Better Than Before

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:July 5th, 2011

"Allison, c'mon now service is starting." My moms' voice spoke from behind me. I gave my mom a soft smile and followed her into the church, taking our familiar seats in the middle of everyone. With seats like these being late was not an option. Everyone would notice. Luckily this wasn't a traditional service. Every year the church has the annual Independance Day cookout on the fifth of July. I guess they assumed no one would show up if they did it on the fourth. Anyways, they have a short hour long sermon relating to America and its relationship with God, and what we as a congregation can do to fix it.

The sermon dragged on, as it does every year. I'm convinced half of these people only came for the free hot dogs; myself included. It's actually a fairly large cookout. A lot of people attend, and every year the guest list seems to grow; so do the food tables. It is always a covered dish dinner so everyone is expected to bring something. My mom always brings the same thing, her world famous apple and cinnamon pie. (World famous as in, our small town of Short Pump famous.)

Short Pump is a small town with a population of about 27,000 people. That sounds like a lot more than it is. Short Pump is a nice little suburban area in Richmond, Virginia. We have a few coffee shops, plenty of churches, gas stations, restaurants, and a lot of parks. It's just a classic suburban town, nothing special going on here.

"Allison, honey. You are awfully spaced out today, are you feeling alright?" The worry in my mom's eyes was evident as she placed a hand on my forehead to make sure I wasn't feverish. Bless her. I assured my mother I was okay and we walked arm in arm towards the back doors of the church which would then lead us to the picnic and pavilion area. My mother and I were very close, I was really all that she had. My grandparents passed a few years ago, and just recently my father passed as well. It has only been a few months since his passing, and it hurt both of us so deeply. My mom puts on a strong face for me, but I know she is hurting everyday. I am too.

"Malorie, it's so nice to see you!" A voice called to my mother when we stepped outside. Mom released my arm and walked to hug the woman.

"Bonnie, it's been ages! When did you come back up this way?" I tuned out of the conversation and stared at my shoes, kicking the rocks below my feet. My white flats had dirt on them from my rock kicking, but that didn't make me stop doing it.

"Is this your daughter? Wow she is beautiful, she looks so much like Allen!" The woman, Bonnie said with a wide smile. At the sound of my dads' name my ears perked up, and I tuned back into their conversation. My eyes immediately went to my mother, I saw her flinch at his name. I knew that hurt her, maybe Bonnie didn't know. "Where is he? I would love to say hello, it's been so long since I've seen you all."

Mom took a deep breath in before explaining to Bonnie that my dad was no longer with us. Bonnie took my mom into a hug and offered her condolences as well as what felt like a million apologies for bringing up the subject.

On another note it made me happy to hear that I looked like my father. It made me feel like he was with me in some weird way. I shared his bright blue eyes, and his sandy blonde hair. My mom told us it was a unique combination of features, and that was one of her favorite things about us. I also shared his quiet, calm nature, unlike my mom who is extremely outgoing, and very energetic.

"How is Monte doing, and your little boy?" My mom asked her, moving the conversation topic away from my father. As she spoke a dark haired man who looked to be in his late 40's was waved over by Bonnie who was again beaming. She rested a hand on his chest and spoke about her husband, and family, and how they had sold their house upstate to come back to short pump.