Liz - Customs Remembered

“I’m sorry, Ginny, but there is nothing I can do; my hands are tied.”

Virginia looked up tearfully at her employer.

Angelena gripped her hand.“You know I would love nothing more then to have you continue to work for me; everyone at the shop loves you. But I just can’t. You’re way too pregnant to be waitressing. You are so close to having this baby, and my conscience would never allow you to keep exhausting yourself in this way.”

Virginia stared up into her friend’s face. “What am I going to do? I’ve already been thrown from the apartment, and Grandma won’t answer my calls. I can barely afford the hotel room… What am I to do? Where will I go? I can’t have my baby at the Y!” she wailed and Angelena wrapped her arms around her sobbing friend.

“Is it as bad as all that? You told me things were okay.”

Virginia futilely tried to wipe her tearstained face. “I lied. I have almost nothing, just a suitcase and a box of clothes, nothing else. I had to sell all the baby things I’ve received to pay for rent, and I was evicted two weeks ago. I’ve been staying on credit at the Heart to Heart Motel, but that expires tomorrow. And I can’t get hold of my father…”

“What about Wolf?” Angelena asked tentatively. She’d never questioned it when Virginia had shown up asking for a job. She’d told her that Wolf was gone. Angelena knew something had to have gone wrong… Because she knew Virginia too well, and had seen the two of them together. Wolf would do anything for her.

“I have no way of reaching Wolf anyway, and if I could I wouldn’t. The last thing I need is his charity.” Virginia stood and let out a soft murmur. She brought her hand to her enormous stomach and rubbed it gently. “There, there, little one… It’s all right.”

Angelena was nearly brought to tears and began thinking rapidly. “I don’t want you working, Ginny, you could really hurt yourself and the baby and I won’t have you doing it.” She sighed. “Stay with me.”

Virginia looked up at her friend. “You and Robert don’t have any room,” she said sadly.

“Yes we do, Nathan is away at school.” Angelena smiled. “It isn’t much, just a little space in the basement, but it will do for now.”

“I could never… I don’t have any money…” Angelena frowned and Virginia shrank back.

“Stop it Ginny. My mind is made up and there is nothing you can do to persuade me otherwise. Besides, Robert and I will be happy to have you. Now,” she said, standing and gesturing for Virginia to stand also, “I am going to drive you to that flea-bitten motel to collect your things. But first I’m going to call Robert and have him put some clean sheets on Nathan’s bed.”

Virginia stared up at her friend wide-eyed, too grateful to speak. She meekly nodded her head and stood slowly. “Ange… I… I can’t thank you enough.”

“Oh honey, I’d like to think you’d do the same for me,” she said, hugging Virginia carefully. “Now come on.”

“Like I said,it isn’t much, but it’s private and comfortable and warm,” Angelena said, leading Virginia downstairs. They passed a smell rec room filled with pool tables and antique beer bottles and Angelena showed her into a medium sized room. It was dark, but that was to be expected of a basement. It was a lovely deep shade of blue: Blue carpeting and blue furniture and a beautiful blue comforter spread out on a medium sized bed.

“Oh Ange, it’s wonderful!” Virginia said, tears welling up again in her blue eyes.

“Now none of that, you! You’re going to get me crying again!” Angelena said with a laugh as she set two dirty brown boxes on the floor by the bed. Virginia placed her suitcase on top of them. “The bathroom is right through there,” Angelena said, indicating a door on the left. “And if you need anything else just let me know. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, would you like Robert and I help you unpack?”

Virginia smiled up at her friend. “No thanks,” she said tiredly “I think I’ll lie down for a bit.”

Angelena grinned at her and crossed the room. “I’ll call you when dinner is ready,” she said, closing the door.

Virginia wasted no time stripping off her socks and shoes and climbed carefully into the soft bed. “Ah…” she breathed, and was asleep before the sound exited her mouth.

It was dark when Virginia awoke. She groaned and turned on the light, a bit disorientated.

“Where?” She saw all the blue and remembered where she was. She smiled and listened for the sound of talking and dishes clanking but the house was silent. What time is it? she wondered, and opened her door. Just to the left was a small table with a heat pad and a plate on it. A note next to the food read: You were sleeping so peacefully when I came down I couldn’t wake you. Here’s a little something in case you get hungry and there is plenty more upstairs. Virginia grinned and lugged the tray inside.

Virginia took a moment to look at the room before eating. It was very comfortable indeed. It had a TV and VCR, not to mention a phone and radio, which Virginia flipped on while eating. The chicken on her plate tasted great and she finished in no time. Virginia contemplated going back to bed but wasn’t tired, so she decided to unpack. She hung up her clothes and put her toiletries in the bathroom. She took a picture of her mother and set it on her nightstand, and one of her father on the shelf. She looked down at a picture of Wolf she had taken his first day at Bloomingdale's and set it on the TV with a sigh.

She tried too hard not to think of him, but as the days grew closer and closer to the birth of their child, she found it impossible. Sometimes she would reach out at night for him and wake herself when no one was there. She let the tears well up and spill over her cheeks. Despite the fact that he was getting married, she didn’t hate him. How could she? She loved him. Virginia had decided that it was it for her. No man would ever be able to make her feel the way Wolf had, and she wasn’t going to spend her time looking. She knew Wendell had hidden the mirror and Wolf would never again come to New York, and as much as the though of him never knowing his child broke her heart, she was relieved that she would never have to see him and his new wife.

