{{AUTHOR'S NOTE: Our title for this episode is also a song from a wonderful musical called The Man of La Mancha, based upon Cervantes' classic: Don Quixote.}}
"I'm so grateful you can spare me a couple of minutes before we all have to leave for our jobs," said Martha to her next door neighbors Samantha and Frances Twist.
The married lesbian werecats were fully dressed for the day, while their son Ben was in his room getting dressed for school before breakfast.
"No problem. What is it honey?" asked Frances, as the Twists escorted Martha to their living room sofa and sat down on either side of her.
"I had the strangest dream last night," admitted Martha. "Short version: I got my teacher's recertification and Wilma arrived as a healthy feline/vulpine hybrid. You two, along with the boys and Alex Ramsey were in the waiting room, anxious to hear how things turned out."
"So far, so good," commented Samantha, despite the fact that her wife was the therapist in the family. "Then what?"
"Kat Johnson was in the delivery room with me as my birth coach," revealed Martha, not seeing the look that crossed the Twists' faces as they glanced at each other. "The two of us had started getting... closer."
"Well, friends are important," was all Frances could say.
"There's more. I went back to work that fall full time as a third grade teacher as Nate started his senior year. After he graduated high school, Nate and Alex got married and moved into a basement apartment at the Ramseys as they started college."
"That sounds wonderful. I know they love each other," observed Frances.
"By then, Wilma was old enough to take over Nate's bedroom anyway, and..." then Martha's voice trailed off.
"And what?" prompted Samantha.
"Before the new school year started that fall, Kat gave up her apartment and moved in with us/me."
"Is this a bad thing?" wondered Frances, staring at her friend.
"I honestly don't know," confessed Martha. "The boys liked her. The four of us got along great, both publicly and privately, if you know what I mean," Martha told the Twists, which surprised both Frances AND Samantha. "By the time Wilma no longer needed diapers, she was already calling Kat Mommy Too. The summer of Wilma's fifth birthday, Eric had taken all the college prerequisites and was about to enter the police academy and had a promising future with Cassie O'Sullivan as soon as she established her medical practice, and... Kat and I got married."
"REALLY?" asked Samantha and Frances in disbelief, practically in unison.
With that, Martha went into full details about the wedding. "And so, I became Mrs. Anderson-Johnson while she became Mrs. Johnson-Anderson, after the boys going the Anderson-Ramsey and Ramsey-Anderson route first because none of us could figure out whose name to take. No offense," she told the Twists.
"None taken," replied Samantha. She was extremely happy Frances decided to take her surname when they wed, because except for Frances' brother, her family was totally against anything to do with them, even to the point of only him attending the wedding.
"Well," began Frances, choosing her words carefully as she went into therapist mode. "It sounds like you and everyone else have a very happy life ahead of them."
"Yeah. I'll be honest and admit that I don't know Kat as well right now as you say we will in the future, but otherwise I don't see the problem," added Samantha.
"The problem is... where's William in all of this?" asked Martha, a bit frantically.
"What do you mean honey?" asked Frances in return, as she gently took Martha's hand in an attempt to calm her down.
"By the time of the wedding, his scent is totally gone from everything, and he's nothing but a stranger to Wilma and a distant memory to everyone else," explained his widow.
"I see," said Frances, realizing what Martha was getting at. "In time, people do move on. Life continues. I know you've had a hard time trying to adjust to everything since William's death, but it sounds to me like in the end, you and yours not only come to accept everything, but are happy in life as well."
"Besides," said Samantha, taking Martha's other hand in hers, "considering how accurate a lot of dreams in Moon Lake have turned out to be," for some reason no one has ever been able to explain, she silently added, "it sounds like you have a bright future ahead of you honey. Successful boys, a new son-in-law, a future daughter-in-law, a beautiful daughter..."
"But William should be a part of all of that, right?" asked Martha, staring at her friends.
"He is. He helped raise Nate and Eric to be the fine men they'll turn out to be. He helped create Wilma..." began Frances, not wanting to go further because of William's absence from everyone's lives. "Besides, just because the dream didn't mention anyone remembering William doesn't mean that's true. After all, I seriously doubt that dream covered every moment of every day from now until your wedding to Kat."
"Yeah. You'd have to sleep for a couple of years straight to see all that, wouldn't you?" asked Samantha, trying to help.
"How do you feel about Kat, right now, without any thoughts of the dream?" asked Frances.
"I do like her," admitted Martha, not hesitating to answer. "She just has that kind of friendly, straight forward personality you can't help being interested in. While I thought it was too soon after William's passing, I was flattered when she asked me out, although naturally I wanted to wait until after my temp gig as her assistant coach ended before..."
"Understandable, and I do think that it's admirable that, according to the dream, she not only pursued the relationship with you, but Kat took on the added responsibilities of helping to raise Wilma to be with you in the first place," pointed out Frances.
"Well... there is that..." conceded Martha, starting to warm up to the idea.
"Look, it's getting near time to leave. What say I drive everyone in your car and drop you off at the junior high, then Frances and I can catch a ride back here to our car," suggested Samantha.
"I couldn't impose," began Martha.
"Nonsense. We're friends, neighbors, and sister werecats, aren't we?" asked Frances, to which Martha's only reply was a contented purring sound.
"Okay. That settles it. Go back to your place and get ready to go. We'll be there in a couple of minutes," promised Samantha.
But after Martha Anderson left, the Twists had a hasty conference between them.
"What do you think?" Frances asked Samantha.
"Like I said before, Coach Johnson's rep is good, and she's never been in trouble with the town, but that's all I know about her. Martha in love again though. An eventuality, sure. But so soon?" asked Samantha in return.
"I know. For a weretigress, there must really be something about this Kat that attracted Martha to her, and vice versa."
"Do you think one of us should talk to her?" wondered Samantha. "See where she stands on things."
"I know you mean well honey, but that might backfire on us, especially if Martha finds out. Is there any way you can do a further background check... discretely?"
"I'll try when I get to work. Speaking of which..."
"Err moms, what should I do?" asked their son Ben who, being a werewolf and nearby, had overheard everything, whether he wanted to or not.
"Keep this to yourself for now and have a good day in school," answered Samantha, before the ladies walked out the door.