Timeless

It had been a really long week for all three of the kids. The emotional toll was strong and not easy to deal with for any of them but now it was taking a physical toll as well. Cheyenne was starting to box up little knickknacks from around the house when her back started hurting.

"Elizabeth, would you come here please?" Moments later, thirty-three year old Elizabeth came walking into the living room.

"What'cha need mom?" she asked as she came over to her.

"Can you run down to the car and grab me a few more boxes?" Cheyenne said letting out a heavy sigh. Elizabeth came over and hugged her mother.

"I know how hurt you are mom; I'd feel the same way if I lost you." She said giving Cheyenne a squeeze. "I miss her too."

"Not like I do Elizabeth; she was like my bestfriend my whole life." She said as her eyes filled with tears again.

"I know." Elizabeth said quietly. She knew just how much Reba had meant to Cheyenne and couldn't stand the thought of her mom not having her there anymore.

Elizabeth headed outside to get the boxes her mother asked her to get as a million thoughts flooded her mind.

"I miss you too, Grandma." She said quietly as she looked at the house from the back of the SUV. Her eyes filled with tears as she blinked hard, trying to keep her composure. She never imagined her grandmother could ever die, let alone now. "Nothing's the same without you." She shut the car and carried the boxes into the house slowly. As soon as she was through the door she could feel how empty the house was without her grandmothers' presence.

"Thanks sweetie." Cheyenne said as she took the boxes from her. "Can you help me set them up? My arthritis has been pretty bad lately."

"Sure." Elizabeth said as she knelt down to unfold a box. She started to take the things her mother handed her and softly place them in the box in complete silence.

"Do you remember when your grandmother took you homecoming shopping your junior year and got you that pink dress?" Elizabeth looked up at her mother who was smiling at a picture. She cracked a smile herself.

"That was the dance I asked Jason too. We spent three hours in that store looking for that dress. Grandma was determined to find that dress for me." Elizabeth smiled fondly at the memory. She looked down at her left hand and her smile fell slightly as her eyes filled with tears. "Grandma's the reason I'm still with him now."

"She knew you two were going to be together." Cheyenne said, looking at her daughter's ring.

"Grandma changed my life."

"She changed all of our lives."

Later that day, Cheyenne was sitting up in her mother's room taking a break. She was tired and felt like she could talk to her mother in peace here. She looked around at all the photos Reba had kept all around her room for as long as she could remember.

She thought back on all the memories all these photos held, all the laughs and good times they represented, and all the hard times they proved they could pull through.

"I don't know what I would've done without you, Mom." She whispered as she looked at a picture of Reba holding a three year old Elizabeth at the zoo, two big grins spread across their faces.

"Mom, you up here?" Cheyenne looked over at the door to see her 27 year old son Matt in the doorway. "Liz said you needed my help." Cheyenne nodded as she sat up straight.

"I need you to grab the stuff off the top shelf of the closet, I cleared everything else out of it yesterday, I just can't reach." She said gesturing to the shelf.

"Anything for you, Shorty." Matt said as he rustled his mothers' hair a little with a laugh. He was always one to lighten the mood with his humor.

"I'm not that short, Matt, and I'm Mom to you, not Shorty." He rolled his eyes with a laugh as he walked over to the closet.

"Everything coming down?"

"Yes, I got a few things down already but I can't reach the rest.

"Gotcha." He said as he pulled a cardboard box down. "Where do you want them?"

"On the floor by that dresser." Cheyenne pointed. He set the box down as Cheyenne made her way over to it to see what was contained inside it. It was a box of old jewelry; she had been in this box many times and knew its contents well. From Reba's old wedding ring, to jewelry she had saved from her younger years, to little things Cheyenne and Kyra had made her over the course of their childhood. Cheyenne closed the lid with a little smile and moved on to the next box Matt placed beside her.

"Anything interesting?" Matt asked as he set another box by the pile.

"Nothing that would interest you." Cheyenne said, not bothering to look up at her son.

