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Washington DC
Oct. 18th, 2007 09:41 pmBrennan had been fifteen years old when she’d last seen her mother. Not in photos, not her bones. But really seen her.
She’s not certain whether a video-recording counts as real, but it’s closer than anything she’s had in a very long time.
Her father had brought her the taped message from her mother; he had been carrying it around for years, presumably waiting for the right moment to give it to her. The video and the old marcasite ring. Max had claimed that that was his reason for coming to Washington DC; to put them both in Brennan’s hands. He also claimed to have no idea of the content of the message, saying he had never watched it--that was for her eyes alone.
The video opens on the scene of a park or playground. Brennan’s parents had disappeared in the winter—this had clearly been recorded in spring or early summer. There’s a brief flurry in the background of children playing, and then Christine Brennan steps into the frame, sitting on a low tree branch in the foreground. Brennan had never realized before how much she has grown to look like her mother. Far from an exact genetic replica, of course. Christine Brennan’s hair is darker, her eyes bluer. But the shape of the face is similar, as is the smile.
Christine Brennan smiles out from the screen.
Hi Temperance. It’s Mom. I don’t know when or if you’ll ever see this. I hope to put it in your hands myself, see you again with my own eyes. But this is a hard, hard world.
Your father and I left you and Russ to save your lives. People would have killed you to get us. But that’s not what this is about. Today is your 16th birhtday. I’m so sorry...not to be there to tell you all the things that a mother should tell her daughter when she turns 16. And sorry not to give you this.
She holds up the macasite ring—the one Brennan is now wearing on her right hand.
It’s an heirloom from my side of the family and starting today, it’s yours. I don’t know how long it will take me to get it to you, but I promise you I will.
You’re going to hear a lot of things about your parents, especially about your father. He is a good man. It was my insistence to leave you kids. Max would have kept us together, fought until the end. I’m not sure he’ll ever forgive me for that. So, please, Temperance, I need you to forgive me. And if you can’t forgive me, I beg you honey, forgive your father because he is a very good man.
Remember this--you were cherished in this world. Adored. What I did to you may have been wrong, but I did it out of love. I did it out of love.
Does a wrong decision made for the right reasons make the ramifications of that decision all right? Brennan isn't certain that she knows the answer to that. Understanding does not change the consequences.
On the other hand, understanding counts for something.
She’s not certain whether a video-recording counts as real, but it’s closer than anything she’s had in a very long time.
Her father had brought her the taped message from her mother; he had been carrying it around for years, presumably waiting for the right moment to give it to her. The video and the old marcasite ring. Max had claimed that that was his reason for coming to Washington DC; to put them both in Brennan’s hands. He also claimed to have no idea of the content of the message, saying he had never watched it--that was for her eyes alone.
The video opens on the scene of a park or playground. Brennan’s parents had disappeared in the winter—this had clearly been recorded in spring or early summer. There’s a brief flurry in the background of children playing, and then Christine Brennan steps into the frame, sitting on a low tree branch in the foreground. Brennan had never realized before how much she has grown to look like her mother. Far from an exact genetic replica, of course. Christine Brennan’s hair is darker, her eyes bluer. But the shape of the face is similar, as is the smile.
Christine Brennan smiles out from the screen.
Hi Temperance. It’s Mom. I don’t know when or if you’ll ever see this. I hope to put it in your hands myself, see you again with my own eyes. But this is a hard, hard world.
Your father and I left you and Russ to save your lives. People would have killed you to get us. But that’s not what this is about. Today is your 16th birhtday. I’m so sorry...not to be there to tell you all the things that a mother should tell her daughter when she turns 16. And sorry not to give you this.
She holds up the macasite ring—the one Brennan is now wearing on her right hand.
It’s an heirloom from my side of the family and starting today, it’s yours. I don’t know how long it will take me to get it to you, but I promise you I will.
You’re going to hear a lot of things about your parents, especially about your father. He is a good man. It was my insistence to leave you kids. Max would have kept us together, fought until the end. I’m not sure he’ll ever forgive me for that. So, please, Temperance, I need you to forgive me. And if you can’t forgive me, I beg you honey, forgive your father because he is a very good man.
Remember this--you were cherished in this world. Adored. What I did to you may have been wrong, but I did it out of love. I did it out of love.
Does a wrong decision made for the right reasons make the ramifications of that decision all right? Brennan isn't certain that she knows the answer to that. Understanding does not change the consequences.
On the other hand, understanding counts for something.
