Willow

Chapter 1

“Welcome, welcome.” Fern Carmichael gushed as her guests entered.

Behind her, her husband, Brandon, took their coats and hung them in the closet.

“Come on into the living room. We’re having drinks before dinner.

” She escorted her in-laws into the room and introduced them around.

“You remember my parents, Angie and Randall Perkins. My brother, Douglas, and this is his girlfriend, Emily Brown. I hope you guys remember Jackie and Jake Carmichael.” Hugs and handshakes exchanged, and Brandon passed out drinks.

They caught up on what’d been happening in their lives, and Fern smiled when her children came running into the room and realized their grandparents were there.

The next half hour was pandemonium, and she loved it.

She caught her mother’s eye, and together they nodded and made their way into the kitchen to finish getting the Easter dinner on the table.

“So, what do you think of Emily?” Fern asked her mother as she drained the potatoes and started mashing them.

“It won’t work with Douglas. She’s too snooty for him. Mark my words, she’ll say something that will piss him off, and he’ll dump her.”

“Mom, just because you don’t like her doesn’t mean he’ll do that. He seems to like this one.”

“Mark my words,” Angie said, and put the ham on the platter, made the gravy and pulled other items from the stove.

Jackie came in and joined them, and in minutes the three of them had the meal on the table.

After they sat down at the table, said grace and passed the dishes, they settled down to enjoy the meal.

“Mom?” Eleven-year-old Brian asked at one point. “What’s today?”

Fern looked at her husband and masked her snicker as she answered. “Easter Sunday.”

“I know that.” Brian rolled his eyes and looked at his younger sister who giggled at him. “What’s the date?”

“Why, you have a hot date on this date?” Brandon grinned at his son.

“No, I have three book reports due on April 19th.”

“Well, at least you know ahead of time.” Fern did snicker then. “To answer your question, it’s Sunday, April 11th. You’re off from school this week, so you’ll have plenty of time to write those reports.”

“He has to read the books first.” Sarah giggled at her brother.

“Perfect, so now I know that if you’re playing your video games, you’ve finished your work.”

“Mom,” Brian whined, and looked at his father for help, and none came from him. “Fine.” He huffed and sat, disgruntled as he continued eating.

“Oh my god.” Angie suddenly dropped her fork and stared at her children, then started giggling.

“Honey, I know you had a glass of wine before dinner, but I’ve never known one glass to make you this giddy.” Randall frowned at his wife.

“No, I’m not.” Angie waved her hand before her face and had to wipe her tears of laughter.

When she looked around at the concerned faces, she grinned wider.

“Don’t you remember? Today, Easter Sunday, April 11th?

” When they continued to shake their heads, she grinned.

“It’s Wanda’s twentieth wedding anniversary. ”

“Oh my god!” Fern started laughing, quickly followed by Douglas. “I wonder if she’s celebrating.”

“Wait.” Brandon frowned. “Are you talking about Wanda, your little sister? She’s only twenty-three, how the hell could she be married for twenty years?”

“It’s a long story,” Fern said.

“We have time, indulge me,” Brandon said, and the look on his face said he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Okay,” Fern began, and refilled several wine glasses and sat back in her chair.

After taking a sip, she settled in. “For those of you who don’t know, Wanda’s the youngest in our family.

When she was almost three years old, she became sick.

Extremely sick. After several weeks of tests, her diagnosis was Leukemia.

She was sick for a long time, she had to stay in the hospital the entire time.

” She wiped her sudden tears, and her mother took over.

“We got to the point that we had to call in our minister. He was about ready to administer last rights. She was that sick,” Angie said and gripped her husband’s hand. “I’ll never forget. She looked up at the minister and asked if she could have one last wish before she died.”

“He said he’d do anything for her.” Randall took over the story.

“She looked up the minister, and said, ‘Before I die, I want to marry my best friend, Christopher.’ The minister said if she healed, he would make it happen. He stayed with her for several hours, and when she fell asleep, he left. Unbeknownst to us, he left the hospital and went to Christopher’s house and sat for hours talking to them about Wanda.

Christopher was a boy in the neighborhood that Wanda loved.

