Crochet happiness

Everybody laughed. 

"You want to do what?" Logan the square face boy, like SpongeBob face pointed his finger to her.

"What era you think you live in? Granny!" Logan's evil right hand friend Steve made a posture of an old woman with a stick.

Melisa lowered her gaze and gathered her hands on her lap. Knuckles white, face red and legs tensed. 

"You poor thing. Did we hurt your feelings?" Logan glared at her. 

They were five and she was just an outsider. Kelly her friend or not, invited her to a study session. Mathematics to be precise. She was good at Math, so exchange of having time with people she said yes to her friend or let us say half friend. The worse yes ever. 

They gathered at a near school cafeteria and begun to study. At first, they were focused but as the topics got harder, they lost it. For sure, who wants to know about some awkward angles and numbers, which looked all the same? Boring stuff. However, in the middle of taking about what trending on Tiktok, viral videos, stars and social media, "What do you want to become?" that question popped up from someone in the group. And Melisa's answer faced blast laughter.

"For real? You want to be a crochet master. What is that anyway?" Steve drank his juice. "It's a craft which you knit yarn to make..." Melisa's voice was trembling," I know what is, fool!" Steve interrupted her.

Melisa raised her head and looked away. "Oh, you are going to cry?" Logan mocked her. Yes, she was trying not to cry. They could laugh at her clothes, her height, and her hair or anything but not her crochet. Not her grandmother legacy. She snatched her bag and her jacket, pushed her chair and headed to the door. 

Melisa ran as a police or a serial killer was chasing her. In either situations the pumping of her heart, the shaking of her legs and the sweat runs on her forehead was the same. When she got to home, went straight to her room and slapped the door. The sign "No distribute" swung left and right. Her bed jumped up, and she covered her face with her pillow. A muted cry. 

Her grandmother was crochet lover. From young age, Melisa always was accompanying her grandmother because her parents were busy. They have been always busy. For those long times she spend with her grandmother he learned the art of crochet. One could make many crochet pieces. Blankets, pillows, scarfs, sweaters and other things. However, Melisa loved the Doll crochet. Amigurumi. 

Amigurumi is a Japanese word and it means, "Yarn doll". She loved it. Her grandmother praised her for her excellent taste. " Amigurumi is the way of yarn and needle to people's hearts" she wouldn’t forgets her grandmother's angle smile and small eyes behind her big glasses.

But every life is meant to end, and so do Melisa's grandmother life. 

She was empty when she passed away. Now, for her the needle and the yarn were her best friends. However, her attempt to make real friends and defeating her shyness had failed by mocking on her dream to become a master crochet. 

"Crochet brings happiness to people's heart", Melisa believed those words of her grandmother. It is not out dated thing. It is ART! 

She threw the pillow and picked up her brown box under her bed. Needle and Yarn. Drug adductors would get themselves killed in order to put their hands on cocaine or heroin. Could she do that? For her crochet? To her honour? But, she just ran away from those evil goblins. Without saying a word, without defending her pride. Was she serious about everything?

Melisa picks up the needle in her right hand and the yarn on the other one, without any commands from her mind her hands begun to knit. The sound of the needle, the shape that begun to shape from the yarn this is satisfaction. Heart dancing on the music of Beethoven symphony 'Fate'. 

Hours pasted and she was done with her doll. The blonde hair. The blue skirt, red blouse, black shoes and she was wearing underpants too, another happiness had made. Melissa looked at her newborn doll reached her hand to it face and here we go. The doll black eyes had placed. What should she call her now? Moira. That is a good name. In honour of Beethoven. 

Next few weeks were tough for her. The five did not stop their goblin's behaviour. She avoided eye contact with them and tried as beat as she could to avoid them completely. However, for a reasons universe only know, she kept bumping on them.

"You are out dated"

"Do you want to throw you to mid of WWI?" 

"And now here is the clone of threads!"

"Shouldn't you be like a thread instead of potato?"

And for that pace, weeks passed. She hated to be around school.

In one afternoon of Sunday, the chilly wind and the yellow end red leaves saying goodbye to their branches. Then laid in peace beneath their mother tree. Melisa watched and let the nature fix what human broke in her. She was sitting on her room watching from window. 

"Hello, Melisa!" she lowered her eyes to he voice came from in front door. It was a neighbour. Mrs Golden, is she here again with a pie? Melisa scanned her hand and yes, there it was a PIE. 

"Is your mother at home?" Mrs Golden voice was like a bird, small but still pleasant to hear. " No, she is at work" Melisa answered." Wait there I will open the door." 

