Finding You

Part 1

"Ugh, is it necessary to wear a corset, Mom?", Allison asked in distaste.
" Mom! Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, baby I'm listening to you, it's just I have to complete this mail and send it to my boss, it's urgent. I'm sorry baby. And yes, you have to wear that corset. You know how grandma wants everything to be perfect for this party." Her mom said.

"Ugh, fine. I get it !", Allison said.

"Now hurry up and get ready. We have to leave soon"

Since she had heard about the miraculous discovery of Ryan, she had seen a change in her grandma, like never before. Her grandma before Ryan was constantly gloomy and lost in a world where nobody besides her belonged.
Allison had never seen the glow in her grandma's eyes as she did when she was with Ryan.

Ryan made her genuinely happy. She could see that and she yearned that one day she would meet her Ryan too, however she did not want to wait 50 years for that. She was rapturously waiting to meet Ryan and hear the infamous letter that brought them together.

She had to stop her imagination of meeting the right one when she heard her dad knock on the door to see if she was ready.

" Allison, come on we have to go. We're getting late", Her dad said.

Allison followed her dad towards the car and they waited for her mom to come who came rushing after 15 minutes of packing her face with makeup. She rushed towards the car as it was snowing and she did not want to ruin her gown.

Grandma Cece's house was one of those old decadent houses which had this huge ballroom. It gave Allison butterflies in her stomach every time she walked into it. Grandma Cece had inherited the house from her mother.

Allison had worn a black gown which accentuated her blue eyes. Allison rushed towards Cece when she saw her standing with Ryan greeting the guests. She loved Cece and always hoped she would find her happiness.

" Hey, Allison, my kiddo, how're you? You look so gorgeous in that dress. Your grandma tells me you're inquisitive about how we met", Ryan said.

" Ryan, I think you look dashing in that tuxedo. And, yes, I do want to know how you guys met. So what's the mystery. Spill the beans, Ryan", Allison said jumping up and down.

Ryan and Cece both chuckled looking at each other.

" Ryan, now don't you keep her waiting. Go on tell her our story. The girl is practically jumping", Cece said.

" Okay, okay I will. Come on, Allison let's take a walk", Ryan said.

" Yeah, let's go. Grandma Cece I'll come to meet you later", Allison said.

" You do that, young lady. You owe me a dance", Cece said.

" Okay, so kiddo what do you want to know?", Ryan asked.

" Well, I want to know everything how you guys met, how did the letter come into the picture, what made you wait so long--" Allison said.

" Woah-- Woah slow down kiddo, I'll answer all your questions. Let me start at the beginning."
" Do you know why we are throwing this masquerade ball and not a regular party?" Ryan asked.

" Yeah, my mom told me. It's because you guys met at a ball like this during Christmas.", Allison said.

" Yeah, that's correct. My Uncle Sam's family had thrown a huge masquerade ball for some charity. They loved spending money on events like this. Every 3-4 months they would have another party just so they can show off how much wealth they possess. But that is not the matter at hand here. So, I met your grandma at that masquerade ball. I remember it was snowing heavily outside, but inside it was warm. Our first meeting was rather meticulous. Somebody had spilt their wine on my white collared shirt because of which I had to rush to the washroom and that's when we bumped into each other. I don't know how she managed to bump her elbow in my head. My head was swollen for a week you know.", Ryan said.

"What was she doing in the men's bathroom?" Allison giggled.

" Ask her. She hasn't told me till now. So, anyways we apologized to each other and she got an ice pack for my bumpy head which looked really weird. We conversed and we both agreed that this ball was not the place we wanted to be. But it was too cold to go outside. But it didn't matter to Cece. She loved the frosty snow. It brought a smile to her face then. So we went to the rooftop and spent the whole night. She told me that she was moving to another state with her family and she did not want to move. She loved her life. I wouldn't say your grandma is full of positivity and full of light, she has her insecurities and fears like everybody. But she is the only person I've ever met who is ready to make an effort to better her life. All the dilemmas she shared with me about her life, she was already ready to make them better and work on it. That's what I love about her. ", Ryan said.

" The way you described her, showed me how much you care about her. But you still haven't got to the letter part.", Allison said.

" Oh yes, so at that time we didn't have cellphones like your generation. So we had to rely on letters. Two days after the ball, I had managed to somehow get her new address, so, I wrote her a letter wishing her Merry Christmas as I wanted to keep it simple because I was scared of how she would respond to it. I was a kid in love, I had drawn a mistletoe and some cherries so she would get the clue. And fast forward to two weeks ago. I got the reply of a Christmas card I had sent 50 years ago. I knew our postal service was slow. I didn't think it was that slow.", Ryan laughed.

" But, kiddo for the past 50 years I could not get the girl who bumped my head outside the men's washroom out of my head. I would keep thinking about her every day wishing she would write me back. After 50 years, we met for the first time, two weeks ago, and it seemed like nothing had changed. The girl I fell in love with was still inside her. She still takes away my breath." Ryan said.

" Ryan, I am so happy for both of you. I wish you and grandma Cece all the love. After grandpa died, she used to be so pessimistic and gloomy. After she met you,  I see a change in her for the better." Allison said.

" Thank you, Allison. That really means a lot. Now come on, let's go inside. You have to dance with me. Come on.", Ryan said.
" Yeah, let's go.", Allison said.
Allison and Ryan rushed inside and spent the whole night dancing and singing  Christmas carols and tunes with Cece and her parents. Everybody had a blast that night.