The McGormicks

Twenty years ago Melanie lost everything. When the disaster happened Melanie fell apart, she lost the love of her life that day. Ron McGormick was one of the miners that fateful day and he was a hard worker. He took good care of his family and the feelings of a young romance never seemed to fade from their relationship. That day was suppose to be his day off and they planned to take the children to the park for some fresh air but that never happened. As the phone rang Melanie watched her husband walk over to it. She knew it was his work, it always was and he always did whatever extra that was asked of him. She looked over at him, her eyes the size of walnuts, silently pleading him to not accept it just this once. He turned away from the eyes he could not deny and did what he knew she did not want him to.

“You promised Ruby.” She said it so quietly it was almost a whisper. He turned to look at her and he knew how disappointed she was but he also knew there no choice, they needed the money. He walked over to the bed and lifted her up from her seat. He wrapped his arms around her and wished he never had to let go. He placed his chin on the top of her head and said the words “I love you”. She brought her eyes to meet his and told him the same as a tear fell down her cheek.

Later that day was just a blur, she screamed for him as she and her three children were forced to safety. While her thoughts were of her husband it soon became clear that she lost more than just him. What little money the family had been from his work and their garden, now she had neither and she still had to care for the children.

Twenty years to the day Melanie received a call that she could move back to town. She had managed to keep the family financially stable with a career in cooking through the years and she considered not moving back at first but she knew that wasn’t really an option. That night she told her now grown children to pack up and they were in Emerald Harbour the next day.

Being back in the town and the house brought back all her memories and pain. As she woke up she brought herself to the edge of the bed and looked at the wall. In her mind she could see him standing there.

She held back the tears and all the feelings that were contained in them. She forced herself to become emotionless. Though her children were grown she still wished to be strong for them. The result was someone who seemed hollow and unexistant.

Outside in the garden her Ruby and the twins were already experiencing the cool fresh soil between their fingers. They were too young to remember it from before the disaster but the time it took to revive the garden was enough to teach them all they needed to know about gardening.

Ruby had just learned to walk when she lost her daddy. She would follow him out into the garden and try to help, usually eating the variety of fruits before they made it inside. She still remembers some of that vaguely. Everytime she reached for one of the fruits or vegetables to harvest it felt like deja vu. Even though she only barely remembers him and the time she spent with him her eyes would fill with tears. She had his hair and his smile and growing up her mom would always tell her it was her dad’s way of making sure she’d stay happy, so she smiled as a tear slid down her cheek and fell onto the leaf of the plant.

The twins didn’t have the same feelings, after all they didn’t remember anything of their father. Onyx grew up as the man of the house and despite not having a male role model in the home he still managed to achieve a very masculine personality. Melanie would always tell him he was just like his daddy, and it was true. Saphire, his twin, was more like Melanie. Though she didn’t remember her father it seemed to affect her the most of the three. After moving back she seemed to spend a lot of time alone and less time talking.

At the end of the day, when all the plants were finally cared for, the three children enjoyed the fun the house provided that they missed growing up. They turned on one of the sprinklers and jumped into the water. Melanie, who had been quietly tending the trees, went back inside.

She sat on the couch and looked around. The house was quiet. She could hear her children outside but she could not hear what she wanted to most. She couldn’t hear him. There had been something she wanted to do ever since she moved back, but she had been afraid of it, she knew now was the time to do it.

Melanie went to the plot where Ron was buried and cried. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. Next to his grave was an empty spot that waited for her but until she layed there next to him her heart would never mend.