The Vision. Linda Blum
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was very vocal about his psychic occult, as she called it, and accused him of going against God. It annoyed him that she thought this and he didn’t appreciate being nailed to the cross with her “Love thy neighbour as long as you’re like me” attitude either, so he began to retaliate with his own insults.
This was the start of the verbal holy war between them, until Will’s mother stepped in to nip it in the bud. Grandma Nora always acted as the mediator and brought peace to these family situations. It wasn’t hard for her to negotiate an agreement between the two of them. In the end she told the both of them to keep their opinions and beliefs regarding these matters to themselves.
There was a soft knock at the door and for a brief second, Will considered not responding to it. Judy watched as he sat glued to his chair making no attempt to answer it. She knew exactly what was running through his mind.
“Uncle Will,” she scolded. “You know you can’t do it.”
A blank expression crossed over his face. “Do what?”
Judy guffawed at his pretence of ignorance. “Pretend no one’s home.”
“Would I do that?” he asked innocently.
She watched her uncle closely, noting the gleam in his eyes.
“Yes.”
A small smile formed on his lips at her response. It didn’t last long though when he heard the sound of persistent knocking. Will sighed as he got up from his chair.
Judy quickly got to her feet. “Why don’t I get it,” she cautioned. “Maybe if I greet Aunt Vera it will calm her down.”
Her uncle stopped and gave her a doubtful look.
“You never know,” Judy said optimistically.
Uncle Will shook his head. He knew his sister well enough to know that once she got something into her head, watch out.
“Just be careful,” he warned. “She might throw a lightning bolt at you.”
Judy made a face at him as she headed towards the door.
On several occasions she had witnessed her aunt’s indifference towards her uncle. The worst episode was after her mother had died. Aunt Vera had a difficult time losing her sister and turned to the church for help. It was during this period that conflict arose between her and her brother.
When Will was made Judy’s legal guardian, Vera was beside herself. She became adamant that she should raise Judy, contending that her home would provide a more stable environment for her niece. It wasn’t a surprise to Will, or the family, that she would express a wish to do this. She loved Judy and always doted on her. Everyone, however, questioned whether her desire to become nurturer was based solely on honourable intentions, or her biases towards her brother.
Grandma Nora decided to approach her daughter on this matter to find out. Vera reluctantly admitted that her motives were based in a bit of both areas. Nora understood her feelings and pointed out that if Vera truly loved Judy she would put aside her differences and honour her sister’s wishes, as well as Judy’s. Vera begrudgingly agreed, but that didn’t stop her from involving herself in her niece’s life.
In the beginning her visits were cordial. Will knew, however, if his sister ever found out about Judy’s abilities this would change. When Vera finally did find out she was flabbergasted, automatically blaming Will for influencing her. Judy vehemently defended him declaring that he had nothing to do with this. Vera wouldn’t believe any of it of course, as her prejudices towards Will clouded any truths that were being said.
Judy was angered by her actions. She had watched this woman ridicule, judge and persecute her uncle because of his abilities, abilities he was born with, along with many others for that matter. Why some people possessed these capabilities while others didn’t she could not truly say. What she did know was that she could no longer stand back and watch him suffer any more, so she had it out with her aunt.
Judy’s outburst rattled Vera. She had never seen her niece so upset before. When Judy became calmer, they were able to patch things up. Vera’s idea of patching up, however, was to ignore reality and pretend that Judy didn’t possess psychic abilities. As for her brother, she agreed to stop badgering him and try to get along.
After this, Judy talked to her uncle, asking him to try and be more amicable towards his sister. She also requested that he keep his opinions to himself, imploring that her aunt had a right to her beliefs and that he should respect them. Will obligingly agreed.
Both tried to be pleasant towards one another and for the most part their visits went well, that was until today.
When Judy got to the door she took a deep breath, forced a smile on her face and braced herself, as she opened it. Aunt Vera stood before her clenching her purse in her hands. She appeared aloof at first, until she saw Judy then a smile formed on her face.
“Judy,” Aunt Vera stepped inside to give her a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Will entered the foyer to greet her.
“Hello Vera.”
The smile faded from her face at her brother’s appearance.
“Hello William,” she said thinly.
While Vera was removing her coat, Will graciously came over to help her. When it was removed, she lifted her head with an indignant air and walked away with not so much as a thank you spilling from her lips. A dark look crossed over Will’s face and a few expletives escaped his mouth as he watched her disappear.
“She acts like that whenever she has a beef with me.”
Judy began to protest until Will held up his hand to silence her.
“She thinks I am the devil incarnate,” he seethed.
“She does not.”
Will gave her a look like she was crazy. “Did you see the way she looked at me? Couldn’t you feel the anger emanating from her?” he shook his head, “She’s here to nail me to her cross again.”
Judy hated to agree, but he was right. As soon as she opened the door, she could feel her agitation and knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant visit. She prayed that Ren and Jay wouldn’t come back from their walk yet, as she didn’t want Jay to witness this.
When they entered the family room, they noticed Vera had seated herself in the winged back chair giving her an authoritative look. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and her back was ramrod straight. Judy took a seat beside her, whereas, Will put some distance between them and stood by the bar in the opposite corner of the room.
“There is an important matter I need to discuss with you William,” she stated seriously.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” Will said dryly.
She glared at him. “I have recently been informed you are dating.”
“Why are you interested?”
Vera’s eyes widened at his question. “The woman you are dating is my friend’s daughter.”
“So,” Will replied casually.
“So,” she gasped. “I’ve known this girl since she was little. Her family have been members of my church for years. Her mother and I are in the quilting club together.” Vera stopped to take a breath before emphasizing her final point. “She’s a very Christian orientated person.”
Will stared at her in disbelief.
He raised his eyebrows in question. “So what are you implying sister dear?”
“Nothing,” she stated simply. “Just that it appears you don’t have much in common with Valerie.”
Will snickered. “You mean since I am not considered a Christian, in your eyes you deem me unsuitable for Valerie.”
“Not exactly,” she said evenly. “But