This is the fifth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV before continuing.
Scarlett found a quiet place where she was fairly certain she wouldn’t be disturbed – at least as certain as one could be of anything in a plane of existence you hadn’t been entirely sure was real until recently. She sat down, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and focused very hard on her desire for Mandy to vanish from her family and her children to reconcile.
She started by putting it all into words she could repeat to herself over and over like a mantra. But, after a while, the words all blended together and ceased to mean anything.
So, she gave up and focused on the result she wanted. How it would feel to remove the cancer that was growing in her family so it could heal.
She focused, and she focused, and she focused.
And then she felt a click.
She couldn’t have explained it if she tried. It was like something deep inside her told her something had fallen into place.
She opened her eyes and took a moment to reacquaint herself with her surroundings. Once she remembered where she was, she dove into the world of the living to see if her wish had come true.
To her astonishment, she found all of them – including Mandy – sitting and talking together.
“I don’t know how I can trust anything you say,” Susan was saying.
“I’ll work on facing my fear of confrontation and speaking up when I don’t like something,” said Mandy.
“That’s not good enough. What will you say about me behind my back while you’re supposedly ‘working on’ this issue?”
“I’ll tell you,” Owen volunteered. “You’re right that it wasn’t fair for us to talk about you behind your back, so I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen anymore. If you can’t trust Mandy to keep her word, trust me to keep mine.”
Susan’s eyes filled with tears as she considered her brother. Scarlett could tell Susan didn’t trust him, not really. But she wanted to. And that was a start.
“OK,” Susan finally said.
Later, after Owen and Mandy had left, Scarlett saw Susan turn to Jack and say, “You have to keep an eye on her, too. I’m not sure I trust Owen anymore, but the more people are on the lookout for knives in my back, the better I’ll feel.”
Jack agreed and Scarlett’s heart soared. It wasn’t exactly what she had wished for, but it was the most important part of her wish come true. It was all that mattered.
The end.