Weeping Willows

Chapter 1

Bon Voyage

     “I can’t believe you’re just leaving!”

      Elizabeth looked at the small group of friends behind her. This small band of women are some of her favorite people and she loved them all dearly. They had all gone through years of laughter and tears together, but this time she needed to be alone. She was surely going to miss them all, but she needed this. The only one not there to see her off, i.e. talk her out of it, was Nicole. It was understandable since she had lost just as much as Elizabeth had. Too much had happened recently and there were just too many memories here to haunt her.

     Finished with putting the last of her things in the trunk, she closed it with finality. Turning around she breathed out a sigh. They’ve been trying to change her mind about this move since she had made the decision. “Look guys it’s not like I’m disappearing. I’ll keep in touch.” Glancing at each one she saw sadness and defeat on each face but one. Her best friend Lauren was giving her a dubious expression.

     “If I truly believed that, I wouldn’t be standing here with everyone else. I would be helping you pack. Let’s also not forget that you bought a house, across the country, without even seeing it.” Lauren’s blonde locks floated in the breeze as her bright blue eyes hardened. Standing at 5’9” without heels made her tower over Elizabeth in them now. Her stance aggressive, Lauren looked positively Amazonian. It was not going to work, she refused to be intimidated.

     “I saw it.” She argued.

     “Not in person you didn’t. Who knows what kinds of things they’re not telling you about it!” Nell pointed out while Lauren nodded in support of her rebuttal. The two of them looking like complete opposites in appearance while standing next to each other. Nell was dwarfed beside her being only 5’6” like Elizabeth herself. While Lauren wore business casual for her job as a child psychologist, Nell was just casual. She was a stay at home mom who was tough as nails. Elizabeth always believed raising three boys and a husband gave Nell a backbone of pure steel. Her long, deep brown hair waved madly around her as fire burned in her dark brown eyes. Nell was always the sensible one out of them. Never one to mix her words either if she was trying to protect her loved ones. A true mother bear. It made Elizabeth’s heart swell knowing Nell considered her family. Family, that one word reminded her of her pain and why she was adamant on doing this.

     “Would you guys relax? I found a creditable realtor and saw a virtual tour on the internet.” Lauren threw up her hands in exasperation.

     “You went on the internet and house hunted, saw pictures, and bought a property you’ve never set foot on!” Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders in response. What else could she say? That was exactly what she had done. She had been so desperate to escape she hadn’t given it any thought. She refused to second guess herself now. What’s done was done and she would just have to live with it.

     “That’s how I get my men.” Courtney nonchalantly contributed. The wild card of the group. Not that anyone would ever be able to tell by looking. She appeared harmless, from her petite 5’4” frame to her, I live behind my computer, nerd apparel. Which in truth she did, working for some internet security firm from the comfort of her home. There were times they wouldn’t see her for days. When they did, she usually looked like she fell asleep at her computer, woke up, and walked right out her door as is. She had an untamed, baby fine, mousy brown bob, and muddy hazel eyes that peered out at you from behind thick rimmed glasses. She was completely unassuming in appearance, but you never knew what she was going to come up with next. Any time they had gotten in trouble throughout their lives it was usually Courtney that was the mastermind behind it. They all stared at Courtney in complete horror.

     “What? Internet dating is the way to go these days.” Lauren was the first to break the stunned silence.

     “You’re internet dating now?”

     “Casually, I guess. There’s nothing wrong with seeing what’s on the market.”

     “You sound like you’re shopping not dating.” Elizabeth pointed out.

     “I’m not shopping. Besides you did it with a house why are men any different?” Her statement couldn’t have sounded any more like a petulant teen if she had tried. Coming from a twenty-two-year-old woman just didn’t sound right.

     “I was house shopping. Emphasis on the shopping part Court.” She shrugs her shoulders completely not bothered at all.

     “House hunting, online dating, perusing is perusing.” Her flippant comment exasperated the group.

     “So, your man hunting now?” Lauren questioned.

     “I didn’t say that.”

     “You pretty much inferred it.”

     “Ugh!” Nell placed a comforting hand on Courtney’s shoulder. The worry written across her face effectively diffused the fight before it got going.

     “You do know it’s not completely safe to online date, especially if it’s not a secure or well monitored site. What if you’re attacked by a pervert, or acquire a stalker?” Courtney waved Nell’s worry away like she was swatting a fly.

     “You don’t meet in person unless you want to. You do know that just because you engage in a little conversation doesn’t mean you have to make a commitment, right?”

     “But you do choose to meet some of them. How can you protect yourself if you don’t really know the person?”

     “I agree with Lizzy. You’re not built to handle someone twice your size Court if things turn sour.” Courtney rolled her eyes at Lauren's concern, but Nell couldn’t help adding her two cents.

     “Why not just meet people in a normal way? What’s wrong with getting out there and observing the way someone treats the people around them? If you’re attracted and they seem nice then smile, say hi, you know small talk.”

     “Now you’re making it sound like hunting.” Lauren pointed out accusingly. Nell just lifted her hands up as if to say, ‘well dating kind of is’.

     “Girls, hey, calm down alright? I do take precautions you know. I’m aware of which sites to avoid and do thorough checks on each candidate. You guys do remember what I do for a living, yes? And I do observe them once I agree to meet before I approach.”

     “How can you watch them without being noticed?” Elizabeth wondered aloud.

     “Easy, I don’t use my picture.”

     Elizabeth and Nell were stunned by her confession. “How do they not get angry when they finally meet you? I am correct in assuming you do meet some of them, right?”

