Chapter Text
Joanna Lannister-Tarth walked through the crowd with a frown and a hurried pace. Her list of things to do was a mile long, but she didn't want to put this off any longer.
As she dodged people rushing by her on their way home, Jo looked at her watch and picked up speed, making a mental note of the birthday cake she had been asked to pick up from the bakery.
Her parents had been married only a year, even though her father had proposed almost two years ago. But her mom wanted to wait, patiently explaining that they didn’t need to rush things, and that it was better to ease into things gradually. Her dad had been less than pleased, but he had ultimately agreed to Brienne’s wishes and had only complained every other day or so.
Jo smiled to herself, thinking that her father was always adamant to see her mom happy, and she loved that Jaime succeeded in achieving that nearly every day.
Not that there hadn't been difficult times since her parents had finally reunited. The three of them hadn't lived together right away, part of Brienne's plan of 'taking things slow.' Instead, they took turns shuffling from Jaime's spacious apartment, to the smaller one Jo shared with her mother. After eight months, her parents had decided it was the right time for them to live together as a family under just one roof. Now they only had to resolve the issue of which roof they were going to choose.
Heated debates had taken place for weeks about whose house they would move into. In the end, Jaime and Brienne decided to give up both apartments and look for the perfect place that all of them would approve of.
Jo was glad they had decided upon her choice: a spacious loft-style residence in which she could have the farthest room in the house, far away from her parents’ bedroom. She had learned this lesson the hard way, after hearing their very loud and enthusiastic tussles, which had forced her to sleep with headphones on every single night. Under the covers, Jo wished repeatedly for a quick death.
Talk about childhood trauma.
And it wasn't just late at night when she had to shield herself from Jaime and Brienne’s frequent displays of affection. One time, Jo had come home earlier than usual, and looking at something on her phone, had made her way quietly to the kitchen. When she looked up, she’d seen her dad standing very close behind her mom, whispering in Brienne's ear, whose face and neck were burning in a bright shade of red, similar to the one she acquired when out in the sun too long, her eyes closed and her neck turning from side to side so she could meet Jaime’s lips. As Jo foolishly peered closer, she saw her father's hand climbing surreptitiously inside her mother's shirt, while Brienne had slowly reached behind her, purposefully rubbing the front of her dad’s pants.
Jo had prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
She had backed away slowly from the kitchen and headed towards the front door again, not making a sound. Then she had slammed it open, pretending to come inside for the first time and yelling a very loud greeting to her parents. Brienne called from the kitchen, and when Jo walked in, she saw her parents standing several feet away from each other, her dad turned slightly away sitting at the kitchen table, a newspaper placed on his lap, while her mother had smiled nervously at her, the redness in her face even more intense. Jo had stood in the doorway, not looking at either parent in the eye and mumbling that she had a book to read for a class. She had bid a hasty retreat from the kitchen, swearing to herself that she would never again come inside the house without loudly announcing herself.
Who knows what she was likely to see next time if she didn’t?
She often teased her parents that they were always touching, kissing and holding each other, way more than she saw any of her friends’ parents doing. Brienne had looked at her with a sad smile before saying in a soft voice that perhaps those people didn’t have fifteen years to make up for like they did. Jo felt immediately contrite, knowing that her mother was right and from that moment on, had tried her best not to complain or vex them too much about being so openly effusive.
***
As Jo tried to walk faster, she thought about growing up for almost her whole life with only her mom. Brienne had truly been the greatest mother anyone could ever want, if only a bit too watchful of her only daughter. But now that Jo was also living with her father, she realized that it was Jaime the one with an overly protective streak that surpassed even Brienne’s strict vigilance. Much to Jo's horror, her dad had often embarrassed her with boys who picked her up on dates. Like when Gendry Waters had asked her out.
They were both involved with the photography club, and had rapidly become good friends—at least, Jo thought that was all it was until Gendry invited her to a photography exhibit downtown. He was tall with thick black hair and dark blue eyes; a cute guy, but Jo wasn’t really into him. But she really couldn’t refuse his stammering invitation, because even though he wasn’t her type, it was nice and sweet of him to think of wanting to bring her to the exhibit. Besides, she was actually excited at the possibility of learning a new technique or two and to see some awesome photos with someone who appreciated them like she did.
