No. 3: A Mother's Love

No. 3: A Mother's Love

Dinner was painstakingly quiet.
Neither Venn or Cliff could bring themselves to tell Angela what had happened earlier.
For Angela it wasn't hard to figure out that something was up with the boys.
"If there's something going on? I heard Isabelle was by here earlier. Did...anything happen? Get in a fight?"
Cliff shook his head as he gagged a piece of her homemade apple pie down. Not one of her best creations.
After another long moment of silence she finally set her fork and knife down with a clatter.
"Did one of you kiss her? And now you two had a fight because you both like her?"
"Mom!" Venn cried, while Cliff groaned quietly.
"What?! You lot are looking like you just got your hearts broken and that all things have come to an end."
"It's nothing like that. We're just....We've got something we need to tell you..."
She gave them her full attention now anticipating the grave news.
Venn glanced at Cliff who gave him an encouraging nod before tapping his watch. Venn got the message.
We're on a tight schedule.
Venn took a deep breath and looked his mom strait in the eye.
"In away...things have come to an end. But it's not over a girl..."

.:+++:.

Isabelle began to wonder if the woman decided to make it rain because it matched her mood.
She had been walking around for hours in the down pour. Not caring that she was most likely going to get a cold, she figured it probably would be a 'programmed' cold so if they didn't want her to get sick she wouldn't. But upon realizing this it only made her mood darken.
Her feet finally stopped moving.
She glanced around and came to realize she was standing in middle of a park. No one was there, just as well they shouldn't be.
She sunk to her knees, the soaking wet ground seeped through her jeans and into her skin, making her numb from the cold.
"Why? Why? Why?!" She screamed to the sky. "I don't understand! Are you even there? Or are you another thing that's controlled by these evil scientists?!"
Her anger boiled up in her to the point she couldn't speak anymore. She just hugged her stomach and bawled quietly. Yearning for someone to comfort her and hopefully tell her it's all a lie, or she was still knocked out from her head injury.
"Isabelle what are you doing out here, in the freezing cold and rain?"
Izzy jumped at the voice behind her.
She turned around and saw Cliff standing over her. He had quickly pulled his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders after he pulled her off the ground.
She found that her voice was gone and all she could do was cry into his shoulder when he pulled her close.
"I know it's all confusing, we're all feeling it, and we're all going through the exact same thing. You don't need to feel like you're going it alone. We've got to stick together." He gently pushed her away and held her out by her shoulders.
She nodded numbly.
"Are you actually agreeing with me? or are you just trying to get me to shut up?"
This made her laugh despite herself.
"Come back to the house. You'll catch your death out here, and I'm sure we can make some hot chocolate with cinnamon in it. Then we'll figure out what to do next."
Izzy nodded and let him lead her back to the estate.

.:+++:.

"Oh! Isabelle!"
She was vaguely aware of hands on her shoulders pulling her down a hall, along with the light smell of lavender perfume.
It must be Mrs. Russo. A passing thought said.
"Come you're going to need a nice hot shower. I'm sure some of my old clothes will fit you."
Isabelle didn't have the strength to protest, so she let Mrs. Russo lead her into the master bedroom upstairs.
"The bathroom's through there, and here are some clothes that should fit you. We'll be downstairs."
Izzy nodded and waited for the door to close before going into the bathroom.

Cliff had put on the hot water, and had dumped a package of instant hot chocolate into one of Angela's Fiesta ware mugs.
"So you making one of those for everyone?" Venn asked with a grin as he came up next to Cliff and leaned against the counter, crossing his large arms over his broad chest.
"Or just for a special someone?"
"Oh just shut up. The girl was lying in middle of the park in a rain storm. She'll need something warm. If you want some you'll have to make it yourself."
"Ah, hahaha I see how it goes."
Angela smiled at the two boys as they bickered amongst themselves. They had bickered plenty of times before, but never about a girl before.
"Ah Isabelle." She said as the girl reappeared from the staircase. She was dressed in Angela's spare pair of fuzzy, flannel pajamas.
Her raven black hair stood out more against the icy blue button up shirt, she was barefoot though and still looked a little cold.
"Come here." Angela moved over on the couch and offered a crotched blanket to her.
Izzy smiled and cuddled up in the corner of the couch, pulling the blanket over her like a protective cocoon.
"Hey Iz. Made it just how you like it." Cliff came over, offering her the mug.
"Oh you didn't really have to..." She said as she hesitantly accepted the cup.
"Yeah well you probably have a cold now and I know I always want something hot when I have a cold. Though it's usually French Vanilla coffee, not cinnamon hot coco." He said as he sat down next to her. She smiled at him before taking a sip of the steaming liquid. He was right, the warmness of the drink helped her throat from getting sore.

"So..." She spoke up after a moment's silence. "Does she...you know? Know?" She asked, nodding to Angela with her head.
Cliff and Venn nodded and Angela's expression became grave.
"I always knew I only had you for a short amount of time."
Everyone was surprised when Angela spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Venn asked. "You knew?"
Angela's eyes were tearing up. Izzy nudged Cliff's thigh with her foot, he looked at her and she pointed to the box of tissues on the table near the entry way of the house.
He rose from the couch and grabbed the box, handing it to Mrs. Russo.
"As parents, we had a gut feeling that we wouldn't have you for very long." Angela continued to explain. "I brushed it off, thinking that every mother felt that way about her child. Every parent fears of loosing their child, though...usually 'loosing' means their child goes away to college, or gets married. But...when you told me what had happened this afternoon, I knew my time had come..." She dapped at her eyes, Izzy figured she didn't want her mascara to ruin, but it was only a passing thought. Angela seemed to love both of the boys deeply like they were her own flesh and blood.
Izzy felt the familiar tug at her heart. A tug of longing to have a mother who would do anything for her child, a longing of having a dad there to catch her if she fell down and tell her everything was going to be okay even if it wasn't.

"There's nothing to be done about it now." Angela spoke once more. "I cannot change anything, and it seems that you three have been saved for something special. Far more special then I can even hope to imagine. I just pray that God will keep you three close and that you won't loose your way."
She looked at each of them in turn, giving them a kind smile full of hope and reassurance. They just wished they could believe it.