she was probably sensitive on how Melissa would react to them. But Malcolm just looked at her and Jordan questioningly, shrugged, and then pointed to the parlor door.
Melissa went on ahead wordlessly. She opened the door and got in. catching a glimpse of Jordan sitting down in front of the TV with her brother as she closed the door.
Inside, she found her mother sitting beside her father. They were both asleep and she decided not to disturb them. She looked around at the medicine that was on the tray and found three bottles of pain meds and anti-inflammatory drugs. A sudden movement by her mother made her jump and she dropped a bottle of pills to the floor. The noise woke her father.
“Rose petal, we’ve been waiting for you,” he said as he gently woke his wife who sat beside him.
“You don’t have to wake her dad. We can talk tomorrow.”
“No we’ve put this off for too long. Honey, Mels is here,” he said again, shaking his wife gently.
“Oh? Mels, you’re finally home, please sit down.”
Melissa took a seat as her mother straightened in her chair. Her parents exchanged meaningful glances and, finally, her father took a deep breath.
“Mels, we found out I had cancer more than one month ago.” Melissa started; it was a shock to know that they had kept the cancer from her for weeks before telling her. She was about to protest but her father held up his hand.
“It was my decision not to tell you yet and I want you to listen now. Here me out and be angry if you want, but listen first. I had it in my head to tell you when I was already getting better. I didn’t want to worry you needlessly. I was diagnosed, initially, with stage 3 cancer and I had the option of chemotherapy, to see if I was responsive. We did it, it was horrible, but I felt like I could still get better. 3 weeks ago, I had another check-up with the doctor, and he told me I was non-responsive to the treatment, that it was doing more harm than good and that… there was nothing they could do.” Melissa felt like a sledgehammer slammed into her gut. Her father’s words reverberated in her head and she didn’t know what to do with the information.
“Now,” her father continued, “I am taking medication for the pain, but nothing else. We could go for more invasive treatments, but your mother and I decided against it. There’s nothing anyone can do, it’s all in God’s hands now. When we got the news we didn’t… I didn’t… know how to tell you any of it. So we decided to have you come here, so we could tell it to you face to face and you’d at least have people around you who love you and will take care of you. I couldn’t bear to think of you grieving alone in London with no one to turn to. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner petal, I really am.”
Melissa’s eyes saw nothing anymore. She just cried and cried. There was nothing she could do, and she couldn’t be mad at father now. She just didn’t know what else to do. She never imagined, even when she found out he had cancer, that it would be hopeless right at the beginning. She understood now why he talked the way he did this morning. This was all just goodbye.
Melissa felt hands coming toward her and pulling her toward the bed, hands that used to be so big and strong, now so thin and frail. It made her cry even more.
“Don’t be sad petal. I lived a good many years and had a wonderfully fruitful life. I’ve had more than most and I thank God every day for blessing me with a loving wife and great kids. I’m so proud of you petal, everything you wanted you’ve got now. But I only worry that what you want might not be what you need.”
“Daddy don’t worry anymore. About me or anyone else. I want you to think about yourself this time, think about your health. I want you to fight daddy.”
“I don’t have to honey. I couldn’t ask anything more from my life. I’ve had enough happiness in this lifetime to spill over to the next. My cup has runneth over petal. I have you all to thank for that. But when the time comes to say goodbye, I wish I could leave you in the loving hands of a man I can trust will try to make you as happy as your mother made me.”
“I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m a bit tired now. But tomorrow, I want to sit at dinner, like we used to when you were kids. I want you to cook your roast beef for all of us and we’ll have an old fashioned family dinner. Okay?”
“Okay.”
However, her father couldn’t sit at the dinner table the next day. He was too tired. And he didn’t feel better the next day either, or the day after. In fact, her father did not get out of bed for a whole week. He simply stayed in bed, spoke some words, some made sense, some didn’t, and would go to sleep again. There were times that Melissa knew her father was in very bad pain, when Sally would go into the room and come out half an hour later looking sad and disheveled. Sometimes, Melissa heard her father cursing, but she knew it was the pain talking. After his medication, her father would often sleep for hours, even a whole day sometimes.
The family marched on despite the heaviness. Melissa called her company and requested for an indefinite leave of absence, because of her father’s health. They had been kind and said she could take her time, but underneath it all, she knew it was a risky move and it could mean less responsibilities for her when she went back, but she knew she’d rather be here for her family, and savor what little time she had with her father that was left.
Needless to say, it was a difficult time for everyone. Melissa couldn’t bear to stay in the house, at times when her father was sleeping off whatever medication he had to take, and see her mother and brother silently suffering, knowing she could do nothing. The only thing that made it bearable were the daily lunches she had with Jordan, who, understanding the situation fully, offered to let her help out in the landscaping he had scheduled. It seemed almost planned out, they only ever worked in the most beautiful places, and today, as there were no waiting jobs to be done, Jordan brought her up to Drought Creek Point, a beautiful hiking trail with a lovely stream that flowed through it, at the top of which the whole valley could be seen.
They both sat on one of the stone benches left there for hikers and stared at the scenery, eating the oranges they had brought for the trip.
“This is really a beautiful place. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
“Oh it wasn’t a trail yet when we were kids. I started hiking here a few years ago, and made the trail for some friends. More people came until the owner of the property formally called it a hiking trail and installed these chairs and some of the steps.”
“Wow, you really have a knack for finding the most beautiful places,” she said, bumping her shoulder against his playfully. He smiled a most lovely smile, one that Melissa thought she could stare at forever.
“Yeah, I guess you could say I have a knack for seeing potential in things.”
“I can’t believe you still aren’t married. Girls must be falling at your feet.”
“Well, I always believed in waiting for the right thing, and I’m a very patient man.”
“You mean you haven’t found the right thing yet? That’s surprising, as you seem to know just where to go to find what you want.”
He smiled and sighed at what she said, then, in a measured voice that was close to quivering, he said, “Oh I found what I was looking for a long time ago. I don’t think she was ready then, I hope she will be soon, but I can wait a bit more.”
Melissa looked into Jordan’s eyes and the silence between them spoke volumes. Melissa recalled the past few days, how loved he had made her feel, despite the pain, and then her mind raced back years, to high school. She remembered the times when Jordan would volunteer to do things for her, being her date for prom when she was desperate and chaperoning her and her friends to their first concert, even offering to drive her to college when she moved. She realized that they hadn’t been friendly gestures, but silent confessions of love, never uttered because, as Jordan said, she wasn’t ready to hear it. But now?
“Jordan…my dad…”
“No, you don’t have to say it. I didn’t mean to put you on the
spot. Should we be heading home?”
Silently, Melissa turned to Jordan and kissed him on the lips, and putting her hands on the back of his neck and pulling him closer. There were no words for this moment, they pulled away from each other and stared at each other’s eyes. Then, silently, they gathered their things and headed back.
Prologue
Two weeks later…
Marshall George felt the end coming, but he was content. He was surrounded with family and friends, people who truly loved him. Seeing the love in their eyes showed him how full his life had been. He looked toward his dear wife, still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. She was a blessing from God that he cherished to the last of his breath. If he was given another lifetime, he would find some way to spend it with her again. His eyes turned to his first born son. He had married the sweet and caring woman who had tried to make his father’s passing easier as much as she could. Marshall knew Malcolm would not have held up as well as he did if it wasn’t for Sally, and he was glad that, despite everything, he had managed to bring them both together.
His eyes turned to his daughter, his most precious flower, who had been crying inconsolably and was sleeping now. Marshall felt a twinge of guilt for causing his daughter so much pain, but he was comforted with the sight of Jordan’s strong