Sunday Scribblings: Late

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. No characters are based on real people, whether living or dead. Any resemblance to a real person is pure coincidence.

An only child, Melody stayed with her spinster aunt - Erin - during her childhood. It was out of necessity that Melody's mother, Rita, made the arrangement. An only child herself, Rita had few options after her ex-husband left with his secretary. Her parents lived 3000 miles away in Daytona, FL and she had no close friends whom she could trust with her child. That left the only other person who had ever taken an interest in Melody, namely Erin, her ex-husband's older sister. Although Rita did not particularly like Erin, Melody did and in the end that was all that mattered.

Erin did well in her role. She never competed with Rita for Melody's attention, and she never left any doubt that she was the aunt and that her mother, Rita, made it possible for Melody to have what she wanted by working two to three jobs at any one time.

Erin and Melody shared a love for musicals. Older musicals, in particular. Oliver. Oklahoma. And by far their favorite was The Sound of Music. They would spend Saturday nights watching one of the many musicals in Erin's collection while each enjoying a bowlful of frozen yogurt.

As usually happens in life, Melody grew up far too fast. At age 15 she came home to her aunt and reluctantly informed her that she was pregnant. Erin listened to the news, shocked that her niece would get into such a predicament. But she was not one to show her emotions. Instead, she remained calm and talked about what they needed to do. Melody didn't have many ideas, but she made one request, that Erin not tell her mother, Rita. Erin agreed. And so, they decided to leave the conversation to another night.

That evening, Rita called after Melody had fallen asleep. Erin and Rita may not have liked each other much, but they shared their love for Melody in common. And they had grown accustomed to talking about Melody and her future. Well, when Rita heard the hesitation in Erin's voice that evening, she asked if anything was wrong. Erin paused and thought about what she would say next. She decided to tell her the truth.

The next day, Melody came home from school and didn't say a word to her aunt. Instead, she walked up to her room and closed the door. When Erin knocked, Melody told her to go away. Erin attempted to force the issue, but Melody spoke no more to her. Erin composed an apology that night and slipped it under the door. But within the week, Melody left Erin's house to stay with her mother, claiming that she was now old enough to stay at home alone while her mother worked.

All communication ended between Erin and Melody after that. Rita didn't get involved. Except to call Erin from time to tell her about Melody. That she got an abortion. That she had gotten into Oregon State. That she had met the love of her life. That she had married in a small ceremony in Las Vegas and had decided to move to San Diego with her husband. That she had a kid and that another was on the way.

That was when Erin found out she had breast cancer. A stickler for going to the doctor, she only discovered the tumors after it was too late. Erin told no one. And after six months, she passed away.

Rita called Melody and gave her the news. Melody agreed to travel to the funeral.

It was a sad and sparsely attended affair. After it concluded, Erin's attorneys read the will. Erin gave most everything to Rita, including the house and what savings she had. As for Melody, there was a good sized box with her name on it. It contained all of the musicals she had owned. The Sound of Music was on top. In it there was a note.

'It is never too late to remember. I love you.'