The Way We Were

Chapter 2

Regina knelt in front of the gravestones, two white roses in her hand. "Hi, Robin," she said softly as she set one flower on top of Robin's and Marian's gravestones. She made it a weekly habit to come out and visit her old friend but with all that had happened, she'd skipped coming these past few weeks.

"Sorry I haven't visited in a while. Things are kind of hectic back home. Although I'm sure you already know that," the woman laughed humorlessly as she stared at the ring on her finger.

How meaningless it seemed now. A marriage is about two people loving and supporting each other through life, a bond of unity that intertwines two souls until death. It's about seeing each other as equals and treating each other with respect. They were way past respect now.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," Regina spoke as tears filled her eyes. The new bruise on her ribs served as a painful reminder that things were never going to go back to how they used to be. "My health is getting worse again, and Emma... I hurt her. I didn't mean to, but things just escalated and- "

The woman choked up and squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't know how to begin to fix this."

"Mama 'Gina?"

The raven-haired woman turned to see her youngest son approaching, two dandelions stuck in his little fists that he had insisted on saving in his room since that summer. Apparently, he had had the same idea as her. She reached her arms out and drew him onto her lap, laying her chin on his shoulder and inhaling his boyish scent.

"Do you miss Daddy? Is that why you're crying?" The boy asked. "Yes. Yes I do," Regina answered. Roland gave her a reassuring smile and put the weeds on top of each gravestone.

"What are you doing out here, Roland? Wasn't Mom supposed to take you to therapy?" The woman asked. The boy shrugged and looked at the ground. Regina lightly grasped his chin and forced him to meet her eyes. "Did you run away from therapy again?"

The little boy sighed and twisted around to face her. "I wanted to see Daddy," he answered honestly.

Regina wrapped the boy in her arms and stood up, staring at the white snowflakes drifting around them. Poor Roland felt alone in the world, just like she did. Only, her son shouldn't be feeling like this. If she hadn't been fighting with Emma, she would have realized this.

"I really should take you back to therapy, but I guess I'll let it slide. No more running away, got it?" Regina lectured her son as she began to walk back to the therapist's office where Emma was waiting. The little boy nodded against her shoulder.

"Mama can we go ice skating?!" Roland asked excitedly as he pointed to the pond in the park that had frozen over. Regina shook her head. "It isn't cold enough yet, buddy. Winter just started."

The boy looked so forlorn at her answer that it saddened her. He rarely asked for things and when he did it was usually for something small. It might have just been her guilt talking, but Regina found herself giving in.

"We can't go ice skating, but I think there's just enough snow to make snow angels. What do you think about that?"

Roland jumped from her arms and landed on his back on top of the powdery snow. Regina couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. It was the little things like this that helped her cling to the shred of hope she held onto like a lifeline.

The woman laid down onto the snow next to her son and started making her own snow angel. She laughed at how ridiculous she must have looked; she was the town mayor and here she was dirtying her freshly pressed clothing.

'Well, it looks like you two are enjoying yourselves."

Regina looked up from the boy who was tickling her to see Emma had joined them. Her smile faded as she sat up. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. Roland found me and we took a small detour back to the office," she said.