Photographs

That night at the new home with my granddad was just amazing he was so nice, I learned almost everything I could want to know about my mother from her father’s point of view. I got to sleep in her room that still had some of her stuff in it. I felt really close to her being in her things.

I walked into the kitchen with my hair a mess and my night shirt hanging off my shoulder I looked over when I heard a chuckle. I smiled sleepily at my grandpa as he stood up and fixed my shirt I looked at him.

“You are just like your mother.” He smiled at me and hugged me. “I made some breakfast its over there in the pans on the stove eat up and I’ll see if I can’t find the information your mother had on your daddy.”

I smiled at him whispering a thank you to him as I grabbed a plate of food. I was curious as to what information my mother did in fact leave behind on my father.

---

“Ah!” I jumped out of my skin as I heard my grandfather exclaim. “I knew I’d find it!” I looked over at him from the book I was reading in my mother’s room. I saw him pulling a box out of what I guessed was the attic or crawl space above his home.

“You found a box?” I asked leaning in the doorway of my mom’s old room watching him.

“Not just any box, it’s your mothers box. Has all her old journals, papers, some posters she used to have hung up in her room. When she got sick she boxed this all up and put it up here in the attic told me.” He paused and inhaled deeply. “Told me she didn’t want me to have to clean up after her when she died.”

I sighed sadly when he said that I nodded “Well, that was very thoughtful of her.” I said to him and looked at the white box with the words “Maggie’s Journals.” on the top of the box.

“Would you like these?” He asked holding the box out to me.

I took the heavy box from him and set it on my mom’s bed looking at the box before slowly lifting the top off. It was probably the holy grail of information for me. Seven books each a different color with a different word on the spine of the book.

“Can I read all these?” I asked him.

“Are you sure you want to do that? I mean I have no problem with it but it might take you a while to find your dads information going through them one by one.” He said; I looked at him pressing my lips together in a thin line.

“Well…” I started and looked at him, “This is just a thought but, maybe I could stay here for a while? I mean I’ll get a job and help out around th-“I was cut off mid-sentence as he hugged me tightly picking me up off my feet.

“Oh Sweetie of course you can stay here! I wouldn’t have it any other way!” He said as he set me back to my feet in front of him.

“I’ll look for a job on Monday when mostly everything is opened.” I told him looking at him.

“Don’t you even worry about that right now Sarah, It will be okay for you not to have a job for a while, I just want to get to know you.” He said and hugged me, “I’ll let you get to reading, and I’ll come check on you in a few.”

I could tell how happy I had made him by asking to stay, he must really miss my mom if he’s so excited to have me in his home. I walked back into my mother’s room and climbed up onto her bed pulling the box close to me.

I smiled reading the cover of the first journal. “Maggie’s Daily Thoughts, nobody but Maggie can read!”

“Sorry mom,” I said opening the book to the first page of her writing. Her words on the page just flowed naturally to me.

Maggie’s Journal entry flashback

“Maggie, look that boy is totally checking you out!” Angie squealed at Maggie, Maggie turned her head slightly to glance back at the tall boy across the party from her.

“He isn’t checking me out, he’s probably wondering why two freshmen got invited to a party like this.” Maggie said fixing her brown locks.

“He’s staring!!” Angie insisted, “Go talk to him, come on the wont bite.”

Maggie looked at her best friend and rolled her eyes, “How do you know? He could bite very hard and I’ll be very disappointed and feel attacked. I just came here to have fun.” Maggie laughed as her friend pulled her up and pushed her towards the tall boy.

Maggie huffed and turned on her heels walking towards him.

“Humor me for five seconds then I’ll be out of your hair. My name is Maggie, my friend Angie over there is a nut job and thinks you keep looking at me, so she sent me over here to talk to you.” Maggie said looking at the boy who fixed his raven hair smiling at her.

“Oh, I was looking at you.” The boy said catching Maggie off guard for a second.

“You were looking at me for what?” Maggie asked as she folded her arms across her chest looking at the tall guy.

“I was wondering how a girl as pretty as yourself could be all alone at a party, un-escorted by a boyfriend?” He said leaning in.

“That was a smooth one, I’ll give you that. No boyfriend since you so kindly snuck that question in and I have an escort, it’s that short little redheaded demon sitting on the couch looking at us like we are a piece of meat.”

