Georgia Stars

The tires splashed through the puddles that the torrential downpour had left behind in its wake. The air gave off that cold, just rained chill that made you want to wrap your coat around you as tight as possible just to give you a sense of security. I looked around me to double check that I wasn’t in Seattle anymore. I was under the assumption that Georgia was supposed to be happier than this.

Not having visited the state since I was ten, I wanted to take in my surroundings. Nothing was what I remembered it to be. The streets of the small town Alpharetta weren’t as big as I recalled, and it wasn’t as bright. It wasn’t anything near to what it was in my dreams, the flashbacks while I slept that marked the days of my childhood.

My Uggs finally connected with the earth for the first time in what seemed like days. I yawned, stretching my arms high above my head, feeling all of my muscles release. My eyes fell upon the robin blue paneled house that proudly stood in front of me, just across the street. Great Aunt May’s little blue country home was something that I would never forget. It was the kind of house that gave you that warm, safe feeling. It felt like home.

“Em, go on up, we’ll take care of your bags for you,” my father told me, stepping out of the car and into the foggy air. I nodded, not bothering to say a thing while I stepped over the yellow curb and onto the sidewalk.

The sound of tired spinning across the slick ground made me look over my shoulder, just to make sure that my parents hadn’t left me all alone with no clothes for the summer. A red Chevy pick up truck rolled along the street, right past Aunt May’s house and further down the suburban streets. I sighed, shaking my head before I continued up the pathway that was lined with bright colored flowers.

Though it was chilly, the front door was open, leaving just the screen door to protect the separate the inside from the world. I peaked through the thin black screen, seeing not a soul around the corners, or in the living room. I quietly opened the door, glancing over my shoulder to see my father and mother arguing about something. Rolling my eyes, I stepped in the house, closing the door as softly as possible behind me.

I took in the light colored walls lined with pictures of our extended family, and other old pictures and paintings. The walls gave off a welcoming vibe, making me feel secure. I tip toed through the completely silent house, looking for any sign of my Aunt.

I found her in the kitchen, where she was just putting a batch of cookies into the oven. She looked up from the oven, smiling widely as heard my footsteps echo through the silent room.

“Oh, Emma Lee!” The elderly women exclaimed, slipping the oven mitts off of her delicate hands and tossing them carelessly on the counter.

“Hi Auntie May,” I squeaked out sweetly while she wrapped her thin arms around me and squeezed for only a moment before she released me and held me at arms length. Her eyes, hidden behind thick glasses, took in my appearance.

“Oh, dear, you’ve grown up so much since I’ve seen you last,” she commented, “you definitely didn’t have those last time you visited,” she said as an afterthought, mentioning to my chest. I automatically blushed, willing to hide behind mother as she entered the kitchen.

My mother kissed both of her aunt’s cheeks, before turning to me. “Your father placed your bags in the room that you’ll be staying in,” she told me, letting her eyes scan around her childhood home. I nodded, still refusing to even look at her as my father also entered the room.

“I’m going to unpack my stuff then,” I mumbled, exiting the kitchen without another look to my family members. Rolling my eyes, I heard my mother tell Aunt May that I was only nervous to be away from home alone.

The room I was staying in smelt like dust, but was nice other than that. Aunt May was getting up there in age, she probably didn’t have the strength to clean all of the spare rooms of this big house. I sighed, running my finger along the dresser top, feeling the dust gather on my finger tip. I sighed, turning away from it and unzipping the first bag of three that were set on the bed in the center of the room.

First I pulled out the several sundresses I had brought and hung them in the closet, along with most of my shirts. I put all of my jeans, shorts, and skirts in the empty dresser. I moved on to the last suitcase that I brought with me. With a smirk on my face, I lined all of my shoes against the wall.

Biting my lip, I walked to the window, frowning as I saw my parents’ car pull away from the house, speeding down the road. I rolled my eyes. They didn’t even bother to say goodbye, but I guess that’s something I would never put pass them.

Last, I pulled out the only items left in my bag, which was all of the beauty products I would need and put them in the bathroom that extended off of my room.

