[elfiedawn]: 164.qmelissa

     I was staring drowsily upwards, bored with watching the fields and trees we passed by. I'd managed to keep my eyes open for most of the trip, but the early morning wake-up had taken its toll and I found myself starting to drift. Suddenly there were leaves above me and I watched as the sun shone through them, a hypnotizing effect. I felt the car jerk to a stop and rubbing my eyes and yawning, I looked around. Dad had parked us to the right of the building. The green expanse of the park’s lawn spread out in front of us beyond the parking lot’s cement edge. To our left on the other side of the road was the playground. I could hear children hollering and giggling like mad as they played on the brightly colored slide, swings, and teeter-totter. Opening my door, I got out and stretched, enjoying the feeling of simply standing after the four-hour car ride. My mom and dad were already getting the food out of the trunk. "Lisa, your dad needs help carrying the cooler." Grabbing my bag, I took my end of the cooler and we started heading towards the lodge.

     "Come on, Lise, stop dragging behind," Dad said, irritated by my slow pace. Hurrying my steps to keep up with his, I was surprised when his end of the cooler dropped. Lowering my own, I looked up at him. "What's wrong, dad?" He was staring off across the parking lot. Following his gaze, I spotted a small group of people talking. Suddenly he took off towards the group, his long legs covering ground quickly. Jogging in order to keep up, I watched as he called something out and the group turned towards him. Shading my eyes, I picked out Cousin Mandy, her husband Robert and their daughter Melissa. The fourth member of the group I'd never laid eyes on before, but he was an old man who seemed about the age of Granny, my mom's mother. When I reached the group my father was hugging the old guy saying, "Its good to see you, old man. How long has it been?" Moving to stand next to Melissa, I nudged her and whispered, "Who's he?" Melissa looked at me as if I should've known who he was, but answered my question anyway. "He's my grandpa." My mouth shaping an o, I looked back at the man with fresh eyes. Comparing him to Mandy, I saw that her eyes were the same and as the old man smiled I saw a likeness there as well.

     "Oh, I'd say it’s been nearly ten years. Last time I saw you your little baby girl was what, two years-old?" His brown eyes sparkled and the smile lines beside his mouth deepened.

     "Lisa had just turned two, it was her birthday party," my dad replied. Then he looked behind him and spotting my mother heading towards us he called out to her, "Kathy, where's Lise?" Mom smiled and pointed towards me. "Oh, there you are. Lisa, this is your great-uncle Albert." Smiling politely, I greeted him awkwardly. I was unsure whether since he was family if I should offer to shake hands, hug him, or what. He solved my dilemma by opening his arms and asking if I wasn't going to hug my dear, old great-uncle Albert? I grinned and hugged him. He smelled of cigar smoke and mothballs, an unpleasant combination. Pulling away, I asked him why I hadn't met him before and where he'd been hiding all these years.

     His smile seemed fragile now, as if the proverbial feather would break the proverbial camel's back or Uncle Albert's smile. "That's a story best left for another time, Lisa, not for such a time as this. A family gathering is a time to rejoice, eat too much, talk too much, and above all have fun." Nodding in agreement, I returned his smile, now as bright as a 100-watt light bulb and without a shade to dim it. His smile was irresistible and looking around I found everyone else smiling back on command. Like a general, he lead his troop of willing relatives into the lodge where we began to help set up everything for the evening's event. Family members began drifting in around four, and I took my place at the sign-in desk to welcome them, get them signed in, and a name tag on them. Melissa was supposed to help me with this but though I looked everywhere in the lodge, I even glanced under the bathroom stall doors, but I could not find her. Family arrivals were beginning to get hectic so I asked my mom while she was passing by if she could find Melissa for me. A minute or two later help arrived in the form of Melissa and her grandpa.

     "Sorry, Lise. I just forgot that I'd volunteered to do sign-in duty this year." I frowned at her but said nothing. Uncle Albert made the job a lot easier. Almost everyone recognized him and as he in turn recognized everyone, he took over the task of making the nametags. Quite a few of the exchanges he had with other relatives were hilarious and Melissa and I laughed hysterically at all of them. One of them in particular interested me. A middle age woman whose name I'd forgotten if I'd ever known it had walked through the door and immediately had to hug Uncle Albert. "I see you're finally back," she'd said but he motioned towards us and she nodded, curtailing further discussion as well as information from falling into our young ears. When the number of people arriving began to slow to a trickle, Melissa and her grandpa deserted me. Uncle Albert invited me to join them whenever I got through but Melissa covertly shook her head no and mouthed 'please?' at me. I reluctantly informed Uncle Al that I had supposedly 'other duties' that I had to take care of. Melissa whispered, "Thanks," as she left and I nodded in response.

