InsaneJournal

♪ The first memory emblazoned into Laurel Catherine Taft's mind was her father's marriage to a woman other than her mother. Granted at three years old, the photographs of such a momentous occasion had been the basis for such memories as opposed to an actual recollection of the day's events. Daniel McAllister had been best friends with Jessica Taft since the day she had kicked him in the shin for yanking on her pigtails on the first day of kindergarten. When Daniel proposed to Margaret (better known as Missy), it only seemed right that he ask Jessica to be his best man. The waif of a woman could not refuse, and she prepared to stand beside the only man she could ever depend on as he vowed to love and cherish another woman. She donned a black tuxedo that had been tailored for her petite frame, showcasing her curves without hiding it beneath the yards and yards of taffeta monstrosity that the bridesmaids' dresses were. When the minister asked for the rings, Jessica turned to her three year old daughter Laurel, who had them securely pinned to her fancy yellow dress. She toddled over to her mother from the front pew, a smile plastered across her face as she clapped in delight. The fiery-maned three year old did not understand how unconventional it seemed that her father was marrying a woman other than her mother; she only knew that Daddy was extremely happy, and that was all that mattered.

♪ As best friends, Daniel and Jessica had always been inseparable. In fact, Jessica often found it difficult for boyfriends to understand the relationship that she shared with Daniel. Everyone assumed that the pair would eventually realize that they were meant for one another, but such was never the case. She could hardly explain the relationship they shared; they were closer than friends, siblings, or lovers. Their friendship transcended the boundaries of what society deemed acceptable for two people of the opposite sex. She often walked around in nothing more than a bra and shorts, for there was no need for modesty between the two. There was no sexual tension whatsoever, and they often found themselves sharing a bed. However, one night threatened to change the dynamic of their friendship forever. Daniel had driven sixteen hours to visit his best friend at college, and they celebrated their reunion with copious amounts of liquor. Waking up next to each other in the same bed was no surprise, but the lack of clothing and the distinct smell of sex filling the tiny dormitory room had been. Neither could remember the events of the evening before, and they vowed not to allow what might have happened to destroy the relationship they had spent years perfecting. They often denied that they had sexual relations until the inevitable became a reality. Jessica was pregnant with Daniel’s child.

♪ The recent college graduates took responsibility for their actions and decided that they would raise their child together. After all, it only seemed natural that they embark on the journey into parenthood together as well. However, not even the miracle of a child could elicit romantic notions between the best friends. There were no latent feelings lurking beneath the surface, no grand love disguised beneath the mask of a friendship. No, their relationship had always been purely platonic and would remain so despite the indiscretion. However, when their daughter entered the world on August 20, 1980, neither Daniel nor Jessica could refer to the single night of passion they shared but could not remember as an indiscretion. While neither was particularly religious, they could not deny the fact that there was some force greater than anything they had ever known that had meant for them to conceive this beautiful child. The two friends returned to Jessica’s home, immediately deciding that Daniel should join mother and daughter in the cramped two bedroom apartment. He could hardly be persuaded to leave his infant daughter, and it seemed to be the most logical solution to the issue of custody. While they both continued to date other people, they both made it perfectly clear to their respective dates and potential relationships that their daughter was their priority in life. Many shied away, with the exception of Daniel’s eventual bride-to-be.

♪ After the wedding, the two families continued with their peculiar living arrangement. Only this time, Daniel invested in a duplex that could house both families while giving him the privacy he needed as a newlywed, and apparently for good reason. After only one year of marriage and days before Laurel’s fourth birthday, the McAllisters welcomed their own son Logan into their lives. Laurel had been ecstatic to have a younger sister, a playmate to bide the time. Already the toddler demonstrated a penchant for creativity, crafting the most colorful drawings and riveting stories from the raw fabric of her imagination. She would sit and talk to the shadows on the wall for hours on end, never complaining of the loneliness that often plagued an only child. However, with the birth of her sister, she was no longer alone. Immediately, the toddler had taken it upon herself to teach Logan everything that she knew – or at least everything that she thought she knew that that point in time. She gave selflessly, often times trying to share her dinner or toys with the infant. On more than one occasion, one of the parents in the house had to stop her from handing Logan a lollipop or a marker. She found herself enamored by the tiny person who screamed at the top of her lungs whenever she needed something, and Laurel took pride in the fact that she could distinguish one cry from another. Often times it was Laurel telling Missy what the baby needed.

