Forever

by Rachel Maldonado

  “Mrs. Hunter, I'm so glad you were able to come in to see me,” she said placing her erasers down on the desk. “Please, come in and sit down. Aleghany, why don't you go outside on the playground for a few minutes while I talk to your Mommy, okay?”

  Aleghany nodded. “Okay.” She left the room and went just outside the open window where she could still be seen by Alex and her teacher Ms. Parker.

  “Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?” asked Alex. She was livid.“My daughter tells me some boy has been picking on her since the start of the school year. Why wasn't I notified, and why hasn't this been put to a stop?”

  “We have talked to the boy's in question, Mrs. Hunter, and it was dealt with some time ago. I spoke with the child's aunt.”

  “Boys? You mean there's more than one bully? And what aunt? I'm an only child and so is Meghan, what do you mean aunt?” asked Alex infuriated.

  “A Ms. Friedkin was here a few months ago, then again about three weeks ago. It had started out as some teasing and it was dealt with, or so we thought. But from what I gather from this last time, I don't think those boys will be picking on your daughter any longer.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Alex confused.

  “I asked you to come in Mrs. Hunter, so that you might talk to your daughter about her use of violence to solve issues.”

  “I don't understand.”

  “Well, this time it seems as if she was in an argument on the playground with Peter. He wasn't picking on her. They began to fight over who could play Tether ball. It was your daughter that challenged Peter to a fight and when he refused, she taunted him with, “'Go ahead and hit me you big wussy! I dare you!'”

  “What!?” shouted Alex. “I don't believe that.” Alex shook her head.

  “I'm sorry, Mrs. Hunter. But it's true. There were several other children in the vicinity of where they were standing. They all said the same thing. She taunted Peter, and he punched her in the eye on a dare that she made herself.”

  “I want to talk with the boy's parents,” demanded Alex.

  “I've already done that,” replied Ms. Parker. She grinned. “And if he doesn't want to get beat up again by your daughter, he and his friends will leave Aleghany alone.”

  “Say what?” asked Alex.

  “I suggest you talk to your Aunt Mena because apparently she's taught your daughter some hand to hand combat.” Ms. Parker paused for a moment. “I'm not usually one to condone violence, Mrs. Hunter, but your daughter was very brave to finally stand up for herself. I know she wasn't being picked on this one time, but she had been in the past by the same boy. She learned to defend herself. As a child that was bullied myself when I was young, I know how hard it can be to finally take a stand.”

  “Thank you for taking time to talk to me,” said Alex. She shook the teacher's hand, then left to retrieve Aleghany. She drove home with a smile on her face.

  Just before she turned down a bumpy, country farm road toward her house she turned to Aleghany who was quietly looking out the window.

  “Is there something you want to tell me about your Aunt Willie?” asked Alex.

  “You mean Aunt Mena?” asked Aleghany sweetly.

  Alex laughed. “Uh huh. Aunt Mena. Anything you want to say that you left out earlier?”

  Aleghany sighed. “She taught me how to kick that bully's ass.”

  Alex tried to keep a serious face and tried to be angry, but she couldn't help but smile. “We know better than to use that word, right?”

  Aleghany nodded. “I'm sorry. I meant to say that she taught me how to kick Peter where the sun don't shine.”

  “I'm going to have to talk to your mother about what happened, okay? But don't worry. You won't be in too much trouble. We're proud of you for being able to stick up for yourself and defend yourself, but that doesn't mean that you should go around picking fights with people. Do you understand?”

  Aleghany frowned and dropped her gaze to the ground. “Yes, ma'am.”

  Alex drove the rest of the way home in silence. She contemplated the events. Willie had known Aleghany was being bullied. It had been Willie who had gone to the school to talk to the teacher when both she and Meghan weren't available. Alex knew she was angry that she had not be notified about the bullying, but in the end, she decided that she was glad that Willie had taught her daughter some ways to defend herself. The teacher was right. If Aleghany had beat up Peter and shown that she could stand up for herself, it was not likely that he or anyone else would ever pick on her again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  When Alex and Aleghany arrived back at the house, she was glad to see that Meghan and Willie had just pulled up at the same time.

  “Look who it is, honey. It's your Aunt Mena,” said Alex as she put the truck in park and turned off the engine.

  “Uh oh,” said Aleghany.

  Alex chuckled. “I'll have to have a talk with her and your Mom. You okay with playing outside for a few minutes.”

  “Okay.” Aleghany opened the truck door and hopped out. She closed the door gently before running toward her swing set.

  Alex wanted to prepare Meghan and Willie for Aleghany's black eye prior to them seeing it, and she wanted to talk to Willie about also talking to Aleghany about only fighting for self-defense and not to be going around picking fights with boys just because she can fight now. The last thing Alex wanted was to turn her bullied daughter into a bully.

  Alex spent a few minutes inside the house explaining things to Meghan and Sheryl, then all of a sudden the silence of the outdoors was broken with a loud shriek as Meghan shouted, “What!?”

  Meghan was just as surprised as Alex had been to find out that Aleghany had dared a boy to hit her, then in turn had been the one to beat him up.

