Pearls- Cyndi

Her mother stood before her, looking excited and anxious at the same time. Carly stared at her, as if she were seeing her for the first time. Her mother had always been there for her through thick and thin. She was beginning to realize just how much she had taken for granted. Her mother had supported her since the death of her father when she was a baby. It now came to her- all the sacrifices that were made on her behalf, the hours of work, the time spent making memories and helping Carly to feel loved and secure growing up. Perhaps she had never really looked at her mother this way before. She just knew her as “mom”.



Carly looked her in her eyes and thought she seemed slightly shorter than she last remembered. Then there were the eyes themselves, the blue still sparkled with her mother’s spunk, but they didn’t seem quite as bright anymore. Her loving face had a few more lines and wrinkles and her graying hair was thinning in places. But to Carly, she was still a very beautiful woman. She wore a dress of mauve, with lace on the bodice and a skirt of a tasteful length. She had put a lot of time into choosing just the right dress for this occasion. For today was Carly’s wedding day.


There had been so many hours of planning, preparing for this day and their exciting new life together. And here it was, all coming true. Carly was in her elegant white gown with the tiny buttons running down the back and the flowing train trailing behind her . Her bridesmaids had helped her put on her veil. The last finishing touches were complete. The butterflies in her stomach felt like they were trying to escape but were trapped by the confining fabric of her dress. She took some deep breaths to calm her nerves. These were the last few moments before she was to walk down the aisle, and her mother had asked to have this time with her in private. Carly waited as her mother brought her hands from behind her back and presented her with a velvet box.

“These were your grandmother’s”, she said as she held it out to her. “She wore them on her wedding day and I on mine. Now it is your turn!”

Carly slowly took the box that showed signs of wear on the edges, and gingerly opened it. Inside lay a necklace of pearls. She had heard about them, and even seen them in her mother’s wedding pictures, but had never beheld them in real life. She ran her fingers lightly over the small delicate strand.

“Oh mom!” she exclaimed as she hugged the precious woman before her.

She could feel the tears of joy welling up inside, threatening her perfectly applied make-up. “I love you!”





Prompt: Pearls August 9, 2008