Chapter 5
Following the mansion party, Willow felt more rejuvenated than ever. So much so that she woke up the next morning and decided it would be a tourist beach day. The sun was shining, the weather was nice, and there was so much to see. Not to mention, her hair and nails still looked fresh and new, and she was ready for whatever adventure would come her way.
When she hit the streets of Sanibel Island, she had every intention to explore each and every avenue. She even thought about asking Brandi to go ahead and put her divorce papers in motion, but she didn’t want to jump the gun before she knew for sure she was ready.
There was a lot more to think about, a lot more to do, and a lot she and Charlie had to discuss before she ended things between them for good. It didn’t seem like Charlie cared enough, however, because he still hadn’t reached out.
Let’s see, what do I want to do first?
While she stood at a crosswalk trying to decide which way to go first, she took a look around at the people passing her by. Everyone seemed so jolly and cheerful, happy and excited about their day.
For a long time, Willow dreamed of waking up every day as excited as they looked. Sure, she knew each day wouldn’t be as great as the previous one, but for her, most days were a drag because she was all alone in her house. Instead of letting herself fall down a rabbit hole again about Charlie, she headed off to an old antique shop she saw resting at the corner of where she stood.
“Well, hello there.”
The owner, an older gentleman who looked old enough to be her father, checked her out over the rim of his glasses.
“Hello,” she smiled.
He limped his way from behind the counter and headed towards her. Aside from looking like he had never seen a pretty woman before, the old man looked as if he hadn’t had any customers for a long time.
“Have I seen you somewhere before?” he asked. “You look a little familiar.”
“Is that one of your old timey pick-up lines?” she teased.
“Pick-up lines?”
The old man laughed like he hadn’t laughed in a while either.
“A gentleman like me doesn’t need any pick-up lines. Back in my day, if I saw a gorgeous woman and I was interested in her, I”d just ask her if I could take her on a date.”
They both chuckled at his straightforwardness. For a split second, Willow thought about life at his age. She wondered if she would fall in love again with a man who was as straightforward as the old man.
“I don’t think I”ve been in here before,” Willow said, as she looked around. “I’ve been here to Sanibel, but I haven”t stopped by here. This is my first time and I must say, you have some nice stuff.”
“You think so?”
His tone change was familiar to Willow. It was as if they shared the same pain somewhere deep inside. It wasn’t often that she felt connected to a stranger right off the bat, but the old man gave her a different feeling.
“How long have you had this store?” she asked.
“About five years now. I opened up after my wife passed. She did a lot of traveling and brought a lot of stuff home with her. It’s been sitting in storage for a long time so I said you know what, maybe I”ll open a store to start getting rid of it. This place also keeps me busy and alive.”
There were things from all over the world in the old man’s shop. When Willow came across a vintage record that her father used to play all the time, she felt her eyes swell up with tears.
“How much for this?”
When the old man saw the tears in her eyes, he gave her a peculiar look. A look she felt like she’d seen before on someone else. The look was so distinctive it dried her tears almost immediately.
“For you… it’s free,” he said, as he quickly turned his back to her. “Go ahead and have a look around. When you’re ready, come to the counter so I can bag you up and get you on your way.”
That was odd, she thought. He was just being nice to me and now he wants me to leave? Did I say something to offend him?
Nonetheless, Willow couldn’t just take the record, so she picked up a few other items and paid for them on her way out of the store. She didn’t stop thinking about the old man though—him and his look haunted her as she went about her day.
After a while of shopping around and taking pictures for social media and her blog that she never got around to writing, she stopped at the tiki hut she loved so much for some of their delicious conch and a cool drink.
The pictures she posted of herself with her makeover got a ton of likes almost instantly. The attention she got from complete strangers made her smile for a moment, followed by a sadness when she realized that external validation meant so much to her, but it was better than nothing at all.
Imagine if I had talked myself out of coming here. I would have probably still been sitting at home waiting for Charlie to come back from wherever he is. Wherever that may be, I hope he’s happy there, because I am way happier here. He literally doesn’t even care that I’m gone.
Willow paid her tab and headed to her next destination, Brandi’s office. She wasn’t going there to talk about filing for her divorce per se; she just wanted to check out her friend’s new space. She’d seen and heard some great reviews about Brandi and her team on her tour around town, and she wanted to see it for herself.
“Hello,” Brandi’s secretary greeted her. “Do you have an appointment today?”
“Oh, no, thank you. I”m a friend of Brandi’s. I was wondering if I could see her for a moment. If she’s busy, that’s totally fine. I can see her later.”
“One moment, I”ll see if she’s free.”
The young woman put in a call to Brandi’s office upstairs to tell her she had a visitor. Per Willow’s request, she kept her name a secret. She was there with flowers and a gift from Brandi from the antique shop and wanted to surprise her with something special.
When Brandi exited the elevator to see Willow standing near the front desk, she smiled wide and greeted her with a warm hug.
“Hey girly, what are you doing here?”
“I was out doing some shopping today and thought of you.”
She proudly handed Brandi the flowers and gift bag.
“Aww,” Brandi smiled again. “Thank you. You didn’t have to get me a gift. Oh, Cindy, this is my best friend, Willow. Willow, this is Cindy. One of the best receptionists I”ve ever had.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Willow smiled.
“Come on, I”ll take you upstairs and show you around.”
As Willow followed Brandi to the elevator, she took a good look around at all of Brandi’s success. Her new office was large and upscale; like one you would see on a hit television show. Willow knew Brandi was a great lawyer and got a lot of clients from all over the world, but she wasn’t aware that her practice had grown as much as it did.
“Wow,” she said. “You must be killing it on the defense.”
“You got that right.”
Brandi was a strong woman who took great pride in her work, and the way she carried herself. Sometimes, Willow felt intimidated by her because she lost sight of her own goals to be a lawyer herself. Though Brandi always pushed her to sit the bar so she could come work at her firm, Willow never stepped out of her comfort zone.
They stepped off the elevator onto the top floor of the firm where Brandi’s personal office was located. Her assistant, a woman by the name of Goldie, sat behind a large round desk and greeted them both as they walked by.
Everyone in her firm was so nice and cheerful. Willow couldn’t help but feel a spark of motivation to join the team herself.
“This is beautiful!” she said. “You really did it! Everything you said you would do while we were in college, you actually did it! I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you,” Brandi said. “I can’t believe I”m here sometimes. It’s been a long road to travel, but I made it.”
Willow felt a hint of sadness in the air between them. She didn’t know if it was because Brandi had such high hopes for her to be a great lawyer herself, or because she simply sacrificed a lot to get to where she was.