An Unwanted Fairytale - iv

Chapter Four.

Georgia never would have thought they were engaged. Well, aside from the kiss goodbye on the lips...

"We're not engaged, anymore," Freddie spoke sullenly.

"Oh?"
"Yeah," she sadly replied, "I called it off."

Freddie's tears began to flow openly that Georgia thought it best to start on dinner while her friend recovered.

Sitting on the guest room bed, she stared at her reflection. It was her fault she felt like this. She let herself come to this place knowing that there was a big chance she'd bump into family, friend or ex-fiance. It was her fault she broke off the engagement to the only man she ever loved.

Her fault.

She had silently hoped he would find someone new to share the dreams they once dreamed. He wanted the family life, she knew this. He wanted the marriage, the house, the babies and the future. He offered her the whole package.
And she had accepted.

So why did she call it off?

She felt she was cheating him if she went through with the marriage. Calling it off had been for his best interest, she felt. He offered her the world, but she couldn't do that in turn. It wasn't fair to him.

She felt she could never be woman enough for him.

But even though she gave him back the ring and left her life in Marsdale completely behind, it didn't mean she loved him any less.

Every day she regretted the cowardly move. She never explained why she let him go. She never even said goodbye to her parents or his, for that matter. She quietly upped and left the perfect life she was promised.

She contacted her parents every now and then to tell them she was OK. Her parents were busy and well to do folks who owned a lounge in the hills (where she worked), a condominium and restaurant downtown.

Freddie never staked a claim on her parents' wealth. She always worked for her own money. She wanted the normal teenage life where she'd spend her after school hours waiting on tables to get money to go out.

And so, when the time came for her to decide, she fled with the money she had saved and quit the job her father gave her as assistant manager at their lounge in the hills, via e-mail. She stated she needed a change; little did they know to what extent 'change' meant.

When she found Jan's Diner and Ara, she knew she found her sanctuary. It was almost like time stood still for her.

It was here she learned to live as Freddie. During each shift, she was nervous that her family or even Danny, had found her. So she would play it off that she was a klutz when really, she was scared that the jingle of the door was someone who knew her.

Some time between then and the two weddings, she had come to befriend Georgia. They all got along so well that they had become her extended family.

The last thought brought her back to the present and she snapped out of it. Tomorrow she'd go visit Danny's mother, someone she's always referred to as Auntie since she'd been able to walk. Back when she was a toddler, Auntie would babysit her and that's how Danny and she became the best of friends.

After making a call to Auntie to confirm the best time to visit, she called her parents who told her to come, stay over and that she was welcome the next trip she would make.

Disconnecting the call, she made her way downstairs to where the baby lay awake in her bassinet looking up. Chari's fingers were wrapped around her finger. Such tiny little fingers, she thought.

She was roused from her daydreaming when Georgia called out that dinner was ready.

After dinner her spirits were revived and they watched a few light chick flick movies, made popcorn and gossiped about Hollywood's finest. As much as she needed to forget, or wanted to put Marsdale behind her to move forward, she knew she couldn't. A big chunk of her heart would always be here.

If she told him what he needed to know, would he take her back?