For Good Luck

 The house was locked but a note hung on the door, flapping in the wind. It seemed important. Willow’s hands shook as she sputtered out letter sounds. The lines jumbled as if the sentences had torn apart, been thrown into the air, and haphazardly landed on the paper. Reading always daunted her but she kept her eyes fixed on the words. It took three tries before she fully understood the message.

Willow, we have been searching for you. You cannot stay at your house because your dad will not be there. Pack a bag and return to the Murphy's house at once.

Willow snatched the note and slid to the stoop. It can't be. First, Mamma, and now, Daddy- gone. She heard the skidding chair and the shattering glass. A month ago, Mamma sat on this stoop and cried for Daddy to let her back in the house, but instead, he tossed her the keys to the Gremlin.

She heard her Mamma's sobs as vividly as the night of her disappearance. Willow stood alert, searching the forest for a glimpse of the wavy autumn hair and the long, lithe body, but it was the wind groaning and rattling trees, not Mamma. Clouds swirled and darkened the sky. Willow's hopeful heart sunk to her feet. She had no time to waste. A storm was brewing. The storm inside her would have to wait.

In the house, Willow gathered clothing, a hairbrush, and a toothbrush, shoved it all into a paper bag from Powel's Grocery, and then scampered along the path that led to the sunflower field. The flowers were knee-high with buds that would open to mammoth sunflowers after the plants grew taller. The Murphy's farm sat firmly in the valley, awaiting her return. Willow stood at the edge and gaped at the house where her best friend lived, where a family had so graciously accepted her, and where she found the solace she couldn't find in her own glum existence.

Mr. and Mrs. Murphy greeted Willow at the door and led her to the living room where Joseph, the preacher, was waiting. Neither Bonnie, her best friend, nor Jenny, Bonnie's sister, were present. With sober actions and somber faces, they sat Willow on the couch. A tense atmosphere took hold of the moment. Boxed in by her ignominy, she thought maybe her daddy's words were true. You're not good enough for the people in this town. Her heart felt differently.

"Where's my dad?" Willow asked, frightened by the apprehensive faces of the adults. Their furrowed brows told her it was terrible news.

"Willow," Joseph spoke softly but loud enough to drown out the rain pelting the windows. "Your Dad is at the police station. Now you don't need to worry. They are just asking him questions, but he won't be home for a while. We don't know when he'll be home."

"You can stay with us, Willow," Mrs. Murphy said in a lifted voice. "We are happy to have you here. Aren't we, honey?" Mrs. Murphy turned to her husband.

"Yes, of course. You are one of the family, Willow."

#

Daddy never returned. Although it hadn't been spoken, Willow knew he was in jail, and Mamma was still missing. Willow had taken up residence at the Murphy's house for a month—two months since Mamma had been missing. Since she came to live with them, she had learned that life without her daddy's ire forged a happier existence. But, still, an hour wouldn't pass without an aching for her mother's return.

The sunflowers were now taller than themselves. When Willow and Bonnie raced through the rows in the field, they were hidden in a world of imagination. The stalks were creatures they had to escape, or the heart-shaped leaves were arms welcoming them into a secret club. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy could never find them until they were called for lunch or dinner. Then, they would appear on the porch with dirt-stained socks and ankles.

The warm days turned into a stifling midsummer heat. Tonight, Willow, Bonnie, and Jenny read on the porch until flashes of light sprinkled the yard. Before Willow and Bonnie fled to the lawn, Jenny handed them each a carnelian stone. 'For good luck,' she had said. Jenny's propensity for scientific discovery kept her on the porch studying her rock collection instead of catching fireflies. She didn't much like her sister to jar the little creatures. She'd drone on about natural habitats. Jenny had been friendly this evening, sharing a piece of her rock collection with them, so Willow and Bonnie left the jar in the house. They hoped it would ward off another lecture.

Soon, Bonnie and Willow grew bored of catch-and-release and turned their attention to games of tag and make-believe. They were airplanes. But when the spinning induced dizziness, they dropped to the grass; their eyes slid upward. Willow, beside Bonnie, holding hands under a dark, vast sky freckled with twinkling stars, had grown unfettered by the strife that had gripped her life for so many months. She pulled the carnelian stone from her pocket with her free hand and pinched it between her fingers. For good luck. The words echoed inside her head. Willow tightened her eyes and wished for her mother to return. Tonight, she felt as free as the fireflies and twinkled like the infinite stars of the universe.

For days, Willow held on to that stone with a steadfast faithfulness that its magic would bring Mamma home.

#

Finally, the sunflowers were in full bloom. Willow and Bonnie ran among the field, watching bees collect nectar as Mr. Murphy checked the ripeness of the crop. The sun peaked, and its beams poured over the field. Willow noticed perspiration beading Bonnie's forehead. She felt the same sweat and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Unexpectedly, an urgent call from Mrs. Murphy stopped them for a split second, but the call went unheeded. Morning was still fresh. They continued running, traversing through the flowers, and hiding from Mr. Murphy. The next call from Mrs. Murphy hollowed out the valley and quieted the field, so much so that even the bees stopped buzzing. Bonnie stopped at once and Willow followed.

"Time for lunch already?” Bonnie questioned.

"I hope we're not in trouble," Willow stated.

