Page 95 of Witch Please

The drive to Normal was familiar, two hours or so on I-55. Danica made good time, and she exited the highway just before dinnertime. Nostalgia overwhelmed her as she drove through town, seeing all the places where she hung out as a kid. Auntie Allegra had raised Clem here too, relying on Minerva and Laurence to help.

She pulled into the driveway. Mom and Dad’s place was newer than the house she’d bought from Gram, a simple three-bedroom ranch. Only one full bath, but for a small family like theirs, it had never been a problem. The garden, though, the garden was lavish and beautiful. People regularly stopped to take pictures because of the incredible profusion of herbs and flowers. As usual, Mom was working in the yard when Danica got out of the car.

Minerva had on cutoffs, a ratty tank top, and a baseball cap; she completed the look with heavy work gloves and rubber boots. Gram would have so much to say about her daughter’s style, but Danica went in for the hug, regardless of potential grime. Frankly, her mom looked fantastic, content with her life choices.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Mom said. “I baked after I got your text, and there’s a pitcher of fresh lemonade in the fridge. Before we settle in a for a visit, I need a shower, but would you mind doing me a favor?”

“Not at all. What do you need?”

“I’m looking for a book I marked for donation by mistake. It might be in some boxes I stashed in the guest room. Would you check? This rhododendron desperately needs help.”

“What’s the name of it?”

Minerva told her then added, “Ten minutes, fifteen tops, and I’m all yours.”

“No problem.”

Danica followed her mom inside the house, breathing in cool air and the faint scent of fresh flowers, vases of them in every room. She kicked her shoes off and headed for the guest room, where she found cardboard cartons chock-full of her mother’s history. It didn’t take long to unearth the gardening book her mother had requested, but on top of another box, she found what looked like old journals. Curious, she flipped one open.

March 18, 1989

I’ve never felt this way before. With everyone else, it’s work, an endless struggle, but not Laurence. It’s easy. And he’s unbelievably sweet. He drove forty miles to get a tape that I’ve been looking for, and he played it in the car when he took me home. We kissed for ages—

Okay, maybe not. She skimmed the sexy stuff and found another entry dated a few months later.

June 20, 1989

I think we have to elope. Mom will never give her blessing, and she’s threatening to hurt Laurence. She even made up the craziest story about how I’ll lose my magic if I marry him. Everyone I’ve talked to said it’s absolute nonsense, that they’ve never heard of the Waterhouse curse. Ethel said that if it’s not true, Mom is mean enough to hex me herself. And frankly, I don’t care if she does. I can’t live without Laurence. I won’t. Fuck her, it’s MY LIFE.

Danica blinked. “Holy. Shit.”

Did that mean the Waterhouse curse started with Minerva? That Gram actually fucking laid a curse on her own daughter?

“That’s so messed up.” She ran an anxious hand through her hair, knowing she had to talk to Mom about this when she got out of the shower.

“Did you find it?” Mom asked. She was dressed in clean khaki shorts and a sleeveless blouse, hair still up in a towel. She seemed to notice the notebook in Danica’s hand. “My old journals… I used to write constantly, but I don’t have that much to say these days.”

Is that because you lost your magic?She couldn’t bring herself to ask the question aloud, but she hugged her mom tight, realizing that she’d gotten stingy with physical affection as she got older. Startled, Mom put her arms around her and rubbed her back.

“Something wrong, Little Star?”

“Will Dad be home soon?”

“Around six. He’s meeting with a new client this afternoon, so we have plenty of time to chat before dinner.”

Danica nodded, relieved that she had a little private time with her mom. “Let’s talk over cookies and lemonade.”

They settled at the kitchen table, and Danica opened up to her mom as she hadn’t in years, outlining all the problems she’d run into with Gram, her spontaneous romance with Titus, Gram’s coercion and the forced Bindr dates, the way she’d fought with her grandmother like never before. Finally, she explained how she’d told Gram off over the phone, threatened to set Minerva on her, and eventually decided that her happiness lay with Titus. A mundane. Though Mom listened to everything without comment or judgment, her expression darkened.

“I’m sorry. It sounds like things have been crappy.” Mom pushed the plate toward her.

Food couldn’t solve these problems, but they did sweeten them up a little. Danica ate a cookie and took a breath, bracing for the toughest issue of all. “Now I need to know, did Gram curse you? Is that why you don’t have any magic?”

Such a long silence. Then Minerva started laughing. “Oh, baby. Is that what you think? Is that what she told you? That I have no magic.”

“No. Yes? I’m not sure. I’m really fucking confused right now.”

“Let me straighten things out for you, Little Star. Your grandmother and I fought, just like you did, about me seeing Laurence. She didn’t hex me, though she did try to con me into believing I’d lose my power.”

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