Notes on a Scandal

EIGHT €

Christmas day arrives, Cate and Andrew invite the parents over as well as close family. Cate worked all day in the kitchen making a turkey that comes out sort of dry, stuffing, carrots, and potatoes. As well as a homemade caesar salad.

Andrew entertains the company the whole day, drinking and laughing.

Cate goes into the large living room in an apron with sweat dripping down her brow, "Dinners ready!" she says happily. Her mother-in-law looks over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"About time..." She says hastily. Cate lets out a long sigh and goes upstairs to the bathroom. She washes her face and pulls her hair back into a tight bun to keep it out of her face.

She comes back down to the kitchen and everyone is sitting at the table eating already. The second Beatrice, the mother-in-law, sees Cate . She asks for more wine with her just emptied, glass raised.

Cate sighs again and gets Beatrice more red wine, before finally sitting down. Everyone is talking and laughing but Cate is feeling left out.

Ten minutes pass and Cate is eating her food in silence listening to everyone talk and ask how Andrew in doing with his wife working and not taking care of him. Cate rolls her eyes.

The door bell rings and everyone goes quiet and looks to Cate.

"I'll get it." She says with a sigh. She stands up and walks out of the dining room and goes to the front door. She opens it to see Elizabeth standing with a large smile on her face. She's wearing a simple green dress with a red plaid scarf wrapped around her neck, plus she's wearing a black bow on her head.

Cate looks behind her shoulder and slides through the open door after grabbing a black, puffer jacket, then closing it behind her, "What are you doing here!?" she hisses, as she slips the jacket on.

"I wanted to see you, plus I have something for you." she answers. Cate grabs her hand bringing her down the stairs and around them to a little hidden place by a large tree.

"You shouldn't be here, what if my husband answered the door?" Cate says, her breathing fast and heavy.

"Suddenly you don't want to see me?" Elizabeth says avoiding the obviously bad situation that could have happened.

"I- I didn't say that." Cate says with a sigh. "My whole family is in there though." she explains.

"Well, I wanted to see the woman I care for, is that such a crime?" Elizabeth retorts. Her hands take Cate's face pulling her into a soft, passionate kiss. Cate kisses her back, forgetting about what Barbara said for a second.

She pulls away and tried to change the subject, "So what did you bring me?"

"Oh right!" the young girl says she digs into her jacket pocket and takes out a small wrapped box. She hands it to Cate and she quickly unwraps it.

It's a simple quartz heart on a silver chain, "Thank you, dear. I'm sorry but I don't have you anything. I feel bad."

"Don't, you're all I need." Elizabeth says, she tries to lean in for another kiss but Cate's finger stops her on her lips.

The young girl takes the necklace and places it around Cate's neck, doing it up in the back, hiding the quartz heart under her shirt.

"Elizabeth, we can't keep doing this.. It's wrong and it would be detrimental if we got caught." She says with a long face. She knows it has to be said but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

"Cate, come on. No one will catch us. We are careful." the girl says with desperate eyes.

"Being careful isn't in your skill set, you just came to my home on Christmas. When my whole family is here." Cate states sort of annoyed, not at the young girl, of course, but at the situation.

Elizabeth's hands go to Cate's waist and pushes her back into the wall gently, she rests her body against the older women's and looks deeply into her eyes.

"Miss, I really care for you. I'll be more careful I swear!" she pleads. She puts a hand on Cate's cheek and kisses her passionately. Their tongues dance together but Cate pulls away when the front door opens.

"Catherine, Are you out here? Catherine?" Andrew calls out, Cate covers Elizabeth's mouth and pulls her close as she can get. "She's not out here!" He yells back into the house and he walks in and closes the door behind him.

"That was too close." Cate says with a relived sigh. "I have to go back inside. We'll talk later, okay?" she says holding the girls cheeks gently between her hands.

"Promise?" she asks, scared that she won't actually see Cate again. Cate kisses the young girl and responds.

" I promise, my dear." Cate whispers. She lets go of the young girl and walks up the stairs, she turns around and waves before heading back inside to the Christmas dinner she doesn't really feel welcomed to.