In the Woods When First We Met

89. An Uncomfortable Truth

Walking home on that afternoon, Anne relayed the account of what had happened when she and Diana had returned from their trip.

She saw Gilbert's jaw clench as she told him the things Billy had said.

"He didn't do anything to hurt me," she explained, "but I didn't know if he would or not, of course, so it was...tense. He mostly wanted to know what I actually saw Prissy doing with Mr. Phillips."

"Why did he suddenly decide to believe you now?" Gilbert wondered.

"Remember that day we were let out early? And I said Mr. Phillips probably did that so he could spend time with Prissy alone?"

Gilbert nodded.

"Well Billy said that he went back to the school later and he saw them kiss."

"Ah, I see," Gilbert said nodding. "So now he knows."

Anne nodded. "But I guess he thinks that if I saw them kissing, I'd have just said they were kissing. Because I said they were having intimate relations, he thinks I saw more than kissing. He was demanding to know what, but I didn't want to tell him anything, because who knows what might set him off."

"He didn't hurt you, though? ...You'd tell me if he did, wouldn't you?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I would. He didn't. The only other thing he did besides demand information was tell me I was wrong to say anything about Prissy."

Then she added, "And he made a point of saying that he wasn't going to let me make him feel guilty."

Gilbert looked angry.

"He did say he wasn't mad at me anymore, though, and that he wasn't going to do anything to me. I hope he meant it...it doesn't make me feel any better, of course, because I can't trust him to keep his word, but I hope it's true because then he'll leave me alone."

Gilbert nodded. "I hope so."

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After he dropped Anne off, Gilbert paid a visit to the Andrews.

Mrs. Andrews came up to Billy's room and told him Gilbert was here to see him.

"What does he want?" Billy asked.

"I don't know, he's here to see you, why don't you go ask him yourself?" she told him less than kindly. "Your manners could certainly use some work. I'm glad Gilbert is here, maybe he'll be a good influence on you." She went downstairs.

Billy felt anger bubble up inside him. He was really starting to hate that guy.

"Well, where is he?" Billy yelled out when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Would you please not shout across the house? It is most unsettling. He's out on the porch. I asked him in, of course, but he refused, saying he only had a moment."

Billy opened the front door and went outside.

"Did you get the answers you wanted?" Gilbert said in a hard voice as Billy approached him. There was no hello and no pleasantries exchanged.

Billy asked, "What are you on about?"

"From Anne. When you ambushed her today."

"She told you about that?"

"She tells me everything."

"Of course she does," Billy said, annoyed. "Blessed Gilbert, the patron saint of ugly orphans."

Gilbert said, "If you want to walk away without a bloody nose, you'd better stop talking now."

"What do you want, anyway?" Billy asked.

"She refused to tell you anything because she doesn't know what's going to set you off. But I decided to come answer your question for her. You wanted to know what she saw Prissy and Mr. Phillips doing?"

"Yeah," Billy said lowly, looking behind him to make sure the front door was shut.

"She saw them standing very close together, holding hands, and touching each other...on the arms, and on the face, and I'm pretty sure that's about it."

Billy shook his head. "No," he said, "No, that doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?"

"Because...because she said they were having intimate relations," Billy explained.

"She never even saw them kiss," Gilbert said to him.

"They did kiss-"

Gilbert interrupted, "You saw them kiss. She didn't."

"But...why would she say they were having intimate relations if all she saw was them holding each other like that?"

"Because she didn't know any better."

"What do you mean? She couldn't not know...she knows all about that stuff!"

"No," Gilbert said. "She thought intimate relations was something about touching. She didn't understand."

Billy stared at him.

"She didn't see them...doing anything then?"

Gilbert shook his head slowly.

"...Oh," Billy said.

"Oh?" Gilbert asked. "That's all you have to say?"

Billy shrugged. "What do you want me to say?" he asked, sounding defensive.

"How about admitting you did something wrong?"

Billy acted like he didn't know what to say. Finally he said, "She deserved what she got."

Gilbert resisted his urge to punch the living daylights out of Billy.

"How'd you figure that?" he said, his voice shaking with anger.

"Well...she shouldn't have said anything about Prissy in the first place."

Gilbert nodded slowly. "Yeah, she shouldn't have, and she knows that. But you think that justifies what you did to her? That it makes it okay?!"

Billy looked uncomfortable. Then he said, "It's not like I ruined anything. She was ruined already."

Gilbert decided he'd had enough and he needed to leave before he did something he'd regret.

"You're beyond hope," Gilbert said. "You disgust me." He stepped off the porch, ready to go.

"She's a liar," Billy called out suddenly as Gilbert began to walk away. "She's manipulating you. Making you think she's so innocent...telling you she didn't know anything about intimate relations. She knows everything about it!"

"She didn't know anything at all, Billy." Gilbert's sorrowful eyes cut straight through him when he said: "But she does now."

Billy just stared at him.

Just then the door opened and Billy's mother poked her head out.

"William, dear, come inside. Gilbert, why don't you come in? It's too cold to stand out here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Andrews, but I'll be going now," Gilbert said, still looking at Billy.

"You know, you sound like you're getting sick," Gilbert remarked as he started to leave, thinking of Anne and hoping Billy would have to stay home from school.

"Anne thinks I'm getting sick." Billy said, shrugging.

"Does she?" Gilbert asked. Anne hadn't said anything to him about that.

"Yeah... She...she kept telling me things to do...to help. Like tea and stuff..." Billy trailed off.

"She's a better person than I am. Goodbye, Billy."