19. a face in the crowd

 

Willa really loved a cozy home. It seemed to be all that mattered. Of course, people she went to college with and her parents wanted her to focus on her studies. After all, she'd ranked in the top of her class in nursing. But at the time, she didn't want to further her education.

After all, the pandemic was going on. She just wanted peace. Was she so selfish to want to stay home?

She typed up doctor's notes. She could work from home. And of course, she already had a house even if it were her great aunt's old home. Naturally, it felt it came with its own ghosts. Mostly were bad pipes and manic squirrels on the roof. 

She was doing fine on her own. She wasn't sure why her parents were so worried. Of course, it all came down to final jeopardy. Would she ever start a family?

"You'll be thirty soon," she heard again and again. Of course, when she was younger they didn't want her to have anything to do with boys. No dating. So she never did. 

Willa didn't want to think of the nightmares she had of being mixed up with the wrong guy. And end up alone and pregnant? Well, Willa wouldn't chance that.

Finally, Glen found her. He was there to fix the pipes. A leaky kitchen faucet in fact. That's when he told her how ancient pipes really were. This would be a delicate surgery for the house. Money would be involved. 

"I'll just do a little at a time," he said parts were hard to find these days. After all, it would be an investment. 

She did end up spending a lot of time with him. And he told her about his trips to Asia and how he wanted to learn Spanish and go to Spain.

"Spain?" It made her smile. After all, her great Aunt loved Spain. She got out all her old photo albums. Glen liked looking at them. They would have coffee and cookies. Before she knew it, they were making plans, long away plans that is, to go to Spain. 

"My mom always said you should travel together before you married," Glen said.

Willa thought that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. So much to look forward to after the pandemic.