Page 18 of My Thursday Throwback

“No, he doesn’t. The real Zelda, you hid in the pages of your diaries. His fear of the real Zelda he had erased from your memory,” Scott said. “Now, you have three parts of your life ensconced in three journals of an existence he had permanently removed from your head. Technically, you are just starting to live your life.”

Zelda had nothing to say.

Her head began to throb and she wanted to lie down for the rest of the day. Scott’s words hurt, and the idea of Michael trying to protect her by erasing her memories also blotted out a part of the essence of who she really was as a person.

“Zelda, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not,” she said. “Can we go back?”

“Sure,” he told her and settled up the check.

They rode back, Zelda gripping his waist as he maneuvered through the mid-morning traffic going back to the hotel. Anger simmered deep inside of her for Scott pushing towards the ugliness of Michael from hiding the truth from her.

“Talk to me,” Scott said. “Don’t shut me out.”

“I need time to process this,” she said.

“Understood, but Chandler never allowed me to do that...you know, what you are doing right now. He made me deal with my emotions which forced me to grow up and deal with life. That is why I said the relationship was symbiotic. As ugly as I was as a kid, Chandler taught me to love and accept myself as I was. The confidence I have has nothing to do with how I look, but how I feel about the person I am.”

“Whatever, Obi-Wan,” she said, unbuckling her boots.

“Listen to your heart, and follow where it leads you. Anger is easy. Fear is given. It is how you handle both that will determine who you really are in the end,” he told her.

“Oh shut up!” she snapped at him, anger coursing through her. “And just so you know, that date sucked!” she added, storming off to the bedroom.

Scott was going to go after her, but his phone chimed. It was Chandler.

“Hey,” he said in the line.

“Are you alone?” Chandler asked.

“More or less,” he said.

“A call came in on your private line from Samantha,” Chandler said. “Should I return the call and patch her through to you?”

“No, call her back and politely tell her to drop dead,” Scott said.

“Certainly, Sir, but might I ask, after all of these years, why she decided to reach out to you. The settlement, and...why now?”

“I ran into her yesterday,” Scott said.

“Are you okay? Should I fly out?”

“No, you are on vacation, and I am not a kid anymore. She is going to show up tonight, I already know it, but it is going to be a rude awakening for her,” Scott said. “I’m not the man she thinks I am.”

“Have you hired security?”

“No, she has to get past not only Pip but also Zelda. A very pissed off Zelda who is looking for someone to vent her anger on. Samantha is going to be the recipient,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun night.”

“Sir, I don’t mean to pry, but you seem rather happy that Ms. Fitzsimmons is angry,” Chandler said into the line.

“Yep. I have jumpstarted her healing process by moving her right into the anger phase. She has sat in denial and isolation for too long. The real conversation she needs to have with her brother is up next. There is nothing to bargain with him about so the healing can actually begin, and we can move forward,” Scott said.

“I pray that this does not backfire on you,” Chandler said.

“You and me both,” Scott replied, closing out the line.

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