I woke up to the phone ringing, I didn't feel like answering. I just lied there. The answering machine picked it up, "Hey Meghan. I know you don't feel good right now. But just know we love you and Juliet. And you know Joey loves you both so much. Please call when you feel better" it was Joey's mom. I sighed at the message. I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.
Today was Joey and I's Anniversary. Juliet is our 7 year old daughter, he never got to see her. She has never asked about him...yet. I know that day is going to come, and I know I'm going to burst into tears. I always cry when someone says something about Joey.
I finally got up, I went into Juliet's room. She was sitting on her floor playing with her dolls. She looked up at me and smiled, "Hi mommy" she said "Hi sweetie. What are you playing"? I ask as I sit on her floor next to her. "Family"! She says, I look at her dolls. There was just a mom and a daughter. It broke my heart "See this is the mom and that's the daughter" she says. I sighed "Well, where's the dad"? I ask her slowly. "There isn't one, just like us" she says. Tears came down my cheeks. "Why are you crying"? She asks as she climbs into my lap "Nothing. Nothing sweetie" I say as I pick her up out of my lap and put her back on the floor, I then get up and walk out. I closed her door, I pressed my back against it as I cried more. I looked at the tattoo on my wrist, it was the last words Joey had said to me "Life as we know it" tears fell onto my wrist.
I walked to the kitchen, the answering machine button was flashing. I sighed, I pressed the delete button. I walked to the fridge. I got out the eggs, as I did I heard Juliet's door open and her little feet coming down the hallway. "What do you want for breakfast"? I ask, she didn't say anything. I turned around, she was holding a picture frame. "Who is that"? She asked as she held it up. It was a picture of me and Joey when we went to the Halloween party. I stood there for a moment, silent. "Is that daddy"? She asked, I put a hand over my mouth as tears fell. I nodded slowly. "Where is he"? She asked. This time I fell to the ground bursting into tears. She climbed into my lap again, she wrapped her arms around my neck. She put her head on my chest. "Daddy still loves us" she says. I smile as tears roll down my cheek and hug her back.
I swear at that moment. I could feel Joey. Like, he was there. Hugging us back. I know he was there. I know he was hugging us. I know he still loves us.
