Chapter 3:
My older brother Noah was going to come to Harmony for the wedding. Mother
called him. He was thrilled about returning home. I couldn't wait to see him. It had
been four long years.
I volunteered to go and pick him up from the airport, since everyone was busy
with the wedding plans.
I drove off to Harmony Airport. Noah arrived shortly.
I gave him a big welcome back hug. I had missed him so much!
"I'm glad to see you, Kay," he said smiling. "How have you been?"
"I'm good, Noah," I said, trying to sound cheerful.
We talked as he looked for his luggage.
"I must say though," he said. "When Mother called me and told me to come out
here for a wedding, I for sure thought it would be the one between you and Miguel. I
mean the way I remember it, before I left, was that you guys were so close. Who's this
Charity girl?"
I sighed as tears came to my eyes. Noah too thought that Miguel and I would
end up together one day. I remember the way adults would look at me and Miguel
when we were kids and we'd hear them say, "look at those two! For sure one day they
are going to marry!" And at that time, Miguel and I would give each other funny looks,
and laugh out loud, saying no way. But now, Miguel was the only one saying no way.
But not for long. Not until he hears about this baby I'm carrying.
"Kay," Noah said, giving me a weird look, trying to break me out of my
reverie.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I was just thinking."
"It's cool little sis," he said, grinning.
Ha! Little Sis. I wish. Little sis was no more. It was replaced with Scheming
Witch. I hated what I had become. I hated how far I had let these manipulations go.
But I was fighting for a cause that was important to me. Miguel.
"So who's Charity and what is she like?" Noah asked again.
I sighed. "Charity is our cousin. Mother's niece. She's my age. She's blonde,
sweet and innocent. And she's the fiancée of the man I love, the only man I have ever
wanted."
Noah looked at me as this information set in. Being the older brother, Noah
was always protective of me, even though I was a strong person. But he could tell that
I needed him to be there for me. And he was.
He looked at me sympathetically as he gave me a hug.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked. "The Kay I know won't give up without a
fight."
I wanted to tell him! The whole thing. About what I had done in the past to get
Miguel, what I was planning to do at the wedding by announcing my pregnancy. But I
couldn't. I didn't want Noah to think badly of me. He was the only sibling I had that
cared. And I wanted to keep it that way.
I didn't answer his question. Just looked away.
Noah didn't bother prying me about answering.
We got home half an hour later. Everyone was so happy to see Noah back. I
began to get pains in my stomach again so I went upstairs to my room. I wasn't feeling
well. Felt like I was going to throw up. I ran to the bathroom toilet.
Just as I was puking, I heard someone come inside the bathroom.
I managed to get my head out of the toilet to see who was there.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Gwen Hotchkiss said. "Hank told me I could use the bathroom
up here."
I looked up. I didn't know Gwen too well. All I had known of the girl was that
she was once Ethan's fiancée, before Theresa. And that now she was a friend of my
uncle's, Hank.
"Are you ok? You don't look very well," she said.
I got up. "I'll be ok," I said.
She nodded. "So," she said, trying to make conversation, "excited about the
wedding tomorrow?"
I guess she didn't know me that well either.
"As excited as you were about Ethan's and Theresa's marriage two weeks
ago," I said simply.
"Really," she said, amused. "Why's that?"
"Because I love Miguel. I should be with him. We've been friends for so long."
I laughed as I thought this: "you know, Gwen, people would tell us that they couldn't
wait to come to our wedding one day. Our wedding. This is all Charity's fault."
Gwen laughed lightly. "We are so alike!" she said, nodding her head. "I, too,
was Ethan's longtime friend. But look at me now! I had to watch him marry Theresa! It
hurt so bad. It still does."
"So you see," she said matter-of-factly, "I know where you are coming from."
I nodded. It was true, she did. Much as I liked Theresa, I had to side with Gwen
on this one.
We talked a little more until Noah came up looking for me.
He saw me on top of the toilet seat, talking to Gwen, who was sitting on the
floor. He laughed out loud.
"Is this where you all go to have girl talk?" He asked, beaming.
We laughed. I introduced Gwen and Noah to each other, and ... let's just say
that I may have gotten the girl to forget about Ethan for a while.
