Anne with an e- a new version of the story

Chapter 79 - Ghosts in paradise

ANNE AND GILBERT

Anne finished getting ready for Mary and Sebastian's party feeling very happy. How long it had been, she thought in amazement as she applied the last layer of lipstick to her lips. She remembered when she had first met Sebastian, with his broad, sincere smile, always warm and funny, and also always ready to make fun of Gilbert, but letting the enormous affection she felt for the boy shine through his mocking words. He had been a very important figure in Gilbert's life as they crossed the Pacific and his fiancé became more and more distant from everything she knew and loved. It was their friendship that had brought him back to the real world, when his sadness and rebellion were burying him deeper and deeper inside himself. Coming to America hadn't been easy, but Sebastian had embraced Gilbert's invitation to live with him as a fresh start to a long-suffering existence, but with his strength of character and spirit he had adapted more quickly than he had expected, adopting Avonlea as his permanent home.

When sweet Mary had come into his life, she had filled the empty space in his heart, and Shirley's birth had crowned that blessed relationship, although it hadn't all been roses, Sebastian and Mary had overcome everything and deserved that party to celebrate the blessing of being together and growing stronger.

Anne put on her sandals and mentally wished that her relationship with Gilbert was as strong as Mary and Sebastian's. They loved each other too much, but Anne wasn't sure she could go through so many of the things Mary had been through, including the risk of losing her own life, without breaking down. It was true that Anne had had her share of suffering in the world, but nothing like what Mary had experienced, because she had not only had to deal with life's misfortunes, but also with discrimination based on her color. It seemed so much for a figure as small and delicate as her, but who had such an immense heart and soul that she couldn't fit inside herself, and for that she and Sebastian deserved the best that life could give them.

Anne felt a certain restlessness stir within her, and took a deep breath. She had been feeling this way since the last few days in Paris, and she wasn't sure what had triggered the anxiety that had come over her without her expecting it, but she was aware of a thought that had been tormenting her and which she hadn't told anyone about, not even Gilbert.

Suddenly, Anne began to wonder about her origins, who her parents had been and where she had come from. These were questions she had never asked before, because as a child the only thing that mattered to her was to protect herself from the cold, to fill her eternally empty stomach with food and to have a warm bed to lie in at night, but now they were becoming too important. She and Gilbert were going to get married and build their own family, and Anne wanted to be able to tell her children about where she was born and who her grandparents had been. The problem for Anne now was not that she was an orphan, but that she had to find out about her ancestry, but she didn't know where to start. Perhaps she could talk to Gilbert about it and he could help her investigate her origins a little more and find out what she wanted so much.

Anne pushed those thoughts from her mind as she realized it was time to go downstairs and wait for Gilbert. She put a drop of Gilbert's favorite perfume behind each ear and left the room.

Gilbert had just arrived when she stepped onto the last flight of stairs, and the smile he gave her clearly showed that he really liked the classically cut navy blue dress she was wearing.

- You really don't want to go with us? - Anne asked Marilla and Matthew.

- Oh, dear. We can't, because I promised Rachel I'd help with her church bazaar. It's a pity it coincides with the date of Mary and Sebastian's party. I've already apologized to her, and she understands. We're not coming home today, so don't worry about us.