Forever

by Rachel Maldonado

  “Can you mail that for me on your way to work tomorrow?”

  Alex took it and shoved it in her pocket without reading it. “Sure. What is it?”

  Meghan laughed. “If you'd looked at it, you'd have seen that it was a letter to Willie.”

  “Willie? Oh, speaking of Willie. You got a letter from her the other day, and I forgot to give it to you. It's over there on the desk by the window.”

  Meghan was surprised to receive a letter from Willie. It had been years since she had written to her, but since Jo had been so manipulative in concealing Alex's letters or throwing them out, she figured that she had likely done the same with Willie's letters because she stopped receiving them even though she wrote to Willie as often as she could, Willie never replied. But now she held a letter in her hands! She opened it excitedly.

  Dear Meghan,

  Boy am I glad to hear from you. I wondered why I hardly ever heard from you and why you never answered any of my letters. I kind of figured that it had something to do with you being a married woman and all, but I wasn't all too sure. Glad to hear you're single again. I'll dig up my old phone with girls numbers on it for you. Ha ha.

  Anyway, I'm coming home! I'll be there on Friday. Can't wait to see you.

  Love,

  Willie

  Meghan gripped the letter tightly and held her hands up to the Heavens. “Willie's finally come home! Praise Jesus! I can't believe it! After twenty long years, she's finally coming home!”

  Alex laughed. Meghan was practically in tears with emotion. “You'd think that girl hung the moon or something.”

  “What's today?” asked Meghan. “Isn't today Friday?”

  “Yes, it is. All day,” replied Sheryl.

  “That means she's here! In town!”

  “I guess I can save me a stamp then, and I don't have to mail out this letter,” said Alex, taking the envelope out of her shirt pocket and handing it back to Meghan.

  Meghan rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me that,” she said, snatching the envelope from Alex.

  “Oh wait,” said Alex holding out her hand trying to get the letter back. “I want my stamp back.”

  Meghan and Sheryl were laughing at Alex's comment when there was a knock at the front door.

  “It can't be,” said Meghan as she and Sheryl both quieted. “What a funny coincidence it would be if it was Willie.”

  “It's probably the UPS man,” suggested Sheryl. “I've been waiting on some new curtains that I ordered from that online shopping store. You know the one, the one that starts with a W.”

  “Worthington's,” said Alex and Meghan in unison.

  There was another knock on the door.

  “Is anyone going to answer that or do I have to wheel myself over there and do it myself,” asked Sheryl as she looked back and forth between Alex and Meghan.

  Alex grinned. “I was waiting for Meghan to answer it, since it could be her friend.”

  Meghan felt as if her feet were glued to the wood floor. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then she walked up to the door and opened it.

  “Hiya, Tootse!” shouted Willie. She dropped her army bag onto the floor and swooped Meghan up in her arms. She held her close, lifted her up, then swung her around the porch like Tarzan holding onto Jane.

  “Easy! Easy!” shouted Meghan. She laughed despite her agitation. “Put me down! I just had a baby, you big oaf!”

  “What now?” asked Willie, placing her down carefully on the wooden porch.

  “Come on in,” said Meghan, welcoming her into their humble abode.

  Willie grabbed her bag and entered the house. She was still wearing her army boots and the loud echo of the thuds as she walked filled the living room.

  “Good to see you again,” said Alex warmly, shaking her hand. “This is my wife, Sheryl.”

  “Nice to meet you,” said Willie, shaking Sheryl's hand.

  “Don't be shy,” said Alex. “Have a seat. Would you like some iced tea or lemonade?”

  “How about a beer?” asked Willie as she settled down on the love seat.

  Alex shook her head. “No, sorry. We don't have any beer or liquor in this house, but I can get you some ice cold water on the rocks though.”

  Willie chuckled. “I did always appreciate your sense of humor. It was almost as funny as mine. I'll have some iced tea.”

  “Iced tea, coming up. Anyone else?” asked Alex as she headed to the kitchen.

