Megan Jones (youngestjones) wrote in alliswell, @ 2012-01-20 07:57:00 |
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It was after eight when Megan knocked on Wendy’s front door; it was just a light tap, really, as to not wake Heidi up if Wendy had managed to get her to bed already. She folded her arms, swaying slightly from side to side as she waited. She really needed this talk with her friend; she’d been driving herself mad today with all the thoughts running through her head after she had seen Eddie the previous night. Of her dinner with her cousin afterwards, she really didn’t remember much. But everything with Eddie was crystal clear in her mind - every word he’d said, how it had felt to see him again after avoiding him for so long, his smile when they’d decided to be in one another’s lives again. He was still so Eddie and that made things just that much more complicated; if he had changed, deciding what to do would have been easy.
Heidi had just fallen asleep when Megan tapped on the door. Wendy padded through the house to the front door. Opening it, she smiled and stood back to let her friend enter.
"Hi," she said, pulling Meg into a hug. She took her coat, hanging it on the peg on the wall that always seemed to be Megan’s. "Wine?"
They’d chatted off and on throughout the day, mostly about Eddie and Meg and Eddie’s meeting. Wendy wasn’t entirely certain she approved - but then had to remind herself that it wasn’t really her place to approve or disapprove. She was, however, concerned. Meg had been very hurt by the breakup, and Wendy didn’t want to see her hurt again.
"Hi," Megan smiled, returning the hug. "Wine would be fabulous, thank you." She wrinkled her nose at Wendy. "I definitely need it after last night."
She put her bag down on the sofa as they walked through to Wendy’s kitchen. "How are you? And Heidi? Is she asleep?"
Wendy nodded. "She is. She had a very busy day with Chris and was half-asleep when he brought her home." She smiled softly as she spoke of her daughter. "I'm all right. I was told the other day that I've been chosen to write a children's book on the war, and they want me to meet with Harry Potter this week, to talk about it, I reckon."
She moved around the kitchen, pouring glasses of wine and cutting pieces of cheesecake to set on the table. She put out the strawberries and chocolate toppings and gestured Megan toward the table. Sitting, Wendy reached for her wine.
"But how are you?" She gave Meg a sympathetic smile before she took a sip of wine.
Megan joined her at the table. "I’m... Merlin, I don’t know what I am. It was a shock to see him and I don’t know if seeing him again is a good idea or not. But I said yes, so we’re having lunch on Saturday." She picked up a strawberry and turned it around between her fingers. "I had a good cry when I got home last night," she admitted with a small smile. "He still has the power to do that to me."
Wendy frowned. "He probably will, for awhile." She sighed. "What did he say? Was he sorry? Anything?"
"He apologised, yes," she nodded, taking a bite of the strawberry. "We talked a bit... said things we didn’t get to say when we ended it. He said I looked good and he feels really bad for his part in everything, Wendy. It was hard seeing him like that."
Wendy poured chocolate onto her cheesecake, then swiped a strawberry throuh it. "How did he look?" Secretly, or perhaps not so secretly, she hoped he was gaunt and haggard and basically eaten up by guilt that he had chose bloody Auroring over Megan.
Megan shrugged. "Like Eddie. Just scruffier than I’m used to. His hair is longer and he needed a shave and I don’t know - he looked tired." She picked up another strawberry and dipped it into the chocolate. "He told me that I deserved better and that he missed me." She couldn’t even remember if she’d told Wendy this earlier over the journals or not. "We’re going to be in each other’s lives... whatever the hell that may mean."
"In each other's lives? Like... are you seeing him?" Wendy pursed her lips. "He broke your heart, Meg. I don't know, but I have a hard time getting past that." She sighed heavily. "I just - it feels like he is just waltzing back in and you're letting him and I think he really needs to prove that his job isn't going to become the end all, be all again. You do deserve better than him, if he's going to do that again."
She reached for her wine, taking a swallow. "He misses you. Great. Maybe he knows what he lost out on."
