Tears, Wine, and Laughter

So there I was standing in the middle of the hotel lobby with Cynthia, a gal that I literally just met minutes before, and she is puffy eyed and crying.  Hotel guest were walking past us and I could just imagine what they were thinking.  I mean, she is crying and I am standing there with a confused and bewildered expression on my face.  They probably thought  that I was the cause!  Immediately I began to regret that I didn't push that damn elevator button.  Okay, it was time to pull myself together.  Once again I politely asked, "Cynthia, what is wrong?"  She just kept sobbing and I felt like I was supposed to hug her or something, but come on, we don't even know each other.  God knows what might have happened if I attempted to touch her.  Since we were still standing in the hallway that connects to the lobby, I asked Cynthia if she wanted to grab a drink in the cafe, which is just a few steps away.  Secretly I was hoping she would say no, but she didn’t.  Off we went.

Cynthia and I grabbed a small table away from the bar and again I asked her what was wrong.  I tried to throw in a bit of humor by saying, “Look woman, we going to be arrested or committed if we don't get our shit together, so talk to me.”   Finally she cracked a small smile.  The waiter walked up at that same moment and Cynthia excused herself to go to the restroom.  

I took her absence as an opportunity to grab a drink, and I ordered us both a glass of wine.  When she returned ten minutes later (YES, TEN MINUTES), she was back to her normal beautiful self.  It is a good thing she returned when she did, because I was almost done with my wine and getting ready to drink hers!  I cracked a “Tonka smile” as she approached our table, and then I stood up to re-introduce myself.  It was my way of suggesting a restart.  She laughed outright this time and then started with the apologies.  With my eye still on her glass of wine, I assured her that she didn't need to apologize, and instead suggested that perhaps she needed to talk.  I didn't know what I was about to hear, but I knew it was going to be something big.  She looked down at her glass of wine and paused for nearly 30 seconds before lifting it for her first taste.  It was a moment that I will never forget.  Symbolic in a lot of ways and also reminiscent of something you'd expect to see while watching a movie.  Her first taste of wine marked the beginning of her story.  Had I known what was coming I would have ordered a shot!

In May 2010 Cynthia’s mother and father were killed in an airline crash while traveling to or from India.  I can’t remember which it was, but regardless almost everyone onboard the flight died.  A month after her parents death, Cynthia’s fiancé, and the boy she had been dating since university, was killed in an auto accident.  It gets even worse… A year to the date of her boyfriends death Cynthia lost her brother in a drunk driving accident.  She suffered tragic losses back to back in a very short period of time.  As a result, Cynthia was petrified to travel and a nervous wreck if she did travel.  It took her best friend’s wedding and a whole lot of persuading to get Cynthia to Melbourne.  She was lost and in the midst of a panic when she asked me for directions.  Mostly she was reliving the loss of her loved ones.  When she ended her story I was speechless.  I just stared at her in utter awe.  Cynthia finally broke the silence by standing up and saying, “Hello, my name is Cynthia.”  I got the point, and we both had a great laugh followed by a conversation lasting nearly two hours.

One glass of wine turned into two (for us both) and we gabbed on like two school chums.  I told Cynthia about Tanja, her personal story of loss and how she and I came to meet.  We talked about the loss of my father and I shared my greatest fears-losing my mother and/or Chris.  This time it was my time to cry.  I am sure that the bar staff was itching for us to leave!  When the time finally came to part ways I put my hand on Cynthia’s shoulder and thanked her for stopping to ask me for directions.  She chuckled and asked me why, but I just gave her a wink.  Cynthia knew exactly why.  This time we walked to the elevator together.

We stood together waiting for the elevator and laughed about the last couple of hours we just spent together.  It must have been confusing to everyone around us!  Cynthia told me that the wedding was on Friday (today), but she asked if I wanted to get together on Saturday prior to her departure.  Naturally I said no…  JOKING!  I said yes.   Who knows where we will go or what we will do, but between the two of us we better stay away from the tram!

It still amazes me the way people “show up” in our lives when we need them the most.  I wonder how many opportunities were missed only because I pretended not to hear?  We are all in this thing together, and there is so much to share with one another if we just stopped long enough to connect.  Cynthia’s beauty is extraordinary on the outside, but her love and compassion on the inside is even more brilliant.

Tonight, as I sit at my desk and write the rest of Cynthia’s story, I am taking stock of how lucky I am.  The sequence of events that Cynthia survived and struggles with today are much more than I could handle.  I miss Chris like crazy, and I would be lost without my mother, but both are just a click of a button away via FaceTime.  In fact, each and every night Chris waves goodbye to me as he leaves the house for work.  How do I know?  I watch him on the security camera!  It’s the cutest thing to watch, and tonight I appreciated it the most. 

I believe Cynthia was the courier sent to deliver my newest lesson.  Or perhaps it was I that was sent to deliver hers.  Regardless, the lesson I learned is one of awareness and humanity.  Take time to stop and listen to others that may need your help.  No matter the circumstance or how weird it may feel.  It just might change your life forever!

Until next time…

Just because I love pictures, and I want you to feel the full effect of how close the elevators are to the lobby, and how close the lobby is to the cafe.