CHAPTER 10: NIGHT AT THE RESORT LODGE
The Mitchells' family were gathered to enjoy warmth at the stone fire pit outside their cabin. Also refreshing was the cool night air of the Evergreen Mountain Adventure Resort. The beautiful Towering pine trees stood as dark shape outlines, while sparks from the fire raised up to join the stars in the wide open sky. The leaves from the trees made a soft noise mingled with the cry of a night bird in the distant.
As she enjoyed the warmth of the fire, Emma shook her knees. She looked around at her family, taking note of the sudden way peace has returned to the family. This was the first time in a long while that they were all gathered together like this, simply sitting quietly and enjoying the discussion of the moment. Her junior ones, Tyler and Lily, stared into the flickering flames, their faces being lighted by the orange color brightness.
Mr. Mitchell stretched out his legs and sighed, breaking the silence. "It has been a while since we have had this kind of gathering," he said, his voice soft. Mrs. Mitchell gave a faint smile. "Can you remember that camping trip we took to the lake when the children were still younger? Then, Emma was so afraid of the darkness, that made us keep the tent light on all night." Emma giggles, a hint of awkwardness made her cheeks to look different. "I remember that vividly. Whenever I heard a noise, I thought it was a bear coming to attack us." Her father out a long laughter that, left the sound echoing into the stillness of the night. "And you would not let anyone sleep until you were convinced that there was nothing hunting us."
They all laughed together, and for a brief interval, the tension that had gripped the family seemed to reduce. The laughter went down, and the place became quite silent. Emma felt most things that could have been said, are left suspended in the air. She looked at her parents, taking note of the worry and sadness in their expressions. Their coming here was for a reason, to find a way of regaining each other's trust, to confront the issues that had made their family to be broken. But now, in this peaceful way they have gathered, the fact that they all have of pain seems most practical.
Emma stood up where she was sitting having mixed thoughts, and took a few steps away from the fire. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and was looking out at the dark mountains, which continues its length without ending into the horizon. There was something that gave them joy by their coming to the mountain resort, standing strong and not giving up, even as the world around them changed.
Emma's mind tried to reflect on the memories of occasions when they used to stay together; family dinners filled with laughter, summer road trips, and holiday mornings spent opening gifts around the tree. Those days seems to be far away now, like a dream she could barely remember. She thought about the sour manner in which the parents have related in the past one year. Things has not been the way they ought to be, she has noticed her parents pulling away from each other, their conversations not going normal as it should be.
She recall those nights when she would hear her mother's silent cries in the next room, or the quiet arguments behind closed doors, haunted her. With all these missing in the family, Emma knew there was trouble between the father and mother in their marriage, but seeing them here, trying to pretend everything was fine, made it even more difficult. She felt being at the center of the decisions; trying to see that her family lives in peace as one and knowing that not being truthful to each other cannot remove the pain that was clearly destroying the family.
Taking a deep breath, Emma turned back to enjoy the fire, with a resolve in her mind to face the truth. Whatever happened, she like her family to confront it together. She was not willing to lose them to silence where there is no good communication and each one keeps secrets.
Emma came back to her seat, only to find out her parents were sitting without talking with each other and, their faces turned away from each other. The tension between them was something you could see in the way they breath, and Emma understood that they were waiting for each other to speak.
Finally, Sarah her mother, broke the silence, her voice hardly to be heard by the next person. "James… do you think we can ever go back to the way we were?"
Mr. Mitchell stared into the fire, his jaw clenched. "I don't know, Sarah," he said slowly. "A lot has happened. And… I am not sure if we can forget about all of that."
Sarah turned her face downwards, her hands twisting together in her lap. "I know I made mistakes," she said, with an unsteady voice. "I thought we could get over it together by starting afresh. I thought our love was strong enough."
Mr. Mitchell sighed, his countenance getting calm as he looked at his wife. "You are not the only person who made mistakes," he agreed. "I did not speak the truth with you either. I thought, maybe if I kept quiet, we could pretend everything was fine. But I did not realize the level of pain you would suffer in the end."
