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Melanie/Scarlett.
The clouds mercifully blocked out the sun as Scarlett and Melanie picked cotton together. Piously they worked, with their backs practically broken and their faces drenched in sweat. It was late in the afternoon, and Melanie and Scarlett were the only ones left at the choir of cotton picking, however, neither one gave a thought to stopping, until thunder rolled ominously above them. Scarlett straightened and cupped her hands around her eyes, staring up at the sky.
"It would rain! The cotton will be almost impossible to pick tomorrow after it rains." Melanie straightened too and looked at Scarlett, breathing deeply.
"Don't worry Scarlett, it rains almost everyday now, and the cotton's just fine the next morning." Scarlett frowned and took down her hands, squinting, she looked at Melanie.
"Well just the same I wish it wouldn't we could still get more done today," Scarlett frowned, "Oh Melly, what are we going to do? This cotton should have been picked and bagged weeks ago…we'll never get it done in time." Melanie stepped forward and placed her hand on Scarlett's shoulder.
"We will Scarlett, I promise." Scarlett actually laughed, her first real laugh in weeks,
"Oh Melly, please tell me how you intend to promise that?" But Melanie didn't flinch she continued to stare determinedly at Scarlett.
"I promise it Scarlett because you've set your mind to doing this, and Scarlett, I know more than anyone, that anything is possible when you set your mind to it." Scarlett paled slightly, her laughter checked. She searched Melanie's face, but there she found nothing but a soft mask of goodness and kindness. Still her suspicions were aroused, and a tremor of guilt made her shift her weight slightly so that Melanie might move her hand. But Melanie didn't move her hand so Scarlett said,
"I'm happy that you have such confidence in me Melly, but I swear to God I don't know where you got such silly ideas, why I've never gotten anything I wanted in my life…just look at me…dead father, dead mother, dead husband, and besides even if I could somehow get us out of this I wouldn't know how. Melanie what we need is time and time is something we don't have." Melanie drank in Scarlett's every word as if she were listening to a prophet. Scarlett shrugged slightly, "You go inside now Melanie, there's no use in you staying out here with a storm coming, and your still as week as a kitten. I'll stay out here and pick some more until the rain starts." Scarlett started to turn away, but Melanie's hand stopped her.
"If you're staying then I will too."
"Don't be foolish Melanie! You'll get sick again!"
"Scarlett, even if I die I want to know that I helped you, oh please darling, let me be brave with you, I want to so badly, I want to stay by your side always. And fight for you." The words were so true and so passionate that Scarlett was momentarily lost for words, only another roar of thunder brought her back to her senses.
"Fiddley dee Melanie, staying out in a storm to pick cotton when you're as thin as a twig isn't bravery! And its not going to help me one bit if you get sick again, then I'll just have to pick double the cotton." But the rain had already started to fall before Scarlett could even finish her sentence. Her instant impulse was to shield Melanie, so she grabbed her hand and ran for the nearest tree. Together they huddled against the trunk as water cascaded down around them in sheets.
"Should we run for it?" Melanie shouted over the noise from the downpour. Scarlett just shook her head and pulled Melanie closer to her. They sat like that for ten minuets before Melanie gave a slight cough. Scarlett pulled her head away from Melanie's crown to look into her face.
"Melanie are you alright?"
"I'm fine Scarlett." Their eyes met, and perhaps it was because they seemed hidden from the world and utterly alone that Scarlett said quietly,
"I'm sorry Melly." And the words were so slow and so clear that even Melanie didn't question their meaning. When Melanie didn't look away, Scarlett dropped her eyes. Melanie lifted Scarlett's chin till their eyes met again.
"Don't be," she said simply, and there was, again, a face of utmost sincerity. "I love you Scarlett, I don't care what anyone says or thinks, I love you, and I always will. You don't need to apologize to me, for in my eyes you can do no wrong." Such lofty praise made Scarlett blush and not just from pleasure but form pain too. She felt in her gut the stirrings of deep regret and guilt, she longed in the intimacy of this private moment to tell Melanie everything. As she looked at Melanie, she felt she could trust her, Melanie would understand and comfort her no matter what. Yet what she truly wanted was for Melanie to become angry, for her to hit her, yell at her, shun her…to rid false pretenses.