“Oh Wolf, how could you do this to me?” she cried, rubbing her stomach. She knelt to pick up a few pairs of socks and felt something hard beneath the newspaper. She dug around and withdrew a mirror.

“What the…?”

It was a medium sized oval mirror, dark and very ornately carved. Virginia vaguely remembered seeing it but couldn’t remember where. She turned it over in her hands and found an inscription on the back Seeing mirror. For spying and trapping and just plain seeing. Realization hit her with a jolt. This was one of her mother’s mirrors! Tony must have hidden it in her things so she could contact him.

“Oh Daddy!” she cried and took a deep breath. Suddenly she heard her mother’s voice in her mind: A mirror never lies.

“Hm…” She drew in her breath again.

“Mirror mirror in my hand,” she called softly,
“Find your way across the land
And show the man that I had planned
To marry.”

She waited while the mirror began to glow and her image disappeared. It was replaced with the image of a bedchamber, and there he was. Wolf sat on the bed in a richly dark outfit, running his hand through his hair. Virginia was shocked at his appearance. He was very pale and thin looking and his face looked worn and tired.

“Wolf?” she whispered to herself. She watched as Genevieve entered and crossed the room.

“Good evening love,” she said softly and Virginia’s cheeks burned. Genevieve wrapped her arms around Wolf and pressed her cheek against his, but Wolf did not smile. Undaunted, Genevieve tried again. “You seemed distant at dinner tonight, is something bothering you?”

Wolf didn’t answer and Virginia watched as Genevieve’s face darkened. She stood up and walked a distance from Wolf. “You're doing it again aren’t you? AREN’T YOU?” she said angrily, her body shaking.

Wolf looked up at her and slowly nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said tiredly.

Genevieve threw her hands up and let out a disgusted sound.“What exactly do I have to do?” she asked and Wolf shook his head uncomprehendingly. “What is it about me that you don’t like? What? Am I not pretty enough? Do I not please you in bed? Am I too forceful and business smart, what?” she said, pulling Wolf to his feet and meeting his gaze. Virginia felt as if she should look away, but was glued to the drama unfolding before her eyes.

“No, It’s not that,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s not any of those things.”

“Then WHAT is it that I am not?”

Wolf looked at her carefully, choosing his words. “You’re not Virginia,” he finally said softly.

“OOOOHHHH!” Genevieve let out a frustrated scream and stalked out of the room. Virginia sat stunned.

Wolf sighed and began shedding his clothing. He sat on his bed clothed only in a pair of boxer shorts, ones with little yellow smiley faces on them. Virginia gave a little laugh; it was the first article of clothing she had let him pick out for himself when they had first come to New York. She noticed something around his neck, but couldn’t quite make it out.

“What is that?” she wondered out load. The mirror responded instantly, zooming in like a telescope until Wolf’s frame filled its view. Virginia put a hand to her head as she recognized the hair.

“It’s my hair,” she said in wonder, her hand running through her now quite long brown locks. She watched as Wolf picked up the charm her hair held and realized what it was. “My ring,” she said sadly. She watched Wolf stroke the ring and murmur to it softly. The ring hummed a bit in response but did not sing.

“I know, I know,” Wolf said softly as he kissed its pearly head before dropping it back to its place above his heart. A heart that Virginia had listened to night after night, taking pleasure in its beat. Virginia watched as Wolf laid himself down on the bed and closed his eyes.“Virginia…” he whispered before falling asleep.

Tears clouded her vision. “Enough” she whispered and the mirror went dark. Virginia put her head in her hands and began to sob. “What have I done?” she wondered. In an instant she knew the truth. She had left the only man she would ever love because of a custom he had not known about. She cried harder as she thought of her stupidity, of the lonely months she had spent aching for his arms and understanding… and yet… he still loved her. What she had seen bore witness to that fact. Wolf was marrying solely because she had rejected him. She remembered him telling her through the door that he didn’t care if he ever set foot in his homeland again, if he could only be with her.

“Oh Wolf, how could I have been so blind?” And yet he loved her. He dreamed about her and wore her ring above his heart. How could she have possibly thought she could live without him? Virginia wondered how she could even consider not letting this child know its father, and in an instant she knew what she had to do.

“Custom or no, I’ll be damned if I’m going to loose him again,” she whispered to herself. She heard again his voice in her mind: Wolfs mate for life “So do I, Wolf, so do I.”

Virginia picked up the mirror again. “Get me my father,” she said, skipping the rhyme. If she remembered correctly a person could also talk through the mirror.

Its dark glass lightened until Virginia could see Tony sitting with Wendell in a private room drinking wine and talking softly.

“Dad?” she said, and Tony jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Virginia?” he called, looking all around.

Virginia realized she was looking down at them. “Up here, Dad,” she said, smiling.

“Virginia!” Tony yelped happily, leaping to his feet. Wendell followed suit. “I see you found the mirror?”

“Yeah, Dad, and thanks, I really needed it now.” She quickly explained her situation and Tony’s face blackened.

“That no good Wolf, I told you, Virginia? Didn’t I?”

Virginia shook her head.

“No, Dad, it’s not what you think.” She smiled at Wendell and her father. “I’ll explain all of that later. Right now I need you to open up the mirror so I can come through.”

“Why?” Wendell and Tony questioned in unison and Virginia felt a sly grin crossing her face.

“Because my father, my good friend… I have a wedding to crash.”