"Lee?" Amanda's voice drifted down the stairs to where Lee sat in the living room. "Do we know what the weather is going to be like?"

Lee wasn't listening; he was looking at a large white book with gold- framed pages sitting on the edge of the coffee table and covered by a magazine. "Hey Amanda, what's this?" Lee shouted as he pulled the album closer to him, but she had already moved out of earshot.

Lee removed the magazine and opened the cover to reveal a yellowing title page, `Amanda West joined in Holy Matrimony to Joseph King.' Lee looked around the empty living room self-consciously and turned the fragile page.

From the pages of the album, a very young Amanda smiled up at him. Her dark hair was expertly twisted on top of her head, blending with the light veil that blew in the wind. She was standing on a lush green lawn, the shade of large oak trees shielding her from the sun. Her wedding dress was perfect in its simplicity, its ivory folds falling delicately around her slim figure. Her brown eyes seemed huge, looking up at him, overflowing with hope and joy.

On the opposite page, Joe stood proudly in black tux and tails, looking incredibly young and idealistic. Pictures of Joe and his groomsmen followed which Lee quickly skipped over.

Pausing, Lee stared at another image of Amanda, one of her looking over her shoulder at the photographer, almost as if she had been taken by surprise. A few pages later the bride was looking fondly at her mother in a sitting room. Dotty's eyes were shining with pride and unshed tears.

As Lee turned the next page there were several snapshots stuck in the binding between two pictures of the ceremony. Lee gently picked up the loose pictures. They were images of Amanda again. This Amanda was softer than the bride; she held in her arms a tiny baby. Amanda and baby looked exhausted but the mother absolutely glowed as she gazed down at the small boy who looked back up at her adoringly. The picture was a close-up and Lee could just make out a tear not quite formed in the corner of Amanda's eye.

The second snapshot was Amanda sitting in a pile of dirt between a toddler and an infant, both proudly covered in dirt. Each boy was looking up at Amanda who was laughing towards the camera, her face and clothing smudged with dirt. Lee turned the snapshot over. Amanda's hand had written, `gardening in the new house with the boys.'

The third snapshot captured Amanda and the boys again, this time all in Little League Uniform. The boys were smiling gap-toothed at the camera and Amanda was looking slightly down as she smiled, averting her face. Lee flipped the picture to read `the boys in uniform, we all miss you.' Lee grimaced, and put the snapshot down quickly.

In the next snapshot a curly haired infant ran clumsily towards the open arms of Amanda. The pure joy on the child's face was mirrored in the mother's. `Philip's first steps' the back of the snapshot announced proudly.

The last snapshot was earlier then any of the others. Amanda was standing sideways so that her protruding stomach showed. `Six Months' was all that was written on the back of it. In the image Amanda was smiling shyly, her hands supporting her back, holding her excess weight awkwardly.

His chest ached with restrained emotion as his mind wandered to his own memories of his family... the pictures of Amanda with her sons mingled with how he imagined his own mother must have been with him.

Lee flipped through the rest of the wedding album. Joe and Amanda as newlyweds seemed terribly nervous, holding tightly to each other's hands in every picture. Lee tried to suppress the irrational anger that rose to his throat. He wanted to protect the innocent bride from what was to come. He looked at the girl's hesitant smile and wished he could reassure her, wished that it was not Joe holding her hand, but...

Lee heard Amanda running down the stairs and suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands. She was hauling her overnight bag. "Lee, you didn't answer me, do you know what the weather-" she asked, pausing as she caught sight of Lee.

He looked up at her guiltily. "I uh- was looking through your pictures here," He gestured to the open album.

"Oh." She sat down on the opposite end of the couch from him. She watched him for a second before she spoke. "We brought out all the pictures before Joe left. I haven't seen some of these for years." There was a wistful note in her voice. "He wanted me to get a couple of them copied for him," she explained, smiling openly at Lee.

Lee swallowed hard and grabbed hold of her hand. "You are- were a beautiful bride," he said, smiling at her blush, then added, "and mother."