"Don't say that Melly, you don't know me, you only think you do." Scarlett said bitterly, lowering her voice as the rain slacked slightly. Melanie tilted her head and raised her hand to stroke a hair from Scarlett's face.
"I know that you're strong, and brave, and good." Scarlett bit her lip angrily and snatched Melanie's hand from her face pinning it to the ground.
"Good? Good? By God Melanie, wake up! I've done you no good; I've done nothing that wasn't for my own skin. All of this, all of this cotton picking and field working, it's not for Sue Ellen or Pa's memory, or even you Melanie. Its for me, me and Tara and...and well if you really want to know—" Melanie's eyes grew wide and she reached with her free hand and covered Scarlett's mouth suddenly.
"Shush now Scarlett, I don't really want to know. Scarlett…you mustn't tell me these things because whether you know it or not you don't really mean them. Yes you do it for you, and Tara, and—Ashley," Scarlett's heart sped up a mile a minuet, "But you also do it for Sue Ellen, and me, and your pa and ma, and Rhett Butler, and everyone in the whole south Scarlett." Melanie smiled a sympathetic smile, "Don't look at me like that Scarlett, you know I love you, how couldn't I? There isn't anyone like you in the
world, and I wish more than anything…with my whole heart that some of you would wear off on me…I'd be content with just a drop of you." A range of emotions passed through Scarlett, but she didn't move,
"You've played the fool, but you've made a fool of everyone else," Scarlett whispered against Melanie's fingertips that were still pressed to Scarlett's mouth. Melanie shook her head,
"No, I just observe Scarlett…and if you observe hard enough you'll see that everyone has something unique and wonderful about them that makes you love them. India for example I know you don't like her Scarlett but she--," Scarlett jerked her head away from Melanie's touch,
"Great balls of fire! I don't want to talk about India Wilkes at a time like this Melanie! You mean to tell me you've known…all along….and you…you don't care?" The rain was coming down steadily now, and the wind had died, but the thunder still rumbled in the sky.
"I know nothing, Scarlett. But in answer to your question, yes, I do care…I care so deeply for you sometimes that I can't breathe. Scarlett do you realize that if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead, and Beau would be dead?"
"Melanie…I don't understand you."
"But I understand you,"
"How can you possibly understand me, when I don't even understand myself?" Melanie leaned in slightly and tenderly kissed Scarlett on the cheek. Scarlett found herself leaning into the kiss, the first real affection she'd felt since before her mother had died. The kindness caused Scarlett to exclaim,
"But what about Ashley!?" Melanie froze her lips still touching Scarlett's cheek.
"I love Ashley too, and I understand him just the same," Melanie murmured against Scarlett's cheek. Scarlett was about to say something else, but Melanie kissed her cheek softly again as a deterrent.
Scarlett's words' stuck in her throat. And she wrapped her arms around Melanie's waist holding Melanie to her. Melanie responded by kissing Scarlett's chin in the same soft gentle manner. Scarlett raised her chin up obligingly, and Melanie placed a small kiss on the underside of Scarlett's chin.
"Think what you like, Melly, but your wrong about me," Melanie pulled away enough to look into Scarlett's eyes,
"poor Scarlett, constantly pitted against the world…let me in Scarlett…I'll do whatever I can for you." That did it, tears welled in Scarlett's eyes and she brought her dirty hand to her face to wipe at her eyes. But Melanie pulled Scarlett's hand away and leaned over and kissed Scarlett's eyelids. The tears ran freely now down Scarlett's face and a choke escaped her throat. "cry Scarlett, its alright I'm here."
"Oh Melanie! Why do you love me so? Why are you so kind to me?" Scarlett asked through sobs. Melanie wrapped her arms around Scarlett, and held her why she cried.
