Coming Home by Cindle Kaye Long (suggested reading txt) 📕

Cream Pie and Apricot Cobbler to welcome her home. She walked into the door which was wide open on this hot summer day in Alabama and stopped to reminisce. The living room was painted a deep burgundy to go with the black leather couches, and the deep burgundy and white lined rug in the middle of the floor. She remembered sleeping on that couch on Christmas Eve in hope to catch Santa Clause coming down the chimney. She remembered lying on that rug and watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve every year. She remembered cuddling up to her Grandpa in the living room and refusing to go to bed after watching a scary movie. This room holds more memories then she could count. She realized that she was just standing there in the middle of the room with her eyes shut looking like an idiot. She opened her eyes and came back to 2013 and announced herself.
“Grandma I’m home!” She saw her Grandma poke her head around the corner from in the kitchen.
“You’re here! Thank goodness you came home safe! Come here child and give me a hug.” Her Grandma ran over to her and squeezed her so tightly. Her Grandma was a woman of average size. She used to be a marine. She can carry her weight and probably Adrienne’s weight too. She was dressed in a sundress that was pink with red flowers on it. The flowers looked exotic. Her sandals were white and strappy. She looked just like she always looked, like a fresh summer evening. Her Grandma hugged her for what seemed like ages. She missed her Grandma’s hugs. They were the only thing that kept her feet grounded when she was a child. When she was upset in third grade after a boy put gum in her hair, her Grandma hugged her until she got the gum out. In middle school her heart was broken when her crush asked her friend to the dance; her Grandma hugged her until she stopped crying. Senior year when her best friend died in a car crash, her Grandma lay in her bed and cried with her and went to the funeral and held her the entire time. Her Grandma was the only person in her life that kept her from jumping off the nearest cliff. After she thinks about this and she realizes that the only home she ever had was in Bear Creek, Alabama. Why would she want to live in a city where she had no family? Well she does have her friend Bianca but, Bianca could never feel the void her Grandma left. Her Grandma was everything to her; she was her mother, her father, and even her best friend.

Chapter III

Adrienne was sitting on the front porch relaxing with her Grandma. They were discussing the upcoming event at church.
“Is it like homecoming?” Adrienne asked, confused.
“Darling, it’s more like a welcome party for the volunteers. They came here to help with the big fire in Birmingham and Brother Jarred Lindsey offered the church’s camp site for them to stay while they help with the clean up.”
“Where are they from?”
“If I heard right, I believe they are from AmeriCorps. I’m thinking they are from the North. I ain’t sure though. Any who, let’s talk about men. You ain’t got a man in your life do you?”
“No Grandma, I don’t want one right now either. I just want to enjoy you and myself right now. Life has been very hectic for me this year and I need a break. Alright? So don’t go and try to get me a man. I know you Grandma.” Adrienne said this sternly but lightly because even though her Grandma was always trying to get her married off, she will always love her.
“Honey, don’t go accusin’ me of nothin’ of the such. Now, all I want for you is to be happy. I want you to find a nice young man and marry him and have me some beautiful great grandchildren.” Her Grandma was always talking about having great grandchildren probably because Adrienne was her only grandchild. She hoped that if she did decide to get married, her grandmother would get to meet her great grandchildren. Her Grandma got up and went into the house to get ready for church. Since she was already dressed she just sat there drinking her coffee. She was dressed in a black lacy top and a black formal collegiate skirt that you would wear in a law office and black strappy heels. Her hair was curled and halfway put up. If her father taught her one thing over the years they have talked on the phone and through e-mail it was that you dressed like a professional everywhere you go even to the grocery store; because as he always said, you never know when somebody is watching. Her father has stayed in contact with her over her whole life. He called her everyday and e-mailed her every day. When Skype came out he would Skype her every week and he always told her she was getting bigger and more beautiful every week. Even though he was across the world he always stayed in touch with his daughter. The way she sees it, he deserves the father of the year because he tries so hard to show her that he is there for her no matter how far they are separated. Her mother talks to him about once a month. Apparently her therapist told her she needed to reduce contact with him because it causes her too much distress. He is still in love with her mom. He hasn’t even looked at another woman. Her mom doesn’t want to leave her to go to France. She told Adriano that once Adrienne got married and she knew that her husband would take care of her then she would France to be with him. That’s the kind of love that lasts for forever. Adrienne wanted the kind of love. She doubted that she would come across that anytime soon. Even if she did she wouldn’t know it because she is too blinded by her pain right now. Her Grandma came out of the house suddenly.
“Are you ready Adrienne?” Her Grandma looked like a beautiful picture. She was dressed in a blue dress with gold flowers stitched in, she had gold sandals on and her hair was a beautiful curly blonde that lay on her back. It actually looked like it was thinning. That was weird. Hair only thins when you are sick or stressed.
“Grandma, have you been sick lately or stressed?”
“No, why would you ask that sweetheart?” Her Grandma fidgeted awkwardly and shot off to her car. Adrienne got up confusedly and walked to her Grandma’s car and they headed to church in silence.
“Have you been struggling with Depression, loneliness, and helplessness? Well I have news for you. God is here. God will protect, and God will give you happiness to stifle the depres.sion, somebody to share your deepest thoughts to which is through prayer of course, and he will give you strength when you are in need of it. God is there even when you avoid him and when you pretend to forget his existence. God is the only person you can rely on for the rest of your life and never be forsaken.” Brother Jarred was at the end of his sermon. Today his sermon literally spoke more to heart then any sermon has before that she could remember. Brother Jarred seemed to always tug at hearts; mostly the old women’s hearts. Her Grandma use to come home from church with tears in her eyes when she was little. She always thought that that church was for people that were old and sad. But, thankfully her Grandma made her go when she was younger. She needed God in her life. Brother Jarred walked down the aisle and opened the door. It was time for everybody to either go to the altar or say their goodbyes so the people praying at the altar will have privacy. She stood up and went to the altar. She knelt down and with passionate words she started to pray. “Oh God, you have touched me today through Brother Jarred’s sermon. You have brought me back to Bear Creek for a reason; to heal. I have been hurt, heartbroken, unsatisfied, and at the tip of self destruction. God give me the strength to stop hiding from this storm I have to face. I need you Lord. I need your presence. Please help me heal my heart. In Your name I pray, Amen.” She stood up and she hadn’t realized that Brother Jarred had his hand on her back and praying over her too. “I’m sorry if I scared you Adrienne. I just felt like God was pulling me to you. I believe he wanted me to give you comfort while you prayed.” He spoke in that smooth voice he had. Brother Jarred had an amazingly loud, smooth, and at the same time powerful voice that could probably carry half way across the state. He had the tiniest tears in his eyes. You could barely see them but they were there. She gave him a hug and whispered her thanks and walked outside into the sunshine.

Chapter IV

Coming Soon!

Imprint

Text: Cindle Kaye Long
Publication Date: 11-03-2012

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