Chapter 18
Molly walked into the room and shrieked, instantly jumping on the bed. "Pete! You stayed over again!" The bed shifted and jerked with every bounce she made. Addison looked over at the alarm, 7 a.m. She reached out her arm and Molly snuggled between the two of them. She giggled and whispered in Addison's ear, "Aunt Addie, you aren't wearing any clothes."
Addison smiled and kissed Molly's cheek. "Well I must have fallen out of my pajamas during the night." Molly giggled again and looked over at Pete. "You have to close your eyes when Aunt Addie gets out of bed because she fell out of them during the night." Pete chuckled, "Now how in the world did she do that?"
Molly burst into another fit of giggles and started to pull the covers up. "Did you fall out of yours too?" Addison quickly pushed the blanket down, "Hey Sweet Pea, why don't you go and put on the cartoons while I get dressed? I'll come out and make you breakfast in a few minutes okay?"
Molly looked over at Pete and pointed her tiny finger at him, "No funny business Mister. You better remember to keep your eyes closed tight when she gets out of bed." With that, she laughed and ran out of the room.
They looked at each other and burst out laughing. "She's pretty bossy huh?"
Addison yawned and stretched, "You have no idea." She started to get out of bed but found herself on her back again staring into his loving eyes in a matter of seconds.
Pete had both of her arms pinned and was grinning at her, "If we take a shower together, we could always tell her we're trying to preserve water."
Addison laughed and lifted her head, kissing him. He released his grip and rolled her on top of him, capturing her mouth with his. When they finally pulled apart, they were merely seconds away from having sex again. Molly's happy singing drifted from the living room which signaled it was time to get out of bed before she caught them doing more than just sleeping.
They spent the entire day together at the zoo and then shopping. Addison was truly impressed with Pete. He hadn't complained once while they were out, even when Molly and Addison found themselves blissfully surrounded by shoes in a new store located directly across from the restaurant they ate at. By the time they returned home that evening, they were all delirious. Addison gave Molly her bath while Pete ran to his place to grab some clothes. He returned soon after and the three of them settled in the living room chatting about the animals at the zoo.
Molly's face suddenly fell, "I wish my mommy could have come to the zoo again before she died. She loved the monkey's the best."
Addison looked over at Pete who looked as unprepared as she felt, "I know baby but remember what she said about being here with us always? She probably laughed right along with us when that monkey threw the cracker back at Pete." She had hoped the memory would lighten the mood again.
Molly grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah that was funny huh?" She looked over at Pete, "Do you want to see a DVD my mommy made for us?"
Addison's eyes widened, "Molly are you sure you are ready for that? Remember we decided we'd watch it when we were ready." She felt her breathing quicken. She wasn't sure if she was prepared to see the DVD. She couldn't imagine Molly being ready.
Molly nodded and ran over to her room to grab the book. Pete scooted closer to Addison, "If you aren't ready to do this I can distract her with ice cream." It was obvious he was trying his best to calm her. He could see she was visibly shaken and he understood exactly how she was feeling. Seeing the memories come to life whether it was in letters, pictures or video's made the acceptance of death that much harder and was an almost cruel reminder that the person they loved was not there anymore. He reached out and took her hand in his, "You know, even the happiest memories still hurt after all this time. The thing I had to teach myself along the way is to remember that those happy times are little treasures that we are lucky to be able to open whenever we want. Their spirit still lives through our memories with things like pictures and letters. When we try to shut those things out or forget the treasures, we start to lose ourselves. Don't push those memories away, okay? If you aren't ready because you don't want to deal with this right now, we can push this back a few months. If you are avoiding this because you know it's another form of forced acceptance that she is gone; then I say watch it. Watch it and force yourself to relive those moments in both of your lives that made it all worthwhile." He squeezed her hand, "I'm here for you no matter what, okay?"
She took a deep breath and nodded her head, "I'm ready. Have I thanked you lately for being my rock through all of this?"
