“Yes, to both questions.” Kyle’s folks were both dead and he was an only child. Merissa was the only family he had.
“I regret to inform you…” Merissa’s heart plummeted. “There’s been an accident. Mr. Sparton had no chance when the delivery truck ran the light. I’m sorry, Miss.”
North Pole Delivery
When the doorbell rang, Merissa groaned. Amy, her best friend, was right on schedule for the weekly check-up-visit. She should be grateful. The woman used to invade daily until Merissa put her foot down and told her to get a life. The response she received was typical Amy - sure, when you do. In the beginning, more often than not, Amy had to drag her friend out of bed. Somehow, Merissa survived her first Christmas alone and felt stronger because of it.
April had arrived, and with the turning of another page on the calendar, the bitter cold of winter eased, and the temperature rose to a bearable warmth. Not that it possessed the strength to reach into the depths of her broken heart, but at least it thawed. With the winter snow melted, she’d noticed tiny green shoots of tulips peeking through the cool, damp ground in the flower garden at her apartment complex. Merissa hoped the unpredictable spring temperatures would not drop and send the sprouts back under cover. The new growth was as vulnerable as she, and in all honesty, it wouldn’t take much for Merissa to run and hide again under the covers. Amy would have none of that. She single-handedly possessed the patience and stamina to drag Merissa back into the land of the living time and time again.
Now, April 5th and nine months since Merissa’s dreams of happy-ever-after had crashed and died with Kyle, her heart still mourned as if it were yesterday. But life had marched forward. The magazine had promoted Merissa to partner; she had a three-month-old niece whom she loved; Amy miraculously continued to befriend her despite her neglect – and all combined, they chipped away at her resistance. Only Merissa’s heart held back, refusing to pump the blood of life into her present-day world. Kyle’s death sucked the spirit from her, and what resulted was a worse case version of the man she’d met over two years ago. When their relationship began, Merissa had been the outgoing one, dragging an objecting Kyle from the shelter of his cocoon. Life for him had existed through the characters in his books. But all that had changed. Gradually, he’d surpassed Merissa with his outlandish ideas and adventures and swept her along a ride she’d never forget. Now, it was all gone. And with it, she’d regressed into his original cocoon and feared to break loose.
This defined the comfort zone where she now lived, and one that Amy, with the constant ringing of the cursed doorbell, tried her all-fired best to alter. Merissa sighed and pushed out of the lazy-boy chair. It was Saturday, and no doubt Amy would have some fantastic scheme up her sleeve to draw her outdoors.
When Merissa unlocked the door to her apartment, Amy pushed her way past, arms bulging with the load she carried. “It’s about time! My arm is dropping off.”
Amy proceeded into the living room and dumped her burden on the coffee table. The drama-queen that characterized her, over-emphasized wiggling life back into her numb arms then looked at Merissa. Her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. Merissa braced for the coming verbal attack.
“Good morning, Amy,” Merissa said. “Nice to see you, as always.”
“Don’t flatter me. Your fake smile begs to differ,” Amy said.
“Have you had coffee?” Merissa asked.
“At Starbucks – with the gang who continually ask why you’re not there,” Amy said. “They send their love and hope to see your sorry carcass at the Club tonight.”
Amy had recently tired of playing second fiddle to Merissa’s grief and had changed tactics to strike mode. No mercy was her new motto. But at least now she was honest and forthcoming, and Merissa no longer had to appease her feeble efforts at feeding her pity-party.
“Why haven’t you picked up your mail? It’s just two floors down, in the foyer, tied together with elastic bands to keep it jammed inside your box.”
“It appears I don’t need to. You pick it up for me,” Merissa said.
“Ah, hah! So you appreciate my intrusions into your chamber of solitary survival! There may be hope for you yet.”
“I appreciate your efforts. In fact, I thought I’d tag along tonight and meet up with everyone,” Merissa said. She smiled at her friend’s shocked expression. “Where did you say you’re going again?”
“Where we always go; to Massey’s Pub, for wine, wings, and music. Are you up for Karaoke? Joe, the owner always begs me to sing, but we both know it’s you that carries our duo through to the celebrated applause from his patrons.”
“Karaoke?” Merissa groaned. “Maybe I’ll…”
“No way, girl! You can’t back out now.” Amy placed her hands on her shapely hips and emphasized the pose that bore through Merissa’s objections like water through a dam.
Merissa bent down and picked her way through the mountain of mail. She resolved to do better – at least with the mail. There was no need to shut out the news the world delivered to her doorstep. She paused when she came upon a manila envelope. The familiar sketches and stickers caught her attention, and she hugged it to her heart.
“What’s the matter?” Amy called out as she raided the cookie jar. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
Merissa never answered. With her finger, she outlined the sketch drawings of a firework explosion in one corner; the party hat, Times Square, and a Christmas tree. When Merissa spied the big-lip sticker on the back fold, she collapsed onto the couch. The envelope dropped to the floor.
