The Three of Us

115. The Future

In the morning, it did not seem so bad. A good night's sleep left Gilbert feeling that things would work out for them somehow.

Maybe it won't bother me so much, he told himself with optimism. After a while, maybe I'll get used to things the way they are, and I won't- I won't focus on that particular aspect of life so much. There'll be lots of other nice things about being married.

Then he had more realistic revelation: It's still possible we might be together. Maybe after we've been married a while, she'll start to feel differently about it all. What happened to her, it's still so new- it was only just over a year ago- so maybe as the years go on she'll start to feel better, and then she'll see that it doesn't have to be something awful, not when she's with someone who loves her so much. ...I can't let on that I'm hoping, though. She'd feel terrible.

Gilbert was right to hope.

He and Anne would be together. It would not be an easy road, filled with many stops and starts- and frustration and tears from Anne, who truly wanted to be intimate with Gilbert, but felt unable to.

But they'd get there. They would be married a year when Anne decided suddenly that she wanted to try, fearful though she was. While this was a hopeful prospect to Gilbert, it was only the beginning- it would be months before the two of them could begin to enjoy intimacy, and it would take longer still for them to enjoy it without feeling as though the past was always with them.

But Gilbert was ever patient, and never once let Anne know how much he longed for her.

And eventually they'd have their houseful of children, starting with their daughter, a little girl they called Joy.

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These were a couple heavy chapters. Next chapter is some lightness, fun with Diana. :) And after that, something interesting from the Andrews family.