Eighteen years ago
"Amy! Amy!" Farrah walks out on the patio, hoping maybe the little girl would be in the yard playing in the mud again. She sighs at the thought of having to give Amy another bath when she'd just receive one. "that brat!" Just as she had thought, Amy had been playing with Sabrina in the garden. Proof? She had once again forgot about her two Barbie dolls glued to each other in the dirt.
Farrah picks up the two glued Barbie and examined the state they're in. Amy had had glued the head so their lips would stick to each other. "I'll be in for a surprise when this girl recognize herself." She says, heading towards the mansion with Antoine waiting for her to come back.
A few feet away, she sees a few more of Amy's toys on the ground and calls for a passing maid to clean up afterwards. This little monster had been nothing more than an overbearing headache during most of the six years she's lived on earth. But Farrah had never though she could love a child so much. She was her sun and her light her blessing, the fruit of the love she's had with her husband.
"Antoine," she says, handing over the two glued Barbie dolls.
Taking the two dolls, "Yes, ma'am," he answers.
"Will you find a way to separate these two dolls? Or if you can't, make sure you replace them. I don't want my daughter to be having weird ideas."
"Ma'am, it's not weird. It's simply who she is ma'am. It's only a matter of time before she realizes who she is."
"I know but I wish she wasn't heading in that direction." Farrah trots along inside the mansion followed by Antoine who had always been the ma'am's ears, "my daughter might actually be…"
"be what ma'am?" Antoine asks, "the word is not really that scary."
"But how dreadful to think that my daughter might grow up to be 'that word'." She sighs, "I mean, I would like to have grandchildren."
"Ma'am, just because your daughter is who she is, doesn't mean she won't have grandkids."
"I don't know Antoine. I just wished she's be more like other little girls her age. She refuses to wear dresses. She doesn't like tea parties. I signed her up for a beauty pageant, she made a fuss. She hates tiaras. She fights with little boys all the time. Always pulls prank on everybody in the house. She runs away when it's her time to shower." Mrs. Cooper goes on as if she'd memorized a whole list, "I mean what am I raising? A boy?"
"She's simply full of life ma'am."
Farrah's face soothes as she remembers Amy smiling. Amy's laugh is the most alive sound she's ever heard and how it warms her heart when she hears. When she sees her running in the garden, when she sees her playing with her friends.
"Maybe you're right Antoine. Maybe she is just full of life. But for now, I'd rather believe she's just a tomboy." Farrah says.
"Is that my beautiful wife I see?" Hank appears at the top of the prestigious staircase that has been the highlight of the entire mansion, "she's already complaining about out little girl to you Antoine?"
"No sir, they are just fond stories as always. No complaints." Antoine kindly replies and then retires, "If you will excuse me ma'am, sir. I'll now see what I can do with the dolls."
Farrah watches her husband descending the stairs with adoring eyes. She loves her husband and never regretted marrying him just as her father had wished for her to. She smiles as he finally joins her, "good morning love!"
"Good morning to you." He grabs his wife and loving kisses her. "How are you?"
"Exhausted." Farrah answers, "Amy just woke up, I gave her a bath and she's back
to her antics. I've been looking for the girl for hours now. I have to take her to school."
"Don't worry about her. I was just with her. She came to bother me in my office. I played with her for a while and since the little elementary school already opened today, I decided to drop her off there."
"I'm glad you let me open that small school. It was the best idea. Those little angels are a blessing. And now Amy doesn't have to feel alone since she's homeschooled."
"It's only a pre-k up to first and second grade. I didn't want Amy to have the first years of her life with no friends. I don't know what we'll do afterwards. Maybe I'll consider being so overprotective and enrolled her in a regular school. I don't want my little girl to feel alone."
"You know there's nothing to worry about." Farrah reassures her husband, "Amy will be fine." Farrah finds two of their maids taking down two suitcases down the stairs and then they head out to Hank's car. "You're already leaving? You just got back from your trip."
Hank sighs regretfully, "I know love. I didn't want to go so soon either but we're having problem at the HQ in Abu Dhabi and I need to be there until it's fixed."
"Amy's birthday is in two days Hank. She's been very excited about it. You can't fail her."
