BACK WITH YOU
Chapter Eight
Rose led this mysterious stranger into her
house, closing the door firmly behind them. The girl hadn't said a word in a
few minutes now, and Rose was a little...not mad, annoyed was more of the right
word. Yes, she was annoyed. Who the hell was this?
Rose shrugged out of her coat before she did
anything and hung it on the black wire coat rack by the door. Then, she set her
things down on the wooden floor and turned her attention back to the girl. She
couldn't see her face; the girl was looking down at the floor, and it was
hidden in the shadows of her coat hood. She just stood there, her clothes dripping
with water, creating a little pool underneath her feet.
"Are you going to tell me who you are
and why you were on my porch? Or are you just going to stand there making a
lake in the middle of the entryway?" Rose asked expectantly, her hands on
her hips. She was cold and wet and desperately wanted to get out of her
clothes. The girl shifted her weight from foot to foot, looking like she was
struggling with something. Rose raised her eyebrows at her.
"Well..." she prodded.
Finally, the girl raised her head, but kept
her eyes half closed. "Look..." she began shakily. "I...I really
need to talk to you," she pleaded softly. "But please don't get mad
or...or...rush me, okay?"
Jessamyn watched for a reaction from Rose,
who by now looked really confused. She couldn't blame her. If her long lost
daughter showed up on her doorstep after being gone for eighteen years, and
Jessamyn had no idea whom it was, she would be confused, too. This was so hard.
She desperately wanted to just tell Rose. But the nervousness she was feeling
was getting the best of her.
"All right," Rose agreed.
"Just tell me who you are." She attempted a small smile.
Jessamyn took a deep breath and slowly
reached up to pull her hood off. As she did so, she let her hair shake out, and
finally opened her eyes all the way. She knew that this would do it...or at
least be a very big clue.
Rose stood in shock, not believing what she
was seeing. To her sheer amazement, this girl had Jack's eyes, and she felt
like she was looking at a ghost from the past. In fact...she reminded Rose of
someone. She softly gasped in shock as she looked closer at the girl. The same
eyes...no one else in the world had eyes like those...except Jack.
And Jessamyn.
"Oh, my god," Rose whispered
softly. It was a ghost from her past. And not just any ghost…it was her
daughter.
Jessamyn knew by the tone of her voice that
Rose knew. Her eyes had widened in either shock or amazement, maybe both, and
her hand had slowly risen to cover her mouth.
"Yeah...it's me...Jessamyn..." she
said softly. Brilliant, Jessamyn! She immediately regretted it as soon
as she said that. She could have said anything else, but no. It just had to be
the stupidest thing in the world to come up with. Hell, saying nothing at all
was better than that.
Rose didn’t seem to notice how pathetic the
statement was. The sound that then came from Rose's mouth was a strange mixture
of almost fear and amazement at the same time. By now, her eyes had filled with
tears, and she was about ready to lose it. She couldn’t believe that she was
staring at her daughter. Her daughter, for Christ’s sake! She was so beautiful
and so...old. The last time she had seen her, she had just been this tiny baby.
This couldn’t be her daughter. Her daughter, who had been so tiny, this little
sick-looking baby, was not a woman. She kept looking at her over and over
again, making sure she was real...that it was really Jessamyn. But there was no
mistaking those eyes...so blue, like Jack’s.
"Oh...my baby girl," she whispered
softly, and then did lose it. The tears began to fall uncontrollably, and
quickly ran down her cheeks. She wanted to throw up, she was so shocked and
happy. She had imagined this over and over in her mind since she had given her
up. And now, it was actually happening.
Once Rose started crying, Jessamyn couldn't
help herself, and felt tears start to run down her face, as well. She had
finally done it. This was her birth mother! She was more beautiful than in the
pictures. Her voice, too, was strangely familiar, like Jessamyn remembered it,
even though she knew that it wasn't possible. It was soft…and alluring, and so
cultured.
Rose started shaking, and Jessamyn
immediately felt sorry for her. She, at least, had expected it; her mother had
had no idea. This was even huger for Rose than it was for her. Slowly, she
moved a few steps closer to Rose, and then gently put her arms around her. Rose
hugged her back tightly, like she couldn't believe it.