"Because God made me to love you," Melanie whispered into Scarlett's hair, "even when I was a little girl and I came to twelve oaks for the first time, I loved you then. You hated me, I know, but that just made me love you more." Scarlett was overwhelmed, she held onto Melanie as if she held on for her life.
"I never hated you Melanie, I was just jealous of you….I've always been so jealous of you…." Melanie stroked Scarlett's hair and Scarlett felt her smile into her hair,
"Jealous of me? Oh Scarlett—we have been victims of irony haven't we? My whole life I've been jealous of you." Scarlett pulled back and kissed Melanie on the cheek, Melanie shivered.
"Melanie, you're not getting sick?" Scarlett asked looking her in the face,
"No, no…not at all, I'm just a little weak still that's all." Their eyes locked again, green and brown, warmth and energy. The rain was coming down sonorously now, and the thunder was far off, as a distant rumble.
"Melanie, you're all I have left now. Do you know that?" Melanie smiled, and tears brimmed in her own eyes despite their warmth.
"You have Mr. Butler, and you have Tara." Scarlett frowned, that was the second time Melanie had mentioned Rhett, and she wished that she wouldn't.
"Rhett Butler abandoned us Melanie, he didn't give a damn about us, and I don't give a damn about him,"Scarlett felt Melanie flinch when she had cursed, "You wouldn't have abandoned me Melanie, would you?"
"No Scarlett," Melanie whispered, Scarlett's heart was in her throat now, "But Rhett did it for the cause,"
"The cause! The cause is what has killed all our boys, the cause is what almost destroyed Tara and it took my mother, the cause is what almost killed you Melanie! I hate the cause! I hate it, and I hate the stupid men who think they have to go and fight for it; I hate their honor and their duty and their boasts! I hate it all, what's it all for?"Silent tears ran down both women's cheeks,
"You're right Scarlett, war is evil. But our boys did it because they felt they had to, and Ashley--," The name was like a slap in the face for Scarlett,
"Ashley! Ashley is the worst of all of them! His stupid honor and duty, he hates war too…but he goes out there to get himself killed. He's worse than all of them, I hate him, I hate Ashley….Why did you marry him? What do you see in him?"
"He's good and he's kind,"
"No, Melanie, you're good and kind, Ashley's a fool, and a coward." Scarlett was speaking more to herself now than Melanie, she had suddenly had a realization so powerful that it was all she could do to articulate words at all. Melanie looked slightly confused, for her part,
"Maybe he's a fool, but he's an honest fool."
"You should have better than a fool for a husband, Melly, honest or not. How can he take care of you? If I was your husband I would never have allowed you to have a baby, anyone can see that you weren't made for that. But Ashely is such a…" Melanie reached out her small hand and covered Scarlett's hand.
"Please Scarlett," was all she said, and Scarlett stopped, bitting her lip. Then suddenly fervently, she pushed herself violently at Melanie, and kissed her brutally on the mouth. Melanie was pushed back against the tree, but she didn't make a single sound of protest. Scarlett parted Melanie's lips and kissed her full on, as Rhett had kissed her that night by the wagon cart. Melanie's hand came up and touched Scarlett's face briefly. Scarlett used her hands to hold Melanie's shoulders against the tree. Their lips and tongues mingled for a minuet, and then abruptly Melanie turned her face away panting slightly. This annoyed Scarlett, who still felt the stirring in her stomach from the kiss.
"Has Ashley ever kissed you like that?" She asked breathily, she still held Melanie steadfastly to the tree.
"You're not yourself." Melanie said weakly, Scarlett barred her teeth,
"This is the real me Melanie, that's what I did to your good, kind, and honest Ashley…that's who I am. I'm not what you think, I'll never be what you think, even my own mother couldn't make me into that." The rain had completely stopped now. Finally, Melanie turned her head back to look at Scarlett.
"I still love you Scarlett. Nothing you could do to me could make my change my mind, if you killed me I'd still love you. And Ashley loves you too, even if you hate him." Scarlett opened her mouth to reply, but changing her mind she heaved a great sigh and climbed to her feet, reaching out her hand to help Melanie up. Melanie hesitated and then took Scarlett's hand and allowed her to drag her to her feet. Silently they walked back towards the house.