  “I'll have some, too,” added Meghan.

  “Make that three,” said Sheryl.

  “Geesh. We have one house guest and I'm suddenly the maid,” said Alex from the kitchen.

  The women laughed as Alex jested. It was so good to have the two loves of her life back in her life again, in the same room! Her best friend since childhood, Willie Friedkin, and the woman she'd always loved and adored, Alex Hunter.

  “How long you going to be in town for?” asked Meghan.

  “I'm back for good,” replied Willie. “I'm looking for a house.”

  Meghan was beaming. “I never thought I'd see you again! I can't believe you're back to stay!” She got up from her seat and hugged Willie once more just as Alex was walking back into the living area with a pitcher of tea and four glasses on a large serving tray.

  “Hey, hey now. None of that. Get a room!” joked Alex.

  Sheryl laughed. “Let the two love birds hug if they want to.”

  Sheryl had always been under the impression that Willie had been the one that Meghan would talk about. She had spent so much time with her the past year that they each had talked extensively about each other's lives. When Sheryl assumed that Willie had been the love of Meghan's life, Meghan chose not to correct her. She couldn't, after all, reveal to her that the woman she had always loved was her wife. She would surely get kicked out of the house and banned from ever speaking to Alex again.

  Willie sensed the awkward tension, but thankfully, didn't stick her foot in her mouth like the way she always somehow did when they were young. Instead, because she knew of Meghan's involvement with Alex, she picked up on the idea that Sheryl was clueless about their past together. She smiled but said nothing about Sheryl's comment.

  “Do you know more or less where you want to live?” asked Alex as she sipped on her glass of iced tea. She was glad to change the subject.

  “I'm actually looking at a small house that's just across the lake. It sits on the water just like this house.” She took a sip of tea, then set it down onto a coaster on the coffee table. “I was surprised to see you bought this old haunted house.”

  “Bite your tongue,” said Sheryl as she cradled the sleeping baby in her arms.

  Alex grinned. “Saying that this house is haunted is a no-no. We haven't had any activity in it since we moved in.”

  Sheryl nodded. “Yes, and we'd like to keep it that way.”

  “Oh, okay. I gotcha,” remarked Willie.

  “It would be nice to have you so close by,” said Meghan.

  “Can I hold the baby? What's her name?” asked Willie.

  “Only if you don't drop her,” joked Meghan.

  “Her name's Aleghany,” replied Sheryl, handing her over to Willie.

  “She's going to be quite the lady killer,” said Willie jokingly.

  “Yeah?” questioned Meghan. “What makes you think she's going to be a lesbian?”

  Willie laughed. “She looks just like you.” She paused for a moment as she looked at Aleghany's face. “She has I'm a heart breaker written all over her in rainbow glitter.” She laughed once more.

  Meghan rolled her eyes as Sheryl and Alex both laughed. “Shut up and give me my baby!”

  “Shhh!” replied Willie. “You'll wake her with your hysterics. I can hold her without dropping her. I promise.” She rocked the baby back to sleep as she stirred awake for a few seconds and cooed.

  Meghan felt complete. She felt like a family. It wasn't a traditional family in the sense that there weren't two parents, a home, and a
child, but it was a family because there was love, friendship, and a bond that she had shared with everyone in the house. She had known Willie since childhood, loved Alex in her youth, carried her baby for nine months, and had grown to love and care for Alex's wife Sheryl. They were four women all prepared to love and nurture her newborn. She felt blessed. Aleghany would grow up in a home filled with adoration for her and they would all make sure she knew how to read, write, ride a bike, play sports, and make something of herself in the world.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Willie showed up at the house again exactly one week later. She was bursting with joy. Meghan couldn't remember ever seeing her so happy in all the years that she had known her.

  “What's going on?” asked Meghan as she was helping Sheryl prepare supper. Alex was due home any moment from work.

