Chapter Twenty-Three

Wanda stroked Melody's hair and pressed her close to her bosom, cooing softly and rocking her gently. "There, there, love," she said quietly, taking off Melody's glasses and putting them in her pocket. She wiped the tears that had been steadily streaming down her face.
Why had her little girl been so angry with everyone for so long? She didn't understand. If only she could understand.
But now the anger was out, all out. She had said everything she'd wanted to, everything she'd held inside for, apparently, a very long time. It was over now, all over.
"You can't keep doing this to yourself, love. Can't hold things in until you burst."
Pulling away, Wanda grabbed Melody's face in both her hands and smiled widely. "You remind me so much of myself when I was your age. I had a fire too, but I never had any courage to use it. What you did at that party would have made your father just as proud as myself." Wanda let her face go.
Melody stiffened, hearing her mother speak about her father, but Wanda shook her head.
"I'm talking about Stephen," said Wanda. "He may not have been your biological father, but he loved you all the same. And that's what matters most. Now, dry those eyes and let's go into the kitchen for some Santa cookies. You used to love those when you were little."
Wanda handed Melody back her glasses and the pair of them walked, arm in arm, into the kitchen. "I remember when you were little," Wanda began wistfully, "and you were sick and you missed school. You were so depressed because you hated to miss school. I felt bad because you felt bad. So I went to the school to get your assignments."
Melody brightened. "Really?"
"Yeah. All the teachers could rave about was your intelligence and how you were always ahead of the rest of the class. When I got back, I baked you these cookies and you felt better."
Wanda and Melody sat down in front of the fireplace, facing the Christmas tree in the living room, drinking milk and eating Santa cookies. "Sweetheart -- remember back when you were, about eight years old, when you first asked for the easel -- you stayed up all night working on a painting of the solar system. Your dad called me up to see, and it was so beautiful, it looked like Picasso himself had painted it." Wanda took a deep breath. "Have you lost interest in painting, dear?"
Melody thought about her mother's question. "No, I haven't lost interest in it, just haven't had time to indulge, really, what with my coursework and all."
"Speaking of which, Melody, you never told me what you're majoring in."
"Astronomy."
Wanda frowned. "Astronomy?" she asked.
"The study of the stars, the planets, and the solar system -- with a concentration in applied mathematics. I have art as a minor."
So much like her father, Wanda thought to herself. "Anyway, dear, why was there such a sudden change of heart? You used to love to paint. Even got that internship with Darren Dreamer."
Melody took a deep breath. "Mom -- can I tell you something?"
"Sure, sweetie."
"Mom -- I -- I was abducted."
"By aliens?"
"Yes."
Wanda was stunned. "What? When did this happen?"
"When I was fourteen. It happened when I was home on my first visit from school."
"What -- I mean -- how long --"
"I was gone about four hours. But you didn't know about it because you were asleep."
"You were gone? Where did you go, honey?"
"I don't know, exactly. There isn't much I remember about that night. All I know was after that happened I was filled with questions -- about the universe, about life, about everything. I just needed to know. I still need to know, to understand. To make sense out of everything."
"Melody --" Wanda whispered.
"I didn't say anything at the time because I was sure nobody would believe me."
"I believe you, darling." Wanda stroked Melody's chin. "Now that I think about it, it was a different Melody after that. You'd changed. I didn't know you anymore."
"I was trying to figure out some things -- I guess I'm still trying to figure out some things."
"Sweetheart -- take as long as you want to figure out as much as you want. I'll be waiting." After they finished their cookies and milk, they walked upstairs. Melody crawled in her mother's bed, the other side of which had been empty since Stephen's death. She opened a book and started to read. However, she never finished what she was reading as she fell asleep in the midst of it.
Coming back to the bedroom, Wanda chuckled silently as she saw Melody fast asleep, her book stretched across her chest, her glasses still on her eyes. The more things change, Wanda thought, the more they stay the same. Carefully Wanda removed Melody's spectacles and book and placed them both on the nightstand beside the bed. Tucking her in, Wanda kissed her on her forehead. "Good night, love. I love you more than you'll ever know."
The next morning Wanda woke up. "Honey, I found this on the floor," Wanda began, pointing at a hardcover copy of the last Harry Potter book.
"You can have it," Melody had said, groggily wiping her eyes, "I don't want it."
Wanda shook her head in disbelief. "But I thought you loved books. I've seen the way you used to treat them. You used to freak out if any of the pages were folded over or if the spines were bent out of shape."
"I have my reasons."
"You can tell me, I'm your mom."
"You won't understand.""Try me."
Melody sighed, plucking the book out of her mother's hand. An electric jolt passed through her at its significance. "It's from Sarah."
There was a deafening silence as Wanda wracked her brain over who this Sarah character was. The name sounded somewhat familiar. As Wanda looked directly at her daughter, she could see Melody trying to avoid her gaze, looking down at the book as bitter tears clouded her vision. "Melody, honey?" she asked sweetly as she lifted her daughter's chin and forced Melody to look at her. "Was Sarah that girl -- that girl you kissed?"
Immediately Melody's defenses sprang into action. "I don't want to talk about it!" she shouted.
Wanda nodded. "I understand." She stood up, reaching forward and squeezing her daughter's shoulder gently. "I'm making a cup of coffee now, would you like one?"
