The Monroe Legacy - Chapter 8 - You Can't Change the Past

The 2500 miles to Utah from Boston had never stretched so endlessly before Hallie as they did the day she was due to move home from University. After a sleepless night where she alternately cried over losing Cai and cursed him for spoiling everything, she steeled herself and called Brian.

Hallie needed to at the very least find out whether or not she still had someone to share the driving of the moving truck.

Strangely, Brian was in a really good mood when he arrived for the "big talk". Whilst he looked disappointed when Hallie stuttered that she wasn't ready to get married, he assured her she still had a boyfriend and a driving partner.

Hallie was surprised, both that he'd taken it so well and that he still wanted her. As she began to worry that she didn't feel as happy about his decision as she ought to, Brian interrupted with news of his own.

'I'm being published babe', Brian crowed. 'I get a year off to finish writing my book on the evolution of social etiquette in the 20th Century. Isn't that great!'

Hallie pasted on a smile and hugged him.

As she did, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window, wondering how much more she would have to change to make a life with Brian.



The drive dragged by, Brian enthusing about his career, his book, his profile and occasionally throwing in a "we'll do this" which made Hallie feel as though her whole life was mapped out, even though she herself had no idea what she wanted.

She had to pull over and get some air when Brian announced that he'd secured her an interview with Utah's premier architectural firm through a family contact. Brian's expression was proud as he squeezed her hand saying,

'The job's as good as yours, just wear a suit, take some nice drawings and you'll be able to use your art degree AND have a career!'

Brian dropped Hallie and her possessions on her drive, kissed her and hailed a cab for the station promising to call and visit, 'Before you have time to miss me, Darling'.

Exhausted and with a conflicted heart, Hallie pulled out her phone to call Cai, knowing the sound of his voice would help things make sense. But as she found his number she remembered his parting words, the look on his face and the heaviness in her heart doubled.

Pleading exhaustion to her excited family, Hallie crawled into bed and lay staring at the ceiling until sleep claimed her.

In the weeks that followed Hallie tried to focus on the home and family she'd always adored, leaving the drama of university behind her. It wasn't always easy, being surrounded by love of her family was comforting but it also made Hallie more aware of what she had yet to find. As hard as she tried to go back to who she was before university, she often felt like a stranger in her own family.

Lola and Jeffery were expecting another baby so Hallie spent lots of time looking after Coralie while they fixed up their new house. With her dark hair and blue eyes Coralie looked a lot like her aunt, Hallie often wondered what her own children would look like.

When Lola found out she was having a boy the family celebrated, Oscar and Brody would finally have someone to help adjust the gender balance!

When Hallie shared the news with Brian on the phone (he kept postponing his visit because of "research") he offered hearty congratulations before sighing and saying how much he hoped he would soon have a son.

Hallie didn't know what to say. She'd been working really hard at their relationship, she'd taken the architecture job, driven up to visit his parents to deliver a birthday gift to his mother and called every night.

Brian hadn't re-opened the marriage discussion and Hallie didn't know where she stood. She tried to remind herself how much Brian had sacrificed for her but couldn't shake the feeling that now the heat of attraction and thrill of danger had burned out they didn't have much in common.

The next few months brought an abundance of change, Georgia moved out to a studio flat where she planned to run her own styling service. Hallie resisted Georgia's attempts to style her -though she did take her advice on a new pair of shoes!

Marisol moved in with Oscar after a huge fight with her own family. She wanted to be a policewoman which meant that all their grooming for her to be a society wife had been for nothing. Marlie and Brody had secretly placed bets on how long it would be before Oscar proposed.

Oscar was moving up the ranks in the army and would soon be facing deployment.The day he passed basic training Marlie won the bet.

Soon, it was Marlie and Brody's Silver Wedding Anniversary and they had a small celebration, Belle flew in from Europe especially and played a new song she'd written just for her parents.

After everyone else had gone home or to bed, Hallie pulled out the unopened Legacy journal that Marlie had given her two years ago. She skimmed through Marlie's story, marveling at the challenges her mother had faced to become the woman she was, the kind of woman who found joy in the happiness of those she loved.

Hallie felt ashamed of how self-centred she had been since becoming the heir. She hadn't been around as much as she'd meant to, she'd ignored all the signs that Cai wanted more from her than friendship. She'd blamed Brian for wanting things before she was ready after he risked everything to be with her but she'd refused to let him go.

As Hallie reached the last page a folded note fell in her lap.

'Hallie, this is a note from your mom, in case you are freaking out'

Hallie laughed half-heartedly at how well her mom knew her and read on.

'Firstly, if you've read my story, please don't compare it to your own. I am a firm believer in not letting where you've been define you - and that includes if you've had a happy start to life like you have. Just because you have yet to face tragedy doesn't mean you can't feel lost and scared.

Whatever mistakes you think you have made, let them go. I wrote my story down years after it happened and by then I could see everything in a positive light, see how I'd learned from every slip-up and ended up better off. So give yourself a free pass Hallie - that's an order!

I'm already so proud of you, you're an individual, you chase what you want and I know you're going places. Just follow the rules and I think you'll find you're already on the right path.

Mom X

Hallie turned back to the first page to the guidelines she'd never really read properly.

1. When you are lost, hold on to the things you love, hold on to those you love and live for the small moments. Eventually you will see you are already moving in the direction of happiness.

2. In love, listen only to your heart. Your head will tell you to stay, to be sensible, to appreciate effort and intention rather than actions. Your heart will throw caution to the wind and put itself in harms way, it's only in a place where the alternate is devastating heartbreak that you can can find a love that completes you.

3. In life, live. You never know how long you have so don't put off for a week anything you can do today, good or bad. Live with no regrets.

Hallie paced the house before settling in the abandoned dining room.

She knew what she needed to do.

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Unexpected events force Hallie to make some difficult choices in Chapter 9 -.Life after Death