#trish bunch

[ennysimmer]

The wedding part 4/4

Vera knew deep down that it wasn't her fault. How could it be? How could she have known that she should have kept a close eye on her phone on this particular night? It had been quiet for two months; why would tonight of all nights be any different?

But the moment she saw all the notifications of the missed calls and messages from Maranda, guilt and fear washed away all rational thought. She frantically scrolled through the messages, trying to make sense of the random letters showing on the display. But it seemed to be all there was to it: random letters without meaning. She couldn't help but feel that the point wasn't the messages themselves but their urgency. Something was wrong.

Please pick up the phone, please pick up the phone, please pick up the phone, please...

After the fourth call had gone to voicemail, she knew she couldn't waste any more time. She couldn't even allow herself to stop and think things through.

On shaky legs, she made her way over to her husband, who was busy chatting with Trish and blissfully unaware that she was about to disturb the joyful peace of their wedding day. She grabbed his arm and said in a hushed tone. "We have to go." "What, now...? But-" "It's Maranda," she interrupted, hearing her own panicked frustration seeping into her voice. She knew he would oppose this, and they simply didn't have time. "We need to go over to their place." She wasn't sure where to find her, but it was the only place she could think of to start. He frowned at her. "Vera... we can't just... This is not the time." "We have no choice," she insisted, glancing at Trish, who was quietly watching them. Vera wasn't sure how much she was willing to say with her standing there. "Something's... wrong." "It's our wedding, Vera, and what about the kids? What about all the guests? We can't just leave." Shit. The kids. "I..." Trish looked between them and offered. "Leave it to me, I've got it. I'll let everyone know you had to leave on some urgent business, and I'll get the kids home. I can stay with them for as long as you need me to. You go deal with this." Her demeanor was uncharacteristically serious, and despite not having a clue what was going on, she had offered her help without question. Vera gave her a grateful look. "Thank you, Trish." She smiled. "Don't mention it." Vera turned to her husband again, and she could tell he wasn't convinced. Without knowing what else to say or do, she touched his hand and whispered. "We have to, Wilson."

[ennysimmer]

It was past midnight when Vera and Wilson finally got back home from the police station. The questioning had taken longer than expected, and the police had given them fewer answers than they hoped for. They knew search patrols were looking for Maranda, but part of Vera wanted to be out there looking, too. There was no way Wilson would let her, though. Besides, she wasn't sure her body and mind could handle anything more tonight. Trish looked up from her phone as the newlyweds dragged their feet into the house. "There you are," she exclaimed. "I was starting to get worried. How did it go with your friend?"

Vera opened her mouth to answer but immediately closed it again. She had told the police every last detail of their night so many times that she had almost felt disconnected from her own experience by the end. What was one more time, in the safety of her own home? But it felt as though her head was finally caught up. Whatever defence mechanism had carried her through the night was gone. It was just her and her overbearing feelings now, and she was exhausted. She looked down at the floor, hoping that Wilson would take the lead instead. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was for her comfort or his own; either way, it only made her feel worse. She stepped away from his touch and mumbled. "I need to get these clothes off of me."

"Vera... I'm sorry if I..." Trish started as Vera walked past her. "Did I say something wrong?" She didn't answer. She just went inside their bedroom and carefully closed the door behind her.

Trish looked at Wilson. "What did I...?" He sat down across from her with a sigh, but didn't say anything either.

"Wilson, you're starting to scare me. Talk to me. What the hell is going on?" "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's been a long night." He paused again, trying to buy himself some more time to gather his whirling thoughts. "Her friend is... missing," he finally said. "Presumed d-dead." He stumbled over the last word, as if by saying it clearly he would somehow make it come true. "They didn't want to say it, but..." "What?" She whispered in disbelief. "Who's they? The police? Have you guys been out looking for her all night?" He shook his head. "We went over to their house..." He swallowed. "There was so much blood, Trish. I..." She stared at him in horror. "Watcher. Wil... I don't even know what to say, I... I realized that something had happened, but I didn't... I'm so sorry." They both sat in silence for a while, both trying to process the night's events. "But the fact that she's still missing... that's a good thing, right?" Trish finally said, trying to bring some hope into this hopeless situation. "That means she can still be... alive, right? Do they know who... Are there any suspects at all?" Wilson cleared his throat. "Her husband was still in the house when we got there. We thought he was d-dead at first, but... He was just passed out drunk. They think that he..." He couldn't even finish the sentence. "Watcher, Wilson," she whispered. "I'm really sorry that you had to... That's really fucked up." He nodded, and another long silence followed. "Do you want me to stay, or if you two need to be alone I can take the kids over to my place-" "No, let them sleep. We'll... talk to them in the morning, but thank you, Trish. Really, for everything. You and Chris should go home, though. Get some rest. I'll call you tomorrow."

