Come Home - Part 2

Good Morning Friday Fiction Fans!
The
sun is shining, the sky is blue and one of my heart-sisters just gave
birth to her first born, a boy! The day is starting out fine. Who
knows, maybe my sister-in-law will have her baby today or tonight. Of
course she is rather known for being late, so it could be next
Wednesday when the full moon is.:)
Anyway,
it feels like last Friday was weeks ago. Probably partly because I was
gone on Friday and had to write the post on Wednesday. The very next
day, since we were in a hotel in Wichita, we got to watch the Script
National Spelling Bee! That was fun! Of course none of us had a clue
what most of the words given even were. The spellers were really good
this year. They did 20 words without missing any! On Friday night, it
was the first night of "River Fest" and they had a wonderful fireworks
display. We could watch it from our 7th floor room windows. Wow! The
grand finale was the best I have ever seen! It was incredible! Great
way to celebrate my sister's birthday and my parents' anniversary.:)
Sat. night was filled with packing up and trying to fit all the
donations of used curriculum in the trailer and suburban to take back.
I
did get to write a little on Monday night when we were back home.
(Hadn't done if for so long that it was difficult.) And then I wrote on
Tuesday night. Wednesday night I was babysitting but I wrote last
night. I finished a story! You won't get to read it next week, but
possibly the one following.

Oh,
there was a mistake in last weeks story. Thank you Noah for pointing
out that the Catskill mountains are in NY.:) I know there are some
mountains that I was thinking of in Washington, but I haven't
remembered what they are yet. When I find out, I'll make the
correction.:) I liked the beginning of the story, but I still don't
know if I really like the end. This end is much better than than first
one I wrote, however, so I won't complain too much.:) Let me know what
you think of it.:)

