"Wow. The guy stood you up after such a heated night? I must say, you are way more understanding than my wife. She would have never spoken to me again if I had done that to her."
"I very nearly didn't. But as you can see," Poppy held up her left hand, "I came around. Not before much more water roared under our bridge, mind you. But, even then, I knew I loved Bennett and that loving him would cost me. That day cut deep, but in a way, it helped prepare me for much more painful days to come."
"Before we dive into that, did you ever find out why Bennett left again so abruptly without a goodbye?"
"Yes, it was because of conversations he had with Tatum and his dad after I left that night."
"Tell me about those."
"Tatum saw me leave Bennett's room and confronted him about it. Supposedly, Bennett had acted strange all semester."
"What do you mean by strange?"
Poppy gave him a look and then said, "I guess he was not chasing tail the way he had in the past. He was more subdued and studied more than dating or hooking up with random girls."
Harvey made notes on his paper and said, "So Bennett was acting strange, and now Tatum knew why. Bennett had a thing for you. How did Tatum feel about that?"
"How do you think he felt? His friend was poised for a great political career. He was a twenty-five-year-old man messing around with a high school girl. It did not matter that I was over eighteen. To Tatum, I represented Bennett's downfall. He was trying to protect his friend from making a career-ending move by keeping us apart. He was sure it would have ended poorly if Bennett had stayed in town that week. So, he got Bennett to go to the Bahamas with him and his crew."
"A crew that included Taylor Stroupe?"
Poppy nodded but said nothing.
"How did you feel about that?" asked Harvey.
"I was pretty ticked off about it. I had seen the picture of Taylor and Bennett on his dresser. He was her prom date her senior year. I hated that picture. It represented everything she got that I was never going to have."
"Did you ever discuss that with Bennett?"
"Eventually. But not then. I was too upset at the time."
"Okay, well, before we go down the Taylor rabbit hole, let's backtrack for a minute. You said Bennett's dad also talked to him that night. What did they talk about?”
"Yeah, his dad heard Bennett and Tatum arguing. He got up to see what was going on. He overheard enough that he got the jist of what Tatum was upset about."
"How did Mr. Carrington react to the news that you and his son were becoming a couple?"
"Just as Bennett had expected. He was convinced that being with me would ruin his son's future.” Snorting, Poppy said, "Turns out he was right. I mean, not when or how he thought, but ultimately, he was right. I did cost Bennett his career. Not just me, but I was a huge part of it. He told Bennett to stay away from me. He may have even referred to me as the help. Knowing what I know, Bennett did what he felt he had to. At the time, it almost broke me."
"So, what happened next? How long before you saw Bennett again?"
"Umm, it was the week after I graduated high school."
"Tell me what that was like."
"That was wild and wonderful and awful all at the same time."
"Sounds interesting. Tell me more."
Carrington House
Searcy, Arkansas
June 2000
The second week of May, Poppy graduated from Searcy High School. The only family Poppy had in the stands was Gran. So many students had ten or twelve people there cheering them on. Poppy wondered if they knew how lucky they were.
Much to her surprise, in the week leading up to graduation, Poppy was accepted to all three art schools to which she applied. Two of the schools offered her a scholarship. The Art Institute, her first choice, offered free tuition only. The one in Cincinnati offered her a full ride. Poppy wanted to go to New York, but she would need funds.
