Anne with an E The Next Chapter

No more tea

Diana and Jerry walked quickly, hand in hand, towards her parent's house. They had it planned in their minds, had talked it out. She would start, she would greet them and tell them she'd missed them.

"Yes, keep it positive..smile a lot" Jerry said.

"And then I'll call for Minnie Mae and ask her to come and sit with us" Diana said.

"Yes, she'll be happy to see you" Jerry said.

Diana looked over at him and laughed. "Maybe ..."

The sun had just gone down and the day had been so long. It felt like ages ago since he'd picked Diana up at Aunt Jo's and whisked her off to Dr. Wards. Between that moment and now, their whole worlds had shifted and they were one... and they were sure. Nothing could stop them now.

They reached the lane leading up to the Barry's big beautiful house. The house seemed quiet and dreamy against the dark sky with it's lights illuminating the main floor. It was obvious no one was getting anywhere close to bedtime and Diana felt a pang as she realized the moment was now. She stopped in her tracks and looked ahead, with a bit of fear in her eyes.

Jerry stopped too and looked at her. "Diana, don't stop now... you've got the will and the guts to do it, so don't hesitate. It's like jumping off a cliff into the lake. You just run and do it"

"Jerry...I've never jumped off a cliff in my life...not figuratively or in reality" she said.

"I know" he said. "But imagine it... if you slow down, you risk falling or hurting yourself, or stopping altogether. If you stop all together you'll never know the thrill of jumping, you'll never feel the splash of the water or the feel of the lake around you. And you'll always be afraid".

She looked at him in the dusky spring light and could barely make out the features, the lines in his cheek from the years of smiling, the slight darkness under his eyes from too many early mornings... but she could feel the warmth of his hands and the rough edges of his skin and she couldn't imagine not diving into the life they could have together. That was scarier to her.

She breathed out and kept moving, trailing him behind her with one hook of her finger. Before they knew it, they had passed the tree where they'd had their first moment and they were up on the stairs and knocking on the front door.

Diana tried the handle and felt it open.

"Mother...Hello?" she said gently as she pushed open the door. The foyer was dark but a light emanated from the parlor. Diana walked passed the bureau and saw the reflection of herself in the mirror. Her carefully groomed curls were limp and had taken on a tousled, unkempt look. She knew her mother would be appalled as she tried to straighten herself out a bit. The thought of her appearance hadn't even crossed her mind once since Jerry had picked her up this morning and she wondered briefly why it hand't crossed her mind.

"Diana???" she heard her father say questioningly as he approached the foyer...

"Father!" she said running towards him. He gathered her up with so much love and joy, she felt sure that she was safe.

"What are you doing home!" he said with much affection. He raised his eyes and noticed someone standing there in the foyer.

"Uh, who's there?"

Jerry walked into the light slowly. "Good evening Mr. Barry"

"Oh hello... Baynard..is it?" he said as he moved forward to extend a hand. Jerry smiled broadly, relived that he even knew who he was.

"Jerry.." he said kindly nodding.

"Oh thank you Jerry for making sure Diana got home safe... what can I offer you" he said reaching for his money clip.