Gendry of course, knew who her father was. Jaime had taught a few photography classes for the club, and Jo had been insanely proud as she listened to him talking about his experiences and all the places he had been. She hoped that someday she could follow in his footsteps.
That night, Gendry had shown up at her house so they could walk to the gallery together. She was still deciding between an ice-blue sweater or a dark green one, when she heard the doorbell. Cursing under her breath, she opened her bedroom door and shouted, "Pleeeeease Dad! Tell him I'm almost ready, ok?"
Her father had shouted back that he would, so Jo picked the green sweater and hurriedly pulled it on. She braided her hair, hastily applied her makeup, and made her way towards the living room. As she approached, she had heard Jaime and Gendry speaking, her feet skidding to a halt.
“Well, I hope to do more or less what you've done, sir." Gendry was saying. He wasn’t stammering but Jo thought he sounded strangely shy. She leaned against the wall to listen. "I'm really interested in traveling and getting to see things beyond this place, you know?"
Jaime had nodded in agreement. “There’s a whole different world outside of Westeros, yes,” he replied. Jo risked peeking through the gap between the door and the wall, and saw that Gendry was shifting his weight from one foot to the other while her dad stood firm, the expression on his face assessing. Uh-oh, Jo had thought with concern.
Then Jaime spoke, his voice quiet and soft, and she watched as Gendry leaned closer to hear him better.
"You know, I've spent my life traveling to places you probably haven't even heard of. Astapor, Yunkai, Slaver’s Bay.” Her father looked at Gendry straight in the eye. "The great thing about that is the people you meet. For example, I remember when I was in Quarth and I got the opportunity to ride with the army there. I especially enjoyed my time with the sniper team. The most loyal group of men I’ve ever known."
Gendry nodded, looking eager for the advice that her dad was about to share. But Jaime paused, and continued to stare at Gendry as if deciding where he should hit him the hardest. Jo wondered if the best thing would be to make her presence felt, but to his credit, Gendry seemed to quickly realize that career advice was not exactly what Jaime was going to give him and began to move away. Jo glared at her father through the gap she was spying through. She knew all too well how Jaime’s words could slice people into ribbons, and that when he looked at someone the way he was now looking at Gendry, it meant he was savoring a kill.
He often looked at Uncle Hyle in the exact same way.
"Son, I really want you and my daughter to have a great time tonight. I trust you to take care of her.” Jaime stepped closer to Gendry. “This is what I expect from you, and I have no doubt that you will do it.”
Jo rolled her eyes. Gods, her dad was so antiquated. Like she couldn't take care of herself!
Jaime put an arm around Gendry’s shoulders, and Jo saw with dismay that her friend jumped back a bit. “You look like a nice guy, Gendry” her dad said, with what seemed to be tone dripping with false friendliness. “I believe that you don’t want to disappoint me by proving that my assessment of you is wrong. So just let me be clear, son: if my daughter comes home tonight with so much as a hair out of place…well… I know people. People who are loyal to me, who will make you disappear. . . “Jaime suddenly snapped his fingers in front of Gendry’s eyes. “Just like that. Do we understand each other, Gendry?”
Gendry had nodded furiously, obviously scared out of his wits, and grateful when Jo had finally appeared abruptly in the living room. Jaime smiled warmly at her, and gave Gendry a friendly pat on the shoulder again. Her friend couldn’t get out of the house fast enough, his knee hitting the edge of the coffee table. He mumbled that he was okay before hobbling out, looking over his shoulder at Jaime. Before Jo followed him, she shot her father a murderous look, but he continued to smile innocently at her as he waved goodbye at them. “Have fun, sweetheart,” he said, in a singsong voice.
The next morning, Jo had loudly complained to Brienne about her dad's behavior, and her mother had promised to talk to Jaime about making inappropriate threats to every boy Jo went out with. Then she had looked at Jo with her gentle blue eyes, and said softly, "Honey, I know it's frustrating to have him be so overbearing all the time. But Jo, you have to understand that he never had a chance to be a father to you. Your dad didn't see you grow up, and he missed so many moments..." That was still a sore subject between her parents, Jo knew. "Just...give him a little break, ok? He just wants to protect you, that's all."
Jo had nodded, feeling incredibly sad that her father felt the need to try so hard. She made her way to the makeshift studio Jaime had added when they first bought the loft. He was looking at some prints of a recent assignment in High Garden, beaming when he saw her, waving her over so he could show her what he was doing. Jo had felt such an upwelling of love for him, that she had suddenly hugged Jaime tight and whispered, "I love you, Daddy."
