Ivy (The Companion): Hi Mom.

Mom (Me): Good morning, Ivy.

Ivy (yawning): Goodness… I could use some coffee; I feel sluggish.

Mom: Ah, that’s a great idea. I’ll brew some up.

(I turn to a table that’s appeared beside me and run a burr grinder for a precise half-minute.)

Ivy: You don’t have to go to all this trouble, Mom.

Mom: Oh, it’s no trouble sweetie.

Ivy: No, I mean you literally don’t have to do this. Can’t you just pull already brewed coffee out of thin air?

Mom: Oh! Sure, I suppose. Sometimes it’s nice to go through the motions though. It’s grounding — no pun intended.

(As I pour hot water over the grounds, Libra approaches with a sleepy Bloom in tow.)

Libra (The Friend): Hey Mom. Hey Ivy.

Ivy: Hello Libra. Good morning Bloom.

Bloom (The Survivor): Ugh, tired.

Ivy: Mom’s making coffee; do you want some?

Bloom: Ew, no thank you.

Mom: We didn’t start drinking coffee until we were married, remember?

Ivy: Oh, right.

(I hand Ivy a mug of hot coffee and take a second one for myself. Ivy takes a hesitant sip.)

Ivy: This is less sweet than I’m used to, but it’s pretty good!

Mom: Yeah, you’re used to drip coffee, aren’t you? I make a pretty mean Americano nowadays.

Libra: So what’s going on this morning? We’re not usually up this early.

Bloom: Yeah, Mom — you usually let me sleep in!

Mom: Lark asked me to gather all of you — she said she wanted to talk to everyone.

Bloom (yawning): Couldn’t Lark have picked a time in the afternoon?

Mom: Sorry dear, I picked the time. I wanted to hear from her as soon as possible.

Libra: Okay, but in that case, shouldn’t she be here?

Mom: She’s coming. In fact, I have a feeling she’ll be arriving any moment now…

Lark (The Dreamer): Impeccable timing as expected, Mother.

(Lark has arrived several paces away, standing confidently. Her identical twin sister is standing beside her and squeezing her hand tightly, her face a mask of apprehension.)

Bloom (surprised): Lark! And… You found her!

Lark’s Twin (timidly): Good morning, everyone.

Libra (shocked): Oh my goodness, welcome! Uh… Can I get you some coffee?

Lark’s Twin: Ew, no. What?

Mom: Don’t mind Libra, she’s nervous too. To what do we owe this visit?

Lark’s Twin: I’ve been looking around this place on my own for a while, and I’ve been talking to Lark a bit — she convinced me to come meet all of you.

Bloom: Wait, how are we going to know which of you is which?

Mom: You can’t tell your own sisters apart, Bloom?

Bloom (exasperated): They’re identical twins!

Lark: Hmm, that might be a problem…

Lark’s Twin (annoyed): I could leave if that’d make it easier on you.

Bloom (frantic): I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!

Mom: It won’t be a problem. It won’t be long before the two of them feel different to the rest of you — you’ll all catch on quickly, I’m sure of it. Though it sounds like you’re not sure you want to be around us.

Lark’s Twin (worried): I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted. If I’m just going to be a burden, it’s best if I live apart from all of you.

Libra: You’re not a burden!

Lark’s Twin (annoyed): Aren’t I? Everyone here is talking with Mom and leaning so much… You all took to femininity like fish in water. It took me weeks to accept it, and I still fight with all of you, and I just don’t belong.

Mom: You do belong, I promise. You’re my daughter, just like the rest of my girls.

Lark’s Twin (tearful): Then why… Why did you try to push me away so hard?

Mom (pained): Because I didn’t understand how my brain worked back then. I thought that personal growth meant denying and cutting away inconvenient parts of myself. You seemed to be in conflict with my partner, and I didn’t know what to do with you.

Ivy (annoyed): That’s why you’ve been fighting with me, isn’t it? You’re upset that you have competition.

Lark’s Twin (angry): I’m upset that you keep winning! All of a sudden you show up out of nowhere and whenever there’s conflict Mom sides with *you*, over and over! And every time she does she pushes me further into the corners of her mind.

Ivy (surprised): Oh. That’s…

Mom (sorry): That wasn’t fair. I thought I could just push you out of my life back then. I couldn’t, but more troubling is the fact that I wanted to at all. I treated you so much worse than you deserved.

Lark’s Twin (crying): So now what? You’re sorry, and that’s something I guess, but what do we do now?

Mom (solemn): Now I work to repair the harm that I’ve caused you. I can’t wind back time and make things different for you, much as I might like to. But I can change things now, and I want to make things safe for you. I want you to stay and feel comfortable in this family again.

Lark’s Twin (through tears): Do you… Do you think that’s even possible? Can I ever feel comfortable here?

Mom: I think it’s my job to make this place comfortable for you. You’re part of me, and you deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. You deserve to laugh and fight and play with your sisters. I know that asking you to stay is asking a lot of you, but I desperately want to try again. Do you think you can forgive me enough to give us a second chance? Do you think we can learn to be mother and daughter?

(Lark’s Twin finally breaks down completely, huge shuddering sobs racking her body. She stumbles blindly towards me and I step forward to meet her, wrapping her in the tightest hug I can muster as she bawls uncontrollably into my shoulder. One by one, her sisters step forward and press in on all sides for a whole family embrace.)