The Road to Maine is Bloody Part 19

Stephen started to stand to go after her and Tabitha shook her head, placing her hand on his arm. “Stay here, I’ll go. I think she needs a female perspective about this one.” Tabitha said and got up, the white tablecloth swishing against her soft yellow skirt and leaned over, kissing him on the temple before leaving the room to find Ashley.

Tabitha turned to go upstairs when she heard the sounds of crying coming from out front. She opened the front door and found Ashley sitting on the railing of their large front porch, leaning against the white post supporting the railing that also supported the roof above. She smiled and sat across from her on the white porch swing they’d recently bought. “Won’t you join me?” She asked, sliding over to make room for her.

Ashley quietly stepped over and sat down next to her, unable to look at her and wiped the moisture of tears pooled under her eyes and looked out across the yard, staring past the wrought iron gate with large bats on either side. “I’m sorry I ran out, I just remembered the way my mother looked when I found her that night. I don’t even know why I came back. It’s solving nothing and brings back bad memories.”

“You came to ask Stephen about his affair with your mother and wondered what the similarities were between his books and her death.” Tabitha said and Ashley turned to look at her, an expression of shock flooded into her eyes, her lower lip trembling and the flood of tears threatened to start again.

“How did you know? He said it was before he met you.” Ashley said, not understanding why she didn’t appear hurt or angry about what she’d just blurted out like she was a girlfriend telling her a dirty secret about herself.

“Stephen tells me everything Ashley and that happened years ago. I don’t let what happened before we met bother me. He was very comforting to your mother. They were there for each other. That’s the way Stephen is, he is a very good friend. We’ve been best friends for 40 years. Your mother was going through a very hard time and he’d just broken up with a girl he’d been madly in love with but she didn’t share the same feelings. He was devastated. Of course he was young and still trying to get his writing career started so the two didn’t mix very well.”