Page 12

D aisy

Daisy and Tessa took a seat alongside the main road that led out of downtown Willowbrook and funneled into the plethora of neighborhoods.

A few more shops were on the other side of the road, one being a bustling grocery corner store.

They both had a sweet tea in a takeaway cup, and a bag with Daisy’s leftovers sat on her right.

A few pigeons fluttered around at their feet, expecting food but coming up empty-handed.

“How about the spell book in the attic?” Tessa asked.

Daisy shook her head. “I don’t think there are any wishing spells in it.”

They had been going back and forth about ways to test the possibility of Daisy having a spell attached to her, but weren’t entirely sure which way to go forward.

Daisy was a brewing specialist with an affinity for tonics and elixirs.

They were meant to help people, cure small ailments, or align with miniscule needs.

Things like that, curses or hexes, were entirely out of her basic knowledge.

Tessa wasn’t much better, as she had been focusing primarily on strengthening her empathy detection before anything else.

Daisy’s gaze was stuck on the grocery across the street. A familiar face slipped outside the sliding doors, hurrying to gather metal carts that had been left outside.

“Isn’t that Maria Blakely?” Daisy asked.

Tessa followed her stare. “Oh, yeah,” she mused. “Blessed be. Look at that poor girl.”

“I didn’t realize she worked at the grocery store,” Daisy said. “Wasn’t she just at Ronald’s?”

“She’s working them both, I believe.”

Daisy’s eyebrows shot up. “Not at the same time, right?”

“I don’t think they’re her only two jobs, Daisy,” Tessa replied with a somber look. “Last I heard, Maria worked at Ronald’s weekends, the grocery weekday mornings, and then at The Wilted Garden till the kids got out of school.”

Even from their distance, Daisy could easily see the exhaustion in Maria’s face.

For as long as she’d known her, Daisy had admired the woman’s inexplicable beauty.

She had simple hazel hair that stretched down to her stomach, and she usually wore it in a complex braid down her back.

It was messy and uncoordinated, but natural, and Daisy couldn’t help but fawn over her.

Most of the town did, especially after the dreadful accident that took her husband away from her.

“How many kids does she have?” Daisy asked.

Tessa sighed. “Three.”

“I can’t imagine.”

“They’re bright kids,” Tessa said. “I was in the library last weekend and they were using the computer lab for their schoolwork.” She shook her head, her eyes holding onto Maria scrambling around. “All three of them made the Honor Roll, from what I could see. I know Maria is proud.”

“But can you see yourself raising three kids, working three jobs, all on your own?” Daisy asked, though she wasn’t really asking anyone in particular. The question hung in her own mind as she grew wistful for a time long gone.

Tessa scooted closer to her. “Are you thinking about Gary?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Daisy laughed lightly, though there wasn’t any humor in it.

“It’s okay to still feel that pain. Especially when there’s someone going through it in their own way.”

Daisy shook her head. “It feels like an insult to Maria.”

“Whatever for?” Tessa faced her. “Do not compare your pain, Daisy. You both feel it all the same, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

No matter what emotion began to wash over Daisy, she couldn’t take her eyes off of Maria.

The woman was barely over forty, looked like she was still thirty, and had experienced a tragedy most would never have to know.

Her late husband had perished in a horrid accident, one that was even out of the state.

How could a mother of three survive when she didn’t even realize her husband wouldn’t be coming home one night?

Daisy felt choked up with memories, the image of Gary hovering in the back of her mind.

If she closed her eyes, even for a second, he would appear there, as if he had never left in the first place.

And if she concentrated, Daisy could imagine him growing grey, the age she never got to see him reach gently showing across his skin.

“Daisy,” Tessa suddenly said. “Talk to me.”

“Losing Gary in my twenties was a pain I never thought would be possible,” Daisy whispered.

“We were practically newlyweds still. He hadn’t a grey hair on his entire head.

Though he might’ve been quick to disagree.

” Daisy smiled wistfully. “But Maria…she had her husband beside her for years. She saw him change, saw him age, saw him grow and fall. To suddenly have that ripped from your hands is unimaginable.”

