George and Rebecca
Bennet had it all – the money, the power, and the fame. Their lavish trips to
foreign countries and rare, exotic cars were all the envy. From the outside
looking in, the couple wanted for nothing; they had all the happiness money
could buy. Unfortunately for the Bennets, true happiness could not be bought,
and what they longed for most was not theirs.
Rebecca Bennet struggled
with infertility issues throughout her marriage to George. They spent a fortune
on medications, in vitro fertilization, and even surrogacy. Rebecca had all but
lost hope when her luck suddenly changed.
One breezy October
afternoon, Rebecca strolled through her neighborhood and admired the children
as they played. She thought of the large swimming pool and the unoccupied
tennis courts in her backyard. She sighed and accepted the harsh truth – the
laughter of children was not hers to hear. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Rebecca
heard a voice no louder than a whisper:
“Rejoicing in hope;
patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer,” the voice breathed.
Rebecca looked around,
but she saw no one. Later that night, she regaled the events that occurred
earlier that day. She told her husband about the voice and the warm feeling she
felt after it had spoken. She typed the words into her Google search engine and
learned that the words were from the Holy
Bible. Rebecca took these words as a sign from God, and she fervently
prayed that he would bestow a child upon her.
In less than a year, the
Bennet family grew by one. George and Rebecca loved their unborn son more than
words could ever begin to express. The decided to call him Brodi Reid. Rebecca
called in the best decorators in the industry and hired the finest furniture
makers to design a crib for her, “Little Prince Brodi.”
As the due day of the
beloved Bennet baby quickly approached, plans were made to shower the couple
with gifts galore. All of the local socialites received invitations to the
Bennets’ home. Everyone who was anyone was invited to attend. Rebecca sent
special invitations to all of her Kappa Delta sorority sisters. She entrusted
George with the special invitations and asked that he mail them right away.
George hated Rebecca’s KD reunions! He dreaded every giggle and loathed every
hair toss.
“How can I find a way
out of this one?” George asked himself.
George decided that he
would send the invitations just as his wife asked, but held onto one – Juliette
Johnson Jones.
“Juliette Johnson
Jones,” George said in a mocking voice. “Why does she insist on being referred
to by all three names? Pretentious cow!”
George dropped twelve of
the thirteen invitations in the mail then headed off to spin class. He had to
be in tip-top shape to keep up with his “Little Prince Brodi.”
The day of the shower
arrived, and the whole town bustled about. Everyone knew that Bennet social
events were the most prestigious of all. Those who received invitations thrust
their noses in the air and purchased gifts that cost more than a year’s salary.
Those who were not lucky enough to make the cut drove back and forth by the
Bennet mansion and hoped to catch a glimpse of someone remotely famous.
Juliette Johnson Jones
waited for her invitation for weeks. She saw the Twitter posts made by the
other KD girls, so she knew the date of the baby shower. When the day arrived
and still no invitation came, Juliette was inconsolable.
“You think you’re better
than me now that you have your perfect little family?” Juliette asked. “You
will pay for this Rebecca Bennet!” she screamed as she sped down the freeway in
her E-Class Benz.
Juliette knew the shame
that came with exclusion. The newspapers talked more about who wasn’t invited
than who was, and she refused to be on the reject list. Juliette arrived just
in time for the gift-giving portion of the evening. She listened as each of her
so-called sisters bragged about all they would do for the precious prince.
Juliette, no longer able to contain her rage, burst from behind the hedges.
“Your college funds and
plastic surgeries are all fine and dandy, but they are no match for the gift
that I will give your precious prince.” Juliette’s words dripped with venom. She
knew that the sweet taste of revenge would someday be hers. “When little Brodi
sets out to celebrate his Sweet Sixteen, he will encounter a force greater than
all the fury of hell!” Juliette shrieked just before security dragged her from
the party kicking and screaming.
Years past and Brodi
Reid Bennet grew into a handsome, respectful young man. His parents had all but
forgotten about the threats Juliette made against their son; they were just too
busy loving their “Little Prince Brodi.”
