Four o'clock Appointment with Joy

This story deals with Mature Themes and Subject Matter.

By Paul Riches

The silver earrings are the best, so she simply has to wear them on this special day.  Anything else would be dishonest, even unnatural, betraying Margaret’s welling excitement for the coming meeting.  Yes, the earrings from her wedding long ago made every occasion perfect.  And this has to be perfect.

With all her fussing finally over with, she sits in her chair, leaving it slightly at an angle and away from the open door.  Fidgeting, then willing herself to stop so as to not look unseemly or, worse yet, immature, she keeps stealing glances at the clock above the empty door.  Soon it will be four.

A full minute early, a shadow enters the room, making Margaret squirrel with abandon.  A second later, when the shadow gives way to a person, all movement in the chair stops.  Striding into Margaret’s room, full of a bright smile and a glow of happy, is this wonderful young lady.  With a few steps she is before Margaret, extending a hand in friendship.

“Hello Margaret.  I’m Joy.  It is my great pleasure to meet you!”

They gently grasp hands, exchange smiles, and their eyes meet in this lovely dance of introduction.  Joy’s hand is so warm, so comfortable, to Margaret.

“Hello Joy.  It is also a great pleasure to meet you!”

She puts an extra bit of spark into the last bit.  She does not want this young lady to see someone who is almost ninety before her.  Joy has to see the Margaret from long ago.

Within minutes Joy is sitting on the lone bed and chatting away with frenetic energy.  The entire history, starting with the sign up sheet at high school, the excitement of rushing over to be the first name on it, and the mystery of whom she would be paired with.  All these adventures, these thrills, pours out of Joy with all cylinders moving and flowing.  For Margaret, it is a marvel to behold.  Someone wants to be with her.  After all this time, the burden of these four walls of silence might just evaporate.

With that final thought, Margaret meets her reality.  Years of unspoken loneliness, never alluded to, never telegraphed, not even to the son who stayed around for awhile, or the even longer pain with the other son, who never calls, sends a card, or a much missed condolence.  Decades of why’s and whatnot’s keep poking into Margaret during all parts of the days and nights.  This wave pulls her physically from Joy and into herself.

She does not even notice the movement.  Joy crosses the threshold between them and gently holds Margaret in a light embrace.  Breathing together, arms wrapped, quiet fingers granting reassurance.  No words, just love.

After an eternity inside of a minute, Joy pulls herself in front of Margaret.  This teenage girl whose face is filled with hard to place exotic features, dark hair cascading over shoulders, and a glittery silver necklace dangling down into the air between them, sends waves of compassion to Margaret.  And the smile sends hope.

She returns the smile, but is still worried.  This wonderful girl would be gone in five weeks when the program ends.  This she knows to be true, for she imagines all that Joy sees is wrinkles and grey and someone from before everything.

“We are going to have the best time ever.”

Joy’s words surprises Margaret.  Maybe this girl wants to stay.  Maybe she wants to be friends.  Maybe.

“Yes, yes we are.”

Five weeks click by with four o’clock every weekday becoming a very special time.