The ones who live hidden in plain sight (A discovery of witches story)

December

It was a cold December morning, the snowflakes swirling gently outside the window. In the living room, a fire crackled gently, giving off a comforting warmth. Céleste, just two years old, was trotting happily around the Christmas tree, wearing a little red velvet dress, a present from her mother.

Camille, sitting on the sofa, watched the scene. Her mother, usually so reserved and distant, was kneeling beside Céleste, playing happily with her. It wasn't the first time, but... She was laughing, making her best sounds for Celeste, her eyes filled with tenderness and admiration. Celeste giggled at every turn, stretching out her arms towards her grandmother.

Camille watched, silent. It wasn't the first time she'd noticed this change, this radical transformation in her mother since her mother's scare. She had grown up believing that her mother's affection was not something visible or palpable. She had accepted this distance, but seeing her mother act like this with Céleste, playing with such passion and devotion, was both beautiful and terribly disconcerting.

Her mother had never been satisfied with her or playing with her. She no longer needed to, but... she wanted to. What Celeste was going through today, she wanted.

Andrew joined her.

- Are you all right?' he asked softly.

Camille hesitated for a moment, her gaze still fixed on her mother and Céleste who were laughing together. She nodded, but her smile tightened.

- Yes... and no,' she finally replied, smiling faintly. 'It's just... I still can't get used to it. I've never seen my mother like this... never with me anyway.

Andrew squeezed her hand, looking at her with compassion.

- I'm sorry,' he said, understanding the complexity of her emotions.

Camille shook her head and let out a long sigh.

- It's not your fault. She hesitated, then added in an almost shameful whisper, It's horrible to say, but... I'm jealous.

Andrew looked at her in silence.

- I should be happy for Celeste, and I am, really. She deserves all this love. But... seeing my mother like this, so different, it drives me crazy. It's as if this woman, this gentle, caring mother, had been hiding somewhere all this time. She clenched her fists. And I've never been allowed that.

Andrew, with his characteristic gentleness, slipped an arm around her shoulders.

- I understand,' he murmured. It's normal to feel that way. You shouldn't blame yourself.

Camille finally looked away from her mother and Celeste and into Andrew's eyes. There she found a soothing warmth, a refuge:

- Yes... and no,' she finally replied, smiling faintly. 'It's just that

- I feel so selfish,' she admitted.I feel like I shouldn't be feeling this way.

- It's not selfish,' he replied softly. It's a human reaction. You've grown up with a certain image of your mother, and to see her differently now... that's normal.

Camille nodded slowly, letting Andrew's words sink into her thoughts. He was right. She wasn't selfish for feeling that way, just human. But that didn't make the experience any less disconcerting.

- I know she's changed, but a little late.

- Having a granddaughter can change people. Maybe she realises things she never realised before. Maybe she's finally allowing herself to be more vulnerable, more open.

Camille let these words float in the air. She wasn't sure she had all the answers, but one thing was certain: seeing Celeste happy and loved was all that mattered. Her own relationship with her mother, complex and imperfect though it was, should not mar the joy her daughter felt.

She turned to the scene still unfolding before her. Her mother was lifting Celeste, spinning her around, and the baby's laughter echoed throughout the room. Despite the confusion, jealousy and conflicting feelings, a small part of Camille felt gratitude.

Gratitude for the bond that was being created before her eyes, even if it wasn't the same as the one she had known.

- I want Celeste to have all these moments,' she said finally.

Andrew pulled her a little closer, placing a kiss on the top of her head. - And that's why you're such a great mother.

- I love you.

- Me too !