Author's Note: Happy Mother's Day everyone! Special thanks to my brother for giving me this insanely adorable idea.
On another note...this is especially gifted for those who struggle on Mother's Day, for whatever reason. You are loved, you are not alone, and I hear you. Whatever your struggle with Mother's Day is, you are not alone in it!
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII, nor any of its characters.
Mother's Day was a bit of a touchy subject.
There were some women out there who loved the holiday. There were some who downright hated it. And there were some who really couldn't care less. Tifa wasn't sure where she fit on that scale: she knew she didn't hate the holiday, but she didn't love it. She also didn't fall under the category of "couldn't care less." She just didn't know what to think of it.
Tifa's own mother died when she was eight years old. The pain of that day was still fresh, as if it had only happened yesterday.
She knew her father had loved her – and she had loved him dearly as well – but sometimes, she just wanted her mother. Every girl knows that there are some things that you can only talk to your mother about. Having had that taken away from her, Tifa wasn't sure where to turn for peace.
So she taught herself, at a very young age, to be strong. To never ask for help unless absolutely necessary. To carry her Father's burdens. Life had snuck in through the back door, snatched her mother away from her, and carved Tifa into someone new.
Tifa sat at one of the tables in the Seventh Heaven, watching the clouds roll by out the window. Her chin rested in the palm of her hand as she thought of her mother. Tifa had always missed her mother – it was a constant, almost throbbing ache that only went away with severe distraction – but on Mother's Day especially so.
I wish you were here, Tifa thought sadly to herself. It was a thought that repeated too often in her mind. I wish you could help me out with Marlene and Denzel. You would know what to do.
A small hand tapped her leg. Tifa snapped out of her melancholic reverie and looked down. Marlene stood close to her, holding both hands behind her back. Her face looked overall calm, but her brown eyes had a glint of apprehension.
"Hi, Marlene," Tifa said, wondering what she could possibly be so nervous about. "Everything okay?"
"Uh, yeah," Marlene stuttered, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I just – um – well -" she bit her lip, as if trying to decide something. Tifa looked at her in concern. Marlene was not one to be worried often. She leaned forward.
"Marlene, what – ?"
But before Tifa could finish her sentence, Marlene's right hand emerged from behind her back. In less than a second, she had shoved a fist into the space between them. Tifa leaned back slightly – if she were closer Marlene would probably have punched her.
A sweet, familiar smell filled her nostrils. One that reminded her of warm spring days, of lightheartedness, of both loss and hope. Tifa looked down at the items clutched in Marlene's tiny fist. Five lilies, each painted the color of the sun, looked up at her. Yellow lilies. The symbol of reunion. And her flowers.
Aerith's precious flowers.
Looking at Marlene's sweet, very determined face, Tifa could feel the tears building in her eyes. She gently took the flowers from the little girl's grip. "What...what..." It took her a minute to form words; the lump in her throat was hard to swallow. "What are these for?" she finally asked, in a soft voice.
"It's Mother's Day." Marlene said, with a tone that practically ended the word "duh." at the end of her sentence.
"...what?" Tifa asked again, not believing her ears.
Marlene looked down at her feet, as if suddenly embarrassed. "I know you're not my real Mommy, but you're as good as one. I didn't want you to feel bad or lonely because Cloud told me you lost your Mommy a long time ago."
Tifa gaped. She was as good as a mother to her? How could that be so, when she had made so many mistakes? How could that be, when she sometimes got impatient with both Marlene and Denzel? How could it be so when, everytime she made a mistake regarding the kids, Tifa never let herself hear the end of it?
Surely someone else aside from herself could do a much better job...right?
Something spoke from deep inside of her. Something that had her mother's voice; a voice she hadn't heard in many years. Sure, someone could do a better job. But this little girl needs you.Your gifts, your talents, your abilities. And it doesn't matter that you're not perfect at it, because no one is. Marlene does not need a "perfect" mom figure. She needs a real one. And she loves you for it.
Looking at Marlene's sweet face, Tifa felt a beautiful, tender warmth. It grew from her heart, outside her ribs, and filled her up like drink. Tifa sat still, basking in it. She felt as if she could float out of her chair. Such peace and assurance she had not known since she was a little girl.
Marlene looked up at her, worry still prevalent in her eyes. "Do...do you like them?"
Tifa leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Marlene's small frame. "Sweetheart, they're beautiful. That was so thoughtful of you. Thank you so much." She blinked back tears as Marlene hugged her back. "I'm so proud to be a -" She paused, weighing the words in her mind. " - a mom to both you and Denzel." She pulled back from the hug, brushing some bangs out of Marlene's eyes. "And I love you both. So much."
It was the first time Tifa had said those words aloud. She thought saying them would sound clunky and inappropriate, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Saying them only made the warmth in her heart grow. She felt lighter, freer.
"You're welcome," Marlene said, smiling brightly. "I also drew this for you." In her other hand she showed Tifa a small drawing of the two of them with Happy Mother's Day! Written above.
Tifa took it, looked at it for a moment, and set it aside the flowers on the table. "I love it, thank you!" Marlene giggled with delight. "But I have to ask...where did you get these flowers?" Tifa gestured to the lilies on the table.
"The church in Sector 5," Marlene said nonchalantly.
Tifa's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "You went all the way over there by yourself?!"
"Yeah, it wasn't that hard," Marlene shrugged. "But I made Denzel go along with me to be my bodyguard anyways, because I knew you'd freak."
Tifa smiled in relief, cupping Marlene's face in her hand. "Well, I'm glad you asked and I'm glad he did. Thank you so much, for both of these wonderful gifts." She stroked Marlene's smooth cheek with her thumb.
Marlene put one of her own tiny hands over Tifa's. "You're welcome...Mom. I love you too."