A Mate for Christmas

Patrisha

Patrisha Jackson lived in a light grey house surrounded by a white fence with a trimmed front yard and a small flower garden planted on the right and left sides of the house. Inside, Patrisha finished waking up and was making herself breakfast and coffee. Patrisha was fifty-five years old and was initially born in Somalia. Her skin was ebony, her eyes were black, and her black hair was curly and lustrous and put in a ponytail. Her face had a sense of softness covering the toughness deep within. Patrisha was slightly overweight but stood tall at five feet and eight inches. 

It was Saturday morning, Thanksgiving and Black Friday had passed, and preparations for the holiday had begun in Long Beach and nationwide. She was surprised that Maeve didn't call her to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving but thought that Maeve and her mother were busy.

Patrisha finished cooking her breakfast and took a few bites until her phone rang. When she looked at the caller ID, she was surprised to see who it was: Maeve's Mother. "Good morning, Laoise. I'm surprised you would call early in the morning."

"Good morning, Patrisha. I'm sorry for calling so early, but I wanted to ask if you recieved any call from Maeve?"

Patrisha was slightly surprised. She knew Maeve was going out with Stephen since he might have proposed. Maeve would have called her, but she didn't, and if Laoise had called to find out about her daughter, then something was wrong. "No, I haven't. I know that she and Stephen went out on Wednesday and she didn't call me all day yesterday. Didn't you two have Thanksgiving together?"

"No. She didn't arrive at my house or call. We also usually shop on Black Friday, but we didn't go. I'm getting worried." Laoise was silent for a moment and sighed. "I was hoping that this wasn't the case, but I have a feeling that something happened with Stephen."

"That would make sense. Maeve hadn't called me whether or not he proposed. D-Do you think that something may have happened?"

It was silent on the other end; Patrisha knew something had gone wrong. "I can't shake off the possibility. Patrisha, I wanted to ask if you could check up on her. I am at the hospital for a doctor's appointment. I will go to her once I'm out."

"Sure thing, Laoise. I'll head there once I'm done with my breakfast." The women hung up, and Patrisha sighed as she looked at her breakfast. She wolfed breakfast and dressed in simple light blue pants, a plain dark blue t-shirt, and a gray jacket. After her conversation with Laoise, concern overwhelmed her. Patrisha and Maeve were co-teachers in the same school; Patrisha was also Maeve's mentor when she began her teacher training. When she first met, Patrisha liked Maeve; the young woman had a bright and cheerful personality. The students felt at ease and happy whenever they were with her. The teachers became good friends and would rely on each other.

Patrisha left her home, got in her 2011 Toyota Camry, and drove to Maeve's place. The drive felt like an eternity; the older woman prayed that Maeve was safe. Upon arrival, Patrisha parked her car on the street in front of the house that Maeve rented from an elderly couple who lived in Mexico. She walked toward the small dark green house and knocked on the wooden door. She waited for a response, but there was no response. Patrisha knocked again. "Maeve, it's me! Please open the door! Your Momma is worried sick about you!" Again, there was no response. Maeve could do something to herself, and Patrisha refused to idle and wait. She got the extra key Maeve gave her in case of emergencies and opened the door. 

Once inside, the lights were off, and the house was still clean and neat, but the kitchen was slightly in disarray since there were boxes of Chinese takeout and bags from Burger King. A sound came from Maeve's room as she walked toward the living room; the door was slightly opened. "M-Maeve, hun?" Patrisha slowly walked toward the door, stopped, and then knocked. There was no response, but the noise was still there. "I know you're in there, Maeve. I'm coming in." The older woman slowly opened the door; Maeve was in bed watching television. Maeve was still in her pajamas; her red hair was messy. Her eyes looked dead and emotionless as they looked straight at the television. On each side of her bed were cabinets with sodas, water bottles, and plates of half-eaten food. "Oh, Maeve." Patrisha slowly entered and sat on the corner of Maeve's bed. She looked at the television and noticed that Legally Blonde was on air. The women were silent momentarily until the older woman decided to break the silence. "It didn't go well, did it, hun?" Maeve lay on the bed motionless but didn't say anything. "It's alright to feel sad, Maeve, but you shouldn't let this ruin you."

"He lied to me..."

"How?"

"He lost his feelings for me years ago but stayed." Maeve looked away from Patrisha. "All that time I wasted with a man who lost his feelings. I-I had hopes and dreams with him, but it was for nothing. I have nothing anymore."

Patrisha felt terrible for the young woman. Maeve always spoke highly and kindly about Stephen. The older woman met him several times, and he seemed respectful, but she noticed something off about him; she didn't want to involve herself in Maeve's life. She slowly put her hand over Maeve's right foot and gave it a gentle pat. "I understand it feels that way. Trust me, I know. I felt that when Jai'la died, I thought that my life was over. However, life moves on, and one must keep on living. There is always hope and opportunities." 

Maeve slowly looked at Patrisha as she bit her lower lip. "Is that what you believed after your wife died?"

"Yes and no. However, I had to keep on going since Jai'la would have wanted me to. She wouldn't accept me using her death as an excuse not to live. I realized that I'm not alone in this world. I found new love with the kids I work with and my friends. I have a purpose, and I know you do too." Patrisha moved on closer until she was next to Maeve. "You're young, and this is only a stepping stone in your life that you can learn from. There are other paths you can go on. You have people like me and your mom to help you find the right one." An idea came to her. "Tell you what, take a week off."

This surprised Maeve. "A week? But Thanksgiving break is about to end, and we already had a week off."

"Who cares? You still have sick days off that you haven't used, so use them. You need more time for yourself and don't worry about the class. I will get our usual substitute. Besides, the holidays are upon us, and there are events you can go to. I heard there's an app called, 'Friends & More' where adults can meet up as groups and go to fun events."

Maeve was thoughtful and massaged her eyes. "I-I guess you're right. I'm still not in the right state of mind."

"There you go. Oh, and call your momma. She's worried sick about you. How about this? We will all have a nice belated Thanksgiving dinner. Afterward, we will have a late shopping spree. I will not take 'no' for an answer.'

Maeve chuckled softly. She felt slightly motivated and was grateful for her best friend. "Alright, that sounds nice." The young woman went to Patrisha and hugged her. The older woman smiled and hugged her back.