They emerged from the field to find Mrs. Murphy standing statuesquely. To their chagrin, her countenance showed worry, not anger as they had expected.

"What is it, Mom?"

"Willow, follow me."

Mrs. Murphy's subsequent silence shouted urgency. She led Willow to the house, and Bonnie followed. Mr. Murphy stopped working and trailed behind them. Once inside, Mrs. Murphy sat Willow on the couch. Joseph was present again. He stood soberly in the door, his hands clasped behind his back, and his eyes sympathetically settled on Willow. Mrs. Murphy sat in the high-backed chair with Mr. Murphy loyally beside her. Jenny creaked downstairs and settled on the bottom step.

"Should we leave this time?" Bonnie asked obediently.

"I think we should all hear this." Then Mrs. Murphy nodded for Joseph to speak.

"Willow." Joseph paused to clear his throat. "It seems the police have some information about your mother." He unclasped his hands. "She may have been found, and she's asking for you."

Willow took the carnelian stone from her pocket.

"Now, we're not sure it is her. She says her name is Barbara. You'll have to come with me to the police station and identify her."

Willow gripped the stone harder. Barbara was her mother. Tears gushed from Willow's eyes, and she was unable to speak or move. She missed her mamma.

Mrs. Murphy requested that Jenny go upstairs and fetch Willow's belongings. Willow thought of the paper bag she brought to the house. She had very little, and since she was never permitted to return to her home, she had nothing more to take with her. As she rubbed the tiny carnelian stone, she felt that she'd never be coming back. This little gem was truly a token of good luck, for her mother had been found.

Jenny returned upstairs to gather Willow's belongings. Willow noticed Bonnie had vanished. She couldn't leave without saying goodbye to her best friend. Without warning, the back door slammed, and Bonnie came bounding inside. She held onto two sunflowers cut about six inches below the bloom. The flowers bobbled as Bonnie struggled to keep them steady.

"Willow, these are for you."

Willow gripped the stems admiring the magnificent blooms.

"Ah, the sunflowers are the protectors. Anything that grows below them will be protected." Jenny stated as she set the suitcase next to the television.

Kind of like the Murphy family protected me, Willow thought.

"I put all your things in my suitcase and threw in some of my clothes that don't fit me anymore." Willow was pleased that Jenny dressed so stylishly.

"How will I get this suitcase back to you, Jenny."

"Keep it! It's yours now."

"I think it's time we ought to be going," Joseph stated as he clutched the suitcase with his hand.

"Wait a second," Willow said as she sauntered to Bonnie. "Thank you, Bonnie. You keep one of the flowers as a reminder of our friendship. You were my protector." She hugged her friend and then peered around at the family who loved her when she didn't have one to love. "You all were my protectors."

The family gathered around Willow to say their goodbyes. The door to her old life was closing, but in her heart, she understood that a new one was beginning. Joseph led her to his car and saw that she was safely inside. He opened the door on the opposite side and slid the suitcase on the seat. The Murphy family gathered in the driveway waving as Joseph’s Buick pulled away. Willow stared out the back window as he motored down the highway. The farm grew smaller and smaller, and the sunflower field became a mere speck of brightness below an endless blue sky. Once the farm disappeared from her visage, she opened the suitcase. Among the clothes Jenny had given her were the clogs she always wore. Willow delighted at the sight of them. She placed the carnelian stone and the sunflower in the suitcase and gently shut the lid.

#

They passed along fields and a stretch of trees before the town came into view. Willow pictured her mother. She wondered if her bangs still curled around the edges of her forehead at the temples. She wondered if her mother still wore that flowery perfume. She saw that loving smile. All this was a clear picture in her mind, but she hoped for it to become a reality.

Beyond a cluster of stores, the police station came into view. Joseph held the door open and let Willow pass through the entrance as he followed behind with the suitcase. Willow saw glass windows and, behind them, a row of offices. A woman recognized Joseph and without hesitation, led them to the back of the station. They stepped cautiously along the hallway and stopped at the third door on the right. A man directed Willow to sit in a chair with metal arms. Her legs dangled over the edge. Willow noticed a pack of Marlboro cigarettes next to an ashtray. The man announced his name as Officer Dean. He asked Willow for her name and told her the same thing Joseph had- they found her mother.

Officer Dean motioned for Joseph to stay in this room and led Willow to a room farther down the hall with blaring overhead lights and a large, framed window. Walking inside, she heard the fluorescent lights buzzing; then she saw her mamma. Officer Dean shut the door, leaving the two of them to reunite. They threw their arms around each other. Willow softened and sunk into the crevasses of her mother's body. She wanted to feel this moment forever.

"Oh, my little Willow, how I missed you so much."

Officer Dean returned to the room. "It's time to go," he stated, his voice deep and unwavering. "We're taking you to a shelter where you will be safe. You must stay there until we know…"

Until they know if he will be staying in jail.

Willow recognized that the officer was trying to shield her from knowing about her father's transgressions. But she knew.

Willow glanced behind the officer. There was no sign of Joseph, and the suitcase was now in the officer's hand.

"Would you like to carry this?" He handed the suitcase to her mother.

They followed Officer Dean out of the police station. Her mother held onto the suitcase, and Willow held onto her mother’s hand. Now, she had her whole life with her.