Page 129 of Meet Me in the Valley
Nora presses her quivering lips together, trying to stay composed, but it’s useless now. The tears are steady, quiet. Mom’s hand trembles against her cheek. For a moment that lasts a lifetime, neither of them moves—the only reminder that this isn’t a figment of my imagination is the flicker in their gaze as they search each other’s faces.
Then Mom lets out a soft, broken laugh. It’s part joy, part disbelief. Her fingers brush through a strand of Nora’s hair, like she’s trying to memorize her by touch.
“My girl,” she whispers. “You’re real.”
Nora kneels beside her, still holding her hand, forehead resting gently against Mom’s knee. “I’m here, Mama. I’m sorry it took me so long.”
Mom shakes her head, tears slipping down her cheeks now, too. She gently strokes Nora’s hair, exactly the way she would when we were kids. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
Cali steps forward, inching closer, eyes wide and solemn. Dad notices her, and his eyes instantly fill with unshed tears. He gently places a steadying hand on her shoulder. Cali looks up at him, unsure, and he offers her a soft, reassuring nod. Dad was always the best at reading between the lines. He knew the minute his eyes landed on Cali that she was his granddaughter.
“Nora,” Mom says again, almost like she can’t believe she gets to say it out loud. “I knew you’d come home. One day.”
Nora lifts her head, blinking through tears. “You did?”
Mom smiles through her tears. “Maybe not up here,” she says, tapping her temple. “But somewhere in here.” She taps her chest. “I felt it. I never stopped.”
The silence that follows is thick with everything they haven’t said, everything they’ve survived apart. But in it, there’s no anger. Just ache. And love. And a beginning.
I reach for Cali’s hand and guide her toward them, my own eyes burning now.
“Mama, there’s someone else I want you to meet.”
Mom turns, her eyes landing on Cali for the first time. She blinks—startled, maybe—but not confused. It seems Mom and Dad share the same intuition. Mom’s smile is bright and the most genuine she could give.
“And who might this little sunshine be?”
Cali looks up at her grandmother, then back at Nora, who nods with a tearful smile.
“This,” Nora says, voice shaking with pride, “is Cali. Calista. Your granddaughter.”
Cali surprises us all by launching herself into my mother’s arms, squeezing the life out of her. Nora instinctively steps forward, a flicker of panic in her eyes, ready to tell her to ease up. But before she can, Cali pulls back with a wide, brace-faced grin.
“Hi, Gran—uh. Okay, now what do I get to call you? Gran? Nana? Gram-Gram? Gam-Gam? Gammy? Or are you more of a classic Grandma? Or maybe something more Southern since you lived in Texas—that’s what my mom told me, anyway. So, like, Meemaw? I don’t know if I like that. But if you do, I can compromise. Mom says I need to learn to compromise. I’m only twelve, but she says it’s a skill I’ll need to learn the older I get.”
The emotional tension vanishes in an instant, replaced by laughter none of us can hold back. Mom keeps her arms wrapped around Cali’s waist, eyes glowing as she studies her granddaughter’s face like she’s a miracle come to life.
Our past as a family may be complicated, but moments like this make the long road feel more than worth it.
“Well,Cali Calista,” Mom croons, brushing a hand gently down her arm. “I’ve always wanted to be an Oma. That’s what I called my grandmother. How does that sound to you?”
“O-ma,” Cali repeats slowly, testing it out. “Yeah! I like that. Oma.”
But then her eyes fly open, and she spins toward my dad, realization dawning.
“You’re my grandpa.”
“I am,” Dad says, amused, his brows lifting.
Cali steps in front of him, looking up like he’s ten feet tall. Which, to be fair, is exactly how I see him too—a man of quiet strength and a galaxy-sized heart.
“But you’re white.”
“Calista Constance Young!” Nora hisses, face turning crimson. Mom covers her mouth to hide a laugh, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek not to do the same. But then Mom’s eyes light up as she looks at Nora and mouths,“Constance?”
Nora nods with a smile. My mom’s name.
“What?” Cali turns to her mom with a helpless shrug. “I wasn’t trying to be rude! I swear I have a point.”
