Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time - Chp 13

Tapping the pencil against her lips, Margaret took a quick look at her watch before checking her mobile for the fifth time in last hour. John said he would call Monday. Well Monday started over ten hours ago, to be exact she thought irritably. Each time she started to work her mind would wander, her fingers would stop tapping on her keyboard, and her gaze look to the clock. The smells coming from the front of the store did not sooth her anxiousness as before.

Tara had brought out a new recipe for sponge cake, which she wanted everyone there to try. Margaret took a piece, as did everyone else. She chewed, she swallowed, and told her friend it was delicious, but in all honesty, she didn't even recall what flavor the cake was. Whatever she was feeling had nothing to do with sampling new cakes, or the tediousness associated in balancing their accounting books.

She was confused, to put it mildly. John had appeared in her life when she least wanted the complications of a romance. Margaret wanted to put all her energies on the bakery for now, and she would have done so if he hadn't shown up, out of the blue to rattle things. The emotions he invoked just consumed her whole. From being angry, to being cautious, to just becoming ridiculously happy to hear his voice, it mattered little, which she was feeling, she just felt; down to her toes, Margaret felt everything.

Driving home from his birthday, the wild emotions rising and stirring inside her, just added to the chaos. At one point, she nearly did turn the car, before common sense knocked its hand hard upon her. Margaret was thankful Tara was asleep when she arrived home. She knew her friend would have been at the ready with questions, but working all day took its toll.

Her own sleep was disturbed. Staying up late, she kept reliving different moments during the dinner, harmless at the time, but the recollection of it sent flutters through her belly.

There had been so many instances that made her heart race; John watching as Hugh hugged her at the door; his beaming face when she met Hannah, the annoyance he felt when Hugh and then David took the empty seats near her. Then there was the moment he blew out the candles. The tiniest of looks, just half a heart beat right before he blew the flames; he had stared at her and made his wish.

"No, I don't think you wished for a toy," she recalled with amusement.

When morning turned to afternoon and then evening without word, the disappointment set in. She could not be appeased, but walked around her flat, sour faced and miserable. The email that came after dinner was filled with apologies, but the hurt had been inflicted. Taking her time to read, Margaret ignored it, choosing instead to shower first, then watch a new show on the telly before reading several chapters from a forgotten book.

By the time she deemed herself ready to open the email, the explanation he sent made her feel like a spoiled child. There had been trouble at the factory, the power failure surprised all there. The machines were shut down all day and work was put to a halt until late in the afternoon. John apologized countless time, praying she would understand and forgive him. It was out of his hands to prevent what had happened.

Margaret grabbed her mobile to call, but it was late, very late. She had waited too long to call. An email reply could always be sent, but she wanted to hear from him, she wanted to hear his voice. It had to power to sooth her, like a warm blanket that would cover her from head to toe; she wanted to be wrapped in it. Sighing heavily, there was nothing to do but go to sleep. She had forgiven John already. She hoped he would forgive her in turn, for being a fool. 

**********

Perhaps it was best that a couple of days passed before communication resumed between them. Regret had slowly turned to anticipation, with the reward of a longed for call arriving as a special treat. Waiting for another two days, Margaret had decided, down to the second, at what date and time she would call. She mustn't sound too eager she decided, or have any traces of remorse in not calling back in her voice.