  “I wanted to wait until everyone was here, but I can't wait anymore,” said Willie excitedly. She was breathing heavily as if she had been running.

  “Calm down. Why are you breathing so hard?” asked Meghan.

  Willie stopped to catch her breath. “I ran all the way over here.”

  “Is everything okay?” asked Sheryl.

  Willie went to the sink and poured herself a glass of water, then took a few big gulps before responding, “I thought you'd never ask! I bought the house!”

  “Shhh!” said Meghan. “We just managed to get the baby down for a nap. She's been fussy all day.”

  “I'm sorry,” whispered Willie. “But I bought the house down the lake!” She was still whispering but doing so rather loudly and still trying to catch her breath. “I signed the papers today. I couldn't wait to tell you. I spent most of the morning buying some odds and ends and furniture pieces. I can't wait for you to come over. How about dinner? Tonight?”

  “Are you cooking? Seriously? I thought you just moved in. Do you even have groceries?” asked Meghan with one eyebrow raised.

  “Well, no, I don't. That's the one thing I forgot to do, but I can order pizza. Please? I really want you all to come see my place.”

  Sheryl sighed. “I don't know. It's so much trouble for me to get down the stairs, and I would hate to have Alex and Meghan try to get me into the truck in the condition she's in.”

  Willie was still insistent. “Okay, then. How about just you? Right now. It won't take more than an hour or so.”

  “How far is it?” asked Meghan worried.

  “It's across the lake. Directly across. In fact, I can see your porch lights when you have them on. I saw them the other night. I was out there at dusk with an inspector. As soon as he said the house was in good shape, I bought it.”

  Meghan paused for a moment in thought. She knew Willie was thrilled about her new place and that she didn't have much family that she was close to. “I'll ask Alex to drive me over there as soon as she gets home from work, but we can't stay long. I'd hate to leave Aleghany and Sheryl alone for the night.”

  “We'll be fine, dear. You and Alex go on ahead and spend time at Willie's. A new house calls for a celebration!”

  Alex arrived at her home minutes later, and Willie was like a child eager to tell her that she had a new shiny toy. “Guess what?” blurted Willie as soon as Alex walked in the door.

  “Well, hello to you, too,” said Alex. She began to take off her security jacket and hung it on the coat rack.

  “I bought a house on the lake!” shouted Willie. Meghan smiled as she remembered how Willie used to be when they were growing up. She realized that the military hadn't hardened her. She was still the same silly, goofball that she always was. It made her happy that she wasn't cold or calloused, but at the same time, she wondered about the things that Willie had seen while she was away. Twenty years was a long time to be in the service. Meghan didn't want to pry. She figured that if Willie wanted to talk about her years in the military, she would open up to her about it eventually. For now, she allowed her to get back into her old life in town.

  Meghan, who was calm and collected, decided to interject. “Willie would like us to come out and see it before supper. Would you take us over, so we don't have to walk all that way? Sheryl said she'd sit with the baby while we were out.”

  Alex nodded. “Sure. I don't mind. Let me change into some jeans and a T-shirt first. I have to get out of these clothes.” She stepped into her bedroom and emerged a few minutes later in a red T-shirt with a US Flag across the front and some faded blue jeans. “Let's go. Show me the way.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  When they arrived at the house, Willie, who had been sitting nearest the passenger door jumped out almost before the truck had stopped to unlock the front door. Meghan was surprised how much the house looked like Alex's home. It appeared to be the same layout only a few hundred square feet smaller.

  “Isn't it gorgeous?” asked Willie. “I got a great deal on it.”

  “How'd you manage that?” asked Alex curiously.

  Willie chuckled. “On account of I told the owner that I knew the house across the lake was haunted and that I wasn't going to pay so much to live near a house full of spooks.”

  “You did what?” asked Meghan. “I told you our house isn't haunted.”

  Willie laughed. “Well, she didn't know that! And I guess other folks weren't making any offers on the house because a little birdie was going around town telling everyone that this house was also haunted.”

