A New Home (finale) by Cyndi Woods

Felicity’s mom spun around quickly, breaking their embrace. The reunited couple stood there staring at their daughter waiting for her to respond. “So that’s it? A hug and a kiss and everything is just fine?” Felicity asked in a quiet voice. She waited for her parents to respond. They looked at one another and said, “No Felicity, we know that it is going to take time to rebuild.” This revelation came from her dad. “How can you let her just walk back into our lives after disappearing for years?” Felicity asked her dad gesturing to the woman standing next to him. “Felicity,” her mother began, but Felicity interrupted, “I was talking to my father!” she snapped a little more forcefully then she’d intended. Anna’s face fell and she lowered her eyes to the floor. “Honey it’s not that, your mom and I have talked for a long while about this. I had no intention of just jumping back into this without your input,” her dad assured her. “Well it sure looked like you were not to concerned about my input when I came in.” she said crossing her arms. 

   

“Felicity I want us to start over,” her mom said. “I want us to be friends and…” “Friends!” Felicity exploded, “You haven’t been here for anything! Now you come home the night before my senior prom and want us to hang out and do our nails and swap girly stories?” Felicity said with a sarcastic chuckle. Anna looked at her husband in surprise. “Her prom is tomorrow?” she asked with a little too much excitement for Felicity’s liking. Brad nodded. “This is the young man who is escorting our daughter to the prom,” Brad said stepping towards Roger to introduce him to Anna. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he turned Roger toward his wife and said, “Anna this is Roger, he and Felicity have been good friends for some time now.” Roger extended his hand just as he had done when he met Felicity’s father. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he smiled. “Yes, it’s wonderful to meet you too Roger,” Anna returned. 

   

Felicity knew this was all the normal exchange of parents meeting their daughter’s boyfriend, however this was anything but a normal parent situation. She knew she should do the mature thing and sit down and talk with her mother, but she simply didn’t have that in her at this moment. She felt like the air was being sucked out of her lungs and she needed to step outside to breathe. “I… I need some fresh air,” Felicity said, turning to go back out of the kitchen. They all let her go but Roger said “I’ll come with you.” Stepping out on the front porch, Felicity placed both hands on the iron rail. “I don’t know how to process this, Roger,” she confessed. Silent for a moment, Roger was collecting his thoughts. “No one expects you to process it all right now, Felicity.” She looked at him. “You can figure things out along the way.” “What do you mean?” she asked. “When your mom left, did you want her to ever come back?” he asked. “Are you kidding? That was all I ever thought about. I dreamed about how it would be the day she came back,” she explained. “I fantasized about her driving in the driveway, stepping out and scooping me up and telling me how wrong she had been and how much she missed and loved me.” She said breaking into tears. “I dreamed of her telling my father that she couldn’t go on another day without him.”

   

Roger took her gently by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, “Isn’t that what she’s doing now?” he whispered. Felicity opened her mouth to speak but had no voice. “Your dream is coming true, Felicity, maybe not as soon as you had imagined, but it is coming true.” He pointed out. “I know it won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight, but you hold the cards now and you can allow that dream to be realized.” Felicity cupped her mouth with her hands and began to sob heavily. Roger pulled her close, “Shhh, Felicity it’s going to be ok. I’ll help you through this.” After a few minutes of letting her get some of her emotions out, he pulled her back and put a finger under her chin. Tipping her face up to his he said, “You’ve waited so long to have your family back together. They are inside waiting for that too. Prom is only happening once, let your mom try to be there for you now. I’m sure she’d love to help you get ready tomorrow. Wouldn’t you like that too?” he asked her. Still crying, she thought for a moment. She knew she couldn’t get this back if she let this one-time event escape them. She nodded slowly. Bending down a little Roger placed a gentle kiss to her lips and said “Let’s go back inside. 

   

Going back into the kitchen, Felicity found her parents sitting at the table. Her mother was sitting with her arms folded on the table and staring down at them. Her father had assumed her moms’ position at the stove and was stirring. “Mom?” Felicity said in a timid voice. Straightening quickly and turning in her chair, Anna faced her daughter, “Felicity.” “I… I…” was all she could say. Feeling Roger squeeze her hand softly gave her a little more courage. “I dreamed of you coming home, I planned out just how I wanted it to go,” Felicity began. “I wanted nothing more than to forget about why you left or how long you had been gone. In my dreams it didn’t matter.” Anna looked to her husband for some idea where this might be going. He gave her a look that said he didn’t know either. Felicity continued. “I honestly can’t tell you that this is how I feel right now. However, I am willing to try to rebuild along with both of you. My prom is tomorrow and…” she trailed off. “Yes?” Anna asked. Sighing, Felicity decided to leap forward and say, “I would like my mother to help me get ready.” Anna’s mouth fell open and she looked at her husband then back to her daughter. “Oh Felicity! This is more than I dared to hope for.” “Well, this is only going to happen once and I don’t want to regret not having you here,” Felicity said, realizing for the first time that she truly felt that way. It wasn’t just to force the first step of rebuilding. Anna dared a step forward and Felicity took one too. In just a few short movements, mother and daughter were in an embrace. Both were weeping and both were apologizing.

