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 |  Ongoing story/book about Melinda Fairfax. |
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PROLOGUE “Heading home for the holidays?” “Excuse me?” Melinda shook herself out of the melancholy mood that had struck her. The view outside the airplane window was one of clear skies and amorphous clouds. She wished she could take that view and pull it inside herself, let it paint away the sadness that dwelled within her heart. “I asked if you were headed home for the holidays, dear,” said the woman sitting next to her. A skein of yarn the color of ripe blueberries sat on her lap, crochet hooks sticking out of it. At her feet was a canvas bag nearly overflowing with a rainbow of other yarns. “Oh, umm…” Melinda fidgeted with the bottom of her sweater, folding and unfolding the knitted edge of woven burgundy. She was normally pretty good at chitchat, but her current circumstances were less conducive to interacting with others and more geared towards losing herself in her thoughts. “Not really, no. Maybe?” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude or upset you,” the elderly woman said, sympathy in her gaze. “No, it’s ok. I’m just not sure what’s going to happen.” Melinda shrugged. She leaned back against the headrest, her unfocused stare resting on the magazine tucked into the back pocket of the seat in front of her. “I’m going to see my aunt.” “You haven’t seen her in a long time?” “The last time I saw her was when I was a toddler. I don’t really remember her.” “Mmm…” the older woman hummed. Keeping her attention on Melinda, she pulled the crochet hooks out of the yarn, prepped it, and began crocheting in a steady, smooth motion. Melinda wasn’t quite sure why she started talking about her troubles with someone she had just met, but before she knew it, most of her story had spilled out like too much water over a dam that was at risk of bursting. Somewhere along the way, before she even felt the dampness on her cheeks, a tissue had appeared. After handing it over, the kind passenger simply returned to her yarn and kept listening. “So, that’s why I’m on this plane,” Melinda drew in a shaky breath and sighed. “I feel bad, like I might be betraying my mom by trying to go and see my aunt.” “Oh, I don’t think that’s the case.” The seemingly endless chain of interlocking loops of yarn that had trailed down off the woman’s lap onto the floor was now being woven into a circular shape. “Your mom left those old letters and her diaries for you to find, that’s what it sounds like to me.” “What if she didn’t want me to read them, though?” “From what you’ve told me of her, your mother was a very smart lady. After your father passed, she raised you on her own, all while starting her own company. Did she make some mistakes? Sure, we all do, dear.” The woman gave Melinda a gentle smile. “Leaving those things for you to find after she passed, though? That would not have been a mistake made by her. You said she had time to plan.” “Yeah, she did, not that I knew it.” Melinda tucked her hands under her elbows and hugged her arms tight against her. “She took on that battle just like everything else in her life, head on and ready to win. It’s just… she couldn’t win this one. All along, she was making plans for after, so I wouldn’t have to…” “No matter when it strikes or what part of the body it attacks, cancer is a horrible, ugly foe that even the best of us sometimes cannot defeat.” Her hands paused in their stride, resting upon the pile of yarn for a moment. “My Thomas fought for three long years, tooth, and nail, through the pain. At the time, I thought those three years were the hardest of my life.” Her voice cracked and wavered. “Those years were a gift.” Melinda reached out to lightly place a hand on the other woman’s arm. Letting go of a crochet hook, the older woman patted her hand in thanks and took a deep breath. “I can’t say if your mother would have wanted you to go try to reconnect with your aunt, but I don’t think she was opposed to it. Leaving those things for you to find was a way of letting you make the decision on your own.” She gave Melinda’s hand a squeeze and retrieved the hook, continued to weave as she spoke. “You’re following your heart and that’s all any of us can do.” “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking…” Both women fell silent listening to the announcement that they were approaching their destination. Soon after, the flight attendant stopped by to see that they were prepped to land. By this time, the older woman had finished her creation. She knotted the end of the yarn and snipped it with a pair of fingernail clippers. “I’m so sorry,” Melinda began when things had settled down and their descent had begun, “I didn’t ask if you were headed somewhere for the holidays.” “No need to apologize, dear. Yes, I am on my way to our oldest’s home. She hosts the family these days,” she said with a smile. “They all tend to pamper these old bones. I sit by the fire and rock grandbabies.” Tucking the hooks, the unused skein, and the clippers back into the canvas bag, she smoothed the blue expanse of woven yarn over one of her hands. “This is for you and my name is Cora, by the way.” “Oh! Thank you, I’m Melinda.” Melinda accepted the crocheted hat with surprise and pleasure apparent on her face. “You don’t have to do this, I’m sure there are plenty of your relatives that would love to have it.” “I’ve a suitcase full that will be wrapped in time for Christmas,” Cora reassured her. “Well, then, thank you. It’s beautiful,” Melinda ran her fingers over the gift, feeling tears begin to well up again. She knew she was holding what might be the only gift she would receive this year. “No more of that,” Cora gently admonished. She placed a wrinkled, yet graceful hand over top of Melinda’s that held the hat. “I’ve a good feeling about what’s to come for you, Melinda. Not that it will be easy, mind you, but the best that life has to offer never is. Follow your heart.” Melinda swallowed hard and nodded, succeeding in finding a thankful smile for her new friend. Shortly after the plane had made its landing, they were busy gathering luggage and making their way into the airport. Melinda felt a surge of happiness, along with a yearning ache, as she watched Cora get welcomed by at least a dozen family members all clamoring for her attention. A little girl with pigtails was especially happy to see her, bouncing on her heels, but careful of her fragile older relative. Feeling the extended handle of her wheeled suitcase click into place, Melinda took a steadying breath and readied herself for the next step of this journey. Glancing over one last time, she was happy to see Cora lift a hand to wave at her. Tugging her gift down securely over her hair, she returned the gesture. Follow her heart. Good advice. She just hoped her heart had a decent map. |
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