CJ perked up slightly. “What kind of fight back are you referring to?”
Winnie looked at me, and something passed between us. An idea formed in my mind.
I leaned back in my chair slowly. “Your mom hated gloomy memorial stuff.”
Bianca sniffed. “She thought sad flower arrangements should be banned.”
“That’s true,” I admitted. “She only liked the brightest, happiest of flower arrangements.”
CJ smiled faintly.
“Tell me about her,” Winnie said. “Tell me everything you can think of about your mom.”
I found myself smiling before I even realized I was doing it. “Jade loved themed parties.”
CJ groaned. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
“She made us dress as sea creatures for Bianca’s fourth birthday,” I recalled.
“I was a jellyfish,” Bianca said quietly.
“You cried because CJ called you a squid.”
Even Bianca laughed a little at that.
I looked over at Winnie. She listened so intently—a quality not many possessed. And those who did were still too distracted by technology and this fast-moving world to give another human that much attentiveness. It was impressive. And it made people want to keep talking.
“She used to dance in the kitchen while she was cooking,” I said. “God, she was a terrible dancer.”
“I did not dance terribly,” Bianca said automatically in a pitch-perfect imitation of her mother.
The table dissolved into startled laughter.
Even me. Especially me.
God, I missed her.
Winnie’s eyes softened. “What else?”
The morning turned into a planning session instead of a symphony of grief. We tossed ideas around, including Jade’s favorite foods and places. All things Jade loved and things the kids remembered. Things they missed.
At one point, Billie suggested fireworks indoors.
Denied immediately.
CJ wanted a dramatic slideshow with orchestral music.
Possibly.
Bianca wanted historical accuracy in all maternal storytelling.
Naturally.
Winnie listened and contributed, occasionally catching my eye in a way that made me feel alive again.
As the kids argued over whether Jade would’ve preferred tulips or peonies, Winnie leaned closer beside me and said, “She sounds extraordinary.”
