Daughter of Ali Krieger

LAST CHAPTER - 37 - Epilogue

10 years later

Dear Emily,
I can't believe it's been ten years to this day since I've seen or heard you last. Time flies.

Hope gets into her car and starts it. She set the envelope with the letter on the passenger seat next to her. She looks into the rear view mirror and smiles at Kelley, Taylor and baby Isaac in the backseat half asleep.

We're all doing great here. It took a while but we're all happy again. All the kids are grown up and five others were born.

Julie got into the front seat and smiled at Olivia in the back. Olivia turns her head to look at her new baby sister, Jessie, who is sound asleep. Zach gets into the driver's seat and starts the car.

We're closer than ever thanks to you. Some of the older girls all came in contact and we speak to each other daily.

Ali and Ashlyn rushed the now teenage twins out of the house and into the car. Lauren grabs her baby sister, Alexa, who's 5, and carries her out to the car and sets her in her car seat.

We all miss you dearly and think about you daily. We always tells the kids stories about you and when the others get older we'll tell them the same stories.

All of them gather at the car park and greet one another. It's been a while since they've all seen each other in person. The kids all gather together and go playing while trying not to mess up their dresses or suits. Taylor and Lauren are all carrying the babies and playing with the little girls while Noah is running around with the boys.

Olivia and Mal stayed away from them all. Together, they take the familiar route to where she is buried and stops at her headstone. They set down their flowers and kneel next to one another and start crying.

Olivia is turning out exactly like you. She's an incredible player just like you and has all your skills learned. The national team have already started recruiting her but she wants to finish school before deciding if she wants to play professional. She's got the exact same personality as you and looks exactly like you. 'Mini Em' we call her. She looks up to you a lot. You're her role model.

Everyone gathers around Emily's grave. All the laughter and happiness are replaced by tears and sadness as they remember her. Hope is holding Olivia close to her while she silently cries to herself. They all set their flowers and notes down and begin to walk away except for Ali, Hope and Olivia. All three of them look up at the sky and smile before walking back to their own families.

I hope you're happy and being well taken care of Em. We hope you're looking after us all. We love and miss you so much.

Lots of love,
Your mother,
Hope x