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Jo laughed at her niece’s sarcasm. The ride to the south side of the islands where she and her sisters had swum the last time they took the boat out was uneventful, and suffice to say, Jules did well driving the boat there and mooring it in the direction of her aunt.
Removing their sundresses, the two women took turns diving off the helm of the boat into the cool water that enveloped them as soon as they broke the surface. They swam back and forth for short distances before flipping onto their backs, the salinity of the water providing the necessary buoyancy to keep them afloat.
After some time of enjoying the water, the two climbed back on deck.
“What’s on your mind?” Jo asked. They sat there for another half an hour just lazing on the deck, soaking up the sun and taking in the panoramic view of the endless skies that dipped to meet the endless ocean in the distance.
Jules didn’t readily answer her. She looked over to make sure she wasn’t asleep, but the sunglasses were once more, making it difficult for her to determine that.
Jo turned away from her niece to follow the flight of a few birds, their black wings flapping endlessly against invisible currents as they seemed to soar even higher as if trying to break the barrier of the blue sky. If she were a painter, this would have been the perfect scenery to paint, in her opinion.
She heard a slight ruffling beside her before she saw her niece raise up until she was in a seated position. Jules drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them before releasing a long, tired sigh.
“I feel like such a screwup,” she confessed softly.
Jo quickly sat up and turned fully to her niece.
“My whole life is messed up now because of this… this…” The young woman sighed sadly, not able to get out the words she wanted to say.
Jo’s heart constricted at the pain Jules was experiencing. She waited for her to continue.
“Everyone looks at me like I am the biggest screwup, and Mom…”
Jo reached over to touch Jules’s arm at the sound of her sniffles from under her arms. She scooted closer to rest her hand over her niece’s shoulders and brought her to her side, offering all the support she could.
“I had everything planned out perfectly, Aunt Jo. I was going to go to college, finish my journalism degree and work for the New York Times, but now, none of that matters because I have thi-th-this baby growing inside of me,” she continued with a mirthless laugh before she gulped back another sob.
“You can still have those things, Jules,” Jo spoke up reassuringly. “Just because you made one mistake doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams. It just means that you’ll have to fight harder this time around.”
Jo reached over with her free hand to lift her face so she could stare into her eyes as she continued. Jules’s tear-stained blue eyes, which were now red around the edges, stared back at her with anguish.
“You need to know that your mom loves you very much and only wants what’s best for you. In the end, she’s only ever wanted you girls to be the best version of yourselves. You’ll have to meet her halfway, though. Talk to her. Let her in,” Jo implored.
Jo sighed, pulling her head away from her aunt and staring out across the waters. “I tried, Aunt Jo, but Mom doesn’t get that this is my decision to make and not hers— even… even if it’s the hard choice,” she whispered at the end.
“So, I take it you have chosen to keep the baby?” Jo asked cautiously.
Jules nodded in response.
“That is a good choice,” she agreed, reinforcing her niece’s decision. “But even if you had chosen the alternative, it would still be your choice.”
Jules looked sideways at her aunt and gave her a grateful smile.
“We’re all here for you, Jules. We’ve got your back, and this baby that you’re carrying will receive nothing but love and warmth when he or she arrives,” Jo assured her, giving her a light nudge against her shoulder.
“Thanks, Aunt Jo. You don’t know how much I needed to hear those words right now.”
Jo stood to her feet, bringing her niece into an embrace, holding her to her chest, and willing her to feel the love and security that she needed.
