Robbie & Jamie

Fifteen - Apologies

Watching Peter post Margaret's apology note was both a comical and terrifying sight. After spending so long drafting, redrafting and neatly writing her finalised apology, Margaret trusted it in her husband's hands, warned him not to draw attention to himself or be spotted, and then bundled him out of the door. Then, Margaret stood by the front window, her hands covering her face but leaving small gaps between her fingers for her eyes, as she watched him deliver the letter.

Whilst Margaret would have ducked and dived behind all the bushes and snaked silently passed the flower beds to remain undetected, Peter simply strolled briskly up the garden path, stopped to smell the tulips, and Margaret even saw his lips were poised as if he was whistling. Peter gently slotted the envelope through the door.

Whilst watching the nail-biting event unfold in front of her, Margaret found her foot tapping with impatience and her teeth grinding in an aggravated manner. When Peter returned to their house again, Margaret threw the door open, ushered him inside, and closed the door with such a force it might have fallen off its hinges, and locked it.

"You certainly took your time!" She hissed furiously.

"Margaret, don't worry. The important thing is that the letter has been posted, so it's out of our hands. Whether Robbie and Jamie forgive you straight away is up to them. If you hear nothing back, at least you know that you did your best."

A sudden burst of worry exploded in Margaret's mind, and her fingers absentmindedly twisted around each other as she shuffled into the kitchen. "What if they don't forgive me?"

"It might take a while for them to calm down, but I'm sure they'll come round eventually."

"What if one of my sentences didn't make sense? What if I babbled on with incoherence?" Margaret's hands found their way to her beating heart, and they pressed down on her chest as if to hope that would calm it down. Instead, it only made her breathing even tighter. "Should I buy them a gift?"

"No. Not right now, anyway," Peter said, and he placed his hands on his wife's shoulders; a small movement that Margaret could focus on; one that always made her feel secure. "You've done all you can do for now. Wait and see if they talk to you, and then if they do, you can work on making amends. Stay out of their way, unless they approach you. It depends, Margaret, what you really want from this apology."

What did Margaret want from this apology? Of course the first answer was to remain friends with her neighbours, especially Rose. Looking back, Margaret recalled a time where Rose had knocked on their door in floods of tears, because she and Joseph had been arguing, and she worried that he didn't love her anymore. That night, Rose had ended up sleeping on Margaret's sofa, and Margaret had rolled her eyes countless times as she wrapped Rose in blankets and made her cups of tea. When Margaret escorted Rose back home the next morning, the women discovered Joseph had ALSO been in a state, anxious over if Rose had fallen out of love with him too.

The young couple made up, and at the time Margaret had been appalled at being dragged into drama with no gossip or story to tell others afterwards. Yet now, Margaret was fond of the memory and liked to think that she had somehow contributed. It was those moment that made Margaret realise that she liked helping people, and she wanted that strong relationship with Rose and Joseph to continue. Margaret wanted to be the friend they found comfort in and came to when in trouble. The thought of jeopardising that made Margaret feel lonely and unneeded. And she wanted, more than anything, to feel needed.

The wedding didn't matter anymore. Of course, Margaret wouldn't have minded if Robbie and Jamie forgave her and invited her, but the idea of the wedding didn't excite Margaret anymore. She just needed peace of mind that everything was going to be alright between her and her next door neighbours.