Part 2 of "In The Woods When First We Met"

216. Billy Apologizes

Once in the house, Gilbert shut the front door behind him.

"Wait here," he said quietly, because he wanted to be sure everything was all right before he brought Billy any closer.

After he came back into the parlor where Jane and Billy were waiting, he sighed, looking at them.

"What?" Jane asked.

"She doesn't want to see you," Gilbert told Billy.

"Great," Billy said happily, standing up to go.

"She won't get out of bed, but she doesn't want you coming into her room, either."

"You can't blame her, really," Jane said with a shake of her head.

"Then let's go," Billy shrugged, heading for the door.

"Oh, no, you can still apologize," Gilbert said. "And you're going to. You can...I don't know, do you want to talk to her through the door or do you want me to take your letter in to her?"

Billy looked grumpy. "I'll talk. I don't want any of you taking this paper and using it against me."

"Fine, I don't care what you do, as long as you're sorry," Gilbert said. "Come on, then."

He led Billy through the house and stopped him at the closed bedroom door, giving it a gentle tap. "Billy has something to say to you. He'll just talk through the door, I won't let him in."

Jane poked Billy to get him to start. He cleared his throat, but it was a minute before he started talking.

Gilbert was enjoying how scared Billy sounded. After Anne had been made to feel afraid of Billy, he took some comfort in knowing that Billy could be afraid of Anne, too.

Jane pushed Billy again, and finally he began: "I'm sorry I ripped your clothes. And I'm sorry about the blood. I know what I did was wrong..."

He made it through his entire rehearsed apology, and when he reached the end, he sighed a little before he said, "None of it was your fault."

After Billy finished, Gilbert announced, "All right, you can go now."

Billy looked at him in surprise.

"What?"

"You're done, you apologized. You did it. Now leave."

Billy looked like he didn't know what to say. Then he sputtered, "But...but I said I was sorry..."

Gilbert almost laughed. "Billy, what did you think was going to happen- that she was going to come out of there smiling and tell you everything's forgiven and forgotten? We're all just one big happy family now?"

"Well...I apologized."

"Yes, you did. But that doesn't mean she has to forgive you."

"She should," he said, frowning. "That was a good apology! I worked hard on that apology!"

"And I'm sure she's glad you said it. Maybe someday she'll even forgive you. You never know, stranger things have happened. Goodbye." Gilbert pointed to the door.

Billy didn't move. "That's not fair. If I apologized, then she should say she forgives me. That's how apologies go."

"Maybe she does forgive you. But she certainly isn't under any obligation to tell you that," Jane told him. "When you apologize, you have to be willing to accept whatever they give you- or don't give you."

Billy was angry. But then he shook it off, saying, "I don't care what she thinks of me, anyway I'm going back to school now. That's all this was for."