CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/597876
CityViewNC.com | 13 colored light remnants went everywhere. And while none of us had seen the cat enter the room before she climbed the tree, and because all of us spun around in terror at the frightening sound of the ornaments exploding, all three of us wit- nessed Dynamite's fired-from-a-gun exit just before the moment that the upper- most branches to which she had ascend- ed finally joined the rest of the tree in its layered descent to the floor. You may remember the final days to Christmas moving slowly for children. You have no idea how slowly crept the quarter-hours until Mom arrived back home from her excursion that day. I am pretty sure John and I waited in the liv- ing room while Malcolm negotiated her from the back door to the scene of the actual calamity. She screamed in utter horror. Even in those final days when I pled our case to her one last time, Mom be- lieved that we had knocked down her Christmas creation. Furthermore, she always believed that we had conspired in fabricating a story to incriminate the cat while absolving ourselves regarding the demise of her perfect tree. On her sweet face in that waning moment was the look of forgiveness…but forgiveness of a lie she always thought we told. Our parents died 14 days apart last year. ey were not still married to each other, but they were fast friends. ey sat next to each other at my dining room table weeks before their deaths. I can always envision the faraway look in Pop's eyes when he would talk about heaven and about all of earth's unan- swerable questions for which he would finally have revelations in the next life. Dad enjoyed a couple of heavenly weeks in advance of Mom's arrival there. I hope that in their first reunion and with all his new answers to share, Dad convinced her that it was indeed the cat that pulled down the tree. It will greatly benefit my brothers upon their eventual arrival there. Sadly, there may never be permanent relief for me. You see, it stands to reason that with all Pop's new-found answers, Mom surely got around to asking who it was that allowed the cat inside in the first place. CV New Online Programs Begin Every Month! Limited $80 Scholarships Available! Call 910.678.8446 today or visit www.LearnFTCC.com for more information! No registration fees higher than $180! • Accounting Clerk • Administrative Office Assistant • Customer Service Representative • Records Clerk • Medical Administrative Assistant • Medical Coding Certification Exam Preparation • Medical Coding I • Computer Technician • Electronic Health Records Office Professional • Health Information Technology • ICD – 10 Fast Track for Professional Coders • Medical Billing (Intermediate) • Professional Medical Coding & Billing, Part I • Medical Transcription Editor I • Working in the Pharmacy 119 W Broad Street St Pauls, NC 910.865.5149

