1 .

She bends down with difficulty, placing a beautiful bouquet of mixed marigolds and those tiny white flowers that grow branching out from the stem. The bend of her knees pains her legs, as the strenght has deteriated throughout the yers. With the support of her daughter's arm that holds her by the arm, she slowly stands.

"Mom, how are you feeling?" Her daughter asks.

"I'm okay darling. I believe that soon I will join him. " She says.

The daughter looks at her, looking at the lines on her face and couldn't help reminancing aboout how much as changed as she's grown up, already having children. Her daughter feels a ache in her chest, and a pressure that makes it hard to breath. I' With slightly moist eyes, shher daughter gazes at her mother and smiles slightly. "I'll miss you, you know." Sher daughter says in a slow whisper.

THe elderly woman smiles showdeepening the winkles around her eyes and mouth. "I'll miss you so much too." She says and reaches out her thin hands to crease her daughters cheek. "You'll always be in my heart, no matter where I go and where my mind ends up."

"Oh Mommy." Her daughter blinks her eyes as she presses her forhead on the elderly woman's shoulder. A thin shoulder that she needs to bend sliher head slightly to touch.

"This talk is making me so sad. Let's go and get some green tea ice cream you like from the store across from Alice's work. Then we can go bother her and get her to eat lucnch with us. How does that sound?" Her daughter wipes her face with the collar of her shirt.

"Green tea ice cream. That does sound good. Alice is going to yamper on about that though. Such a work-a-holic you raised." The elderly woman says with a sad smile.

"Yes. I'm just happy that she's doing okay. She maybe a work0-a-holic, but that just makes it more fun when we visit her." Her daughter laughts in loud causing her to give a little snort.

***

I can't believe you guys just came here like this. I have so much work to do." Alice says while taking a bite of the ice cream. A

"You dare say that while hayou mouth is full of ice cream you grandma ma spoon fed you?" HThe edlerly woman's daughter says with a ticked off tone (slighly higher pitched).

"Ah! I'm sorry granny. You're always the best." Alice smiles and gives the elderly woman a quick peck oh hthe cheek.

"If you feel guilty, then lets go get some lunch. I haven't had lunch out with you in a long time. It makes me sad to think of how all of us haven't come together for so long. So long." The elderly woman says while letting the last word linger on her lips. Her eyes glaze over, giving the papearance of getdrifting off into her own thoughts and maybe memories.

Alice looks at her grandmother in silence before showing a concerned look at her mother. Her mother glances at her before taking her hand and holding the elderly woman's thin hand into her own. They feel so smooth, lacking the tricktion and plush of youth.

"Mother?" The elderly woman's daughter whispers in a low husky voice and softly rubs her thumb on the top of her mother's hand.

The elderly woman blinks out from her daze and pauses for a split second from mommentarily confusion. She looks at the daughter and smiles. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought.. Wheat were you saying?"

"Ah. Mom, What do you want to eat?" The elderly woman's daughter turns to look at her own daughter, Alice.

Alice look at her and says, "Yes. What do you want to eat granny. I haven't had lunch with you for so long. There's a good place that sells some nice cabbage dumplings and they put in some interesting spices. You'll definietely like them." Alice says, while she holds her hand that shook slightly.

"Yes. Let's go." The elderly woman says in a soft voice that becomes softer as her lips close.

**

"She was a wonderful mother and grandmother." The elderly woman's daughter tries to say, as shelets out a sob . She covers her mouth with a white cloth that has already been sseeped with moist fluids. AHer husband tactfully exchanges the cloth with a new dry one. That he was already prepared before hand.

The elderly woman's daughter takes it and wipes the tears and snot that was smeared and spread around her face when she tried to used the previously soaked cloth.