Note: This was written by yours truly, Katie (thewrittennerd). I hope you enjoy!
Book reference(d): The Sun Will Come Out by Joanne Levy
"One Mississippi. Two Mississippi…" Just as Abigail Valentine finished her countdown to the loud "bowling ball hitting the pins in their heavenly lane", it was followed quickly by the almost invisible yellow bolt of lightning. "Mama, do I have to keep counting?" the girl asked her mother as she ran over to see the progress Samantha was making on her costume for the end production play at her summer school.
"No, you don't have to keep counting, sweetie. But I thought you liked rainstorms?" Samantha looked at the girl quizzically, her voice concerned as this wasn't typical behavior for the girl.
"I do, but I'm so bored! When will Dad and Maggie get here?" Abigail answered with a loud sigh.
"Soon, my darling. They probably took shelter somewhere or had to pull over so that the rain could stop enough for them to back," Samantha replied, pausing in her sewing long enough to lean over and kiss her daughter's forehead. "You're much too impatient, so why don't you go and pick out a rainy-day book for reading aloud?"
"Okay!" As the girl ran off, Samantha smiled fondly. Abigail's love of reading definitely didn't come from either of her parents but rather from her aunts on both sides of the family as well as her Nana Tricia, Samantha's mother. As resumed getting the material of Abigail's costume through the sewing machine, her daughter rushed off to her room to grab a chapter book the pair had been practicing on reading aloud.
When Abigail returned a moment later, Samantha stepped away from her sewing machine in order to sit on the couch in her office/craft room, being joined by her daughter who snuggled into her mother's side, resulting in Samantha wrapping an arm around the younger redhead's shoulders. Smiling as she opened the book to where they had left off from, Samantha's slim fingers bring down a pair of reading glasses from where they had been perched on top of her head; tucked into her red locks of hair.
"Mama?" Abigail's voice was soft and nearly a whisper as she spoke.
"Hm, my love?" Samantha's voice was the same as her daughter's as they paused in going over the sentences in the book.
"Are you going to marry Jess soon?" At this, the woman smiled gently as she gazed at her daughter.
"I haven't decided yet. He's asked me but I asked him to give me some time to think about it," Samantha's response was still soft but not any less honest because she's always put her children first above everything.
"I think you should," Abigail stated in a soft and firm voice as she sat up.
"Why's that?" Samantha wondered.
"Because then I can be the flower girl and you can have Aunt Q and Aunt Abby as your bridesmaids!" At this, Samantha couldn't help it. She laughed.