Chapter 9 Lila #2
I could see her processing the conflict between what she’d been told and what she was hearing now. What she maybe, somewhere deep down, already knew.
“Sometimes I dream about a man singing,” Margot said, twisting her hands together. “In another language. And I feel … safe. Was that you?”
Vance’s voice was hoarse. “Yeah. I used to sing you to sleep every night. ‘Fais dodo, Colas mon p’tit frère.’ Your favorite.”
“What does that mean?”
“Go to sleep, my little one.” He smiled through tears. “You’d make me sing it three times before you’d close your eyes.”
“I thought I made it up,” Margot whispered.
Vance’s face crumpled. He stayed kneeling in front of her but didn’t reach for her—letting her control the space between them. “You didn’t make it up, mon c?ur. It was real. All of it was real.”
“What is mon c?ur?” Margot asked.
“It means ‘my heart’ in French,” Vance said softly. “That’s what I called you.”
“My heart. Mon c?ur.” Margot repeated the words, as if trying to memorize them.
He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I sang to you every single night. ‘Fais dodo, Colas mon p’tit frère.’ It’s a French lullaby. You’d snuggle up with your stuffed rabbit, Johnny, and lay on your side. You always slept on your side.” He stopped, emotion catching in his throat.
“I remember him,” Margot said, her voice full of wonder. “I remember someone’s lap. And feeling warm. And the singing.”
“That was us,” Vance said softly. “That was me and you. Every night before bed. You didn’t make it up. Your mom—” He stopped himself, clearly fighting to stay kind. “Your mom told you things that weren’t true. But your memories? Those are real. You can trust them.”
Margot stared at him, and her guard dropped just a fraction. “Will you … will you sing it? So I can hear if it’s the same?”
Vance’s voice broke. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.”
He began to hum, then sang softly in French, his voice rough with emotion but tender. Just a few lines of the lullaby.
Margot’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s it. That’s the song.”
“Yeah, mon c?ur. That’s our song.”
And then Margot did something that shocked all of us. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Vance’s neck.
He froze for half a second, like he couldn’t believe it was happening, then carefully—so carefully—put his arms around her.
“I remember,” she whispered against his shoulder. “I remember you.”
Mia had come to stand beside me, taking my hand, both of us in tears. We’d just witnessed something so profound, so moving, that it felt like a gift to be here—to witness a reunion between two people who should never have been torn apart.
Vance couldn’t get the years back—and that was tragic. But they had a second chance. Margot had a second chance to be raised by her father, who adored her and would do anything for her. Soon, she would truly understand how much he loved her.
“Do you want that ice cream now?” Vance asked, his voice husky.
“Yes, please,” Margot said. “Cookie dough.”
“I’m on it,” Mia said, letting go of my hand and wiping her eyes.
“Just a small amount, please,” Margot said.
Mia nodded. “Sure thing.” She hustled about the kitchen, grabbing the ice cream and scooper. I pulled down two bowls and set them on the counter.
“Do you like Studio Ghibli?” Mia asked. “We could watch My Neighbor Totoro.”
“I don’t know what that is,” Margot said.
“It’s one of my favorite movies. I cannot wait to talk about it with you afterward. I’m obsessed with Hayao Miyazaki.”
Mia led Margot over to the couch. She gave the smaller girl her bowl of ice cream and tucked a blanket around her. “This is my favorite blanket, but you can have it tonight.”
Margot just looked at her like she couldn’t quite believe it was all true. “You get to eat on the couch?”
“Yeah. Mom got that stuff that makes stains easy to clean. I used to be messy when I was younger.” Mia pulled the movie up on the television. “Mom let me buy it so I could watch it over and over.”
Vance looked at me, like, now what?
I gestured toward the love seat. “It’s a great movie. Come sit with me?”
Vance grabbed my hand, bringing it to his lips. “I’d love to,” he whispered before taking hold of our wine glasses and following me.
We sat together, snuggling close, with our glasses of wine in hand, listening to Mia describe the movie.
“Okay, so this movie is about two sisters who move to the countryside in Japan. And there are these magical forest spirits that only kids can see. The main one is Totoro—he’s this giant fluffy creature who’s basically the sweetest thing ever.”
“Is it scary?” Margot asked.
“Not at all. It’s actually super peaceful.
And the animation is art. Miyazaki draws everything by hand, frame by frame.
” Mia settled back with her bowl on the other end of the couch.
“It’s kind of about finding magic in ordinary things.
And family. And how home isn’t just a place—it’s the people you’re with. ”
Margot took a small bite of her ice cream. “Where’s their mother?”
“She’s sick, but their father’s with them,” Mia said carefully, glancing at me.
“She’s sick or did she leave?” Margot asked.
“She’s just sick in the hospital. She comes home at the end—I promise it’s a happy ending.”
“And their dad wants to be with them?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s totally cool—like your dad,” Mia said. “I think you’ll like it because the movie’s really about how the sisters adjust to their new life and come to love it, even when things are hard and confusing.”
Margot was quiet for a moment. “Does it make them sad? That she’s not there?”
“Yeah. They miss her. But their dad takes good care of them. And they have each other. And they discover all these amazing things they wouldn’t have found if they’d stayed in their old life.
” Mia looked at Margot with those wise brown eyes of hers.
“Sometimes change is really scary. But it can also lead to something even better. That’s kind of what the movie’s about. ”
“Okay,” Margot said softly.
“Cool. And if it gets to be too much, we can turn it off. No biggie.”
“Thanks.”
Mia grinned. “Oh—and there’s a Catbus. It’s genius. You’ll see.”
“A what?”
“Just wait. It’s the best part.” She hit play.
The opening music—gentle, whimsical—filled the room. Margot watched, transfixed, as the two sisters appeared on screen, moving into their new house in the country.
Vance’s hand found mine. I squeezed it, both of us watching the girls more than the movie. Margot slowly relaxed into the couch, taking small bites of her ice cream, clearly absorbed.
When Totoro first appeared—an enormous, furry creature with a wide grin—Margot gasped. “He’s so big.”
“I know, right?” Mia grinned. “But he’s gentle. He’s like a hug—from someone you love and trust. But he’s a creature. How does he think of these things?”
By the time the grinning Catbus bounded through the night, Margot was leaning against Mia’s shoulder, completely absorbed.
“I want to ride in that,” Margot said.
“Me too,” Mia agreed. “Wouldn’t it be the best?”
Vance pulled me closer, his arm around my waist. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“This might be the best night of my life,” he whispered into my hair. “I’m so glad you and Mia are here to share it with me.”
“I am too,” I said.
The four of us stayed like that as the movie played on. The living room dim except for the glow of the TV. Two girls on the couch watching art in motion. Vance and I snuggled close as if we did this every night.
And my thoughts wandered as the movie continued, thinking about how resistant I’d been to change and how it had taken Mia to convince me to take a risk.
Her words echoed through my mind: And they discover all these amazing things they wouldn’t have found if they’d stayed in their old life. Sometimes change is really scary. But it can also lead to something even better.
Such a wise little thing, my daughter. I wasn’t a fan of hashtags, but, if I were, they’d be: #blessedmom #bestdaughterever #unexpectedgifts