"I can't believe Mum kept all this stuff!"

Maryanne smiled and nodded. "I know. Look at this!" She picked up a notepad out a box they had just filled. "'Remember to pick up milk on the way home. Lu wants chocolate syrup.'" She stopped and stared at the paper. "Hmm. I wonder who Lu was."

Her sister, Janice, laughed and took the notebook from her, replacing it in the box. "Probably a high school friend or possibly roommate. It could be anyone."

Maryanne chuckled. "True. Here, help me put this in the car."

They lifted the heavy load together, barely managing to shove it into the back of Maryanne's SUV, where several others waited patiently to be left in her attic and forgotten. Once back inside, they continued their time-consuming task of going through their mother's things. She had only recently passed away after a long and seemingly full life, as one would easily be able to tell from the stacks of possessions she had accumulated over the years—books, papers, souvenirs from their father's travels across the globe, and so on. And while going through these things now was long and occasionally tedious, both sisters would readily admit that they didn't mind the job, since now they had the chance to admire the beautiful things they had always loved and discover things they never knew she had.

Memorabilia from early on in their parents' marriage was a huge find, especially the hat boxes stuffed to the brim with old, yellowing love letters. Apparently, both of their parents were prolific writers back in the day. There were months, even years on end in these boxes. Some of them had foreign stamps or were more weather-stained than others, and the women knew that those must be from when their father was traveling abroad. He had worked for a shipping company for years, which earned him the chance to visit many exotic locales. Hearing the stories from his trips was something the sisters had enjoyed as long as he was able to tell them.

Seeing these letters now, poring over these precious memories, reminded them of those stories, and showed anew just how much their parents had loved each other. After years of fighting a debilitating illness, their father had passed on rather recently, spending his last days being cared for by their mother. It was not much surprise that their mother did not live long after that.

xxxxxxx

They had been working on this project for almost five hours this particular day when Janice straightened from her sorting and stretched. "Hungry yet?"

"Getting there. You want to call it quits?"

"I think so. We can pick up again tomorrow."

Her sister nodded and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I may be a little late, but I'll be here. George has an evening meeting and I'll need to bring Susie."

"Oh, sure. Totally fine," Janice smiled her understanding. "She can help. Goodness knows we need all the help we can get."

Maryanne glanced at the mess still in piles surrounding them. "You can say that again," she muttered. "Maybe you could bring the twins, Jan. The three of them could pitch in together and make it a…thing."

Janice laughed. "Like a playdate, but actually doing something useful. Good idea! I'm sure Lou and Bobby would love to see Susie, and they would be happy to help."

"Especially Louise. She has such a giving spirit, that one."

"I agree. I think she's meant to be some sort of humanitarian. Always healing her dolls and teddy bears!" The younger sister smiled at the thought of her daughter as she shuffled some papers into a stack for filing.

"Well, both you and Richard are that way, so I'm not too surprised." Maryanne loved her sister's kind, generous streak, though she didn't understand it all the time. It wouldn't work as well in her business world as it did in Jan's primary school.

"Thank you, Mary. Louise is kind enough for the entire family, though."

The older sister chuckled. "Yes, I know it. She could teach Susie a few things, I'm sure."

"All the more reason for them to spend time together," Janice smiled warmly.

"True enough. Until tomorrow, then?"

"Until tomorrow. Richard is going to be a bear if I don't get him some supper soon!"

"George won't be much better. You're right, we should go."

The sisters embraced quickly and Janice headed out to her car. Maryanne stayed behind a minute longer, surveying the scene. Something stirred inside her, reminiscent of the storybooks their father used to read to them as children. Even after all this time of clearing out the house, mixed with the familiarity was an air of mystery, as though something was waiting to be found and they just hadn't stumbled over it yet. Were there secrets still contained between these walls?

She chuckled and shook her head, the fanciful thoughts scattering and the comfortable, sensible ones taking their place. This was their parents, after all. Robert and Susan Holmes. Respected in the community and, now that their traveling days were over, not known to do anything more outlandish than neglect their umbrella when they left home. What secrets could they possibly have?

A/N: What secrets, indeed? I'd appreciate to know your thoughts!