That gets my blood boiling because Mr. Walsh has been a valued part of our community for over fifty years. How can anyone believe these disgusting rumors? Even more, he’s mentored half of the people in town, and advocated on behalf of the other half at one point or another. For them to turn on him like this is utterly heartbreaking.
Fortunately, I’m second to speak, and I get up when it’s time, striding to the microphone before jerking it off its stand with an angry movement. Morgan’s eyes warn me to keep my cool, and I take a deep breath as Mayor Criss introduces me.
“As you know, Natalie Sherwood is the woman at the center of this controversy. She’s eighteen, which means she’s in the legal majority, although Natalie remains a senior at Sheridan High School. Thank you for coming forward, Miss Sherwood. We appreciate your time.”
The mayor nods and I take another deep breath before speaking in a loud, firm voice.
“As many of you know, I met Mr. Walsh through Sheridan High’s Reading with Seniors program. It’s a community service program that pairs seniors in high school with seniors in the community. We get together and read classics, and that’s exactly what Fred Walsh and I have done. We recently finished Moby Dick and have since moved on to The Grapes of Wrath.”
You can hear a pin drop in the auditorium, and I take another deep breath, keeping my voice calm. Then, I straighten my shoulders and look around in a calm manner.
“Many of you have known Fred Walsh for years, if not decades, and as a result, you must know that what I’m saying is true. Mr. Walsh has never made any inappropriate gestures toward me, and he has never touched me. He is a paragon of this community and has been nothing more than a trusted mentor to me and to many others in this town. Again, I have never had any kind of romantic or sexual relationship with him, nor have I been the recipient of any unwelcome advances.”
Whispers are beginning to rise up throughout the auditorium, but I ignore them.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” I continue in a strong voice. “Belittling a man whom you’ve known for years based on nothing but rumors. You got him arrested!” I say, my outrage beginning to take over. “They carried him off without his wheelchair!”
That’s when a woman in the back shrieks, “You lie! You’re in a relationship with that disgusting coot. You’re just suffering from Stockholm syndrome so you don’t even know you’re a victim!”
I take a deep breath and look over at Morgan who nods his head at me once more.
“No, that’s not true,” I state. “I’m not in a relationship with Mr. Walsh because actually, I’m in a relationship with someone else, and that man is Morgan Aston.”
Excited chatter erupts in the auditorium as people stare at me, Morgan, and then Fred Walsh, who’s visibly laughing now. The old man is literally shaking in his wheelchair with amusement because obviously, this soap opera has taken a turn for the dramatic and he loves it. Meanwhile, the town hall’s erupted into exclamations and scandalized whispers. I can’t make out the words, but I can see from the looks on my fellow Sheridanites’ faces that I’ve just dropped a bomb into their midst.
Well, then I might as well double down. Hey, if you’ve already gone all the way, then what’s the harm in pushing it an extra mile? I straighten my back and look out at the crowd before taking another deep breath to steady myself. Then, I place a hand protectively over the small bump of my stomach before leaning into the microphone again.
“In fact, Morgan Aston and I are deeply in love and have been seeing each other for months. My belief is that these rumors mistook Fred Walsh for Morgan Aston, but I assure you, anything having to do with Fred Walsh is unfounded because I’m pregnant with Morgan’s child. We’re having a baby,” I say in a firm tone before turning and seeking out the eyes of my man. He looks stunned as he stares back at me, but then those blue eyes flash and he nods slowly. Warmth fills my heart even as the room explodes into noise and confusion because I know that Morgan wants the child. We created this baby in love, and he or she will be treasured and valued.
At this point, people are shouting questions at Morgan because if it was the age gap they were concerned about, then there’s definitely a significant one still.
“Wasn’t she your babysitter?” some woman screams.
“Did we hear that right?” another woman ventures.
“Morgan Aston has impregnated a teenage girl?” I cringe at the implications behind that statement, as if I hadn’t known what I was doing.