ETERNITY {Little Women}

05.

"I will not participate in such childish actions" Causing Aurelia and Jo to laugh behind their gloved hands.

* * * * * * * * *

Minutes had passed, perhaps even an hour before the March family arrived outside the dishevelled shack. Hesitant at the situation,  the girls cautiously followed Marmee inside after Mrs.Hummel opened the door. As they entered Marmee greeted the women, taking the infant out of her arms and cradling it almost immediately.

That was the other thing about Marmee, she didn't care where you came from- what mattered to her was who you were as an individual. Anything after that didn't mean much.

The further they walked into the small home, more children were revealed along with the uneasiness of the place. Taking in a breath, Meg headed towards the two younger looking children and held them close, Beth following pursuit with blankets. Amy began to clean, to feel more at ease and make the place homey - while Jo and Aurelia began to unpack the food. 

After all the food was unpacked, there was a moment where Aurelia really got to take in her surroundings.

The place was a dull grey, things were scattered around the floor. The children looked frail, too frail for their ages. Beth sat with some of the kids, and spoke to them quietly. They seemed to lean into her words, her softness giving them a sense of security. Meg still held two children close, and she laughed with them as they smiled. Marmee still rocked with the baby in her arms, while Mrs. Hummel sat down, relief filling her body as she briefly closed her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes moved over to Amy, who moved onto making the bed, handing over another blanket to Meg for the kids. It was painfully beautiful to see the things unfolding before her. It made her heart hurt to think, just merely hours before they were sitting in discontent about their mother being gone - when she was out helping this family. Snapping out of her trance, she began handing plates to Jo who placed food upon them for the kids. The once dull and sickly place, began to have some life to it. As the children ate, they smiled among each other enjoying the space and warmth they've forgotten.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The sun had long passed its mid point by the time the March girls left the Hummel's home, but they left feeling more warm than they did when they arrived - despite the lack of heat. Gathered together they opened the door, their chatters coming to a halt as their outdoor clothes laid scattered by the door, and the smells from the dinning room filled their senses.

Wide eyed the girls gaped at what laid out before them. It was if the food they'd given to the Hummel's had never actually left, but instead doubled. It was a beautiful sight to the starving girls.

"Is it fairies?" Amy gawked, smelling the dishes more closely. The other March shook her head, declaring it was a job done by Santa Claus. Breaking from her shock Jo declared with disbelief that it had to have been Aunt March.

Chucking at the March's reactions Hannah shook her head beaming, "Mr. Laurence sent it"

That brought Meg out of her trance as well, surprised at the older mans kind gesture - yet grateful all the same. Hannah then proceeded to explain that he saw them earlier and decided to give back to them.

Rushing to the window, each of the girls peered out at the house across the way. Eyes reflecting back excitement and suspicion.

"His grandson Laurie put the idea into his head! I know he did" Jo stated, eyeing the house intently.

"We should make friends with Laurie then, he's proven to be a kind person" Aurelia thought aloud, not realizing what she had said. It's not that it wasn't true, it's that her words indicated she had thought about his character beyond their one encounter. Nonetheless, Jo agreed while the other March siblings made more small comments. Aurelia however, couldn't help but notice how empty the house looked - a different kind of empty than the Hummel's.

"-But doesn't Laurie just seem so romantic? He's half Italian" Amy gushed, pressing her face against the window. The statement caused Aurelia to look away from the house of white, and down at Amy's face.

"You hardly know anything about him- " The middle March began before Jo interrupted her. Causing a minor fit between the younger and older siblings before Marmee announced a surprise.

"A letter from father?" Jo exclaimed, the conversation from moments before fading from her mind. At the mention of their father, the other March siblings fell into place around Marmee as she sat in the nearest chair. A sense of anticipation filling their veins as they awaited Marmees next words. The fiery March took point in the back, Aurelia at her side - while the others took various positions in front of them. "I wish I could go.." Jo mumbled, causing Aurelia to link arms with her older sister in attempt to ease her ache.

"Does it mention when he'll be returning?" the younger March whispered, leaning into their mother trying to decipher the words on the page. From her position behind Marmee, Aurelia could see the slight shift in her shoulders - a sense of tension arising.

" Your father will stay and do his work  as long as he can, and we won't ask for him back a minute sooner than he can be spared-" Marmee began, before she continued to scan the letter, reading the important parts out loud for the girls that listened attentively and snuggled close. "-Tell them I think of them by day, pray for them by night and find my best comfort in their affection at all times". As the woman continued to read aloud, she managed to keep a smile present on her features and her eyes light. For if she was feeling heartbreak she did not let it seep through. "-...that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women".

The soft sounds of breathing and fabric shifting filled the room, as the March girls took in their fathers words. For about the third time that day the March home filled with an uneasy silence - one that merged the pain and things unspoken by all those who resided within. It would be a lie to say that the older March's didn't wish for when things were easier, for when the March home was one. Those thoughts, they clashed with their hearts ache.

Coming to the rescue once again, as soon as the silence lingered too long for her siblings to bare - Aurelia announced how there had been changes made to the play, all credits given to those around her. It was something they all contributed too, a part of each of them was in that play - as was a part of each of their dreams.

If Aurelia knew anything, it was her family. She knew her sisters wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity to discuss the things they loved, and once again the heaviness of silence was broken. The heavy persistence of breathing faded into the scurry of footsteps as everyone ran to get ready, Jo shouting over the emerging chaos to get the word out. The March's were going to put on the show of a lifetime.