From Georgia to Montana

Chapter 28

The next day we head over to Lila and Luca's mom's house to eat lunch. They all decided to let me sleep in. Something I haven't done in a long time.

When we get there Kim embraces me before leading me to the kitchen where we eat sandwiches and chips.

"Come here. I have something I want to show you guys." Kim says leading us into the living room, where several large leather bound books sat on the coffee table.

"What is this?" I ask as we all sit around the round coffee table, Luca on my right and Kim on my left.

I open up the one closes to me as Maisy comes to sit on my lap. I flip through pages of pictures, girls in dresses and men in tuxes, I recognize my mother and even Kim in a couple of the pictures. My mom is wearing a form fitting white gown and Kim stands next to her in a grey-purple colored dress that lands just above the knee. They both look so young.

"I found these photo albums the other day. I thought you would like to have a couple of them. That was from your parents wedding."

I turn to another page with a younger man on it. After a couple seconds I recognize him as my father.

"Who is that?" Maisy asks, by now all the kids have crowded around to look at the photo album.

"That's your daddy. Doesn't he look familiar?" Kim asks.

"That's not Daddy." She says, and I can see confusion and frustration fill her eyes.

"Well it is. It's just him when he was younger." Kim continues.

"No it's not. Daddy was never happy like that." Maisy says, her voice so soft and I feel a family pang in my chest, almost as if I am feeling her loss.

"Well... I.. He.." Kim stutters not sure what to say. Lila, Kaden, and Luca all sit there silently exchanging confused glances. I know by the tears brimming in her eyes that she doesn't understand so I try to help her.

"Well, Maisy, there was a time, before mommy died where we were all ver happy. Daddy just managed to forget that in his pain. But this was out dad at one point. He use to play with us and we would all go to the park together or he and mom would sing songs to you. You don't remember those times, and I wish you did, but we are making new memories, better memories." I try to explain.

"Why was he in pain?" Peter asks.

"Well, Dad loved mom so much that wen she past away all he could see was that hole in his life. It was like his meaning for living had disappeared. I'm not saying what he did was right, but I am saying that we need to forgive him and move on. We can't keep dwelling in the bad times. We learn from the bad and cherish the good."

"Kim, are there any picture of us when Maisy was born or shortly after?" Lennon asks.

"Of course. Here are a couple and these were each of your births in this one." Kim says handing over three books one slightly smaller then the others, with blue and pink ribbons.

I grab the one from the top and find a picture that I remember.

"This was three months after you were born." I start.

Eventually the tension dissolves and we are all laughing at some old stories that Kim or Lennon or I told.

As Kim tells us a story from mom's wild college days I lean my head on Luca's shoulder, savoring this moment of happiness. 

Luca wraps his arm around me and I mindlessly intwine our fingers together, a small smile etching itself on my face.