herophine - Trouvaille

Chapter 27

Crosby, Liverpool - England, 2026

- So, those are my grandparents and that is my aunt? - Sofía finally asks the first question. Well, afirms. 

Hero and Josephine both nod. 

The next affirmation doesn't bring any anger or bad intention with it, it's just that her small world has been changed and she needs to adjust it.

- I already have grandparents and an aunt. I also have uncle Titan. 

Sofía can't stop swiping Josephine's phone to look at the pictures of her family. She stares at Katherine for a little longer. She thought that by following the "family rules of genetics" Katherine would also have blonde hair like her aunt Mercy, her own hair and even Jo's hair. Anyways, it is clear for her that even though she doesn't know what "expectatives" are, reality is not always as someone imagines. Ceirtanly, Josephine is not the mother figure she had ever imagined or seen at her school. Not that it is a bad thing, because Josephine knows how to sing and bake lamingtons. 

- Most people have two grandparents, Sof. - Hero explains. - You got grandpa George, who you have seen sometimes, and grammy Martha. They are my parents. - He quickly looks at Jo and then continues. - And then you have Stephen and Elizabeth, who are your grandparents too because they are Jo's parents.

Sofía remains silent and Hero can see her brain processing the information once again. 

- Does your sister Katherine sing like you? - Implicitly she shows her conformity with what they have just told her.

- She does. - Jo smiles. - She is more of a singer than me and she can also play the piano very well.

Sofía's eyes wide a little bit expressing admiration for a person she hasn't met yet. 

- They will come in a few weeks to Crosby, maybe... you can ask her to teach you. You love the piano, don't you Sof? - Hero announces to his daughter and then looks at Jo, who is already looking at him. 

*Flashback: a few hours ago*

By the time Hero has finished working, Sofía has already learnt the four lines she has to sing on her own at the school Christmas performance. She and Jo have spent the rest of the soccer practice singing the Christmas carol. 

On their way home, Sofía pleads her daddy to put the "Up on the Housetop" song in the car, and tells him very excited that she and Jo have practiced togethe and now she knows all the song by herself. The little girl spends the whole drive singing happily the Super Simple song. Jo smiles shyly at her cheerness and Hero takes his eyes off the road more than once to stare in a not subtly way to the woman he has by his side.

Hero knows that something has changed, that the relationship between mother and daughter is slowly becoming more evident. And deep inside he can't hide his gladness.

When they get home it is time to start Sofía's night routine. Hero and her go upstairs to take a quick bath, while Jo decides to go for a walk around the neighbourhood. She takes her phone out and a deep breath. 

- Hi mom, is dad with you? I need to talk to you both. - She says when her mother appears on the screen. 

To say that the conversation with her parents doesn't go well is being too generous. She screams, her mother screams. They hang up a couple of times and start the conversation another three, which ends up with all of them crying. No one said it would be easy, on the contrary. It is definitely a lot of information to process, emotions to feel and things to talk. On one hand, Stephen and Elizabeth, as the doctors they are, try to understand what their daughter has been through and empathize with her mental disorder. But, on the other, as her parents, it is hard to accept that they haven't met their grandchild in six years.