My Adventures with Wendy #3

Wendy and I had five children together. My oldest and youngest are girls with of course three boys in the middle. My oldest girl moved out a few years ago to go to nursing school. My youngest is fiveteen and she is currently learning to drive.
My oldest and youngest daughters really never fought about clothes or anything like that. However, with my wife and my youngest daughter.
“That little stinker took earrings again,” Wendy said to me in frustration.
She’d been looking for her earrings for over ten minutes so we could go out on a date. This wasn’t the first time that I had to act as referee. I went into Claire’s room.
“You have mom’s earrings?” It was a statement not a question.
“She has my shoes!”
I rolled my eyes and stared at Claire’s turquoise ceiling.
“Please Claire. Mom and I are trying to leave on a date.”
“Are you going to go to the store?”
“Maybe.”
“If you are will you get me some chocolate?” She asked hungerly.
“Yes, Claire, but only if you give mom her earrings back and let her use your shoes.”

...

The day before Wendy’s funeral I was going through the bathroom cupboards and drawers when Claire came in. She saw some of Wendy’s earrings on the shelf.
“Do you think mom would like it if I wore those at her funeral?”
“Yes, I’m sure she would love for you to have them. I bought those for mom at swiss days. You helped me pick them out. Do you remember?”
She smiled in acknowledgement.
“You are a lot like mom. You like the same shoes, jewelry and you both have an insatiable love of chocolate.”
Claire smiled at me again, beaming in the memory of her mom.
I smiled back as Claire took the earrings to her room. Leaving me, thanking God that with Claire and my other children I still have a part of Wendy with me here on earth.