Family Photos
"Lynn? What are you doing with those pictures?" asked Janie one night. She'd been working late and had just gotten home.
"Hi Mom. Um, I'm. Putting them into an album for you so you can remember more things."
"You are? Let me help." she yawned, but waved her daughter over to the couch.
"Did you have dinner?"
"I had some chips."
"Mom."
"I'll eat something else before bed."
"You're hard to take care of. I can't wait for Aunt Sara to come back."
"Is she still... on vacation?" asked Janie, her memory beginning to fail
"Yeah. Look, here's me and you and Sam and Dad. And Julian. And here's one of- Mom, you have a lot of pictures of him."
"I have a lot of pictures of all of you. There's a big box of pictures of you on the boat."
"Where?"
"In my room, next to the pictures of your Dad. Oh, look at that picture."
Lynn froze when she saw the image of Janie happily holding a baby. "That's me. Let me have that and, um, put it in a frame. Please?"
"That isn't you." Janie began, before shaking her head. "It's, no. Go ahead and take the picture."
"Can I keep this one too?" asked Lynn, softly. She pointed to a photo of a smiling Janie and Lynn, both of who were several years younger. They were somewhere sunny.
"Yes. I have my own copy of that picture. Do you want to have another picnic soon?"
"Yeah. Mom you have to eat dinner and forget about the pictures for now."
"I will after we look through a few more."
Lynn, suddenly very weary, climbed onto Janie's lap, and rested against her mother. "We're going to have pictures forever, Mom."
"I know sweetie." It was quiet for several minutes, and then Lynn was asleep.
Janie wanted to get up and put the pictures away, but instead she fell asleep while holding her daughter.
"Hi Mom. Um, I'm. Putting them into an album for you so you can remember more things."
"You are? Let me help." she yawned, but waved her daughter over to the couch.
"Did you have dinner?"
"I had some chips."
"Mom."
"I'll eat something else before bed."
"You're hard to take care of. I can't wait for Aunt Sara to come back."
"Is she still... on vacation?" asked Janie, her memory beginning to fail
"Yeah. Look, here's me and you and Sam and Dad. And Julian. And here's one of- Mom, you have a lot of pictures of him."
"I have a lot of pictures of all of you. There's a big box of pictures of you on the boat."
"Where?"
"In my room, next to the pictures of your Dad. Oh, look at that picture."
Lynn froze when she saw the image of Janie happily holding a baby. "That's me. Let me have that and, um, put it in a frame. Please?"
"That isn't you." Janie began, before shaking her head. "It's, no. Go ahead and take the picture."
"Can I keep this one too?" asked Lynn, softly. She pointed to a photo of a smiling Janie and Lynn, both of who were several years younger. They were somewhere sunny.
"Yes. I have my own copy of that picture. Do you want to have another picnic soon?"
"Yeah. Mom you have to eat dinner and forget about the pictures for now."
"I will after we look through a few more."
Lynn, suddenly very weary, climbed onto Janie's lap, and rested against her mother. "We're going to have pictures forever, Mom."
"I know sweetie." It was quiet for several minutes, and then Lynn was asleep.
Janie wanted to get up and put the pictures away, but instead she fell asleep while holding her daughter.