P.S. I'm Still Not Over You(Mira Jane) "Come on girls, we are going to miss the funeral" said Emily as she was urging her two best friends out of the green meadow filled with beautiful red poppies.

"Just one more poppy and I'm done" said Katie, arranging the last flower she's picked into the bouquet. "They look and smell beautiful!" exclaimed Amber as she was sniffing the black and red bunch that she was holding. "I think Albert would have loved these, especially with poppies being his favorite flowers." the three girls looked at each other and gave a brief smile then started to make their way to the cemetery where Albert was being buried that afternoon.

Albert was an old kind sweet hearted man who always treated the girls as though they were his own. Nobody really knew him apart from the girls, he had no family nor many friends, just a few kind people who he met often downtown.

Albert lived in a small cosy cottage that always had a warm and joyful atmosphere to it. This beautiful cottage stood near a lake surrounded by many trees and wild flowers, situated in a remote calm area where only the sound of wildlife, the crackling of the woods and the rustling of the leaves were to be heard. A perfect place it was for peace and quiet.

"Consider this as your second home, the doors are always open for you my dear girls, I want you to always keep that in mind" he used to say to them everyday.

The old man used to tell them stories about his past, about his sweetheart who died in his arms. the girls would sit and listen to his stories for hours, touched by his sad and happy memories. For the girls, Albert was the friend they turned to when they needed help and advice, he was the one that kept them going through their problems, who planted hope into their sorrow and who always drew a big smile onto their faces. but now with the death of their beloved Albert, everything seemed dull and different as though Albert, their role model, was just a hero in their imagination that helped guide them through their teenage years, a hero that was always ready to light a candle of hope when darkness was all that they could see.

That day was like no other, for Emily, Amber and Katie, it was a day filled with sadness, their tearful eyes were showing it and even though they knew that Albert wouldn't have wanted them feeling that way, they could not help prevent it.

"Well, that wasn't easy" said a tearful Emily, reaching for an arm to hold on to.

"Of course it wasn't, but we have to face reality girls, today was Albert's turn, tomorrow might be mine or yours, but until then we must keep strong and keep our chins up, for the sake of our dear Albert, agreed?" asked Katie in a strong confident tone, grabbing Amber's hand and pulling her best friends together.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, gave a deep breath and all agreed at the same time, as they were walking out of the cemetery heading to their favorite place in the world, their second home!!


As Amber opened the door and placed the key back under the small front door mat, the three girls stood by the front hall, quiet as mice, waiting for Albert to come out of the kitchen holding out a plate full of cakes and biscuits, saying his famous quote: "Well look who's here, if it isn't my favorite girls in the world!!" but nothing was said, nothing was to be heard, just deep silence that filled the house, so silent that you could have easily heard a pin drop. Suddenly, a small bird broke the silence and flew from the open door in to the front room, whistling away in it's natural fine tune. Emily went to draw the curtains and opened the small fine wooden window, hoping the bird would find its way-out. instead it stood on the window-sill, pumped its chest and started to chirp as though he was the man of the house. The girls looked at each other for a split second then broke the silence with their laughter, tickled by this funny natural scene.

A couple of hours passed and the girls decided to start sorting out the house, wondering what will happen to it now after Albert's death, wishing all this was just a bad dream but of course they all knew that this dream was reality and that life continued no matter what.

With a shaky hand and a sad look, Emily closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then turned the door handle towards her that led into Albert's bedroom. The first thing she smelt was his long gone scent that filled every part of his room. she then walked to the mantle piece and picked up a photo frame that had a picture of the four of them in the garden pulling out funny faces. She gave a tearful smile and sat on his bed. Emily started to gaze around the room and saw an album laying on his bedside table. she reached out for it and started to go through the pictures. the first one she saw was of him in his teenage years with his best buddy, Arthur, covered in dirt, laughing at each other heavily. the second one she saw was of him and his sweetheart "Anna" in their garden, their arms wrapped around each other, a true love picture it surely was. The pictures that came after that were pictures of him and his "Girls", so he called them, sitting eating cookies and biscuits as though they were small children, climbing up trees in the woods, taking short naps near the long lake or just simple pictures like pulling weird faces to each other! The last picture that the album contained was of the three of them sitting on a crooked old tree branch with their bare feet in the waters of the lake. It was Albert's favorite picture of them, so he said to them each time they looked through the many photos. However, a lilac coloured envelope was laying there with the girls names on it, so Emily called out to her best friends and then gently started to open it, unfolding a note that said:

To my Dear Girls:

If you are reading this then it means I am at rest now. As you probably know, my life has finally come to an end as you are about to begin yours. even though I will be very sad to leave you, you will always be with me as I will always be with you in good times and in bad, watching you from above and to help guide you through your roughest times.

I am truly happy and thankful for the memories that you've let me share with you. you GIRLS have definitely brought life and fun back to me when my life seemed dull and empty. So, in return, I want you to have and to cherish this Cottage of mine that I've built with my two hands. don't worry about any paper work or anything, I have made my "Will" and in it, this house is being left to: Emily Payne, Amber Simmons & Katie Smith. My only wish is for it to be called the place you all call: "Our Home", the place my dear Emily, Amber & Katie turn to when they feel lost and unsure. OHHHH and girls, for goodness sake, give my Cottage a name, a special name that has a part of you three in it! & Emily honey, my secret recipe for the chocolate cake that you all love and adore is in my wardrobe under a pile of books, you will find a small notebook with: "My Secret Recipes", in it you will find all my best recipes, my chocolate cake included. Be yourself and cook, don't let your best friends go hungry. Don't let them miss any of my food. Put your heart in it, I believe in you!

I want you all to promise me that will always be together, help and be there for each other. you are the sisters destiny forgot to give you. OH, Yes and girls keep smiling, a simple smile is the best make-up any girl can wear. Remember, life is full of ups & downs, without the downs the ups would mean nothing!

Anyway, as you probably have guessed, it has been six years now since my dear Anna died, and my time has finally come to let me see her again. Let me tell you something about LOVE that I've never told you before: "Your first love isn't always the first person you kiss, or the first person you date. Your first love is the person you will always compare everyone to. The person that you will never truly get over, even when you've convinced yourself you've moved on. Now, as you are turning into fine beautiful adults, I want you to always keep this hint with you: The story of your life has many chapters, one bad chapter doesn't mean it's the end of a good book!!

Take care "My Girls" and take good care of your home. I will miss you, be with you and always love you. Many kisses to each on of you.
xxxxxxxx


Soon, three tearful girls were wiping away their tears, touched by this note, obeying Albert's wishes. Knowing that from that moment onwards, their old friend "Albert" will always be with them no matter what, when or where.

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