CHAPTERONE
OLIVIA
“Hand me the tape?”
Olivia looked up from the picture she was gluing down and grabbed the small roll of tape next to her arm. She leaned across the table and placed it into her mother’s outstretched hand.
“Thank you, my love.”
She smiled. “Welcome. How’s that page coming along?”
Maureen Jackson snipped a few pieces of tape off the roller and placed them in neat rows along the side of one of the smaller photos at the bottom of the sheet. She grinned to herself and lifted it off of the table to hold it up in the light.
“How’re we looking?”
Olivia leaned over and smiled. “Fabulous.”
Her mother tilted the page back to look down at the photos again, a reminiscent smile on her lips while she regarded them. She was beautiful even at her older age.
Her strawberry blonde hair had been pulled back to the side with one of the barrettes Olivia’s father had given her for an anniversary. It had beautiful crystal gemstones that always caught Olivia’s attention whenever the sunlight reflected off them.
“Handsome, isn’t he?”
Olivia glanced down at the sheet in her mother’s hand and couldn’t help but agree. The old, worn photo had been one of her favorites while growing up. Despite the obvious signs of age around the bent corners, it was one of the only pictures they had of her parents in their younger years.
Her mother had told her the photo had been taken on their first date.
They were both embracing while laughing, two golf clubs raised into the air as their victory at the final hole had been successfully achieved. Olivia’s father had always liked to brag that it was Maureen’s good luck kiss that had allowed him to sink the ball in one go.
It had always been one of those photos that never failed to make Olivia smile whenever she looked at it. Even on the rare glum days that pulled her into a bad mood.
“He is. You both are.”
Her mother let out a soft, wistful sigh while placing the page on the table.
Her mother had always wanted to scrapbook their family photos together into a cohesive album after Olivia’s father had passed away, and now that they were finally getting a chance to do so, it felt like a chapter was somehow closing.
She didn’t know how to feel about it, but seeing her mother’s face as their album had slowly started to come together, filling up with those wonderful memories, had allowed Olivia the chance to push the melancholy feelings away. If only for a little bit until she was back at home in the comfort of her own living room. It was a safe space for her to do her usual therapeutic crying after reminiscing about her father.
“I wish your sister could’ve been here.”
Olivia nodded. “She wanted to.”
“I know, love. I was only speaking out loud.”
It did feel weird to be doing this without her sister by her side, jabbing her in the ribs every so often while they went back and forth teasing each other over stupid things like gluing something incorrectly or accidentally wasting their mother’s precious washi tape by placing it down crooked.
But Evelyn had a life outside of their little family now. She was all grown up with a husband and two kids she needed to prioritize. Olivia really wished her sister would realize that instead of insisting on helping their mother.
It wasn’t that Evelyn wanted to be away from them. In fact, the truth was quite the opposite. But as far as Olivia was concerned, her sister had done enough worrying after their father had passed away, and now it was someone else's turn to look after their mother.
It was around the time when Evelyn had finally decided to get married to her childhood sweetheart that Olivia was sure that Evelyn was finally doing something for herself. Finally, starting the family that she’d been dreaming about since they were kids.
It wasn’t fair to Evie to stress over their mother, her sister, her husband, and the kids. That was too much for one person, and no matter how much her sister pitched a fit about it, Olivia wasn’t going to back down.
She’d drawn her line in the sand and swatted Evelyn away each time she tried to cross it.
She can be mad at me all she wants. At least her kids will have a present mom.