The Awakening

3 - Cassie

The mall had quieted to a soft buzz as the last of the shoppers mulled about the stores. Soon Cassie added to the influx as she exited the shop boosting the present bag and gesturing that she was off to the rest room.

Georgia gave a slight nod to the head before returning her attention to the folded pages of the newspaper resting on the table. The black and white block print title was clever and elusive, four words to sum up something dreadful. A young woman's mutilated corpse had been found in the nearby woods. The animals had found her before the local law enforcement. 

Georgia continued to migrate through the pages looking for a more cheery topic when the announcement dawns on her. She flips to the back, her finger tracing down the page as she reads the names out loud. They come out as a mumble until she lands on the one she is looking for.  

She smiled down at the picture of her daughter, even in the monochromatic Georgia saw the color in the image. Freckled face, bright blue eyes framed by long sun kissed hair. Cassie's laughter was bright and infectious, her eyes always danced with mischief. Georgia could even see it in her picture, her daughter's arms wrapped around a young man who is not much taller than she is. She is looking up at him with affection and he is smiling into the camera. 

Georgia fiercely loved her daughter. The way she reminded her of her father from his easy charm and inherited natural looks. 

Even now, after all this time, her heart still ached at the loss of the man she loved so.  At the very least he had not left her alone.  She was thankful every day that she had a daughter.

Georgia nonetheless dreaded the thought of the empty rooms and the lack of laughter,  when she would only be cooking for one after the wedding.  She wanted the joy she had experienced for her daughter but dreaded the emptiness that would follow after the nuptials.

She could feel her eyes moisten, the tear ducts filling up and her nose twitched. It took all of her resolve not to let tears run down her cheeks openly.

It seemed only yesterday Georgia was telling John she was pregnant.  She recalled the moment he held her in his arms for the first time. She knew he had hoped for a boy, but that did nothing to sway his love. Cassie became his world and their family the focus of his being.

It had made Georgia love the man even more.

It was clichéd to say he would be proud but even that did not make it any less true. John should have been there to walk her down the aisle but fate had stolen him. It was far too early but she treasured every memory and held it in the postcards in her mind.   

The moisture increased in the corners of her eyes and quickly she wiped it away; not wanting to cause a scene in a public place. 

Georgia's nose sniffed and twitched, the aroma of freshly baked cookies filling her nostrils. It made her think of how they used to bake every Sunday when Cassie was little. A mini-apron and kitchen tools, so she could just be like mum. The thought brought a smile to her face and warmed her heart.

Without thinking, Georgia sipped another mouthful of coffee to find it unpleasantly cold, checking her phone she realized how late it was getting. The shops were closing soon and she still needed to grab a few groceries for dinner.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift to the thoughts of dinner. Her stomach barked in response and although she felt reluctant to move and enter the throng again, it seemed as though Georgia had been waiting for ages and would soon need to sate her hunger.   Letting her eyelids reluctantly open, Georgia glanced at the dial on her watch. It was odd, Cassie had been gone a good thirty minutes. That wasn't like her daughter at all.