“Anne has barely been out of her room in over a month. When she bothers to go to class, she returns home and heads straight to her room” sadly sighs Mrs. Dashing “It’s like she has created her own prison”.
“Brandon has been to see her every day but she barely says two words to him” observes Ellen “She doesn’t have any energy and looks so pale”.
“She’s lost a lot of weight because I can’t get Anne to eat anything” replies Mrs. Dashing “I’ve fixed her favorite dishes which she immediately takes to her room and returns them hours later barely touched.”
“Her hair is greasy too. It looks wet! Yuck! Mom wouldn’t let me go to school looking like that: She makes me take a bath” adds Maggie “and I’m tired of her breath stinking when she talks”.
The three of them sit sulking at the table out of ideas on how to help Anne overcome her depression. She has been unhappy for so many weeks now that it feels like an eternity.
Ellen flips open an ivory envelope lying carelessly on the mantle of the fire place where it was last left by Anne. Willoughby was polite enough to send a wedding invitation addressed to Mrs. Dashing but didn’t even say “and guest” on the return card. The wedding to Sophie Grey is in three weeks. Anne went to her room and didn’t come out for 24 hours after she opened it from the mail. No one was home except Anne to intercept the mail before it arrived.
Anne quietly shuffles into the room and Ellen quickly hides the invitation behind her back. She lays down on the couch as if all of her energy has been drained out of her moving from the bedroom to the living room. She grabs a throw blanket and grabs a book from the stack of the end of the couch.
Ellen for a second is momentarily surprised that Anne seems interested in anything. A book seems quite hopeful.
Anne opens the book and starts sobbing. “This was Willoughby’s favorite poem!” Ellen walks directly over to her, grabs the book, walks into the kitchen and immediately throws it into the trash can.
“Why did you do that?” angrily asks Anne through her tears.
“I’m tired of this nonsense! You need to pull yourself together!” replies Ellen “We all agree he was a jerk. But it is time to move on. There is much more to life than just having a boyfriend especially one that isn’t worth crying over!”
“What do you mean? He was everything to me!” defends Anne
“No he wasn’t.” counters Ellen “you have so many people around you that love you and are concerned about you. You are a wonderful person and don’t need some guy to define your happiness!”
“But everyone is laughing at me now. They are making up all kinds of things about me. How can I ever have any friends again? No one cares about me anymore. Nobody loves me!” Yearns Anne.
“Don’t be so dramatic! Anne really have you looked at yourself lately? You need to look in a mirror” replies Ellen “you stink and are making everything stink around you!”
“You don’t have to be so cruel!” argues Anne “I just don’t feel like doing anything.”
“You play solitaire for hours at a time” adds Maggie “I can’t get you to stop!”
Anne rolls her eyes at Maggie “I only do that to get my mind off of thinking about Willoughby but it doesn’t work.”
Mrs. Dashing comes into the living listening in the kitchen but has decided to intervene in the compassionate argument. She places her arms around Anne’s shoulders, “Come on Anne. Go ahead and take a bath. I’ve run some water for you and added your favorite scent from Bath & Body Works. It’s time to start enjoying the days that are ahead of you.”
Maggie hugs her mom “Thank you! She stinks worse than Samuel when it rains!”
Samuel hears his name and runs under her hand to be petted. “Come on boy, let’s go for a walk! If it is all right, I’ll be back mom in a few minutes. Samuel and I are going to hang out for a while at Ariel’s house.”
The doorbell rings as the screen door bangs shut. “Girls, Girls, Girls, where are you? I have such news! Such horrible news!” rushes Jennings into the living room as Mrs. Dashing greets her with a hug. Jennings’ white hair looks electrified with the ends charged with humidity and aiming at every angle. She is wearing a bright pink t-shirt that reads “Princess: Having trouble with Princes – seeks Frog!”
“What’s wrong?” asks Mrs. Dashing
“Oh it’s such bad news for one of your girls. I don’t know what to say!” replies Jennings as she sinks into the cushions of the recliner.
Ellen walks into the room with some tea for Jennings which she politely thanks Ellen for.
