Kathryn sat quietly in our living room playing "mommy" with the doll we recently bought for her whom she named, Rachel. Ignoring the noise and the moving pictures of the cartoon playing on the t.v. she dressed Rachel in a matching outfit to the one she was wearing. "Now, stay as still as you can to prevent ouchies," she said in her small authoritarian voice as she began brushing the doll's long, straight, and gold hair. She was imitating me during our morning routine but unlike Rachel's straight blond hair, Kathryn's hair was vibrantly red, curly, and a general pain to brush. She hated her hair and most mornings were spent with her in tears as I tugged at the tangles and she cried about how the kids at school call her, "firetruck head." As she finished brushing her hair, her father (my husband) Daniel, walked into the room. "Is Rachel ready to go for a walk?" he asked as he knelt down beside her. "Almost," Kathryn responded as ran the brush through one last time before picking her up and placing her in the small doll stroller. Daniel got up and attached the leash to our dog, Duncan's collar. "Where are you going?" He asked as she walked toward me and gave me a soft kiss. "Just saying goodbye to Mommy," she responded turning back to him and out the door for their morning walk.
"Help me! Save me! Someone!" I heard from the same room a few years later. The voice came from the neighborhood boy, Sean who was tied up and standing upon a stool. "Don't worry, I'll save you!" yelled a now nine year old Kathryn as she swung a plastic sword, jumped over our couch (her obstacle) and sliced through the rope that held him captive. The ropes slipped off and the two of them ran up the stairs like the monster who originally trapped Sean was after them. "A girl after my own heart," I thought to myself proud that it was she who was saving the boy and not the other way around.
A blink of an eye later, a small group of girls were gathered with sleeping bags. Dress in pajamas and laughing loudly as they took turns painting their fingernails and toes. They had just finished watching a movie and were discussing their crushes on boys from their classes. Kathryn small girlish frame had transformed into the delicate, curvy shape of a young woman. The freckles on her cheeks and nose were covered with a green face mask and her once curly, constantly tangled her had been straightened and braided loosely into two braids, "I think Sean likes you," one her friends with jet black hair teased. "That's not true! We've been friends since I was like ten years old or something" retorted Kathryn quickly and if I didn't know my daughter so well, I might have missed the slight, joyful embarrassment that overtook her expression. I wondered if I would ever think she would be old enough to begin dating. "Alright girls, it's time for bed" Daniel poked his head into the room. A shriek was heard from the girls and Kathryn jumped up, turned off the light, and exclaimed, "Daaad! Okay, okay, we're going to bed. Don't come back in here."
"Is it really senior prom already," I thought as Daniel opened the door to let Sean into the house. He looked handsome but very nervous which was really cute as they had been dating for more than four years at this point. His deep brown eyes lit up as he saw Kathryn walked down the stairs toward him. It felt like only yesterday that the two of them bounded up those same stairs like the devil was chasing them and now she was walking toward him a long pink dress. Her hair was still vibrantly red and it was pulled up in an elegant bun. With all that makeup she looked so grown up; but she blushed a deep red as Sean placed her corsage around her wrist and I saw the little girl who sat playing with her doll so many years ago. After multiple photos, she took Sean's arm and smiled walking toward the door. "I will make sure she is home no later than midnight," said Sean politely and they walked toward the limo waiting in the driveway.
"We are running so late!! We needed to be at the church 5 minutes ago!" called Kathryn up the stairs to her bridesmaids. The light from the window made her beautiful red hair shine. She had decided wear it down after all for her wedding day. She now considered it to be one of her best features and wanted to show it off but it was the floor length wedding gown the showed off her amazing figure that really took everyone's breath away. I felt the anticipation of seeing Sean's face as she walked down the aisle remembering the way he looked at her all those years ago the night they went to prom. There wasn't too much time to think though as she rushed us into the limo and we sped off to the chapel.
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I stood next to my new husband as our guests each greeted us with smiles and praises for our beautiful ceremony. Glad as I was for each of their presence, I could quite shake off the pang in my heart. "Are you okay, Katie?" Sean asked with concern as he looked at my face. I didn't have to explain what I was thinking; he already knew. "She would've loved it, you know" my father said; his eyes still red and moist from recent tears. "I know," I responded. "I just wish she could've been here to see it for real." Making sure everyone had left, Sean handed me the small urn that spent most of my life on the mantle in our living room. He looked at me with consternation, not sure I still wanted to go through with my original plan. "This is what mom wanted; she said so in the letter she left me" I reminded him as I reached in, scooped up some of her ashes, and scattered them in front of the chapel steps.
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