Much to Mel's surprise she did have a nice time at the matinee with Donnie and his company was much appreciated. It was most certainly over a year since the four of them had the most disastrous break up in the history of failed relationships. Even though she had been coming around to understanding the fact that Niles never truly did belong to her as far as the rules of love, it still left her pride wounded greatly. He made an ass out of her so to speak. He didn't mean to but it stung and it hit so close to home. Really, she should have known to follow her instincts after getting to know Daphne. Mel was almost dumbstruck when she met Daphne at first. The long brown hair and the sparkling brown eyes. That gracious and warm smile and the gentle feel of her hand as she shook them. It was the very image of her past.
Cora played with her crayons and sheets of paper that the nanny made sure to leave out for her. Nanny Beth was her name and she talked to the tiny child only to utter few words of importance that either scolded or disciplined. Nanny Beth could hardly be at fault for being so hard on the girl for she never fancied children. She was hired as one of the housekeepers but her Mother managed to finagle her into being a Nanny of all things.
Cora's mother was a psychologist and was a member to many elitist society functions that left her very little time with her child. Her father was an aspiring pianist and a music professor. He preferred to leave the crowds where they belonged and spend a little more time with his little angel. Cora loved her father very much and she loved someone else too.
Nanny Beth had left for reasons she was too young to really fret over at the mere age of six. Only about a week later her mother and father introduced her to Melanie Deloise. Melanie seemed to have far more patience and kindness towards children than anyone Cora ever met besides her father. Melanie played with her fairly often and talked to her despite Cora not being much of a talker. The six year old never seemed to mind lending an ear to her. Cora valued Melanie and saw that she had many things to learn from this woman. Like hair braiding. Melanie did many patterns in Cora's hair that looked rather adorable with her many curls. This constant braiding seemed to make her curious and made her more brazen to suddenly stick her little fingers in Melanie's hair to try to figure out exactly how she could do a braid. She was not successful at all because the woman had so much hair that her little hands couldn't possibly hold it all. Her thick brown hair just wrapped around her fingers and went awry. Cora looked into Melanie's kind brown eyes as they smiled at her. She seemed so discouraged at being unable to make a braid that Melanie couldn't help but cheer her up by bringing the tickle monster to her sides. She giggled with glee and Melanie tossed her up so she'd rest on her hip while they both went out the front door and straight downtown to the ice cream shop. This became a weekly ritual for well over five years and the folks always enjoyed their company. Melanie never stepped foot in that shop without Cora at her side so the little girl was dubbed, 'Little Mel' until she was just 'Mel'.
When Cora turned 11 years old she had the misfortune of catching her mother, father and Melanie in the midst of a meltdown of an argument. Cora knew her mother possessed a furious temper but at that night she was wild and frightening. They tried to keep the argument away from Cora but that wasn't going to be possible. As luck would have it she wasn't the only one who loved Melanie.
Her father and Melanie had been having an affair for three years which in the end broke up the entire family, each of them by themselves. She still remembered the conversation she had with her father a couple months later.
"Why didn't you just divorce Mother?" Cora asked simply looking for a sensible answer yet shaking in anger.
"What?" He asked completely unprepared to be questioned at the time.
"I know she wasn't the most wonderful person on the planet, but you could have at least done the respectable action and divorced her before you felt your selfish need to make Melanie your dirty little secret?" Cora sputtered. "It's lovely really, the only woman who was more of a mother to me than my own is now considered a maid whore of her pompous society groups."
"It's not that easy, angel." Her father uttered knowing what they both did was hurtful.
"Fine." Cora answered. "But you only make me suffer. Melanie is gone for good."
Mel still finds herself wondering what happened to her namesake after all these years. She sat in a local garden in Seattle gazing at the vibrant flowers. Being stuck between Niles and Daphne only served to remind her of that horrible experience and worst of all, turned her into her mother, the last person she ever wanted to become. She hated that she was just second best in the relationship but she had to give Niles credit where her father failed. He told her when it really mattered. She wasn't lying when she said she loved Niles. He reminded her of something familiar and loving. He could relate to her in some ways and he did make her happy. Oddly enough, amidst all of her jumbled thoughts she ended up walking so far that she was standing outside the Montana.
