[ allison's smile slowly falls as ben's hand covers and then uncovers his mouth, never once relaxing. this must be a lot for him, allison tells herself. to die and be brought back -- that must be so hard. this is why he's acting like this. right? right??
but then ben says that claire isn't here, and distress sets in. allison backs away from ben and pulls claire close, her arm around her daughter's shoulder. why would ben say that? allison hasn't seen her daughter, her child, since the divorce, and the separation, the loss, has been among the hardest things that allison has had to endure. she thought she lost her child, but now her child is back, and ben has the -- the nerve to say it's not real? that claire isn't here, that none of this is happening?
it can't be.
allison can't think clearly -- all she can think about is how much she misses claire, how much she needs to be with claire, how this has to be real. allison's face is stricken, her hands trembling. claire looks like she might cry -- why is uncle ben being so mean? ]
No, no, no, no...
[ allison whispers, her voice hoarse and weak. and ben continues talking, saying things that shouldn't be true, that can't be true. allison can't hear it. everything ben says after that has a dull, ringing quality, and all allison wants to do is make him stop, make him stop talking, can't he see how happy they could be? as a whole, reunited family? can't he see?
no subject
but then ben says that claire isn't here, and distress sets in. allison backs away from ben and pulls claire close, her arm around her daughter's shoulder. why would ben say that? allison hasn't seen her daughter, her child, since the divorce, and the separation, the loss, has been among the hardest things that allison has had to endure. she thought she lost her child, but now her child is back, and ben has the -- the nerve to say it's not real? that claire isn't here, that none of this is happening?
it can't be.
allison can't think clearly -- all she can think about is how much she misses claire, how much she needs to be with claire, how this has to be real. allison's face is stricken, her hands trembling. claire looks like she might cry -- why is uncle ben being so mean? ]
No, no, no, no...
[ allison whispers, her voice hoarse and weak. and ben continues talking, saying things that shouldn't be true, that can't be true. allison can't hear it. everything ben says after that has a dull, ringing quality, and all allison wants to do is make him stop, make him stop talking, can't he see how happy they could be? as a whole, reunited family? can't he see?
slowly, shakily, allison writes:]
youre lying