Their Anniversary

Yesterday...yesterday was hard.
Harvey doesn't know it, but yesterday...was my Mom's first marriage anniversary. Truly, I think she married my dad for love. I barely knew him in person, he died in war when I was two. But she must have had feelings for him. She kept pictures of him all over the house. Talked about him constantly. Compared me to him constantly. I feel like I know him.
It's hard.
This year. Both my parents are gone. I had to buy twice as many flowers. Red roses for him. Lilies for my mother, and it was positively dreary. A Random rainstorm perfectly reflected my mood as I visited their gravestones. Side by side.
Harvey didn't care where we buried my mom. So I chose to bury her next to my dad. That's rather rare. For a husband and wife to be buried next to each other. I mean. Marriages only have to last two years. Basically as soon as your kid is out of diapers, the parents can split.
I mean...terrible twos. Who wants to have to deal with a screaming kid, demanding attention, being stinky, messy, noisy and mobile? Most parents can't handle it. They already have to deal with a screaming baby.
But if my Dad hadn't died in war. I'd like to think they would have stuck it out. My mom stayed with me when she could have left when I started Kindergarten.
If you're not aware....which would be odd if you weren't. One parent has to care for the kid til school starts. Usually it's whoever loses the legal battle if neither parent wants to stay another three years with the kid. Really, unless they like how the first kid turns out and want another one or two kids (or even more crazy, three kids) after that, it's a two year deal and then they're gone, to probably never see each other again. The mom is a little richer -being paid to have a kid- the dad gets to move to a higher paying bracket in his job. And the world can continue to function because there's a rising generation to keep everything going.

I hear people used to stay together until they were old and withered. Because they loved each other. It's such a crazy idea. Who'd want to stick with someone that's all wrinkly? Yet back before even TV was invented...they would do it. 'Grow old together.'
Oddly enough, I like this idea.
Together.
In love.
Not by yourself. Out of love.

I'd like to think my parents would have done that. Had tragedy not struck so soon.

Karen<3