After we spoke to our extended family who were very relieved to hear from us and that we were now okay, Dad asked me while he made dinner why I had been akumatised.
'A bully at school said some mean things about how I smelled bad and it just made me feel really low' I replied.
'I'm so sorry sweetie' Dad replied as he put dinner in the oven.
'It made me think it would have been better off if I never existed. That way you'd still have Mom' I said sadly.
'Oh sweetheart, no...' Dad said as he gave me a hug. 'She begged me to have a child and start a family. We were having trouble conceiving. We tried IVF for years before she fell pregnant with you. She was over the moon and sang lullabies to you in utero almost every night when she found out that she was pregnant. You were a blessing sweetie' Dad smiled as I nodded.
'I wish I could have met her' I sighed.
'You might not remember, but she did meet you' Dad smiled as we sat on the couch. 'She got to hold you in her arms for a little while before she passed. She said you were the most beautiful baby she had ever seen.'
'Aww' I smiled, starting to get tears in my eyes.
'Actually, wait right here, I want to give you something' Dad smiled as he got up and went to his bedroom and came back with a letter.
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'I was saving this for your 18th birthday present, but I think now is the right time to give it to you' he smiled as he handed it to me.
'What is it?' I asked as I saw the name Ann-Marie written on the front of the envelope in calligraphy. It looked beautiful.
'It's a letter for you from your Mom. She wrote it herself when she was pregnant with you' Dad smiled as he sat next to me. 'She used to enjoy writing calligraphy.'
'Wow' I breathed, knowing I was probably going to get emotional.
I opened up the envelope and took out the letter, which was also hand written in calligraphy and started reading:
My dearest Ann-Marie,
I can't wait to meet you and watch you blossom into a lovely young girl.
I know you will do amazing things in life and learn a lot of life lessons along the way.
I can't wait to be there for all your milestones, your first birthday, your first word, your first day of school. I know I'm going to be the proudest Mom in the whole world.
I can't wait to be there for you, in all your joys and all your sorrows. I know you will do great things and know that you are loved.
My hope for you is that you will make lots of lifelong friends, who will be there for you, to help you in the hard times and share in the good times, especially when I can't be there.
