by Patricia Watson

Created on: March 14, 2010

Wanda was a friend to everyone. Her childhood buddies had long ago accepted her facial deformity. She was one of the gang, her sense of fun and adventure knew no limits. Those who knew her became protectors, when strangers made rude remarks or stared, just a few seconds too long.

Inside a tattered baby album, were the only pictures of a once beautiful child. Long blond curls, gently kissing a round, cherub like face, eyes so blue they paled the heavens. Wanda had looked at those early photos so many times; the edges of the album were becoming frayed. She turned to her photos when she was alone. They replaced the empty spot in her heart that had grown so large it threatened to consume her.

She did not remember the fire. Too young to retain, or just too traumatic to revisit, there was no real remembrance. She knew the story only too well, having heard it repeated by her grandmother over the years. The newspaper accounts of the tragedy were pressed and yellowed nestled between photos of a once happy family. Wanda, the only survivor of a tragic house fire, hid the pain from that fateful event, behind her scars.

She had learned to accept her lot in life. While loved by everyone, she would never find a man who could love her through her disfigurement. She had watched her friends grow up and find love. Each time there was a marriage, she was genuinely happy for the lucky couple. If someone needed an extra bridesmaid, Wanda was the ‘go-to-girl’.

Melanie and Jake were that last of the gang to get married. There was never any doubt that the bride would pick her as the maid of honor. Wanda excitedly tried on the lovely gown and managed to hide her sadness behind that ever present smile.

Sometimes, accidents can be a doorway to unexpected good fortune. Jake's best man, Larry, was the catalyst for just such a twist of fate. Wanda had joined her friends for a pre-wedding celebration at the local bar. The mood was light and the best man was looped! Somehow Jake had managed to slip away from the group, and in his drunken state, decided to drive himself home. He never made it out of the parking lot. Jake's injuries were not life-threatening, but they would keep him out of the wedding party.

Jake's accident sealed Wanda's fate. Her life would never be the same. Her future arrived in town, by train, and embarked to embrace her like a warm blanket on a winter night. Michael was Jake's cousin from another state, hastily chosen to fill the shoes of best man. Melanie

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