The Maine Event

Chapter 16

"But that's not seriously what you wanted to ask about, was it?" Owen said in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked Owen, suddenly shaken by his straightforwardness.

"You tell me. I'm not blind, you know. Ever since I came back here you've been nervous, you are trying to avoid confrontation," he said.

Rory took another sip of wine. Well he was right of course.

"Why would I want to fight you?" Rory began with a shrug. "And for the nervousness - I don't even know why I am. It's just been awhile since I hung out with someone I don't know very well and I guess you just remind me of somebody... and that makes me a little nervous," Rory half-fibbed, anxiously.

He observed her curiously, and Rory could tell he probably wanted to know who that someone was and what was her relation to that person, but she was relieved he wasn't asking the question, at least not yet.

"Then tell me what I can do to make you less nervous and I'll do it. I hate seeing you on the edge like this," Owen offered, generously. "I'd prefer not to be the reason for you to feel like you need to drink the whole bottle just to feel better," he added, gesturing towards the bottle, with a smirk. Rory had indeed drowned already nearly the 2/3rd-s of the bottle.

"Fine," she said, placing her glass on the coffee table. Maybe drinking hadn't been the best idea? But what she hated more was the fact that he'd noticed it.

"Just tell me more about yourself," Rory suggested with a shrug, not knowing what else to say.

"Alright, but we take turns," Owen insisted.

"Okay," she agreed.

"So where do I begin? Any preferences?" he asked innocently.

"How about the beginning, we seem to have all the time in the world, right?" she said, feeling a little victorious.

"I think you know most of it already," Owen said. "Mom got pregnant when she was working at Yale. I wasn't exactly planned, and her family didn't take it well. She wasn't married and wasn't going to get married so a friend of hers suggested she move to Portland and start over. I was born here, raised here and honestly I prefer Portland to New Haven or Boston or any of the big cities any day," he added laughingly.

"So you don't know your father at all?" Rory asked, feeling like she was finally getting somewhere.

"I know of him. But, no, I've never met him nor do I plan to," he replied, sounding a little defensive.

"Can I ask why?" Rory continued carefully. She would've loved to know what he knew of his father or who he knew him to be, but she was pretty sure that would've have raised a red flag.

"Because I know he's some pompous rich guy who made sure his name was never brought up. He made sure mom had a place to live, the same house you visited, paid her off essentially and she signed a NDA," Owen replied. The topic had unrattled him a little, she could see it in his face. Rory could understand it was not a terribly nice feeling having been just discarded like that. 

"I'm sorry I asked," she apologized. But at least she had some answers. Or rather - some new questions. But he didn't look like he'd be willing to continue that path of questions too eagerly.

"Well I know my father, and he's like... he has always meant well, but having me when he was 16 screwed a lot of things up. Both for him, how he managed with his life and for me, as he really didn't know how to be present, to be stable. So for years he'd just pop in and out of my life and that hurt. He even tried something with my mom again, they even eloped, but by then I was already in college and I was frankly more worried about my mom getting hurt again than actually enjoying the whole 'parents getting back together' thing. But now, I guess he is trying to be there for me again, so it could be worse. Sometimes I used to think that it would have been easier if he had been completely absent. Maybe then I wouldn't have the abandonment issues I have today," she shared, speaking very quickly, the wine clearly having dissolved her filters.