I am uber excited about this new story, you guys. My old laptop was stolen and it had like my whole account in it, including my old stories, etc etc. Now I have to start over (bleh). Hope you like this, though. ENJOI
Willow Fitzgerald woke up, bright and early to the sound of her alarm clock.
She leaned over the side of her bed, attempting to tap the button on top of the clock, but accidentally knocked it over and onto her bedroom floor.
She was only a minute into her day, and she was already fed up with it.
Willow groggily got out of bed and went over to pick up the clock, when she spotted a tiny piece of paper on top of her dresser. She makes her way to the dresser and reads over the messy scrawl written on the note:
Hey, Sweetheart. I went out early to pick up some
special potting soil for the new tulips that came in.
Breakfast is on the stove (oatmeal). Good luck at your
job interview and I'll see you later. –Dad
'Holy Crap', Willow thought, as she hastily made her way to the bathroom, to fix her hair and brush her teeth. 'Of all days, I forget I have a freaking job interview.'
She quickly rushed back to her room, toothbrush in mouth, to find a nice set of clothes to wear. 'Now, what did Mrs. Harvey say was the right thing to wear at interviews? Was it formal or casual? Should I wear a skirt…?' Willow racked her brain, trying to remember everything that her Home Economics teacher had taught her about job interviews.
As Willow frantically searched her room for something job-worthy, she hears the phone going off in the kitchen.
'Geez, who in the world could that be, this early in the morning?' Willow thought, as she speed walked towards the direction of the phone.
She picked up the phone, and in her calmest, businesslike voice said, "Hello, Fitzgerald's Flowers, Willow speaking", like she'd done many times before.
When Willow heard the voice on the other end, her heart almost melted.
"Hey Will. It's Nico. Are we still on for tonight?"
The person on the phone with her was her boyfriend, Nico di Angelo. She had been dating him for a couple months now, after they had met near Christmas, in a nearby café.
Willow had just finished paying for coffee, for her and some friends, when she accidently bumped into him (thankfully not spilling coffee everywhere). When she had looked up into his dark eyes for the first time, it was like a million stars were sparkling in them (that was her favorite part about him; his eyes).
Later on, he asked her for her number, she gave it to him, and 3 months later they were dating. Now it was early June, almost 6 months since they had first officially met.
"Will? You still there?"
Willow blinked, coming back to reality from zoning-out. "Yeah, I'm here", she said. "Of course we're still going out tonight. Movie, and then a walk through Central Park, remember?"
"I remember. I just wanted to know if you changed any plans, like with your dad or whatever. Last minute, you know", Nico replied, in a calm voice. Willow still couldn't believe she was dating such a quiet and laid-back person, like Nico di Angelo. She, on the other hand, was outgoing, excitable and a bit worrisome, at times.
"Why on earth would I do that? We've been planning this for, like, two weeks", she said, tucking a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear. "I'll be there, I promise."
Nico answered back, "Are you sure you don't want me to stop by, and pick you up from your place? It gets a little dark in that area."
"I'm sure", Willow said with a small smile. "Now I really have to get ready. I have a job interview I have to be at in, like, and hour."
"Oh, geez, sorry Will." She could picture him blushing in her head, on the other end. "I won't keep you on the phone. I'll see you tonight."
"See you, Nico."
*click*
Just talking to the guy always made her heart do somersaults.
'But enough of that", she thought, making her way to her room, to get changed.
Ten minutes later, Willow came out of her room, in a dark blue shirt tucked into a black skirt, that came down to her knees. On her feet, she wore black ballet flats. On her neck, a silver chain necklace, with a bright green gem in the middle that matched her equally green eyes. Nico had given it to her, for her birthday.
'Quit thinking about him', Willow thought to herself. 'Concentrate on the interview. Concentrate….concentrate...' She thought this in her head over and over, as she locked the door to the living part of her dad's building. On the second floor, it was like a small apartment, complete with a kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a den area. But on the first floor, her dad had his own floral shop, formally known as Fitzgerald's Flowers.
For as long as Willow could remember, her and her dad had been taking care of the old place, since her grandfather had passed it down to his son. It was like her second home, besides the one that was literally attached to it.
Whenever Willow had a bad day at school or in general, she would always sit in the back, where they kept the extra gardening supplies, and breathe in the pollen and potting soil. Willow hoped that one day she would take over the shop, when her father couldn't anymore, so that she could surround herself with plant life all day long.
Willow didn't just think gardening was a hobby. She knew it was her calling. She felt it every day, in her heart and soul.
