidly running across his shoulders and through his hair, she said, “Sounds like me when I met you. I wonder how many countless people you’ve saved since then.”

Charles laughed. “Please, you were the most together person I met. You knew exactly what you wanted. I was the mess. Sure, I was becoming a doctor, and a damn good one – my estimate is three thousand saved in one way or another!” He laughed proudly. “But, I needed a partner, and you did me the biggest favor in the world by quenching my longing. From the bottom of my heart: thank you for signing on.”

Nancy wrapped herself around his brawny shoulders and kissed his neck. It was bristling with hairs. “We’re both just too generous, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you.”

Charles kissed her hand and rubbed it on his cheek. “I love you, Nancy. I want to give you the world.”

She nuzzled into his hair and kissed his scalp. “Darling, I don’t need the world when you’re around. No need to be greedy!”

Nancy was crying now, too. Not out of sadness, or out of shame. She was proud of her time with Charles. Sure, he may not have taken their vows to heart on a technical level, but Nancy knew he did none of it to hurt her, nor was Charles spurred by his own selfish desires. Charles was a doctor. He was receptive to need and driven to heal the broken legs, hearts, or dreams of people. Nancy and Hillary were both patients, and Charles was their miracle doctor, and he had saved them both. They had both overcome the crippling loneliness of life itself, stronger because of it, and, Nancy knew, wiser. Now it was she that felt imbued, but not by creativity, but absolute absolution.

The joint had gone out long ago. The breeze had died down. There were no more wolves howling, and no more rustling: just the calm lapping of the pool and the solemn rhythm of the women’s breathing. Nancy put her arm around Hillary, smiled the warmest smile she had felt in years. “If you’re crazy, I’m crazy, and I sure as hell ain’t crazy.”

Hillary laughed and wiped a fresh wave of tears. “Well, that’s a relief.”

“Come on, let’s go inside and have some wine. Charles had quite an extensive collection. He loved to taste wine, not really get drunk, just taste.”

“I know.” Hillary admitted bashfully.

“Right. Well, hopefully he taught you a thing or two.” Nancy gave Hillary’s shoulder a solid yet caring clutch, a squeeze of solidarity, and led them inside.