The Eclipse that Almost Wasn't

Elisa Jones had been wanting to see an eclipse since she was a child. Her father, James, had told her stories of the eclipses he had seen and the big one in 1989 when Elisa had been two-years-old. She didn't remember, however, her father regaled the entire story. The trip they had taken to see the solar eclipse in Baja, Mexico back in February of 1989. Her mother, Carmen, had been alive, and the three of them had traveled to the East Cape of Mexico from their small working class suburb of Los Angeles.

They almost didn't go because both of her parents had to work. Her father, a gardener, and her mother, Carmen, a housecleaner, had to work to get the bills paid. He didn't think that they could go because of these obligations. However, her father told her that because eclipses were so rare and because he dabbled in astronomy, he told his clients that he would be gone for a week for an important reason. He convinced Carmen to do the same and it would be an opportunity to travel to her place of birth. They both took a week leave of absence to drive the twenty-four hours to Los Cabos, a short distance from Cabo San Lucas. Baja always sounded so romantic to Elisa. Desert, blue turquoise waters, large cathedrals in quaint towns like San Ignacio. Her father always said, "The best food in the world."

James said it was a challenging drive back in 1989. Lots of dirt and rocky narrow roads. They had stopped briefly to see Carmen's parents. They lived in a small suburb outside of Ensenada. Elisa always loved to hear the details because she never knew either set of her grandparents. They had died before she could meet them. He described the small house and the warmth of her grandparents. James always got tears in his eyes as that was the last time Carmen had seen her parents. The only time that they had met their granddaughter, Elisa.

Carmen had passed away after a brief illness the following summer. Her father would always nod his head, "So, we didn't know it at the time, but it was the most important trip for our family." On that journey to see the eclipse, they had stayed longer at Carmen's parents home. Her parents were so happy to see them all and had made them a special meal of fish tacos, rice, and beans. James would always laugh and say, they had almost missed the eclipse for the best fish tacos. He'd rub Elisa's curly black hair, his blue eyes meeting her almond dark brown eyes, exclaiming, "We almost missed it, but knew we'd have to try."

They had arrived in Los Cabos, back in those days, a small fishing village, just in time. Her father described in vivid detail the simple beauty of this small town and the small crowd that they stood with, adorning special glasses to view the moon covering the sun. He'd end by saying that the ensuing "darkness gives light."

Years later, after Elisa had graduated from college in journalism, and gotten a newspaper job in her hometown, her father had passed away. In her grief, she had gotten on a plane and landed in Cabo San Lucas, renting a car to go to the town where she and her parents had viewed the eclipse. The town, away from the hub of hotels and restaurants of Cabo, must have grown since 1989. Still, the town brought Elisa a tremendous sense of peace. At the same time, the turmoil of all the milestones her parents would not see in her life. Her father and mother had worked so hard to give her a good life. Her father always emphasized education and had attended her college graduation in his best blue suit. She couldn't help but think that life without her parents was darkness.

On her flight home, she sat by a blonde surfer type, white teeth, and gregarious manner. His name, Joseph, seemed to be a sign as it was her father's middle name. They connected well, and they made quite a couple, she so dark and olive skinned and he so blonde. They had moved in together and lived together for about 10 years. He loved traveling to Mexico for surf and she liked traveling for the nostalgia of her mother. She began travel writing about Baja and it gave her a connection to her deceased parents. She and Joseph had ended up breaking up which hadn't been a shock. He was restless and didn't want to work in a steady job. He desired to travel more and surf. Elisa loved traveling but wanted a permanent relationship and the steadiness of writing jobs.

No longer working at a newspaper, Elisa had carved out a good living which covered her rent and food by writing travel blogs and articles. Her readership was building and although she missed the hustle and bustle of the newspaper office, she liked to work in the peace of her small home office, a view of orange trees on a back terrace. Often, she'd take a break in the afternoons, drinking herbal tea de lemon which had been her mother's favorite. She'd sit with her tabby cat, aptly named Eclipse, Ecky for short. It was one of those afternoons, April 2, 2024, when she scanned the articles on the upcoming eclipse, April 8. It gave her pause, as the last eclipse she had deliberately missed. The truth was it was too painful to attend without her parents with her.

