Marta traced each note with her fingertip, smiling at some, laughing softly at others. But then she noticed something else—a second set of markings. Tiny asterisks next to certain dates, and at the bottom of the calendar, a small key: ★ = Festival he would have loved.
Marta hung the calendar on her own kitchen wall, 2024 now, and took out a pen. 1992 calendar with festivals
Marta found the calendar in a box of her mother’s things—a wall calendar from 1992, each month illustrated with a faded watercolor of some pastoral Dutch scene. But it wasn’t the windmills or tulips that caught her eye. It was the handwriting. Small, tidy notes in blue ink, squeezed into the margins of nearly every date. Marta traced each note with her fingertip, smiling
Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day. Dad burned the toast again. Jan. 6 – Three Kings’ Day. Found the Wise Man from the nativity behind the sofa. Feb. 4 – Lunar New Year (Year of the Monkey). Made dumplings with Grandma. Feb. 25 – Mardi Gras. Ate too many beignets. Purple, green, gold. Mar. 17 – St. Patrick’s Day. Uncle Pat wore the silly hat. Apr. 19 – Easter. Egg hunt in the rain. Lily hid one in Dad’s shoe. May 5 – Cinco de Mayo. Tried to learn the Mexican hat dance. Failed. June 21 – Summer solstice. Stayed up late. Fireflies like little lanterns. July 4 – Independence Day. Sparkler burns on two fingers. Worth it. Aug. 15 – Feast of the Assumption. Church picnic. Best potato salad ever. Sep. 16 – Rosh Hashanah. Tasted honey cake at Rachel’s house. Oct. 31 – Halloween. Costume: a ghost made from an old sheet. Tripped on the stairs. Nov. 26 – Thanksgiving. Aunt Margie fell asleep in the cranberry sauce. Dec. 25 – Christmas. Got a red bike. Rode it in the living room. Marta hung the calendar on her own kitchen
Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day. Made heart-shaped pancakes. ★ May 1 – May Day. Left flowers on the neighbors’ porch. ★ Oct. 6 – Sukkot. Built a blanket fort in the backyard. ★ Dec. 21 – Winter solstice. Lit a candle and told his favorite joke. ★