"What is it?"

"Looks like a box of family antiques. I think they were my grandmothers' things." She said looking at an old trinket she had played with as a child. Her mother had it out in her room years ago. She must have put it away sometime after Elizabeth was born.

"They look ancient." Matt commented as he crouched by his mother's side.

"It's older than I am Matt."

"See? Ancient." He said as he elbowed his mother playfully. She elbowed him right back as she scoffed a little.

"Don't you have a job to be doing?" he laughed before standing and heading back to the closet. As Cheyenne sorted through the box of trinkets as he set box after box by his mothers side.

"This one's really heavy." Matt said as he set one of the last boxes down with a thud. "Can I pop this one open?" he asked as he looked at his mother. Cheyenne laughed.

"After some of the things I've found in these boxes, I doubt you'd be willing too." Cheyenne said with a laugh to her son. After a moment of thought he stood up.

"Let me know if it's anything of interest."

"Can do honey." She said without looking up.

After a few boxes were sorted through, Cheyenne came to the heavy box Matt had wanted to open. She cracked a smile when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Matt looking over at her with interest. She opened the lid to find a bunch of books.

"What is it?" Matt asked from his spot over on the bed.

"Books." She lifted one to see Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and The Thorn Birds; her mothers' favorite books.

"She sure read a lot."

"She was always reading when she could find the time, but they were always the same books. She never went out and bought new books to read when she finished one. Except for the few your aunt and I had drug her into."

"Then what're the rest of them?" Cheyenne put the books she had in her hands down and looked back in the box. When she looked, she saw they had numbers crawled on the covers of each. '75 was on the smallest number she could find. Cheyenne felt her curiosity grow as she opened it to find it was hand written. She looked at the first page and could feel Matt's eyes on her intently. She looked dup at him.

"Matt honey, can you go ask your aunt Kyra if she needs any help? If she doesn't would you be the savior of the day by going got pick up some lunch?" she said with a smile.

"What're the books?" he challenged. Cheyenne stalled for a minute.

"Looks like books of... sex." She said suddenly. That's one of the only things he wouldn't want a part of; Matt was just as nosy as his mother. He got a disgusted look on his face and nearly ran from the room. Cheyenne had to laugh before looking down at the book. What if it is a sex journal? She was my mother, I don't want to know any of that… as far as I'm concerned, she only ever had sex 3 times her entire life… she thought to herself. She shrugged anyways and opened it up to the first page…

Well, I don't know how to start this thing. My name is Reba McKinney; I am eighteen years old and a senior in high school. My mama mentioned starting a journal to remember this amazing time in my life and for some odd reason, I agreed to do it. I have no idea what to say. I've never been one to… write down what my life is. So doing this? I'm not exactly thrilled.

I guess I could start with today. Terry agreed to go to prom with me as he should, he's my boyfriend. Terry Holliway. My future last name. They're letting Lori Anne come too. She's bringing some friend of Terry's; I think Terry said his name was Bronk? Well anyways, this is going to be so much fun! My bestfriend and my boyfriend both get to go to prom with me.

Lori Anne said I'm probably going to lose my virginity on prom night. Said that's where most girls do. I don't know about it though, I love Terry and all but going that far? I just don't know. That's a big thing I'll never get back….

Maybe I'll do these things like a story? Instead of me just bitching, I'll mix it up. 'Reenact' my day maybe?

Well I'll start with something that made me smile today that I never want to forget…

Terry and I held hands as we walked down by the creek at about noon, hand in hand. That alone always gives me butterflies.

Terry looked over at me with his little smile, causing me to smile right back at him.

"What're you up to, Mister?" he just laughed as he shook his head.

"This just seems so perfect. I don't understand how something can be so perfect and have nothing go wrong. It's a little eerie." I felt my cheeks turning pink as his eyes studied my face as we stopped to face each other. The way the sunlight was coming through the trees dancing on his face was a beautiful sight.

