Can you exchange one life for another? A caterpiller turns into a butterfly. If a mindless insect can do it, why couldn't I?
-Rose
''When your father and I married, I was eighteen years old. I had known him for less than a year.'' Rose told her daughter, her soft smile showed as she recalled her own wedding day. When she saw the pretty girl stood before her, she could barely believe that she was a mother – even after all of these years. Just where did time go? It didn’t stop for nobody, not even for a fraction of time, just so one could enjoy a moment, a kiss, a cuddle with their precious children. For now, all of her children were growing so fast.
''Oh, Mother. I do wish you had a picture of you and daddy on that day.''
''Lilly, pictures weren't taken as often back then and we had very little money.'' Rose smoothed her hands down Lilly's pure white dress. It was silky, flared out at the waist and the long sleeves were decorated with tiny beads. ''We did a good job with this dress.'' Rose pulled a small pair of spectacles onto her face and her blurred vision cleared. ''It is just beautiful.''
''Eadie is the one who designed it from scratch, remember?'' Lilly shook her light copper curls. ''That girl has something. Just like Teddy and daddy when they draw, like Helen when she dances.'' Her lips curved over into a look just like her fathers. ''I don’t have a talent.''
''Oh, nonsense.'' Rose arranged a curl or two down her daughters back. ''When I met your father, I thought I thought the same thing. He was a talented, handsome young man who was wonderfully creative but I wasn’t really anything.'' Rose stood back as she placed her hands on her hips to scan over her daughter's figure, the dress and how it hung. Her young face showed just how nervous she was. ''We started painting, sculpting, drawing...together. I wasn’t half as good as your father but he made me feel confident, Lilly. I had an outlet for my creativity, but then I had Teddy and Samuel, and my life became my children's.''
Lilly saw the tears shining in her mother's eyes at the mention of Samuel. ''He should be here.'' She said, simply.
Rose blinked away her tears and breathed through the lump in her throat. ''He is, darling. He always will be. Harry, too. They watch us, never forget that.''
Rose came to Lilly's side, she took her hands in her own. They were just a small, daintier version of her own. As she looked into those dark, deep blue eyes she saw herself twenty or so years ago, with flashes of Jack. ''I won't.''
''Oh, let me go get your father before I sob into your dress.'' Lilly giggled. Rose took a small but pretty veil from the bed and gently placed it on Lilly's head. She arranged her hair around it to cover the small clip before standing back to see her eldest daughter at full length.
''You are just simply beautiful.''
''Can a man see his daughter yet?'' Jack called from outside of Lilly's bedroom door, his knock was loud. Rose and Lilly broke into laughter.
''I told you just how desperate your father was.''
Rose went to the door, her lilac heels clacking upon the floor. Jack was dressed in his finest navy suit. Rose's hands went to his tie to straighten it out and then ran across his shoulders. ''My, my you scrub up as handsome as I remembered, Mr. Dawson.''
Jack's eyes sparkled with mischief. ''You're as radiant as the day I married you.'' He leant forward, kissing the tip of his wife's nose.
''Hardly, Jack.''
His eyes pierced hers as he took her hands in his and kissed her left hand just above her wedding ring. The same ring which she had worn all of these years. ''Rose, never question my love or my affection for you.''