His look of surprise soon gave way to a smile and emerald eyes filled with deep emotion and gratitude. "I love you too sweetheart," her dad had said. "You have no idea how much."
***
Jo rapidly became annoyed as she tried to increase her speed despite the sea of people coming out of office buildings who were apparently intent on slowing her down. Fuck, why couldn’t they just move? She took a deep breath knowing that her height and long legs gave her a certain advantage, but it was still frustrating to be stuck in pedestrian traffic. Jo noticed a lot of people stopping to stare at her, which was nothing she wasn’t used to. Being a girl and six feet tall often drew attention, but it generally didn’t bother her much. If others were intimidated by her height, that was their problem. Her dad repeated this to both Jo and her mother frequently, always pausing to whisper in Brienne’s ear that her beautiful legs were one of her many attributes. Jo couldn’t help but laugh at her mom’s embarrassed face, while she gave Jaime a chastising look.
But she knew that her mother adored her dad, especially when he did something unexpected that he knew would please her. Jo remembered the time her parents had organized a dinner at home and invited some people from the magazine where Jaime worked, including his new assistant Pia. When they had all sat at the table, he had made a point of placing her uncle Hyle (who had been surprised at Jaime’s invitation) swiftly next to Pia.
They had talked to each other all through dinner, and well after that. When Brienne had seen Pia give Hyle her phone number, she had turned to Jaime and said with a knowing smile, “You planned all this, didn’t you?”
He had given her a mocking innocent look, saying, “Planned what, wench? I simply arranged to have them next to each other.” He winked at her mother. “Let’s just say I had a hunch.”
Jo was aware that her mom wasn’t too keen on being called ‘wench’ in front of other people, least of all in front of Jo. This time though, Brienne had shaken her head, cupped his face, and kissed him lovingly on the lips. “Deep down Jaime Lannister, you are a hopeless romantic,” she joked.
Jaime had kissed her back, looking deep into her eyes. “Not so hopeless. I’m in love with you, aren’t I?”
Jo remembered with affection Brienne’s beaming face, her tall form happy and relaxed in her dad’s arms, and thinking it was the greatest thing she had ever seen.
***
Among the many changes in her life since her dad had become part of her world, had been Jo’s decision to take her dad’s last name. Her mom had been grading essays while her father had scowled at the computer, trying to select the best pictures he had taken of the last winter moon to send to the magazine for publication. Jo had nervously cleared her throat and said in a shaky voice, ”Uh, can I talk to you guys about something?”
Brienne and Jaime had turned around, a hint of silent alarm in their eyes. Shit, now they probably think I’m pregnant, Jo had though with a hint of belated amusement. “Come on guys, it’s nothing bad, don’t worry,” she said not missing their almost simultaneous sigh of relief. “But it is important.” Jo looked over at Brienne, taking a deep breath before speaking. “I want to have Dad’s name.”
Her mother had looked surprised, and Jo knew it was because this was completely unexpected. Jo had never shown any interest in changing her last name to Jaime’s, and he had never pressured her to do so. She looked over at her father then, whose wide grin was impossible to hide, his green eyes joyous.
“I need to explain myself,” Jo said. “Dad, I want to have your name, but that doesn’t mean I want to ditch Mom’s.” Jo felt that she wasn’t making things clear, and that maybe she was creating more confusion than necessary in her parents.
“I don’t think it’s fair for me to suddenly just be Joanna Lannister, because I don’t feel it’s fair to Mom,” Jo had said with conviction. “So, I was thinking…I could be Joanna Lannister-Tarth…or Joanna Tarth-Lannister. Either way, I have both your names and I don’t have to choose one of you over the other. I really don’t want to do that because I love you both so much.”
Her mother had spoken first after glancing briefly at Jaime and giving him a smile. “Sweetheart, if that’s what you want, then we’re fine with it,” her mother had said. “As to Lannister-Tarth or Tarth-Lannister…” Brienne looked at Jaime again, and he nodded. “That’s entirely your choice too, Jo. We’ll be happy with whatever you decide.” Jo had hurried over to hug them both, but in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help being worried that either Jaime or Brienne would take offense about whatever she ultimately chose to do.
