Heat lightning painted the southern night sky in the distance when Anna spotted a sign for the I-95 exit. Her body relaxed, and a sigh of relief escaped her. After four endless and grueling days on the road, they were close now. In less than half an hour, they would arrive in Magnolia Hill. Home.
It’d been too long.
“You’re moving to the country?” her medic colleagues at the fire station had asked her on her last day of work as a paramedic.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she had countered, as if it was the most absurd question of all. “I grew up there. It’s not as bad as you think.”
Her friends couldn’t understand why, out of all places, she would trade the mountains of Colorado to move to Georgia. Yes, Magnolia Hill was in the boonies. Yes, the only two seasons in Southeast Georgia ranged from hot to not-so-hot. Even so, she knew she had made the right decision. She craved the comfort of home. Anna needed the people she loved most in her life, especially now. To be honest, she was lucky to still be alive.
Yes, home was where she needed to be to heal.
She glanced over at her daughter, Ashleigh, who was fast asleep, when the engine began to sputter and the moving truck lost speed. She punched the gas pedal to the metal, but the truck only continued to slow. “No! No! No!!!”
Ashleigh woke up. “What? Are we at Grandma’s yet?” she asked, mumbling her words and rubbing her eyes.
“I wish, sweetie. The truck broke down.” Judging by Ashleigh’s exasperated sigh, she wasn’t all too happy about it, either. It’d been a long drive, and both of them were sick of traveling.
Anna dug through the glove compartment for the customer service number on the truck’s paperwork. “We’ll have someone there in about an hour,” the lady told her when she called. An hour.
Ashleigh didn’t seem to care, not that she cared about any aspect of the move. She reshaped her pillow and placed it against the window to go back to sleep, earbuds in and her phone in her lap.
Anna was fully aware that the teen’s silent treatment was only a hint at how mad her daughter was. She couldn’t blame her for her anger. She had ripped her away from her skater friends, her school, and all that was familiar to her. Anna sighed. Someday, Ashleigh would understand why they had to move, even if she hated her for it now. She’d come around eventually.
She shoved the rental truck paperwork back into the glove compartment, then dialed Maggie’s number. Knowing her, she was already waiting restlessly for them to pull up anytime now. “Mom,” Anna said. “Bad news. The truck died on us, and the road service will be at least another hour before they can get out here. Why don’t you go to bed? It’ll probably be late by the time we roll up.”
“Not a chance. I’ll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, even if you get here after midnight. This ole’ lady still has some life left in her.”
“Okay, Mom.” She knew better than to argue with her. “I have to warn you, though. It might take a while. I’ll call you when we’re back on the road.”
“That’s fine, darlin’. Just promise to be safe.”
“I will, Mom.”
They ended the call, and all she could do now was wait. Anna leaned back into her seat and watched the lightning zigzag across the eastern horizon, revealing for a split second the ominous thunderheads towering off the coast. What she wouldn’t give to be a teenager again. She remembered the thrill of chasing after storms with her friends. They thought they were invincible then. Those were the good times. Maybe once she started working again and making ends meet, she’d have time to reconnect with them.
She yawned and closed her eyes. There was nothing wrong with a quick shut-eye until road service arrived.
Bright orange flashing lights ripped Anna out of her semi-conscious state. She blinked. In her rearview mirror, she noticed a utility truck pulling up behind her. A man wearing a neon yellow safety vest and a ball cap walked up to her door.
This must be the roadside service and not a serial killer disguised as a tow truck driver, she told herself. Darn horror movies.
She rolled down her window, only a few inches, just in case.
“Mrs. Weaver?” he asked.
She crossed herself and sent a silent thank you upward. It was Ms. Weaver now, but she was too tired to bother correcting him.
“So you’re broke down?” he asked.
“I am,” she replied. “We were so close to home, too!”
“Where’s home, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Magnolia Hill.”
“Oh, yeah? That is close.” He nodded toward the front of the truck. “Well, ma’am, if you pop the hood, I’ll try to get you back on the road in no time.”
Thirty minutes later, the mechanic had rigged the engine to make it run. “Ma’am, you should be good to go until you get the truck turned in tomorrow,” he assured her and slammed the hood down.
She wasn’t so optimistic. “What’s that clinking sound? That can’t be normal.”
“It’s nothing to worry about, only some metal parts rubbing together. It’ll stop grinding in a few miles.”
“What?” Warning bells sounded in her head. She wasn’t a mechanic, by any means, but she knew that this grinding, as he called it, didn’t sound good at all.
He pulled a business card from his clipboard and handed it to her. “Ma’am, it won’t break down. Trust me. Tell Bobby when you drop off the truck in Magnolia Hill tomorrow to have a look. You shouldn’t have any more trouble tonight, but if you do, my number is on the card.” He tipped his ball cap at her and walked off.
