Gran Mag...

Part XL Conclusion...

"You promised to come to France and help me get home!...You swore you'd come, the day I had to go, you promised, you swore!…And then…Nothing…Not a word, for months…"

"I wrote you…I told you that…The school must have kept my letters back…And when I got to see you…I told you…"

"Oh, yeah…Your money jar…Our plan…" Charlotte, sneering… "You lied to me, Amy…Like mother and father, you didn't want me and you knew I couldn't get away then by myself…"

"Lord, this was heavy…" Gran Mag, back on screen, old glass jelly jar in hand…Full of coins…

"My jar…My rescue jar…"Amy gasps… "Gran?...You said…"

"Amy, my girl…There's no way to go round this easy…I lied to you…" Gran Mag shaking head on screen… "I knew you were saving all you could but child, I couldn't just let you go running off to Boston to take a plane or boat to Charlotte…So I took the jar and put it away…And tole you it'd been stolen…That poor Dorothy…But I did make it right with her parents later…"

"Gran?..." Charlotte gasps… "You kept Amy from coming to rescue me?..."

"Charlotte, your sister was eleven years old…You couldn't travel a quarter mile on foot as you were then…Traveling any distance even with Amy could've killed you and she could've been hurt as well…I couldn't let her go gallivanting off to parts unknown in search of you…As I say, girls…" wheezing sigh… "It was my fault…And not Amy's…And even your great aunt Maggie thought we'd made a mistake in not bucking that fool of a father…"

"Oh, my…" Charlotte blinking… "Amy…?"

"But my fault here doesn't let you off, girl…Sowin' a few oats is one thing…" smile… "I and your great aunt did a bit of that ourselves…"

"Every actor in Hollywood wanted to do the Wicked Witch after the film came out…" Amy noted to me, grinning… "Even if they only called on her in private after making cracks about Grandaunt Maggie's looks in public…"

"Remember how she told us about Mr. Grant coming by…?" Charlotte, faint grin…

"I think you can go tell everyone, things are fine…" Raj noted to Frederick the manager… "And lay off that skirt-chasing, Carlos…Take this as a message from whatever God you choose to worship…" he nods to Carlos the waiter… "Nothing good can come of it…" he eyes Howard…Solemn nod…

"Course your great aunt was more of a lady than me…And had a boy to look after in Hollywood…Though I'd say I did have a bit more fun in my day…" Gran Mag noted with weary smile…Then frowning… "But Charlotte…It's one thing to lead a few boys on and do a little of what comes natural…And another to hurt your sister and other folks…Is that how a Fowler girl behaves?..." Cough…

"No, Gran…" sigh…"But you always said I should follow my heart…And that a Fowler might have to try harder…Like you with Grandpa Leonard…" Charlotte, anxiously…

"He was a bit shy…" shrug… "But I knew I was the one for him midway through his therapy…And then all it took was a week in Maine with me here…"

"Fortunately Grandpa didn't press the kidnapping charges…" Amy nods… "I can see your point, Charlotte…It was so romantic, really…"

"Suppose I was a bit of a fool for love…" Gran Mag, sighing…

Sigh…Amy, Charlotte…

"And Sheldon was so wonderful…I couldn't just let him go…Especially to Amy since I thought she'd betrayed me to keep him…" Charlotte…

You win, again…Bestie…Penny grinning to Amy…Who grins back…

"But whatever slight excess I went to with your Grandpa Leonard…It didn't involve threatening anyone…And I didn't say…" wheeze…