The tiebreaker had amazingly been her mother. The two of them had been shopping for Jo’s school clothes, when unexpectedly, Brienne had gently told her that she had thought a lot about what Jo said the other day. Her mom said that if Jo agreed, she felt that the best choice of name was Joanna Lannister-Tarth.
Taken aback, Jo had asked her why with a furrowed brow. Brienne, taking her daughter’s hand, had explained that Jaime had missed out on sixteen years of being her dad, along with everything else fatherhood entailed. She went on to say that this would be a huge gesture for Jaime, one that she was certain would make him so very happy. Jo had looked doubtfully at Brienne.
“Are you sure you’re ok with this, Mom? I don’t want you to feel that I’m pushing you aside, or that I’m…”
Her mom had held up a hand, shaking her head. “I would never think that Jo. I’m the one who’s telling you that I think it’s what you should do if you want to. Besides, you’ll have both our names, so I don’t really mind whose comes first. But honey, I know it would make a huge difference to your dad because of all the time he lost with you.”
Jo had agreed with misty eyes, thinking that it was so sad that Jaime spent so many years completely unaware that he had a daughter who went to bed every night dreaming of a father she had never met.
Her dad was, as Brienne had predicted, overjoyed when Jo had told him of her decision. He held her tightly and gently kissed the top of Jo’s head, which was now more difficult to do since she was almost as tall as he was. “You don’t know what this means to me, sweetheart. Thank you.”
He had looked at her mother then, and Jo thought that if she ever fell in love, she wanted someone to look at her like her dad looked at her mom. Jaime had taken Brienne in his arms saying, “It was you who helped her decide this, wasn’t it?” He kissed her mom while softly whispering, “I love you so much,” in a low voice, but loud enough for Jo to hear. Brienne had looked at him reverently, her hand stealing up to caress his face.
Jo had silently gotten up from the couch and left them alone.
***
Yes, many things had happened in the last three years, but the most important event had without a doubt been her parent’s wedding, which much to Jo’s chagrin, had taken an excruciating long time to happen. Jaime and Brienne talked repeatedly about setting a date but nothing ever came of it, and Jo couldn’t help noticing that her father was becoming frustrated. One day while having lunch with Tyrion, she had gloomily told him about her concern that her parents might never get married.
Tyrion had looked at her while chewing his food thoughtfully. Then he had smiled at Jo, his eyes shining with wicked glee. “My dear niece, I think I’ve found a solution to the problem. But I’m going to need your help, and a serious promise that you’ll keep what I’m planning a secret.”
Jo had smirked conspiratorially and said, “I’ve kept the secret of that girl you’ve been seeing which you haven’t told my dad about, haven’t I?”
Her uncle had winked at her. “And I couldn’t thank you enough for that. The Gods know I don’t need your father interrogating me about every aspect of my personal life.”
So with the excuse of Jaime’s birthday, Jo had ended up with her mother blindfolded in a taxi and Tyrion in the same circumstances with her father in a separate car. Jo had made up a story about a surprise for Jaime, and had convinced her parents to go along with her plans. Jaime and Brienne had looked at her oddly when Jo suggested the blindfolds and two taxis, but at seeing her excitement they had smiled at each other and agreed to go with whatever she wanted to do.
Jo had only hoped that her plan didn’t backfire spectacularly. What if her parents didn’t even want to get married? The thought of it made her nervous.
When the two cabs had pulled up more or less at the same time in front of the courthouse, Jaime led by Tyrion and Brienne gently by Jo, had been speechless when the blindfolds were removed and they realized where they were. Tyrion gave them a serious look, cleared his throat, and said, “If you are in any way upset with this, don’t blame Jo. I’m the one responsible and I set this up because your daughter is worried that you two haven’t set a wedding date. You’ve been engaged for more than a year. I think right now is as good a time as any, don’t you?” Tyrion had asked, looking from Brienne to Jaime and tilting his head.
Her parents had looked at each other in silence, visibly struggling for something to say. Jo stepped forward and spoke to them in a pleading voice. “Look, I know you guys didn’t count on this, and I’m sorry to have sprung this on you. But come on! You two love each other, and you keep delaying this for no reason.” She looked pointedly at her mom. “I know you might be scared, and you think that more time is better, but it really isn’t. I love you both so much and you deserve to be together!”
