The Brooch

In Secret

As all the weddings do in that town of Ponchas Avenue Row, the congregation, walked behind the beaming brand new bride and groom with the band playing. All the while all dancing like jubilee in a parade down that street all the way down to the newly engaged, Miss Millie Wexler's estate for the till after hours reception.

It was an event like no other. It was almost as if the entire town of Ponchas, Orange Haven, even Everly, waited to see Uncle Jeffy would ever get off the market. No one thought it would ever happen. Including Uncle Jeffy himself. But he was in love with the angelic Cornelia Pumpkin and that was all it took.

Happiness, laughter and shouts of joy rang throughout on that enchanted day! Even the weather in it's perfect glow, celebrated the special event.

As all feasted and danced the day into the early night, an on the edge Maple, did what she did best... She stayed out of eye view as much as possible..,

But not before grabbing her best friend Josephine the same way Beth Anne had dragged her aside that same morning...

Finding a place with no one around, Maple always knew Miss Millie's hidden passages. So in jaste, she took a curious, but jabbering at the mouth, Josephine to one of their favorite hidden places on that massive estate backyard.

Through the grove and down a path of tranquility, Maple and Josephine were finally alone...

"Oh slap me with a funky chicken!" Josephine deeply sighed in full on relief! "Thank you, Maple!" She said collapsing and nearly falling off the oak tree swing on Miss Millie's large estate.

"Scooch ova." Maple said sitting cozy side by side Josephine.

"I swear Maple, if you had of come any later, you would had ta set me sideways and slap me silly. Whew!" She said taking a deep breath of relief in. "I tell ya, that Fern Fishburn is long winded and nearly talked my head off!"

"Jojo... I have to show you some em." Maple nervously said.

"Okay..." Josephine replied as she started to push them with her long legs back and forth on that swing. "But first, I gotta say, did you know Fern is still perturbed with Annelle. I mean, jest befoe you came, she was grillin me like a steak on fire. All to see if I knew anythang bout that darn skunk in a box! Course I had to stand there and jest look as surprised as kin be. She was jest waitin foe uh answer. Almost like she knew I was there. I could feel my stomach bubblin ova with anxiety with the glare she gave. But then you, bein my hero of day came to my rescue!" She said side hugging Maple. "Okay I jest had ta get that out. Naw yo turn." She said grinning wide as can be.

Maple, could feel the color leaving her face as she stared into her best friend's honey eyes. Working the nerve up to speak, Maple found couldn't as she could feel the lump in her throat taking over... So she did the next best thing...

She closed her eyes. Nervously she took her hand from behind her back and placed it in front of Josephine...

"Good Lawd, Maple!" Josephine uttered astonished. "Where'd you get that rock?"

Maple gulped... "Andrew..."

Like Maple, you could see the color slipping from Josephine's face as she halted that swing scuffing her lemon colored pumps in the process... Wiping her straight copper toned hair out of her freckled face, Josephine's eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets!

"He gave you that rock?"

"He gave me this rock!" Maple deeply sighed.

"But when? I mean... when?" Josephine said with her mouth a jar. "I didn't thank he wuz in Ponchas or gonna return any time soon,"

"I didn't either." Maple replied in half breaths.

Josephine grabbed Maple's trembling hand. She held it so tight in hers, as she gawked in amazement at the large sapphire antique...

"Does, does that mean he wonts__"

"To marry me? Yes..." Maple sighed breathlessly looking anxiously into the now orange sky...

Whut Maple didn't notice, was in that current moment, was the profound expression of ache spreading upon her best friend's face. You would have thought someone passed on to glory with her  now pale expression of woe...

For Maple had absolutely no clue, that all this time, Josephine had secretly pined for Andrew...
Sure she knew that Josephine, like most of the girls in her class, crushed on him once upon a time. But she didn't know just how much. Especially with Josephine. All this time she had hidden her cards well...

"I always thought if one of them came back for ya. It would have been Tator."

"Tator? Hmph!" Maple groaned in apparent agitation. "Why apparently he's jest like his Nana!" She hissed. "But he's furtherest thing from my mind right now.

But both Maple and Josephine knew that wasn't true. Because Tator was a big part of it all...

"Besides, after kiss__"

"He kissed you?" Josephine blurted!

"Several times..."

"Ooooh..." Josephine muttered as she began to feel stick to her stomach.

"Oh Jojo, whut am I gone do?" Maple said as the anxiety bubbled over.

Josephine, pretending to not the feel pain of disappointment and heartbreak in her heart swallowed her pride and took a deep breath in.

"Whutdoya wan do Maple?" She sighed while fighting back the tears. "You wanna marry him?"

"I dunno!" Maple cried. "It's all so sudden. I mean, glory alive, I ain't seen him in so long! I ripped him out of my heart and threw him away. Just like Tator. After the trial, and them both leavin, I didn't wont nothin to do with either of them. You know that!" She said jolting off the swing. "But here he is..." Maple replied confused. "Back in my life. And so help me... part of me still feels." She said bewildered...

"Is he here?" Josephine asked standing behind Maple. "At the weddin?"

"Uncle Jeffy invited him." Maple exasperated.

"You sound upset about that...."

"Well how am I supposed ta feel Josephine?"

"Well I dunno know..." Josephine anxiously shrugged.

"Whut on God's green earth am I gone do?" Maple asked...

Right then and there, Josephine knew exactly what she wanted Maple to tell Andrew. And that was an adamant heck no! But she knew she would not only be that sound vice that Maple despondently needed at the time, but a friend in general. So instead she replied...

"Go with your heart Maple."

Josephine said that knowing even if it meant that her love for Andrew Wellington would have to die, right there where she stood...