     After another thirty minutes or so I decided that almost everyone had arrived and anyone else could sign themselves in. Entering the main room where all the tables were set up, I found everyone chatting or playing a game. I knew my mom was in the kitchen supervising the cooking and my dad was over the games this year. Looking for a friendly face, I found none. Oh, I knew almost everyone there, but being introduced to someone and seeing that person maybe once a year doesn't make a person your life-long friend. So I made my way to a quiet corner of the large room and dredged a book out of the recesses of my bag. I'd barely read a page however, when I was interrupted.

     "Lisa, what are you doing over here all by yourself?" Mom asked, sitting down across from me. Smiling at her, I held the book up in my hands. "Oh. But why aren't you talking to someone, playing one of the games, or with Melissa? I'm sure Melissa would love to talk to you." Shaking my head at her, I explained that she wanted to be alone with her grandpa. Mom nodded and since we were on the subject, I asked her if she knew where Melissa's grandpa had been that he hadn't attended any of the past reunions. She cocked her head, studying me intently for a moment and then she nodded to herself. "Alright, I'll tell you, Lisa, but you have to promise not to tell Melissa." I frowned and Mom sighed. "Melissa's parents don't think she's old enough to hear the truth yet. Personally, I think she's more than old enough but... they're her parents so I have to abide by their wishes. Understand?" I nodded and agreed not to tell her.

     "Uncle Al has been in a mental institution for the past ten years. He tried to commit suicide after his wife died but fortunately his daughter found him and an ambulance got him to the hospital in time. After that he just refused to do anything. He went into a deep depression where he slept all day long if you let him and if you made him get up he would just sit there. So Mandy put him in the mental institution where there were nurses to look after him and doctors to help him through the depression."

     Swallowing, I thought back on how he'd acted, it had seemed so normal... No, it had been normal. He must be well now, or at least better for the doctors to have let him out. I asked Mom why Melissa's parents didn't want her to know this and she answered that they didn't want Melissa to think of that when she was with him, and that they thought her knowing of the suicide attempt might make her treat him differently.

     Then she smiled and again suggested that I go play a game or talk to someone. Sighing, I put my book back into my bag and joined a game of dominoes. I wasn't really paying attention to the game though and when dad began looking over my shoulder and "helping" me play I gave my chair up to him. Knowing mom would soon be quietly suggesting I do something other than read if I stayed inside, I went outside and was surprised by the weather's change. It had been warm verging on hot this morning but there were storm clouds over us now and the wind was turning chilly. Grabbing my jacket out of my bag, I shrugged it on and made for one of the covered picnic tables.

     The creek was nearby and I listened to its white noise for a bit as I let my gaze roam. It seemed that all of the children and their parents had disappeared from the playground and looking at the sky I couldn't blame them. The sky had grown darker but I wasn't giving up my post yet. There they were. I hadn't realized who or what I'd been looking for but now I saw them. Melissa and her grandpa were out on the covered bridge, facing away from me. Melissa was laughing at something her grandpa had said. They were looking down at the creek that passed under them and I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing. Trying to be extra quiet, I made my way over to the playground and ducked under the slide. From here I saw them dropping things into the river, leaves or twigs, then they'd run to the other side of the bridge and root for the one they'd dropped. Melissa seemed to win almost every time. Uncle Al proclaimed the winner after about ten of these rounds to be Melissa, and he presented her with a make-believe crown, which she put on and bowed proudly to the spectator's silent cheering. Then they were at it again.

     It began to rain but they stayed where they were and so did I. The rain made the races more interesting, sometimes capsizing one of the leaf boats, and knocking leaves from the tree bending over the creek into the water, confusing the game's outcome. Melissa still won though, even when an errant raindrop submerged her leaf. When it stopped raining, they returned to the lodge, laughing together as Melissa slid down in the mud. They'd gone but I was still there. Getting up I walked over to the bridge, and grabbing a handful of leaves, I dropped two in the creek. I proclaimed Melissa the winner and put the make-believe crown upon her make-believe head, but it wasn't the same. Turning away, I made my way back to the covered picnic table where I took my book out and began to read.


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