"No, I’m not seeing him," Megan said with a shake of her head. "And yes, I do know that he broke my heart, but I’m not going to put all of that on him. He wasn’t the only one at fault - I did things wrong, too. He asked me what I wanted to do and I told him I didn’t want to avoid him anymore. Not seeing him hasn’t helped me at all." She sighed. "I don’t know... we’ll see how it goes. Maybe we’ll just end up as friends and even that will be a thousand times better than most of this past year has been. And maybe Saturday’s lunch will end up being a disaster. It’s too early to say."
Wendy nodded. "I hope it's not a disaster," she said. She took a sip of her wine, then took a bite of her cheesecake. "Am I being too rough on him?" She gave Megan a rueful smile. "Just be careful with yourself."
"I will, I promise." Megan returned her smile. "You are, yes, but I can’t blame you for it. I probably need someone with more perspective on it than I have. I was actually worried about him after he wrote in his journal that he can hardly take care of himself." She picked up her glass of wine, taking a sip. "But enough of that - tell me about this book they want you to write."
"I'm not certain I have much more perspective than you," Wendy said, laughing briefly. "But I do think it speaks well of you, that you were worried." She took another strawberry and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, that book."
Wendy sighed, putting the berry down and curling her hands around the base of the wineglass. "They have this misguided idea that it's a good idea that there be a book about the war. That children need to understand that evil is bad." She rolled her eyes again. "It makes no sense, at all."
Megan started to frown as Wendy told her about the book. "Merlin, that’s... Do they know the target market for your books at all? I feel sick just at the thought of Heidi or any child her age hearing about stuff like that. Do you have a choice in the matter?"
Wendy shook her head. "Not really. I signed the contract, knowing that they could ask for - and get - a book of their choice at any time. I just thought they’d ask for something like the Kneazle book again." She leaned back, rubbing her face. "I’ve been half sick all week at the idea, and then when I think about Heidi staying at Chris’s this weekend... it’s been a pretty miserable week so far." She laughed softly. "Did I tell you that I’m supposed to talk to Harry Potter about the book? Apparently an appointment was made for me."
"Ugh, I can believe that." Shifting, she pulled the plate with cheese cake to her. "They made you an appointment to meet with Harry Potter? Somehow he doesn’t strike me as someone who’s going to be very talkative about anything. Have you met him before?" she asked, taking a bite of cake.
Wendy shook her head. "No, I haven’t. He’s always struck me as a bit... stand-offish. I mean, I get that he’s a private person, but does he have to be so... gruff... about it?" Wendy shrugged. "I have nothing against him, really. I’m just out of sorts this week so I am taking it out on convenient targets." She poured more wine into her glass and took a long sip. "I feel like shopping."
Meg nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. I’ve had a few classes with him and I’ve actually met him with Eddie being an Auror, and I still can’t imagine him doing something normal like eating cake. And add to that the fact that he seems so stand-offish with most people... it’s just strange. When is this meeting?" She had another bite of cake. "We can work shopping in over the weekend. I haven’t been in the shops since before Christmas."
"It’s Friday afternoon. I get to go to the Ministry and everything," she said mock-breathlessly. "After that I’ll probably definitely need food. Chris is getting Heidi about noon and they’re going to his Mum and Dad’s. How about I come over about seven on Friday night? I’ll stop at the shop and get some things and then Floo to your place and we’ll stay in and talk about boys, and go shopping on Saturday."
Megan laughed. "Lucky you! You’ll probably see Eddie, then, too," she said, sighing a bit at herself for immediately thinking that. But that reminded her, "Damn, I’m having lunch with him on Saturday, so shopping before or after? I don’t think it’ll go on for very long."
"I probably will. I promise to not give him the evil eye," Wendy laughed. "Oh... after will be fine. You can stop by here when you’re done and we’ll go from there. That way you will also be able to talk it over." She took a final bite of her cake and pushed her plate away.
"All right, that sounds good." She sighed. "I’m probably going to need to talk it over a lot if last night was any indication of how it could go. Why can’t these things just be easy and work out like they should?"