She texted Maggie to let her know they were on the road again. With her fingers and toes crossed, she put the truck in gear and drove off. “Please, please, please, make it home,” she pleaded.
This time, fate was on her side. They pulled up in front of her mom’s house just before midnight.
Anna shut off the engine and relaxed into the uncomfortable seat. She couldn’t believe it. They were home. She looked over to her sleeping daughter with a smile. “We’re here, honey,” she whispered, one hand gently shaking her shoulder.
Ashleigh grumbled something and dropped her phone into her book bag.
A female figure in a nightgown walked down the stairs of the well-lit wraparound porch. Anna recognized her right away. She ripped open the driver’s side door, jumped down onto the street, and hurried toward Maggie. “Mom!” she said and fell into her arms.
“Oh, Anna,” her mom said, her voice cracking. “I’m so glad you two made it home! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you last.” Maggie released her from her hug and pointed at the moving truck. “What’s that god-awful noise coming from the engine? I thought the road service fixed it?”
“It doesn’t matter now. We’re here,” she said.
Ashleigh dragged her feet on the pavement and yawned. She pulled out one of her earbuds and attempted a smile.
“My oh my, you have grown, Ashleigh,” Maggie said and kissed her on the cheek.
Anna laughed when she saw her daughter’s shocked face. Ashleigh had never been a hugger, much less a kisser. To her credit, she didn’t wipe her face with her T-shirt.
A large bloodhound sauntered toward them to investigate what the commotion was all about and sniffed Ashleigh’s hand.
“EEEEEEEEW!” she said in disgust and yanked it away. “He slimed me!”
Maggie laughed. “I see you met Woofus,” and as if on cue, the dog howled, as any full-blooded hound would. She handed her a tissue. “You’ll get used to the drool.”
Ashleigh took it from her and started wiping the goo off her hand. “No, Grandma! That’s just gross!”
“Well, let’s get you girls situated,” she said. “I know it’s late, but I made a pot of chili for supper in case you’re hungry. If that’s too heavy, I also baked a fresh apple pie while I was waiting for you. It’s still warm.”
“Mom, you’re the best,” Anna said. “You know I won’t be turning down your famous pie.”
They dragged their overnight bags upstairs.
Maggie opened the guest room door for them. “Ashleigh, this will be yours,” she announced. “It’s a tad larger than your mom’s, and you’ll have a nice view out onto the street.”
Anna noticed that the old brown carpet still covered the wooden floor, and that the horrible floral wallpaper had started peeling in the corners. She glanced at Ash, who looked as green as the couch that sat against the wall.
“You’re kidding, right?” Ashleigh asked.
Anna laughed. “It’ll be all right, sweetie. You can decorate it.”
“How about you two give this room a face-lift?” Maggie came to the rescue. “It looks nice, but…”
Ashleigh coughed.
“What I meant to say is that it’s outdated, even for my taste. I just didn’t have the time or energy to remodel it. So, if you girls don’t mind, we could renovate it while school is still out. Ashleigh, you can pick all the colors you want and make the room your own.”
Ashleigh grinned. “Thanks, Grandma. Is black and red okay?”
“If that’s what you like. Why the heck not?” She turned to Anna. “And you, Anna Maria, you can have your old room back.” Maggie opened the door across the hall.
Anna peeked inside and was giddy like a schoolgirl to see her Duran Duran and Wham! posters still hanging on the wall. Even the old quilt Maggie had sewn for her from her favorite dresses covered her bed.
“Mom, you left everything untouched!”
“Darlin’, this was your room,” Maggie said. “It always will be yours.”
Anna opened her closet and jumped up, hoping what she looking for was still on that top shelf.
“What are you doing, Mom?” Ashleigh asked.
“You’ll see.” She had to jump twice. The second time, she glimpsed a corner of it—her treasure chest. “Here, hold this!” Anna handed Ashleigh the comforter that blocked access to the chest, then checked the wall inside the closet. Her old wooden back scratcher still hung on that same hook. She positioned the little hand so it caught the edge of the shoebox that once contained her cross-country cleats. Anna pulled it to the edge of the shelf, then let the box fall into her hands. The lid was dusty.
She opened it, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her. The first thing she saw was her pink faux-leather diary. “You saved it for me!” She ran her fingers over the glitter glue hearts she had painted on the cover as a teenager.
Anna sat the box down on her bed. When she opened the tiny clasp, a small picture fell out and landed on the floor upside down. She picked it up, and her heart began beating twice as fast when she saw who it was of.
“What is it, my dear?” Maggie asked.
Anna held the picture of her once high school sweetheart with both hands to her chest and grinned from ear to ear. With her face warming, she said, “It’s Jason.”
They were inseparable back then. Even though their relationship didn’t survive past their senior prom, he had been such a big part of her life in her teens that just the thought of him gave her warm fuzzies. She closed her eyes. It was good to be home.
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