She skipped the first article as to defining what an eclipse was, the miracle of one celestial body blocking another, as she had learned all about them from her dad. She looked up where the best place to see it would be next week. Her eyes widened as she looked at a map showing Texas up through Maine. Coincidentally, her best friend Samantha called her excitedly, "We're going to Memphis to see the eclipse." Her cousin on her father's side texted her, "Hey girl, we're going to Ohio for the eclipse, come with us if you want."

The eclipse journeys were contagious. Even her dentist, Dr. Henry, spoke enthusiastically of his upcoming trip to Arkansas to view the eclipse. His youthful face sporting shaggy brown hair and his cornflower blue eyes peering into Elisa's dark eyes, spilling over with ebullience as he gave her the details of his anticipated travels. Over the last couple of years, they had found that they had a shared interest in eclipses and astronomy.

He had excitedly showed her on his phone video of the last eclipse he had attended in Mazatlan, Mexico. Like her father, he was an amateur astronomer and visited all the eclipses. Elisa had gradually opened up to him about how special eclipses were to she and her dad. They had some good talks about their shared interests in astronomy. She told him that it was hard to think about attending when her dad and mom wouldn't be there to go with her.

Now, two days before the big eclipse, Elisa had made up her mind to not attend. Tears sprung to her eyes thinking that she just wasn't ready to face an eclipse without her dad. Taking her usual break, sipping her usual tea, the title of an article on her phone caught her eye. "Last Chance to Get the Eclipse." What? She read the article about this being the longest and most visible for the United States in a century.

Taking her father's photo off a shelf, her heart skipped a beat as she took in her dad's smiling face. He wouldn't want her to sit and wallow. She recalled the last time he had told her again of the Baja trip to see the eclipse. "We didn't think we'd make it there in time." She would always finish for him, "But you did." He'd get that dreamy look whenever he talked about her mother and that trip, "We did."

What was Elisa waiting for? She felt a burst of energy as she Googled where in the world was Eagle Pass, Texas she had read about in the article? Speaking of articles, excitement burbling up through her, she realized that she could write a travel article on this eclipse and the connection to her family.

She called all the main airlines that flew into Maverick County Memorial International Airport. No luck. She had waited too long. She wouldn't give up. She called to get a ticket to Austin, about 3 1/2 hours from Eagle Pass. She got a ticket for the early morning of April 8. It was cutting it close but there was a possibility. Better to try as her dad said. She emailed all of her clients saying that she was leaving for a week for an important reason. She smiled at her dad's photo, "Like father, like daughter." She asked her trusted neighbor to feed and look after Ecky. Now, she was ready to go.

The plane was late and she barely got a rental car. It was a warm day and there was more traffic as usual. Everyone it seemed was out to see the solar eclipse. This is how her dad must have felt, back in 1989, arriving in Los Cabos. Arriving in the small town of Eagle Pass, passing the Bienvenidos sign, the town was bigger than expected. The traffic was stalled and her heart fell as she realized the line to the viewing spot would take hours in itself. She pulled over to a green park where others were parking. She gravitated over to a small crowd of people, a lady handing her special goggles to observe. "Oh my, thank you." The kindness of strangers. She asked, "Will we see it from here?" The lady shrugged her shoulders. Her watch showed noon and they waited.

A shadow fell on her shoulders but it wasn't the eclipse. To her surprise, she looked up to see her dentist, Dr. Henry. He took off his viewing glasses. "Elisa! You made it." She laughed, "I almost didn't make it." He replied, "The eclipse that almost wasn't, like when you were a child."

She smiled, "Yes." He had remembered her story. She was still incredulous to see his familiar face, "I thought you were going to Little Rock." He shook his head, "I think this place is better." He put his viewing glasses back on, Elisa agreed and did likewise. They both looked up and waited for this special time, when the moon would fully block the sun. She felt her parents presence in these moments. Elisa knew that they would experience moments of darkness when the eclipse hit. Yet, she also knew that the darkness would turn to light.

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