STONEY'S UNUSUAL STORY CH 2 RESOLUTION
As soon as Stoney got back to the mansion, he was told Molly was gone. She had left while he was gone. Gerta told him she had gone to Redding to go to college. Stoney was sure Martha had sent her away, but he couldn't ask about it. It disappointed him to no end to think Martha would get rid of her because Stoney was interested in her.
Martha avoided him for the next couple of weeks. He was sure she was embarrassed by what had happened at the lodge. He didn't want it to be a problem. It was her two friends that had wanted sex with him and pursued him. Martha just got caught up in the emotion of the environment. He was sure she was angry at herself for getting drunk and letting him do what he had done.
Martha was mortified about the events at the lodge. She couldn't blame Stoney because she had told him she wouldn't. She was pretty drunk, but she was also pretty sure he hadn't done anything to her that she hadn't allowed. She would have to speak to him about it sometime in the future. She just didn't have any idea how she was going to do that. She knew he would never mention it, and she would just wait it out for a while. It made her uncomfortable being around him for now, so she avoided him. She knew he was angry because of Molly. Martha had not sent her away, but she did pay for her college. She had promised Molly she would if she would work for her during the summer break. Since he didn't ask, she couldn't tell him the truth.
For the next several months, nothing changed. He had now been there for almost a year and a half. Everything was working out okay. He got to go to his parents house every Monday. Otherwise, he worked around the mansion, doing the odd jobs Manston gave him.
His next challenge was at Christmas time. He knew Elizabeth was coming home for Christmas, and he intended to not be there while she was there. They had not been in the same room since he had attacked her, and he never wanted to be in the same room with her ever again. If he never saw her face again, it would be too soon for him.
He knew she was coming home on the Monday before Christmas and planned on just staying home the rest of the week. On Sunday, he was repairing the entryway of the mansion. He was replacing some of the tiles in the floor of the entryway. It had been a hard job. He had chipped the broken tile out and had cleaned the concrete underneath. Now he was cementing down the new tiles. He had just finished, and was going to get a warning sign when he heard a scream. He ran back to the entryway only to find Elizabeth laying on the floor. She had walked on the freshly installed tiles, and one of them slipped out from under her feet.
Stoney wanted to run away but she looked dazed and hurt. He called for Manston, took a breath, and stepped up to her.
"Elizabeth, are you okay? I'm so sorry you walked on the wet tiles. I was going to get the sign warning everyone to stay off the floor until it hardened. We weren't expecting you back until tomorrow."
He was standing near her but was afraid to touch her. "Elizabeth, I am not going to touch you, I promise. I will get Manston to help you. Please stay still until he gets here." She looked up at him. She didn't look angry, and he was surprised. He expected her to start yelling at him like before. When she raised her arm towards him, he backed up.
"Please help me up. I know you didn't do this to me. My knee hurts and I need to get up. I won't yell at you, please help me."
Stoney slowly moved to her and helped her up. Manston came in just as he was helping her up. Stoney looked at him, like, what can I do? He gave her to Manston and watched as they went into the living room. He bailed out as soon as she was gone.
Once he was at his parents' house, he sat and thought about what had just happened. She fell on the tiles he was putting in. There is a court order that says he can't get within 100 yards of her. She had walked in on him and made him break the court order. He tried to call Martha to tell her what happened, but she didn't answer her phone. He worried about it all night. Martha called him back the next morning to tell him he was not in trouble. She told him Elizabeth did not blame him. She wanted him to forget it and enjoy his Christmas with his parents. He was stunned. That was not the Elizabeth he had known since after ninth grade, anyway. He forgot about it and did have a wonderful time with his family. He was not allowed to leave town because of his sentence, so the rest of the family came to him.
Martha called him to tell him he could come back to work on January the second. Elizabeth was leaving that morning, and he could come in the afternoon.
He returned to the mansion on that afternoon. Manston told him Elizabeth had left that morning. He went back to work. He was surprised to see Martha come into the pantry area he was repairing. She had avoided him ever since the lodge. He thought she was probably looking for something and ran into him. However, she stopped in front of him and waited for him to look up at her.
"Stoney, could you come into my sitting room? I would like to talk to you." He nodded, and followed her into the room. When they were both seated, she started.
"I wanted to talk to you for some time, I just haven't worked up the courage. Now, I need to talk to you about something else, so we will have to deal with this also. Are you okay with this?"
