My True Love Gave To Me

My True Love Gave To Me

By: Moira Siobhan

           Tori almost made it out the door before he caught her. Why couldn’t she be one of those girls who could just say ‘get lost!’ instead of caring what others thought? Carson had been her friend since grade school, she owed him didn’t she? You’ll owe him a whole lot more if you don’t tell him how you feel, warned her inner voice. The voice that had increased urgency and volume as the days to her birthday crept closer. She did not have much time left to choose, to change her mind, and everyone knew it.

           “Don’t go. I need to talk to you Tori.”

           “Not now Carson. I just want to go home.”

           “I need to talk.” Carson pulled her into the front study, flicked on the lights, closed the door muffling the party beyond. 

           Tori was tired, the one beer she had an hour ago had only given her a headache. The Christmas Eve party, planned months ago, had seemed a great idea, now she wanted out.

           “Just a second, you know, one orphan to another...”

           The Christmas party had been dubbed the ‘Orphan Party’ for all those without family to celebrate. A few of those chose their orphan family over their genetic ones. Tori was in a category all on her own. Limited family, limited to manipulative dead relatives, money obsessed monsters and no one in her court.

           Her long absent Father? Gone since the divorce. Her money hungry mother? Still angry and not speaking with her. Maybe she would after her birthday, maybe that would only make things worse. Three days left to find out.

           Carson nervously wiped his hands on his trousers. “Tori we’ve been friends a long time, I don’t think it’s a secret how I feel about you.” He loosed a breath like he had been holding it for a long time. “I love you Tori. I would do anything to make you happy.”

           She was reeling, she had to get out of here.

           “Carson, I don’t...” she stammerd her words faltering as she met his eyes and saw a tiny spark of hope. How mean was she to kill that spark Christmas Eve. 

           “Tori will you marry me?”

           “No,” her mind reeled. “No Carson, I can’t, I won’t.”

           “But it would be perfect Tori –I love you – you can decide whatever you want our lives to be. We could live together or live apart, whatever you decide...”

           The pain in Tori’s head amped up a notch, “No Carson. Just no.” 

           He held out his hand but she pushed it aside.

           “Don’t. I don’t feel the same about you. I’ve never felt the same about you. I’m not getting married. I’m going home and I’m going to finish school and become a vet, get a good job and be a regular person!”

           She pushed passed him, the noise from the party erupting as she pulled open the door.   

           “Go back to the party and find some girl who wants to love you back. It’s not me.” She felt bad as soon as the words escaped her lips. The Christmas Grinch had spoken and she left without looking back.

           Her phone rang as she opened her car door. 

           “Hey babe, how are ya’?” drawled a voice she knew far too well. 

           What the hell did Michael want? Surely he didn’t imagine he stood a chance. Her heart pounded, her mouth went dry as she thought how she had struggled to get over him. Stopped longing for him, and his sexy voice and his soft, salty lips when he came back from surfing. Michael had been wild, impulsive and exciting. Which was most of their problem. He had been wild, impulsive and exciting with someone else, not her. With far too many ‘not hers’. 

           “What do you want Michael?”

           “Just thinking it might be a tough time, Christmas and I know your birthday is soon. How you holdin’ up?”

           “I’m ok,” He sounded so concerned, so friendly, she didn’t trust him but didn’t hang up the phone.

           “I’m glad. You can talk to me. You could always talk to me. Remember?”

           “I remember...” warning signals fired in her brain. You can’t trust him, think of what he did to you.

           “Have you talked with your Mom?” He knew her history. The fights with her Mom, the guilt trips for not sacrificing or sharing, the pleading, the rants, the cold shoulder. 

           “No.” She felt a lump in her throat, where was her anger when she needed it? But it was Christmas, almost her birthday, and it was her Mom. The lump grew.

           “Babe,” Michael cooed, “tell me.”

           “She won’t talk to me,” Tori sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. “She won’t return my calls. She doesn’t want to talk to me unless, unless I agree...”

           “She only wants what’s best for you, babe. We all do.”

           She sobbed, hearing his voice but not focusing on his words. Her Mom’s anger and disappointment was the worst, it scarred her inside.

           “Babe I’m here for you. I know I made some mistakes but I’ve changed. We are so good together.” His voice was serious. “Tori Waterstone will you marry me?”. 

           Silence, but this time not from a lack of words, but language suppressed from a tsunami of rising anger.

           “Tori?”

           “You’ve got to be kidding!” She seethed, anger leaking into her words and blurring her vision through the dark windscreen.

           “No Tori. I...”

           “Don’t no Tori me. You’re pathetic. You know what you did!”

           “Listen Tori, your Mom and I were talking..”

           “You were what?! You were talking with my Mom?” Anger rose higher as did her volume. “Go to hell Michael. And say hi to Mom as you travel down together!”

           She hit end and threw her phone on the passenger seat. She clenched the steering wheel and took long deep breaths, regulating breaths she had learnt at therapy, looking for inner calm. She would not give them the satisfaction. 

           She started the car and headed for home, feeling more an orphan with every metre she drove.

