Her uncle continued to turn the pages, and the old photos lost their white border as they became visibly more up-to-date. There was a young couple smiling with a baby and then as he went on, the couple appeared with a toddler in the place of the baby. Candid moments captured of the small family filled the pages.
Tammy’s emotions swirled like a stormy sea. She saw images of family outings, birthday celebrations, and everyday moments. The unmistakable smiling faces of her parents beaming with love, their joy evident in every photograph.
Uncle Ben pointed to a picture of her parents holding her as a baby. ‘Look at that, lass. Your mum and dad were so proud and happy. You were the centre of their world.’
Tammy’s throat tightened and she blinked back tears. ‘I can’t believe you found these, Uncle Ben. It’s the best day of my life... I-I wished I’d known them.’
Uncle Ben’s hand found hers on the table, giving it another reassuring squeeze. ‘I know, lass. They were wonderful people, but they did leave you with a gift—their love and these memories.’
Touched by his words, Tammy smiled through her tears. ‘Thank you, Uncle Ben. That means a lot to me.’
He patted her hand gently. ‘It was about time I took a trip down memory lane and I’m so glad I did, otherwise, I might not have come across these for years... And speaking of memories, I recognise this envelope here.’ He reached for an envelope tucked within the pages of a book and handed it to Tammy.
Curious, Tammy opened it carefully. Inside were a series of old polaroids of her parents when they were young, in love, and starting their life together. She gasped as she saw her mother in her wedding dress, her father looking dashing in his suit, a sour-faced couple on one side with a much younger Ben, and a smiling younger couple on the other side. She rubbed her thumb tenderly over the images of her parents, feeling like she had unearthed hidden treasures.
‘These were taken by a friend of your parents on their wedding day,’ Uncle Ben explained. ‘They gave me these photos for safekeeping, and I completely forgot about them.’
Tammy’s eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at the photographs. ‘I can’t believe these exist.’ She pointed to the sour-faced older couple. ‘Who are they?’
Her uncle huffed. ‘Believe it or not, that’s my sister and her husband... Your grandparents.’
Tammy gasped. These were the grandparents who wanted nothing to do with her when her parents passed away. ‘And the couple standing next to my father?’
Ben squinted as he looked at the photo. ‘I recognise them, but I don’t have a name right now. I’ll think about it. There were a lot of friends at their wedding—not much family—but lots of friends.’
‘Thank you, Uncle Ben.’
He winked at her. ‘Well, it’s not every day you turn another year older and get to surprise yourself with your own treasures.’
She spent the next hour with her Uncle Ben reminiscing about the times in the photographs. Tammy wanted to know in detail about her parent’s wedding and her own Christening, telling her uncle she’d been to Reverend Townsend’s church and after speaking to him he’d fetched the wedding and Christening ledger for her to look at. Ben shared stories about her parents and their adventures. Tammy’s heart felt lighter as the memories connected her to the past, grounding her in the love that had shaped her.
Tammy spread out the photos of the wedding and her christening on the table, the memories of the ancient wedding and baptising ledgers still fresh in her mind. Now she was eager to soak up everything Ben could recall about those long-ago events.
‘When I saw my parents’ signatures in the wedding ledger, I tried to imagine what the ceremony had been like. What my parents were wearing. Whether my mother had a bouquet. Can you tell me a bit more about it after seeing these photos Uncle Ben?’ Tammy urged; her eyes bright. ‘Reverend Townsend said their wedding ceremony was one of the first he performed.’
Ben chuckled and leaned back in his chair, a reminiscent smile on his face as he stared at the photo of her radiant mother in a flowy white dress on her father’s arm. ‘Oh it was a grand affair and a beautiful sunny day, much like today. The whole town turned out and some of the older women had been at the church since dawn decorating it with wildflowers. Goodness me, it was beautiful. They knew your parents were getting married on a shoestring and wanted it to be really special for them. Heck, your mother even made her own dress, spending months hand-stitching lace to add to the dress she’d bought.’
Tammy gazed at the photo, tracing the intricate bodice. She could almost see her mother bent industriously over the fabric, needle and thread stitching lovingly.
‘Your father Chris was so nervous that morning,’ Ben continued with a faraway smile. ‘He was convinced your mother had made a mistake agreeing to marry someone from outside Seagull Bay when she could have had her pick of any man in the town.’
‘He looked so distinguished in his suit,’ Tammy mused, picking up the photo of her father’s tearful grin as he watched Nicola walk down the aisle.
‘Distinguished? The man was so pale his freckles stood out like spilled gingerbread crumbs!’ Ben said with a hearty laugh at his own joke. ‘I remember he was so nervous he was trembling at the altar. But from the moment he turned around at the first notes from the church organ and saw your mother walk down the aisle, if the church would have collapsed around him I don’t think he’d have noticed.’
Tammy stared at the photo as Ben recalled the special moment and pictured it happening in her mind as he spoke, imagining the joyful celebration and her parents gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes in the centre of it all.
‘Now the boisterous reception—all I can tell you about that is the music was loud, and the dancing spilled from the church hall into the streets. Those were the days when I liked more than one pint of beer,’ he chuckled.
Shuffling through more photos, Tammy came across one of herself as a baby, her little baptised feet peeking from beneath a lace gown. That prompted her to ask about her own christening.
‘Reverend Townsend mentioned Mother wanted him to do something unique for the record book that day,’ she prompted, recollecting what the reverend had told her about that day.
‘Ah yes!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘Always the creative soul, your mother. She pulled out a small pot of special non-toxic ink and asked the reverend if she could dip your feet in it and press your tiny feet into the baptismal ledger along with your name and birth date. Thought it would be a lasting memento of the occasion.’
Tammy smiled, remembering the tiny footprints she had seen beside her own name. ‘How did Reverend Townsend feel about that?’
‘Oh, he was quite flabbergasted at first,’ Ben said. ‘I dare say no one had ever asked such a thing before in all his years. But after considering it, I believe he was rather touched by the notion.’