He wiped a tear from her eye and kissed her forehead, "You don't have to thank me for anything. You are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for Addison. I've been where you are right now and I would change places with you in a heartbeat if I knew it would make all the pain go away. Your sister was an amazing woman and so are you." He bent down and kissed her again just as Molly entered the room.
"Hey, I saw that! You guys like each other! I knew it!" She giggled and handed the DVD to Addison. "Pete you have to stay and watch this with us okay?"
Pete picked her up and set her in between him and Addison, "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Addison pushed play on the DVD player and the three of them watched the credits roll through on the screen. Abigail had made it into a mini movie complete with music and special effects. The first scene started out with Addison and Abigail dancing around the house in their Halloween costumers. They were both so tiny and their beaming smiles were contagious. Addison remembered that year fondly. The two of them had fought over who was going to be a ballerina and who was going to be a princess so they compromised. They switched around the costumes a little so they were a combination of both. When the neighbors would ask what they were dressed as, they would simply reply "Ballerincess" much to the dismay of their mother.
Addison laughed and covered her face at the next scene. They were always putting on skits when they were younger so their father decided to record one of the many plays they made up. This one had Addison dressed in what could only be described as a muumuu. She had taped balloons to her chest so it looked like she had boobies and a pillow was tied around her backside to give herself a "big booty". Her character's name was Boobacious BigButt's and Abigail was the puppy "Hooters". They had made "puppy ears" out of their fathers' socks and drew whiskers on Abigail's face with their mom's eyeliner. Abigail got mad at Addison half way through the skit and started chasing her around on all fours, nipping at her ankles like a real dog much to Addison's horror. They could hear their mother and father laughing in the background. It was such an amazing time in their childhood and reminded Addison how happy they had been as a family.
The next scene was just a few weeks after the "Boobacious and Hooter" skit. It was Thanksgiving Day and they were all sharing stories about what they were most thankful for in life. Abigail's beautiful eyes stared back at them through the other side of the screen. Molly looked up at Addison, "She looks just like me!"
Addison choked back tears and nodded. Abigail's little voice boomed from the speakers, "I am thankful for my dolls and my tea set and my mommy and my daddy but most of all for my big sister Addie because she always makes me happy even when she drives me crazy. I hope when we grow up we marry twin Princes and become real Princess's."
The camera then zoomed in on Addison's smiling face. The voice behind the camera asked Addison what she was thankful for and what she wanted in life. "I am thankful for the same thing Abigail is thankful for especially having her as my sister. I don't want to get married though. I just want to be a doctor." The laughter on the other side of the camera was that of her dad. "Well then Addie dear that just means true love will not find you until after you become a doctor."
They watched the clips of Molly as a baby. Addison had only seen pictures of her but she could definitely see her little personality forming from the moment she was born. Behind her eyes was a wise old soul, even at birth. The scene from her first birthday popped up. Molly's chubby little hands held a fist full of cake and instead of eating it; she threw it at the screaming toddler standing next to her. The camera zoomed in at her satisfied grin at her accomplishment. The toddler had stopped crying and was licking the cake off of his shirt. Addison looked down at Molly and laughed. She certainly was a fiery little redhead, even now.
The final scene was the "video letter" of just Abigail right before her death. She was sitting right where the three of them were now. Her smiling face held such a deep appreciation for the small audience she was addressing. Addison didn't see it then but as she watched her sister talk to her, she noticed how completely happy Abigail was. Instead of despair and disappointment, her face told the story of a woman who lived a happy and fulfilling life. She wasn't down on herself or feeling sorry for herself about life being cut short, she was thankful for the treasures she walked away with. The love in her eyes reflected back on the three of them and her spirit could be felt in the room, surrounding them and comforting them. The ache in Addison's heart was no longer that of devastation but of acceptance and a desire to keep Abigail's spirit alive through the treasures she had left behind. The movie ended and the three of them sat there in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Abigail's final gift was a bond between the three of them had been sealed with her love.