Well, as much as a three-year-old could be in love with a five-year-old.

“Miracle of miracles, Wanda started getting better a couple of days later. Oh, she wasn’t out of the woods yet, she would have a long hard road ahead of her.”

“Oh my god,” Jackie said. “I could never imagine going through something like that, especially with a child so young. How did you do it?”

“Lots of prayers and relying on friends and family. The day after Wanda asked for her wish, Christopher and his family came to the hospital to see her. Before then they knew about it because they’d bring over a casserole or something to help us out.

We told people who asked about Wanda’s condition, you know, to keep her in their prayers.

Not once during this entire time, we never covered up the truth about how ill she was,” Angie said.

“But when Christopher and his parents came to see Wanda, she lay there so sick. He walked right up to the bed, bent down on one knee and asked her to marry him. It was cute. He said he’d plan everything.

And of course, she said yes. Before he left, he put one small hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead.

He told her to get better so she could walk down the aisle in two weeks.

“Sure enough, two weeks later was Sunday, April 11th, Easter Sunday. We were all at church for the service and after the service, Christopher ‘married’ Wanda. He even talked to her doctor and made sure she was there at church that day. She had on a white Easter dress, and because she didn’t have any hair, she had a wreath of flowers around her head. ”

“Don’t forget the rainbow ribbons trailing after her.

” Fern giggled. “It was a beautiful ceremony. Dad walked her up the aisle, he held onto her hand and brought her IV pole with him. The nurse and doctor that came with her were walking behind keeping an eye on Wanda. They made it up the aisle and Mom was the matron of honor, Christopher’s father was his best man.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, and afterward, we all had cupcakes and Kool-Aid in the church basement. ”

“What happened afterward?” Emily asked in fascination.

“After the ceremony, Wanda had to go back to the hospital. It was another year and a half before she went into remission. But three months after the wedding, Christopher’s father was transferred, and he left.

I don’t even know where he went. Wanda slowly but surely got better, but it was a long hard road. ”

“Have I met her?” Emily frowned at Douglas.

“You did. Remember the blonde you saw me with at the restaurant just before we went on our first date?”

“That fat chick? I didn’t think someone like that was your style.” At her comment, everyone sucked in their breath and watched in horror as Douglas froze and oh so slowly turned his head to his girlfriend.

“What did you say?”

“That fat chick with you. I saw you in the restaurant and followed you. I knew she wasn’t your type, so I didn’t have to worry, but I followed you anyway.

Why you catered to her every whim, I never did understand.

She was so unremarkable that I forgot about her.

Except for her size, in my opinion, she was quite chunky. ”

“Oh shit,” Fern said, and looked between her mother and husband. Before she could try to smooth things over, they all watched as Douglas pulled his cell, made a call and they all heard.

“Yes, I need a car to come to one forty-nine Pine Avenue. It’s a blue house with black trim. If you can get here in ten minutes, I’ll double the fare.” He hung up and looked at Emily. “Your Uber will be here in ten minutes. I suggest you be outside waiting for it.”

“What the hell, Douglas. Why are you like this? I’m not going anywhere.”

“Because you called my sister a fat chick. No one, absolutely no one, disrespects my baby sister like that. You don’t know her at all.”

“I know that if she’d take care of herself, she wouldn’t be so fat.”

“Aunt Wanda isn’t fat.” Brian jumped to his feet and put his hands on his hips as he glared at Emily. “She’s healthy.”

Emily snorted and was too foolhardy to realize she was talking a losing battle.

“Please,” she snorted the answer and waved her hand in the air in a dismissive way as she continued to speak, “From what I saw she was a beautiful woman, but if she’d go on a diet maybe she could lose twenty pounds, only then could she be a knockout, but from what I saw, she was just a chunky woman. ”

“There are circumstances about her weight,” Douglas said through gritted teeth. “And in case you didn’t grasp the concept, we’re over. I’m breaking up with you. Now please leave my sister’s house.”

“Over some fat chick, get real.” She snorted and laughed. “I’m sorry, but that’s so immature of you, Dougie. There is no way in hell, someone would have circumstances that would prevent them from losing at least twenty pounds.”