As she stepped of the Greyhound, she went over the interview in her head, or at least what she thought it would be like. This would be her first job and she wanted to well on getting it. "I really hope no one I know is applying for a position at the bookstore", Willow said to herself, "I really don't need that kind of competition."
Walking towards the bookstore, Willow felt as if someone was watching her every move. She quickly turned around, but the only people there was a lady pushing a stroller down the sidewalk and an elderly man watering the plants outside his restaurant.
'It's just the jitters', Willow reassured herself. 'Just relax and maybe you won't do terrible.'
She took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the bookstore, mentally preparing herself for what she thought would be the biggest moment of her teenage life.
After two hours, three different forms to fill out and what seemed like a thousand questions, Willow stepped out of the local bookstore, feeling the absolute worst.
She knew she did terrible during the interview. She couldn't stop shaking and stuttering whenever the interviewer asked her a simple question. And she knew she had signed at least one of the forms using the name Willow Smith, instead of Willow Fitzgerald.
All Willow wanted to do at that moment was go home, take a long shower and get ready for her date with Nico. On her way home though, she had that feeling again. As if someone watching her…..following her…
Instead of looking back this time, Willow bolted.
She ran like she had never run before, ducking under heavy objects carried by movers and flying past businessmen talking on cellphones. 'Thank god I chose to wear flats', she thought after running a full block. She crossed the street across from her dad's building and slipped inside, locking the door from the inside. She ducked under the glass window, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
After a full three minutes of regaining her energy, Willow got up and made her way to the back of the store, where she assumed her dad was working.
"Hey, dad."
There, in his usual jeans and crisp button-down shirt, was her dad, pouring potting soil into a tire-sized flower pot. He put the bag of soil on the ground, and turned to give his daughter a big bear hug.
"Hey, Greenbean! How was the interview?" he asked, ruffling Willow's hair.
Ross Fitzgerald was a large, burly man, with a tall frame, broad shoulders and a beard that practically covered his whole face. He had large hands that could possibly break their kitchen table in half, with enough force, and he was literally almost 7 feet tall. Upon seeing him for the first time, nobody would guess that he was florist, being big and tough looking. Although, if he wasn't so interested in gardening, he probably wouldn't be.
Besides looking like a pro wrestler, Mr. Fitzgerald had a kind voice and soft almond colored eyes, that brightened against his dark skin. Of all the tough people jobs he could've had, he decided to be a peaceful florist.
Willow always wondered if that was why her mother got to know him, because he was so gentle and kindly, instead of gruff and rugged.
"It was…..it sucked, dad", Willow finally said, defeated.
Mr. Fitzgerald gave a hearty laugh. "Well, that's the thing about interviews. Better to go along with it and fail, than to never try and never know."
Willow Sighed deeply. "Thanks dad. Glad to know that you think your daughter is a failure." She went over to the cash register area and slumped onto the stool, behind the counter.
"Don't be like that, Greenbean", Mr. Fitzgerald said, trying to reassure his daughter. "You may not get this one job, but there are plenty of other opportunities waiting out there." He began filling the large pot with soil again, when he added, "You could always work behind the register."
Willow had thought many times about working with her dad in the shop, but wasn't sure if she could. She felt like she would be a burden to her dad, if she sat around all day unless that on person came in to purchase a $3.00 bouquet or potted plant.
"I don't know, dad", she said. "I guess I just want to see where some of these jobs I'm applying for takes me. I want to try to earn my own money, instead of wasting my time, mooching off of you."
Mr. Fitzgerald listened intently to his daughter, nodding his head and "Hmm"ing every once in a while.
"I understand what you're saying, Greenbean. You want to be your own person, right? You want to get paid from your own job, so that you can help your old man make ends meet."
"I guess", Willow replied.
After a long pause, Mr. Fitzgerald calmly said, "You're just like your mother."
Willow looked up at this statement. She and her dad hadn't talked about her mother since she was a little girl.
"She was always so stubborn when it came to making decisions for the both of us", he continued. "She cared so much about the one's she loved, wanting the best for them before her own self. That's why she left me with you, after you were born. Your mother knew it was for the best. For the good of your future."
Willow was speechless. This was probably the most information her dad had ever shared with her about the woman he once loved very much.
"You've got her eyes too, you know", he added, giving his daughter a soft smile. "But one thing I will never forget about that woman, was her stubbornness. Boy, could she stand her ground." They were both silent for a few minutes, after this.
"I'm glad you told me all of that, dad."
Willow felt so much better about her lousy interview. She got up from her stool and made her way up the steps, towards the apartment.
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