Storiesonline.net ------- Mother's Day by Dual Writer Copyright© 2011 by Dual Writer ------- Description: A short story of how some remember their Mothers. Codes: MF ------- It was a beautiful day when the big old faded blue Ford LTD pulled to the curb. You could see the driver take a deep breath of the fresh morning air through the open window. When the door opened, an older gentleman swung his legs around to put them on the ground outside the door of the car. As the man pushed himself up from the seat, he reached across the front seat to grab an ebony cane. After standing, the man looked at the cane and his destination, shook his head, and put the cane back into the car before gently closing the door of the big car. The man opened the driver's side back door and pulled out what appeared to be a huge bouquet of flowers. He was smiling when he closed the rear door and turned to look at where he was going. In a slow measured shuffle, the old gentleman limped his way between large concrete and marble objects to stand in front a huge family tombstone. There were already five names on it, but there was room for more. He stepped to the tombstone and pulled the large bouquet apart, making three smaller bouquets. After placing the three beneath names, he turned and went to a concrete bench that had been placed at the foot of the gravesite. When the man sat down, he let out a sigh and just stared at the tombstone. The old guy rubbed his freshly shaved chin, pulled his suspenders out and let them snap back before leaning forward, placing his hands on his knees. "Hi Mom, happy Mother's Day. I know you and dad are happy together now, but I sure have missed you. I imagine you're playing scrabble with Dad, Susan, and Martha the same as we used to do. It seems like a good day to tell you how great a mom you were to Susan and me. There was no one who could cook like you, not even my Martha. You were tough on us kids, those paddlings made us behave better, and they helped us grow up to be better adults. Mom, I know I've thanked you many times, but the sweater you made me before I went off to school was one of the nicest gifts I've ever received. You know I was wearing it when I met Martha. It's getting pretty worn, but I still have it and wore it to go to the store just a few weeks ago. We have had some cold weather pretty late this year. Thanks, Mom, have a happy Mother's Day." "Hey, Dad, just wanted to say hi. Give Mom a kiss and hug for me, okay?" "So, Susie, are still beating everyone at Scrabble? Hope your kids come out today and talk to you. I know they miss you as I do. You were a good mom and did a good job raising those two by yourself. Losing Jeff when they were so young was tough on you, but you made it. Martha and I were happy to be a part of your and the kids' life. Happy Mother's Day, Sis." "Hey, Jeff, how're you doing? I'll bet you and Susie are all smiles. You've been gone a long time, but you're still fresh in my memory. You were a good husband and dad while you were with us. Give Susie a hug for me." "I always like to leave the best for last, Martha. Just like our life together. We had a wonderful time when we were young and it just kept getting better. Even our last days together are special in my mind. Martha, I could never lie to you, so I'll tell you, I miss you so much. I also skipped church this morning to come see you early. I'm terribly lonely for you and think of you almost every waking moment. You were, and probably still are, the greatest mother ever. You raised Julie and Teddy to be two of the finest people I know. They are now good parents because of the way you taught them." "Remember that time when I came home and you had both of them sitting on the floor in the corner of the kitchen? If you hadn't put your finger to your mouth to shush me, I would have been dying laughing. All I could think of was, what in the world are the two of them doing naked, sitting in the corner?" "Well, you told me when you said, 'Will, you probably need to spank both of them before dinner. At the minimum, you need to give them one of your serious talks. The two of them were out in the yard with the hose. That wouldn't be so bad, but they were buck naked and the whole neighborhood could see them. If they like to be naked so much, they can just stay that way until bed.'" "Martha, that was really one of the more hilarious moments with those two, and you did, you made them stay naked until it was time for bed. That may have been a mistake, as from that time on until they were teens, those two were naked more than they were dressed." "I think our camping vacations were the highlight of every year before the kids came along, and as they grew up, camping was even more fun. We went a different direction every year, enjoying the outdoors for two weeks as can only be done while camping out. The kids learned a lot from our adventures, and, of course, you and I had a great time as well. Those days and nights were so relaxing and fun, even more fun after we had two tents instead of one big one." "Oh, Martha, we did have a great life, didn't we? Happy Mother's Day, Honey." The old man was still leaning forward on his hands, but now had tears streaming down his face, when two couples, with four near adults came up behind him. One female adult handed the old man a Kleenex and said, "Hi, Dad. I knew we would find you out here. We called the house after the early church service so we could bring you out, but you were already gone." The old man said, "I needed some time by myself with Martha, Mom, and Sis." The old man stood to welcome the hugs of the four near adults who greeted him with smiles and "Hi Gramps." One male adult hugged the old man and said, "Hi, Dad, you're looking good. It's good to see and know you get around so well." The other two adults gave him hugs and called him 'Dad, ' making sure he felt their love and respect. The two families placed some flowers below the engraving that said "Martha, our Mother," turned, and sat on the bench with the old gentleman. The woman who had spoken first, Julie, said, "Well, Dad, what kind of stories have you been telling Mom, Aunt Susie, and Grandmother?" The old gentleman smiled, "Oh, just remembering the good times we had on our camping trips." The man, Ted, said, "Those trips were the best, Dad. That's why Julie and I take our families camping at least every year, but we also do some camping on long weekends." Julie said, "We're going out to the big lake for Memorial Day weekend. We're all taking off Thursday night to make it a real four day weekend. Are you coming with us, Dad?" Ted jumped right in, "Yeah, come with us, Dad. You and Mom used to come with us. You can come along. We have enough room for you in one of our tents." The old gentleman smiled and said, "I think I'll pass. I don't sleep well on the ground any more. I know you have pads, but I like my bed too much. I might come out to visit with you one of the day's you're out there though, if that would be alright?" About that time, two more couples with some older kids came up. They were welcomed as they put flowers under 'Susan.' There wasn't enough room on the bench for everyone, so the men and young males, almost adults, stood behind the bench full of people gazing at the big tombstone. One of the young adult women that had just arrived said, "Happy Mother's Day, Grandma. Hi, Grandpa Jeff, I didn't know you, but we kids have heard a lot about you." The young lady had to dab a tissue at her leaky eyes. The old gentleman stood up and said, "How about me taking all of us to a big breakfast. We'll go over to the Village Inn and pig out on some pancakes." Ted said, "We'll take you, Dad, it's our turn now." The old man, Julie, and Ted were about to leave when they turned and said together, "Happy Mother's Day." The old gentleman hesitated a minute before saying, "I love you, Martha, Happy Mother's Day." The families slowly moved back to the cars parked at the curb of the memorial park access road. All of them watched as the old gentleman climbed into the faded old Ford. When he started it, he waved and said, "Meet you at Village Inn." Ted was holding his wife, and Julie was being held by her husband, with their kids crowding around them. The kids and men all choked up a little, but smiled and said, "Happy Mother's Day." Editing By Pepere' ------- The End ------- Posted: 2011-05-07 ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------