My Pretty Sweetheart (Arianna)

"Why are you crying, Mom?" Anne asked. Her voice was soft. I knelt down and hugged her. I was feeling uncomfortable. "Anne, I'll take you to see this aunt tomorrow, okay?" I hadn't been here for four years. I wondered if she was well.

Looking at Monique in the photo, Anne nodded. She raised her hand to wipe my tears. "Okay!"

I held her in my arms as I tried to calm down. "This aunt is the most important person to me and also to you. Can you promise me to not call her aunt, but Mom in the future?"

She was confused. "Why? Bennett said that there could only be one father and mother. If I call someone else Mom, then what do I call you?"

"Anne, each of us are different, and you are different from Bennett. You are a girl and he is a boy. He only has one mother, but you have two mothers. This aunt is the most important person to me. Her name is Monique. You must remember it, okay?" I said.

I couldn't tell her that I wasn't her real mother, but I didn't want her to have no memory of Monique.

any memories before she turned four. But after

nodded and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you.

I nodded.

day. Since I didn't come for a long time, the cemetery seemed to have expanded again. More tombstones were inside. How

shop outside the cemetery, a middle-aged woman was selling flowers. When she saw me with my child, she couldn't help blurting out, "Do you want some chrysanthemums?" sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website

my head. I led Anne into the flower shop. I said to the shop

startled but nodded. "Of

say that she didn't like white chrysanthemums as they seemed so pale to her. Hence, she was flustered when she looked at chrysanthemums. They weren't as pleasing as sunflowers. I picked a handful of sunflowers while holding Anne in my arms. Master Roberts does not know much about flowers but he was calm and composed. So, I decided to pick a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums. Grandma's favorite was the irises near the Hovell courtyard. She said the flower was tenacious and it's beautiful without being too striking. It would grow with the wind when a few seeds

steps. Since it's early autumn, the fog was thick and we had been walking on

many people came to pay their respects to their relatives. After bringing Anne to pay their respects to the two elders,

said that people grow with time, that they would