HEARTS WILL GO ON
Chapter Nine
I woke the next morning to the
playful chatter of Luke and Jamie. I hadn't realized I'd slept in the boys'
room all night long. The events of the night before slowly made their way into
my mind, making me worry about my mother. I got out of the small bed and patted
James on the head before going to wake up Mom. It wasn't long before I found
her sleeping soundly on the sofa, her brilliant red hair in disarray, her face
buried in the pillow. It was a bit jarring, since I had never seen Mom like
this. In fact, I had never seen Mom anything but the epitome of composure.
Kneeling beside her, I gave her a small shake and she made a sound of
complaint.
"Mom...it's nine. You slept
all night on the couch," I said. When she looked at me, it was obvious she
had cried herself to sleep. I didn't say anything about it, though.
Kissing her pale cheek, I rose
and said, "I am going to take a bath. I'm meeting Tom in an hour."
She nodded groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes. I stole a glance out the
window and groaned. Snow. I absolutely despised the cold and often wished I
could move back to Santa Monica, where it had been warm all the time. We hadn't
lived there in over a decade, but I could still remember the dingy little
apartment we'd shared, and watching Mom perform in the few plays she'd done
before meeting Jim. I thought she was a big star and I remember thinking she
was the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the entire world. Even now, I was
nineteen and she still looked the way she had when I was seven.
After I had washed and pulled my
hair back into a braid, I threw on pants and a sweater, along with my snow
boots and a scarf. I looked quite like a boy, especially when I put on a winter
hat and coat. Before I left, Mom came out of the boys' room to say, "Jo,
please be back by four...Olivia wants us at her house by five." I grinned.
"I know, Ma. I'll be
here." I grabbed my supplies and noticed her looking at me strangely. I
laughed.
"What?" I asked. She
smiled.
"You look just like your
father."
Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes
and jokingly replied, "Really? Because I look in the mirror and see
you!" We both had a good laugh and I stuck my tongue out at her before
running out the door and into the cold air.
*****
Tom chuckled when he saw the
expression on my face as I rushed into his apartment studio.
"Rough morning?" he
asked, sipping his drink. I nodded, and he held out a pitcher. "Hot
cider?"
"No...thanks. You know, I
hate snow!" Laughing, he brushed some of his shaggy blond hair from his
face and set the pitcher aside.
"Aw...ya don't like it? I
loved winter when I was a kid." I smiled widely at him, interested.
"Where did you grow
up?" For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes, but he
smiled.
"Ah…up north." The way
he waved his hand made me realize he was uncomfortable talking about it.
"My Pa used to take me ice fishing on the lake. My friends and I would
skate all day and night if our parents would have let us." He smiled
sadly. I looked thoughtful.
"I've never been skating. My
mother would most likely have a panic attack...she's kind of quirky when it
comes to some things." I giggled nervously. The truth was, Mom was kind of
neurotic about any of us going anywhere near any kind of frozen water. I knew
it was because of her near death experience. The pain she had described to me
about that cold had haunted me. I looked up to see Tom's eyes glinting with
mischief.
"What?" I asked suspiciously.
He grinned, and I couldn't help thinking slyly, Mom would die if she met
him.
"What do you say we blow off
this art stuff and I teach you how to skate?" I had to laugh because the
thought seemed so ridiculous, but he was serious.
"I...well..." I stopped
bumbling like an idiot and smiled. "Let's go!" He grabbed his coat
and scarf, throwing a hat on and a pair of gloves.
As we neared the skating pond, I
laughed.
"I hope you realize I am
going to make an ass of myself." He shook his head.
"You'll be fine, Jo. What
size shoe do you wear?" I bit my lip.
"Um...a six." He rented
our skates and thankfully, he helped me tie them because I had no idea. Once we
were all set, I realized how cold it was as the snow fell softly.
"Cover your face,
kid..." He chuckled, pulling my scarf. "You'll get frostbite." I
rolled my eyes at him.
"Yes, Dad..." I
laughed, but this time he didn't. He just smiled sadly. Instantly, I felt
horrible. "Tom...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
He cut me off, smiling again.
"Nah. It's all right, kiddo.
Guess it's just weird to hear someone say that to me." With a grin, he
took my arm and led me to the ice. "Now, just take it slow and hold onto
my arm." I nodded and followed him onto the ice. Less than ten seconds
later, I was on my bottom. My face reddened as he bent to help me up, laughing.
"Nice try...go again?"
he asked. This time, I did a better job of staying on my feet, and he actually
caught me if I started to slip. I noticed a young father doing the same thing
with his daughter, who couldn't have been more than five, and instantly I felt
like a baby.
"Not bad for a rookie,"
Tom said to me. We skated around for a bit longer, and I was even able to skate
by myself after a while.
While we were putting our shoes
back on, Tom said, "You're a fast learner." I shrugged.
"What can I say?" I
laughed, but stopped when I saw a familiar face crossing the street. Mom...I
nudged Tom.
"Oh! That's my mother! Would
you like to meet her?" The color drained from his face as he looked up and
saw her.
"Wow...she's awfully
pretty," he said quietly.
"Yeah..." I sighed.
"You look like her, ya
know..." he observed, and I looked over at him, surprised.
"You think so? She always
says I look just like my father." Tom shook his head.
"Nah...you're all her."
I just smiled, and I am pretty sure he did, too.
*****
"How was your day?" Mom
asked as she brushed my hair.
"It was...fun," I said.
"We went...ice skating," I said hesitantly, eyeing her concerned
expression.
"Josephine...you know I
don't like you around ice...it's not safe." I laughed at her, turning
around to face her.
"Ma...I am almost
twenty...I'm fine." She sighed.
"I'm not ready for this. I am
not old enough to have a twenty-year-old!" She had tears in her eyes, and
I hugged her.
"Oh, Mom...you're so funny.
If I could stay a kid forever, would you be happy?" She laughed.
"Absolutely. As a matter of
fact, I am ordering you to stay young forever." I giggled.
"All right, but you might
want to tell the boys that, too." She sighed.
"Oh...they're still little,
but you were my first...and now you're all grown up. Why, at your age, I had
you. You were a baby." I sighed, sitting down as she began to pin my hair
up.
"I can't imagine having a
baby at my age."
She nodded. "And you won't
be able to until you have one."
*****
We arrived at Olivia's right on
time and she seemed relieved to see us.
"Oh, thank goodness. I have
some news," she gushed, pulling us into the library. Liz, Randy, and Dave
were eating with us tonight, too.
"Well, what is it?" I
asked impatiently. Olivia smiled, and I realized that her smile was very
similar to another smile I had seen recently.
"When you turn twenty, you
are going to inherit the soap company, Jo." My jaw dropped.
"Y-you mean, I will be in
charge?" Mom looked at Olivia, who managed a small smile.
"Y-yes...well...on one
condition."
"Oh, no..." my mother
breathed. Olivia swallowed.
"Since you are a woman, you
must be married in order to take the reigns." My mother's horrified gasp
was the only sound in the room.