Rob & Maddy Final!

Final installment of the Rob and Maddy experiment. It's been a lot of fun, and weighing in at a whopping 17,701 words, I'm fairly happy with the result. Enjoy.

Epilogue: Rob and Maddy
Tim Harvey


A crisp breeze drifted over Maddy's exposed shoulders, causing her to grab her arms. The weather at this year's festival was not great, but she slowly let go of her arms and felt the breeze wash over her. It was humid and sticky, and the thick air had caused her red hair to explode into a mass of frizzy curls.
She raised her can of pre-mixed vodka to her lips and took a long sip as she surveyed the crowds around her through the lenses of her red wayfarers. It was a smaller turnout than normal, and Maddy was one to know. She recalled the dry heat of last year's festival and frowned. It was a better day for drinking and dancing last year, but a horrible point in her life.
The memories of James and his relationship antics were not raw anymore. Maddy could look back and although she had barely thought about him for over a year, she felt comfortable that that chapter of her life was finally closed. She took another sip from the can and the sweet orange tang made her cringe.
She hadn't had a pre-mixed vodka since last year, and thinking about it, she had barely even had a drink. There was too much work to do in her first year as a full-time teacher. She didn't even think that she would be going to another festival like this. She felt so grown up, especially since she was addressed as “Miss” all day.
Maddy found herself smiling at the thought of her kids, at home enjoying the last few days of the summer holidays. They would all be going back in a week. Back to books and pencils, grade one Math and English. Art was her favourite subject to teach though, and she got an incredible feeling of appreciation for all the drawings and messy paintings that her kids presented at the end of a good day.
Why was she here? The weather was bad, the line-up this year wasn't much better. She knew the answer to her question before she had even thought it. There was one reason for wandering around the fairgrounds this year, and his name was Rob. There was no way of knowing if he was here, and frankly she didn't really mind. Her life was so full at the moment, yet for the entire year, she had felt that something was missing.

Rob and his mate Jeff rushed through the security gate, only fifteen minutes until the band that Jeff had been dying to see all summer hit the stage.
'You get the drinks, I'll get us a spot,' Jeff called when he was clear of the security. Rob nodded while the security guard inspected his ticket. When Rob got the ticket back and made his way past the final checkpoint, Jeff was nowhere in sight.
Rob sighed. He knew where to go, but Jeff hadn't given him any money for beers.
'My shout, I guess,' Rob said to himself with a smile and headed towards the bar.
Rob stood at the bar, waiting for his drinks when a wave of deja-vu washed over him. He had spotted a girl standing at the bar that looked too familiar. Rob took his drinks and slyly walked around the girl. She was the right height, right build. It couldn't be, could it? She began to turn and Rob saw that it was her.
It was his ex girlfriend. The short cropped blonde hair should have been a dead give away, but Rob just wasn't sure. They had only broken up a few months ago and had only been seeing each other for a few months before that.
Rob spun around on his heel and marched towards the exit, beers in hand. He cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure she didn't notice when he walked straight into someone, feeling both of their drinks splash all over the place.
Swinging his head around, Rob started to apologise when he saw who he had recklessly crashed into.
'Maddy?' Rob said, his voice cracking.
'Rob?' She sounded equally surprised. Rob spun his head around and saw his ex walking in their direction. Grabbing Maddy by the arm, Rob led her out of the bar area.
'Don't ask, I'll get you another drink,' Rob said as he guided Maddy through the crowd.
'Rob?' Maddy repeated. He kept pulling her through the people, when he felt her break out of his grasp.
'Rob, what is going on?' Maddy demanded.
He turned and looked at her. She looked just as he remembered, her hair was a little longer, and, bigger, he thought. She wore a white tank top and what looked like the same shorts that he remembered from last year. Her converse shoes were green this year.
'Maddy, my ex is in there,' Rob said, pointing towards the bar, feeling his face contort into a look of what must have been worry.
She paused before nodding and taking his hand.

Maddy knew exactly where to go, she guided Rob through the crowd and into a nearby pavilion. There was a band setting up and the crowds were fairly thin. Maddy pulled Rob right up to the front of the stage, before turning him around.
She thought he looked much the same as he did last year, except he was clean shaven this time. His white tee was replaced by a white polo shirt and his khaki shorts were now bright red board shorts. Somehow, she thought he looked bigger than she remembered. He appeared taller and maybe more solidly built.
'Maddy,' Rob began.
'It's good to see you,' Maddy said, cutting him off. She was slightly out of breath and she saw that he was too.
'Good to see you too,' Rob said eventually, his mouth turning up into a smile.
Maddy couldn't hold it in, she had wanted to see Rob for a year and she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body.
He instantly returned the hug, pulling her tight and gently stroking her back.
'How have you been?' Rob said, over her shoulder.
She held him tightly and spoke into his chest, 'Good, what about you?'
'Not too bad,' he said with a hint of hesitation, 'Not too bad,' he repeated.
When they eventually let go of each other Rob looked deeply into Maddy's eyes. She felt a mix of safety and excitement that had been absent from her life over the past year.
Rob placed his hand on Maddy's shoulder, stroking gently with his thumb, 'I'm sorry about the ex thing,' he said, pointing towards the exit to the pavilion.
Maddy laughed knowingly and gently slapped him on the chest, 'We've all been there.'
Rob shared her laugh and nodded, 'Yeah that's true.' He added with a laugh, 'You don't have to punch my ex though.'
Maddy wrapped her arm around his waist and they stood side by side, 'That's good to know.'

Rob and Maddy eventually caught up with Jeff, who was still waiting for his beer. They spent most of the day wandering around and catching up on the last year. Rob bought Maddy a drink and she returned the favour, buying him a beer.
For lunch they had pizza and Rob guarded Maddy when she had to use men's room. Despite the humidity and the smaller turnout, the line for the girls' was still painfully long. The three of them sat up in the stands to watch the headlining acts and when Jeff had to leave, Rob and Maddy stayed put.
Rob gently caressed Maddy's leg with his hand and she stroked his back as they watched the live music. After the final song, Rob and Maddy shared a kiss underneath the bright lights of the stands. It was every bit as passionate and loving as they had both expected. The kiss, held for what felt like hours, was made all the more sweet by their mutual understanding of each other.
After the festival Rob walked Maddy to her car, hand in hand. They kissed again and Maddy put her number in Rob's phone. He did the same, and found it hard to let go of her hand when they said goodnight.
When he eventually did let go, Rob felt safe that he and Maddy would be seeing a lot more of each other in the future. For the first time in a while, the year ahead looked very bright to Rob, very bright indeed.