Part I
"Georgiana Lucille Darcy! Why do you insist on being difficult? You are almost twenty-four years old and it’s high time you thought of getting married.” Sarah Darcy lectured to her daughter, who was busy making sure she had all her belongings packed.
Georgiana had come home for the weekend to visit her parents before returning back to college. Now she was wishing she hadn’t. Not that she didn’t love her mother, but the woman just didn’t know when to drop it. For one, Georgiana was not ready to get married. And two, this was not the 1800’s and she didn’t have to get married at an early age anyway. Or at all if she didn’t want to!
“Georgie, are you even listening to me? What happened to that nice young man you were dating? Phillip Collins I think. He seemed so nice, and with a future in Marketing, he would have made you a wonderful husband.” Sarah continued in vain.
Georgie just rolled her eyes. If her mother knew the truth about Phil she wouldn’t be praising him to the heavens. When Georgiana had stopped by his apartment four weeks ago to find him in the arms of another man, shock was a mild description of what she felt. Anger, humiliation, and hurt about covered it. Phillip had apologized profusely, admitting that he had only dated her to appease his own mother’s demands. After getting over her hurt pride, Georgie had continued being friends with him, and now looked at him more like an older brother or cousin than a former boyfriend.
“Phillip was always so sweet on you, treating you like a queen. I don’t see what’s wrong with him.” Sarah continued in bull-headed determination.
Turning to her mother in exasperation, she blew out a quick breath. “Mother, Phillip and I broke up weeks ago, OK. And I’m only twenty-three, what’s the big hurry for me to marry? William didn’t marry until he was twenty-nine.”
“Well, it’s different for a man. A woman should have a man in her life to take care of her and protect her. And what do you mean you two broke up? Why, for heaven’s sake?”
“Moooooom, please! I can take care of myself! And Phil and I just weren’t…uh made for each other.” Georgie mumbled.
“I just want to make sure you’re well taken care of should anything happen to your father or I.” Sarah said in a hurt voice.
Sighing, Georgie stepped forward to embrace her mother. “I know mum, but I don’t want to marry the first bum I come across.”
“Well of course not! That’s not what I meant at all” Sarah responded in wounded voice.
“Oh mum, look I have to get going. It’s a long drive back to school.” Grabbing up her bags and backpack, Georgie headed toward the door, calling out, “I’m leaving dad.”
“I’m coming.” George Darcy yelled back from the kitchen. Walking toward his wife and daughter, he could very well guess what they’d been talking about, judging by the stubborn expression on his daughter’s face. Wisely keeping his opinion to himself, he grabbed her suitcase and said, “I’ll help you load up the car.”
“Thanks dad. Bye mum, love you.” Georgie followed her father to her ‘rusty but trusty’ 1984 Buick LeSabre. Neither spoke a word while packing the bags in the car. After making sure that everything was accounted for, Georgie hugged her father. “I love you dad, I’ll see you again in a few weeks.”
“Love you, too, sweetie. Be careful on the way down. And, one more thing…” George hesitated.
“Yeah, dad?”
“Don’t mind your mom, you know she only wants the best for you.”
“I know, dad. I’m just not ready to settle down yet. I haven’t even finished school.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
George smiled affectionately, “You know that won’t stop your mom.”
Georgiana returned the smile with an impish grin of her own. “Don’t I know it…and she wonders where I get my stubbornness from.” Her father chuckled, hugging her once more before letting her get into her car and drive away.
“So your mom thinks I’d make a good husband, huh?” Phillip asked in an amused tone.
“Yeah, she said you’d be a good provider…Sometimes I wonder where she gets it. I mean, it sounds so bloody medieval!” Georgie said, while perusing the shelves at Barnes & Noble.
“She just wants the best for you…”
“ARGH! If I hear that excuse one more time, I’m choking the person who says it. Why can’t I decide what’s best for me?”
Phil chuckled at her indignant tone and picked up a book that had caught his attention. Mr. Wrong: A User’s Guide.* He flipped through the pages and smiled. “Hey, Georgie, check this out.” He handed her the book and continued perusing the shelves.
Glancing through the book quickly, a particular page caught her attention.
Find relief from parental pressure by introducing an obvious Mr. Wrong to the family. Suddenly, no one will be asking about wedding plans. *
Georgie stood there a moment, pondering the idea. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. A slow smile formed on her face. Finally, a way to stop the nagging! It was so simple really…but she had to find a perfect Mr. Wrong. Hmm, whom could she use? She mentally went through her list of acquaintances and friends before her mind screeched to a sudden halt on one name…John Thorpe.