With a sigh, I ran my fingers through my naturally curled hair and made my way out of my room, ready to go make some conversation and maybe go out and explore the town.

As I reentered the kitchen, Aunt May was pulling the sheet of cookies from the oven. I smiled, the smell of chocolate chip goodness taking over all of my senses as I sat down at the kitchen table.

“You know, Emma Lee, you’re going to like it here a lot,” she told me, setting the cookies on the rack to cool. I nodded. “I know you probably don’t want to spend your summer with an old lady like me,” I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up her hand, cutting me off, “but the kids are good here, I’m sure you’ll have friends in no time.” I smiled, nodding my head again.

“I hope so, Aunt May,” I breathed out, eyeing the cookies.

“Not yet, they’re too hot,” Aunt May told me with a teasing grin as she turned to get the milk from the fridge. I watched as she grabbed a, filling them it about halfway before she put the jug of milk back in the refrigerator.

“We’ll have company soon, I suspect,” she commented, glancing at the clock on the wall. Before I could ask who would come visit, the door swung open and heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.

“Ms. Whatley, are you in here?” A male voice called down the entry hall, getting closer to the kitchen. Aunt May smiled, sending me a wink before calling out.

“Oh, Bradley, in the kitchen!” She called back, setting the cookies on a plate. I bit my lip, watching a tan looking guy, who looked around my age, with light brown hair and pretty blue eyes enter the kitchen, looking down at the envelopes in his hands.

“Nothing but bills,” he laughed, outstretching his hand that held the envelopes to Aunt May, before his eyes landed on me.

“Bradley, you remember my niece Emma Lee,” Aunt May asked with her trademark smile, as the boy’s eyes refused to leave mine. He nodded a bit, seemingly entranced. “Emma, hasn’t Bradley grown up so much since the last time you saw him?”

“Yeah,” I laughed a bit, “he has,” I agreed, staring into the face of the little boy from down the street who always used to pick me flowers from his mother’s garden. The little boy that still haunted my dreams, with those perfect eyes, and that perfect smile. Of course I still remembered Brad Miller.

“Bradley, I just baked some cookies, take a seat, don’t you, and we’ll catch up!” Aunt May suggested, mentioning to the seat beside me. Brad’s left hand rose to scratch the back of his neck, finally taking his dark blue orbs off of me.

“I’m actually on my way to practice,” he said sheepishly, his eyes locking with the plate of fresh homemade cookies.

“Say no more,” Aunt May said, putting her left hand up to hush him. She turned, fetching a zip lock baggie from the drawer behind her. “Yes, that does mean you get one now,” she told me with a smirk, sliding the plate towards me. I grinned, silently cheering in my head as I snatched the one off of the top of the pile. I broke off a piece, popping it into my mouth.

“I haven’t had a homemade cookie in…years,” I sighed dreamily, in content as the chocolatey goodness coated my taste buds. Aunt May laughed, going on about how I was deprived in Seattle while she put at least ten cookies in the zip lock baggie before zipping it up and handing it to Brad, who was discreetly watching me out of the corner of his eye.

“Now you get going, we don’t want you to be late!” He laughed, nodding as he held onto the bag tightly. “We’ll see you tomorrow Bradley!”

“Bye Mrs. Whatley,” he said, making his way towards the door, “see you around, Emma Lee.” With a wink towards me, he exited the room, the front door shutting only a second later.

I bit down into my cookie to keep a smile from stretching at my lips. Little Bradley Miller sure had grown up from his days of a little boy in a Spiderman shirt racing to catch up to the ice cream truck.

“He’s such a good boy,” Aunt May told me, sliding the glass of milk towards me. “He gets my mail for me every day and brings it in so I don’t have to walk out. And he plays hockey, do you like hockey dear?” I shrugged, almost smirking at the thought of his body. I knew some hockey players back home, and believe me, they had rocking bodies.

“Hockey isn’t too big in Seattle,” I told her with a small blush. Aunt May nodded, smiling knowingly.

“Right, well rest assured that that isn’t the last you’ll be seeing of Bradley this summer.”