Wendy sighed dramatically, settling her chin into her hand. "Because no matter much we tell people, they don't believe that we are princesses and should always get what we want." She laughed. "Unless you're Heidi and you want the big dollhouse for Christmas and Grampy goes out and finds the biggest, most elaborate dollhouse that he could find. Even Frankie was impressed."
"So unfair," Megan said with a laugh and her poshest voice. "They should know by now how to arrange the world as we like it." Going back to her normal voice, she pushed the empty plate away. "Well, that’s what grandfathers are for! To make us feel like princesses and bring us the prettiest doll house. I saw doll house furniture the other day and they would go beautifully with that house." She gave Wendy an impish smile. "Waiting for her birthday is going to be difficult."
"Oh? We'll have to look on Saturday." Wendy shook her head, then drained the last of her wine. "I can't believe she's going to be three this year. Chris and I talked about enrolling her in school, that one in Hogsmeade, Mrs Frazzle's. I'm going to go next week to tour the school." She sniffled a bit. "She's growing up so fast."
"She is." Megan leaned over the table to give Wendy’s hand a squeeze. "It’ll be good for her to be with kids her own age on a regular basis." She smiled. "It’ll be good for you, too. Are you going to send her full-time or just half-day?"
Wendy squeezed back, giving her a small smile. "Half-day. I think that a full day would be too much right now, especially for her. She still likes her nap in the afternoon." But Megan was right; sending Heidi to school would be good for Wendy as well.
She nodded at that. "That would give her time to adjust to school and all the new friends, and you’ll still have plenty of Heidi-time," Megan smiled. "I’ve got a few patients who have toddlers and older children in the school and I’ve only heard good things about it."
"Yeah... I just wish she could have stayed small for awhile longer." Wendy sighed again, refilling their wineglasses. "Before I know it, she'll be going to Hogwarts and getting married." She took a drink. "Ugh, I sound ridiculous."
"You do. A bit," she agreed with a kind smile as she reached for her glass of wine, "but you’ve earned the right to that as her mum." Megan really couldn’t fault her for that; seeing your child grow up and having to let go bit by bit couldn’t be easy.
"Thanks," Wendy said. "You're a good friend." She took another sip of wine and started giggling. "Oh my God, Meg, listen to me!" And then she continued laughing, covering her mouth to stifle the giggles and to not wake Heidi.
Megan couldn’t help but join in, her own laughter stifled behind her hand. It was ridiculous and it made no sense, but they both needed it. "Oh, Merlin," she managed to say at last and then another fit of giggles overtook her.
Finally Wendy managed to gasp out, "That was so sappy." Sighing, she sat back and wiped tears from her eyes, looked at Megan, and a moment later was laughing again.
"We can blame the wine for that," Meg said, still laughing and trying her best to do it quietly.
Wendy nodded, finishing off her glass and pushing it away and letting herself calm down. "I'm glad you came over. Saturday will be fine." She stood to pour water into the electric kettle. "Do you want to start Cleopatra tonight, and we can finish it on Friday?"
"So am I," she agreed as she started to get herself under control again. Getting up, Megan gathered the dirty dishes and glasses and deposited them in the kitchen sink. "Let’s do that, yes. I can do with some pretty in my life right now."
Wendy smirked. "Do you mean Richard Burton or Elizabeth Taylor?" She pulled down two mugs, silently raising her eyebrow in question. Now that she'd discussed her problems, and Meg had discussed hers, tea seemed the reasonable choice.
Megan smirked back, resting with her hands on the back of a chair while Wendy made their tea. "Do I have to choose?"
Wendy pointed at Megan. "That right there? Exactly why we're friends." It wasn't long before the water boiled and their tea was ready, and Wendy led the way into the living room, chatting the whole way.
"I know." Smiling, Megan followed Wendy to the living room and made herself comfortable on the sofa. This was exactly the sort of evening she’d needed after the previous night - her friend and food and an old film to make her forget about everything for a while.