“Oh, come off it, mom. Who are you trying to kid? You're a fake; a fraud; a phoney. You were sixteen years old when you went out and dropped your pants for a married French businessman and dragged your poor, unsuspecting schoolkid boyfriend into a marriage he didn't want to be in then you drove him away too. And you're sat here lecturing me on the sanctity of marriage and my vows to God? You're nothing but a hypocrite!”
The words had barely left Scarlett's mouth when Martha's hand flew across her cheek with an almighty slap. Stunned, Scarlett quickly recovered her composure.
“Yeah, that's about right, Martha. Like mother like son. Thou shalt always resort to violence.”
“I'm warning you, young lady. Do not take the Lord's name in vain.”
“Fuck the Lord, Martha! Fuck the lot of it!”
“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Scarlett. May the Lord have mercy on your soul. You're going to need it, my dear. The Lord sees all and the Lord hears all. The Lord judges all and the Lord punishes those who he judges to be miscreants.”
Scarlett couldn't help but let out a desperate, exasperated laugh.
“Scarlett, the Lord has rewarded you with a choice. You're lucky to get a choice after your behavior, but the Lord moves in mysterious ways.”
“Lucky?! The only way I'm lucky is by getting out of here!”
“You have a choice, Scarlett. You can stay here and work out your problems with Robert with the love and support of the Lord and your family or you can do as you please and the Lord will play no further part in your salvation. Furthermore, you will no longer have any family. Blood, my dear, is thicker than water.”
Scarlett was taken aback by her mother-in-law's sudden apocalyptic tone and remembered a quote an old friend had told her.
“Martha. If someone asks you to choose between them and anything else, whatever it may be, they've just made your decision for you.”
Veronica interjected in an attempt to become the voice of reason.
“Oh, honey. It doesn't have to be like that. Why not just stay here a little longer and see how things pan out? You've only just met—you can't throw everything away now.”
“What do I have to throw away, mom? I don't have anything worth staying for. If I stay any longer I'm at risk of being hurt or worse. Have you never had a sudden, unshakable instinct that something is just right? That you have to do something right away in order to be truly happy? I'm sorry, mom, but I'm going to France.”
“And what about you, Isaac? Are you seriously prepared to abandon the new relationship you have with your mother in order to go through with this?”
“Since the age of seventeen I had had no relationship with my mother until recently. Now, once again, I've seen her for what she really is. When you compare that option to the prospect of spending the rest of my life watching the sun set over the French countryside with the most beautiful woman I've ever had the fortune to lay my eyes on, there is no choice to be made.”
The five cried long into the night—each for very different reasons.
CHAPTER NINE
The morning sun broke through the window like the dawn of a new life; a new era. Scarlett embraced the bitter air as she opened her bedroom window and inhaled the oxygenous molecules of her new world.
Robert hadn't come home Christmas night—rather he had gotten involved in a fight in a local bar after trying to come on to another guy's fiancée. It was agreed that Scarlett and Robert should stay apart for a few days until the new year when they could approach their troubles with a clear head. Scarlett, of course, would be in France and had no intention of trying to reconcile her differences with Robert. She would be over 3,500 miles away and safe from the dangers he inflicted on her. She would be in the arms of the man she loved; who had swept her off her feet and who she would spend the rest of her living, breathing, loving days with.
Martha did not show up to the airport to say goodbye to Scarlett and Isaac. Scarlett's parents, however, had come to the conclusion that they were happy for her. On reflection, knowing the way Robert had been treating Scarlett, they were optimistic for her chance to have a new start—a clean break in France.
As the plane roared down the runway at JFK Airport and lifted into the afternoon sky, Scarlett looked back on New York with a mix of sadness and regret. Regret not at her decision but at the fact that life had not quite worked out as she had planned. Now, though, she would be happy
EPILOGUE
Scarlett and Isaac sat on the veranda outside their stunning 16th-century farmhouse just outside Perpignan and watched the sun set over the horizon. The olive groves and vineyards gave grace to the burning orange sky as the sound of the crickets in the luscious green bushes set the ambience for a perfect French evening.
Their life in France had been just as Scarlett had imagined. Their new Catalan-style home was truly beautiful. Situated in between the coast and the mountains, the surrounding vineyards and fruit trees sheltered the rustic building from the glorious sunshine. It seemed a world away from the hustle and bustle of New York and now she castigated herself for not taking the plunge sooner. She loved Europe and all it had to offer and now Isaac had led her to a place where she could do everything her heart desired. For the first time in her life, she was truly happy.
Finishing off the last of his Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Isaac got up from his chair and sunk to one knee, removing a small white box from his pocket.
“Scarlett. I love you more than words could ever say and you've made me the happiest man alive. Please, make me even happier. Will you marry me?”
Scarlett sobbed with delight as Isaac swung her in the air, kissing her longingly and lovingly. Finally, he sat her back in her seat.
“We're going to be so happy,” he said, placing his hand on her stomach. “Just the three of us.”
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