“Areyou serious?” Mom leaned closer.
I squirmed. “We’re definitely headed in that direction, but haven’t formalized anything yet. Which is okay. He said he wants to marry me. I just…we just… It’s only been a few days since we got back together, and like you said, Mom, it’s a little fast to be sporting a ring and setting dates.”
They all fell silent. Finally Mom reached out and took my hand in her own, entwining her fingers with mine. “Take your time, Willa. I know we all tease you about getting married and having children, but we just want you to be happy—whetherthat’s with Eng, or some other man, or remaining single. Just be happy. And know we love you.”
“And we’ll bury him if he hurts you,” Nana said.
“You couldn’t bury him,” I said. “He’s like seven feet tall.”
Grandma perked up. “Okay, so cremation?—”
“No one is cremating Eng,” I laughed.
“Okay, okay.” Grandma winked at me. “We won’t kill him. But we will start planning your wedding.”
Oh Lord.
Michaela pulled out her phone. “I’m starting a group chat called Willa-Eng Wedding. Do orcs wear tuxedos, or is their formal attire more of a kilt-thing? Is he Methodist? Should we plan for vegetarian options at the dinner reception?”
I smiled, happily accepting my family’s teasing and pretending to co-op my wedding plans. They did love me, and I knew they’d be happy for me and Eng whenever we decided the time was right.
43
ENG
The Filipkowski house smelled like cinnamon, pine, and something Willa had called grandma-level cheesy potatoes. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded delicious. And itwasdelicious. There were multiple pork roasts which Willa’s father was cooking in several smokers outside, and they were accompanied by more than just the cheesy potatoes. I ate it all, and was happy to finish off Olivia’s green beans which were flavored with bits of bacon and slivers of almonds. In addition to the pie I’d purchased, there were cookies, brownies, ice cream, and a cake. We drank sweet tea served in heavy glass pitchers, and washed down the sweets with hot, black coffee in mismatched mugs.
I loved Willa’s family. They were loud and affectionate and their playful teasing reminded me of my siblings that I’d lost. And the children… It had been so long since I’d had little ones climb all over me with sticky fingers, or take my hand and haul me outside to play basketball.
Willa insisted I go with them, even though I felt guilty for leaving everyone to clean up from dinner while I played with children.
So this was how I found myself outside in forty-degree weather to play “after-dinner basketball.” The blacktop driveway had potholes, the hoop on the garage door tilted slightly left, and the ball was brand spanking new.
“This isn’t going to be fair,” Jamie commented as he looked between me and the hoop. “You’re too tall. Maybe you should play on your knees so we’re the same height.”
“What exactly are the rules of this game?” I asked, hoping I really didn’t have to play on my knees. These were new pants, and while I could easily buy another pair, the thought of spending the rest of the day with holes in the knees of my trousers wasn’t pleasant.
“You’ve never played basketball before?” Oliva asked as if I’d confessed I’d never breathed before.
“No. I assume the goal is to get the ball through the hoop?” I asked.
Sarah nodded. “Yes, but you have to bounce the ball each time you take a step, and the other team tries to steal it from you.”
In the end it was decided that I didn’t have to play on my knees, but that I could only try to make a basket from halfway down the driveway. I was paired with Olivia and a nephew with the unusual name of “Four,” with Jamie, Sarah, and Drew on the opposing team. We played, and I found the game harder than expected. The children were nimble and able to dart around me and even through my legs to shoot for the basket. I kept forgetting to “dribble” the ball and accumulated a lot of penalties and time-outs. The adults eventually made their way outside to sit in rickety aluminum lawn chairs and watch. Willa joined them, the cold wind lifting her curls and making her scarf flap.
I managed to steal the ball from Drew and threw it toward the hoop a bit harder than expected. The ball bounced off themetal with enough force that the ring straightened and the ball rebounded into the neighbor’s yard.
“Sorry!” I called out.
Willa’s father cackled. “Are you kidding? Fixing that hoop has been on my honey-do list for months. Now I can finally cross it off and I didn’t even need to get out the ladder.”
The game became less basketball and more “how many people does it take to guard a seven-foot orc?” Olivia and Four abandoned me for the other team, turning the game into “all of the children against Eng.” I missed the basket over and over again, but in the end I finally scored a goal.
Willa laughed until her scarf and hat slid sideways and she had to lean on her brother to breathe. I laughed too because here I wasn’t afraid of failure. I wasn’t worried about looking the fool or embarrassing myself. Here I was safe. Here I was surrounded by people who loved me.
Here I was with the female I loved, the one I was determined to make my bride.
It was dark when Willa and I made our way to her small, dilapidated car. I carried the bags of leftovers, and she skipped ahead, car keys in hand.