Come Home - Part 2

“Jess,” Sonya began a little hesitatingly, as the two girls washed the
breakfast dishes. Linda had already gone out. “I hate to tell you this
when you just got home, but--” and she paused.
Jessica looked questioningly at her.
“I got a call this morning from Brookside Pottery, and they need you to
fly out there for some promotion, advertisement thing. They said you’d
know what they were talking about. I guess things got changed around
and they can get you in tomorrow, but you have to fly out today.”
“Today?” Jessica echoed. “But I just got back.”
“I know. I told them that, but they said unless you want to wait until
September to get it done, they need you tomorrow. They’ve even offered
to pay you extra because it was such last minute notice.”
“Well,” Jessica began drying her hands on a towel. “I guess if they
need me tomorrow, I’ll have to go. I won’t be gone long, so I won’t
have to do much laundry before leaving. When does Alaine Studios want
those bags?”
Sonya shrugged. “No deadline as long as they have ten in the next few
weeks. You can work them in when you get back I guess. Unless of course
you can get them all done before you leave.”
“Are you kidding? I still have to find a plane ticket!”
Both girls laughed and hurried off.
“It seems like I’ve just been here and done this,” Jessica muttered as
she boarded the plane for Cincinnati. “Maybe I can sketch a few ideas
for some bags during the trip.” Finding her seat, she sank down and
sighed. “Here I go again. I’m ready to stay home for a while.”
At the word ‘home’ that picture which Jessica was beginning to wish she
had never seen flashed into her mind. “Why won’t you leave me alone!”
Then she remembered, she had forgotten to call her mom that morning.
“I’ll do it later,” she promised herself once again.
A quick flight change in Detroit and before long, Jessica was in
Cincinnati. Brookside Pottery was an experience in and of itself.
Before she left two days later, she had a sample advertisement as well
as several promotional papers with her.
The flight to Detroit, where she was to again switch planes, was
uneventful. It was when she was boarding her connecting flight that she
began to grow puzzled; her puzzlement turned into a real fear that
perhaps it was true. Could this really be happening? As she took her
seat by the aisle, she glanced around her. There were many empty seats
and when the stewardess came by, Jessica stopped her with a question.
“Where is this plane going? I mean--” as she saw the slightly confused
expression on the lady’s face. “I think I just made a mistake and
either went to the wrong gate or purchased the wrong ticket or
something.” Her dark eyes seemed to be begging the stewardess to tell
her she was wrong.
“This flight is going to Newport , Washington.”
Jessica groaned. “I was afraid so. Is there any way I can get off?”
The sympathetic stewardess smiled, “I’m afraid not now. We are already
about to taxi to the runway, so if you’ll excuse me. And please fasten
your seatbelt.”
In a daze, Jessica did as she was told. “Home, why do I have to go
home? I thought I had left home for good when I left for college. I’m a
success on my own, I can handle things on my own. I just won’t go home.
I can turn right around and catch the next flight back to New York
where I was supposed to go. I wonder if there are any layovers before
we get to Washington?”
There weren’t, and as she stepped out of the plane into the terminal,
such a longing to just go home and feel her mother’s arms about her
came rushing over her, that in an instant she had made up her mind. She
was here and she was going to go visit her family. Alaine Studios
wanted her bags and she had Brookside Pottery’s promotions. Grabbing
her luggage, she hailed a taxi, gave the driver her old address and was
on her way without giving herself time for second thoughts.
Traveling across town, Jessica recalled those days before she made the
decision to leave for college and a life on her own. All her life she
had lived in the shadow of her wealthy uncle and her three successful,
well known and well liked older
brothers. She had been pampered, given anything that money could buy,
even most of her friends during her school days were friends because of
the money. As she grew older, she had longed for friends who cared
about her and not her money, longed to get her hands dirty working for
what she needed, longed to stand on her own two feet and know that with
hard work, determination and God’s help, she could not only survive,
but be successful. Now, with Alaine Studios wanting her bags, Brookside
Pottery’s special promotion and her own little art shop which she
shared with Linda and Sonya, she was a success.
When she had decided to leave for college and a life of her own, her
uncle had told her that she would never succeed and that if she left,
she would never get one cent of his money. He had never believed that
women should or could do anything but cook and clean house. Jessica
watched the passing houses. Soon she would be home again. What would
her uncle say to her? Her mother, she knew would be thrilled to see
her. When Jessica’s father died shortly after her birth, his brother
had taken over the care of the family.
Stepping out of the taxi after paying the driver, she paused with her
bags beside her and gazed with tear-filled eyes at the large house. How
well she remembered telling her mother, “I’ll come home again when I
can do so with my head held high, not because of Uncle’s money, but
because of the talents and hard work of the two hands God gave me.
Don’t expect me sooner. I’ll write and call, and you can visit me, but
I just can’t come home.”
Drawing a deep breath, Jessica Chang, the young and budding design
artist, opened the door and stepped into the house. On hearing voices
in the side room, Jessica left her luggage in the hall and walked to
the door. Looking in she saw her three brothers and their wives, her
uncle, and in a chair across the room facing the doorway, her mother.
Just at that instant, Mrs. Chang looked up. “Jess!” she exclaimed
rising and holding out her arms.
Jessica flew into them and for a moment their tears mingled.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Mrs. Chang wondered.
“I didn’t know myself until I got on the wrong flight in Detroit,” was
the laughing answer.
Before Mrs. Chang could say any more, Jessica’s brothers were around
her and welcoming her home. Only her uncle remained aloof. This niece
of his had disappointed him. No doubt she was coming home penniless.
“Uncle,” Jessica turned to him. “I think you might like to see these,”
and she pulled out her contract with Alaine Studios as well as some of
the advertisement from Brookside Pottery. “I didn’t come back to ask
for a home, I have one of my own. And I didn’t come back to ask for
money, I have plenty. And I didn’t come back with any purpose in mind.
It was simply a mistake.”
Taking the papers she held out to him, her uncle looked at them. She
watched his eyes widen in surprise. “Well,” he admitted at last, “you
are a success. I will admit that. Are you here to stay again?”
Jessica shook her head. “No, I can’t leave New York, but” she added
impulsively, seeing her mother’s disappointed face, “I want Mom to come
spend the rest of the year with me. We’ll leave in a few days.”
“Yes, Linda, I’m bringing Mom with me . . . It was hard to convince
everyone, but-- . . . I did . . . You will both love her! . . . Wait
until you see her painting some of the pottery . . . Okay, . . . Our
plane gets in tomorrow at noon . . . Yes, we have a layover in Denver .
. . Thanks. See you then!”
Jessica slipped her phone back in her purse. Turning to her mother she
said with a smile, “We’re going home, Mom. And in Denver I’ll show you
what brought me home to you.”

Did you like it?