Golden hearts
Chapter 7: The CD
Disclaimer: I only own Glee on DVD and CD!
I own: The children of the New Directions and their friends!
"I really don't know if this is a good idea, Tom," Molly said as Tom unlocked the door to his house. "You left this house and haven't been here in days. It should really be up to your dad to invite you back."
"I still have the key," Tom said. "Besides, we won't get caught. George and Helen are meeting with the wedding planner, Luke's at a sleepover, Alice has a field hockey game. I need to find out how the house has changed since I lived here, and if my mom would have wanted him to do this."
Molly rolled her eyes. She didn't like that Tom was calling his dad George instead of Dad. She also didn't feel comfortable rummaging around his house. But if this might be what it would take for him to be willing to accept his dad again, maybe it would be worth it.
"So do Helen and Alice live here now?" Molly asked.
"Yep," Tom said. "That's what Luke said when he texted me. At least Alice has the guest room instead of my old room for her room."
They unlocked the door and went into the kitchen. "What are you expecting to find?" Molly asked.
"I know where my dad keeps all my mom's stuff," Tom said. "There's got to be something there that proves whether not she'd be okay with this."
Molly looked around the kitchen. "Okay, but all I see in here is a bunch of food and paperwork."
"The wedding paperwork, of course," Tom said. "Come on." He took Molly's hand and led her into the dining room and then the living room. They looked around the living room. Tom's dad still had a picture of the family taken before Tom's mom had died on display. Alice's mom had one of her and Alice with Alice's dad. On the mantle where Tom, Alice and Luke's school pictures from last year. Then Molly noticed something else: a picture of Tom's dad, Alice's mom, Alice and Luke. She realised Tom was missing in that picture, but decided not to comment.
"So, where did you say your mom's stuff is?" Molly asked Tom.
"In the attic," Tom said.
They went upstairs. Molly took a peek into the guest room. It now seemed to have fully been converted to Alice's room.
"We have to go through the guest room – I mean, Alice's room to get to the attic," Tom told Molly.
Molly looked around Alice's room as they went up. Alice had a picture of herself with both her parents.
"Look, Tom," Molly said, pointing to the picture. "I don't think Alice is over her dad's death, either."
"I'm not surprised, her dad died two years ago," Tom said. "If anything, I'd think she'd be less open to this than I am. Let's just go to the attic. My dad never let Luke and me up there. He said our mom's stuff was too sacred."
"Are you SURE we should be doing this, then?" Molly asked.
"Don't be afraid, we'll just put it back when we're done," Tom said. They made their way up the creaky stairs and into the attic. This wasn't like the attic at Molly's house, which was fully furnished. When Quinn got pregnant again, Sam and Quinn had hired some construction workers to build bedrooms for Adam and Molly in the attic. Tom's attic had a slanted roof and was cold. They could barely stand, except in the middle.
They made their way to the back of the attic, where there were several boxes labeled 'Victoria'.
"Okay, here are the boxes," Tom said. "Let's go through them."
Molly sighed and opened one box as Tom opened another. The box she had mostly had clothes and jewelry in it. Tom nudged Molly and held up a photo. "Look, it's my parents when they were in middle school, like us."
Molly smiled. "Both our parents were school sweethearts. That can only mean one thing: we're destined to get married."
"I knew that!" Tom laughed. He continued going through his box and held up an ultrasound photo dated December 2014. "Is that me?"
"Judging from the date, it must be," Molly said. "It seems like all there is in my box is clothes."
"Then go through this one," Tom said, handing Molly another box.
Molly opened this box and could tell right away that this was the one Tom's dad must have put together after his mom's death. Cards their friends had sent them to express their sympathy were in there, the program from the funeral, the newspaper with the death notice… then she saw two CDs at the bottom. One of them had Tom's name on it, and the other had Luke's.
"Tom, I found this," Molly said, holding up the CD with Tom's name.
Tom took the CD. "Oh my God, my dad never mentioned this to me. I know her health was declining for a while before she died… maybe she made this for me…"
"We should listen to it," Molly said.
Tom took the CD and went down to his room. Molly followed, leaving the boxes open in the attic. Tom put the CD in his CD player when they got to his room and took Molly's hand. As he hit the play button, Molly took his hand and a woman's voice came on.
"Hey baby, it's your mom. I know that my health isn't good. I don't know how much time I have left. I wanted to make this for you so if you ever need to feel your mom is near, you have something."
"The day I found out I was pregnant with you was the happiest day of my life. I was going to be a mother. You're only nine years old, but I know you're going to do great things. You're so smart. You're a talented musician and a talented athlete. It's all out there for you, Tom. There are so many great things waiting for you."
"I want you to take good care of your dad and your brother. What I want more than anything is for the three of you to be happy. If your dad finds someone, please be open to her. She isn't your mom, but she can be your dad's love. You and Luke will go off to college one day and I want him to still have someone with him when you two leave."
"Be the best brother you can to Luke. He loves you so much. Be the type of brother who can help him when he needs it and encourage him in what he wants to get involved with. Younger siblings often turn to older siblings rather than parents for guidance, so give it to him if he needs it."
"And about love – there's so many girls out there, but when you find the right one, you'll know. It isn't going to be perfect, you'll get hurt, she'll get hurt. But if you still love her even after all the hurt, don't let anything stop you two. I am going to be there when you're waiting for her as she walks down the aisle."
"I love you so much, Tom. Never forget that."
The CD came to a stop and Molly looked at Tom. He was crying. "That was my mom – I haven't heard her voice in almost three years…"
"I think we've found our answer," Molly said. "She wants you to have a good life. And she wants your dad and brother to also."
"Let's get back to your house," Tom said. "I think I might call my dad."