  

Roger looked to Brad and saw that he had set the spoon down and was covering his face with one hand and his body was quivering. He felt a little intrusive watching this once broken family starting on the road to healing. Yet somehow, he also felt like he belonged here. He would see Felicity through this and be there for her any way she needed him. He fell a little more in love with her as she stood there in the kitchen hugging this woman who left a wound in Felicity’s heart. But the same woman was now responsible for a part of the healing. They did all the hugs and kisses and they all sat down at the table and enjoyed dinner together like a family. 

   

As morning came, Felicity rose with a smile. She looked over to her closet and saw the glittery pink dress that Roger had bought her and knew it wouldn’t be long before she would walk down the stairs to meet him in the living room. She smelled coffee and put her robe on to go downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, she saw her mom at the table with a mug of coffee already poured in front of her. She was flipping through a magazine. “Good morning, mom,” Felicity said, feeling so strange greeting her mother in the morning. Looking up from her magazine her mom smiled and said “Good morning, honey!” “Mind if I join you in a cup of coffee?” Felicity asked. “I’d love that. Let me get it for you.” Felicity could see right away that her mom was trying. She decided to give her a chance. “Sure, ok. I take the flavored cream and brown sugar,” Felicity instructed. Pausing with the coffee pot in midair, her mom turned to look at her. She looked taken-a-back. “Me too.” They smiled at one another. 

Placing Felicity’s mug in front of her, Anna returned to her seat. “Are you nervous for tonight?” her mom asked. “Not really, more excited than anything.” Felicity said, shaking her head. “Do you know how you want to do your hair?” “Well Roger’s Aunt gave me a hair appointment as a gift but I’m not sure what I want. I was thinking of having her curl it and pulling the sides up. I have some beautiful combs that were…” Felicity paused realizing what she was about to say. “Go on,” Anna prompted. Felicity looked down at her mug. “They were Great Grandma’s.” She waited a beat then looked at her mother. “Oh… my. You still have my grandmother’s combs?” Anna asked, tearing up. “You used to love to play dress up with those as a little girl.” Felicity chuckled a little, “I still do.” Her mother smiled. Looking down at the magazine, Anna turned it at slid it over to her daughter. Felicity saw that it was a hair styling magazine. The photo her mother marked was of a girl with black hair. She had it all curled and the sides swept up in two glittery combs. “How did you know?” Felicity asked, looking from the photo to her mother and then back to the photo. “Oh, I don’t know, just a hunch.” Her mom said clasping her hands together under her chin and smiling. “Would… Would you like to come with me mom?” Felicity asked. Never taking her eyes from her daughters, Anna replied, “I would love to, Felicity.” They gathered the necessary items for the salon and headed off to have some girl time together. It had been wonderful. They laughed and joked like nothing had been out of place between them. Felicity didn’t know why but she just couldn’t be angry with her mom, not today. She wanted this to be like the dreams she’d had. Felicity’s hair was done complete with the gold combs of her Great Grandmother. Anna put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and gazed at her. Tears forming in her eyes she said, “Oh Felicity, you look just lovely.” Sharing a hug, they thanked Rogers Aunt with hugs and promises to go to lunch soon and made their way home.

   

Up in Felicity’s bedroom, she and her mother did Felicity’s makeup and Anna helped her daughter on with her gown. “Roger sure picked a perfect dress for you, didn’t he?” Anna asked. “Well, truth be told, he had his sisters help.” They began to laugh together about that. Catching her breath, Felicity said, “Mom, I don’t know the reasons you left and we can sift through all that later. But I want you to know how much it means to me to have you here now.” Anna’s smile faded and she said in a serious tone, “It means so much to me to be here, Felicity. I’ve missed so much and I don’t intend to miss any more.” “I… I love you mom,” Felicity ventured. “Oh Felicity, I love you too, I’ve never stopped loving you,” her mother confessed. Quickly changing the emotional atmosphere, Anna declared “No crying! We just did your makeup!” They both walked over to the mirror to view the finished look. “You look just beautiful,” Anna told her daughter. “There’s something missing,” Felicity said. Going to her dresser, she retrieved a small velvet box. Taking it back over to her mother, she opened it and said, “I forgot earrings.” Looking into the box Anna gasped. She Looked at her daughter and Felicity smiled. Taking them out and putting them on she said, “Now I’m ready.” Once again, they embraced and went to the stairs. 

   

Standing at the top, Anna announced “Ok, here she comes.” Walking down the stairs Anna saw Roger and her husband stand and look up at the staircase expectantly. Then Felicity began her descent. As soon as she was in full view, Roger’s mouth fell open and his eyes grew almost as wide. She stepped off the last step and Roger crossed the room to meet her. Taking both her hands he said, “Felicity, you are breathtaking.” She smiled and stepped into his arms. Anna and Brad came together putting one arm around each other. This was magical. Roger whispered in Felicity’s ear, “I love you Falicidy.” She tipped her chin up towards his ear, “I love you too Roger.” 

   

With several pictures being taken, they eventually made their way to dinner and then the prom. Felicity’s dream was coming true. She was at her senior prom with the boy she loved in the dress he bought for her. Her mom was home and her dad was loving and kind again. It was all so wonderful. It was a new home.