The wife felt surprised at the degree of honesty in his voice, and tears filled her eyes. "I only wished that our family remain as one together," she whispered. "I thought if I ignored my feelings, if I forced my way through, everything would be in order."
As they both spoke, it seems their words did not still enter anyone's heart, being said in the right manner and painful. Emma felt as if something held her in her throat as she listened to her parents admit the things they had been keeping as secrets. She observed that, despite everything, they were both tryin,g in their own ways. But the hurt and mistrust had grown so large that they didn't know how to reach each other anymore.
Emma felt she could not continue to keep silen. Her family was getting destroyed by the day and she sits there watching? She took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and spoke up.
"Mom, Dad, I need to say something," she said, though her voice was strong, she felt weak inside. Her parents turned to her being surprised at what she will say, Emma's heart was pounding, but she forced herself to keep talking. "For sometime now, I have known something was wrong. And I know it is not easy for either of you. But I do not want us to keep pretending everything is alright when it is not."
Fresh tears filled Sarah's eyes again . "Emma, we never wanted you to be affected in this way. We thought we could handle it on our own." This made Emma to shake her head, and her voice clouded with feelings. "No matter how you tried, it has affected all of us. I just want us to be a family in reality. But we can not do that if we keep hiding things from each other."
Her father James reached over, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Emma, we're so sorry," he said softly. "We were thinking that keeping you out of this, we were protecting you, but we were wrong. We should have been honest."Emma tried to breath but it was shaky, her eyes turned and met with that of her parents'. "I know it is not easy to face the truth. But if we keep hiding from it, we will never be able to heal."
Her words seemed to cut through the mist of pain and confusion that they had passed through. For the first time, her parents looked at each other, truly looked, and saw the injury they had caused. They now saw the damages their choices has caused on their children, the way their silence had hurt the people they loved most.
The next morning, the family met with the therapist, who suggested they should carry out a healing exercise: this involves each family member writing a letter stating their true feelings, without reservation and truth ful.
Emma was sitting on a desk by the window, looking at the plain piece of paper in front of her. She wanted to put all her feelings into Writing, to capture the love and pain she felt for her family. She started writing gently, pouring her heart into the letter. She wrote about the love she had for her parents, her hope for their family, and her desire for them to find a way forward, together.
Her father, James sat in his own room, with a pen in his hand, struggling to find the right words. He wrote about his regrets, the choices he had made, and his desire to repair the breakages he had caused. He accepted he has made mistakes and acknowledged the pain he had caused his wife and children. For the first time, he allowed himself to be held responsible, to put his deepest fears and regrets onto a written form
Sarah's letter was preoccupied with the love and hurt she had carried for so long. She wrote about her ideal state of their family, the joy and laughter they once shared, and her wish to rebuild their life together. She acknowledged her mistakes and the ways she had failed to communicate, hoping that these words would serve as a basis for healing.
It was another evening, and they all gathered around the fire once more, they read their letters aloud, one after the other. Each word from either of the letters, was a revelation, opening up layers of pain and misunderstanding, bringing them closer together. The letters caused tears, apologies, and long silences, but with each of it, the heavy weight they had been bearing began to be brought down.
The night was getting late, but the Mitchell family were still sitting around the fire, with a relief in their hearts. They had a long way to go, but for the first time in months, they felt a glimmer of hope. James took Sarah his wife's hand, squeezing it gently. "I am willing to try... if you are," he said gently.
Sarah nod her head in agreement, her eyes filled with tears. "I am. I do not want to lose this family. I want us to get fully reconciled" Emma smiled, feeling as if they used water to bath and wash her of all those problems. She knew it would not be easy, but she believed that her family would be able to get over it in a short while.
As they sat together, watching the fire burn down to ashes, they made a silent promise to each other, a promise that together they will face the future, no matter how difficult it might be.