Sweet Magnolia, Can You Hear Me?

Fourteen

"All you had to do was follow four simple rules, Jude."

"Lindsay? What did I do?"

"You made Maggie a promise."

"I didn't promise her anything, honest."

"You told her you love her, Jude. That's a promise."

"What's the big deal? We are in love, Lindsay."

"No, Jude. You are in love."

"Maggie loves me. She told me herself."

"Maggie doesn't know what she's saying when she says she loves you. She's merely repeating what you said to her, Jude."

"How do you explain what she felt while watching The Notebook?"

"She felt that she's been in love, not that she is in love. I'm sorry, Jude. I too want Maggie to be happy, but that won't happen if she has her heart broken again."

"I won't break her heart."

"Maggie isn't the girl you fell in love with, Jude. She might not even remember who you are today."

"I can't lose her, Lindsay."

"Why did it take you so long to call?"

"Are you allowed to ask me that?"

"I'm off the clock as of a minute ago, so I'm not speaking as Maggie's nurse."

"My father died in that accident, too."

"I... I know that."

"Then you must also know he was the drunk driver."

"...Yes."

"It took so long for me to call Maggie because I had to sort out my own issues first. How do you grieve your father when he killed your best friend, severely injured your girlfriend, and left you paralyzed?"

"I'm sorry, Jude. I was just angry, I didn't mean to attack you."

"I know Maggie can't love me. Trust me, I do. There was just a part of me that wanted to deny it, you know? I wanted to believe that she could still love me."

"Maybe one day, Jude. She's coloring right now, do you want to speak to her?"

"Not today."

beep beep beep