Melody nodded, surprised at her mother's calmness. She half-expected her to rise up like a monstrous bull, raging and snorting, ready to go on a rampage.
After filling the coffee pot up, Wanda turned to Melody. "Sweetheart, you know you can always talk to me," she said.
Melody looked at her, unsure how to handle this new scenario.
Wanda sensed her silence, but continued. "After your father, I mean Stephen's, untimely death, I've had time to reflect. And life's far too short for anger and frustration."
The coffeepot percolated and Wanda poured out two cups of decaffeinated coffee, with a spoonful of creamer in Melody's just the way she liked it. Putting both cups on the table, she gently took the book from Melody's hand and opened it up to the first page. "Let me know when you're ready."
As she put the book down on the table, Wanda remembered she had to go and check on Harmony. Squeezing Melody's shoulder again, she stood up and walked away.
Melody couldn't help but notice how much slower her mother walked now, her shoulders slumped, her sprightly step now a slow gait. "Mom?"
Wanda paused and turned. Springing out of her seat, Melody ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. "Thanks," she whispered.
"No, honey, thank you," Wanda replied, "for showing me the way. For letting me see what a truly wonderful daughter I have."
Melody smiled broadly, not quite believing the fulsome compliments her mother, with whom she'd fought for so long, was now paying her.
But Wanda suddenly turned serious. "You still have feelings for this Sarah, don't you, sweetheart?"
Melody's sudden silence and bubbling tears were all Wanda needed to see to confirm her maternal suspicion.
"And she's hurt you deeply."
Again Melody looked away, the tears in her eyes beginning to overflow.
"Do you know where she lives?"
"I -- I haven't heard from her in a couple years, that was, till she sent me this book." Melody gazed again at the Harry Potter volume.
Wanda cradled Melody's head on her chest, all the while trying to make sense of her daughter's pain and confusion. "I know you hurt, love, and I want so badly to heal every one of your wounds. I want even badder to shield you from getting hurt ever again, because when you hurt, I hurt." Wanda wanted to know more about this Sarah who had hurt her daughter so -- this Sarah who Melody obviously still cared deeply about. But she didn't want to press, now that she had an idea of the depths of Melody's pain. She hadn't forgotten that despite being a freshman in college, her Melody had only barely turned seventeen. "Tell me more about Sarah. Her background, where she's from."
Melody hesitated. "She -- she was -- she was from the city."
"From Sim City?"
Melody nodded. "She lived downtown. She had short blond hair and big blue eyes. But I don't think I was attracted to her looks."
"Honey, falling in love for the first time isn't easy, for anyone. If we understood the way love works we'd all be rich and wise beyond our wildest dreams." Wanda then waxed rhapsodic on her late husband. "Stephen and I grew up together. Our parents lived next door to each other and they were friends and it was kind of a fated thing that we'd get together. We were best friends as kids, high school sweethearts as teenagers, and we went to college together where Stephen was one of the llama mascots for the Sim State football team. Then I met Dr. Hyden and my whole world turned upside down. He was so smart and charismatic and unbelievably charming. He literally swept me off my feet."
Melody nodded. "What about -- what happened between the two of you?"
"Everything was a blur. The night after Marcel and I went out, Steve proposed to me. I didn't think about anything, I just said yes."
"I guess it was the same way when I met Sarah. She was so ebullient, so full of life, and before I knew it I was kissing her. And I was dreaming constantly about just being with her. I really didn't understand what was happening, and I couldn't figure out for the life of me why it was happening."
"You were in love with her," Wanda said, wiping a loose tear from Melody's eye. "You're still in love with her, after all this time."
"I couldn't say any of these things to you or Dad. I didn't want to disappoint either of you guys, with me -- you know, liking a girl."
"You could never disappoint me, love," Wanda smiled. "So that was why you all of a sudden clammed up after you'd told me. That was why you ran away that night, too."
"What night?"
"That night you disappeared. I was so worried about you, I didn't know where you'd gone."
"I took a walk," Melody said. "A long, solitary walk. Thought about some things. I came back in after midnight." She heaved a deep sigh. "So much time has passed."
"And so much pain, too, love." Melody nodded at this comment, knowing in her heart that it was absolutely correct. "The day you were born, I told my mom that you were the prettiest, sweetest looking child I'd ever seen in my life. When I held you in my arms for the first time, looked inside those big brown eyes, I just lost it. I think I was doing more crying than you were. The midwife took you away from me for awhile, gave you your bath and your diaper, and handed you back to me. When she handed you back to me, I cried some more, wondering what on earth I did to deserve this little miracle. Then I watched you grow, and kept wondering what I did to deserve this perfect child -- so well-behaved and smart. Then I watched helplessly as those big cheery brown eyes became cold and angry. You became a total stranger, someone I didn't even know. You weren't Melody. You were -- someone else. I didn't know why it happened, but I knew I wanted it to stop."
After Wanda wiped away her tears, she changed her subject to a much happier one. "Hey, I saw what you did to Gilbert Jacquet."
Melody giggled. A deep, guttural, hearty giggle. Wanda was glad to hear it -- a sound she hadn't heard in a long time, music to her ears. "He deserved it," she whispered conspiratorially, leaning closer to Wanda's ear.
"Yeah, he did." Wanda was glowing all over. She was glad to have her daughter back.