A Mate for Christmas

Spirit

With Patrisha's insistence and motivation, Maeve got out of bed and showered warmly. Her heartbreak weakened her, but Maeve knew she had to overcome it. After her shower, she changed into a simple light pink shirt with a light brown sweater over it, dark blue jeans, and short brown boots. Patrisha assisted her with drying and brushing her hair, and as the older woman was about to finish, there was a knock on the door. Maeve was about to stand to open it, but Patrisha motioned her to sit; she went to the living room and opened the door.

On the other side was an older woman who looked to be in her early to mid-sixties. Her light grayish hair was in an elegant bun with some strands coming out. Her eyes were light blue, and her skin was slightly pale, making her shine. There were slight wrinkles and age spots, but there was slight makeup that tried to cover them. Her lips were thin and light pink, but pink lips gloss made them shine and plumper. The older woman had a bit of a thin appearance that made it seem like she hardly ate, but her clothes made her look lively. "Oh, Laoise, thank goodness you came."

The women hugged, and Laoise entered the house as she put her bag on a nearby sofa. "Patrisha, I tried coming as fast as I could, but my...appointment took longer than I thought. I appreciate you coming here. How is Maeve?" 

Patrisha sighed while putting her hands on her waist. "At first, Maeve looked bad. It seems Stephen didn't propose after all; he left her. I think it's best that she tells you."

They slowly walked toward Maeve's room, where they saw her in the mirror, putting on some earrings. When Maeve saw the woman's reflection, she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to look at her mother. Laoise saw her daughter's expression in the mirror and knew Maeve was embarrassed and heartbroken. It hurt her to see her daughter in that state. The older woman slowly walked behind her daughter and hugged her. "It's alright, Maeve. There's no need to be embarrassed. We all have to go through some sort of heartbreak once in our life."

Her mother's hugs made her embarrassment dwindle. She slowly opened her eyes but still couldn't turn to look at her mother. "Y-You told me that if a man doesn't propose after being together a couple of years, then something isn't right. I ignored you and chose to be blinded by the truth. I-I let this happen. I let myself get hurt."

"You were in love, Maeve. Love makes us blind, but love can give us hope." Laoise motioned her daughter to turn to her, which she did. When Maeve still wouldn't look at her, Laoise motioned her face to face her. "There is no shortcut to love, Maeve. Love can lead to many paths, and when walking through those paths, you experience things. Some can be short; others can be long; some can be tranquil, while others can be painful." The young woman felt a tear dripping down her left eye. "It's okay to feel sad, angry, and confused. However, you will bring yourself out and become stronger. You will meet the one who will see what you see."

Patrisha stood by the door and watched the mother and daughter take their moment. It made her heart soar; memories of her childhood slowly came back to her. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the memories of her family back in Sudan; it only brought her pain. Patrisha cleared her throat, making the duo look at her. "Well, I wanted to see if you want to cook something for our belated Thanksgiving dinner or we should order something?"

"C-Can we cook something? I need to do something to get out of my negative thoughts."

The older women agreed and went to the kitchen, where some meat was defrosted since it was in the refrigerator instead of the freezer. It was decided turkey would not be cooked since it took a while; mother and daughter decided to cook Irish dishes. Patrisha learned some recipes since Maeve taught her a few things here and there. It took two and half hours to cook: Irish stew, soda bread, boiled bacon with cabbage, and black and white pudding. The plates of food were put on the table; Laoise and Patrisha poured themselves pink wine. Maeve got herself a raspberry tea.  

The women sat at the table and served themselves the food they wanted. "Now, let's say what we are thankful for. I'll go first." Patrisha smiled as she looked at her friends. "I am thankful to be here with both of you and have met both of you when I first came to this state. If I hadn't, I don't know if I would have made it." Maeve and Laoise looked at Patrisha with softness. "Anyway, who's next?"

Maeve motioned her mother to go next; the older woman looked at the stew and sighed. "I'm thankful for having you both in my life. Life has been difficult, and I know there will be difficult times ahead, but I can overcome anything with you two."

The older women then looked at Maeve, who looked thoughtful about what to say. "Like you two, I'm grateful to have my friends and family helping me go through these difficult times. I'm also thankful for deciding to have a new beginning."

"Well said, Maeve. Now let's have our fill and then we'll go to the mall and find us some deals for the holidays. Decorations tend to start after Thanksgiving ends!"

Patrisha and Laoise began to eat and began to discuss Christmas decorations. Maeve was slowly eating her stew; it was her father's favorite. She felt her father was always with her whenever she made and ate the stew. Maeve felt the warmth of the stew fill her entire body; she looked at her phone. The young woman went to Google and researched the app that Patrisha told her about, Friends & More. The app was downloaded, which took five minutes. Once downloaded, she created an account asking for the usual information and her interests.

Her interests included books, concerts, food tasting, flowers, etc. When everything was completed, the app showed her lists of occurring events. "What are you looking at, Maeve?" asked Laoise.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I downloaded an app that Patrisha told me about. I-I thought it would be nice to try it out."

"That's the spirit, Maeve. I'm proud that you are taking the first steps toward starting over. You will use your sick days, right?"

Maeve nodded. "I do need more time off. I hardly go out on my own; it would be nice to meet other people." She continued to eat her stew and other bits of food while speaking to Patrisha and her mother. However, there were times when Maeve glanced at her phone. Deep down, she hoped for some holiday miracle.