"Yes, Mrs. Washington. I am sorry for what happened at the lodge. Everyone was drinking and having a good time. You friends were bound and determined to sleep with me. I couldn't avoid them. Then that last night, I tried to leave the room, but Mary wouldn't let me, and it just snowballed from there. I never wanted to embarrass you. You have been very kind to me, and I wouldn't do anything that would embarrass you if I can prevent it." Stoney stopped talking and looked down. He was waiting for her to continue.
"Stoney, it was not your fault. I haven't had the courage to talk to you because, deep down, I wanted that to happen. It wasn't really the drinking. I shouldn't and I know it, but at that moment I needed something, and you gave it to me. I will thank you for that." Stoney tried not to look surprised. What is it with people? You either do or don't. He never understood why people would act like that. He had done a terrible thing when he snapped. That was different than doing something that someone thought was wrong, but, hey, why not?
"The real reason I wanted to talk to you was about Elizabeth." What about Elizabeth? Why did she want to talk about her? Probably because she had slipped on his tile. It was probably his fault, and she is angry again. "Liz wanted me to tell you she was not angry about falling on the tile. She knows it was not your fault. I know you won't believe this, but she has changed. She has been going to counseling ever since she moved to LA. She realizes that she had been a bitch, her words, not mine, to you for years, and that last thing was unforgivable. She wants me to ask you if you could forgive her for setting that party up to embarrass you. She has also asked me to have the judge rescind the restraining order against you. She knows you are not a threat to her, and she doesn't want you to have to worry about running into her running around town. All we ask is that you think about it, okay?"
Stoney was shocked. That was the last thing he thought he would ever hear come out of her mouth. He watched Martha's face closely. She didn't betray any emotion as she was talking. "I must tell you, that is the last thing I thought I would ever hear from Elizabeth. Her approach to me has been so unrelentingly hostile for so long, I have no other thoughts when I see her face in my mind. I will try to reset my frame of reference concerning her. Thank you so much for telling me this from her. I don't hate her. I never have. I liked her so much in the ninth grade, and it was so confounding why she went completely the other way so fast. I figured I had done something to offend her so badly she couldn't forgive me. That is why I never responded to her abuse for so long. It was just, that night, it was in front of the entire town. She wasn't insulting me to my face, she was belittling me in front of the entire town. I snapped and I must live with what I did to her for the rest of my life. I am so ashamed of myself I will never be able to forgive myself."
He left Martha and went back to work. He was confused. Why was she being nicer to him? Did her therapist think she had to so she could move forward? Was it a way to put it behind her? He would like for her to ask the therapist what he could do to get past it.
The next couple of months went by without incident. Martha came to him one day to talk to him. "Stoney, my friends are coming for a visit in a few days. Would you like to take those days off to avoid a repeat of the lodge?"
"Mrs. Washington, except for what happened to you, I am not ashamed about anything I did there. Those ladies are adults, and I am an adult. I enjoyed their attention as much as they enjoyed my attention. I am not suggesting that we would repeat that episode. I am merely saying I don't think it was anything bad. I will leave it up to you whether I am here or not."
Martha decided to let him stay and let the chips fall where they will.
Mary and Barbara arrived the next weekend. Stoney was trimming the front yard hedges when they arrived. He watched as they got out of the car. They can over to say hi to him. He thought Barbara looked different, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Mary came up to him. "Hey, handsome, you haven't changed, unless you got more sexy." She hugged him and went into the house. Barbara waved at him and smiled as she entered the house. That wasn't too bad, but we'll see.
Manston came to his room that evening to tell him Mrs. Washington wanted to see him. He got dressed in a nice shirt and pants and headed for the living room. They were sitting in front of the fireplace, even though there was no fire because it was June.
Barbara stood up when he came in the room. "Stoney, I have been looking forward to seeing you again. Notice anything different?" She twirled in front of him.
"You look fantastic. Have you done something to yourself?"
She was so happy, she exclaimed, "Yes, I have lost ten pounds in six months. I am going to a gym and have met a group of women my own age there. We have been having a few social parties, and I have met a new man. He is fifty, a widower, and he is great. I want to thank you for what you did at the lodge. Not just the sex, as great as it was. NO, it was the confidence you gave me. You encouraged me to get back on the horse, and I did. Thank you" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
Stoney was happy for her, not to mention him. He wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. That just left Mary.