[ennysimmer]

The wedding part 3/4

[ennysimmer]

It was a pleasant Sunday noon. The Lovell family had gathered to play a board game after a late breakfast when they were suddenly interrupted by the doorbell.

"Are we expecting someone?" Vera asked, nervously glancing at the door. The sound of the doorbell always came with a sense of dread nowadays. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the person outside from this angle. "Did you invite Luz, Viola?"

"Nope. I told her I would be busy hanging out with you guys today. Why don't you just go answer the door and see who it is?" "Uhm. Sure..." It's not him, she told herself as she walked towards the door. He has no reason to show up like this, and I doubt that he would ring the doorbell if he did. When she reached the door, she first glanced through the window and was surprised to see a complete stranger outside, but the relief was instant. She smiled widely as she opened the door.

"Hello. Can I help you?" She greeted the woman. She looked to be around her age, perhaps a few years younger, and judging by her bulging stomach, she was also pregnant. Maybe she needs help with something, she thought. "Uhm. Hi. Hello," the woman replied awkwardly. "Sorry for showing up like this. Uhm. Is Wilson home?" "Uh. Yeah?" "Trish? Is that you?" Wilson called from the kitchen. Vera froze, her eyes involuntarily drawn to the woman's stomach again. No, she thought. Of course not. That would be ridiculous. Wilson joined her in the doorway. "Trish, long time no see, how's-" He fell silent.

"Uh, yeah. I think we should talk… Can I come inside?"

[ennysimmer]

a few weeks later...

After playing in the park for nearly two hours, Lovisa and Christopher were sound asleep in their strollers, giving their mothers some time to talk without interruptions. "I'm glad we're finally doing this," Vera said earnestly. "I'm sorry it took me so long to..." "It's okay," Trish interrupted with a smile. "I get it. It's complicated, but we're here now, aren't we? I'm so happy that Chris and Lovisa are getting along so well, too." "Yeah," Vera agreed with a smile. "Anyway, I've been dying to ask you. Have you decided on a date for the wedding yet?" "It's only been a few weeks," Vera laughed. "..but yes," she admitted. "We're planning to have it in a few months. I think we've decided on the venue, and we're currently looking at which dates would work. We should be ready to send out the invitation within the next few weeks." "Oh. You're working very efficiently, I must say." "We want to keep it very simple. Something small with not too many guests, and we don't see any reason to wait."

"And uhm... can I expect to...?" "What? Of course, you're invited, Trish," Vera exclaimed. "You and Chris are family, you know that." "Just checking to make sure," Trish grinned.

[ennysimmer]

"He's a great dad."

"Yeah," Vera agreed. She could sense Trish watching her, but she kept her eyes locked on Wilson and Lovisa until they disappeared into the other room. "Vera... does this bother you?"

"Does what bother me?" "Christopher and I have been spending a lot of time here lately..." "N-no, it doesn't bother me. I think it's great that you and Wilson spend a lot of time together with Christopher." Trish smiled. "I'm sure you do, but that doesn't mean it can't bother you, too. I'd say it would be very normal if it did."

Vera was quiet for a moment, trying to sort through her thoughts. Trish was quiet, too, focusing her attention on Christopher again. This was an opening, Vera realized. Trish had just given her a chance to air the feelings she had been struggling with for so long. At this point, it didn't really matter whether she trusted those feelings or not; they were still there and were clearly not going anywhere. Unless... "It bothers me." Vera hadn't realized she had made a decision until she heard herself speak the words. She swallowed, wondering if she would regret this admission later. Would this whole family arrangement fall apart because of it? Would they think she can't handle this? Trish looked up, but there was no sign of judgment in her face. She gave her a small smile, and it was encouraging enough for Vera to continue. "I really like you, Trish... I adore Christopher, and I trust both you and Wilson, and I... I really want this to work." "I know you do," Trish smiled. "I've never doubted that for a second. I was just wondering whether I was being too... eager. If we've moved forward too quickly with this whole thing. Both Wilson and I have it in common... being very eager." "Among so many other things..." Vera mumbled. "Is that what bothers you? That we're so alike?" Vera wasn't sure what it was about Trish that made her so willing to talk. Somehow, she made her feel safe. "I guess I just... I sometimes feel like the odd one out when we're together. The two of you... you just work so well together, and I guess it's hard for me not to think that he eventually would realize that he..." She swallowed. "..regrets leaving you." Trish nodded thoughtfully. "Wil and I make great friends, and you'll have to excuse me for saying this, but... we made great lovers, too. But marriage...?" She shook her head. "I don't think I'm made for that kind of commitment, and that's what Wil wants. That's why we eventually crashed and burned. We were never a good fit, Vera, and nobody knows this better than he does." Vera already knew this, of course, but hearing Trish repeat the same words made her feel a little better.