She had parked her car on the far side of the lot so her car wasn’t the victim of some overzealous teenager out for a good time. As she walked toward the entrance of the cinema, catcalls and whistles followed her, as well as a few vulgar propositions. Ignoring them as best as she could, she finally spotted John waiting in front of the glass doors, smoking a cigarette. He was wearing a pair of baggy khakis, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Apparently he was trying to go for a bad boy/prep look…it really didn’t mix well. Especially considering his face was more pretty than handsome, his lips too full and eyelashes too long. It’s the one thing Georgie couldn’t find fault with; in fact she was quite jealous of his lashes. Maybe she’d end up ripping them out before the night was through…
Anyway, back to the date!
John had looked up as she walked toward him, his eyes squinting behind a puff of smoke. Taking one last drag, he threw the butt on the ground and stomped on it. Georgie’s eyes flicked to the right where an ashtray was sitting just at his side. A disapproving frown graced her features as she stopped in front of him. Unfortunately, her moment of distraction made her unaware of John’s actions, and so was unprepared for his cold lips against hers, the smell of cigarettes overpowering. She jumped a little and stepped back.
John smirked at her reaction, “Ready to go in babe?”
“Don’t call me babe.” Georgiana sniffed and stepped past him to open the door. She missed the snide look John cast at her back, which was really too bad because I’m sure her reaction would have been entertaining to say the least.
Luckily, she had brought enough money to cover both of them because John claimed that he didn’t have any cash. He also pointed out that she was the one that wanted to go out with him, so she should foot the bill. Georgie’s face flushed bright red with anger as she counted out what was left of her meager income. Working every other weekend at the local GNC certainly didn’t pay much but it at least gave her some money. After John ordered nachos and cheese, large popcorn and an extra large Pepsi, Georgie had a total of fifteen dollars left. Surely after eating all that, John wouldn’t want to eat at MacDonald’s afterwards…
Luckily, they didn’t have to stand in line because the attendant was already taking tickets. Unfortunately, some of John’s friends also happened to be the theatre and waved him over. In a moment of trying to impress his friends by showing off his date, John tried to put his left arm around Georgie’s shoulders, forgetting about the drink he was holding on to. The top popped off and soda sloshed over the edge and down the front of her dress, causing her to yelp in surprise from the cold. That of course brought everyone’s attention to them; Georgie didn’t think she could be more mortified than at that particular moment. But she thought too soon…John start patting at her chest with a tissue, making a grand show of groping her breast.
Georgie smacked his hands away, earning several snickers from the crowd, and excused herself to go to the restroom. She used almost the whole container of paper towels before she considered the dress clean enough. At least it wasn’t stained, but now she was completely soaked and cold. Locking herself in the stall, she sighed and wondered what to do next. The night couldn’t possibly get worse, so should she stay; or take the risk of worse damage before the night was over? She recalled last weekend and her mother’s words that she should be thinking of marriage soon. This hardened her resolve like nothing else, and with a mental shrug, she made her way back to the darkened theatre.
John had eaten all of the nachos and cheese, and half of the popcorn was gone already, not that Georgie was really hungry but she did wonder at how he could eat so much so quickly. Then John leaned over and whispered something to the guy on his left and they both began laughing uproariously. Not the “we’re-having-a-good-time” type laughter…no, it was the “we-just-made-a-sexually-degrading-remark” laughter. Georgie hunched her shoulders and pursed her lips in annoyance.
She did her best to ignore her date, but she felt his gaze upon her and glanced at him. But it wasn’t her face that John was staring at…oh no, our John Thorpe is the kind of guy who’s eyes wander a bit lower than face level. The soaked front of Georgie’s dress clung to her chest, outlining her form in an obvious manner. Her fingers dug into her arms to stop herself from smacking him as she asked tersely, “What are you looking at?”
Startled from his dazed concentration, he looked up guiltily. “Nothing.” Georgie’s eyes squinted dangerously for a moment before she turned back to the screen. Then she felt the movement of John’s arm snaking around her shoulder. Only her eyes moved as his forearm came to rest on her right shoulder, hand almost resting directly on her breast. She shrugged her shoulders to try and dislodge his arm, but it only caused his hand to slip down further.
John turned toward her with a lecherous gleam in his eyes. Georgie froze completely, her heart thudding in her chest, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t do anything. No such luck…it was definitely NOT her day. John leaned toward her, his lips just centimeters from her ear and flicked out his tongue. Georgie squeaked in surprise, earning a laugh from her date. “Stop it!” she hissed.
“Stop what?” He asked innocently, his eyes full of mischief. “This?” he asked as he let his hand cup her breast.
Georgie stood up suddenly, glaring down at him and yelled. “YOU ARE SUCH A PIG! I am leaving!” She grabbed her purse and made her way out of the theatre to the sounds of laughter and cheering. The whole way to her car she chastised herself, “Why did I ever think that something like this would work? Geez! What an idiot!” She slammed the car door, turned the key, and floored it out of the parking lot, not paying any attention to the police car sitting in the shadows…
Back to the Fan Fiction Archive