Piper set the glass down on the small table between the two sun loungers; ice cubes clinking gently against the side of the frosted glass as she placed it down on the still warm surface of the table. She settled into one of the chairs and let herself sink back into the comfort of the cushions, gazing up at the slowly setting sun.
"You missed a beautiful day Prue." She told her elder sister.
Pushing the shades that she'd been wearing all day on to the top of her head she gazed up at the burnished red of the evening sky, watching as the clouds scudded gently across, painting patterns in the heavens that would never be repeated.
Piper remained silent for a few moments and just lay back, content to watch the world flow by without her, listening to the hushed tones of the neighbourhood. There was a barbeque being held a few doors away and the smell wafted across the garden bringing with it memories of previous summers; summers that seemed to go on forever; cloudless blue sky days where the troubles of the world seemed a million miles away. She smiled as the memories washed over her.
"You should have been there." She continued, getting back to her story. "The weather was perfect and the beach almost deserted. I did actually go as far as calling your cell phone before I remembered that you wouldn't be able to answer."
Her attention was drawn to the house as she caught sight of Phoebe who had moved into the kitchen. She watched as the light in the kitchen came hesitantly on, flickering and pulsing before the starter finally caught, flooding the room with a yellow tinged glow. The light from the house came spilling out across the grass, cutting a path through the fading evening light. She followed her younger sister with her eyes as she crossed to the sink and began to fill the kettle. Phoebe lifted her head as if sensing her sister's gaze on her and sketched a wave. Piper returned the gesture before casting her eyes back up to the heavens.
"Phoebe had a great time; seemed to do her the world of good, getting out like that. She's got so much going on in that mind of hers at the moment I wonder that it doesn't drive her a little crazy." She fell silent again as another memory flowed into her mind.
"You remember the times just after you got your first car, when you'd drive us all out to the beach? Phoebe would pull a face and complain that she was too old to hanging out with her sisters but the moment she got there it would all be different. Age never seemed to enter the equation where the beach was concerned."
She shifted position in the chair and reached for the glass from the table.
"They had the fun fair set up again." She noted as she took a sip of her drink. "Phoebe was determined to drag me onto every ride she saw but I managed to slip out of the pirate ship and sent Leo with her instead. You should have seen the way that he clung onto the safety rail for dear life as Phoebe was whooping and obviously having the time of her life." She smiled at the image that sprang into her mind. Phoebe's hair was flying out behind her as the ride plunged Earthwards, a huge grin spread across her features. Next to her Leo was the polar opposite, hands gripping the safety barrier, knuckles white as his fingers sought a firmer purchase, face pale and seemingly drained of blood.
She heard the faint sound of the phone ringing coming from the house and prayed that it would be someone wanting to talk to Phoebe. She really didn't feel like moving from her chair for at least another hour. She turned back to her memories of the day.
"It took us ages to persuade Leo to go back on another ride. Never seen a man so eager to be seen holding handbags while Phoebe and I hit the Dodgems."
She broke off from her recollection as she heard the glass door open and Phoebe appear on the patio, holding the phone out towards her. She sighed heavily and set her glass back on the table.
"You'd have loved today Prue."
She glanced over with a twinge of sadness at the empty chair next to her and slowly began to climb to her feet. There were days when she missed Prue's presence more than others; there were days when she found herself reaching for her phone to pass on news to then remember that the phone call would never connect; there were days when she came out to the garden and just talked to Prue as though she were still alive. She took a final look at the empty sun lounger and sighed.
"You'd have loved today."
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