Grace was in the kitchen, fixing a batch of cookies for a church bake sale. She knew she wasn’t welcome, but she was going to leave them with Father Lonigan. There was a knock on the door and Grace went to open it.

“ TC.”

” Hey, Grace. May I come in?”

” Sure.”

“ Would you like a cookie?”

“ Oatmeal raisin. Best in the state.”

Grace smiled. “ Thanks.”

“ I…I just wanted to touch base with you. How are you doing?”

” Fine. I busy myself enough to make it through the day.”

” I know that feeling. I…I had the meeting with the Principal.”

” And?”

” My job is safe for now. But, I’m on thin ice. Can’t make any more mistakes. “

” TC..”

” I was wondering….when is your next doctor’s appointment?”

” Doctor’s appointment? You…you want to go with me?”

” Yes. It’s not like it’s a secret in this town, and I want to be there from the beginning. Supporting you.”

” I would be lying if I said that I’m not grateful that you want to be involved. It’s been pretty lonely, with so many of my so-called friends shunning me.”

” I know.”

“ It’s tomorrow at noon.”

” I’ll be there, since it’s my lunch break, but would it be too much to ask if you would make the rest of your appointments for after school, so that it wouldn’t interfere with my job?”

” Not a stretch at all. “

TC saw the plumbing equipment on the floor. “ Something wrong with the plumbing?”

“ Just a little something.”

” Well, let me get setup and see what I can do about it.”

TC took off his shirt and went under the sink to try and solve the problem. Grace was happy to have him in the house.
 

Sam Bennett was looking over the latest report he had to send to the state police when there was a knock on his door. He looked up and saw Eve there.

“ Eve?”

” Hi Sam. I…I wanted to know if you had time for a talk.”

Sam got up from his desk and motioned for Eve to take a seat on the couch in his office. He closed the door to his office and sat beside her.

“ How are you, Eve?”

” Oh Sam.”, Eve broke down in tears, and Sam offered her a shoulder. He gently held her for a few minutes until she could regain her composure.

“ I’m sorry for being such a crybaby.”, Eve said.

” You’re not a crybaby, Eve. I’ve had a few tearful nights myself. “

“ You OK?”

” No. Not at all. I work, and thank goodness I have it.”

” I took a leave of absence from the hospital. I’m no good to my patients. “

“ Then good for you. Have you talked to TC?”

” No. I tried going to see Grace, but it was a big mistake. I wasn’t strong enough.”

“ I understand. I can’t believe it’s all gone, Eve.”

” I know. In an instant, it all went up in smoke. Our marriages, the friendships, the families. Gone.”

” The girls aren’t talking to me. They think I’m as loathsome as Grace.”

” Because of you and Ivy? Sam, WHY IVY? Lord, I hate that woman.”

” Eve…”

” No. Sam, you are so much better than her. You just don’t get what she’s capable of. That she’s a lying, blackmailing bitch. Because I’ve already lost everything, I can tell you the truth now. “

” What truth?”

” The truth about Ivy Crane. How she is a lying witch who used my past against me.”

“ Past. What past?”

” I have a long story to tell you, Sam. So, I hope you don’t have anywhere to go.”
 

Ivy Crane was on the masseuse table, getting her weekly massage. She had to smile at the way things were turning out. Grace, pregnant with TC’s child, of all people! She was playing things perfectly with Sam. Sending him sympathetic letters. Offering to meet him in the park. Not making any sexual advances on him for awhile. Being the perfect ‘friend’, and showing him that she had matured. That they were more than just ‘sex’.partners, and that they were going to be in a real relationship.

Ivy smiled. Nothing could stop her now.
 

“ Is…is that all?”, Sam said with a shakey voice.

“ That’s all of it. I’m sorry, Sam. I’m sorry that I lied and schemed with her. I’m sorry that I was weak and let her blackmail me. I’m sorry that my actions probably contributed to the chain of events that brings us to this point. I know now that it was my actions, or inaction where Ivy is concerned, that brought this pain to everyone. I did all those awful things in order to keep my family together, and I wound up losing everything anyway. It’s the karma for my bad deeds. You’re a good man, Sam. I couldn’t let you enter into a relationship with Ivy without the truth. I couldn’t deal with these lies anymore, and if I’m to begin a new life, it has to be with a clean slate.”

“ Eve, what you’ve told me..”

” Is that underneath it all, I allowed my weakness to be exploited by Ivy. Action upon action to cover my past meant that I was hurting you and Grace. Yet, I did it anyway. What I did was unforgivable, and I know it. I accept it. Maybe one day you can talk to me again. I hope that to be the case, but I’ll understand it if you can’t. I wish you the best, Sam. You deserve it.”

With that, Eve got up and left a stunned Sam sitting there.