“What I am about to say may be hard to hear, but I feel it must be said. Elizabeth, these last few months have been difficult for me. Each day I spent with you I grew to appreciate you more and more. You, my dear, are one of the sweetest women I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. You’re intelligence and kindness towards everyone around you is a credit to your gender.”
Liz smiled uneasily, this didn’t sound like the typical smooth talking Dmitri. This sounded like he really had something to say. Suddenly, she didn’t want to hear it. She knew nothing could come of whatever it was he had to say. She prayed that he wouldn’t finish, but he continued and she knew she couldn’t stop him. This was something he needed to say no matter what happened.
Dmitri proceeded to tell of his chance meeting at the park with his girlfriend’s beau. He explained of the fight that ensued and the accidental shove that ended the poor boy’s life. Dmitri’s face was contorted in a grimace of pain and sorrow. Liz couldn’t bear to watch but she couldn’t hide the horror that she felt as well. Dmitri took a deep breath and continued. Wes and Liz sat in stunned silence as he continued his speech.
“Liz, I want you to know it was a complete accident! You must believe me; I never meant to really hurt him. I just wanted to rough him up a bit, scare him away from Yvette, but I don’t know what happened. I felt so terrible and afraid! What could I do?” He cried through his tears.
“You could have turned yourself in, Dmitri. That would have been the right thing to do.” Liz replied softly.
“No, I couldn’t do that! Do you know the shame and heartache it would bring to my family? How they would be ostracized for my transgressions! NO, I wouldn’t do that to them!”
Dmitri regained a bit of his composure and told of his meeting with Gretchen. Wes suddenly wanted no more to do with this man sitting before him. He jumped to his feet, “You did not have a deal with that witch! Tell me you didn’t!”
Dmitri hung his head in shame and told how she had blackmailed him into participating in splitting Wesley and Elizabeth apart. He insisted that he didn’t want to be a part of this plan but how Gretchen made it very clear that he would or others would face the consequences.
Wesley’s face was a picture of contempt and rage, not just at Dmitri who willingly agreed to this charade, but at that evil, conniving witch he called his Aunt. He suddenly wanted her dead. She had to pay for what she had done to his family and most of all what she had planned to do to Liz.
Liz touched Wes’s arm in an attempt to calm him, but at this point it was useless. He was livid. “Dmitri I think it would be best if you leave! Right now! I don’t want to see you. We trusted you! Even through my doubts about your motives, I let you in my home. You befriended Liz…you acted like you cared!”
“I do care about Liz, more than you’ll ever know! I am telling you this now because I can’t go through with this. You two are what I had hoped Yvette and I would be. Each time I see you and Liz’s love for each other I am reminded of what a wicked [spoiler]bastard[/spoiler] I am!” Dmitri was trying hard to control his grief, but it was pointless. He let the tears come, he welcomed them. “I am sorry for any pain I have caused you and Elizabeth. I hope you can understand why I did what I did. I cherish your friendship, both of you. Please don’t say that it’s over. I would die, I believe I truly would.”
Wes stood firm and replied, “Get out, please!” Dmitri left with a heavy heart hoping it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see his friend again.
Wes and Liz sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Liz finally spoke breaking it,” Wesley? How are you feeling? Talk to me please.”
“I can’t believe the nerve of that man. For months he has been here with you. You and he were alone all those times! What he could have done to you makes me angry!” Wes said through his anger.
“I know you’re mad, Wes. I am shocked, but I truly believe in my heart, that Dmitri wouldn’t have harmed me. Is he wrong in what he did? Absolutely! Can I understand it? I think so.” Liz is struggling with the right words to say. She knows there is nothing to change how Wes feels. He is justified in his actions, but she doesn’t want this rage to consume him. “Wesley? What are we going to do about Gretchen? Now that Dmitri has confessed his part in her plan he is in more danger now than he was before. Once she gets a hold of him, he’ll pray for prison. We can’t let her get to him. No matter what he has done or what he planned to do, he is a good man, a good man who made bad decisions.”
Wes still sat silently. His face was hard to read. Elizabeth went into the kitchen and made them some tea. She thought it would be calming; they desperately needed it right now.
“Wes, I made us some tea, I thought…” She stopped in mid sentence. Wesley was gone.
No comments:
Post a Comment