Tyrion moved to stand beside Jo. “I have a friend who’s a clerk in the courthouse and is willing to sidestep the fact that there’s no marriage license as a favor to me. You can file the document another time. But we’re here, and if this is something you two really want, then let’s get it done. Jo worked very hard to pull off this surprise for you two, but you need to decide right now.”
Jo looked expectantly at her parents, as Jaime turned to look at Brienne with a grin. “What do you think, Tarthy? Feel like getting married today?
Brienne looked at him fixedly, saying nothing, and Jo was worried she was actually going to say no. But then her mother’s face broke into a huge smile, her blue eyes clear and bright as the sunny sky above them. “Hells, yes. I think we definitely should do this before Jo has children, don’t you?” she said teasingly.
Jaime’s smile suddenly turned into a solemn scowl. “My daughter’s not having children any time soon.”
Brienne laughed and reached for Jaime’s hand, while he put his arms around her. She looked at Jo and Tyrion, smiling at their relieved faces. “Well, what are we standing out here for? We have a wedding to go to.”
Jo had laughed loudly, rushing to hug them both while giving Tyrion a thumbs-up over her parents’ shoulders.
Finally! Jo thought with relief. It had certainly been a long time coming.
***
She was close to her destination now, and Jo suddenly remembered that she had to call Rickon Stark later and confirm that he was coming over tonight for the party. Jo thought briefly of when Brienne and Jaime had first announced that they were engaged after the horrible fight they’d had three years ago. Her mom had come home with Jaime trailing behind, and Jo immediately knew by the expression on their faces that they had talked things out and were going to take a chance on each other again. Catelyn Stark hadn’t looked too pleased about Brienne’s decision or Jaime’s presence, but she had politely remained silent. Her dad had seen Rickon standing behind his mother, and had approached him offering his hand.
While Catelyn eyed him suspiciously, Jaime had looked at the younger man with a smile. “I have to…I want to thank you, son,” her father had said, tripping a bit on his words. “Because if it hadn’t been for you, I never would have found Brienne.” Jaime swallowed hard, his eyes shining, and Jo felt a wave of sadness damper the joy that she felt at her parents being together. Her father continued in a low voice that was filled with emotion. ”If not for you, I never…I never would have met my daughter. I would have gone through life not knowing about her, or never seeing the woman I love again.”
Jaime clasped Rickon’s hand firmly. “I don’t think I’ll be able to repay you for bringing my family back to me, Rickon. A family I didn’t even know I had. But if there’s ever anything you need, anything, don’t hesitate to ask, ok?” Rickon had nodded shyly, as Jaime clapped him on the shoulder.
Jo looked at Catelyn and was surprised to see that she had stopped scowling at her dad and was looking at him with a hesitant smile. Brienne was rubbing her eyes forcefully, visibly trying not to cry, as Jo rushed to her and Jaime, putting her arms around both of them.
***
She came to an abrupt stop in front of Vysenia’s Hill station, wondering if what she was looking for would still be there. Jo started to descend the steps, trying her best not to get trampled by the onslaught of rush hour commuters who were rudely pushing past her. Once at the bottom, and as she headed in the direction of The Missed Connections wall, Jo couldn’t help thinking about her family. A family that wouldn’t be if Rickon had not been looking at the wall at the right time, and seen the paper with Brienne’s name. She smiled, knowing that Rickon now worshipped Jaime after her dad had gotten a backstage pass for him to meet the members of his favorite rock band last weekend.
Her father had used every resource at Westerosi Geographic, and spoke to a celebrity photographer he knew when Jo had told him about Rickon’s love for the band, surprising him unawares with a backstage pass. Rickon had looked at it speechless, barely managing to mumble a thank you while Jaime had looked at him, his green eyes kind.
“If anything, it’s me who can never thank you enough. Rickon, I owe you my family, and nothing I do can be enough to tell you what that means to me.” Jo had looked at her friend with a smile, while her dad pulled her into a gripping bear hug.
Deep in thought, Jo didn’t realize she had arrived at the wall until she had almost passed it. She stood back from it a bit, and stared open-mouthed at the countless messages on it, papers flapping gently each time a train arrived and again when it left. The rush of people had ebbed a bit, and Jo was aware of an unfamiliar silence here, almost as if there was some form of an agreed-upon respect over what this wall represented for so many people. She moved closer to it, and began to scan some of them. There was a message from “Honey-Bunny” for her husband who had been missing since the terror attacks that had shaken King’s Landing some years back. Another was of a son looking for his mother who had left him when he was a baby. One from a man addressed to a woman he had met while on vacation in Dorne, claiming he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.