           She fumbled with her key in the dim porchlight. She could hear the scrabble of excited paws even before the key slid into the lock. A brown, whiskered face met her with undisguised joy. Rockee was always happy to see her. He had no hidden agendas, no meaningless commitments or deception and intrigue. Her dog loved her for who she was and had led her out of dorms (with their no pets allowed rule) and into the house of Rosie Sweet. She would have gagged at the cringe worthy name if it was not so apt. The perfect name for such a wonderful lady, a creative culinary artist– sweet and flowery like the delectable cakes she made. Rosie Sweet was pastry chef extoirdinairre and her business “Sweet Rosie” was in hot demand. Tori was not surprized to find a dark house, Rosie would be at the bakery all night and it was too early yet for Angus’s last call and stagger home.

           “Down,” she said firmly in her no-nonsense dog voice. Rockee sat instantly a giant statue of unquestionable compliance. Crumbcake, Rosie’s poodle, had no such restraint and bounced between Rockee’s long legs. Crumbcake had trouble settling at the best of times. 

           She walked in amongst wagging tails and turned on the stereo. She found heself singing to Christmas carols and, for the first time all day, felt relaxed. She turned and walked into the kitchen to fill bowls of water for the dogs.

           The dogs froze and then raced down the end of the hall to the front door. The visitors announced before their knock on the door. Laughter and revelry from the other identified the cuplrits instantly. Drunken Angus staggering slightly with his usual side kick, Brad, a wobbly step behind.

           “Where is your key?” She asked Angus opening the door in mock anger.

           “Couldn’t find it.”

           “And you,” she rounded on Brad trying her best to sound fierce and trying hard not to smile. “What are you doing here?”

           “Wishin’ you Merry Christmas! 1-2-3” and the boys sang a couple of boisterous round of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’ as they followed her inside.

           “Honestly I’m not in the mood.”

           “Aww but we wanna help, Tori. We’re like family. Let’s make it official.” Brad smiled broadly at Tori, all confidence little sense. “Tori will you marry me?”

           “No. No, Brad, not on your life. Not even considering it.”

           Brad clutched his chest and swooned dramtically.

            Angus was quick to jump in, “Don’t be so dismissive Tori. Let us help you. You don’t have to decide what the next step is. Think how great it could be!”

           Tori did laugh this time, loud and long. Angus and Brad were second year students. Not as green as they had been when she had led them on first year orientation. They amused her. Early on she made the mistake of sayig ‘ they were like the brothers she never had’ and she had not been able to shake them since. Angus shared the house with his sister, Rosie. He had introduced them when she needed a place with her dog, Brad just came with the deal, an extra, inseperable from his buddy Angus.

           “Tori,” Angus said seriously. “Please will you marry me? Me, Tori – not no-chance Brad. But me, your buddy Angus. Marry me - we could make it magical”

           “It?”

           “Whatever it you want to make”

           “Eww – No thanks. You are both riduculous and far too full of yourselves.”

           “Tori you can’t just give up all that money! Think of it –you could do anything you want.”

           “I don’t want to talk about it,” Tori said. “Just no. No to both of you and no to Carson, no to Michael...”

           “Michael?” Angus asked. He didn’t know Michael was back in the picture, still pictured Tori sobbing after catching the jerk in bed with some beach babe. Tears and tantrums, pain and anguish, she had only resurfaced a few months ago.

           “Yeah. Michael tried too. I think he’s in on it with my Mom. Just in it for the money.”

           “Well we’re all in it for the money Tori. Money for you. You’d be a fool not to take it – think of it. Anything you want!”

           “I don’t like to be told what to do.”

           “Oh we’re not telling you,” Brad was quick to back up his buddy, “we’re offering. Better one of us than Michael,” He said the name like it was an infectious disease. 

           “Regardless still NO. Not interested, not getting married before my birthday.”

           The dogs leapt up again racing back down the hall.

           “I’ll get it,” said Angus wandering after them.

           Brad was unnterested in the knock at the door. “Got any cake?” He asked.

           Tori walked into the kitchen with a smile,  “Always.” she said.

           Angus returned. “I told him we already proposed. Tried to set you straight but you are intent on remaining poor and single,”

            And there was Ryan, in t-shirt and jeans, hair tousled so it stood up in front. Looking  kinda dorky, adorably dorky if there was such a thing. Ryan who was passionate about animals, the environment and also becoming a vet. Who talked with her till dawn, played bad guitar and sang made up songs, laughing until their sides hurt. They competed for top marks, but good naturedly, they shared the same visions and dreams. One night they even concocted elaborate dreams of a wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary. They drew designs for a purpose built rescue shelter, a surgery and a housing block, back paddocks with massive enclosed averies and ponds. A house tucked into the woods, living apart but close by.

           Ryan, must know the rumours, everyone knew her history. Her story was too good, a constant source of gossip and speculation. But Ryan was too kind to comment, he treated her like a regular person not some freak bound to a crazy Grandfather’s dying wish.