  “Let me guess,” said Meghan. “You're the big bird with the big mouth.”

  Willie grinned. “I resent that remark.”

  “Well, aren't you?” asked Meghan.

  Willie sang a few lines from an old song. “Bird bird bird, bird is the word,” then laughed. “Guilty as charged. It was me. But then she lowered the price knowing no one else would make an offer and bam! Here I am.”

  “Welcome to the neighborhood, neighbor,” said Alex, shaking Willie's hand.

  “Thank you. Thank you very much,” she said in her best Elvis impersonation as she accepted Alex's handshake. “But at least I'll be close enough to help out with the baby if you should need me.”

  That much was true and she was. She was much more help than Meghan ever imagined that she would be or ever thought that she would need. She became Aunt Mena, but only Aleghany was allowed to call that, of course. And she was there for her every bit as much as her own mother was.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As the years passed, Willie was always eager to babysit for Aleghany or care for Sheryl when Alex and Meghan weren't able to do so. She learned quickly how to feed, burp, diaper change, bathe, and rock Aleghany to sleep. She also bought a used car and helped to take Sheryl to her doctor's appointments or helped to run errands to buy diapers, formula, or necessities as need be.

  When Aleghany turned five she bought her a swing set and against Meghan's warning had showed her how to swing herself high into the sky as if she was flying into the clouds. It was at her fifth birthday party in fact, that she tried to jump into the clouds and fell onto the dirt below breaking her arm in the fall.

  It had been Aunt Mena that had rushed her to the hospital holding her, comforting her, and rocking her back and forth after a cast had been placed on her right arm.

  “It was all my fault,” Willie had sobbed to Meghan. “I shouldn't have told her those bedtime stories about all the sheep jumping from cloud to cloud.”

  “It's not your fault,” said Sheryl. “She's still young. She didn't know you can't really do that. It could've happened to anyone.”

  “Look at the bright side,” offered Alex. “You did teach her how to count. She's been counting sheep for almost a year now.”

  “That's true,” said Meghan. She had been infuriated at Willie that Aleghany was hurt, but she knew accidents were bound to happen. Every child plays on a swing or slide and is bound to end up with scrapes, bruises, or broken bones at some point. She forgave Willie, and made sure to talk to Aleghany about the difference between bedtime stories and reality and what can be done at play time a
nd what can potentially be harmful if it's done.

  Aleghany wasn't sure if she understood the difference, but she promised to never try to jump off the swing set ever again.

  By age eight, Aleghany had grown up to be quite the little tomboy, surely taking after her Aunt Mena and Aunt Alex. She wanted desperately to carry a boy's trifold velcro wallet in her back pocket like she'd seen Alex do. And she started to want to wear camo everything because of all the stories that her Aunt Mena would tell her about being in the army and all the friends she had made.

  No one saw a problem with the way she dressed or her fascination with old war movies, until she came home from school with a black eye. She walked in the door as Alex was picking up the living room and getting ready to vacuum.

  “What the hell happened to you, Peanut?” asked Alex concerned. Luckily it had been her day off, and she was home to find out what occurred.

  “I'm supposed to tell you that the teacher wants to talk to you,” said Aleghany.

  Alex loaded Aleghany into her truck and headed straight to the school to give the teacher a piece of her mind.

  “Who did this to you?” she asked on the drive up to town.

  “It's a stupid boy named Peter that's always picking on me. He said I dress like this because I'm a dyke. What does that mean?” she asked innocently.

  Alex's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't hold her pain in like the way she had held in the pain of losing Meghan for all those years. It hurt much more inside to see her baby hurting. It was a pain that was indescribable to her. It enveloped her completely and she felt the tears stream down her face.

  “How long has he been picking on you, baby?” asked Alex trying to fight the tears.

  Aleghany hung her head low, looking at the ground. “Since school started.”

  Alex stopped the truck and she walked her daughter to her classroom. Her teacher was erasing the blackboard when she walked in.