Grabbing Ellen’s hand, “I’m so sorry. There has been such bad news lately for two of the most beautiful women in the world” empathetically remarks Jennings.
Ellen looks a bit confused but knows the answer is coming soon. “What’s wrong Jennings?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard yet. I came over as soon as I got the call. I knew that you would want to know “Jennings intentionally sustaining the suspense.
Mrs. Dashing looks at her “It is all right just tell us.”
“It’s like this. As you know the Steele girls went to visit Fannie and John for a few weeks. Evidently Fannie and Liz became quite good friends.” Jennings states as Ellen looks a little ticked at the information that confirms something that she suspected would happen.
“One day Fannie was asking Liz who she liked and do you know who she said was her fiancé?” asks Jennings
Ellen feels herself going pale and feeling light headed. She grabs the edge of the couch because she feels the next words will be quite painful.
“Liz is engaged to Ted Dashing! She’s been promised to him for the last five years and no one in his family knew!” shouts Jennings.
At that moment Maggie has opened the door and returned to hear the new announcement and innocently states “She can’t be! Ellen loves Ted.”
Ellen hears these words and quickly wipes the random tears coming down her checks hoping that no one has noticed yet.
“Yes! In fact his family has disowned him. They are so mad that he is giving up being a professional musician to marry her” replies Jennings.
“He doesn’t have to give up being a musician to marry her” contradicts Mrs. Dashing.
“I thought so too, but evidently his family has helped with his schooling at this expensive private university that focuses on music and they have pulled out their supportive funding which he needed as well as the loans” adds Jennings “evidently though what he is more concerned about is becoming an officer. His family isn’t helping with the tuition either for the training school and want to have nothing to do with him.”
“Why would they ever do that?” asks Anne having walked into the room and quietly listening unnoticed in the corner.
“Liz doesn’t have any type of name or profession. She hasn’t gone to school or have any type of regular work experience. She isn’t related to anybody who will make a difference to Ted’s family” replies Jennings “I feel sorry for the girl but more sorry for Ellen because I know her heart was committed to Ted” as she sympathetically looks over to Ellen.
Ellen tries to control her voice as it trembles from her grief “I’ve known for quite awhile that they had been promised to each other.”
“What? What are you talking about?” shrieks Anne “You never said anything about it!”
“I couldn’t. I made a promise because Liz was afraid that the family would react just as they have now and disown Ted” relieved to finally be released of her secret.
“Ellen, are you sure?” asks Mrs. Dashing
“Of course I’m sure. Ted tried to tell me when we were still living in Norland. Liz told me while working at the warehouse this past Christmas” explains Ellen.
“Why didn’t you say something? So what if Liz told you it was a secret. You tell me everything!” confused replies Anne.
“I didn’t believe Liz at first either but when I was at the future officer fellowship week-end, he appeared to like her when we were getting ready to leave” answers Ellen.
Jennings adds “That’s not true. I know that for a fact. I talked to Ted himself around that time. He called asking about you Ellen wanting to know how you were doing”.
Ellen looks shocked and but happy for a moment.
“He broke up with Liz just before she left to stay with his sister. Evidently Liz was upset at the news. They’ve been broken up for over a month now” Jennings continues “She went immediately to Ted and told him what happened. When he heard how his sister had treated her, he proposed to her because he keeps telling people something about commitment and promises, but it is all quite confusing to me.”
Ellen’s face falls. “So they are marrying?”
“Well that’s the thing. He was devastated by a break up with a relationship with someone else who was interested in some other guy but no one seems to know who that person was. It obviously wasn’t you Ellen because you’ve been here and he’s been there” reflects Jennings “Everyone says he is on the rebound when he decided to marry Liz. Everyone thought that it was actually his brother, Robert, whom Liz was interested in. It doesn’t make much sense to me. If he is love with someone else, he should be marry her not Liz.”
Anne looks at Ellen and defensively states “That’s not fair! Ted is a better man than that. He doesn’t deserve someone like Liz. She’s so stuck-up and selfish!”
