The memories came flowing back (Becca)

Jade descended the stairs in her oldest clothes, ready to work. Her Dad had assigned the decluttering of the basement to her and Becca, she was sure it wouldn't be an easy task. Her hand searched the wall for the light switch and once she found and flipped it on her eyes grew wide and her lips parted. "Holy Crap!" She groaned. The room was full of large card board boxes, shelves of old books even an old wardrobe and vanity.

I laughed quietly and slipped past my sister on the stairs and into the basement. "Oh, come on, Jade. It could be worse." I reasoned. "Would you like to be... oh, I don't know... in the attic with spiders?" I challenged, spinning to look at her with a grin.

"I could squish spiders." Jade laughed her come back while trudging down the stairs behind her sister.

"Well I can't." I replied, walking further into the basement which seemed kinda huge compared to the separate rooms upstairs. I began wandering around, wondering where to start.

"Some twins we are." Jade chuckled as she shook her head while inspecting the room. "So, how are we going to do this?" She turned to Becca.

I laughed at Jade then shrugged at her question. "Uh-" I looked around. "Start over there?" I asked, pointing to the corner furthest into the basement which looked kinda interesting.

"Okay." Jade nodding heading over to the corner of the room. "Put on some tunes Becca, this will take awhile." She sighed before starting to rip open some card board boxes.

I pulled my iPod out of the back pocket of my jeans and hit shuffle. I left it on one of the small surfaces left in our basement. I skipped over to the corner and knelt on the dusty ground. I took a different box than Jade and tore it open.

"Trophies?" Jade wondered aloud, picking one up and dusting it off.

I looked up at Jade when she spoke again. "Really? What does it say on them?" I asked.

"Ohio State Miss. Beauty Winner 1985 Carmen Garcia." She read and when she did she'd a slight smile on her face.

"Mom won a beauty contest?" I asked. I mean, I knew my mom had been beautiful--like extremely but I never knew she won a contest.

"Well, of course she did." Jade said proudly with a smile.

I reached into the box and pulled out another trophy. It said the same but for the year after. And again.

Jade's small smile grew with each trophy Becca lifted. "Becca, these shouldn't be hidden away in a box." She said sadly.

I assumed there was an excuse and I guessed it would go like this. "Girls, your mom never wanted you to be obsessed with your looks when she was alive. She always thought of herself as shallow people." Then, when we asked about after she died... "It was too hard to have reminders of her everywhere. I miss her. I loved her." Lov-ed. LoveD...

"I feel like in this house, it isn't really home because there are no memories of her and if we put these up.." Jade's eyes glanced over her mother's trophies. "Well then maybe I would feel like that so much." She concluded.

I didn't share my snide thoughts about our dad with my sister. Instead, I smiled and agreed. "I feel the same. The only thing we have of her on display is one picture of us in our room." I replied softly, looking deeper into the box, I found photos and certificates and more photos.

Jade looked up and spoke her mind "Becca, thi might sound bad but do you ever think Dad's moved on too quickly?He's dating again, he doesn't talk about her, he doesn't have anything of hers, I know it must have been painful but It's like he wants to completely forget her and that's not right." She felt better having it off her chest.

I left the other things in the box and pulled my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees. I didn't answer Jade for a few moments as I thought through each point. The truth was, I did think that. But usually, I convinced myself I was seeing everything wrong. But if Jade noticed it too... "Yes." I replied, my eyes falling on Jade's face.

Jade sighed heavily. "But I suppose there's not much we can do about it." She slumped onto a old chair.

"You might be right..." I started, sitting up straight. "Or..." I added, getting to my feet. My smile turned into a smirk. "I think it's about time mom came right on home."

Jade's eyebrows pulled down in confusion she didn't quite follow but she knew one thing was for sure, "Your up to something, aren't you?" She asked Becca with a smirk. She was pretty sure what ever it was, that she'd like it.

I smirked and folded my arms across my chest. "Oh yes." I winked at my sister. I turned and walked to the bottom of the staircase. "Hey, dad!" I yelled, wondering if he'd left for golf--or whatever it was he was off to do today. No answer. "Dad!" I yelled again. No answer. I turned back, still smirking. "Jade, we've got some work to do."

Jade looked at her sister like she was crazy. "Yes Becca," She spoke very slowly then held up hers hands and waved them around the room. " Yes we do."