My older brother Noah was going to come to Harmony for the wedding. Mother
called him. He was thrilled about returning home. I couldn't wait to see him. It had
been four long years.
I volunteered to go and pick him up from the airport, since everyone was busy
with the wedding plans.
I drove off to Harmony Airport. Noah arrived shortly.
I gave him a big welcome back hug. I had missed him so much!
"I'm glad to see you, Kay," he said smiling. "How have you been?"
"I'm good, Noah," I said, trying to sound cheerful.
We talked as he looked for his luggage.
"I must say though," he said. "When Mother called me and told me to come out
here for a wedding, I for sure thought it would be the one between you and Miguel. I
mean the way I remember it, before I left, was that you guys were so close. Who's this
Charity girl?"
I sighed as tears came to my eyes. Noah too thought that Miguel and I would
end up together one day. I remember the way adults would look at me and Miguel
when we were kids and we'd hear them say, "look at those two! For sure one day they
are going to marry!" And at that time, Miguel and I would give each other funny looks,
and laugh out loud, saying no way. But now, Miguel was the only one saying no way.
But not for long. Not until he hears about this baby I'm carrying.
"Kay," Noah said, giving me a weird look, trying to break me out of my
reverie.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I was just thinking."
"It's cool little sis," he said, grinning.
Ha! Little Sis. I wish. Little sis was no more. It was replaced with Scheming
Witch. I hated what I had become. I hated how far I had let these manipulations go.
But I was fighting for a cause that was important to me. Miguel.
"So who's Charity and what is she like?" Noah asked again.
I sighed. "Charity is our cousin. Mother's niece. She's my age. She's blonde,
sweet and innocent. And she's the fiancée of the man I love, the only man I have ever
wanted."
Noah looked at me as this information set in. Being the older brother, Noah
was always protective of me, even though I was a strong person. But he could tell that
I needed him to be there for me. And he was.
He looked at me sympathetically as he gave me a hug.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked. "The Kay I know won't give up without a
fight."
I wanted to tell him! The whole thing. About what I had done in the past to get
Miguel, what I was planning to do at the wedding by announcing my pregnancy. But I
couldn't. I didn't want Noah to think badly of me. He was the only sibling I had that
cared. And I wanted to keep it that way.
I didn't answer his question. Just looked away.
Noah didn't bother prying me about answering.
We got home half an hour later. Everyone was so happy to see Noah back. I
began to get pains in my stomach again so I went upstairs to my room. I wasn't feeling
well. Felt like I was going to throw up. I ran to the bathroom toilet.
Just as I was puking, I heard someone come inside the bathroom.
I managed to get my head out of the toilet to see who was there.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Gwen Hotchkiss said. "Hank told me I could use the bathroom
up here."
I looked up. I didn't know Gwen too well. All I had known of the girl was that
she was once Ethan's fiancée, before Theresa. And that now she was a friend of my
uncle's, Hank.
"Are you ok? You don't look very well," she said.
I got up. "I'll be ok," I said.
She nodded. "So," she said, trying to make conversation, "excited about the
wedding tomorrow?"
I guess she didn't know me that well either.
"As excited as you were about Ethan's and Theresa's marriage two weeks
ago," I said simply.
"Really," she said, amused. "Why's that?"
"Because I love Miguel. I should be with him. We've been friends for so long."
I laughed as I thought this: "you know, Gwen, people would tell us that they couldn't
wait to come to our wedding one day. Our wedding. This is all Charity's fault."
Gwen laughed lightly. "We are so alike!" she said, nodding her head. "I, too,
was Ethan's longtime friend. But look at me now! I had to watch him marry Theresa! It
hurt so bad. It still does."
"So you see," she said matter-of-factly, "I know where you are coming from."
I nodded. It was true, she did. Much as I liked Theresa, I had to side with Gwen
on this one.
We talked a little more until Noah came up looking for me.
He saw me on top of the toilet seat, talking to Gwen, who was sitting on the
floor. He laughed out loud.
"Is this where you all go to have girl talk?" He asked, beaming.
We laughed. I introduced Gwen and Noah to each other, and ... let's just say
that I may have gotten the girl to forget about Ethan for a while.