Chapter Text
Laying on his bed in the dark, Gilbert looked up at his ceiling, recent events spinning wildly around this mind. He had just broken up with Winnie. What did he just do? Was he insane? He told her he didnโt love her. Did he ever love her? He didn't know. He didn't know anything anymore, he didnโt even know why he was still in France. Everything in his life had fallen apart, again. He thought back to when he was fifteen and left Avonlea to move to France. He thought about why he left his peaceful little town to move away. His dad. He had nothing left back home when his dad died, everything he had ever known had been ripped away from him in an instant. So he left. He applied to a boarding school in Notre Dame, bought a ticket to France, and he left. He studied harder than any normal person would for his four years in high school, not making time for any friends. He started studying medicine, applied to Sorbonne University, got in, and met Winnie soon after. Him and Winnie took a few classes together and they hit it off, before long they started dating.
They had been dating for a year when Gilbert found out he was running out of money for university. At this point in their relationship, everyone was expecting them to get married, even Winnie, the only one who was oblivious to that fact, was Gilbert himself. Winnieโs dad knew Gilbert was running out of money, and offered to fund the rest of university if he were to marry Winnie. Gilbert was in a dilemma, he liked hanging out with her and going on dates when they werenโt in school, and sure she was a good girlfriend, but he didnโt even know if he loved her, and now he was supposed to marry her?! He needed the money yes, but he didnโt want to use Winnie for that, it wasnโt right. He didnโt want to lead her on anymore, he didn't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage, and he didnโt want Winnie to be with someone who didn't love her. So he decided, right then and there, that he had to break up with her, he didnโt want to prolong it any longer, he really didnโt want to hurt her, but he knew it was bound to happen if he was going to tell her the truth. And he was going to tell her the truth.
Thinking back to it now, laying in bed, alone, in the dark, he heard the words echo around in his head, besieging his mind. Just how long have you known that you never intended to marry me? He felt so horrible for hurting her. More words kept coming. Itโs all so humiliating. Why on earth did you lead me on and make me believe that you loved me? The words kept coming and coming, they wouldnโt stop. The guilt was coming now, the shame and regret. He needed to get out of this stupid city, this whole country for that matter. He needed to start a new life. Itโs not like he had any friends there anyway, he only had Bash, his high school science teacher he kept in touch with after he graduated. Thatโs when it came to him. He could move back to Avonlea with Bash! Start fresh, make new memories, connect with old friends, make some new ones! Bash was moving to P. E. I. with his wife Mary because she was pregnant, and all her family and friends were on the island. This would be the perfect opportunity to start fresh. Then it hit him again. He barely had any money If he was going to move, he needed to get a job, he needed food, he needed a lot of things actually. He knew his old high school in Avonlea always needed extra help with teachers, and he did tutoring on the side while he was in the Sorbonne, and took some classes, so he had some experience. He knew Avonlea didnโt have many teachers or intellectual people, so even though he didnโt have a bachelorโs degree in education, he might still be able to get the job. He was decided then, he was moving back to Avonlea, back to his hometown.