Tessa watched her closely.

“And three kids?” Daisy shook her head with a scoff.

“Maybe if mine -” She stopped herself short, wrapping a protective arm over her stomach, like she always did when she imagined her child, the soul she was unable to keep safe.

“Maybe if life played out differently, I could understand her pain better. I could support her more.”

“Daisy,” Tessa cooed, “your pain is as powerful as hers. A simple smile is more than enough.”

“But if that was the most painful thing for me, can you even begin to imagine the life Maria will be forced to live?”

Tessa sighed. “No,” she whispered. “I don’t think I can.”

Keeping her gaze focused on Maria, Daisy swallowed the tears that threatened to fall.

The last thing she needed was to be burdened by her own heartache once more.

Though she knew that it always clung to her, never once leaving, Daisy couldn’t allow it to run her when there was someone like Maria lingering nearby.

If Daisy was in her shoes, she would’ve wanted a smiling face to greet her, a helping hand to keep her moving forward. Not more unwarranted sadness.

Tessa reached, gently taking Daisy’s hand into her own and squeezing.

Without saying a word, Tessa began to rub her thumb along Daisy’s palm in rhythmic movements.

Only a second or two passed, and Daisy felt the magic begin to seep into her skin, in the same way that sunscreen settled against the skin.

Tessa traced symbols and words against her hand, her lips moving so slightly she could barely catch it.

Daisy pressed her lips together. The ease was beginning to travel into her, but she wasn’t sure how much she wanted it, when someone like Maria didn’t have a thing to lift the sorrow off her shoulders.

“I only wish,” Daisy paused, the words hanging in the air, “I wish Maria’s life could be easier. For her and her children.”

Tessa sighed. “Me too.”

From across the street, Maria looked both ways before jogging across the street. As she came up to them, they got a better look at her. Deep bags rested below Maria’s eyes, the exhaustion obvious in the way her shoulders sagged, how her hair looked like it had been unwashed.

“Enjoying the sun, ladies?” Maria asked, her voice hollow and coarse.

Daisy gave her the best smile she could muster. “We are,” she said. “You look to be working hard, Maria.”

“Well,” she paused before shrugging, “you know how it is.”

Tessa leaned forward. “How are the kids?”

“Better,” Maria replied with a firm nod. “They have a nice therapist at school and spend most of their time at the public library before heading home. It’s better not to be there so much, you know?”

Daisy felt a pit grow in her stomach. “And what about you, Maria?”

“Me?”

“How are you?”

Maria frowned, and she suddenly looked ten times older than she really was. Wrinkles appeared around her lips, crinkling around her almond shaped eyes, rippling across her forehead. And, on the top of her head, Daisy spotted a few sleek streaks of grey.

“You know,” she said again, though it wasn’t much of an answer. “I’m well.” Maria shrugged before glancing over her shoulder at the grocery. “You know.”

Daisy tried to smile but could hardly feel it on her own face.

“Did you guys go to The Wilted Garden?” Maria asked, pointing towards their cups. “How busy did it look?”

Tessa shrugged. “As it normally is, I suppose. Are you heading there soon?”

“In the next five minutes, probably.”

“Busy day,” Daisy said.

Maria smiled. “Sometimes, it’s easier to be busy than anything else.”

“Sounds tiring.”

“More than you know,” Maria blurted. It was the first real thing she’d said, and the smile that took over her face afterwards seemed to say that she wasn’t planning on being honest about her feelings anytime soon. “Well, I should -”

Woosh!

A gust of wind carried itself through downtown before surging around them at the bench. The surrounding trees and bushes ruffled and creaked, stray leaves flying through the air in a whirlwind. Maria raised her hand to her face as her braid got whipped back and forth.

“Blessed be!” Tessa exclaimed as she held onto her cup with all her might. “What a breeze! If I was any smaller, it would’ve carried me away.”

Daisy lightly laughed. “You’ve got a leaf in your hair,” she muttered, reaching over to yank it out from within her short and spiky hair.

