Rose pulled up three empty chairs and then grabbed a chocolate cheesecake. It was Christmas, the first Christmas without all of them being there, so she did what she knew how. She reserved spots for her best friends, and sat down and proceeded to cut four slices, huge slices of cheesecake and sat them all in front of the chairs. She smiled, thinking of how grateful she was. Sure, it was a sad occasion, but for the most part she was left with memories, memories she wouldn't trade for all the money (or cheesecake) in the world.
Recalling fondly her memories of her best friends, she thought about what each one represented to her. Dorothy was more like her mother than she would have cared to admit, in that they both steered her in the right direction. Sometimes, usually, they used tough love, but it was only now that Rose recognized that they hid their love and affection for her through sarcasm. True, they got a little exasperated with her, the way a mother would with a child, but in the end she knew why they were the way they were. It was the way they expressed love to each other, and so in turn, they showed their love for her in the same manner. To be honest, it took some used to adjusting to their sense of humor, but Rose knew that she was better off for having known and loved them.
The best part was that she knew she was loved by them in return.
And then there was Blanche. She also had difficulty expressing love, well except for where men were concerned. There was no question she loved her attentions that she received from all the men in her life. Rose was a one man at a time kind of girl, so it took her a long time to understand Blanche for who she was. But every now and then Blanche would dream about George, and it made all of the girls love her even more for who she was, faults and all.
Life was hard- sometimes you won, sometimes you lost. You loved some, you lost some, but in the end you took away the love that you received, and it was something nothing could ever replace. She knew that her time was limited- she was only growing older by the day, Nothing was guaranteed, but Rose knew that if something were to happen to her she'd be reunited with the loves of her life.
Yes, Rose had loved Charlie. Oh how she had loved that man. And Miles too, she loved him as well. But the love and acceptance and wisdom she'd received from the girls were gifts no man could offer. She would have loved to spend her last days with Charlie, holding hands at Shady Pines (Okay, maybe not Shady Pines) but on the front porch of their farm, watching the cows and listening to the grandchildren play nearby. But alas, fate had other plans, and that fate led her straight to Miami.
Who would have ever thought that she would find happiness after Charlie died? Not her, that was for sure. But the joy, the laughter, the tears were something she'd never trade. She'd be reunited with Charlie again one day she was sure, but for right now, she had her memories. Thank God her mind hadn't failed her. Every now and then she'd get confused, but all she had to do was pull out her pictures of the girls and she'd be transported ten years earlier.
Yes, she still had her memories, and as long as she had them, time nor death could ever take away her girls.
The end