" So what do you think?" Mrs Golden eyes shined. Melisa was holding the pie and her eyes were wide open. "I don’t know I never done so much pieces in the past" her voice came lower than usual, "Oh dear, there is always a first time in everything right?"Mrs.Golden showed her white teeth," I guess…" Melisa put the pie on the kitchen table. "Melisa with you doing this, it would be a great gift to your grandmother." Grandmother. Melisa's mind flashed with in this point. "Grandmother will be proud. I will be proud" she smiled at Mrs Golden. "I will take it!" she amused. 

Making 500 doll to children in hospital. That is a good challenge to prove everybody that crochet is happiness maker. Melisa rushed to her room after saying goodbye to Mrs Golden. Took out every yarn ball she had and scattered on her bed. She dropped her shoulder. In crochet needles are bless, you brought once and that is it. However, for yarn that was a problem. If you did not have yarn then no art pieces would be born. 10 yarn balls that total what Melisa had. She crossed her arms around her chest. "Mom would give me some money to buy more" she smiled.

"No" that was her mom when she asked her, "You know?" Melisa rounded her eyes, "Yes Mrs Golden told me". Around the dinner table. "You don't get tired from those yarns?" she passed the salad to Dad. "And you have finals to study. You can't waste your time in making dolls" she took a bite. "But mom I want to do that. Imagine how children would be happy with what I made," Melisa argued. "No," mom pointed her fork to her. "You must think of your happiness and get real things in life" she took another bite. "How much do you want?" her father said, "George! Don't encourage her!" mom put the fork down." I need around 200 yarn" Melisa smiled to her father" Don't drift away Melisa, No is no!" her mother slapped the table. Melisa lowered her gaze. "Lucy she is not going to play with the money. Is for charity and it is good thing" George looked deep to her mother, "No she has finals, and no she is going to quit this crochet thing. It will not benefit her in anything" Lucy pointed a finger to Melisa. Silence was the master for a brief of moment," Why you hate it?" Lucy widened her eyes and observed her daughter. "I don't hate it. It just not benefit to you." she answered with low tone," No!" Melisa stood up from her seat. 

"You hate it because grandma love it, you hated grandma so you hate it!" Melisa breath was not as usual, for first time she speak out what bothers her. "No, how could you say that. I loved your grandma." Lucy's tone was troubled and trembling. 

"Let me do it mom. I will prove you this is not waste of my time, please." Melisa reached for her mother. Lucy held Melisa's arm and looked deep at her "Melisa I know it is painful to you. But please you have to stop doing that to yourself. This is not going to be good for you. You would ended up on the streets or not having a carrier." Melisa did not say a word "okay honey?" Lucy's eyes searched for a positive reaction. Melisa nodded.

With quick movement, Melisa threw everything under her bed when she heard her mother calling for dinner. She should not know about what she is doing. 4 month passed after their last argument. However, Melisa was not welling to give up on this thing. She was welling to die for it. 

In order to buy those yarns Melisa took a job on cafeteria as s dishwasher and she convinced her parents that the money was for future stuff like collage. Job in weekend and school, she crocheted in evening before her parents came home. She reached 250 dolls. Her time was tight; she got 2 month to finish the remaining dolls. But thinking of someone could be happy by her Amigurumi dolls made her more determined to accomplish the mission.

Melisa finished her work and headed to home. She could use that remaining time until dinner to make one or two dolls. Her hands were totally at fast pace. She could not imagine how fast she got. When she got home, felt a sudden stomach squeezing. Her eyes looked to her room window it was shot. However, the strange stings in her heart never stopped. Something was wrong. She rushed to her room.

And there her heart fall to the ground. 

"What is this Melisa?" Lucy's taut voice, Melisa stepped back.

"You promised you will forget about it!" Lucy shouted. Melisa did not say a word. "Answer me! Melisa!" Lucy threw the box that had dolls inside it, and they scarred all over the floor. Melisa watched her dolls on the ground "do not do that!" she picked up her dolls. 

"I did not do anything wrong!" Melisa cried. "You are grounded." Lucy pointed at her. "And I will get rid of these" she threw the needle and left the room. 

Melisa was sitting on her bed, 2 weeks after her mother took her needle. Trying to covered up with her blanket, rolling it under her feet , up to her head but no use, she was still cold. Cold inside. Tears never helped her to recover. Is it the end? Melisa drawn her face to her blanket. 