As tears are falling and Ellen tries to control her shaking, “When are they marrying?”
Jennings confidentially explains “well the rumor seems to be right away. He doesn’t want to wait so he obviously must be interested in her to be willing to marry her so quickly”.
“Hate to be a party-pooper but I have to meet Mrs. Middleton for lunch today. I’m going to begin teaching junior soldier classes at the corps” waving as the door shuts behind her.
Anne walks over to Ellen and grabs her hand. “Why did you keep it a secret?”
“I wasn’t keeping the secret for Liz’s sake but for Ted’s. I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary stress in his life” replies Ellen
“But I thought you liked him” confronts Anne.
“I did. I do.” sobs Ellen correcting herself while running to her room and closing the door.
Anne and Mrs. Dashing sit together on the couch confused in silence. Maggie and Samuel sit outside Ellen’s bedroom door waiting for her to let them in.
A few days later Ellen is still very quiet at breakfast. She isn’t wearing any make-up and seems more somber than usual in jeans and a dark blue sweater. Anne is looking a little better today than she has in weeks. Seeing her sister’s loss in contrast with her own, makes Anne feel that her troubles are not that bad.
Ellen’s sorrow has helped her put her situation in perspective. She’s been wrapped up in the loss of her reputation not so much in caring about losing a relationship Willoughby. As Anne evaluates as she feels, she realize that she doesn’t even miss him that much. She has been obsessed with her own humiliation. By comparison Ellen really loves Ted and was willing to sacrifice her own feelings to protect him.
After breakfast is finished the sound of the doorbell resonates in the room. Anne answers the door, “Hi Brandon! It’s so good to see you this morning? How was yesterday? I’m planning to be at junior band tonight. I miss the kids and I think they might miss me too.”
“Yes they do. I have some homemade cards with me that they made for you. I’m so glad that you are feeling better” and then shyly adding “you look pretty today.”
“Thanks!” thrilled that he complimented her and thinking to herself how good it feels to be around him.
“Is Ellen home? I need to talk to her” Inquires Brandon.
Anne looks a bit confused “Yes. I’ll go get her. I think she is reading on the porch.”
Anne yells across the kitchen to the porch “Ellen. Brandon’s looking for you. He wants to talk to you” while remaining standing beside Brandon.
Ellen walks slowly out of the kitchen to the living room. “Hello Brandon. How are you?”
“I need to speak to you alone” responds Brandon and then turning to Anne “I’m sorry. We’ll only be a few moments.”
Anne looks a little perturbed but cooperates.
“I’ve wanted to talk with you for a couple of days now but wasn’t sure how to ask” begins Brandon.
“Okay. What is it?” responds Ellen.
“I talked with Ted the other day to see if he was all right. I don’t know him that well but I thought that I would offer my friendship” continues Brandon.
“That was very nice of you” replies Ellen.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding and I think you could help straighten some things out. Also, I would like to offer my help in making a way for him to go to training. I would like to hire him as my mission’s specialist for the rest of the year and then have the corps financially sponsor his training experience” Brandon explains.
“That sounds very kind of you to do. But what does it have to do with me?” asks Ellen.
“Unfortunately I don’t know him that well and you are a good friend of his. I thought the offer might be more easily received if it came through you” explains Brandon “I’ve made arrangements for him to a special speaker at a regional Sunday School teacher’s meeting at my corps this Saturday” Brandon then asks “Would you be willing to talk with him for me?”
Although having mixed emotions of delight and sadness Ellen agrees to meet with Ted.
Anne enters the room, “Are you about done yet?”
“Yes, we’ve just finished” smiles Brandon pleased with how things have at least lined up for the future.
“Do you want to go to Taco Bell with me for lunch” asks Anne “We have a lot to catch up on. It feels like forever since we’ve really talked together.”
“That would be great!” exclaims Brandon “But there is a time limit since I have to be back at the office at 1:30 pm for an appointment.
Anne is a little disappointed at the time constraint but happy that he has some free time for lunch.
While walking out the door with Anne, he yells back to Ellen “See you on Saturday. Thanks so much for helping me!”
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