4. A Jarring Interview
No more abandonment.
At the sound of footsteps, she quickly wiped her eyes and raised her head. And looked into bright green eyes.
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"Hey Joey," she said tiredly.
"Hi Mrs. Marshall, I was wondering if you could help me with-" He stopped, suddenly noticing her red eyes and the tear stains on her face. "Are you all right?"
She wiped her eyes and nodded. "I'm fine. What can I help you with?"
~:~
The day was over. It had been long; one of the longer days of her life partially because of all the memories she had been bombarded with today.
But she managed to convince herself that they didn't matter as much as she thought; that she had only been remembering because she had seen Vaughn on television the night before.
She had always expected him to be some sort of lawyer or even, like her, a professor. Yet he was now in show business? Though being a presenter for the news was hardly glitzy or glamorous. Well, she supposed, it just showed you how well you knew people.
She walked into the teacher's lounge and was surprised to see a group of teachers crowded around the small television. "What are you guys still doing here? It's after five! I know you guys aren't as wacked up as I am so I really have no idea as to why you aren't at home with your respective families."
One turned around, Sue Brown, one of her closest friends. "Shh, that gorgeous presenter is doing an interview."
That's when she noticed that all the teachers were female. She got a look at the screen and saw that it was Vaughn. She gasped a little, not expecting to see him and heard Sue giggle. "I knew you would like him. He seemed like the type of man you would go for. He is gorgeous isn't he?"
Sydney nodded and sank down into the couch, watching the interview with the rest of the entourage; mesmerized by the image of his face on the television.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now back with the hot new news presenter Michael Williams. Now Michael, what do you think about the impact that you have had, especially on the female audience?"
The smiling Vaughn laughed. "I didn't know that I had one."
The host turned to the audience, smiling. "Do you see how humble this man is? How charming!"
Sydney saw Vaughn blush. It was a good thing he wasn't anything more than a presenter; he was too humble to be a successful actor. But then again, maybe he could. After all, his shyness was endearing. She shook her head free; not wanting to think. She just wanted to see him and hear his voice again.
"So Michael. . . you are 36 years old correct?"
A nod.
"Well, then, tell me. Why are you single? I mean, if a guy with looks like yours can't get a woman, what kind of hope is there for me?"
Sydney grinned a little at the banter but stopped when she saw Vaughn looking at the screen. It felt like he was directly looking into her eyes and she almost didn't hear the sighs of the teachers around her she was so swept up by his guys.
He picked his next words carefully.
"Well, the truth is, I am in love."
There were groans from both the TV audience and the women around her. Sydney felt her heart falling at the same time she was wondering if he was still talking about. . .
"Really? And pray, who is the lovely lady who has your attentions?"
"I couldn't tell you. She's more like a love lost. I knew her 12 years ago and she. . . well, she left me."
"12 years. . . wow. That's a long time without any other women, Mr. Williams. So. . . no rebound women? No flings? 12 years. . . wow, I can't believe I've had more sex that you have in the last decade."
Michael chuckled a little. "Let's just say that I'm a man who loves deeply. And she didn't leave me because she didn't love me. There were. . . I know it sounds corny, but there were forces out of our control. I sort of promised her that I wouldn't love anyone else."
The host raised his eyebrows. "Why would you promise that if she were leaving you? Surely she didn't promise any such thing to you?"
Michael's face took on a slightly wistful expression. "You would promise her the same thing if you knew her. Even if I hadn't promised her that, I wouldn't have been able to love anyone else. You don't understand how amazing she was. Is. And even though she's not with me anymore, I can't love anyone else knowing that she is out there somewhere. She's the best thing that every happened to me."
There was a round of "awws" from both audiences and Sydney heard Sue mutter, "Who the hell would ever leave that hunk of a man?"
And that's when she realized she couldn't remember why she did it. And felt the tears running down her face again.
TBC~
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-Jenn