Post by melindajo2000 on Oct 22, 2011 14:09:32 GMT -6
It was the night before Scarlett’s wedding to Charles. She was scared to death, but she had to do this. She had to show Ashley what he was missing. If he could get married so could she. There was no way she could let him get married first. That would be painful. She didn’t love Charles, who married for love anyways? Ashley didn’t love Melanie, he told her as much in the library. He loved her. She knew he did. But he stuck to the Wilkes’ stupid tradition of marrying their cousins. He was a coward. Who loved a coward anyways?
She did, that’s who. Her heart belonged to him for a few years now, even before she knew what love was. She remembered the first time she told her mother she was in love. Her mother laughed and told her she didn’t know what love was, and to pray to get that silly notion out of her mind. No one took her seriously. So she knew then she couldn’t tell that to Ashley. He wouldn’t have taken her any more seriously than her mother did. It was a question of timing. Why had she waited too long to tell him? Now she could kick herself. He was marrying Melanie, and she was stuck, marrying a man, not even a man, just a fool of a boy that she didn’t love, just to prove a point. All because she wanted what she couldn’t have.
She walked outside to the tall oak tree, one of her favorite thinking spots, and sat facing the creek where no one could see her. All she could think about was marriage and how her life was over. She would never be happy again. Her sisters had their entire lives ahead of them. At least Sue Ellen loved old man Frank Kennedy, for all that was worth. There would be no tomorrow, no today, all she would have was yesterday, and the promise of a man who loved her but could never be. Knowing that Ashley loved her but couldn’t be with her was even worse than if he didn’t love her at all. At least that she could understand.
Suddenly it dawned on her there would be a wedding night. What would Charles expect of her? Would he be like every other male and make her perform her wifely duties? The thought made her sick to her stomach. And then it dawned on her that there would be two marriages- she wasn’t the only one to perform wifely duties. Melanie would be taking her place with Ashley. It wasn’t fair. Scarlett couldn’t help it. The tears fell freely, and she was glad no one could hear her. Mammy would skin her alive if she knew that Scarlett was crying in public, but the thought of Ashley with another woman made her so terribly sad that she just couldn’t bear it.
Suddenly she heard the noise of a horse’s hooves, and she prayed it wasn’t her father. She quickly wiped her face, and stood up and turned around.
“Ashley, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been looking for you? It’s almost time for the toast. Why Scarlett..have you been crying?”
“I don’t know whatever you mean.”
As she looked away in pride, he got down from his horse. He turned her face towards him. “Whatever could be troubling you? It isn’t about your marriage is it?”
“I never could fool you could I?” she smiled in spite of herself.
“No my dear, I can read you like I read one of my books. And I do love my books.”
“Don’t go teasing me now…not when I’m so confused…”
As she started to walk away, Ashley followed her. “I know what this is about, and I know that this is my fault. I know what you’re feeling. You don’t want to marry Charles. You don’t love him.”
Scarlett feigned surprise. “How did you…how did you know?”
He smiled. “I know because you think you love me.”
“Oh I do love you I do I do. I would make you the best wife in the world. I would make you so happy. I have loved you for years only-only I was scared to tell you because I thought you would think I was a fool. I know you must think I’m a fool now but I don’t care. I don’t care if the whole world knows. I just want to be with you. Tell me you love me. I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in the way you look at me. Just tell me.”
He looked at her with the longing he had been feeling for quite some time. What should he do? Should he go with his heart- he knew he would always be challenged and excited and carried away- or should he go with his head- he liked routine, he thrived on it, and honor? Looking at Scarlett it was hard to turn her away. She was everything he had secretly dreamed of all his life but was too afraid to act on for all of his life. She was everything he wasn’t- vibrant, passionate, unafraid. Were they too different, or would they complement each other?
Sensing his hesitation and seeing her opportunity, Scarlett threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, the way he only read about in his books, and gave it everything she had. All of her dreams, her hopes, and her life depended on this very moment. She opened one eye to see if she could see what he was feeling. It was working. He was into it, even more than she was. She, not Melanie Hamilton, would be Mrs. Ashley Wilkes.
“Now tell me who it is you want to marry,” Scarlett said in her most seductive voice. “You know I would never turn you away.”
“What about Melanie and Charles? How can we show them such dishonor, right before their weddings?”
Scarlett was thrilled. He was hers.
“Isn’t it better we let them go than for them to be married to people in love with someone else? That would be a bigger dishonor. Come on. Let’s go tell them. Then we can plan our own wedding. The biggest the county has ever seen,” she grinned.
“No Scarlett. It wouldn’t be right to disrespect them that way. I want something small and simple. Just something to remember you by before I go to war,” he commanded.
“Of course. You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll see you in a little while. “ She jumped up in the air, as happy as she ever had been in spite of the fact that she was about to destroy Charles’ world. It wasn’t easy for either of them, but they did what they thought was best, and in two days they were married. It was scandalous, but with the war starting it was soon forgotten, and Ashley came home a war hero. While he was gone she gave birth to his first child, a son, Jonathan, named partially for Ashley’s father John. Scarlett was still Scarlett, and Ashley had his hands full with her. But she had gotten everything she had hoped for, and once the war was over, was happier than she thought she could be.