The boy looked over Maggie’s head and then laughed looking back at her.

“I’m Jimmy by the way,” He said to Maggie and held out his hand.

“Oh a hand shake? How gentlemen like.” Maggie said as she shook his hand firmly. “I think I already said my name didn’t I?”

“You did Maggie.” Jimmy said to her and smiled. “You thirsty? I promise no drugs or alcohol just some fruit punch?”

Maggie smiled at him and nodded her head. “I’d like that very much Jimmy.”

Pause and back to reality

“You doing okay in here?” My grandpa asked me I looked up from reading and smiled widely.

“Did you ever read any of these? They’d make great books about feelings in high school, my mom was a very talented writer. Mom and dad met at a party that’s such a cliché love story isn’t it?” I asked him smiling as he sat by my feet.

“I thought so too.” He laughed and looked in the box, “Your mom did write creative writing stories in a binder it was purple and when she died I couldn’t find it...” He said softly.

“Like someone took it or she hid it?” I asked as I used my index finger to mark my point in the first story in my mother’s journal.

“Like she hid it somewhere, maybe you’ll be able to find it.” He said and smiled he kissed my head as he walked out I inhaled and took a look around the room then smiled looking back down to the journal in my hands.

Resume story

Maggie sat on the back porch of the home they were at she held a can of soda in her hand. “This isn’t exactly fruit punch now is it?” She asked looking at Jimmy with a small smile.

“Well, no but I didn’t trust the punch bowl after I saw the guys standing around it.” He said and smiled a little. “So do you like the party?”

“It’s pretty chill, good music playing, I’d say whoever is throwing it, has succeeded.” Maggie said opening the soda smiling.

“Well thank you, I’m glad you’re having fun.” Jimmy said putting his hand on his neck with a smile. “It’s my first high school party.” He said.

“Oh really?” She said sipping her drink with a small nod. “I’m impressed.”

“You’ve been to a bunch of parties?” Jimmy asked Maggie waiting for some type of response.

“Well not exactly, I’m a freshmen and I’m only 14 not many people invite kids like me to their parties.” Maggie said glancing at him to see his reaction to her age.

“I’m a freshmen too but I’m 15, how are you a freshman at only 14?” He asked her looking quite surprised.

“It’s just where my birthday falls,” She said laughing a little after gauging his reactions she looked at her feet looking at the time.

“Curfew?” He asked; Maggie looked at him nodding she smiled at him.

“Need a lift home?” He asked and held his hand out for hers he helped her up and took her inside as they walked through the back door of the house they were both blinded by a flash of a Polaroid camera.

“Smile!” Brian shouted at them.

Maggie saw the Polaroid fall to the ground she bent over and picked it up smiling it was a semi good picture she put it in her pocket when nobody saw it. She walked out to Jimmy’s car he only had a permit but her house wasn’t that far so he felt confident enough to take her home and get back before getting caught.

End Story

“He took me home tonight and now I’m here writing my feelings out to the paper and taping this picture here, he seems like a nice guy and he’s very cute.” I laughed at the ending sentence.

I looked at the picture it wasn’t really focused and they both looked white like ghosts from the flash and dark backgrounds behind them. I smiled a little closing the book.

I checked the time and got up walking out of my mom’s room. “Grandpa?” I asked walking through the house I smiled hearing him outside.

“No, I’m not kidding Claire, she’s here and she’s so beautiful, she looks just like her mother.” He said into the phone I could hear a voice talking back. I knocked on the door and opened it slowly walking outside.

“Grandpa, I’m going to go for a walk okay? I memorized my way here coming in from Main Street.” I told him and smiled as he hugged me.

I walked out of the back yard gate and started walking towards the ocean it was something I’d wanted to see in person for the longest time I never got to really go to the ocean growing up. I walked onto the sandy beach a few minutes later.

I walked between beach goers and found a spot to sit down and relax under a palm tree. I tucked my knees to my chest and stared out at the big ocean watching the waves crash onto the shore. It gave me some time to think about all the information I needed to process.

My mom’s dead. Check I got that one down. Don’t know where my dad is. Check number two I have that memorized. Angie really was my mom’s friend. Triple Check. Who was Claire?