Author: Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Welcome Home

Shandy completed the last leg of her drive to Burlington, Iowa with a spark of enthusiasm edged with nerves gnawing at her gut, worried she would be imposing on her aunt, although she was reassured many times that it was okay with her aunt, she was still nervous, so she put it to the universe to make it all right.

Pulling into Aunt Cherri’s alley to her house on South Central Avenue, the familiar charms of her aunt welcome her before even seeing her aunt. The garden was bursting with flowers, tulips were popping in colors of red and yellow. Marigolds edged the walkway to the back porch, where Candy, the prized German Shepherd waited, part guarding her domain, part welcoming old friends, and Shandy met the latter qualifications, which she knew when Candy licked her hand while she gently petted Candy under her chin.

Looking up, Shandy saw her sweet Aunt Cherri and they met with an embrace which said Welcome Home and Shandy smiled, with tears rolling into the crevices of her grin, and as she looked at her aunt, she realized they were two blubbering ladies, happy to see each other, and any doubts Shandy had were dissolved in those tears, hearts wrapping around each other as souls met as never forgotten friends.

“Let me show you your room and the workings of things around here,” Aunt Cherri, always one for organization, wanted to be certain that Shandy felt immediately at home, “I made a place for your clothes and your gear and other stuff, and I want you to know, right here and now, that this is your home, too, no ifs ands or buts about it, end of conversation.”

“Aunt Cherri, have I told you lately how much I love and appreciate you,” Shandy stated, “You are the ray of sunshine I’ve needed in this life and you always have warmed my heart.”

“Aww, Shandy, dear, you are the light in my life, I am just an old woman with too much space and it gets lonely at times, so it will be good to have you here, you know, someone to talk to and care for, not too much, though, I don’t want to crowd you, but I have been looking forward to this,” and with that, Shandy knew she was welcomed home.

…..

This is my installment of the Six Sentence Story for this week. The prompt word was GEAR. Would you like to see more of the stores such talented folks have submitted? Go to this LINK provided by Denise, our dedicated host. Thanks to Denise for keeping us going.