Honeypie (Oliver Sykes)

45

He stood in front of the gate while holding the hand of his six year old daughter. 

"Ready, Arabella?" He looked down at the little girl who had inherited her mother's vivid green eyes. His daughter nodded, dark brown curls bouncing with each bob of her head. 

"Well come on, munchkin." The little girl giggled and swayed their hands as they walked past people. Some veterans. Some siblings. Some mothers like Evelyn. All different but with one thing in common. They were dead. 

"Which one's mommy's?" Arabella asked giddly and Oliver stopped them in front of a new marble grave, the best money could buy. Arabella gasped and squealed as she ran up to hug the headstone of the mother she never knew. 

"Hi, mommy!" she chirped and Oliver stood frozen while watching the scene unfold. The little girl pulled a small box from her dress pocket and placed it on top of Evelyn's grave. The box contained the locket Oliver had given to Evelyn on their wedding night. The locket held a picture of him and Evelyn during their wedding and one of Arabella on her first day of school. 

"Daddy, why are you crying?" He blinked and raised a hand up to his face, wiping away the tears that he hadn't noticed began falling. 

"I'm just happy, munchkin." he sniffled and crouched down next to his daughter who sat on top of the marble grave. His fingertips grazed the rough edge of the grave and smiled weakly. 

"Hello, love. It's been a while." A tiny hand grabbed his own and he looked over at his daughter, vision blurring with tears at an alarming rate. 

"It's ok, daddy." His daughter's high pitched voice held so much hope and promise that he allowed sobs to shake his body and he pulled Arabella's tiny body towards him and into an embrace. 

"I miss you, Evelyn." This was the first time since her death that he admitted it. The first time in five years that he admitted that the love of his life was no longer with him on this earth. 

"Can we go home?" He looked down at his daughter and nodded. 

"Yes." They stood and he held his hand out for her to grab. Her tiny fingers wrapped around Oliver's. 

"Will we visit again?" Oliver hoisted the little girl up onto his hip and stared into her large green eyes. 

"If you want to, munchkin." The little girl smiled and nodded vigorously. 

"Let's go home."