Melody ran outside screaming happily. The little six year old was dressed in a bright blue play jumper that was just like her eyes. The puppy loped behind her, bounding almost in time with the little girl.

Deirdre watched the scene happily, smiling from inside the house. Melody was such a beautiful little girl who looked just like her mother. She had Megan’s hair and nose. Some of the other features were from the donor the two of them had chosen and they were okay with that. They had both agreed on the choice and had happily begun the pregnancy.

Deirdre remembered her sympathy weight gain and pains. It had been touching, but funny. Megan had laughed at her when they were both waddling around the park for exercise. They both had so much fun reading to Megan’s swelling belly and playing music to it as well. It had been a great time of coming together. They had never felt so close.

It had taken them four weeks to finally decide on a name after the ultrasound revealed it was a girl. They had gone through baby book after baby book and had consulted both sets of parents. Melody was the only name everyone managed to agree on. Some of the ones they had rejected were a little scary. She thought it was funny the kind of names they had chosen. Thankfully, some sanity had returned when they checked the names to see if their child would get beaten up in school.

The grandparents all doted on her. Melody had wanted for nothing. Both sets of Grandparents had bought all sorts of clothes, dolls, and furniture for her. That had freed up enough money for Megan and her to get the house, which had been nice.

It was hard to believe that she and Megan had been together for over ten years now. They had managed to get married before Deirdre’s surgery would make it more difficult. Despite legislation, they had found a way to get together legally. Megan had stayed with her through the difficulty of surgery, dilation, and recovery. Megan had also laughed at her during her first ob-gyn appointment when the stirrups came out, and the duck bill went in. Her eyes had gotten large is surprise with how cold it had been. The two of them were happy and it showed.

It had not always been easy but they had been there, together, and that had helped. She remembered the ramen days with a smile and the days when they had been without a car or a phone. It had gotten better when they had graduated and got real work. Life certainly had given them an E ticket ride.

The pictures that covered the wall told part of that history, but certainly not all of it. The pictures didn’t tell about the phone call many years ago when David had called her and apologized to her for everything he had done. There were no pictures for that. No pictures of her shock and surprise. No pictures of the resentment and anger that was still there after years of therapy. David had also said that he still had trouble coping and would be staying away for his own good. He didn’t want to snap like he had before and even the idea of that happening scared him away. Prison had shown him that and had helped him deal with what he had become. He cared about her, even loved her, but was not able to deal with her, at least not yet. And David was sorry for that.

Melody would probably never meet her Uncle, but he had always sent her a present on her birthday. It was a start. Maybe time would help him get past his problems, but that was not Deirdre’s concern. David had to come to terms with himself, just like she had all those years ago.

Megan would be home from work soon. Deirdre started to get supper ready. She was making pasta, which was a family favorite. She had found she had enjoyed being the stay at home mom. PTA, school meetings, cleaning and cooking, she found those tasks fun and fulfilling, which had been a surprise. She even ran a website for the local PTA. That brought in some extra money. She was content and at peace with herself. She guessed time could heal most anything.

Deirdre got the sauce going and cooked up a little Italian sausage to go with it. She also fixed something for Melody. Their daughter was still a messy eater. She figured that she would always be that way.

Still lost in memories, she remembered the tear filled first day of school for her daughter. It had been a painful moment for Melody, she had cried before she had gone into class as she wanted her mommies. Despite everything, she had enjoyed herself, but it had been tough at the beginning. Normal life had the funniest way of being interesting despite the lack of events. Daily things held her interest enough for now.

Megan came in the house and headed straight for her, hugging her tightly. “Hey there Deirdre. How was your day?”

Deirdre kissed her, “Not too bad. Just been wandering through memories.”

“Woolgathering again? Sometimes I wonder why you do that to yourself. You get maudlin at times.”

“Well, sometimes, but I am getting better. I was thinking about how things have changed. It is hard to look back and see how I got here from there. So much has changed in ten years. It’s amazing.”

“Sweetie, don’t worry about it. I love you and I want to stay with you forever. The past has gone on its way. Let’s worry about the future.”