literature

Reflections of a Family

Deviation Actions

ArandomMoon's avatar
By
Published:
317 Views

Literature Text

Reflections of a Family


  I
   She saw Mommy sad for the first time today.

   Little Sophia was surrounded by wooden alphabet-blocks on the carpet, stacking them into an Eiffel Tower shape in the living room. Ostensibly, Mommy silently watched over her on the couch but her eyes were blank and her mind preoccupied with other thoughts. Sophia continues with her creation, now being inscribed with whole words like d-o-g and t-r-e-e. When her best friend, a winged teddy bear called Angel, stared at her expectantly for something more impressive, Sophia attempts to climb it. She enjoys for a split second seeing i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m spelled out beneath her before falling down with her collapsing structure.

   Her immediate reaction was to cry and so she howls, loudly enough that Mommy is woken from thoughts and rushes to her, shushing her with gentle murmurs and kisses.  An instant later, Sophia is calmed down and embraces her.

   Mommy sighed heavily and held Sophia closer to her chest, stroking the newly-sprung golden hair that curled around her daughter’s round face.  Mommy’s shoulders sagged with burdens and if you looked carefully enough, you could see the world, a glutton that could never get enough food, freely swinging on her shoulders. Her mind once again travelled to other worlds and her face grows dark. She pulled back from the embrace and lifted her daughter’s chin so they looked straight at each other.

   For a moment, Sophia was startled.  A waterfall threatened to crash down from her mother’s empty eyes.

   Her mom spoke.  “Mommy only has you now.  And no matter what, you only have me now as well.  So don’t cry and grow up to be an angel, ok?”
 
   Sophia contemplated whether or not Angel would share his wings with her.  

   Nonetheless, she was still worried, even tinged with a feeling she had yet to indentify: ‘fear.’

   Her mom turned her shadowed face away and left the room.


   II
   Sophia, with an art set at hand, stood before the gargantuan mirror. It was the centerpiece of the house with ornamentally carved spirals on the top, and it was so polished, it shone a resonant glow. Long time ago, Daddy, Mommy, and her would all would look at themselves in it and put up a wide, open smile before leaving to wherever they were headed.  She wondered why Daddy hadn’t come home in a while to look at himself in the mirror. She wondered why Daddy hasn’t come to see her.

  Now, she looked hopelessly at herself in the mirror at how bigger it was than her, but then told herself if she didn’t carry out this task, Mommy would keep being sad.  She had to make Mommy happy.

  She opens her art set and takes out the lime green paint of a fresh blade of grass. She dips her paintbrush carefully in the paint and then placed it on the mirror, creating a single dot of green.

  It started to move in swirling patterns beneath her hand and weaving greens of grass form in the empty mirror.

  Green is switched to blues, creating an unmarked, unending sky slipping between the waving blades of grass.

  Browns create the strong trunks of trees with branches creating panes in the bird-blue sky.

  Whites form reflecting clouds, caught like cotton in the branches.

She takes out a pitch-black paint and carefully, she draws the outline of a small figure in the very center, adding a tussle of bright yellow lines curving down on its head.

  When she sees she cannot reach high enough to paint the next part, even on her tippy-toes, she hauls the huge dining chair that her father once sat in.  Her knobby knees clack with the legs of the chair as she drags it.  She adds a few books, especially a whole bunch of fat encyclopedias, and her father’s suitcase for good measure.

  She climbs the tower easily, even though it seemed as though it was tall as Mt. Everest.  When she reaches the top, she paints two tall people in the mirror on either side of the middle figure.  She draws in smiles on all of them.  

  She slips back down, takes a step back, and gives an approving nod at her work.


   III
  Her mom stood before the mirror. Her reflection had pitch-black hair, matching height, and a wide, open smile that was obviously painted on.  In the mirror, she held hands with Sophia, although Sophia was upstairs sleeping soundly right now. The mom refused to look at the next person who was also holding hands with the child in the mirror.  

  Unlike the mom in the mirror who was smiling brightly, the real Mommy was crying.  She shakily brings out her phone and although the contact was deleted, she types a number she knew by heart.  There are a few shouts when the call gets through but the message itself is gotten through clearly.  She shuts her phone and waits.

***

  Sophia can barely conceal her giggles as she pretends to sleep in bed. She curls up into a ball to try to muffle the sounds.  She can’t wait to see how Mommy reacts.  Mommy would be so happy and hug her and somehow, maybe Daddy would come back home too.  She can’t stop herself and she tosses off the blanket and quietly creeps downstairs.

  She peeks surreptitiously around the corner to where the mirror is.  She sees Mommy there standing full height with her ‘reflection.’

  And she can’t believe it. She would recognize that strong back, tough mustached chin, and those kind eyes anywhere.

  Daddy was finally home.  

  Only one piece of the puzzle was still missing.  Sophia no longer hides and steps out.  Her parents don’t notice her until she is right between them.  She slips her hands in theirs and smiles up at them, a warm glow emanating from her that caressed them.

Mommy and Daddy both smile back.

And for a moment, the family matched their reflections in the mirror.

“You ask what happens to me and my parents next?  If my parents stayed divorced or got back together again? Now that isn’t the question you should be asking. That’s an entirely wrong question.  What you should be asking is; ‘Are we happy?’
And yes, we are.  Whenever any one of us looks in that mirror, we will always be smiling, even if the only time Daddy can look in the mirror is every five months when he comes to visit Mommy and me. No matter what happened back then, I know I cannot dream and dream over and over again hoping for a different ending. When I accepted that, I smiled and I was free.” -Sophia
Many of you are probably wondering if my parents are divorced or such.
The answer is NO. In fact, I barely even know anyone who have divorced parents. Yet, I know how much it hurts because I cannot even imagine it without a cruel beating in my chest. I hope this helped those who go through this in some way.

I just realized. Did this resolve too quickly? I never thought about until now and this is really stuck on my mind.
© 2012 - 2024 ArandomMoon
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In