Chapter Two
"Look! Look, that's her!" Carey shouted, pointing and waving. I turned to look where he was motioning and my breath nearly caught in my throat. Fiona saw us just then and her face broke into a wide grin as she ran toward us.
"Carey!" she exclaimed happily, before immediately turning her attention to me. She didn't say a word and I could have sworn her eyes were brimming with tears. I was already on the verge of bawling. Fi looked so beautiful. I guess a daughter is always beautiful in her mother's eyes. She was just Fi—she hadn't changed at all. For some reason, I had expected her to. I thought maybe I'd find her transformed, completely different, but she was still the same daughter that I knew and loved… only right now, more than ever.
She threw her arms around me and hugged me so tight that I couldn't breathe. I wanted the moment to last forever. "Mom," she murmured, nuzzling her head against my shoulder. How could you leave me, Fi? How could you leave me, with Annie as my only substitution for a daughter?
After a time that felt much too short, she pulled away. I quickly wiped away my tears with the back of my hand, thankful for the fact that I was wearing waterproof mascara today. I hated to cry in public, and I did it so often.
Fi gave Carey a lingering hug before stepping back and wiping away her tears much like I had just moments before. I glanced up at Carey, and even his eyes looked a little misty. It might have been the first time I saw him like that, come to think of it. We weren't anywhere near this emotional when we saw Fi on New Year's Day. But that day was nowhere near as emotional as today, because Fi wouldn't be gone again tomorrow. How did we survive without her courage, her determination, her strives for adventure for an entire year? How did she survive without us?
"Where are Jack, Clu, and Annie?" Fi asked, snapping the silence between us.
Carey and I looked at each other, unsure of how to answer the question. How horrible would it be to return home, expecting a possible seven people there to greet you, and find only two? "They couldn't make it," Carey finally answered.
"Oh…" I could tell that she was horribly disappointed, and now I felt guilty. I should have put a dog leash on Jack and dragged him all the way here, if I had to. He and I would definitely need to have a little talk about that when I got home, I decided.
So, once we were all ready to go, we made our way through the crowd and headed toward the exit. As we walked, I caught Fi sneaking glances at Carey on several occasions. I smiled—apparently I'd have to have a little talk with her when I got home, too.