Maria was about to start walking away when she stepped, and something crinkled beneath her shoe. She lifted her leg, placing her heel against the bench beside Daisy. Reaching forward, Maria plucked a square card from her shoe, her brow furrowed as she flipped it over curiously.

“How funny,” Maria said, though there wasn’t a smile on her face. “It’s a scratch off ticket.”

“Like for the lottery?” Tessa asked.

Maria nodded. “Would you like it? I don’t normally play.”

“It’s yours,” Daisy suddenly blurted. “Fair and square.” Reaching into her pocket, Daisy pulled out a shiny quarter. “Why don’t you scratch it?”

“That seems a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?”

Daisy shrugged. “What’s the harm in trying?”

“Go on, Maria,” Tessa encouraged. “You never know!”

Maria glanced between them before the corner of her lip perked up.

Daisy watched as she eagerly scratched off the numbers, glancing at the key at the very top to understand what it all meant.

A warmth flooded through Daisy’s chest, the deep untouched sadness she felt before slowly creeping out of her.

Tessa was right before she ever realized it.

Finding the smallest bit of joy or happiness in the world was, perhaps, the best thing for Maria at that moment.

The pain would always be there, a fact that Daisy was very aware of.

But, fortunately for the both of them, that didn’t mean it always needed to be there.

It was as easy as scratching off a lottery ticket.

“Well, that can’t be right,” Maria suddenly said as she held the card up. She lowered it again, her finger following the numbers and her lips moving as she read it over. “T-That’s just silly.”

“What is?” Daisy asked. “Did you win something?”

Maria shrugged. “This seems to say I won a hundred thousand dollars. But,” she paused, her eyes wide and cheeks quickly growing flushed, “that can’t be right. Right?”

Tessa’s jaw went slack. “Did you just win a hundred thousand dollars?”

“No,” Maria blurted. “No, I couldn’t have.”

Daisy reached, grabbing a hold of her wrist and pulling to take a look at the ticket herself.

All of it was self-explanatory, with the numbers matching on the top and the bottom.

As far as the fine print went, it looked more than likely that Maria had, in fact, won a very large lottery.

Daisy felt her chest inflate with excitement.

“Maria,” she exclaimed. “You won the lottery!”

“N-No, I -”

Daisy stood, wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace instantly. Her hand grasped onto the back of her head. “Dear Maria,” she said in her ear, feeling the woman’s heartbeat grow exponentially against her chest, “you won . Believe it.”

For a moment, Maria wobbled in her arms, her knees growing weak and stumbling as Daisy handed the ticket back to her. Tessa stood next, reaching forward to grasp onto her. The girl stabilized within a second, pulling out of the embrace with eyes as wide as the sun.

“D-Do you know what this means?” Maria breathed as tears began to well up in her eyes. “I’m still paying off my husband’s funeral expenses. His coffin. The tombstone at the cemetery. M-My kids -” She raised a trembling hand to her lips. “This is going to change our lives. All of our lives!”

Daisy cupped her face, the smile not at all fake or forced on her lips. “You deserve every cent, Maria,” she said. “Go. You should get your kids.”

Maria stepped away, clutching onto the lottery ticket as if her entire life depended on it. And, in a way, it certainly did. She ran off towards the neighborhood, her old sneakers kicking dust and dirt in the air.

“How spectacular,” Tessa mused as they watched her go. “What’re the odds?”

And then it hit Daisy. What were the odds?

“You heard what I said before, didn’t you?”

Tessa raised a brow. “What?”

“Before Maria came over,” Daisy whispered, the sinking feeling returning to her stomach. “I had said: I wish Maria’s life could be easier. For her and her children.” She glanced over at Tessa. “Tell me you don’t believe that it is magic.”

Her eyes widened. “Well, I -”

“Tessa.” Daisy watched her sternly. “Honestly.”

“Alright,” Tessa said, a frown growing across her face. “Alright. Maybe it is magic. But…”

“What else could there be?”

Tessa grabbed onto her hand. “We need one more test.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me.”

Daisy followed close behind her friend, more than willing to trust her, but dreading the results she already knew to be true.