When they reached the porch they found Mammie standing formidably straight and glaring at this just like an old hen. Both women automatically lowered their eyes under her scrutiny. It was Scarlett who spoke first,
"Hello Mammie darling, what in the name of all are you doing standing out here like a scarecrow?"
"Lookin' for you Miz Scarlett. We was all worried about you and Miz Melanie. She shouldn't have been out there in dat storm, weak as she is." There was something in Mammie's tone that made both Scarlett and Melanie feel uneasy.
"I was watching out for her Mammie, we were as dry as three week old bread, under a tree, if you really want to know."
"Don't do no good to sit under tree's in storms, neither, besides I don't think Mistur Ashley would've liked it."
"Well Mistur Ashley isn't here!" Scarlett yelled, turning her fine green eyes on Mammie like knifes. Mammie straightened up to her full height, and frowned deeply at Scarlett,
"Maybe he isn't, but God is Miz Scarlett, and God see's everything…even if you is hidin' underneath a tree." Melanie turned starch white,
"Mammie where is Beau?" She asked quickly, but Mammie didn't take her eyes from Scarlett's,
"He's upstairs sleeping on your bed, Miz Melly."
"I'll go tend to him, thank you Mammie," And Melanie was gone, into the house, her head bent.
"What did you mean by that Mammie, God's watching me?"
"I mean what I said, Miz Scarlett, that God see's everything, even through the rain in a thunderstorm."
"No what you mean, is nosy spies see everything in a thunderstorm!"
"I mean what I says before, Miz Scarlett, God--,"
"There is no God! God wouldn't have done this! And I'll thank you not to spy on me in the future," Scarlett tunred but Mammie grabbed her arm and held her back,
"You is a spider Scarlett, bringing everyone you can into your web and sucking the life outta them." Scarlett glared at Mammie, new tears forming in her eyes, but Mammie's grip didn't slacken.
"Let me alone! You don't know anything, let me go!"
"I won't let you go and bother Miz Melly, I won't let you take advantage of her, just cause you can, Miz Melanie done nothing to you but love you and you do nothing but try and hurt her."
"I love her!"
"You don't love anybody, Scarlett. You only love yourself. What you did was pure spider venom."
"You can't talk like this to me!"
"Maybe I couldn't before, but I is free now and I can talk to you anyway I like, and I'm telling you Scarlett, I know you , and I'm not going to let you ruin that woman, weave her into your web."
"I need her, I don't want to hurt her, you don't understand!"
"Well then maybe Mistur Ashley'd understand." Scarlett stopped trying to get lose from Mammie's grip her eyes wide with fear.
"Mammie you wouldn't. You wouldn't tell Ashley.
"I might."
"Oh Mammie, please, you can't tell Ashley."
"You gonna leave that poor woman alone? You gonna leave the Wilkes's alone?"
"I-I…yes Mammie, I will." Mammie released Scarlett's arm, the frown still set deep in her face.
"I raised you like you was my own daughter Scarlett, and Lord knows I love you like you was my own daughter, but sometimes Scarlett I wonder if there's any use in loving a wild thing that can't love you back."
"You've said more than enough already, I understand you perfectly, and I promise I won't touch her again. But you should know that you're wrong about me. Only Melanie understands me." Mammie lowered her eyes signaling that the conversation was done, and Scarlett in her temper yelled,
"Go and fetch me some bath water! Have it ready in five minuets." Scarlett stormed into the house, making sure to slam the door behind her, and then she hesitated at the stairs. To Melanie? Or to her own room? The choice weighed upon her for a moment, but then remembering Mammie's grip on her arm, she made up her mind. Walking slowly up the stairs to her own room, she listened to the slight sounds of Melanie cooing her baby. Her heart fluttered,
"But I won't think about that, not today, I'll think about that tomorrow." Scarlett whispered.