by buttons

Stella held the silver mirror to her chest, grasping the delicate, intricate handle. "Oh Mama," she whispered.

Ann Marie brushed her child's hair from her face and hugged her. The two stood for a moment before Stella broke both the silence and the embrace.

"Mama," she repeated, looking into her mother's green eyes. "Why did Grandma have to die?"

Ann Marie sat on the bed's velvet spread. She looked at her daughter. A tear grazed her cheek.

Stella, a month shy of thirteen, shook as she began to sob. Her fist clenched more tightly on the mirror handle.

"Hush, my child." Ann Marie patted the bed. "Sit here." Stella obeyed. Ann Marie rubbed Stella's shoulders. "Darlin', it will be okay."

The words were no comfort to the crying girl. "Why did Grandma go?" Stella asked. "Why?" She raised the mirror to her lips and kissed it softly. "I want my Grandma back."

"Sweet pea, you know death is a part of life," Ann Marie said as she twirled her child's blond curls around her finger.

Stella looked again at her mother. "What's going to happen to us? Nothing will be the same without Grandma."

Stella turned and began to stare out the window. She could see the groundskeeper trimming the ivy. "Ma, please." She pleaded without breaking her gaze. "Who's going to take care of things?"

Ann Marie gesitated to reply. "Your Grandmother will never leave you. Even though she's not here physically doesn't mean her spirit has left you. You have to realize that."

Stella stood and walked across the room. Below were the grounds of Montgomery Manor, one of the most beautiful estates in northern Virginia. She could see the fountain, the center of the garden, It had always been Stella's favorite place to play. She had spent countless spring days there with her Grandma. They would sing songs and, on the warmer days, splash each other with the cool water.

Stella tried to calm down. She caught sight of a spider's web. It looked much like the strands of her Grandma's silver hair. She sighed.

Grandma had been a proud and beautiful Southern belle. She'd had a charm like few others. Grandma had known how to make the shy ones speak, the loud ones shush, and the crying ones laugh.

Stella's eyes loomed on the hill to the right of the garden. This was the Montgomery family grave. Though nicely kept, the churned eart lacked the elegance of the mansion Grandma always called home.

"Stella, come back over here." Ann Marie patted the bed again.

Stella moved slowly to accept her mother's invitation.

"Darlin', you must always keep Grandma alive in your heart."

Stella shrugged.

"Honey, I have something to show to you." She took Stella's free hand and squeezed it tenderly. "After your father and I got married, Grandma was thrilled. Her excitement only grew when she discovered I was with child. She couldn't wait to have a bundle of joy to cherish. Grandma loved you like no other. You were the sparkling gem within her heart."

Ann Marie handed Stella a piece of ivory stationary. "Grandma wrote this a few weeks ago. She knew her days with us were limited and she asked me to give you this after the funeral."

Sitting the mirror beside her, Stella picked up the paper. She held it in her shaking hands and began to read:

My dearest Stella,

Please shed no tears over my departure; please realize I am safe with God. Dear child, please know you will always be special to me. You are worth more than the most precious silver.

Take from me hope and strength. You are such a beautiful girl, so mature in your ways. You reflect a sparkle that few possess.

Stella, you are truly a portrait of a woman in the most petite frame.

I will always be looking back at you.

I love you, and goodbye,
Grandma

Just before sunset, Stella knelt in front of her grandmother's grave. "Hi, Grandma,"she whispered. She ran her fingers over the soil. "I miss you."

Stella shivered. "I think it's going to be okay though," she said in a shaky voice, "I really do."

Stella pulled the letter from her grandmother out of her coat pocket. A smile crept across her face as she reread it. She picked up the silver mirror. "I remember when you have this to me," she said softly.

Stella looked at the sky and blew a kiss into the breeze. Her gaze then shifted to the reflection that appeared in the mirror. "I love you too, Grandma."

--buttons

Added 19 September 1998

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