TheBanyanTree: FALL IN ALL ITS GLORY

[Sharon Mack]

FALL IN ALL ITS GLORY  I had never been in New England before*never*not ever.  Hell, I hadn't ever been north of Houston.  Fall was pretty much like any other month there.  Maybe not as hot on some days but I can't say as there was a whole lotta' change.  Trees were dry and grass was dry after the long hot summer and that was the way it was* and it was all I knew and I didn't mind a bit.  It was home. Then Pop got a new job.  Still in the oil business but in a suit and in an office and up north and to the east.  What was that all about?  Why couldn't he just stay where he was?  We were doin' all right.  We had a little ranch and a horse or two and a cow.  We had the dogs and barn cats and everything was just like we wanted it.  I had my friends; they had theirs and now we were here all alone, 'cept for Aunt Miranda.  My grandpa and grandma were so sad they cried when we left.  I never even knew they could cry. Grandma was so upset she forgot to take off her apron before we left for the airport.  I could see her as we left them at the start of the security line, wavin' her hand up high at us and her apron flappin' with the movement of her hand.  She never even noticed, but I did.  I loved that apron. It woke me up in the morning and accompanied me at the breakfast table and greeted me at lunch smellin' like something just baked.  It never was retired to its hook on the wall until well after the dishes were washed and the last pot and pan was hung on the rack. The plane ride probably was really cool and maybe I should have paid attention but I just couldn't.  I had to concentrate on not crying.  I thought if I didn't cry then Ma wouldn't.  She really didn't look all that happy either, even though she held onto Pop's arm and smiled at him reassuringly.  I could see the sadness behind that smile. So here we are.  Everyone told me it was "lovely," it was "bee-utiful," yer gonna love it there."  I didn't see anything to make such a big deal about.  It rained all spring.  People even called it the mud season (and I could see why).  Summer was no big deal.  By the time it got warm enough to swim in the lakes summer was over.  "No humidity," they said, but I like humidity*that's how summer's s'pose to be.  Now they're all tellin' me to wait, that I'm 'gonna love fall foliage.  Fall foliage?  What the hell is that?  I never heard of such a thing!  Fall foliage!  It's just a bunch of leaves turnin' colors*what's the big deal? When Aunt Miranda asked me if I'd like to go and view the foliage in Vermont, just across the state line, I said yes just to make her happy.  I trudged to the car and got in the back with Momma.  Pop sat up front next to Aunt Miranda.  At least they were plannin' on going out to lunch.  Now that was somethin' I liked to do. We drove for just over an hour before we started climbin'.  I kept my eyes closed out of boredom and pretended to snooze.  'Fore long I heard Momma gasp and then I heard Pop roll down his window and murmur somethin' under his breath.  I opened my eyes a bit and found we were driving through the most beautiful scenario I had ever seen.  I sat up and rolled my window down, too.  Sun streamed down between the branches wherever it could, illuminating the colors to a vibrancy I had never seen before.  There was every shade and nuance of yellow, gold, red, orange and brown that you could imagine.  The branches reached out over the road from either side, meeting in the middle and only occasionally could you see the bluest of skies between the branches. "Wow," I whispered.  "Wow!"  I could hardly breath. We stopped in a little while at the top of the mountain.  A picnic table was in the small opening where we parked.  We all sat down but no one spoke.  We just looked and listened to the cool, soft wind rustling the leaves, shaking them down a bit at a time.  We watched them float to the ground and then skitter as a ground breeze pushed through.  It was absolutely the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  Nothing in Houston could ever compare to this.  I sat back, my arms folded across my chest and knew I was seeing fall in all its glory for the first time and loving every breathtaking minute of it.