  “I was only trying to help her stand up for herself. I taught her a little self-defense is all. I swear!” Willie felt as if she was being put on the spot, but she was surprised that Alex and Sheryl were taking her side.

  “It's good for her to know how to defend herself,” said Sheryl. “Bullying isn't always words. If things had turned physical and they started pushing her around or shoving her, wouldn't you want her to be able to fight back?”

  “I just think there are other ways of handling it,” replied Meghan angrily. She turned to Willie who was too upset to sit down. “She could've come to us and told us early on, and we would've had a talk with the teacher and the boy's parents. You purposely kept this information about our baby from us.”

  Willie was trying to keep her cool, but she was beginning to talk more rapidly. “I wasn't keeping anything from you. No one was home to deal with all of this, and I was. I went down to the school and was assured by the teacher that she had talked to Peter and his parents. This was all taken care of and it hadn't been happening anymore.”

  Meghan, too, was beginning to get more upset. “Yes, but since you taught her how to fight, she just couldn't wait to instigate a fight with him on the playground!”

  “I'm not going to apologize. I did what I thought was right,” insisted Willie. She wasn't going to back down to her beliefs. She had very protective instincts, but her way of handling things differed greatly from Meghan who preferred the let's-talk-things-out approach. “She needs to learn some ways to fight off boys, and you better believe that when she's older I'm going to teach her some more things so that when she's dating and a boy gets fresh with her, she can kick him in the nuts so he doesn't ever do it again.”

  “I don't think it's a good idea that you come around here so much,” said Meghan after some thought. She had tears in her eyes. “We can't agree on this and she's my daughter. I don't want her raised thinking it's okay to beat people up when she doesn't get her way. She was obviously too young to understand self-defense or she wouldn't have gone to start a fight. You're wrong and this and I'm right because I'm her Mom and what I say goes.”

  Willie said nothing. She looked down at the ground feeling defeated. She knew that was true
. No matter how much time she spent with Aleghany, no matter how much she cared for her or did things for her, she would never really be more than Aunt Mena. Even so, she really wasn't blood related.

  “Don't come around here anymore,” said Meghan. “I don't want you in my daughter's life.”

  Alex and Sheryl were stunned, but they said nothing. They watched as Willie walked out the front door allowing the screen door to slam shut. She got in her car and drove down the road to her house across the lake.

  Alex and Sheryl had sided with Willie on teaching Aleghany how to fight, but now that Willie was gone, they knew they had no legal rights to Aleghany either. At any given time, Meghan could uproot from their home and take their daughter and never come back. They chose instead to stay quiet and accept her decisions.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  By the time Aleghany turned ten, she had outgrown her tomboy phase and was wearing dresses and skirts and spent much time sitting in front of her new vanity that Alex and Sheryl had bought for her. She spent much time curling and styling her hair, and she never asked why her Aunt Mena stopped coming around. She figured it had something to do with her teaching her how to fight and that day that Alex had talked to the teacher, but never spoke about that day.

  Alex and Meghan spent much of their time working while Sheryl spent time with Aleghany when she got home from school, but that year hit everyone in the household hard. Sheryl was diagnosed with colon cancer, and it had gone so long without being detected that it had already spread to her lungs and liver. Sheryl was given less than a year to live.

  With Willie out of the picture, things had become a bit more stressful. Alex tried to stagger her shifts so that she was off Mondays and Tuesdays for Sheryl's doctor appointments, and Meghan tried to work extended hours at her job so that she could leave early and be at the house by three when Aleghany would be home from school. Meghan missed Willie. She spent much time looking out her window across the lake. She often found herself staring at Willie's porch lights. They were like tiny fireflies in the distance.

  One bright sunny afternoon just before Meghan and Aleghany got home from work and school, Alex was home alone with Sheryl. She began to open up the windows in the bedroom that she and Sheryl shared to air out the dankness.

  “Come over here,” pleaded Sheryl as she lay in bed resting. “I want to talk to you.”

  Alex pulled up a chair beside her and sat down. She observed the lines on Sheryl's face. She was only fifty years old, but her illnesses had aged her beyond her years. Her hair had turned completely gray, and her tired eyes looked more of those belonging to a sixty or seventy year old. Tears filled Alex's eyes. Sheryl had always been good to her. She loved her and took care of her, and in turn, she had been loyal and faithful and had taken care of her in her times of need, in sickness and in health as promised.

  “I'm going to be gone soon,” said Sheryl.

  “I don't want to talk about that,” said Alex. “I don't want you go start saying your goodbyes, okay?”

  Sheryl shook her head. “Stop it. You need to hear this.”

  Alex sighed and held Sheryl's hand in hers.

  Sheryl continued. “I want you to know something. I know that there's something more there with you and Meg.”

  Alex shook her head. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  Alex and Meghan had never had a fling or affair since Meghan had moved in. Alex had made that very clear that she would never cheat on Sheryl, and she had kept to her word.

  “I used to hear you both talking outside. I could hear your voices from the open window at night. I heard your laughter and your tone. You sounded happy.”

  “Yes, we stayed up late sometimes talking, but nothing ever happened. I swear,” insisted Alex. “There's nothing between us.”