“When Wanda was thirteen.” Angie began. “She started getting sick again. The doctors had warned us that there might be a possibility of complications in the future. When we realized she was getting sick, we thought the Leukemia had returned. Far from it.” She wiped her tears, and it was Douglas who took up the story.

“She had kidney failure. She went on dialysis, and she went on the transplant list. For six months she was practically at death’s door.

Again. When all hope left us, we had a donor.

She went into surgery. We lost her twice during that transplant operation, but she came back to us.

She’s on medication for life, so she doesn’t reject the donor's kidney. So yes, Miss Holier than Thou, judgmental, stuck-up bitch, that you are portraying here now, there are circumstances. And for your information, a size sixteen is not fat. At least she eats. She’s alive and living her life the way she sees fit.

” He paused when they heard a horn beep.

“There’s your ride.” He turned his back on her, and it was Brandon who helped her from her chair and escorted her to the front door.

“He can’t be serious.” She protested.

“He is. My wife, her parents, and her brother protect Wanda from everyone, even if she doesn’t realize it.

As do I. The way you talked about her was demeaning, degrading and none of your concern.

Just a word of advice from an ex-friend.

Leave Douglas alone. When you maligned his sister, you lost him.

I’m sure sometime in the beginning of your relationship he said something along the lines that his family means everything to him and that he won’t tolerate anyone who disrespects them.

Now you learned the hard way. I wish you luck, Miss Brown.

” He opened the door and gently pushed her out, but just before he shut the door, he said, “And don’t be calling my wife to get back on Douglas’s good side, that’s the worst thing you can do.

Those two will fight to the death to protect Wanda.

As will I. The best thing you can do is forget that you ever knew Douglas Perkins or any of his family members.

That would be the most beneficial to you.

” With that, he shut the door in her face and stood there and watched through the window as the devastated woman got into the back of the car that had arrived for her.

“She’s gone,” Brandon said as he walked back into the dining room. “I made sure she got into the car.”

“Thanks,” Douglas said, and sighed. He looked at Brandon’s parents.

“I’m sorry if I sounded harsh, but I can’t stand self-righteous bigots.

That’s what she was. In my eyes, Wanda is perfect.

She may have her flaws, and I’m not immune to them, but to survive what she did at such young ages, I will always fight to the death for her. ”

“Understandable,” Jackie said. “So, where is she now?”

“No clue,” everyone said and laughed. “Oh, we all talk to her at least once a week, but when she was eighteen, she went to college and received a two-year degree. However, she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life.

” Randall chuckled. “For a total of eight years, four when she was very young and another four while waiting for the transplant, her life wasn’t her own.

It was doctor’s orders left and right. She came to Angie and me when she graduated from college and said she wanted to go out on her own.

That she needed to find herself, she said once her head was screwed on straight, she’d let us know.

“She calls us every week, and even though I haven’t seen her in almost two years, she sounds great. Still, no clue what she’s doing.”

“I saw and talked to her last week.” Douglas grinned. “Skype. She looks great, happy, and healthy, and she glows. Her eyes looked like she did when she was younger and up to something.”

“Like she had a secret.” Fern laughed. “I haven’t seen her this well in ages. When I asked her what she was up to, she said it was a surprise, but it might take her a couple of years to complete it.”

“She also said that she received a clean bill of health from her doctors a few weeks ago.” Douglas joined in again. “Whatever she’s doing, it’s working for her.”

Brandon, Brian, and Douglas began clearing the table, and Jack stood to help, “I only have one question.”

“What’s that Dad?” Fern asked of her father-in-law.

“Did any of you ever hear from Christopher again?”

“Nope,” Randall said. “He did come to visit Wanda in the hospital before he left. Sat with her for hours. Telling her that he was sorry he had to leave, but his father was getting transferred. He was in the military. Said he’d write, but that only lasted a couple of months after he left.

No word after that. When we asked Wanda, she said he didn’t take his ‘in sickness and health’ vows seriously.

” Everyone chuckled at that, and after they served the pie, they moved onto other topics.