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Show 779 a cloud had been lifted and the sun was breaking on my soul. The aching loneliness of the preceding years had diminished so that each reluctant forsythia blossom, each slow-unfurling leaf bud whispered that life was suspended in a time of redemption. We received an invitation to Melissa's wedding reception, although not to the ceremony where my father would seal the couple for eternity. I veiled my hurt at having been left outside the family circle by telling my mother at seventeen thatpelissa was 'awfully young to be getting married.' "She's only a year younger than you were, and the same age her mother was when she married your daddy," my mother countered mildly. I shrugged. "I wouldn't have married so young if it hadn't been for the war. Besides - eternity is a long, long time." My mother shook her head and ironed the crease of a pant-leg. "They're sure they want to do it." "How does Aunt Helga feel? I mean, she waited eighteen years for Mellie..." I thought of Aunt Helga alone again, and a pang of understanding shot through me. I knew what it meant to lose People you love, to have them move beyond your influence and caring. "It's hard for her, of course. But then it would be anytime. She and your daddy both say its up to Melissa. And Melissa feels its time." I nodded slowly. "I can't argue with feelings like th*." |