  Sheryl cleared her throat. “I guess what I'm getting at is that it's okay if there is something more between you two after I'm gone.”

  Tears began to flow down Alex's cheeks, and Sheryl too felt the warmth of her tears stream down her face.

  “I don't want to talk about this,” said Alex fighting her tears.

  “I've always known you weren't a cheater, Alex Hunter. You were a dream come true for me. From the first moment I met you in the hospital and heard of your tales of sorrow about the woman that never came to see you and all of the flowers and gifts you sent her, I knew you were kind, caring, passionate, romantic. I thought you were perfect. You've been more than good to me all of these years, and I'm only sorry that I could never give you a child. But we filled that void when Meg came to live with us. I saw how much Aleghany filled your life with joy. I don't want you to feel like you have to stay a widow for me. It's okay to remarry. It may or may not be with Meg, but I want you to know that it's okay. You have my blessing.”

  Alex leaned over Sheryl and held her in her arms. She sobbed uncontrollably. “I love you,” she said. “I don't want you to leave me. We were supposed to grow old together, you and me.”

  Sheryl held her tightly as they both sobbed. Alex had always thought that losing Meghan was the most painful moment in her life. But now, knowing that she was going to lose her wife, the woman she'd shared her bed with, her life and laughter, and the woman that she had spent hours talking to and romancing. She knew this would be a pain that she would never get over as well. It cut deep inside her.

  That night as she held Sheryl in her arms, spooning her like she always did, she passed away quietly while they slept. Sheryl had made her peace with her death and had come to terms with it. All that she'd had left to do was say goodbye, and she did so that day in her own way. But all she wanted in the end, just like she always did, was Alex's happiness.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  It was a small, quiet funeral. Aleghany took Sheryl's death hard. She became withdrawn, and after seeing Willie at the funeral, she began going over to her house more and more often. Meghan wasn't in the dark. Willie had told Alex and Meghan the very first time that Aleghany had gone over, and she had continued to phone them whenever she visited, so they would know where she was. She openly talked about school and her new friends, field trips, and would sometimes talk about how much she missed Sheryl.

  Meghan chose not to scold Aleghany for going over to Willie's house. She knew she was going through a difficult time, and other than her or Alex, she didn't have family. Her Aunt Mena was the only relative that she had. Meghan started to reconsider what she had done in letting Willie go.

  Three months passed and Aleghany was still going over to Willie's every day after school. Meghan decided it was time to have a talk with the two of them, so she drove over to Willie's in Alex's truck.

  “Mom! What are you doing here!?” bemoaned Aleghany. Her time with Aunt Mena had been her time away from her home life, her time to not have to worry or stress about school and the loss of her loving motherly figure, Sheryl.

  “Sweetness, I just want to tell you that I know about you coming over here every day. I know, and it's okay. Your Aunt Mena tells me when you're here.”

  “Why would you tell, Aunt Mena? This is supposed to be our family time?” asked Aleghany in tears.

  “I know, baby,” began Willie. “But your momma has to know where you are at all times. Don't you think she would be worried about you if you didn't come home from school? I had to tell her you were here.”

  Aleghany rushed to Willie's arms and held her closely. “I don't want to go home. Not yet.”

  “No one said you had to,” said Willie.

  “I'm not here to stay and visit,” said Meghan. “I just want you to know that you're welcome to come by the house again sometime. You're part of this family, and we'd like to see you now and again.”

  Willie smiled. “You mean it?”

  “Yes. I admit that I was wrong to be angry at you. You had Aleghany's best interests at heart. And now that I can see how much she truly loves you, I'd like for you to be a part of our lives again. A part of her life.”

  “Yay!�
�� shouted Aleghany. She smiled up at Willie through her tears.

  “I'll see you back at the house later, Aleghany. Be home before dark.” Meghan exited Willie's house and drove home. She hadn't wanted Willie to see, but she had tears falling down her face as she left. She was glad that Willie was back. She had missed her so much, and in her heart, she had never stopped loving her. She had always been like a sister to her even though they weren't related. It had been Meghan who had suggested that Aleghany call Willie Aunt Mena because that's how she had perceived her to be. Her sister.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  When Sheryl passed, Alex remembered her words. Sheryl had given Alex her blessing and had said it was okay for her to become involved with Meghan. Even though she hadn't known the true extent of their relationship or their past together, Sheryl had seen a connection between them. She had felt it. But what Alex couldn't bear to live with was knowing that she had kept the secret of who Meghan really was. She had never told Sheryl that Meg was the same Meghan that she had sent countless flowers and gifts, too. She had been the one who had abandoned her in the hospital. She thought that if she had told her that she would've felt threatened by Meghan knowing that Alex had been so in love with her and had pined over her for so long.

  Now that Sheryl was gone, she wished she could tell her the truth.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  One night, since Willie was allowed over at the house once more, she brought over a Ouija board. The box said for ages eight and up, so she didn't see any harm in taking it over as a gift for Aleghany.

  Aleghany promptly unwrapped her gift and gave her Aunt Mena a warm hug. “I love it. How do you play?” she asked not really knowing what it was.

  Meghan and Alex were a bit reluctant to play.