Jo and Laurie: A Re-telling of the Re-telling

To: Laurie

To: Laurie

Jo woke up the next morning feeling hopeless, she had truly pushed him too far this time. She knew there was no going back. She didn't write him these past two days–she broke her promise. Jo knew she probably just had to give up, but being the stubborn girl that she is–this wasn't ever going to be a possibility. Jo ran through thoughts in her mind but nothing was working. Her stomach growled, she needed some food. She jotted down the stairs to find Amy at the table drinking tea, "Amy! Hi, how are you?" she said as she hugged her sister from behind. "I am fine. How are you?" Amy inquired, her sister seemed a little more all over the place than usual.

"Uh, good–I..." Jo stopped herself not knowing how to ask for advice from her baby sister.

"You...?" Amy replied.

Jo shuffled around the kitchen looking for bread, something that would help to keep her calm, and quietly mumbled in response, "I love Laurie."

"Jo, you know you can't mumble. I couldn't hear a word you said." Amy rolled her eyes as she sipped her tea.

Jo said it a bit louder, "I love Laurie."

"You love me? Thank you, I love you too. I don't know why that would be so hard to say out loud," Amy was annoyed, thinking that her sister was just trying to be bothersome.

Finally, Jo snapped, "Amy! I love LAURIE."

Amy jumped, "You what?"

Jo looked at her sister, "You heard me! I don't need to say it again."

"You LOVE Laurie?! Jo! This is the best news I have heard all day!" Amy squealed.

Jo started to sweat, "Amy, I have no idea what to do! I have pushed him away and I don't think, even if I told him how I feel, that there would be any way he could love me back. What do I do Amy? What can I do?" Jo finally found a piece of bread and sunk her teeth into the crust, she gnawed her troubles away while her sister contemplated, "You need to tell him how you feel."

"Amy, I can't tell him," crumbs fell out of Jo's mouth.

"What do you mean you can't? You have to!" Amy retorted.

"She has to what?" Meg butted in while she and Marmee entered the house with food for that night's dinner.

"Jo LOVES Laurie!" Amy burst.

Meg started to cry, "Oh, Jo! This has made me so happy, happier than you can imagine." Meg gently set down the bag of food and hugged her sister, who was still ferociously gnawing on the same piece of bread.

"It's awful! I feel so foolish! Why did I have to realize that I love him now?"

"Because you realized you can't live without him, Jo!" Amy added.

"What are you going to do? Meet him in Europe? Aunt March can get you a carriage or you can get a train ticket or—" Meg was interrupted by Marmee, "Now girls, we have to respect how Jo wants to deal with this."

"Marmee, that's the problem. I have no idea how to deal with this! I have a hard enough time trying to tell other people how I feel, how could I possibly tell him face-to-face that I love him?!" Jo huffed as she finally finished her piece of bread.

"Write him a letter, Josephine! The Lord gifted you with the talent of words, use it." Amy suggested as she returned to her tea.

Jo responded, "Maybe. I will see." She picked up another piece of bread and made her way back to her attic. She walked up the stairs and sat down on the couch, looking outside at the barren oak tree, So we meet again, she thought. She then was reminded of the portal, seeing Laurie through that window–seeing his eyes watch her movements. She missed his laugh, the silence was unbearable. She missed him pushing her around and wrestling. Jo wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him she loved him in a letter, but she needed to tell him something. She needed to write. She grabbed her quill and a piece of paper and plopped herself down at her desk,

To: Laurie

I miss you. I miss your laugh. I miss skating with you. I miss telling jokes with you. I miss sneaking food from Hannah while dinner is being made. I miss mocking humanity with you. I miss making fun of John with you. I miss your hair and the way it flows so smoothly over your head, it angers me that your hair is naturally that calm. I miss you. Laurie, I miss you. Come home.

Your dearest girl,

Jo

She sent it off, hopefully, he would reply.