Daily Prompt

Clouds

” You really burned me up Ava, but I think I can forgive you.” Ava’s Mother, Violet Louise, pushed her glasses back up her nose and looked at her daughter and then out the passenger window. ” I just don’t like change, you know that. It’s time though. I know that.”

” Mom.” Ava looked into the rearview mirror and saw her Mom’s things, packed in old school trunks sitting on the back seat. ” It’s nice at Falcon Ridge. You can see the Ocean from your new place.

Violet Louise’s glasses rode down her nose again and she pushed them back up. ” I’ve always liked the Ocean. I almost gotten eaten by a shark once, and another time I swam to far out and almost drowned. But I didn’t care. I loved the Ocean and I wouldn’t have stayed out of it for anything.”

Ava pulled a stick of gum from her visor and popped it into her mouth. She worked the wrapper off with her tongue and teeth and spat it out the window.

” That is such a nasty habit Ava.”

” I learned it from you.”

” And do you know what else is a nasty habit? Contradicting you Mother.”

Ava tried to laugh but she couldn’t.

” You’re going to be okay Mom.” Ava said for the millionth time. ” You’re going to be ok. Falcon Ridge… I mean your new place is called Falcon Ridge, how cool is that?”

” I like the name just fine and I know I’m going to be ok. I survived a shark attack. Now spit that gum out before we get out of the car. It looks tacky for a woman of your age to be popping and snapping her gum in a situation like this.”

They pulled into the parking lot- the clouds were gathering on the horizon and the fog was rolling up from the beach.

The Receptionist from Falcon Ridge was waiting outside as promised.

Ava rolled her window down and the Receptionist leaned in and said gently, ” Hello Ava. If you bring your Mom, we have her place all ready for her.”

Ava reached over and gently picked up the box with her Mother’s ashes encased in a pink marble urn from the seat next to her.

It was no where near dusk, but Daylight Fell and the clouds over head blocked out the Sun.