On the night of Brodi’s
sweet sixteen party, George and Rebecca Bennet felt a bit anxious. They had not
seen nor heard from Juliette Johnson Jones since before Brodi had even been
born, so they did not have any reason to think that she would try and follow
through with the threats she had made sixteen years before. Nevertheless, they
both felt an unease that neither could shake.
“Are you ok?” Rebecca
asked George.
“Yea. I guess I am just
nervous about Brodi driving by himself.” George responded.
George and Rebecca
decided to purchase a Fisker Karma to show their son just how much they love
him. George spared no expense; he had the car custom painted so that no one
else could have a car like “Little Prince Brodi.” George hid the car in the
garage and warned Brodi not to go anywhere near it. He wanted to thoroughly
inspect the vehicle before he allowed his baby boy to drive on the dangerous
freeway without adult supervision. Though he was a lovely and respectful young
man, Brodi let his curiosity get the best of him. He snuck into the garage and
took pictures of his amazing birthday gift. In true sixteen-year-old form,
Brodi Reid posted the pictures on his SnapChat account. He was not aware that
his parents’ nemesis, Juliette Johnson Jones, was secretly following him.
Juliette laughed with
delight. After sixteen years, she would finally get her revenge. She studied
every detail of the car. She decided that she would wait for Brodi to get on
the freeway, then, when he least expected it, she would run him off the road and
leave him to rot in a watery grave!
Brodi Reid Bennet sat
behind the wheel of his new car and breathed in the excitement of his new-found
freedom. He turned onto the freeway; he never saw the black SUV that slammed
into him and forced him off the road. Upon impact, Brodi’s perfect world went
black.
George and Rebecca
Bennet were devastated. George felt responsible, for he knew he was to blame
for Juliette’s wrath. He watched his son struggle for life. He tried to tune
out the machines, but their sounds echoed in his ears and taunted his very
existence.
As the days came and
went, Brodi’s condition remained the same. His parents feared he may never
awake from the coma. They tried to prepare themselves for the worst as they
looked lovingly on the sleeping “Little Prince Brodi.”
Nearly 100 days after
the crash, a beautiful raven-haired girl came to the hospital. She asked about
Brodi’s condition, but she was quickly sent away. Brodi Reid’s family refused
to talk to reporters and hired security to guard him around the clock. The girl
hung around and waited for George and Rebecca to return. She needed to know
about the young man whose life she saved 100 days before.
Priscilla Charming
watched Juliette Johnson Jones plow into the side of Brodi Bennet’s $100,000
car. She immediately pulled her Ford Mustang over and called 911. Priscilla
rushed to Brodi’s side and waited with him until an ambulance came. She
explained to George and Rebecca that she would have come sooner, but a
high-profile patient like Brodi was very hard to locate. The Bennets were not
sure if they could trust Priscilla, but her story seemed to check out. She
correctly identified the vehicle that caused the crash and she even knew what
Brodi had on the night of the accident. Though it took some convincing, George
and Rebecca eventually agreed to let Priscilla visit Brodi.
Priscilla’s heart was
immediately broken when she laid eyes on the handsome young man fighting for
his life. Before she knew what she had done, she leaned down and gently kissed
Brodi on the forehead. Instantly, Brodi’s legs twitched. His hand moved. And
for the first time in 100 days, his crystal blue eyes opened. He tried to
speak, but the tubes in his throat rendered him inaudible. He pointed at
Priscilla and a single tear rolled down his cheek. Doctors and nurses flooded
the room and forced Priscilla out of their way. Brodi, despite his physical
restraints continued to reach for Priscilla.
The doctors called it a
medical mystery. They could not determine what woke Brodi from his seemingly
eternal sleep. George, Rebecca, and Brodi, however, knew it was no mystery at
all. Brodi was once again saved by his princess, Priscilla Charming. To this day,
Brodi Reid feels a pain in his chest whenever he is apart from his precious
princess Priscilla. Though her name will soon change to Priscilla Bennet, to
Brodi, she will always be known as Princess Charming.