"Did they treat you okay? Were you
happy?" Rose asked, amidst sobs, as she held onto Jessamyn. Her daughter
just nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak.
They stayed like this for some time, unable
to talk or even move. Rose still felt like she was in a dream. She felt like if
she let go, Jessamyn would leave and she would wake up to find God had played a
cruel trick on her unconscious mind. And Jessamyn felt home for the first time
in her life. Her heart was so full, she couldn't even describe it.
"I missed you so much." Rose just
kept whispering, over and over. She attempted to gather herself together, and
gently pushed her daughter away. "Let me look at you," she said
softly, feeling the tears wanting to pour. There was no doubt about it. This
was her. It was Jessamyn. Oh, every day since they had been separated, Rose had
wanted her back. She had regretted her design so many times. This was Jack's
child. And Rose had just cast her aside, letting strangers take her in. She
softly brushed some hair away from Jessamyn’s face, and then smiled.
Jessamyn smiled back, ecstatic. She wanted to
tell Rose everything, her entire life story. And she wanted to know what she
had been up to. Not to mention ask a few questions about her dad and what had
happened there. Not to mention that damn necklace that Jessamyn still
had...what was with that thing?
"I can't believe all this," she
confessed out loud.
Rose nodded, finally getting full control
over her tears. She couldn’t believe it, either.
"I mean, they didn't even tell me until
my birthday. I had no idea. And now..." Jessamyn trailed off. She didn't
really know how to explain what she was feeling, so she just shut up.
Smiling again, Rose nodded, understanding
what Jessamyn felt. She was overjoyed, and simply didn’t know what to say.
Softly, she put her arm around Jessamyn’s shoulders. "Come on. Let's get
you changed, and then we can talk. There is so much I want to know."
Jessamyn let her mother lead her though the
living room and down this sort of hallway. It was only now that she began to
look around. There wasn't much. It was kind of sad, actually. It was obvious
that Rose lived alone...and that the apartment didn’t get visited much by
anyone but Rose. Books covered countless shelves, and a few flower vases and picture
frames were scattered here and there, but that was about it.
They stopped in front of one of the three
doors in the hall, and Rose pushed the door open. It was obvious that this room
never got used, either. Rose looked embarrassed as she left Jessamyn and
crossed the room, flipping on a light switch as she went, and then opening the
curtains across the way. There was a beautiful view of the ocean, but right now
it was clouded by the storm. There was a desk with papers and junk cluttered on
it, another bookcase, complete with many books, a closet, and a bed.
"Um…you can get changed in here if
you like...there are some extra things of mine in the closest. They might fit
you. They're too small for me." Rose paused for a moment, looking around.
"The bathroom is across the hall, if you need it," she continued,
"and my bedroom is right next door. I’m going to change and then go get us
something to eat. Do you drink coffee?"
Jessamyn nodded. "Yes, I do."
"All right. I’ll put some on." She
gave her another smile and then left, leaving Jessamyn alone. Once she was
outside in the hallway again and the door was closed, Rose breathed a heavy
sigh. Her heart was beating fast, her palms were sweaty, and she felt like her
stomach was going to explode. Her baby, her daughter, was here. Finally. She
hoped Jessamyn would stay for a while. In fact, she had always had a spare room
ready just in case of something like this. God knew she wouldn’t need it for
anything else.
As she made her way back into her room, she
noticed something. She was happy. And she didn’t remember the last time she had
been happy. It had to have been years. Yeah, little things every once in a
while had always brought her spirit up a little bit. But this was different.
She was really and truly happy. A part of her heart that had been missing for
so long was now back. There was always going to be a void from Jack. But at
least she had a part of him back with her again. Oh, and how she reminded her
of Jack. She could see a bit of herself in her daughter, as far as looks went,
and a few other little things, but it was mostly Jack. Jessamyn stood the same
way and got that same nervous look in her eyes, not to mention other things
that were too numerous to name. She wished that they had gotten to know each other.
Smiling, Rose entered her room and closed the door behind her. Her daughter was
back, and she knew that nothing was ever going to be lonely again. If only Jack
were here…