A - Z Writing Challenge: M

The letter for today is: M, where I feature melancholy and melon.

I can hardly remember the last time a melancholy mood hit me.

Wait, maybe the time I sat with a slice of melon in front of me, gazing through a restaurant window at the ocean. On a visit to the land of my birth, the relaxed atmosphere and warmth filled me with a sense of loss. After ten years absence, and half the world separating us when I left England, I sat with my daughter and granddaughter in Australia.

Tears came to my eyes at the paradise I'd lost, and mixed with the beauty of the moment.

Then, I lifted a forkful of melon to my mouth. The soft flesh melted against my tongue and flavor exploded in my palate.

The contrast of eating a melon grown under the hot sun and one imported into England from half way around the world filled me with melancholy.

And the reason I swapped countries: love of a good man.

I breathed in the aroma of melon and threw off my melancholy.