What's in a Name?

Chrissie was twenty four when she began to wonder about the origins of her name. 'Chrissie- where could her mother have gotten that from?' She wondered.

So she went to her mother and asked her. "Mum, why did you call me Chrissie?" "In honour of your father Dear." Her mother replied. "What? In honour of Dad?" Chrissie didn't understand. "In honour of your father." Chrissie's mother Jane repeated. "You know the flower, chysanthemums?" "Yeah. What about them?" Chrissie asked. "Your father loved them. So when he died. a few months before you were born, I decided to name you as close as I could to him." Jane explained. "Since you were a girl, I named you after his favourite flower." "In his honour." Chrissie concluded. "Yes. Exactly." Jane agreed.

Chrissie wanted to learn even more about her father now that she knew she had been named after him. So, she took a week off work to learn more of him.

On Sunday, she went to visit his grave. She bought chysanthemums and brought them there. She layed them at the head of the gravestone, along with a letter she had written him. Chrissie knew he would never read it, but it made her feel better, more close to him. That made her feel good.

Monday, Chrissie went through everything of his with her mother. With each item they pulled out, came a story. Jane would sit there, opposite Chrissie, holding the item as she told the story that went with it.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, she went to visit her father's parents. That helped Chrissie with her search a lot. From her grandparents, she found out that she had another half sister. His other daughter, Ruby.

So on Friday and Saturday, Chrissie went to visit her. Ruby was a year younger then Chrissie, 23.

Ruby at first was confused at first, with Chrissie turning up and all. That was until Ruby explained the whole thing. Ruby didn't know much. She just knew that her mother had had a little fling with him and then ran off. "So I probably know more asbout him then you do." Chrissie concluded. "Most likely." Ruby agreed.

It seemed to Chrissie that this had brought her and Ruby closer together. Before Chrissie left for home on Saturday afternoon, Ruby gave her contact details, so that they could keep in touch. Chrissie gave Ruby hers as well.

Not only had Chrissie found out loads of information about her father in that one week, but she had gained a new friend in Ruby.

As time passed, Chrissie and Ruby became the best of friends. To this day, they still are....