The end
She did, that’s who. Her heart belonged to him for a few years now, even before she knew what love was. She remembered the first time she told her mother she was in love. Her mother laughed and told her she didn’t know what love was, and to pray to get that silly notion out of her mind. No one took her seriously. So she knew then she couldn’t tell that to Ashley. He wouldn’t have taken her any more seriously than her mother did. It was a question of timing. Why had she waited too long to tell him? Now she could kick herself. He was marrying Melanie, and she was stuck, marrying a man, not even a man, just a fool of a boy that she didn’t love, just to prove a point. All because she wanted what she couldn’t have.
She walked outside to the tall oak tree, one of her favorite thinking spots, and sat facing the creek where no one could see her. All she could think about was marriage and how her life was over. She would never be happy again. Her sisters had their entire lives ahead of them. At least Sue Ellen loved old man Frank Kennedy, for all that was worth. There would be no tomorrow, no today, all she would have was yesterday, and the promise of a man who loved her but could never be. Knowing that Ashley loved her but couldn’t be with her was even worse than if he didn’t love her at all. At least that she could understand.
Suddenly it dawned on her there would be a wedding night. What would Charles expect of her? Would he be like every other male and make her perform her wifely duties? The thought made her sick to her stomach. And then it dawned on her that there would be two marriages- she wasn’t the only one to perform wifely duties. Melanie would be taking her place with Ashley. It wasn’t fair. Scarlett couldn’t help it. The tears fell freely, and she was glad no one could hear her. Mammy would skin her alive if she knew that Scarlett was crying in public, but the thought of Ashley with another woman made her so terribly sad that she just couldn’t bear it.
Suddenly she heard the noise of a horse’s hooves, and she prayed it wasn’t her father. She quickly wiped her face, and stood up and turned around.
“Ashley, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been looking for you? It’s almost time for the toast. Why Scarlett..have you been crying?”
“I don’t know whatever you mean.”
As she looked away in pride, he got down from his horse. He turned her face towards him. “Whatever could be troubling you? It isn’t about your marriage is it?”
“I never could fool you could I?” she smiled in spite of herself.
“No my dear, I can read you like I read one of my books. And I do love my books.”
“Don’t go teasing me now…not when I’m so confused…”
As she started to walk away, Ashley followed her. “I know what this is about, and I know that this is my fault. I know what you’re feeling. You don’t want to marry Charles. You don’t love him.”
Scarlett feigned surprise. “How did you…how did you know?”
He smiled. “I know because you think you love me.”
“Oh I do love you I do I do. I would make you the best wife in the world. I would make you so happy. I have loved you for years only-only I was scared to tell you because I thought you would think I was a fool. I know you must think I’m a fool now but I don’t care. I don’t care if the whole world knows. I just want to be with you. Tell me you love me. I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in the way you look at me. Just tell me.”
He looked at her with the longing he had been feeling for quite some time. What should he do? Should he go with his heart- he knew he would always be challenged and excited and carried away- or should he go with his head- he liked routine, he thrived on it, and honor? Looking at Scarlett it was hard to turn her away. She was everything he had secretly dreamed of all his life but was too afraid to act on for all of his life. She was everything he wasn’t- vibrant, passionate, unafraid. Were they too different, or would they complement each other?
Sensing his hesitation and seeing her opportunity, Scarlett threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, the way he only read about in his books, and gave it everything she had. All of her dreams, her hopes, and her life depended on this very moment. She opened one eye to see if she could see what he was feeling. It was working. He was into it, even more than she was. She, not Melanie Hamilton, would be Mrs. Ashley Wilkes.
“Now tell me who it is you want to marry,” Scarlett said in her most seductive voice. “You know I would never turn you away.”
“What about Melanie and Charles? How can we show them such dishonor, right before their weddings?”
Scarlett was thrilled. He was hers.
“Isn’t it better we let them go than for them to be married to people in love with someone else? That would be a bigger dishonor. Come on. Let’s go tell them. Then we can plan our own wedding. The biggest the county has ever seen,” she grinned.
“No Scarlett. It wouldn’t be right to disrespect them that way. I want something small and simple. Just something to remember you by before I go to war,” he commanded.
“Of course. You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll see you in a little while. “ She jumped up in the air, as happy as she ever had been in spite of the fact that she was about to destroy Charles’ world. It wasn’t easy for either of them, but they did what they thought was best, and in two days they were married. It was scandalous, but with the war starting it was soon forgotten, and Ashley came home a war hero. While he was gone she gave birth to his first child, a son, Jonathan, named partially for Ashley’s father John. Scarlett was still Scarlett, and Ashley had his hands full with her. But she had gotten everything she had hoped for, and once the war was over, was happier than she thought she could be.
The end
I LOVE the movie Gone With The Wind if though the movie is long. 
I have never thought of writing a oneshot for a movie before. 
