Théo sat in the dark and cried.
She was so happy for Eugene!
Wasn't it wonderful for him to find love like this?
Her beautiful, kind son now had a life partner. Perhaps she would soon even be welcoming a grandchild or two to the family.
She kept trying to choke down her tears, sniffling pathetically, but now that the crying had began she found no way to end it.
She hated it. The crying. Herself.
"I figured I would find you here," a soft voice rang out from the darkness and Théo flinched, desperately trying to hide her face.
She tried to wave her hand at 'Tine, to get him to leave, but he ignored her half-hearted gesture so he could sit down next to her.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She opened her mouth to try to speak, but the moment she tried to make any sort of noise all that came out was another wretched sob.
"There, there," he hushed, taking on the same tone their mother had used on them as children, "Hush, hush."
"-- It's fine, Théo. You can cry, it's just me."
"I-it's noth…," she tried to speak again, voice shaking with effort, "N-nothing."
"Doesn't seem like nothing to me," he said and Théo scoffed at him. Stupid, patient Tine and his stupid endless kindness.
"Oh, don't be silly," Tine said, "If it bothers you so much to have me comfort you, then just consider it a debt of comfort to be repaid once one of mine get married. I'm sure I'll be a blubbering mess then too."
Théo tried to shake her head again.
How would he know?!
At least his children were all his. Truly his.
'Tine never had to worry about them being driven away by the other parent, because there was none.
No other parent to be the favourite or the enemy, to one by one take all of your children away from you.
All except Eugene. And now she had to let him go too.
"He'll still be living with you," 'Tine said and Théo frowned.
"Stop that," she managed to say, very weakly, and he smiled.
"I won't." He said, reaching out to wipe a tear-stained cheek. The skin around her eyes was puffy and sore from all her crying.
"I feel--" she said, tenatively, "Pathetic."
"It's the first time one of yours get married. It's bound to be an emotional moment. There's plently of mothers who cry at weddings."
Théo pouted, "Because they're happy."
After a moment of silence, the wind rustling through the trees, Tine spoke up, "Can I guess? Is it because of Joseph?"
Théo sighed, and looked around.
Not too far away from here was the tree where they had shared their very first kiss, all those years ago. It felt like a different lifetime altogether.
If she had known how everything would go, would she have done things differently?
Kiss Theodore first instead?
Become the poor, hard-working wife of a farmhand, surrounded by a litter of kind, hard-working children.
She wrinkled her nose slightly. Would that have been better? Or would it just have given her some other grief she couldn't predict?
"Do…," Tine hesistated, "Would you like to come stay with us for a while? You know you're always welcome with me and the kids."
"No," she said, "No, I… I need to be there for Eugene and Iliana. They need someone in their corner."
"Doesn't Eugene have that now, though?" Tine said.
"I-Iliana then," she said, her voice wavering.
"And what of when she marries?"
"T-then--" She stared out into the darkness, trying to think of something.
Émile and Charles Elias were so far away now, too far away.
Eugene married. Iliana probably not too far behind in marrying as well.
What if there were no grandchildren for a long time?
What would she even do then?
"You know what I think?" Tine said, laying an arm around her, "I think you've done such a great job being a mother that you forgot about everything else.
Remember all the projects you used to do as a kid? Cross-stitching, knitting, mastering every craft you got to try?"
"Maybe," Tine said, "It could be time for you to make some sort of project that won't depend on your children.
If you put all of yourself into others, who will take care of you?"
Théo snorted, "You, apparently."
"Alright, alright," 'Tine said, "All I'm saying is this - if you pick up a project just for yourself after all these years of raising your children, who could blame you? I know my own twin well enough to know you've never been the idle type."
"Maybe," Tine pulled her closer to him, "Now. Shall we return to the party?"
"Just a little longer here," she said, breathing in the fragrant summer air, "Please. Just a bit more time."
