Under a Willow Tree

"I'm convinced that - "

"No, Peter, now's not the time for it."

"I was just about to conclude that we leave France immediately."

Willow sat inside her room in the French cottage, listening to her great uncle and aunt discuss her condition right outside her door. She felt awful for several reasons, one of them being that she was ruining her great aunt and uncle's holiday.

"But France would be a good getaway from whatever she's having problems with back in England." Aunt Ariana conferred with Uncle Peter.

"Not if her problems followed her here," Uncle Peter replied. "By the way, what are her problems?"

"I assume it's... about a boy." Aunt Ariana suspected.

Uncle Peter chuckled. "Oh, how I would love to be young and in love."

"Peter, this isn't a laughing matter. If she's always getting caught up with this nonsense, then I'm afraid that we need to send her to see a doctor." Aunt Ariana said, sternly.

"She's only 18. She hasn't gone mad. Now, let's go get some supper for her before it gets cold." Uncle Peter said, before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

When she no longer heard the voices of her great uncle and aunt outside her door, Willow decided that the coast was clear to move about in her bedroom. Turning on her laptop, she simply decided to email her father.

Dad,

How are you? How is everything going on back in London? Is Stella treating you all right?

I'm doing quite well; I'm in France right now with Aunt Ariana and Uncle Peter for the holidays. It's pleasant, except for the bit of drama that has caught up with me. The past few weeks have been very odd, to say the least. I apologize for not emailing you sooner, especially with everything that has been going on. School's still my priority and my marks are still exceptionally high. But I've certainly been running into trouble, lately, and I surely wish you were around to talk to. Aunt Ariana and Uncle Peter don't exactly understand my predicament, if we shall call it so. I know you would, being a father and all, be able to help me out. I've never actually encountered such a problem in my life, and now I fully understand why I avoid it.

To say ahead, this problem is just about a boy. And love. Which means you can stop worrying now, because I'm not pregnant or arrested.

Anyway, a boy is in involved. A boy I liked... I don't know if I just like him or if it's something else. And that's another problem. I don't want to say I love him, because, obviously, I'm still young and immature when it comes to this. But even when I don't say it, I can sort of feel it - if you can ever feel love. Correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you see someone you love, does not your heart flutter and the whole world is shut out? I remember you telling me this when you told me stories of how you met mum. I sort of feel that when I see that boy that I'm talking about. But then again, sometime's it's unexplainable. Now, the real problem is that he's got a girlfriend who seems to block him from me. I'm not what they call a homewrecker - I fully respect working relationships - but I just know that he is not in love with her. He looks miserable when he's with her, but the only reason why he's still with her is because she's pregnant. With his child.

I know that a young father isn't the type of man you'd want me to associate with, but when I met him, he was a total gentleman. He most certainly the type of guy you would want to meet, excluding his rude girlfriend.

Dad, I don't know what to do. I think I love him, I do want him, but he's impossible to have now. I've tried to ignore it - everything - but I can't.

How do you move on from love?

I miss you dad. A Lot.

Love from Willow

It was definitely cold outside; the snow drifted down slowly and a light wind blew, and thus, it was cold. But that didn't stop Willow from assembling a small fire at the back garden of the cottage. Though cold, the night was brilliant. With a down and out spirit and small cup of tea, Willow sat before the fire.

There was silence, and then there was the sound of the back porch doors opening. Willow didn't mind to turn around and see the new company.

"Care if I join in?" Aunt Ariana asked, pulling up one of the iron porch chairs next to Willow.

Willow fidgeted, indicating that she didn't mind.

Silence, was again persisted. Aunt Ariana sat by the fire, looking out at the beautiful, white wonderland of a garden and then up at the sky. The snow had stopped falling and all the women could hear were the faint humming of crickets and the rustle of leaves against the mild wind.

"Love can be so deceiving," Aunt Ariana said eventually, breaking the quietness. "And we've all, in one way or another, experience the painful wound love leaves behind."

Willow didn't respond, but looked up at her Aunt Ariana. Her great aunt was gazing at a patch of flowers that survived the blanket of cold snow.

"I've never divulged this to anyone..." Aunt Ariana's voice was now soft, her gaze was from the patch of flowers drifted away. "But the real reason why I didn't want your grandmother to marry Lucas Coult, your grandfather, was because that I was in love with him. He just didn't know it. No one did."

Shock ran through Willow as her great aunt disclosed this confession to her. Aunt Ariana caught Willow's expression, but she resumed.

"I had met him before your grandmother had. He had so much charm." Aunt Ariana smiled. "He was such a laugh and everything about him made you feel so comfortable. I'm sure you know that already, being his granddaughter. Although he was so delightful and very handsome, I couldn't have him. Obviously, because of his status and my bloodline. I wanted a man like him, but that one factor just ruined it all. I was madly in love with him, though it was not apparant. It ached me, yes, that I could not have him. It hurt me more that he found interest in indulging in a conversation with him. My mother and father would not approve, so in an effort to put him off my mind, I eventually introduced him to your grandmother. I thought that she would be able to distance him away from our family, as I had failed to do. Never had it occurred to me that I was ruining the geneological line of our family... and also my heart.

"When your grandmother told me she loved him, I got angry. But the thought that she was marrying a 'commoner' was the last thing in my mind. I was angry because she stole the man I love. I was angry because she didn't push him away from our family... from me. Everyday that he dropped by our residence to see Adeline, my heart would flicker violently. Seeing him was unexplainable. And that's how madly I was in love with him. I didn't attend your grandmother's wedding, I'm sure she's told you that. It's obvious why I decided not to attend, even if she was my sister.

"You see, Willow, love is such a powerful feeling. But sometimes you can get overwhelmed by the wrong kind of love. In that situation of mine, I fell in love and it ruined my precious relationship with Adeline. I did not attend her wedding, I had stopped speaking her for nearly 10 years, and I caused her to strain her own relationship with our parents. Sometimes I would think that my inability to produce a child is just the consequence I paid because of my misdemeanors."

Aunt Ariana stopped talking, and against the light of the fire, Willow saw the glistening of tears on her great aunt's face. She reached over and gave her a warm hug, causing Aunt Ariana to sob.

"No one should pay consequences for falling in love." Willow uttered.