My Lighthouse

Acting normal

Oh Sheila! Marie hit her hand before her mouth and got tears in her eyes. If Mark could see you now sweetheart, she whispered. Sheila's eyes shined brightly as she looked at her mother in law. The bridle shop had called her, to tell her her dress was almost ready and if she would like to come over to London to fit it one more time. She had taken Marie and little Millie to London, to show her the dress and to find Millie a bridesmaid dress.

As a surprise for Mark, she had asked Susan and Colin if Millie would like to be their bridesmaid. Colin had given the phone to Millie and said, you may ask her that yourself if you want to, because I think you are going to for fill a little girl's dream right now. Sheila had laughed and when she got Millie on the phone, she just needed to say a few words before she heard screaming on the other side of the phone and a loud "yes auntie Sheila, I want to be a princess". Millie immediately gave back the phone to her father, who couldn't stop laughing, because of the way his four year old girl was dancing around the living room.

And today was the day, they were going to dress up two princesses, Millie had said to her. Sheila took her by the hand and walked along the cute little bridesmaid dresses to find her a dress which would fit to hers. Marie couldn't stop looking at her daughter in law and felt a stream of emotions going through her mind. Her oldest son. This sweet woman, here in front of her, was going to marry her oldest son. A woman whom she knew for nine years already, although she had never looked at her as the future wife of her son. She remembered this colorless girl so well, with her oversized clothes and large glasses on her nose. Who could have guessed that this ugly duckling would turn out to be such a beautiful swan?

*************  

Tea? Marie smiled. Yes, please. Millie was running around the kitchen with her imaginary dog, trying to demand him to listen to her, while Marie just sat down at the kitchen table. Millie had been such a good girl whole day, but sitting still in the plain, the car, the bridle shop had asked to much of her. Her energy boiled over, which made Sheila decide to have their cup of tea at home in their house here in London, instead at Cafe Monico at Shaftesbury Avenue. She promised Marie to have lunch with her there, next time she would visit London.

"I really loved the dress we've picked for her", Marie started the conversation. Oh yes, me too! Sheila thought about the first dress Millie had picked, which made her a princess covered in hundreds of layers of lace. And the way she had looked like Shirley Temple without the extreme curls. Though Sheila as well as Marie agreed on it, this was far to much "dress" instead of "girl". So after a long begging conversation, of Sheila's side, and the promise that Millie would be aloud to sleep over next week, she finally agreed to take of the dress. They finally picked a dress who fitted perfectly to Sheila's dress. With tears in her eyes, Marie had made several pictures of them, after she promised Sheila several times never to show them to anyone before the wedding.

"Yes, I am glad everything is arranged now" Sheila sighed. She put the two mugs of tea, a glass of lemonade and a plate with cookies on the table and sat down. Millie grabbed a cookie from the plate and without thinking Sheila put her arms around the little girl and hugged her tight. "Auntie Sheila was very proud of you today sweetie", she said smiling while she gave her dozens of kisses on her cheek. "You were so sweet and I am curious what uncle Mark is going to say about your beautiful dress". Millie's eyes shined by the idea of being admired by her favorite uncle and took a funny face. "I will hit him on the butt if he doesn't like my dress" she said as if she was slightly angry and just by the idea of doing so, she hit her little hands before her mouth and giggled. Naughty girl, Sheila smirked and while she gave her another cookie, she let go of Millie and gave her a tab on her bottom to go on with what she was doing.