Chapter 8

The next day, Thursday, dawned bright and sunny. It was a perfect early spring day in Toronto. As had become their habit, Megan and Greg made gentle love upon awakening. They showered together. As usual, Megan divided her time between applying her makeup and watching Greg shave. He smiled at her, bent over and kissed her nose. He said, "Why do you still find my shaving so fascinating?"

Megan laughed. She said, "I find everything you do fascinating. You're my avocation. I'm going to get a Ph. D. In 'Greg' and then go for postdoctoral study. I intend to become the number-one expert in Gregory Ambrose Young."

Greg laughed. He picked her up and kissed her. "You're already the 'number-one expert, '" he said. He kissed her again.

"Thank you, sir," Megan said. "Now if you'll stop messing up my lipstick, we may have time for breakfast before we have to go to work."

Greg drove Megan to City Hall and then went to his own office in the new Film House building. He felt happier than he ever remembered being. Not only did he have the world's best woman, he was secure in his decision to put the new comedy pilot into production. The world was wonderful. His day went well and quickly. He whistled as he left work. He drove to City Hall. Megan skipped across the sidewalk, jumped into the car, and kissed him passionately. A car horn blared behind them. Greg turned around, expecting to see an enraged driver. Instead, he saw a monster SUV with Nate Potter's grinning face looking over the wheel. Greg and Megan laughed as they drove home.

After they changed, Megan placed an order for delivery from her favourite Chinese restaurant. As always, they promised the food within forty-five minutes. After less than thirty minutes, the doorbell rang. Megan took her purse and went to answer the door. She opened the door to find the usual delivery man from the Fireplace Sechuan Restaurant. And as usual, he stared at her tits while she fumbled in her purse for the money. She was wearing one of Greg's old Banff Television Festival T-shirts. It covered her completely, reaching to mid-thigh. But it was obvious as she moved that her breasts were unfettered. Her nipples were outlined by the thin cotton. "You stupid bastard," she thought, "I hope it's worth it to you. You keep ogling yourself out of a nice tip." She paid him, throwing in a small tip, closed the door and took the food into the kitchen. She and Greg busied themselves setting the table and opening the containers. The doorbell rang again. Megan said, "What now? I hope the prick doesn't want more money. He probably just wants another look at my tits." She padded to the door in bare feet. She opened it. Amy glared at her.

"Hello," Amy said. "I'm looking for a filthy, skanky, low-down cunt. And I'm obviously in the right place."

Megan said, "Please, Amy. Don't."

Amy yelled, "You're a no-good piece of shit. And a goddam coward to boot. You didn't even tell me you were living here. I had to find out about it from that cocksucker Johnny at the pool. He gloated like a sonuvabitch when he told me. You whoring, gold-digging cunt. I should fix you so you that you can't do it any more. I should sew up your filthy cunt and your lying mouth and then beat the shit out of you. Or even better, just put you in a bag and throw you into the lake with all the other shit."

Greg came running into the hall. "Amy," he said, "I'll have to ask you to speak civilly or leave our house."

"Our house," Amy yelled. "Our fucking house! Since when does this skanky cunt have ownership of my uncle's house? Never, that's when." She turned to Megan. "I'll wait while you get some of your shit together. Then I'm taking you out of here. For good."

Greg took Megan in his arms. He held her against him while she sobbed. "Amy," he said, "calm down. You're not taking anyone anywhere. Megan and I decide who stays here and who goes. No one else. Right now, I'd say that you're the only candidate for departure."

Amy stared at him. She said, "Uncle Greg, can't you see through this act of hers? She as much as told me for Christ's sake. She said that she was going to come on to you and that she'd be my aunt."

Greg cuddled and stroked the sobbing Megan. "I know all about that," he said. "She told me about that evening. And she told me how you reacted. That's why she's been afraid to talk to you. With good reason, as it turns out."

Amy had tears in her eyes. "Jesus, Uncle Greg," she said. "She's really got you wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?"

"No one is wrapped around anyone's finger," Greg said. "I love Megan, and she loves me. That's all that anyone needs to know. That's the basis of our relationship. Complete and abiding love and trust. Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Come back when you're ready to have a civilized and rational conversation."

Amy stared incredulously. "Let me get this straight," she said, "you're throwing me out of your house. Me! Instead of this cunt!"

Greg said, "OK. That's it. My patience is exhausted." He took Amy by the shoulders and turned her toward the door.

Megan was no longer crying. She said quietly, "Just a minute, Greg. I have a few words to say." She turned to Amy. "Amy, I know that I'm at fault for not telling you about our relationship, Greg's and mine. But as Greg said, I was afraid. Afraid of losing my relationship with you. That evening when you blew your top, you as much as threatened me with physical violence. I told you that you were acting more like Greg's girlfriend than his niece. Well, you're acting even more like that right now. You're acting exactly like a jealous woman. Because that's what you are."

Amy looked at Megan. She said, "What the hell are you talking about? You're full of shit."

"No, I'm not. As long as I've known you, you've flirted with Greg. Before I met him, I heard you flirting over the phone. When I saw the two of you together, it was even more blatant. You flirt constantly in order to get your way. You flirt with everyone. You've even sort of flirted with me. Not sexually, but flirting nonetheless. With Greg it's different. And it's flagrant. Anybody can see it. Anybody but you and maybe Greg." Now Greg was staring at Megan. He opened his mouth to speak. "No, darling," Megan said, "let me finish. I finally got the courage to say this, and I don't want to waste it." She turned to Amy once more. "I'm sure you're not aware of the way you flirt with Greg. You've probably done it all your life. Because it's always worked. And since Lynn died, you've been just about the only person in Greg's world. Up until now, that is. Now there's somebody else for Greg. Somebody who's even closer to him. And you can't stand that. You'll do anything to protect what you see as your turf."

Amy shook her head. "No way," she said, "you're so full of shit. I'm just trying to protect my uncle from a dirty little slut."

"Listen to yourself," Megan said. "We've been best friends for over three years. Now, all of a sudden, because I'm in love with your uncle, I'm a dirty little slut. In what way am I a slut? I'm in a monogamous relationship with a man I love and who loves me. If that's being a slut, I don't know the meaning of the word."

Amy said acidly, "'Love, ' my ass."

"Yes, love," Megan said. "You refuse to admit that we're in love. That we even could be in love. In your mind, the only way Greg could be involved with me or with anyone but you is if he were tricked. Whatever you think of me, do you think so little of Greg? Do you think he could be fooled that easily? Christ, girl, Greg and I have been living together for weeks. We spend most of our waking hours and all of our sleeping hours together. Do you think I could fool him all that time? He'd see through me in a minute. You're the actress, not me. You've studied acting for years. And you're good at it. Damned good. You've been in professional stage productions and films. You're good at becoming other people. But could you hide your true feelings every hour of every day? I don't think so. And I certainly can't. Hell, I've never been able to hide anything from Greg. From the first moment we met, he could see right through me. He tells me things about myself that I don't know. He's the only person I've ever known who can do that. Including my parents. I can't hide a goddam thing from him, and I love him for that. He knows everything about me, the bad as well as the good, and he still loves me."

Amy stood quietly, looking down at the floor. Megan came closer to her. She lifted Amy's chin until she was looking in her eyes. She said, "I don't want to lose your friendship. And I don't want to come between you and Greg. There's no reason for either of those things to happen. But you're going to have to admit your real feelings for Greg. You don't want to be his niece. You want to be his girlfriend."

Amy recoiled. She shook her head. "No," she said, "I'm not a goddam pervert. No way I want to fuck my uncle. Or my father. Or anybody else in my family."