Cissy's Misery
Cissy Blythe walked slowly and sadly along a meandering country road that would led her to the Lowbridge Presbyterian manse; she had a letter for the Mrs. Rev. Jerry Meredith from her mother, Mrs.Dr. Jem Blythe. She was a small girl for her twelve years, small and beautiful. She had lovely dark hair and midnight blue eyes. Anne was wont to call her fairylike because she did possess an otherworldly quality about her. Cissy's face often spoke of childhood joy that made all those who looked upon her happier. Normally, Cissy would have enjoyed the solitary walk because it would have given her the chance to enjoy the view and be free in herself, but today, she was distracted by other affairs. Her only bosom friend, Lucilla Rider, had moved away to Alberta. The two girls had had a rather tearful parting and Cissy was certain that she would never love anyone as much as she had loved Lucilla. The best and worst part of it was that Lucilla had loved her too, with all her heart. The two girls promised to write each other weekly but Cissy had her doubts. Alberta was so far away from Glen St. Mary, it might as well be on the other side of the moon. It was hopeless.
Life, Cissy reckoned, had been rather unfair to her in short life-especially in the way of bosom friends. It seemed to her that she could never keep one for very long- at least not one that lived close enough to play with. First, when she was six, her best friend and cousin- Sara Blythe had moved to Montreal because her father had gotten a job there. That had been horrible for Cissy- it meant that she was all alone with her brothers and boy cousins. Mother had always suggested that she play more with Una Douglass but Cissy didn't see how she possibly could. Una was just like a boy herself, always getting into awful trouble and, horror of horrors, spitting! Cissy loved it when her cousins from Avonlea came to visit because they were all girls. Cissy felt very comforted by them, especially Emogene, but the trouble was that they lived so far away and could rarely visit. So, Cissy began to pray that God would give her a sister, after all, hadn't he given Emogene oodles of sisters? But after three months of praying, nothing happened and Cissy abandoned the quest. Mother had found her crying and had told her that she would have to learn to be content with her brothers. But how Cissy could be content when she was so unhappy. Then, like a rainbow, Lucilla had come into her life and they had had three splendid years together. But Lucilla had moved away and Cissy was certain that she would never find a friend again- at least not a constant one.
So it was, with all this on her conscience that Cissy finally made it to the Lowbrige manse. Cissy generally loved it because it was always so lively. But today, she didn't care too much for it because it only offered her boys for playmates. The thought of her five cousins coming at her just now after she had lost her dearest friend was almost more than she could endure. Cissy went up the walk and rang the doorbell, praying that only her Aunt Nan would be home for she felt close to tears. Fate, it turned out, didn't hate her as much as she thought for it was Aunt Nan who answered the door.
"Why Cissy dear, won't you come in and have some tea with me? The boys have gone off on a fishing trip with their father and won't be back until later tonight." Nan said, smiling down on her niece. Nan always loved it when Cissy came to visit her for she hadn't any daughters of her own and the two had a rather special relationship. Faith was alway so busy doing community things that Nan was like a second mother to Cecilia. Cissy often came up to Nan and the two would have tea together--making Miss Cecilia feel quite grownup.
"Oh, I loved to but I only came by to drop off this note Mother wrote you." Cissy gave her Aunt the note and then turned to leave before she started crying on the spot. Normally, Cissy would have liked to have confided in her aunt but she was dubious just now about how much grownups really understood- after all, her own mother hadn't understood how much she wanted a sister--no, needed a sister to be a friend.
Nan noticed immediately that something was upsetting Cissy not only because the two were rather close but also because Cissy was a very easy child to read. How could one not notice when a rainbow seemed to have lost a bit of her shine and sparkle? "Cissy, wait for a moment, I want to write your mother back. Can't you come inside for a cooky? Maybe that will make you feel better. Won't you tell me what the trouble is,darling? Perhaps I can help."
Cissy reluctantly went inside and sat down at the kitchen table. Aunt Nan got her a cooky and a small cup of tea. Drinking tea usually made Cissy very happy because it made her feel like a grownup lady but today it wasn't helping very much. "Oh Aunt Nan, I just feel so miserable.I think I should like to go up in our old barn and have a good cry."
Nan sat down by the girl and put her arm around her, she loved little girls so much it was odd how she had never had any. "Is it because Lucilla moved to Alberta?" Mrs. Rider had also been a close friend of Nan's and she was also suffering from the loss. In fact, the whole community would be missing the Riders for they had been a very well-liked family.
"Oh yes, but it's more than that. I feel so blue because I have no little girls that are near enough to play with. Of course I love my brothers and my cousins but they don't understand everything. They won't play dress-up or dolls and I wouldn't want them to anyway. There were some girls at school but none as dear as Lucilla, besides, today was the last day of school and I won't see them much over the summer. I just wish that I would have some little girl my own age to play with this summer. I get so lonely sometimes and with Lucilla gone, I know I'll be twice as lonely." Cissy wept out to her Aunt Nan as she tried to eat her cooky, although it was impossible to eat when she was in the depths of despair.
"Cissy, darling, you're forgetting. You will have playmate this summer, why the reunion will be here before you know it." Nan said as if that settled the matter completely.
"But, Aunt Nan, the reunion isn't for another three months. I won't have anyone to play with in the mean time." Cissy moaned, Aunt Nan didn't seem to understand very much after all. Sometimes grownups were hopeless, even grownups who normally understood.
"Cissy, my dear, I think you're a little confused. The reunion is in two weeks not three months! We had to change it because your Uncle Shirley and Aunt Elisabeth couldn't come then. Didn't your father tell you? Why, your Uncle Walter, Aunt Una, and your cousin Sara are all coming this Thursday and they mean to stay all summer. Some of your Aunt Di's girls, Emogene and Evie--I think, are going to be staying over at Ingleside all summer as well. You'll be swimming in playmates my dear." Nan said to the bewildered child.
"The reunion has been moved? In two weeks? This Thursday? Sara? Perhaps Emogene, all summer? Oh, Aunt Nan! Oh, Aunt Nan! Do you really mean it?" Cissy gasped out--not even two weeks before she'd have the prospect of more playmates and her favorites meant to stay!
"Yes, darling. Do you feel better now? With everyone running around, I doubt that you'll be very lonely this summer." Nan patted the little girl on the head and went to get her another cooky. Cissy's appetite was sure to be returning. After all, how can one continue to be in the depths of despair with such promising news as that?
"I feel--I feel- I can't explain it. It's like I might burst for joy. Oh life isn't such a dreary thing after all, is it?" Cissy exclaimed as she gladly took the monkey face cooky from her dear aunt.
"No darling, it isn't. Here, I've finished the note to your mother. You'd better run along home." Nan said to the clearly excited girl and watched her run out to door and head home. Nan decided that she'd better have a talk with Faith, perhaps one of the girls could stay with Cissy this summer or she might go down to Ingleside for awhile. She hadn't fully appreciated how hard it must be on Cissy to be the only girl.
Meanwhile, Cissy ran down the road with a burst of gladness in her heart. Life wouldn't be such a lonely thing after all. She would have oodles and oodles of cousins to play dress-up with and they wouldn't make fun of her either, she was sure. It was going to be a thrilling summer--a summer full of girls!