The sky was a robin-egg color blue with clouds like marsh mellows floating on it. Kathleen was in the middle of washing dishes and gazing outside at her yard, the grass and trees and flowers all glowing in the brilliant golden sunlight. There was a slight breeze and it carried the scent of Kathleen’s ruby-red roses that grew along the wall of her daughters’ shed. She heard the door slam and the thumping of six feet before her daughters came into view.
“Hey mom.” her oldest daughter, Katherine Elena greeted her pulling out her homework folder.
“Hi mom.” Her middle child, Angel Maureen said loudly not realizing she was the only one who couldn’t hear through the music blasting from her IPod.
“Hi mommy!” her littlest daughter Elphaba Rose caroled cheerfully racing in to give Kathleen a hug and kiss. Kathleen gladly returned the hug and sweet kiss before hugging both of her other daughters. Katherine was a freshman and had long, dark brown hair that curled ever so slightly. She had large emerald eyes and was taller than everyone in her class. Angel, on the other hand, was the shortest in her 8th grade class with straight dirty blonde hair that she kept in a pixie-styled haircut with purple streaks. She had one blue and one green eye, and though some might think that was strange, she absolutely adored it. And little Elphaba had chestnut hair that was always curly no matter WHAT Kathleen tried to do with it, and had gorgeous blue eyes that reminded Kathleen of the ocean. Elphaba was as sweet and tiny as any 9 year-old could be, but she wasn’t afraid to speak up. Kathleen was proud of her girls; they were beautiful, smart, and unique in every way possible. They had all set into their own work; Katherine on her English essay, Angel on her dance routine, and Kathleen went back to the dishes. Only little Elphaba sat unusually quiet and thoughtful.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” Kathleen asked her usually bright and chatty little girl.
“Mama, have you ever been in love?” Kathleen looked up in surprise. Why was her little girl asking this? She always knew one day, she would sit her 3 daughters down and tell them the whole story, she had planned for it, actually. But she was caught completely off-guard when Elphaba suddenly asked. Now all 3 of her girls were looking at her expectantly. It was so quiet throughout the house; you could hear a pin drop.
“It’s quite a long story, girls.” Kathleen said honestly setting down her dishes and leaning over the kitchen counter.
“It’s Friday, mom,” Katherine pointed out already putting away her school work. “So I don’t HAVE to do my essay right now.”
“My musical isn’t until next week,” Angel added leaning against the dining room wall. “So I can practice later.”
Elphaba smiled happily as she turned back towards Kathleen. The memories were flooding back now, every sound, color, every thought from that time was being reborn inside her mind.
“Alright…” Kathleen relented and they all rushed into the living room. Kathleen took a seat on the coach, with Elphaba sitting on her lap, while Angel stretched out on the white rug and Katherine bunched up her long legs on the rocking chair.
“Where should I begin?” Kathleen wondered aloud.
“How about when you were in Grease? You said the place you performed at was very important to you.” Katherine suggested.
“Yes, but that was about 2 years before I fell in love.”
“How about the summer you dated Toby Delito and then got dumped?” Angel pointed out.
“What about when you first realized you loved him?” Elphaba said sweetly, her chestnut curls were tousled and her ocean-blue eyes were wide and patient.
Kathleen took a deep breath. “Well, believe it or not, all of you picked time periods that all fit together in this story. The place that was so important was a theatre group, and that’s where I first met him. But we were only about 11 than. And the summer Toby broke my heart was the summer I was reunited with Nicholas and I realized I loved him that summer too.”
The girls sensed the beginning of their mom’s story was about to start and they all settled in.
Meanwhile, Kathleen’s mind was drifting, back to the beginning of those memories she could not and would not forget…..
“It was July 18th, 2009. It was raining that day; and I had just gotten home from Nantucket Beach. We were finding out our parts in one of my favorite plays, Rent, and me and my best friend Maria were so excited and nervous….”
The room around Kathleen seemed to fade away, she was no longer the adult she just was, she was 13 again. Sitting in her mom’s old red car, and bouncing with excitement. She had no idea how much that day would mean to her in the future……