One day, when daddy went to town, he got in trouble and was unfairly put into prison.

The dimly lit house brimmed with the warm aroma of food emanating from the kitchen. Cassy worked tirelessly away, preparing an abundant feast to commemorate the completion of the renovation of the house. She was not the best cook, in fact, Cassy was not a good cook at all. After all, she used to be the daughter of a rich family. She always had servants tending to her, so why would she ever need to learn how to cook? Despite this, she'd worked tirelessly the past few days, practicing the art of cooking despite Joey's protests that she let him do it.

Tonight was the night where she'd finally do something meaningful with the experience she'd accumulated the past few days. It wasn't the best looking nor best tasting food, but it was made with heartfelt effort and love. After placing the last dish on the table, she sat down and eagerly waited for Joey's return,fiddling her thumbs and fidgeting in her seat. She hoped Joey would like it.

An hour passed; the sun had set and now the sky was fully dark.

Two more hours passed; the food had long gone cold, but it was the least of her worries. Where was Joey? Why has he not come home yet? Cassy's heart raced with worry as her mind came up with the most frightful possibilities of what may have happened to him. She decided to wait a little longer; Maybe he was just running a little late?

Two more hours passed. The newly bought cuckoo clock rang, signifying the arrival of midnight. Joey was still not home. Cassy paced around the house. She feared the worst. What If something really happened? Would that mean that she was alone now? She was a fish out of water in an unfamiliar land, in a ranch in the middle of nowhere beside a forest sprawling with wildlife. She didn't even have their car with her, Joey had used it to drive to town. She dared not venture to the rabbit hole of what is to become of her if something truly happened to Joey. She prayed and prayed that he be safe, the he be back in the morning. 

With a quivering heart, Cassy packed the food and placed it in the newly bought refrigerator. She hoped that Joey would be back right now and that it was just her over worrying, but it seemed clear at this point that he won't be back today.

I'm sure something small must've hindered him. I'm sure he'll be back by tomorrow, and it was all a big hoax. She stopped in front of the stairs. He has to…..

She collapsed onto the bed once she arrived at her and Joey's room. Her body was exhausted, as was her mind. The soft and warm bedding sang a luring lullaby that further augmented her exhaustion and desire to sleep, yet she could not fall asleep. Anxiety had its firm grip on her, and so, after a sleepless night of tossing and turning, the next day arrived.

Nothing.

Another day passed. Nothing.

The third day came. Still nothing.

Something had definitely happened to Joey. He was not someone who'd break his promise or abandon her,so something had definitely happened to him. 

The last two days were a nightmare for Cassy. She'd spend the whole day pacing around the house, waiting anxiously for Joey's return. The longer she waited, the stronger the dread in her grew. It was dread that something had happened to him, but it was also the dread of being left alone to fend for herself in the middle of nowhere. The nights were torturous, she didn't get an ounce of sleep from all her worries and the sound of animals in the forest near the ranch. Particularly the howl of wolves, reminding her that the forest was teeming with fearful beasts that could eat her up given the chance. Now, it was the third day. 

Without the car, she'd be forced to tread miles along the road to reach the town, but that was the least of her worries now. She had to go to town to find out what happened to Joey.

Just as Cassy was lost in her whirlpool of anxious thoughts, a familiar sound came from outside the house. It was the sound of a car's engine, and it's wheels running through the grass on the field. 

Could it be? Has Joey returned?!

Without a second thought, she ran to the window to looka the car outside. It….it was their car! Joey has returned!

Cassy sprinted as fast her legs could carry her towards the car. Her eyes welled with tears of joy that all her worrying was for nothing, and that Joey was safe and sound. 

The car door opened, but instead of Joey coming out, it was a young woman. To make things worse, she seems to be the only one in the car. The woman looked younger than Cassy. She was a pretty red haired girl, slim and petite but taller than Cassy was, with an air of energy in her eyes that displayed her young age, around 16 years based on Cassy's estimates.

Cassy's mind was blank. She didn't know what to make of this. Why was she and Joey's car being driven here by this young girl? Where was Joey?

The girl trodded towards Cassy upon exiting the car, her expression a mix of apologeticness and guilt.

“Are you perhaps Mrs. Cassandra Wilson?” She asked, right to the point without any greetings or polite Talk.

“Y-yes.” The question had caught Cassy by surprise. Her hand raised to her chest in unease.

“But…who might you be?”Her mind was a mess. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask, but right now this was the only one that came out.

“Mrs. Wilson, I'm so sorry!” The girl suddenly clasped Cassy's hand with both of hers.

“My name is Angela McCarthy, ma'am! I'm the daughter of the mayor in this town,”

“Then you know that…”

“Yes, I know about you and your husband's special situation ma'am,” Angela suddenly clenched harder on Cassy's hand. “But that's not what I'm here to talk about, Mrs. Wilson. Your husband, he's been imprisoned.”

“What?!” Cassy exclaimed, the information hitting her so suddenly that she didn't even know how to react. 

Angela looked down in guilt.

“He didn't do anything wrong, ma'am. He saved me from being assaulted.” She muttered.

“I was being assaulted by a man from our town. It was dark, there was no one around that I could call out to help me. Mr. Wilson heard my scream and protected me, but he ended up beating that man.” This story was just like how she and Joey had first met. Her mind filled with dread as she started putting pieces together.

“Ms. McCarthy, that man, was he of white skin?” Angela looked up. She understood from Cassy's face, voice, and this question that Cassy already understood the situation.

