Trail of Tears

This week's Friday Fiction is hosted by Joanne at Open Book.  Lots of good stories to read there!  Go take a look and leave some comments.  This originally was to be for the FW topic, hear, but it was a little too personal and the judges, if they know me at all, would have known who wrote it, even with name changes soooo.... here it is.  So much is left out.  I'm sure another story is waiting in the wings.  This one was more therapeutic for me.

Trail of Tears (from the West to the East)

Cleared for take-off. into the wild blue yonder we went. The drone of the plane more than covered the sound of my sobs as I jetted away from my best friend. From my sad, sorry state, I looked out the small plexi-glass window. The aerial view of the city kept my attention as it got smaller and smaller. I saw the snowy top of a mountain and the cascading outline that surrounded it. I left a trail of tears from the West to the East. Exhausted, I finally sat back and let my mind wander over ten awesome days spent with a very best girlfriend.

***

Marita picked me up in her tiny car. We sped away with tops off, our dyed hair blowing in the wind. We felt a bit like Thelma and Louise but were probably most like Lucy and Ethel.  Good that husbands and kids weren’t around to witness how quickly we transformed from middle age to teens out to spend time as only teen girls can.  Yes, it’s good our family wasn’t with us, for their sake and ours, for the girls just wanted to have fun.

A mountain laid in wait for me behind every bend, it seemed.  I never stopped oohing and ahhing every time one caught me by surprise.  Mari shifted into high gear to scoot us up the incline and then stopped so I could soak in the view. The shutters of our cameras were the only sounds in the stillness of the warm day.


We strapped ourselves into the cute little tin can and wound our way back down.

I pointed up to a nearby bluff.  “Mari, see the Indian? He has his bow and arrow pointed right at us.”

“You are so funny.”

Taking that as a pure compliment I thanked her and she smiled.

“Weird to think Indians stood here, huh?”

“Very. I can hear the arrow as it speeds through the air.”

“Hopefully you’re pretending that, too, or I’d think we have a flat tire.”

I smiled at her.  “Now who’s being funny?”

***

My seatmate bumped into me and brought me back to reality. My ears popped and the drone of the plane got even louder. I rearranged my weary body and was reminded that without my best friend, beside me, I was just a sad, middle-aged woman, tired of the alone adventure, and the tears bubbled to the surface again.

***

“I’m going to miss you so much, Mari.”  I sat close to her on the couch, her husband sitting across the room from us, probably counting the days until I was to leave, poor guy. 

“Let’s don’t talk about that right now. Live each moment, please?”  She looked me in the eyes, knowing that I would be lost from her if I didn’t pull up.

I cuddled in closer and let the tomorrow’s disappear and enjoyed the now’s that were still with us.

***

I didn’t even bother to wipe the tears from my face. Freely they fell as I made note that the tomorrow’s ran out fast and the today was here and now and I was a mess.

***

Our drive became a quiet one the closer to the airport we drove. I prayed desperately she would stop at the cell phone parking lot for one last goodbye.  Instead, she parked in the departure lane and I dutifully opened my door and pulled my bags from the trunk.

We held each other tight. I stood at the curb, bags at my feet, and blew a kiss her way. I watched her drive off as she sucked in her own tears.

***

We landed. I turned on my phone to text my husband, “Miss you. Love you. Will be home soon.” then I texted Mari.  “Miss you already. Miss you bad.”

My two love’s: the people who carry me when I need it; who love me no matter what, even when I’m a tough one to love; the two who I will love forever.

I could hear my heart beat; excited to know I was seeing my husband soon. I could hear it pang at the same time, not sure when I would see My Mari again.  Amazing love God put in my life.

Through them both, I understand God’s love even more.  Amazing love indeed…

In spite of life's problems thrown at us, and keys locked in the trunk of the car with us 3 hours away from her home, and blistering record-hot days, we had an amazingly awesome time. Who knows when we'll see each other again.  That hurts yet I know, in God's perfect timing, it will happen.