Baker's Apprentice Who Lives In A Shoe

The Shepherd

A few days had gone by and I was invited to a welcome home party for David. I only knew about him because of Mary Margaret. When I knew that she was not planning to go, I decided I wouldn't either. I closed up shop early, but I stopped by Granny's to pick up some food and a few drinks. I ordered a hot chocolate with cinnamon for Mary Margaret and a regular hot chocolate for me. It took forever for the food I ordered. On the way back to the apartment to keep M&M company I see Emma

"Weren't you supposed to be at that party for David?" I said as we walked closer to each other. She looked at me a bit surprised.

"The party sort of fell apart after the guest of honor disappeared." Emma answered.

"He escaped his own party? What a guy." We walked up the stairs to the apartment together, and opened the door to see Mary Margaret washing dishes ferociously with a brillo pad.

"You might want to ease up or that brillo pad is gonna press charges." Emma says, getting Mary Margaret's attention. I walk in and set the food on the counter.

"Dishes were just piling up." She said.

"Sure they were." I said rolling my eyes. "I didn't get anything for you Emma. I didn't know you would be joining us." I pulled the food out and set the hot chocolate with cinnamon next to Mary Margaret's food.

"That's fine, Ava." Emma said as she came closer to the counter. Then she turned her attention back to M&M. "Does this have anything to do with David stopping by?" What? David visited? I couldn't say anything because of the fries that I had just started to chew up. "I saw him sulking away as I pulled up." It must have been right before we met up to come up here.

"We just, uh...he just..." Wow, was she really stuttering right now. It must have been something serious that happened between her and David.

"Yeah, I know you were both just... and you did the right thing." Emma said knowing she wouldn't just come out and say it.

"He made a pretty compelling case." I had heard from M&M about her relationship with David. That she liked David and wanted to be with him, but he was still a married man.

"But he's still married." I said between bites.

"I know that's true, I was just at the party." Emma said to support my comment.

"What do I do?" Mary Margaret asks.

"Maybe you should stop cleaning and eat the food I just brought you." I said. The food and hot chocolate was getting colder by the second.

"And maybe have a drink." Emma added on.

"Ooh that sounds good. Pour me a glass, too." I said as Emma went over to the liquor and poured three glasses of scotch. I left my food on the counter to join the other two.

"Here's the thing. I don't know a lot about relationships, other than having many that failed." Emma started. "But, generally speaking, if you think something you wanna do is wrong...it is." That was true in most situations. You try not to give up hope that something wrong can become right, but that is rarely the case. "So, you gotta stay strong, and he has to figure out his life."

"Cheers to that." I said as we all lifted up our glasses and clinked them together. We all took sips from our glasses and then talked a lot about my relationship with Archie. They finally got sick of asking me questions about him, and I got tired in general. I kept yawning, and when I looked at the clock I noticed that it was already midnight. "Alright, I gotta go. I'll see you two tomorrow." I left to my apartment and went to bed.