“Yes, ma'am. The man ended up reporting Mr. Wilson to the sheriff–"”

 "Then what's going to happen to Joey?! What punishment did they give him?! Don't tell me they–” Tears started to well up in Cassy's eyes. Her mind whirled with images of all the ways Joey could be punished, each worse than the other. A black man had beaten a white man, the townsfolk would never let that slide. 

“Ma'am, please, calm down! Mr. Wilson will be fine!” Angela's hands clenched harder, trying to calm Cassy down. “He won't be punished!”

Cassy calmed down instantly. Of course she was glad that Joey won't be punished, but how could that be? How could the townsfolk have let such a thing go?

“My father helped him out ma'am. I'm the mayor's daughter, remember?” Angle put up a reassuring smile.

“For beating a white man, Mr. Wilson would've been lynched or tar and feathered, but because he had saved the daughter of the mayor, my father made sure that his only punishment would be prisontime.” Cassy felt her suspended heart relax. This was the best possible outcome. Nothing would happen to Joey. She smiled in relief. Seeing this, Angela then looked down in anger.

“But unfortunately, ma'am, that man was let free unscathed, even if he had wanted to assault me.” She muttered through getting teeth. She raised her head to sternly look at Cassy's eyes.

“Ma'am, if you ever go to town, please be careful of this man. He's a repeat offender in our town. From now on you'll be a lone woman ma'am, please be careful.”

“Who is he, Ms. McCarthy?” Cassy inquired, the seriousness in Angela's voice unsettling her.

“He's Bill Johnson, around 5 '10, 35 years old, balding brown hair, and a big beer belly.” She grit her teeth. "He's a truly disgusting man. Ugly, perverted.”

“Yes, thank you for the warning, Ms. McCarthy.” Cassy looked down. “By the way, how long will my husband be in prison?”

“5 years, ma'am.”

“Right….” I shouldn't be feeling sad. 5 years will pass in no time. At least he's safe. That's all that matters.

Seeing Cassy's sad expression, Angela pulled out from her dress pocket the thing she'd been carrying on her this whole time, an envelope.

"Mr. Wilson had asked me to bring this envelope to you, ma'am.” She handed Cassy the envelope. 

Cassy carefully opened the envelope and read it. In Joey's beautiful and neat handwriting, it read:

Dear Cassandra,

I am so sorry that I couldn't come back today. You must've worked hard to make a whole banquet to commemorate the renovation of our house. I'm sure it must have been delicious. You are a delightful cook after all. I'm just deeply regretful that I won't be able to taste it.

As you might’ve heard from Ms. McCarthy, I've been put in prison due to my actions. I do not regret what I did, because I know it was the right thing to do. Seeing a young woman crying for help as a man tries to assault her, it reminded me too much of the first time we met. Without a second thought, I'd already jumped in.

I know you always tell me not to be so rash and to be careful, and please believe me when I tell you how I long to be home now, hearing you scold me about it as usual, but alas it seems I will have to wait 5 years for that day to come. So in the meantime, please collect all the laments you have for me; I'll be delighted to hear them all once I come back.

Cassy, my dear, I am so sorry for leaving you alone. I dread to think how hard the next 5 years will be for you. No amount of me apologizing will ever make it up to you. The McCarthy family have promised to help you as best as they can during this period, so I pray that God may be on your side, and that things won't be too difficult for you.

Please don't come visit me at the prison. As much as I wish to see you, I know in my heart that this will be sure to raise the suspicion of the townsfolk. It is not me that I am worried about, but you, my dear. I do not wish to create further trouble for you. If you wish, you can write me letters occasionally. Ms.McCarthy has promised to act as a messenger for us, to which I sincerely thank her for.

That is all. Again, I am so sorry, Cassy. Good luck, and don't forget that I love you so much. I shall patiently wait for the day in which I can see you again.

Yours,

Joseph Wilson

Tears dropped on the paper as Cassy read through the letter. Her body started quivering as he covered mouth with a hand, trying to quell Her sobs. Angela handed her a handkerchief, unsure how to comfort her.

After Cassy had calmed down a little from her sobbing, a car drove to park beside the car Angela had come in. It was the mayor’s car.

The mayor came out to show his condolences as well, and Angela excused herself to leave with the mayor. Cassy thanked them as she saw them off, her heart heavy.

Cassy sighed heavily at the reality of her situation now. She had to be alone by herself for the next 5 years. It will be hard, but it won't be impossible, she assured herself. She'll survive. It was just 5 years, it's not that long. 

Despite this, no matter how hard she assured herself, she still felt devastated. Even If 5 years was not that long, it was not short either. Tears started falling down her cheeks again as the feelings of helplessness and despair gripped her heart.

Cassy started strolling around in the field to calm herself down. She headed for the pond, thinking that maybe the water might clear her head. A clear head was the thing she needed the most now.

Time flew as Cassy sat at the pond, looking over the water, and feeling the wind blow on her hair. She didn't know how long had passed. It felt long, but it also felt short at the same time. The sun had changed position from when she arrived. It was not sunset yet, but the shadows were showing the first signs of elongating. She was not sobbing anymore, but her face was still wet. A tear droplet would still occasionally slide down her cheek as she sat there, looking over the pond.

It was tranquil. Her mind was blank as she sat there, simply enjoying being there. She was tired of thinking, and just wanted some peace of mind.

Suddenly, several bushes and foliages rustled, catching Cassy's attention. She turned to where the sound originated. From the forest, emerged a giant black wolf, its bright amber eyes fixated on her.

Just as mommy was left alone, lost, scared, and sad, she met Uncle Sunny for the first time