Family
The last part of my Mary/Bert series for 10_quotes.
The toddler giggled as a butterfly landed on his chubby fist. He ran over to his father, the butterfly still on his hand.
"Look, Daddy!" the boy cried excitedly as the orange insect flapped its wings slightly. "The colours!"
The man ruffled his son's dark hair, tears coming to his eyes. Oh, how he wished that Mary was there with them!
"That's nice, that is," Bert said, watching his son study the butterfly carefully. Soon, however, the butterfly grew bored and flew off. The boy burst into tears.
"Why did the butterfly go away – doesn't he love us?" the child asked his father.
"He wants to be wiv his family, I'm sure," Bert replied, stroking his son's hair soothingly.
"With his daddy and mummy?" the boy asked, and Bert nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Daddy, why are you crying?" his son asked him.
"I miss your mum," Bert said, taking the child into his arms.
"But Mummy's looking down on us," his son said. "That's what you always say."
"That she is, William," Bert said. He looked up at the sky as if to see his deceased wife, but there was nothing there.
"Daddy?" the boy asked, and Bert looked down at William. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Bert replied, and kissed his son's forehead lightly. He didn't need to look up at the sky for his wife – a bit of her was right in front of him, living on in their son.