           “These boys giving you trouble?” he asked, his dimples showing.

           “Yes,” she confessed and her smile felt easy and light. “Shot them both down,” she said with grandeur. 

           “Congratulations,” he smirked the twinkle in his eye mirroring her own.

           “I’m gonna call Sondra,” Angus said pulling out his phone and heading for the stairs. Sondra was a cute English Literature student, who Angus had been crushing on all year.

           “Ah I see your proposal was nothing but empty words,” she taunted.

           Angus turned seriously, “I meant every one. You say the word and I am there.”

           “Duly noted but for now you are both off the hook,”

           “I’m gonna shower,” Brad announced and trailed Angus up the stairs. She watched them go, the boys who were not her brothers. Messing up her home, leaving dirty dishes in their wake, lying in bed on their phones. They were infuriating and childish and made her feel better about her place in the world.

           “They would marry you in a second,” Ryan said.

           “Ah, too many would,” she said with a laugh, secretly hoping he was not about to try the same.

           She waited but he only sat at the kitchen table, flipping through her pile of study books. She realized her headache was finally gone.

           “No Rosie tonight?” Ryan asked.

           “No, too busy. Sweet Rosie has a record number of orders this year. Things have really taken off.”

           Mentioning Rosie made her turn to the corkboard along the back wall. It was their message centre, and she saw a giant pink cake paper cake in the middle of the board –– anything with cake that was Rosie. Tori unpinned the cake, read and laughed out loud.

           “What?” Ryan enquired with a raised eyebrow.

           “Merry Christams Tori – are you sick of proposals yet? Everyone asking and hounding, forget them. Will you marry me Tori? Pretty please with anything you want on top? I would make us the biggest wedding cake and you could eat cake for breakfast every day. Don’t listen to Angus and Brad – those boys wouldn’t know what to do with marriage or money. Ha-ha – seriously don’t let anyone push you round. Stand tall, follow your heart and eat cake. Chocolate in the fridge. Love Rosie.  PS even if you say no I will still make cake for you”

           She carried cake from the fridge and handed a fork to Ryan. “That’s five,” she said between mouthfuls.

           “Five?”

           “Five proposals today,”

           “Must be a record,”

           “Which would be flattering if there wasn’t so much money involved.” She watched him closely, don’t push it, she thought. She didn’t want Ryan to be another number but she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

           “You’ve heard?” She asked, heart hammering.

           Ryan replied slowly, “Only mysterious rumours of a crazy inheritence if you get married.”

           “Yeah crazy, right? Like the rest of my family. My grandfather was filthy rich, I mean seriously dirty, smelly rich. He died and everybody gathered round for the reading of the will. My Mum and her horrible sisters, me the only grandchild, and his lawyer reads the will – surprize! No one gets a cent. No one but me, but only if I get married. Married by my twenty-first birthday.”

           “Which is three days away?”

           “Yup, three days away. The final count down.”

           “And if you don’t get married?”

           “The money goes to save the Wildlife in Africa. Grandpa had a thing about Africa.”

           “Ah, a good cause then.” He looked up and met her eyes. “Tori, I know you want normal. You’re going to make a great vet. You’ll get lots of job offers when you graduate. You can have a regular life.”

           “Yup a regular life with some job in a small hick town in the middle of nowhere.”

           “That is the dream,” Ryan laughed and ran his fingers thourgh his hair making it stand even more on end. She wished she could run her fingers through his hair too, her heart pounded with the thought.

           “I thought the dream was the Wildlife Rehab Centre. You know the one with an ocean backdrop.”

           “That is the ultimate fantasy. Fantasies are fun but dreams have a chance of coming true.”

           She thought again of running her fingers through his hair. He made her feel so happy, he had an easy, casual way, gentle but strong, funny but serious. He was brillinat and he brought out the best in her. 

           “And is that what you dream?” Tori asked. “A job in the country maybe a wife, a couple of screaming kids...”

           He smiled more cautiously as if he knew there was a trap and he was walking towards it on thin ice.

           Tori couldn’t let it go. She didn’t want to and she wanted to, dreaded it and needed to know if he too could be pushed to ask her. 

           “Maybe,” she said quietly. “You don’t set your sights high enough.”

           Ryan sat quietly at the table. She took a deep breath and plunged.

           “Why haven’t you asked, Ryan?”

           “I don’t want you for your money.” He said softly his smile gone. “We could still have the dream without the inheritence.”

           “We could?”

           “Yes,” and he reached his hand across the table and held hers, stroking his thumb on hers.

           “Forget the money and let’s just be together,” he said and meant it.

           “I want to be together too,” she said with heart pounding. “But we don’t need to settle for regular.” She pulled a notebook from the stack on the table. It was slightly torn, with doodles all over the front. She flipped it open to a page of sketches – Animal Rehabilitation by the Ocean.

           “I think we should dream big.” She had never felt so sure about anything before. Their smiles stretched, mirroring each other. 

           “Ryan Sutherland,” She said confidently, a weight feeling lifted from her shoulders.   “will you marry me?”

The End