"Isn't too perfect a little bit of a stretch? I mean, you've got to remember why you brought me out here in the first place." I said as I raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress a smile.

"Well you know what happened today wasn't intentional." He said smiling as he pulled me to him. I smiled right back.

"But it still happened, Terry." His smile fell some as he looked into my eyes.

"I love you, Reba." He said suddenly. I felt my jaw drop a little bit.

"You love me?" he cracked a nervous smile.

"Too soon?" I smiled.

"I've waited to hear that for so long."

"Good, because I do love you." I stepped on my tiptoes to kiss him. "So…" he said as he looked at me. "How do you feel?" I just kind of looked at him for a minute, unsure of myself.

"I don't know, Terry. I want to tell you I love you back, but I'm not positive how I feel. I don't want to lie to you or me for that matter." He smiled.

"I can wait as long as you're honest with me sweetheart." He kissed my forehead reassuringly.

"That means the world to me." I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my head on his chest as his arms wrapped around me.

After a few minutes I pulled back and grabbed his hand. I pulled him towards the river.

"What're you doing you crazy redhead?" he asked mid laugh.

"You'll see." I smiled slyly. As we stood by the water, I turned so he was standing beside the water as I threw my arms around his neck. He pulled me close as I pulled him into a kiss. His lips were so soft and comfortable against mine. As we stood there kissing, I felt his stubble rub against my chin and smiled. I loved that feeling.

"I could just kiss you all day." Terry said as he pulled away slightly. I laughed.

"Could you ever get mad at me?" I asked slyly.

"I don't think I ever could babe." He said with a smile. Mine grew into a sinister one.

"Keep that in mind."

"What?" he asked in a confused voice. Just then I turned him slightly and pushed him into the water laughing. His head popped up with a gasp as he swam for the shore. I stood laughing on the little ledge.

"Payback's a bitch isn't it?" I asked sweetly. He came over by me cracked a smile.

"The biggest." I leaned down and stole a kiss.

"Are you ever going to compare me to Alice again? Point out what looks better on her than me?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"That's not what I was doing, Reba." He said defensively. I raised an eyebrow.

"You said if I had boobs like Alice, was as tall as Alice, and as easy going as Alice I'd be the perfect girl." He just looked at me with a guilty expression.

"Didn't sound as bad at the time."

"I thought so."I said poking his nose.

"So are you done with revenge for the day?" he asked as he wiped his face. I smiled.

"I guess so." His smile grew when I went to stand as he grabbed my arms and pulled me into the water despite my screaming.

The water was so clear and cool as I went under. I opened my eyes and saw a fish looking directly at me. I came up with a big gasp, only to hear Terry laughing. I reached over and punched him as best I could in the water.

"You're a jerk!" I said as I splashed him. He just laughed.

"You know you love it." he said as he swam a little closer to me. He wrapped me in his arms as I put my arms around his neck laughing.

"I guess I do." I leaned in and kissed him until we both went under. We came up laughing a minute later.

"I can't keep us afloat when you kiss me like that babe." I laughed again.

"Then maybe we shouldn't float." I said with a wink as I swam away from him. After a second I felt his arms lock around me. He turned me around before planting another kiss on my lips.

"You're beautiful." He said as he pushed wet hair out of my face. I just looked in his eyes, sketching them into my memory.

"I love you." I said suddenly, surprising even myself.

"I thought you said you didn't want to say that." Suddenly it was a serious sentimental moment. I touched his face as I looked at him.

"I didn't want to, but it felt right saying it." he cracked a small smile.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." At that we kissed again.

And that is how Terry and I exchanged our first 'I love you's' today. Seems cheesy reading it now, but it was one of the best moments of my life. I really do love him, I just never wanted to admit it. Things are going to be great from here on out. After high school, I'm going to marry that boy.

Cheyenne put the little notebook down with a million emotions running through her. A big smile spread across her face as she held the journal close to her chest. She had a piece of her mother that no one else even knew about. She still had a piece of her to hold onto.