     “I use a picture of someone who’s a nine but only pick guys that are around a 6 or 7. Most of them seem more relived then ticked when they see me.” Lauren paused in they’re argument to give it some thought. The other two women watched on in silence.

     “I hate to say it but that’s not bad.” Courtney just smiled like the cat who got the cream. There was more to this, and with the way things were going Lauren wasn’t going to be pleased.

     “Do you use a celebrity’s picture?” Elizabeth asked.

     “Nope, I use Lauren’s. That one from the beach a few years ago.”

     “WHAT! That had better be a joke.”

     “I swear I’m telling the truth.”

     “Why mine, why not use one of Lizzy or Nell?”

     “She can’t use mine. What if one of Greg’s friends saw it and told him I was trolling for men on the internet.” Nell interjected. Lauren conceded, no one wanted to cause Nell any marital problems.

     “Fine, then Lizzy’s picture. After all guys love redheads.”

     “Just a minute. For one thing my hair is dark auburn not red, and for another, blondes have more fun.” Elizabeth punctuated her statement with a smirk at Lauren and a wink at Courtney. Causing the latter to snicker.

     “Besides Lizzy doesn’t like having her picture taken so there weren’t enough for me to choose from.” Lauren rolled her eyes knowing she wouldn’t be able to get Courtney to take it down.

     “Fine, but I’m at least a ten in that picture not a nine.” Seeing a way to needle her friend a gleam lit in Courtney’s eyes.

     “I miss judged, an 8.5.”

     “Ten.”

     “An 8.”

     “What happened to 9? Are you dropping my number because I’m arguing with you?” Looking at Lauren from head to toe she smiled.

     “Nope, I’m accounting for wear and tear. You’ve aged.” Lauren screeched in anger while the rest of them laughed at the jest.

     “I’m only 23 you little nerd! Take that back right now. I’m a ten and that’s all there is to it.” As the two continued their tirade Elizabeth and Nell smiled at each other in merriment.

     Nell’s smile turned to one of contentment as she gazed at her friend. “It’s nice to see you smile again.” Elizabeth tried to keep her smile, but it slid from her face as she gazes at her watch. When was the last time she truly smiled or laughed for that matter? It had to have been before her brother David died. She knew she hadn’t smiled after that even though she still had her father then. It wasn’t long after David though that his heart gave out. The pain of loosing his son caused his already damaged heart to fail and caused her to lose him too. Try as she might she just couldn’t remember the last time she was genuinely happy. There was too much pain right now to see anything else.

     Elizabeth fought back her tears while taking a deep breath. She let it out in a gust as she looked back up into the faces of her now solemn friends. “It’s time for me to hit the road guys.” Courtney came up and locked her in an awkward hug. Abhorring physical contact, she usually refrained from touching others, but they were all going to miss Elizabeth.

     “I still can’t believe you bought a house Lizzy.” She whispered in her ear.

     “Just think of it as an early 23rd birthday gift to me.”

     “But I had plans for the joint birthday bash this year. BIG plans!”

     “I know you demented elf; I’m leaving just in time.”

     “Hey!” Elizabeth smiled as Courtney backed away allowing someone else to get their goodbye in too. Nell was next, giving her a warm, motherly hug.

     “I hope it’s not too wild. My eyebrows just finally grew back.” She winked at Elizabeth while chiding Courtney. “Call us when you get there so we know you made it safe and sound. If you ever need anything just call, any time. And stay in touch we worry about you.” She nodded in response unable to speak for fear of crying. Before Nell had completely stepped away Elizabeth found herself in a bone crushing hug from Lauren.

     “You better stay in contact. We may be letting you run away, but you’re not allowed to fall off the earth.”

     “I will.”

     “You better or I’ll go down there and drag your butt back up here.” Lauren gave her a skeptical look not quite believing her. Exasperated Elizabeth finally relented.

     “Okay I’ll call I promise. It might be sporadic and not often when I first get there, but I will. After I settle into life there first though. Then I’ll call so much you’ll be sick of me.”

     “You better.”

     One final group hug and she was ready to hit the road. “Wait!” Courtney cried out as she pulled her phone from her pocket. “Everyone In-front of the car.” The other three woman complied as she set her phone up on the fence. Running over she smooshed in with them as they took a group photo. Retrieving the phone, they all gathered around to see. It would be the last picture of all of them together for a while. It wasn’t even all of them.

     “Nicole should be here.” Elizabeth reached over and squeezed Nell’s shoulder.

     “We all know why she’s not. I feel so selfish leaving her. Especially since she lost David.” Lauren gripped Elizabeth’s hand in comfort.

     “You are one of the most unselfish people we know. You do what you need to do to get past this. Don’t worry about Nikki, we’ve got her.”

     “You know I can just photo shop her into this.” They all chuckled at Courtney.

Sitting at the stop light on her way out of town Elizabeth glanced in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were red rimmed and dull. Missing the vibrant spark, they once had. Her dad used to tell her they reminded him of the Caribbean Sea on a sunny day. He used to tell her how she had the same eyes as her mother. She didn’t remember her mother. She had succumbed to cancer when Elizabeth was four.

     Memories and pain that was what was left of her family. She stuffed it all in a little box in her mind promising to take it out another day. She would wait until she felt she was emotionally strong enough to poke at it. By then the box would probably be growing dust bunnies and cobwebs but she would open it again. She assured herself she would. As the light turned green Elizabeth returned her lifeless gaze back to the road placing her sunglasses on in the process. It was time to stop dwelling on what she lost and move on to new things. Even if those new things were a rather large impulse buy that she may come to regret. Mentally cringing at the thought, she drove past the city limits. Ready or not here she comes.