“At least the women I spoke to know about me and the others now. Gavin has few secrets left, if any.” That warmed her blood a bit; just knowing that she had put these others in the know helped a bit.
***
A month passed and Linda moved to another town and found another job; she was saddened to leave Joan, but saw no other way to escape the shroud of embarrassment Gavin had draped over her shoulders.
He still called every day and she ignored his calls until one Sunday in the second month at her new home. Linda was feeling perkier than usual and some of her anger had dissipated as she sat on her porch watching the sunset.
She answered when he called.
“Hello, Gavin.” She looked out over the landscape. At least in her new home, she had a good view of the surrounding mountains.
As Linda listened to Gavin, she began to think that maybe he was a different person after all his losses. He sounded humble and grateful—genuinely so—as he explained that he could never undo what had been done, but that he was ready to start over and that he had truly changed.
“Linda, I know now that you were the glue that held my whole world together; without you nothing means anything. I would love to have the chance to start over with you.” Gavin went silent and Linda could swear that she actually heard a hitch in his breathing as if he were crying or was about to start crying.
Her heart skipped a beat and her mind went numb for a moment. Was it safe to be around him? Was he acting just to get his hands on her; maybe to exact some revenge for what he perceived as abandonment in his time of need?
Her heart told her that she had always truly loved Gavin and that she always would love him; her head told her to be wary of the man who had caused so much pain and embarrassment to her.
“I don’t know what to say Gavin. I’ve moved away to get out of that town and away from those people; those women. I can’t just forget all that. You can’t ask me to forget it.”
“I’m not asking you to forget what happened, though I rather wish you could. More importantly, I wish I’d been illuminated enough when we met to know that you are the only person I love, you are the only thing I want in my life, Linda. If I have you, my world is whole again. I don’t need all the collectibles, the limelight of the small town, the headlines about being a successful businessman—none of it. I only need and want you. Please give me a chance to prove it to you; we can take it as slowly as you’re comfortable with and I’ll be here for you for however long it takes. I love you, Linda.”
Linda decided, after a weeklong battle between her head and heart, to have dinner with Gavin. Over that dinner, she knew he was sincere and that she would give him another chance. She wanted another chance.
This time they would both start their relationship with open eyes and a great deal of experience behind them. Things wouldn’t be perfect, they both knew that, but things would eventually get better—love is the greatest healer of broken hearts.
END