"I promise to drop by. I promise I'll be there for her birthday." She kisses his wife vehemently, "I'm too proud of you and my little girl. You two are the most amazing God-given gifts and every moment that I spend with you guys are a blessing."
"I love you Hank Raudenfeld."
"And I love you Farrah Raudenfeld."
"Ma'am! Ma'am! Amy got into a fight again!" One of Farrah's instructors come running to them both, "Amy is in trouble! She's fighting that Booker boy again."
Farrah taps her forehead, "That brat!" she kisses her husband one last time before letting him go, "I'll go handle your daughter. Come back to us. We'll miss you."
"I'll miss you both." He says. "Make sure you separate them. That's her future husband."
"Or maybe not…" Farrah says to herself before sending her husband off.
At the small school at the back of the mansion
"Leave her alone you doucheface!" Amy pushes the boy to the ground and hovers above him, knocking his head repetitively on the grass, "Stop saying she's ugly! She's prettier than you!"
"Get off of me!" the boy has been crying now for a while, "Get off of me. You're hurting me!"
"Apologize to her!" Amy says, still knocking the poor boy's head on the ground.
"No!"
"Apologize!"
"No! She's ugly!" Booker boy insists, "I don't like her. I don't like you. Girls are disgusting!"
"You're disgusting!" Amy says rolling off on him just to grab a hold off him once again locking him from behind. She takes a hold of the boy's arms over his back and pulling them, "Now apologize!" The boy ends up screaming for dear life.
"Amy!" Farrah runs to them both, "Get off of him! You're hurting the poor guy." She says while the other instructor goes to pick up a crying Booker off the ground and Farrah gets a hold of Amy. "Why did you have to fight him Amy?"
"Because he's annoying." Amy says, glaring at the sniffing little boy. In his attempt to escape, he scraped his knee.
"You're annoying!" the little boy sticks out his tongue while Amy does the exact same thing.
"Alright! both of you stop it!" Farrah sternly says, "Annoying or not, Amy, that's not a reason to fight him."
"But mom, he was telling her that she was ugly and pushing her." Amy whines, "She's not ugly mom. She's not ugly."
"Who?" Farrah asks, looking around the small group of children that had made a circle around them, "who is that?"
"Her. In the corner." Amy points to a frightened little girl, crying away from the small group. She was hiding under the small bushes hugging a teddy bear. "She's scared mom."
Farrah follows Amy's finger to see the little girl crying. It was that little Ashcroft girl. Out of the entire class, she's the only poor girl and she's used to being picked on by the other kids because of her old-looking clothes, her used toys. Farrah leaves Amy by herself for a bit and walks towards the scared little girl who engulfs herself further under the bushes.
"Don't be scared." She says, reaching out so that the girl takes her hand, "I won't bite."
She shakes her head.
"You see!" Amy says, "I keep telling her to come play with me but she doesn't want to. What a weirdo!"
"Amy!" she then turns her attention back to the little girl, "don't mind my daughter. Look, all of us wants for you to come out and play. Amy really wants to play with you."
The girl still looks hesitant.
Amy then joins her mother and sits right next to her, "you're very pretty. What's your name?"
The girl hugs her teddy bear tighter, "Karma."
Amy grimaces a little, "That's your real name?"
She nods.
"Well, it's a nice name. I'm Amy. You never talk or play with us. Why?"
She doesn't answer.
Amy then slowly leans towards her and gives a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Don't be scared of me. You're my friend now and I'll protect you. Always. I promise."
Farrah smiles. Eventually, she'll have to accept that chivalry is not only for men.
A few hours later
The girl disappeared again. Farrah doesn't know what to do with her anymore. "Amy!" she calls out but no response.
She had the help turned the house upside down looking for Amy. All of them come to her with disappointing results. Where did the girl go? There's no way Amy could disappear just like that from one minute to the next. And importantly, how could she lose a five-year old girl that easily? She checked each and every single room in the house. Turned each of those rooms upside down, looking for that brat.
"Amy!" She yells throughout the entire mansion and nothing. Not a word. Only the faint sound of her own echo calling out to her daughter.
"Ma'am," Antoine appears underneath, "I've looked in every room on the lower floors. She's nowhere. I had sent every other staff member to check everywhere from the front yard to the backyard, she's nowhere to be seen."
