That Summer

The air was hot and humid, a typical summer day, as she approached the airport. The building was bustling with life: people saying goodbye, some saying hello, some doing neither. People were boarding flights, or getting off, or just sitting there, waiting to take off to wherever their destination was. Silken stared straight ahead, trying to decide whether to be excited or sad that she was leaving, but her thoughts were interrupted with a shrill voice.

“Do you really have to go? Why don’t you just stay here?” her mom questioned, looking over at her from the driver’s seat. She could think of a million reasons why she wanted to get out of that town, but she kept them to herself.

“You promised grandma, remember?” was all Silken said, giving her mom a small smile. She heard a sigh and saw a nod as her mom opened her door. They both got out of the car, grabbed everything Silken would need for the trip, and began the trek to the security gates. Planes roared above them, shaking the building slightly as they landed and took off. Silken wandered through the halls, avoiding people that were in a hurry and taking in all the sights. She didn’t often go on airplanes, and she could feel a small ball of excitement and fear building up inside of her. They reached the gates and Silken sighed, turning to her mother.

“Okay, bye Mom,” she said, trying not to sound too excited. She smiled, and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her mom’s small frame. She felt her mom sigh, and then start shaking slightly. They pulled away, and her mom dabbed her eyes.

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do without you!” she wailed a little too loudly. Silken resisted the urge to roll her eyes as people stared and smiled gently.

“I’m sure you’ll be alright,” she said as she moved her bags forward. They said their final goodbyes, her mother shedding more than a few tears, and she was on her way.

She sat in the uncomfortable airport seats, waited in the long line to check in, boarded the plane, listened to the “in case of an emergency” lecture and even ate the free pretzels, just to take in the whole experience. Before she knew it they had landed, though she still felt like she was flying.

The airport they loaded into was small, unlike the one they left from. There were two baggage carousels, both right beside each other, one runway, and one small floor in the airport. Smiling faces were waiting to greet them as they all filed into the foyer and Silken looked around, trying to spot someone she knew. Her face lit up with a smile as her eyes landed on her grandmother.

She was in one of her typical outfits, a brightly patterned dress, a shawl that didn’t quite match but didn’t quite clash, and her worn out runners. Her hair was pinned up into a messy-type bun and she had a bright coloured fan that was fanning her face. Silken walked towards her as her grandmother stood up, and engulfed her in a fabric filled hug.

“Hello darling! It’s been a while,” her grandmother said, in her almost-an-accent. Silken chuckled and nodded, walking towards the baggage carousels to wait for her suitcase. It took longer than she would have expected, though, because her grandmother knew everyone that they passed.

“Oh Sylvia, it’s so good to see you!” or “It’s been forever, we need to catch up!” they would all say. Her grandmother would just smile, throw in a few words, and introduce Silken, who seemed to be the buzz of the small town. Silken would just smile, offering a hand to shake or an arm to hug and they would move on.

Once they had gathered her bags and found the car, which Sylvia had almost misplaced, they made their way out of the parking lot and onto the road. Everywhere around them there were fields, some filled with something that resembled corn stalks and others that had hay bales stretched out every which way. She closed her eyes and sighed, imagining all the things the summer might hold.

“So, tell me about your trip,” Sylvia said, a pinch of excitement in her voice. Silken snapped out of her partial trance and started on the story, telling about the screaming baby that was put beside her and the man who complained about everything that there was to complain about. By the time the story was finished, they were both laughing hysterically and had made their way into the town.

It was smaller than Silken remembered, though it had been five years since she had been anywhere near the town. There were big, old houses that lined the road as they drove in, thinning out into smaller, trailer-like houses as they got closer to Main Street. There were a few children’s parks, dotted between the trees and houses, some filled with little kids playing and others empty. They passed an auto body shop, a small cafe, and little boutique before pulling into the parking lot of a large grocery store. It could have easily been the biggest building in town.

“I hope you don’t mind, dear. I just have to grab a few things,” Sylvia said, sliding out of the driver’s side. Silken followed suit, getting out of the car and made her way towards the blinding sign fixed on the front of the building. She squinted her eyes a little, trying not to blind herself as she caught up with her grandmother.

“The signs are new,” she said, sighing and rolling her eyes. “We had a petition against it, but no one wanted to listen to us. They say it attracts new customers. Yeah, right.”

Silken stifled a laugh and grabbed a cart, following Sylvia through the aisles. They made their way from vegetables all the way to the bakery, grabbing random grocery items in the process. As they made their way to the cash register, Silken looked around. Everything looked almost the same as she had remembered; run down and broken but still shiny and friendly. As the cashier ran their items through, she chatted easily with Sylvia, asking her about anything and everything they could possibly think of. Something about the lady bubbled up a nostalgic feeling in Silken, but she pushed it down, passing it off as memories of the summers she spent here as a kid.

“I’ll see you later, Lesley! Tell Robbie he needs to come over and help me fix my door sometime,” Sylvia yelled behind her as they carried the groceries out. The name slammed against Silken like a misplaced wall and she stopped, closing her eyes and flashing back to nowhere, left to wonder why her feelings were bubbling up inside of her.