"I was always his second choice, you know," Trish continued quietly. "I always knew that he settled for me because he couldn't have you. I never doubted that he loved me, but..." She shook her head and smiled. "No matter how good friends Wil and I are, you will always be his first choice, Vera, and you always have been. Besides, I have no intention of trying to steal him from you anyway." She grinned. "I have no shortage of lovers, you see, and I'm also not that horrible of a person." "Oh... I didn't mean to imply..." "I know, Vera. Don't worry," she laughed. "Anyway, let's make a deal. No more pretending to be fine when we're not fine, okay? Let's speak openly and honestly from now on. That's the only way to make this thing work, right?" Vera's cheeks heated as she remembered that she had made Wilson promise her something similar not too long ago. "O-of course. I'm sorry." "No need to apologize. I just want us all to feel comfortable with each other, that's all."

[ennysimmer]

"Okay, we're heading out now. Are you sure you'll be fine?" Wilson asked Trish.

"Of course, we'll be fine. Don't worry about us." ”Thank you again,” Vera smiled. "Everyone, be nice to Trish now, and Emil, I expect you to help her out while we're out." "Yeah..." He muttered.

"Byeee. Have fun on your date."

[ennysimmer]

"And you're sure it's mine?"

"Yes, I mean… as sure as I can be without a paternity test to confirm it. You know how I've been inv-" "Yes, yes. I know," Wilson interrupted. "I haven't forgotten." "I've been careful with the others, though." "We were careful." ”We weren’t every time, and I think one of those times after the divorce..." Vera tensed. "During the divorce," Wilson corrected, and she could feel him looking at her, but she kept her eyes glued to the floor. "Sorry, of course, I didn't mean to imply...” Trish said quickly. ”I meant to say, after we decided to split. Vera, Wilson did not cheat on you. If he's the father, it happened before the two of you started dating, because as soon as you did, he called me, and we haven't been in contact since. We haven't even talked."

Wilson placed a reassuring hand on Vera's back. "I swear it, Vera. I would never do anything like that to you. Never." She wanted to believe him, she really did, but the betrayals from her past still haunted her mind and made it difficult for her to trust anything right now. But… she couldn’t deny that Trish's pregnancy seemed to be further along than hers, which, at the very least, supported their claims.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Wilson asked, somewhat agitated. "Because I was busy coming to terms with it myself…"

"What does all of this even mean, Trish? You said you didn't want children. That's one of the reasons we split." "I said I wasn't sure," she replied angrily. "You demanded promises I couldn't make. You forced me to eventually say 'no, I don't want it', just to get you off my back." "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I agree," she retorted, glaring at him. "What do you want from me here, Trish? I'm with Vera. We’re a family now, with another child on the way. I can't do this with you as well. I'm not into this open relationship bullshit you threw at me." "I'm not asking you to be in a relationship with me, you idiot. I'm asking you to step up for this child. Help me with this situation that we both caused."

"Both? I didn't tell you to go through with this. Up until now, I wasn't even aware it was going on." "What the fuck are you implying right now, Wilson?" "Well..." He said, looking a little ashamed. All the anger he had been building up suddenly vanished. "I... That's not... I mean... you don’t even want to be a mother, Trish, so why-" "Don't tell me what I want and I don't want. I want this child, Wilson. You'd better get that into that thick head of yours." "Enough. Both of you,” Vera cut in, before the situation escalated any further. She looked up, meeting Trish's eyes for the first time since they sat down.

"I sympathize with your situation. I really do. More than you probably realize. However, showing up like this, unannounced, in the middle of our family day, dropping this information on us that you have known for months. You’ll have to excuse us for not reacting properly or saying the right things. I... I think we need a moment to process this… before we can talk about the future."

Trish sighed. "Okay, let's... start over.” She looked at Wilson again. ”All I'm asking right now is that you take a paternity test. There’s no point in making any decisions before we know for sure, anyway. Can you please do that for me?" Wilson looked at Vera, who nodded. "Fine,” he said. ”When?" "Later this week? I can schedule an appointment." ”Does that work for us?” He asked Vera. ”Sure… Of course.” "Okay," he said. ”Tell me a date and a time, and I'll be there."