Wicked Forest (DeBeers 2)

"I don't know, Thatcher."

"That's just it." he pounced. "You don't know,

but you're still taking all this action. It might not be

too late for me to fix things for you. Should I? I was silent. All my life so far. I had always had

someone else-- my adoptive mother. Amou, Daddy--

decide the bigger things far me. Even my old college

boyfriend. Allan Simpson. tried to run my life and

was angry when I disagreed with him. Taking advice

and being a good listener was one thing, but making

up my mind for myself in the end was another. "No," I finally said, recalling the brightness in

my mother's eyes today when we talked about going

to the beauty salon together and getting back into the

main house, think we'll be all right."

"You're making a mistake. Willow. Maybe

you're taking on too much responsibility here.- "I don't think so." I said with more confidence.

"I'm no longer an outsider. Thatcher. This is my

family now and I've got to be a big part of what

happens and what doesn't. No." I continued.

convinced. "we're going ahead with everything, and I

will spend more time with Linden. I always felt

somewhat responsible for what he did to himself." "That's ridiculous."

"No. It's not I shouldn't have pretended to be

someone I wasn't. He was very vulnerable and he

trusted me. It was a form of betrayal that hurt him

deeply. I have to make up for that, and sending him

off to have someone else try to mend my fences is not

my style."

Thatcher smiled.

"You might become a very successful

psychologist or psychiatrist yet. -Willow. I wish I had