Missing Crystal: Day 7, NaPoWriMo

Again, the missing crystal comes to mind, dainty glasses so tiny that 
one could crush a cordial glass in the palm of the hand. I reasoned that

I wouldn’t have left them with the ex, even with my large heart U seem

to be so burdened by. Why forgive all that cheating and betrayal,

name calling and secrets? Because I want to practice what my father

taught me: Treat others the same way you want to be treated. He didn’t 

practice this, of course, but I believe in the mantra. My vindictive mother

sipped Crème de menthe from the tiny cut-crystal cordials, smaller

than the dolls she gave me when I was entered fourth grade, her childhood

dolls, so lovely in their crocheted dresses that my grandmother made.

Special to her, but I would be careful, right? I immediately ironed their

hair to smooth it. Really, I take care of my things, so where is the crystal 

I so carefully wrapped when I moved to Bellingham, the box lost some-

where along the way. But those dolls, I still have them. The elastic bands 

are brittle, their hair’s a whirlwind. Their eyes no longer open and close

in sync, and their heads aren’t on straight.  Ha, that’s what my mother used

to say, “My head isn’t on straight.” And then she’d sip more cordial,

refilling the tiny crystal stem multiple times, tugging hard on a menthol

at the same time.  My friend called me recently, saying she was cleaning

out her basement. The junk men were coming, hauling everything away.

If I wanted my stuff, come and get it.  Ah, I found them at last, the taped

U-haul box sitting atop the cedar chest with the water-damaged lid. You

know how it is when you go through a traumatic event, everything blurs

but the pain in your heart. Your body knows the speediest way to heal,

to get through the pain it must prioritize. The crystal is now unpacked,

beautiful cut glass stemware  and bird-size sipping tumblers. Precious 
because they were my mother’s. She loved all kinds of glassware: goblets,

cordials, snifters, martini glasses, champagne flutes, and Old Fashioned.