Melancholy.

Author's Note: The other day in a conversation with my grandkids, the word: "Melancholy" came up. They asked me what it meant. When I told them it was a kind of contemplative sadness...they wanted to know if it was a mood, or a feeling. I struggled to explain "melancholy"...and then went home and wrote this story. I guess it is both: a mood, and a feeling.
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It was a walk he had done many times, over many years. Just over a mile in length, and a lifetime in memories. He had known her since grade school. By High School they had grown gently from “puppy love” to a deeper, more romantic, love. By the time he went in the Army…well, their future was set.

Until.

The engagement broke off twice in a few months. Transitioning from the Army to Civilian Life…wasn’t easy. Infantry skills are not in high demand in the Private Sector. He got a job at a local factory loading dock. Hard physical work…low pay, and no future. She was well on her way to maturity. Her natural beauty and intelligence blossoming as she turned from a young lady, into a young woman.

For the first time in his life, he realized that he had nothing to offer for their future. The bigger world opened to her…and the gap widened. She dated. He did not. Months went by. Then he decided to go walk the old path…and just chat with her and see how things were going in her life. He wasn’t in love anymore. He understood that. But he still cared.

The driveway looked a mile long. Steeling himself, he took a deep breath. “What’s the worst that could happen? She would tell him to go away. “ He said out loud to himself. The side door was the one they used for all those years. So it was the one he went to.

He knocked.

Her Mother answered the door. Cracking it slightly and leaning out a bit.

“Oh. Hello. How have you been?”

“Fine. I was just wondering if she was home, and maybe she would chat with me for a bit.”

The Mother got a sad smile on her face. She had watched for almost a decade as her daughter and this usually smiling, kind, young man bonded in a way that held promise of a future. She knew, from her own experiences, it was better to cut deep and sharp, then to try and soften the blow.

“She is up in Michigan with her boyfriend. They are spending the weekend up there. I will tell her you stopped by when they get back.”

She saw whatever he had left in his eyes…die. A part of her wanted to let him back in the house. A cup of tea and a gentle conversation might help. But she knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. She waited a bit to see what he would say. She let him struggle with that simple statement : “She is up in Michigan with her boyfriend.”

“Oh. I am glad she is happy. Thanks.”

She shut the door. She couldn’t help herself. She went to the front room and watched as he walked slowly down the driveway. The word defeated edged its way into her thoughts. A small tear gathered in her eye. She had liked him. She still did. He walked slowly out of her sight. She sighed.

She told her daughter that he had stopped by. She gave the same sad smile that her Mother had given him. “I am so glad I wasn’t here. I hope he finds someone. Someone that fits.”

Then she told her Mom all about Michigan.