"Poor us," she mumbled under her breath, not realizing she had spoken aloud until her mother turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you disappointed?" Marie asked.
"No, I'm not."
"Good. Because, you know, you bear some responsibility for what happened back then," her mother replied, gently pulling Ariel back toward the living room.
"How can you say that, Mom? I thought I explained everything to you," Ariel protested.
Her mother gave a small, knowing smile. "You should blame it on your jealous friend. If she hadn't misled him, he might have had the chance to fix his mistakes and you three wouldn't have been separated for this long. But that's all in the past now. What do you intend to do?"
"Nothing, Mom."
"What do you mean, 'nothing'? You should make the most of this opportunity. Let me remind you in case you've forgotten, you're not getting any younger. So make hay while the sun shines."