"Melisa come down here" Lucy called her. Melisa narrowed her eyes sneaking from the darkness of her blanket. She left up her wounded body and dragged her broken heart down stairs to answer the call of the demon who took her soul.

"Looks whose here" her mother smiled. Melisa looked to the table. She jumped and rushed to hug the woman who was sitting gracefully on the chair "Grace!" Melisa hugs could broke the bones of the old 70 years old woman. "Oh! Dear, you grown up" she stroke Melisa's long black hair, "And become a beautiful badass girl, too" she showed her denture teeth. Melisa and Lucy looked to each other and laughed. "You never changed aunt Grace," Lucy giggled. "I'm in this age and you want me to change? How horrible" Grace adjusted her glasses. "Okay I will leave you two talk" Lucy went back to the kitchen.

"Here dear Melisa take these" Grace stashed something in Melisa's pocket, " What is it?" she glow her eyes and tried to looked at it when Grace hand stopped her. " when you are alone, dear" and she smiled.

Grace took Melisa's hand and placed it on her chest "Never give up dear Melisa. And remember God is always with those who make people smiles" she kissed Melisa's hand. Grace is Melisa's grandmother friend. She visited her many times and played with Melisa. As her grandmother Molly, they shared the same bond. Crochet makers. They were soul mates. For Melisa she was her other grandmother. And they would do crochet in the same table. Good times. 

After that visit, Melisa went to her room and sat on her bed. She moved her hand to her pocket. A small pocket sized blue bag appeared. "Grace" Melisa gasped when she opened it, Full set of needle. Melisa took one and touched it. Hard cold metal touch but for her it was a soul, she was touching Grace Soul. This set was Grace Pride, she always bragged about it in front of Molly. But why?

A soft knocking on the door, "can I come in?" George came in the room, "I see Grace gave you her soul" he smiled. "Dad" Melisa scanned her father. He stroke the back of his head and adjusted his glasses," Well, I did not know which needle I should brought so I asked for little help" Melisa jumped on to her father's arm. "Thank you dad thank you" he hugged her back. "She said she would take care of the needles and I should take care of the yarns". Melisa saw the bag he had in his hand, "thank you Dad ". George saw a huge human sized rabbit bouncing in front of him. Melisa one the bag and her eyes blasted with sparkles. George put his hand on her shoulder "You will do great." Melisa again hugged her father.

In the hospital, Mrs. Golden and Melisa had those large bags full of dolls. They were standing outside the children Cancer care section. Melisa was taping on her foot and squeezing her hand, she watched her bag time to time. "You are nervous? How odd to be nervous in this great momentums. Golden smiled at her and tapped on her shoulder.  "What if they don not like it?" she was going to cry. "They will love them, don't worry" she showed her white teeth, they weren't the only ones who were visiting there were more five people, they had a different kind of toys to give them to children. Melisa heart crunched when the nurse came and announced that they could go in to meet the children. 

"You are here now, you can not fall back. Let us to this!" Melisa gathered her courage and went inside. 

"I can not believe you encouraged her in this, George" Lucy was walking in front of George in fast steps. They were walking the hallway of the hospital. George was trying to catch up with her, and he convinced this time he should get rid of that fat belly as soon as possible if he want to catch up with his wife. 

"Honey slow down, she is not escaping. She just doing some charity" he swiped his sweat. "She must stop doing that thing. She is going to ruin her life" Lucy was red faced. "Now hold on women!", George gripped Lucy's arm "She is wonderful person and you should be proud to have a daughter like her. " he took his breath " But George this will drift her.." George raised his finger to shut Lucy "life without people like Melisa would be Hell." He crossed his eyebrows, "I would love to live with a person like Melisa than living with some arrogant people that sees themselves above all creature." He swiped his sweat. "You should be proud, Lucy".

George walked to the glass door "Look at her". He turned to his wife. Lucy sauntered to the door.

Melisa was surrounded with kids and they were rushing to have her dolls. "You made this?" a little girl eyes sparkled," Yes" Melisa smiled" She is beautiful, I will take care of her" she hugged the doll. "This one is cool!" A boy took captain America doll "can I have him?" he turned to Melisa for approval, Melisa nodded with a smile. The boy jumped and run to the other kids. 

"She need to be happy, Lucy" George he embraced his crying wife. Lucy smiled with wet face and nodded.

Melisa handed the last doll, a teddy bear to the last kid. She looked out off the window and to the spacious sky. "They are happy Grandma as you said. I prove it. Crochet is happiness. My dream is not wring. I will become happiness master. Grandma" Melisa held her hand closed to her heart.