♪ Years passed, and the sisters matured, unaware of the fact that many people considered their living situation as a sign of “progressive thinking”. The term itself seemed to carry a negative connotation, one that Laurel never quite understood. Progress paved the path to the future, so what could be so derogatory about progressive thinking? It was not until Laurel reached junior high that she realized how incredibly different her family was from those of her friends, but it did not bother her in the least. In fact, she embraced it with all her heart. Not only did she have a father who loved her with every last breath in him, but she had two mothers who loved her just as much. And of course, she dared not forget Logan. While they tended to squabble over the most mundane things like all siblings did, the fact that they were merely half-sisters never prevented them from having a complete relationship. The two often found themselves alternating between sleeping in the McAllister and Taft units, creeping into the other’s bedroom late at night and curling up next to each other. The love radiated through the entire household, and Laurel knew that she was far more blessed than many of her peers. She even dared to believe that she had been far more blessed than the majority of the human race. Should she never stumble upon the romantic love that every little girl dreamed of, she would be more than fine. She had already had more love than most.

♪ If ever there was a sign that Laurel was truly cut from the same cloth as her mother, it was the fact that romance and the like never consumed her thoughts. The stunning redhead was an eternal optimist and a hopeless romantic, believing that her Prince Charming would arrive to sweep her off her feet sooner or later. While her friends were pining over the quarterback of the football team, she invested her time in her one true passion – children. As soon as she celebrated her sixteenth birthday, she petitioned the local day care center to allow her to work there without wages. Money had never been an issue, and she simply wanted to be surrounded by the giggles and squeals of the toddlers at the daycare. The caretakers noted that she had a natural ability with the children, her charisma winning over the youngsters and their parents alike. During her junior and senior years of high school, she became more and more involved with the daycare and various other youth programs. It seemed that Laurel had found her niche. By the time she was accepted into the university of her choice, she had already decided on her intended major – elementary education. Those were the some of the most formative years of a child’s life, and she wanted nothing more than to be able to contribute to that. She focused on her academic career, graduating with her Master’s Degree five years later.

♪ With a college degree in hand, Laurel embarked on making a difference in the world. She had been offered a job at a prestigious private academy in Washington D.C., but she decided that the public education system needed her more. She had been assigned to teach first grade, and she immediately fell in love with her career. While many of her colleagues complained about the brats that did not listen or ran amuck in their classrooms, Laurel treated each of her students with the same respect and dignity that she would a fellow adult. After all, children were simply little people. Her progress with her students did not go unnoticed, as she established herself as a favorite among the students and faculty alike. She made an impression on everyone that she met, her sunny disposition earning her the respect of students, parents, and teachers. It seemed that Laurel could do no wrong, and people flocked to her wherever she went. Former students often visited her, and she would greet each and every one of them with a warm embrace and an amusing story about how they ate the glitter for the class project or used to hide their bologna sandwiches in their desks until the stench was unbearable. She possessed a compassion that was a rarity in those days and times, a knack for making someone feel like he was something special rather than just another person wandering the earth. She had a way of making one feel as though he was the only one who existed.

♪ Perhaps it was this talent that won her several hearts along the way. While she dated here and there, relationships were few and far between. It was not to say that she did not enjoy the company of the men she dated. She simply would not settle for anything less than what her mother shared with her father. Granted they were merely best friends and nothing more, but Laurel longed for a relationship that demanded the same respect and reverence that her parents had for one another; the only thing she would change would be the addition of an unbridled passion that burned endlessly. On more than one occasion, she believed that she had finally stumbled upon her happily ever after, only to be disappointed. But the disappointment and heartbreak never lasted long. She knew that better things awaited her just around the bend, and such optimism kept her hopeful in the wake of a string of failed relationships. Laurel continued to trudge through life, enjoying all the blessings already bestowed upon her and waiting for the day that love would be added to that ever growing list. That accomplishment did not come in the form of a romantic love that led her to her happy ending. Instead, it introduced her to the unconditional love of motherhood. A one night stand had guided her down the same path that her mother had taken so many years before. On October 19, 2007, Laurel gave birth to her pride and joy, her daughter Willow Arden Taft.

♪ Motherhood suited Laurel well, and she ensured that Willow never lacked for anything. She often wondered if the lack of a father figure would have an adverse effect on her daughter, but her father kindly stepped in to provide the best male role model that she could have asked for. While she never actively searched for Willow’s father, she also continued to keep her eyes peeled for the handsome stranger that had given her the best gift of her life. After all, he had every right to know his daughter too. In the meantime, Laurel continued to fumble through romantic endeavors, most recently a shameful infatuation with a married man. It only seemed to add to her streak of unsuccessful romantic endeavors, another brick wall at the end of a long and winding road. Still, it was never enough to deter her. She had the career that she had always wanted, a thankless job that gave her so much satisfaction. She had a loving family, one who accepted her for who she was and encouraged her to be the best that she could possibly be. She had friends who looked out for her, lifting her spirits in the rare moments when she had been knocked flat on the floor. But most important, she had her daughter a needed her, a tiny little person whose precious smile could make all the troubles in the world melt away. And for Laurel Catherine Taft, that was all the she could have ever asked for; life certainly did not get any better than this.


in a nutshell
     ♪ Laurel Catherine Taft
     ♪ August 20, 1980
     ♪ Mother to Willow Arden
     ♪ Sister to Logan
     ♪ First grade teacher