Chapter 1: Remembering

His handsome face came through the heavy fog that was inches thick. The man had a medium skin tone. His dark grey eyes shown with happiness, while his lips turned up right into the smile she remembered. The man stepped up to the girl giving her a hug she remembered so very well. This man had been gone from this girl's life for some time now.

"Father it's good to see you. I've missed you so much." The girl said with a smile as she looked up into this man's eyes she called father. She saw happiness and sadness in those grey eyes that looked back at her.

Those eyes shared so many memories from a life time ago. While she looked into his eyes her childhood flashed by her, so many memories so many good times. She couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy.

"I've missed you as well my beloved daughter." The man said with a smile upon his face. He hadn't seen his little girl in years.

"Why did you have to go father?" the girl asked as he began playing with her lovely braided chestnut hair, as he did when she was younger.

"It was my time to go...to be with your mother." the man answered his daughter of sixteen. He hadn't really told her much about her mother. Ever since her mother's illness there wasn't really anything to tell his daughter. Yes he had told her stories when she was younger but not many she could remember.

The girl looked at her father with a rather sad face. She had known for quite some time that there was a different reason why he had to leave her the way he did. She looked at him for a few moments when all of a sudden a sound could be heard through the think grey fog.

"It's time for me to go my dear. I shall see you soon." Her father said kissing his daughter's forehead. "You need to get some sleep. For today is going to be a long day."

"Please don't go." The girl cried as she hugged her father. If only he knew what she had been going though all these years.

"I have to, but don't you worry I will be back." Her father said kissing her forehead. "Can you do your father a favor? I want you to try and be a good girl for me and your mother can you do that? We know it has been hard for you."

The girl nodded her head and told her father that she loved him. With that he was gone, gone from her dream and life just like that.

"Gloria Elizabeth! Where are you?" a woman's shrill and dry voice came through the somewhat cold air awakening the girl from her slumber.

Gloria Andrews opened her lovely blue eyes and sat up with a yawn, rubbing her eyes with her hand. She looked around her to see that she really was back in the life she had led for the past few years. Gloria got out of bed and got dressed within a few moments. Her lovely face looked into a small mirror with her reflection looking back at her. Her life had become such a mess since her parent's deaths.

Her lovely chestnut hair was down from its morning braids and lay just a little past her shoulder blades. Her face was a small heart shape with lovely blue eyes and long eyelashes. She really didn't care for her height let alone her figure. 4'10 was nothing she desired. She hated being this little, after all her parents were rather tall. Her looks made up for the two or three inches she desired. Gloria looked like she had just popped out of a movie. While she looked in the mirror she could hear the shrill voices. "Its 6:30 what could they possibly want this early? They should still be asleep…so should I." she thought as a small yawn escaped her mouth.

Her stepfamily would have her butt if she wasn't doing her job. She walked over to the window and looked out the as the sun began to rise over the town called Hollywood.

The year was 1920, the year of the flappers and the start of the silent movie era and so on and so forth. . Gloria really didn't stay with the newest fashions or on the latest gossip. How could she? After all she had her father's house to look after…

Her father Irving Andrews was a big time director of Paramount at the turn of the century. While her mother Anna was a chorus girl. Irving had directed all the latest actors and actresses of Hollywood. In fact him and Anna would often take little Gloria to the set with them while they did their jobs. Many actors thought Gloria was the cutest of children, her lovely face which wore a lovely smile with her blue eyes showing with happiness. Little freckles sat on her checks. Not many maybe one or two. She had the best of cloths from nightgowns to jackets along with the best toys and play dates. She had the life of a princess.

Gloria loved watching her parents at work. Listening to her father and watching her mother was something she always liked to do. This went on for many years. Until one day things went wrong. Anna became very ill. The doctor said she had a bad case of bronchitis and only had a few months to live.

These few months turned into a few short two weeks. Within that time period things turned for the worst. Anna's health began to decrease. She had become bed bound. She could no longer do things for herself. Irving had to help her do things. She could no longer get up and water the flower garden, play with her little girl or even enjoy a nice evening with her husband.

One evening the rain began to fall like buckets on the big Hollywood home. Anna began to cough and cough. Her time was coming to an end. Irving came running into the room.

"My darling is there anything that I can do for you?" He asked taking her pale cold hand. It was so cold as if her soul had already passed on.

"No- I'm dying there is nothing you can do about death." Anna said looking at her husband with sick tired eyes. "Where is Gloria?" she asked between breaths.

"She's playing in her room with her dolls. I told her she didn't need to see you this way." Irving said taking his eyes off his wife.

"Please tell her to come here. I have something for her." Anna said taking a very shallow breath.

Irving went and got his only child of four. Gloria came into the room with a lovely blue dress, white stockings, black Mary Jane shoes with small bows in her hair, all the while holding her teddy bear Mr. Snuggles, and her daddy's hand.

"Gloria, my little princess. My little girl if you would please come here?" Anna asked reaching out her hand.

Gloria looked up at her father with worried and sad eyes. It was as if her father was so much taller than she. With her only being 3 feet tall it would seem that her father was a giant. Irving told her it was alright.

Gloria walked up to her mother and took her hand. Her small and scared voice came out "Mommy you can't die. You have to get better," As salty tears filled her eyes. The tears came rather fast. Gloria couldn't see her mother's face. Why did this have to happen? She was only four, at four a girl was supposed to have both her parent's there. To love her and to pick her up when she fell down and crapped her knee.

"Please don't cry mommy doesn't want to see you cry." Anna said in a now weak voice. "Can you smile for mommy?"

Gloria dried her tears and smiled for her mother. This was all she could do for her dying mother.

"That's my little girl." She said with all her might as the illness wore on.

Anna held out her hand and told Gloria to do the same. Gloria did as she was told. Within her small hand was a bracelet of purls with a small silver heart on it which read. To our lovely little princess, anything and everything is possible all you have to do is believe in it.

"I want you to remember that saying and keep it in your heart." Anna said fighting hard to keep her eyes open.

"Yes mother I will." Gloria said as more tears came down her small cheeks. Within those last few words her mother's eyes shut for the last time. "Mother please come back please!" Gloria begged as she buried her face into the covers of the bed.

Irving came to take his little girl away from her mother. "Peggy if you would please take Gloria away from here for a little while." Irving asked as Gloria sobbed into her daddy's shoulder.

"Certainly sir." Peggy said taking the little girl.

"No I want to stay with daddy." Gloria cried as she was taken from her father's arms. She held out her arms as if she was being taken from her daddy forever.

"I know you do princess but right now daddy has to do something's." Irving said looking at his little girl.

Irving got on the phone and called the undertaker. After talking to him for a few moments he went to his wife's side just like he had been doing for the last few weeks. He cried a little thinking about the moments and memories they had together. So many happy ones there were so many it was hard to name them all.

Now what would he do without his wife? He had a child to raise and a business to take care of. He couldn't possibly do both.