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

Departure

Departure

Jo woke up to drool on her forearm, I guess I fell asleep.

She woke up, rubbing her eyes. Laurie would be leaving tomorrow and things would go back to the way they were. Not the way she wanted, the way she dreaded. Her eyes started to water at the prospect of their friendship never being the way it was. She got up from her desk and looked out the window to see if Laurie was there, to her surprise she saw a carriage outside of the Laurences' house.

Jo grabbed her jacket and rushed downstairs and went straight for the door. Right before she left her mother bellowed from the kitchen, "Jo, is everything alright?"

Jo tried to get her words out as fast as she could, "Yes, I just need to go see something."

"Okay, when you get back I would like to talk to you," Marmee was worried about Jo.

"That's fine, I will be back soon," Jo reached for the door.

Before she could twist the knob, there was a knock. She opened the door. Standing there was the Laurences. Jo blushed, "I was just going to come over to see what was going on..."

"We are leaving today, Grandfather surprised me," Laurie awkwardly said.

Mr. Laurence could feel the tension, "We came to say our goodbyes. We are leaving for New York today."

"Well come in! Please! Let me get everyone down here to say their proper goodbyes," Marmee rushed.

The two gentlemen came through the door looking ready to leave, "No, no don't bother, Marmee,' Laurie reassured her, 'I don't want to wake everyone. Just let them know that we said goodbye."

"If you insist... Do you want to stay for some breakfast and tea?" She begged, she knew how this departure would wreak havoc for her Jo.

Jo looked down at her feet, she knew Laurie couldn't stay here with her much longer. She had taken it too far--what she wouldn't give to say sorry; yet she knew he wanted more than just an apology. He wanted answers that she just didn't have. She felt ashamed.

"We actually have to get going fairly soon, thank you though, Margaret," Mr. Laurence nodded.

"We will miss you both, truly. Please be safe in your travels. We will be praying for you," Marmee hugged them tightly with tears welling up in her eyes.

Marmee softly released the hug and looked over at Jo signaling it was her turn. Jo looked away, she didn't want to let anyone know that she was crying. A lump in her throat was starting to form, her chin started to quiver. Before she alluded to her sorrow, Jo quickly hugged Mr. Laurence. She felt him slip a piece of paper into her hands, maybe it was a note? Jo wasn't concerned about it though, she was mainly focused on Laurie. As she looked at him, she noticed how his eyes were just as beautiful as she had remembered them. Her heart was beating out of her chest, she didn't know how to describe how she felt. She looked down at his hands and grabbed them, then looked back into his eyes, "I will miss you, Teddy. I promise I will write to you."

Laurie felt numb, yet full of sorrow, he felt tension and awkwardness. The plethora of emotions made him burst out with bluntness, "I don't think we will have an address, Jo. I will let you know if something changes."

Laurie gently separated his hands from Jo's grasp, " I will see you this summer, or whenever Amy gets married. Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye, Marches," Mr. Laurence nodded.

Laurie and his grandfather left the house and shut the door behind them. Meanwhile, Jo ran up to the attic and pressed her face against the window as she watched them both in motion. Her face felt wet as the condensation from the frozen window blanketed Jo's soft skin. Laurie stopped right before he got into the carriage and looked up at her, nodded his head, and went into the carriage. Jo couldn't see, but his face was glued to the carriage window as he watched her every move. His departure hurt him more than he expected, but he knew it was what he needed to do.

Jo watched as the horses trotted away, leaving their prints on the freshly fallen snow. Her tears were cascading down her face.

She looked outside at the barren oak tree, she was back to where she was at the beginning.