"Has anybody checked the attic yet?" she asks.
The butler says no.
"I'll go there. if I don't find her, just be on alert so that we can contact the authorities." She says before heading up.
It was a pretty big mansion. Amy could get lost easily, true, but she couldn't have gone too far, Farrah thinks. She starts to worry and thinks of every worst scenario she could think of. But no. she stops when the thought of a serial killer trespassing without them knowing and managed to steal Amy, took her God knows where, and doing God knows what to her. The thought of it makes her sick. She shakes the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind. There's no way Amy's missing or was kidnapped or was abducted or whatever. Not her baby girl. But where in the hay could she be? "That brat!"
Somewhere up in the attic
Amy sets the chairs and the tables in place. She brought out her favorite Ken and Barbie dolls out and sits them like mini witnesses. She takes the giant teddy bear Hank had gotten her for her third birthday and pull over it a rag, almost similar-like to that of an ancient priest from the Roman empire. She places her father's formal jacket over her body and his big shoes which she barely filled up.
"Amy, are you ready?" Sabrina calls from the other side of the attic's door. It was a small room just above Amy's bedroom. There's a secret passage which she found out about not too long ago. She usually escapes there whenever she's upset. Her dad is the only one who knows about it. Or so they thought. Farrah found out about it while she followed her husband. Amy had again gone missing and they were looking for her everywhere in the house. Finally, after several unsuccessful search, Hank stops being ignorant and went to look for his little girl. And surely enough, she was up there, crying, because she had not gotten what she wanted for Christmas and though Santa believed she was naughty. But like any great father, she managed to comfort his little girl.
After checking that everything is already in place and ready for a ceremony, Amy invites her bride in, "Yes, I am. You can come in." she says.
Sabrina walks with a small bouquet of roses, which they stole from the garden, in her hands. Amy hums 'here comes the bride' as she walks down the fantasy aisle until she joins Amy and they're both kneeled down in front of the Teddy bear priest.
"Amy, do you take Sabrina for your lawfully wedded wife?" Amy turns her head away and mimics what she thinks would be teddy bear's voice. And after she's done asking her question, she looks forward again an answers, "Yes, I do."
She does the same thing, but this time it was Sabrina's turn to answer.
"Sabrina, do you take Amy for your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do." Sabrina smiles.
Amy turns her head aside again and does her impersonation. "And now, I proclaim you husband and wife."
"Wait!" Sabrina stops and stands up, "why do you get to be the husband? I want to be the husband too."
"No. You're the wife and I'm the husband. I don't like dresses. But you do."
"So?" Sabrina retorts, "That doesn't mean I can't be a husband."
"Will you stop now! I'm already the husband and you're the wife. Case closed." Amy says getting back on her knees again and bringing Sabrina down with her. "The priest is not done."
"Ok."
Amy turns her head again, "Now, you may kiss the bride." They both stand up and face each other.
"How do we do that?" Sabrina asks.
"Well, I've seen my mom and my dad do it plenty of times. They bring their heads together and their mouth just touch each other. Like our dolls. I showed it to you outside."
"But there is spit in the mouth. It's nasty."
"That's what couples do. And we're a couple right?" Amy asks.
"Yes."
"Then, should we kiss?"
"How do we even start?"
Amy steps forward, "I guess we have to get close to each other."
"Ok." Sabrina steps forward also.
Amy gets even closer and plants a quick peck on Sabrina's cheek. "now, you're my wife."
"Ok."
"We're only going to kiss each other from now on and forever. Ok."
Sabrina nods.
"Promise?" Amy asks.
"Promise."
Farrah slowly closes the door on them and deducts that, maybe, her little girl is different.
Present day – Raudendelf's mansion
"I've always known that my daughter was gay. Ever since she was just a little girl and she had just started first grade." Farrah moves her decanter set with her to the small living room in her office. She pours Tracey a glass, hands it to, and then pours herself one, "I've had my doubts and I tried denying the possibility of me raising a homosexual child. But eventually, I understood."
Tracey drinks a bit before responding, "But, you were very much against it when she came out to you."
