Reviewer Responses-
Rachel Sparrow: Don't worry about it. Happened to me before as well. I'm glad that your enjoying the story.
Chapter 5
Jocelyn pulled into her parking spot at her apartment building. As she exited her car she noticed her mother's car. 'Oh Shit! I forgot mom was coming to visit today.' She thought as she raced up the stairs to prevent any possible fight from happening between her mother and Will. As she got to her door she heard laughter. Annabelle's laughter. 'Crisis situation avoided for now.' She thought, knowing that she was going to receive a lecture from her mother.
Jocelyn walked in and put her purse on the dining table before entering the living room. "Hi, mom. Will can I talk to you for a moment?"
Will slightly confused nodded and followed JO out on to the terrace, "What's wrong Jo?" he asked, concern filling his voice.
Jo shut the slider and sighed, "Will my mother and I don't really get along all that well. I completely forgot that she was going to come by for lunch today with all of the research we've been doing."
"I'm sure everything will be fine. Now what did you want to tell me?" he asked.
"What exactly did you tell my mother about who you and Annabelle were?"
"I told her what you suggested. That we knew each other from college and I called you up after I moved into town to help me find a place of my own and you were kinds enough to let me stay here for a little while until I was able to find a place." He told her as they looked over the city.
"Thank you…" Jo turned and looked inside to see her mother playing with Annabelle and chuckled. "I think my mom likes Annabelle."
Will smiled, "I think your right. When she asked about Annabelle I told her about Elizabeth and what had happened. Your mother took Annabelle into her arms and started playing with her."
"We better go inside." Jocelyn said as she opened the door.
They entered the room and after putting Annabelle down for her nap all three adults sat down to eat. Jocelyn was shocked to see at how amiable her mother was being with Will. She wondered if Will's naturally chivalric nature had anything to do with it. Jocelyn walked her mother out to the car so that they could talk with out Will in hearing distance. As they got to the car Melinda stopped and turned to face Jocelyn.
Jocelyn looked at her mother and sighed heavily, "All right mother what is it you want to say?" she asked in exasperation. "Are you going to yell at me for having a man sleep in my home?"
"No. It's your life. But I will say he a better choice than your previous boyfriends, even if he does have a daughter."
Jocelyn stood there in shock. Her mother had never approved of her choices in boyfriends before. Why was she doing so now? She looked her mother straight in the eye and asked, "What game are you playing at mom? You've never approved of my decisions whether it be my choice in boyfriends, college, or career before, why now?"
Melinda looked at her daughter and sighed, "Jocelyn, I'm sorry for the way I treated you before. The truth is I wanted you to become something I wasn't…successful. And the only way I could see you doing that was if you did as I wanted. I'm sorry Joie."
Jocelyn hugged her mother, "Mom, I had to live my own life and learn from my own mistakes. Thank you for being honest with me. I can't say I'll forget, but I do forgive you." She said. "I mean it's not like this is the first time in history that a parent tried pushing their kids into something they didn't want." She joked.
Melinda smiled, "You don't know how much that means to me honey." She said tears in her eyes. "I better get going, Nora is waiting for me. I'll call you tomorrow all right?"
Jocelyn nodded and watched as her mother drove off. She stood there for a few minutes and then walked back up to the apartment. Will was waiting on the couch for her and handed her a glass of water. Jocelyn was again struck at how attentive Will could be at times. 'He always knows just what I need." She thought as she sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder as they listened to some music. The sounds of Lorenna McKennitt filled the apartment as they sat quietly.
When in the springtime of the year
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew
Are dressed in ribbons fair
When owls call the breathless moon
In the blue veil of the night
The shadows of the trees appear
Amidst the lantern light
Chorus:
We've been rambling all the night
And sometime of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
Who will go down to those shady groves
And summons the shadows there
And tie a ribbon on the sheltering arms
In the spring time of the year
The songs of the birds seem to fill the wood
That when the fiddler plays
All their voices can be heard
Long past their woodland days
We've been rambling all the night
And sometime of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
And so they linked their hands and danced
Round in circles and in rows
And so the journey of the night descends
Till all the shades are gone
A garland gay we bring you here
And at your door we stand
It is a sprout well budded out
The work of our Lord's hand
We've been rambling all the night
And sometime of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
We've been rambling all the night
And sometime of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay[1]
When the song ended Will turned and looked at Jocelyn, "Is everything between you and your mother all right?"
Jocelyn smiled sleepily, barely registering what Will had just asked. "Yeah, mom and I worked everything out. We are okay now. I mean what happened still hurts but I understand and we both forgive each other. Right now I just want to… she yawned. "…sleep."
Will wrapped an arm around Jocelyn and gently laid her head back down onto his shoulder, "Go to sleep then Jo." He whispered.
[1] Loreena McKennitt. (1997). The Mummer's Dance. Book of Secrets. [CD]. Toronto: Warner Bros.