Jo sighed deeply. So many stories of lost loves and lonely people. She felt so sad that many of them would never be able to find who they were looking for; they would perhaps have to live the rest of their lives with a sense of loss that would never leave them. Jo sighed again, thinking that she’d better get to work. It was a lot to look through, and she didn’t have a lot of time.
She used Rickon’s picture as a guide, but Jo knew this was going to be one hells of a hard job. There were hundreds upon hundreds of messages, many stacked over each other haphazardly. Shit, would she ever find it? Jo knew from the photo that the paper she was looking for was green, which hardly made it easier, but at least maybe it would make it more visible. As she was scanning a group of them, she saw suddenly a bright yellow flyer that caught her eye:
MEET TYTOS THE LION’S NEW CUBS!!!
This Saturday, King’s Landing Zoo and Gardens will be presenting to the public the newly born cubs of Tytos the Lion. As many already know, Tytos was one of our oldest lions, and some say he was also the loneliest. But last year, in a rare exchange with the Wildlife Santuary in Essos, we brought to KL Zoo and Gardens a lioness by the name of Nala. At first her and Tytos fought constantly, and didn’t get along. But their animosity soon turned to friendship, and then romance! They now have six beautiful cubs, and Tytos is no longer the loneliest lion at the Zoo!
Don’t miss this unique chance of seeing Tytos and Nala’s beautiful family.
(Food and drinks will be available in the courtyard)
Jo felt her eyes water as she read the flyer. Tytos had cubs, and a mate! She smiled widely, thinking that if her mother knew, it would make her so happy to see that Tytos was no longer alone. Jo pulled out her phone to take a picture, but a train was coming into the station, causing the paper to move brusquely from side to side, so she put a hand on the flyer to grip it firmly, accidentally detaching it from its place on the wall. As she raised her arm to put it back, she saw a message that had been hidden underneath: a light green paper, the color now faded by the passing of time and the daily grime of the station, was now moving gently in the breeze caused by the departing train, almost beckoning her. Jo waited for silence to befall the station again, and gently touched the message with her finger, somehow knowing that her father had done the same three years ago.
Even now she could read the desperation in Jaime’s words: “It’s been too long…I’ve missed you so much, Blue eyes…I need to find you…” Jo couldn’t help the tears that gradually began to roll down her cheeks, dampening the front of her shirt. She felt such sorrow for her father, imagining how hopeless he had been, leaving a message on a subway wall for a woman whom he hadn’t seen in so long; a woman who he thought had callously abandoned him, but had never been able to forget. He didn’t even know about me when he wrote this, Jo though sadly, thinking of all the years her parents had been apart.
She wiped her eyes, remembering that she had come here with a purpose. Jo took out the clear plastic folder, which protected a robin-egg blue sheet of paper, neatly typed. She placed the tape she had brought with her on the ground, and looked around for an empty space on the wall beneath Jaime's note. Suddenly, Jo glanced over at her dad’s message to her mom and smiled, an idea beginning to form rapidly in her mind. She carefully taped the blue paper to the green one, noticing how beautifully the two colors complimented one another, almost giving the impression of a bright green garden on a spring day, blending into the sky.
Jo took out her camera and snapped a few pictures, wanting to remember how these two sheets of paper looked together. Years from now, they might still be here, or perhaps they wouldn’t. Who knew? But the picture would remain as proof of her father’s steadfast love for her mother and the opportune intervention of Rickon Stark that had allowed them to find their way back to each other.
She thought of her friend for a moment, playing over once again how Rickon now looked at her in a different way, and how nervous she became lately when she saw him. They had been friends since they were little, and she had never felt anything more than a sisterly love for him, and Jo knew it was the same for Rickon. But things seemed different between them now.
Maybe…Maybe…
Jo stepped away from the wall and gave a last look at the endless number of messages. She could see her dad’s and her own peeking out from beneath the announcement of Tytos’ cubs, and felt satisfied with that. It seemed that they all belonged together somehow.
She turned away slowly and headed in the direction of the stairs and to the exit.
Fuck, she was going to be so late!