Mrs. Cooper agrees, "I know. After my husband died, I was dead set on fulfilling his last wishes. And that was to get Amy married to Liam Booker."
"Obviously, that didn't work out well." Tracey mentions, "she ended up defying you and got herself a girl."
"That brat!" Mrs. Cooper shakes her head, "went behind my back, got herself engaged and ran away with the girl. May she rest in peace!"
"They were in love."
Mrs. Cooper nods, "I know." She remembers everything she's done trying to keep those two apart and every time, her plans failed. "They were very much in love."
"Why were you so against them being together?" Tracey asks. No one was ever able to understand the woman's will to keep Karma away from Amy. Even her, while she lived away, working for Amy's mother, couldn't see or understand why the woman would be so against a love so pure and true. And the fact that this was a love that couldn't be destroyed, Tracey never wanted to face the one true love of her life, Amy. She had settled and accepted that Amy had forgotten about her and forgotten about their promise to each other.
Mrs. Cooper pensively shrugs, staring into space as if remembering a past, a thought, "I didn't believe Karma to be the right girl for her."
"Why not?"
Mrs. Cooper doesn't say anything.
"I wish she'd remember our friendship. I guess we can't really remember most of our childhood. Even I barely recall what we had." Tracey gets up from Mrs. Cooper's side to walk towards the window. She just stared outside, pensively remembering her few childhood moments with Amy, "I know that we were close. Well, up until the time when I had to move away."
Mrs. Cooper stares into space before speaking up. "You left on the day my husband died. Amy didn't take either news well."
"It was on her sixth birthday." Tracey recalls. "she'd just gotten news that her father was gone."
Mrs. Cooper remembers that day like it was the back of her hand. It's all too clear in her mind. She couldn't have barred that unpleasant day from her memories and her mind even if she tried. The loud cries, the anxiety, the fright, the depression, and the distance that placed between her and Amy up until this day. She tried to not blame her husband's death on Amy but it was too much for her to accept. She couldn't accept it. She tried her best to not hold it against the child but every time she'd go back home to see Amy, all she sees is her late husband's face. She then stayed away from Amy as much as possible, used work as an excuse to not be present for most part of her life. She never accepted reality and for that, she never gained the closeness she used to have with Amy when she was just a little girl.
"We don't want to remember the past too much." She says, drinking her entire glass of liquor, "the past should stay where it is supposed to stay at."
"I agree with you." Tracey says.
"Now, will you please come back and sit with me. We need to talk."
Tracey does as she's told and takes her place next to Mrs. Cooper.
"Do you have the slightest idea as to why I'd bring you back to Texas?" She asks.
"I may have." Tracey answers. "Is it because of your daughter?"
Mrs. Cooper nods, "Yes. I know my daughter very good Tracey. I know what she likes and what she hates. I know what bothers her and what warms her heart. I know her weakness and I know her strength. I know who she can fall in love with and who she'll just consider a friend."
"What do you mean?" Tracey frowns.
"My daughter made a promise to someone when she was very young. She might have forgotten about it but I doubt the person she made the promise to forgot."
Tracey shifts on the seat, facing away from Mrs. Cooper, "So you knew about it? You knew about us?"
"I was there for the little wedding ceremony that you guys did together. Although you guys didn't know I was there."
"Wow," Tracey nervously chuckles, "So, you saw everything."
Mrs. Cooper nods, "Yes. I know about the promise too."
"It doesn't matter now. Your daughter forgot about that promise."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Mrs. Cooper grins.
Up in the old attic
It's been a long time since Amy's been up there. Years to be exact. She hasn't gone up ever since her father died. This used to be her little escape and only her dad knew about it. Whenever she used to cry, or she used to feel scared, or sad, she'd go up there and hide from reality and create her own little fantasy world and her dad used to come and play with her. She lived most of her happy days as a child, before her dad's death, up here, in the attic. Lately, she's been missing her father quite a lot and thought maybe she'd find comfort in the old, abandoned attic. She sits herself in the middle of the mess, old furniture, and clothes, and just old stuff. One thing, however, grabbed her attention. It was something scratched on the wooden floor in front of her. she wipes away the dirt until she reads two names within a drawn heart. "Amy + Sabrina."
"Sabrina?"