“Not at all. It’s actually super peaceful. And the animation is art. Miyazaki draws everything by hand, frame by frame.” Mia settled back with her bowl on the other end of the couch. “It’s kind of about finding magic in ordinary things. And family. And how home isn’t just a place—it’s the people you’re with.”
Margot took a small bite of her ice cream. “Where’s their mother?”
“She’s sick, but their father’s with them,” Mia said carefully, glancing at me.
“She’s sick or did she leave?” Margot asked.
“She’s just sick in the hospital. She comes home at the end—I promise it’s a happy ending.”
“And their dad wants to be with them?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s totally cool—like your dad,” Mia said. “I think you’ll like it because the movie’s really about how the sisters adjust to their new life and come to love it, even when things are hard and confusing.”
Margot was quiet for a moment. “Does it make them sad? That she’s not there?”
“Yeah. They miss her. But their dad takes good care of them. And they have each other. And they discover all these amazing things they wouldn’t have found if they’d stayed in their old life.” Mia looked at Margot with those wise brown eyes of hers. “Sometimes change is really scary. But it can also lead to something even better. That’s kind of what the movie’s about.”
“Okay,” Margot said softly.
“Cool. And if it gets to be too much, we can turn it off. No biggie.”
“Thanks.”
Mia grinned. “Oh—and there’s a Catbus. It’s genius. You’ll see.”
“A what?”
“Just wait. It’s the best part.” She hit play.
The opening music—gentle, whimsical—filled the room. Margot watched, transfixed, as the two sisters appeared on screen, moving into their new house in the country.
Vance’s hand found mine. I squeezed it, both of us watching the girls more than the movie. Margot slowly relaxed into the couch, taking small bites of her ice cream, clearly absorbed.
When Totoro first appeared—an enormous, furry creature with a wide grin—Margot gasped. “He’s so big.”
“I know, right?” Mia grinned. “But he’s gentle. He’s like a hug—from someone you love and trust. But he’s a creature. How does he think of these things?”
By the time the grinning Catbus bounded through the night, Margot was leaning against Mia’s shoulder, completely absorbed.
“I want to ride in that,” Margot said.
“Me too,” Mia agreed. “Wouldn’t it be the best?”
Vance pulled me closer, his arm around my waist. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“This might be the best night of my life,” he whispered into my hair. “I’m so glad you and Mia are here to share it with me.”
“I am too,” I said.
The four of us stayed like that as the movie played on. The living room dim except for the glow of the TV. Two girls on the couch watching art in motion. Vance and I snuggled close as if we did this every night.
And my thoughts wandered as the movie continued, thinking about how resistant I’d been to change and how it had taken Mia to convince me to take a risk.
Her words echoed through my mind: And they discover all these amazing things they wouldn’t have found if they’d stayed in their old life. Sometimes change is really scary. But it can also lead to something even better.
Such a wise little thing, my daughter. I wasn’t a fan of hashtags, but, if I were, they’d be: #blessedmom #bestdaughterever #unexpectedgifts
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