Jirachi's Twin

Memory Twenty-Five: Two Choices

Gloria and Marnie started making their way over to where Bede was sitting. Just before they could enter the bench, however, Marnie suddenly pulled Gloria off to the side and sat her down in a separate booth.

"Marnie? What're you—"

"Listen for a moment."

Gloria went silent. Marnie's expression was not grave, nor did it seem upset. Rather, she appeared unsettled about something, and clearly needed to talk about it.

"I just want to ask..." she sighed, looking down, "Have you chosen between Hop and Bede yet?"

Gloria's cheeks flushed momentarily before she cast her gaze downward, So this is what she wanted to talk about...

"I haven't."

"Then please make up your mind soon. I feel like you're gettin' to the point where both boys would be crushed beyond repair if you rejected either of them."

Gloria sighed, her gaze on her shoes unmoving.

"It's not fair to either of them when you keep goin' back and forth, telling them both that you like them," Marnie went on, "Hop just told you he loves you—that's a big deal, Gloria. Now, after hearing that, would you say that you've picked Hop?"

Gloria hesitated. She thought carefully about what Marnie said, but for some reason she couldn't give a definite response.

"Hop is important to me," she agreed, "But even though those words made me happy, I couldn't bring myself to say the same back to him..." her eyelashes fluttered, "I'm still so conflicted..."

Suddenly, two benches in front of them, Gloria saw Bede shoot up from his seat. Zealously, he marched over to where Marnie and Gloria were chatting, and looked both girls dead in the eyes.

"Geez... if you're gonna talk about me, at least try to be discrete..." Bede complained.

Gloria said nothing, but Marnie just shook her head. Bede stared at Gloria's face for a moment. In all the years he'd known her, Bede reckoned he'd never understood her feelings as well as he did now. There was a glossiness in her eyes that hinted at tears, and an uncertain bowing at the tips of her eyebrows. He could tell how much it was eating away at her to prolong their love triangle—what with both sides deeply enamored by her, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how painful it would be for her to let one of them down.

He turned to the side, looking down the nearly empty isle of seats. Staring at nothing, he came up with a decision—the only decision, he realized, that could finally end this everlasting drama for good.

As long as Gloria is happy, Bede concluded, I can live without any regrets. Whether that be by her side, or watching her from a distance.

An image crossed his mind briefly of Gloria and Hop standing beneath a tree, fingers interlaced and a soft breeze rustling the hem of her dress. Their eyes fell upon one another, crossing each other's lips, before leaning into a tender kiss—one of which he would've long lost the sensation of. The scene overwhelmed him with a gnawing bitterness, but as he pushed the thought away, he heavily accepted the reality in mind.

"Gloria, personally... I think it would be wise if you scheduled a date with Hop sometime soon—this week, even."

She looked up, surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth.

"Don't get me wrong... I hate seeing the two of you together," he admitted, "but it's more important to me that you make the right choice. I feel that if you were to pick up where you left off today—with him telling you he loves you and all, you will finally be able to see him for who he is. In other words, you'll have everything you need to make your decision."