3 years later
[Abby is babysitting Tali]
"Aunt Abby, can I ask a question?"
"Really Tal? You need to ask permission? Come here hunny you can ask me anything"
The five year old looked down and intertwined her fingers, fumbling with her hands. She sat down slowly, feeling unsure, nervous, a way no five year old should be feeling.
"What is it sweety?" Abby asked concerned.
"If I ask something, can you not tell Abba? It's just I don't wanna make him cry."
"Of course sweetie go ahead, what's making you sad." Abby knew this was not something she could stand by, she could never keep anything from Tony, he is her brother, a friend, and Tali's father. No five year old should be worried about upsetting their parents, especially not a girl like Tali, who has been through so much and complained so little.
"Why, why did Ima leave? Did she not... Not want me anymore?" Tali's voice trembled, she didn't often talk of her mother and when she did it was a memory, not a question, at least not like this. Abby looked at the young girl with tears filling her eyes at the memory of her lost friend. How could a young child be in so much pain? A five year old girl who thinks her mother abandoned her. "What did I do wrong?" The girl thought she was being punished, it was not fair. Life is not fair.
After taking a moment to compose herself Abby pulled the girl tighter, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. Then she placed her hand under the necklace on the girls neck, and drew a breath, preparing to hold back tears, she had to be strong for Tali.
"Your... Ima, gave your Abba this before you were alive to tell him how much she loved him, she wore this everyday for over 20 years and all her love went into it. When your Ima and Abba said goodbye, she put it in his pocket, so that he could hold and take all her love with him, no matter where he goes. When he had it with him, it made him feel happy, because he knew that she was thinking of him, it was very special"
Tali looked at the women, a faint smile behind the tears.
"As soon as your Daddy, Abba, met you he loved you, more than anybody else in the world. He was also very sad because he wanted to see your Ima again too, he wanted her too help him, he knew nothing about children. He wanted her to come home so they could look after you together."
The girl was entranced in the story, she wanted closure.
"But she couldn't come home, she couldn't help him look after you because she went to live in the sky, with the Angels. Your Ima wanted to spend so many more days with you than she got to. Even if you can't see her, you need to remember that she is looking over you from the sky, she is an angel and she flys over you everyday, watching you grow up, she is so proud of you hunny, she would never leave you out of choice, but she is waiting. When you are old, in a long long time, you will be an angel too, and she will be there, at the gates waiting. She wants to hug you so bad. She told me I have to hug you for her" Abby said as she pulled the girl a little tighter " so that you know just how loved you are"
"Really?" Tali responded
"Really."
The girls snuggled in to Abby's sofa with the lion king showing in the back ground, Tali seemed to be enjoying it but Abby couldn't take her eyes off the girl. She was smiling but Abby knew there was pain behind her eyes, something that she couldn't fix. Abby watched over the girl, waiting for her father to come home, she needed him, and he needed her, they fit together, like a jigsaw, only there is a piece missing, a piece that can not be replaced. After moments of silence, Tali listed her head upwards, looked at the older women, trying to string words together, form a sentence in her mind.
"So Ima is in the sky? Like Simba's Abba on the... The... errmmm sa-rah-teem?" She pointed at the movie, knowing her aunt would not understand the Hebrew phrase.
"Yes hunny, that's exactly right, and I think, knowing your mother, they're probably friends, taking care of each other" Abby laughed to herself at the thought.
"Don't be silly, Aunt Abby, the lions not real, he's on the screen" Tali giggled so much her stomach hurt, forgetting the pain for just a moment, made Abby feel happy, the girl still has a chance of a normal childhood. And that's exactly what she needs.
