Part Ten: 30 April 1996: Hi Mom
Characters: Prue (25), Piper (23), Paige (18)
Paige held a small bunch of wild flowers to her side as she entered the small cemetery. She had always preferred wild flowers to the ones that you could find in a shop. They were so fresh and much more thoughtful than the ones that you can buy and had been ordered by someone else.
One thing her parents had told her was, in life if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing probably. She smiled at the thought; she had started to become sort of a perfectionist, like her dad had been.
She glanced at the gravestones as she walked by, after all this time she did not want to miss her mother's name.
It had taken her nearly a year now to trace her mother, Patricia Halliwell. A year to find that all her initial hopes had been dashed as she found out that her biological mother had died when she had been less than a year old.
Paige remembered the sense of irony she had felt at this twist of fate. The twist that even if she had not been given up for adoption at birth that she could have ended up in the care of the social services anyway.
She let out a small sigh as she moved her hair out of her eyes, remembering that very disappointment. With no father's name on any of her forms, she would never get the answers to her questions. Never find out why she was given up and what had been so wrong with her. A feeling of anger that had increased when she had found out that she was the youngest of four girls and the only one to be given up for adoption.
The teenager paused as she reached the right gravestone. She looked at the stone that was the only answer she could get to her 18 year long search for an identity.
As Paige placed her flowers down, she sat at the pavement and stared at the stone.
"You know what?" Paige started, feeling slightly stupid. "I've got here and I don't know why, 'cause what I want is answers and I'm not going to get them talking to a grave stone. But I think I'm going to ask them anyway, because maybe you can still hear me.
First, I want to know why me?
I'm one of four, why was I the only one to be put up for adoption. I mean don't get me wrong, I love my mom and dad, but I've always wondered what was so wrong with me.
I mean what was so wrong with me that you decided you didn't want me after less than one day of my life?"
Paige wiped her eyes as she forced herself to hold any tears back. She had promised herself that she was not going to cry over a woman she had never even met, a stranger that had not wanted to know her.
"Second," she said, clearing her voice, "I want to know who my dad is. I mean what were the two of you hiding not to register his name. 'Cause only people with something to hide don't reveal all the facts."
Paige looked up to the sky briefly before she started to talk again, "I mean is it wrong to want answers to my questions? And they're just the tip of the iceberg.
Who do I look like? Have I got either of your personality? What are the rest of my family like?"
Paige slowly rose to her feet; she knew talking to a piece of stone was not going to help. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes fixed on the gravestone that was the only link she had to her mother.
"I mean, I guess I'm just wondering if you missed having me around. You know, regretted giving me up. 'Cause I'm not that bad a person.
I've still got my whole life ahead of me, so I'm not all sorted out. And I'm far from being perfect, but I'm getting thing right again.
I've just about got through some mess; I always remember to go to A.A. So after everything I've fought I guess I can't be that bad. But the thing was right then I really need a mom, someone to look out for me, but you weren't there. And I guess all I need to tell you is that I sorted it all out alone and that was your loss not mine.
And I've started to babble now, but I think I've said everything I needed to. But if you can find a way, I'd love to know the answers to my questions."
Paige took once last look at the grave as she turned to leave. She started walking at a fairly quick pace down the path, not looking where she was going and brushed past two young women. Glancing up at the two young adults, she saw familiar features in their faces and stopped as she heard one of them talk.
"Did Phoebe say what time she would get here?"
Paige's eyes widened as she saw them stop at the grave she had just visited.
The younger of the two looked down at her watch, "Her class only finished ten minutes ago, and I wish you'd just give her a break. You're far too hard on her."
"Hmm, yeah," Prue muttered looking down at the grave and placing a bunch of flowers on it. She stopped to glance up at Piper as she gestured to the flowers already on the grave. "I wonder who put these here?"
Characters: Prue (25), Piper (23), Paige (18)
Paige held a small bunch of wild flowers to her side as she entered the small cemetery. She had always preferred wild flowers to the ones that you could find in a shop. They were so fresh and much more thoughtful than the ones that you can buy and had been ordered by someone else.
One thing her parents had told her was, in life if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing probably. She smiled at the thought; she had started to become sort of a perfectionist, like her dad had been.
She glanced at the gravestones as she walked by, after all this time she did not want to miss her mother's name.
It had taken her nearly a year now to trace her mother, Patricia Halliwell. A year to find that all her initial hopes had been dashed as she found out that her biological mother had died when she had been less than a year old.
Paige remembered the sense of irony she had felt at this twist of fate. The twist that even if she had not been given up for adoption at birth that she could have ended up in the care of the social services anyway.
She let out a small sigh as she moved her hair out of her eyes, remembering that very disappointment. With no father's name on any of her forms, she would never get the answers to her questions. Never find out why she was given up and what had been so wrong with her. A feeling of anger that had increased when she had found out that she was the youngest of four girls and the only one to be given up for adoption.
The teenager paused as she reached the right gravestone. She looked at the stone that was the only answer she could get to her 18 year long search for an identity.
As Paige placed her flowers down, she sat at the pavement and stared at the stone.
"You know what?" Paige started, feeling slightly stupid. "I've got here and I don't know why, 'cause what I want is answers and I'm not going to get them talking to a grave stone. But I think I'm going to ask them anyway, because maybe you can still hear me.
First, I want to know why me?
I'm one of four, why was I the only one to be put up for adoption. I mean don't get me wrong, I love my mom and dad, but I've always wondered what was so wrong with me.
I mean what was so wrong with me that you decided you didn't want me after less than one day of my life?"
Paige wiped her eyes as she forced herself to hold any tears back. She had promised herself that she was not going to cry over a woman she had never even met, a stranger that had not wanted to know her.
"Second," she said, clearing her voice, "I want to know who my dad is. I mean what were the two of you hiding not to register his name. 'Cause only people with something to hide don't reveal all the facts."
Paige looked up to the sky briefly before she started to talk again, "I mean is it wrong to want answers to my questions? And they're just the tip of the iceberg.
Who do I look like? Have I got either of your personality? What are the rest of my family like?"
Paige slowly rose to her feet; she knew talking to a piece of stone was not going to help. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes fixed on the gravestone that was the only link she had to her mother.
"I mean, I guess I'm just wondering if you missed having me around. You know, regretted giving me up. 'Cause I'm not that bad a person.
I've still got my whole life ahead of me, so I'm not all sorted out. And I'm far from being perfect, but I'm getting thing right again.
I've just about got through some mess; I always remember to go to A.A. So after everything I've fought I guess I can't be that bad. But the thing was right then I really need a mom, someone to look out for me, but you weren't there. And I guess all I need to tell you is that I sorted it all out alone and that was your loss not mine.
And I've started to babble now, but I think I've said everything I needed to. But if you can find a way, I'd love to know the answers to my questions."
Paige took once last look at the grave as she turned to leave. She started walking at a fairly quick pace down the path, not looking where she was going and brushed past two young women. Glancing up at the two young adults, she saw familiar features in their faces and stopped as she heard one of them talk.
"Did Phoebe say what time she would get here?"
Paige's eyes widened as she saw them stop at the grave she had just visited.
The younger of the two looked down at her watch, "Her class only finished ten minutes ago, and I wish you'd just give her a break. You're far too hard on her."
"Hmm, yeah," Prue muttered looking down at the grave and placing a bunch of flowers on it. She stopped to glance up at Piper as she gestured to the flowers already on the grave. "I wonder who put these here?"