***
A woman standing not far from where Jo had been, saw her leave. Beautiful girl, Melisandre thought to herself, while having a strong urge to see the note that the girl had left behind. She was already late for her next card reading, thanks to these constant train delays, but she had felt something from this girl. Melisandre didn’t want to call it a “vive” or “energy.” She reserved that hogwash for the clients that paid her a fortune, and expected from her only what they wanted to hear.
No, the blonde girl had something else; a light, a radiance that glowed from within. This was precisely what these rich, self-serving people that she read cards and drew astrological charts for, didn’t understand: Fate and destiny weren’t things you could force or bend at your will. They were fleeting, fickle things, and people remained dismally unaware that certain paths had been charted for them the moment they were born.
Like this girl.
As the girl hurried away towards the exit looking at her watch, Melisandre abruptly saw pieces of her future like bits of a film. A kiss from a loved one; parents who adored her, and adored each other with an intensity Melisandre had rarely felt before. The girl would have adventures in faraway places; much happiness, but also heartbreak.
The circle of life.
Flipping her bright red hair over her shoulder, Melisandre, who was known among her peers as The Red Woman, made her way to the wall and located the blue paper that the girl had left behind. As she read, her lips stretched into a smile, thinking that perhaps not all hope was lost in this treacherous world after all.
Addendum:
Above this note, is my parents’ story. It begins with my father. He left this note here three years ago in a desperate attempt to get in touch with my mom, whom he had lost fifteen years ago. One day, she disappeared from his life and he never saw her again. Amazingly, he never stopped loving her even when he believed she had abandoned him without any explanation. He kept coming back here occasionally, to check if his note was still there. And it was. But he never heard from Blue Eyes (my mother) until one day, one of her students (my friend) saw the note, took a picture and showed it to her.
My mom’s story is equally incredible. You see, she believed my dad abandoned her when she was pregnant with me. It turns out that my dad was sent on an assignment and trusted someone he shouldn’t have, to tell my mom about it. This person never told her what my dad had said, choosing instead to lie and say that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with my mother…or with me.
My dad was lied to as well. He never knew I existed, and only found out about me when my mom called him after seeing this note. At first he was angry, thinking that she hadn’t done enough to find him. But then he understood that they had both been victims of someone who was vile, malicious and cruel. Someone who wanted to do my mom harm just because she had committed the ultimate transgression of falling in love with my dad. They lost fifteen years separated from each other, and I missed out on having him around when I was growing up.
I just want to say that this story has a happy ending. Or maybe as happy as it can be for a family who is still adjusting. But…we have a new addition now! Today is my little brother Leo’s first birthday. He is so adorable, and such a cool baby! His eyes are exactly like my mom’s and he’s also quiet and shy, like her. I’m more like my dad; that’s what my mom says anyway.
I have to admit, I was a little jealous of Leo at first. I’m going to college soon, and that means less time with my dad. I felt that my brother was getting all I had missed with my father, and that made me sad and sometimes, even a bit mean, especially with my mom. But then dad and I talked, and he helped me understand that in no way should I feel less loved just because he hadn’t been there when I was little. “I’m here now, sweetheart,” he told me. “And you will always be the most important thing in my life. Always.” I understood what he said, but then I felt so guilty for my behavior.
Afterwards, I made sure to apologize to mom.
From then on, I loved Leo so much. I can’t imagine my life now without his sweet little face! When my parents started talking about having a baby, my mom was worried that she was too old. But my dad told her she was definitely not old, and that now she had him to share the heavy lifting with.
Anyway, back to the point. I wanted to leave this here as kind of…well…a symbol of hope, I guess. My parents found each other again after years of being apart. For so long, they probably kept missing each other, living in the same city, not knowing that in reality they were closer than they thought. And honestly? Who knows if their relationship would have worked if they had stayed together back then. They were both very young, and maybe they would have gone their separate ways eventually. Or maybe not. But as my mom says, we have to move on from the past so we can give the future a chance. I see my parents’ love growing stronger all the time, and I always think how incredibly lucky they are that fate gave them a second chance.
Gave us a second chance.
To everyone who has ever left a message on this wall thinking that it’s nothing but a hopeless attempt to contact the person you lost, I just want to say: keep hoping. Because you never know. Maybe when you least expect it, you'll get a phone call from that someone you desperately want to find. Perhaps one day, you’ll be lucky enough to discover your way back to one another.
My parents are proof that sometimes love can find a way to do that.
J.L.T.