Read Online The Mill River Redemption by Darcie Chan - Free Book Online
Authors: Darcie Chan
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hardcover edition of the complete works of Shakespeare. A ribbon was placed as a bookmark in the middle, and when the book fell open to the marked page, Josie saw a highlighted passage from
Macbeth:
Give sorrow words. The Grief that does not speak
Whispers to the o’erfraught heart, and bids it break.
She looked at her aunt with tears in her eyes as Ivy took her hand.
“It’s what I told you, about how it’s important to talk about things,” Ivy said. “This’ll remind you how to heal and help you remember that I’m here for you. And, it’ll help you fall asleep at night, if you need it.” She chuckled. “Shakespeare’s gorgeous stuff, but I can only read a little at a time before it wears me out. It’s real good for insomnia, you know?”
Josie laughed and shook her head. “Thank you, Ivy. I just … I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for this. For everything.”
“It’s nothing. Now, open the other one.”
The second present was small, in a box only a few inches across. Josie removed the paper and lifted the lid to reveal a gold, oval locket nestled in a bed of cotton.
“Ivy, I can’t accept this. It’s too much,” Josie protested, but Ivy wouldn’t listen.
“No it isn’t, not at all. It’s something that belonged to your great-grandmother. She gave it to me years ago, since I was the older of her granddaughters, for me to pass along to my oldest daughter someday. Since I never had any kids, it’s just been sitting in my dresser drawer. It’s a family heirloom, really, so it’s something you should have.” Ivy reached over, picked up the locket, and gently popped it open. “There’s space in here for pictures of the girls. Maybe wearing it will remind you to keep going when you’re feeling sad.”
“They … and you … are about the only reasons I’ve made it this far,” Josie said. She reached over to hug Ivy.
“Mommy?”
Josie turned around to face Rose. “Yes, sweetie?”
“Are you crying because you miss Daddy?”
Josie took a deep breath. “Mommy is crying right now because she feels happy and sad at the same time. Happy because it’s Christmas and we’re all together, but sad because Mommy still misses Daddy very much.”
“I miss Daddy, too,” Rose said, and Josie saw her little face start to crumple. “I like the new toys, but I really wanted Santa to bring Daddy for Christmas.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Josie choked, “not even Santa can bring Daddy back, even though I wish he could.”
“You know,” Ivy said to Rose, “it’s okay for you to miss your daddy, and to cry when you feel like it. But you know something? Your daddy wouldn’t want you to be sad
today
. He’d want you toplay with all your new things and think about all the happy times you spent with him.”
“That’s right,” Josie said. “Today, Mommy is going to try very hard to remember all the fun we had with Daddy, because he loved us all very much, and he wouldn’t want us to be sad on Christmas.”
Rose looked at them with her chin quivering. She put down the doll she’d been holding and laid her head in Josie’s lap. “I’ll try hard, too, Mommy,” she said.
After a minute, Rose straightened up with an excited expression. “Mommy, what about the envelope?”
“What envelope?” Ivy asked.
“Oh,” Josie said as she remembered the mysterious envelope Father O’Brien had given her at the holiday pitch-in. “I completely forgot about it. Just a minute, I’ll go get my purse.” She dashed back through the kitchen and up the stairs to the attic.
“I guess it slipped my mind,” she said as she returned with the sealed envelope. “Father O’Brien gave me this at the holiday dinner. He said it was a gift from someone who wanted to stay anonymous. I was supposed to wait until Christmas morning to open it.”
“Strange,” Ivy said. “Let’s see what’s in it.”
Josie ripped open the end of the envelope and reached inside. She withdrew two small keys
Macbeth:
Give sorrow words. The Grief that does not speak
Whispers to the o’erfraught heart, and bids it break.
She looked at her aunt with tears in her eyes as Ivy took her hand.
“It’s what I told you, about how it’s important to talk about things,” Ivy said. “This’ll remind you how to heal and help you remember that I’m here for you. And, it’ll help you fall asleep at night, if you need it.” She chuckled. “Shakespeare’s gorgeous stuff, but I can only read a little at a time before it wears me out. It’s real good for insomnia, you know?”
Josie laughed and shook her head. “Thank you, Ivy. I just … I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for this. For everything.”
“It’s nothing. Now, open the other one.”
The second present was small, in a box only a few inches across. Josie removed the paper and lifted the lid to reveal a gold, oval locket nestled in a bed of cotton.
“Ivy, I can’t accept this. It’s too much,” Josie protested, but Ivy wouldn’t listen.
“No it isn’t, not at all. It’s something that belonged to your great-grandmother. She gave it to me years ago, since I was the older of her granddaughters, for me to pass along to my oldest daughter someday. Since I never had any kids, it’s just been sitting in my dresser drawer. It’s a family heirloom, really, so it’s something you should have.” Ivy reached over, picked up the locket, and gently popped it open. “There’s space in here for pictures of the girls. Maybe wearing it will remind you to keep going when you’re feeling sad.”
“They … and you … are about the only reasons I’ve made it this far,” Josie said. She reached over to hug Ivy.
“Mommy?”
Josie turned around to face Rose. “Yes, sweetie?”
“Are you crying because you miss Daddy?”
Josie took a deep breath. “Mommy is crying right now because she feels happy and sad at the same time. Happy because it’s Christmas and we’re all together, but sad because Mommy still misses Daddy very much.”
“I miss Daddy, too,” Rose said, and Josie saw her little face start to crumple. “I like the new toys, but I really wanted Santa to bring Daddy for Christmas.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Josie choked, “not even Santa can bring Daddy back, even though I wish he could.”
“You know,” Ivy said to Rose, “it’s okay for you to miss your daddy, and to cry when you feel like it. But you know something? Your daddy wouldn’t want you to be sad
today
. He’d want you toplay with all your new things and think about all the happy times you spent with him.”
“That’s right,” Josie said. “Today, Mommy is going to try very hard to remember all the fun we had with Daddy, because he loved us all very much, and he wouldn’t want us to be sad on Christmas.”
Rose looked at them with her chin quivering. She put down the doll she’d been holding and laid her head in Josie’s lap. “I’ll try hard, too, Mommy,” she said.
After a minute, Rose straightened up with an excited expression. “Mommy, what about the envelope?”
“What envelope?” Ivy asked.
“Oh,” Josie said as she remembered the mysterious envelope Father O’Brien had given her at the holiday pitch-in. “I completely forgot about it. Just a minute, I’ll go get my purse.” She dashed back through the kitchen and up the stairs to the attic.
“I guess it slipped my mind,” she said as she returned with the sealed envelope. “Father O’Brien gave me this at the holiday dinner. He said it was a gift from someone who wanted to stay anonymous. I was supposed to wait until Christmas morning to open it.”
“Strange,” Ivy said. “Let’s see what’s in it.”
Josie ripped open the end of the envelope and reached inside. She withdrew two small keys
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