Finding Home

A city man finds his new home in an unlikely place.

I walk out of the gas station and head back to my car. I'm heading back to Florida. I have a summer home there. Days at the beach, nights at the clubs. I've always enjoyed going there but I've begun to get a little bored of it. I pass by a sign that says Welcome To North Carolina. It's getting dark so I know I'll need to stop soon. I look up some hotels near me and there's only one on my route in a town called Brevard.

When I get to the inn, it's pouring down rain. There's a storm about to hit. I walk up to the counter and the woman looks up and smiles. 

"I need a room. It'll only be one night," I say.

"Oh, honey. Did you not see the sign? We don't have any left.We're all booked. I'm sorry," she says sympathetically.

"Oh. Do you know of any other places I could stay?"

"Maybe. Let me call Mr.Taylor and see if he's got a room for you. Just give me one minute." She reaches for the phone and dials a number.

"Headed to Florida?" says a woman to my right.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"You're obviously a city-boy and you packed a heck of a lot of stuff. Only reason a city-boy with a lot of luggage stops by Brevard is if he's headed to Florida."

Just then I hear a loud roll of thunder. I look outside and the rain has gotten heavier. When I cross the parking to get to my car, I'll get soaked. There's a young woman running on the sidewalk. She opens the door and asks "Where's he at Mary?"

"Right over there, Callie," and to my surprise she points straight at me. Callie walks over to me and extends her hand.

"Hi, I'm Callie Taylor. My daddy's got a room if you want it."

"Yes. Please."

"Well my truck is over there. It's the grey one on the corner. If you follow me, I'll lead to the house. It's only about fifteen minutes away."

"House?" I ask.

"Yes sir. My house has an extra room. When the hotels fill up, we help out."

"Oh, okay."

I cross the lot and head to my car. When I get in, I move the towel so I can sit on it. I'm drenched from the rain. I drive for about ten minutes down the same street. Then, we turn onto a gravel road. It's a bumpy drive but I survive. There are magnolia trees lining the side of the pathway. In the daytime I'm sure this is beautiful. When we reach the driveway, I take out my bags and head up the stairs after Callie.

The house is old. It's mostly white but on the sides it's a reddish brown. The shutters are a dark color, I can't pick out in the dark.It's either a dark green or blue. The siding is dirty and missing in some spots but it's still charming somehow.

Callie lets me in and leads me upstairs. She points to a room at the end of the hall and says "There it is.Hope you sleep well. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I walk into the room and it's bigger than I thought. It's got a dresser, a closet, a queen sized bed, and a desk with an office chair. I lie down on the bed and soon drift off.

I wake up to an odd sound. I peek through the curtains and see there are horses behind the house. They're in a large, circular area. Callie is filling their blue buckets with something. Food, I guess.

I change out of my clothes from last night and get into some jeans and a fresh t-shirt. I walk down the stairs, headed to Callie, but a woman stops me.

"Hello! I made breakfast, do you want some?" she asks.

"Oh. I'm not really a breakfast person."

The door opens and I hear Callie say "You will be after you try Mama's chocolate chip pancakes. They're the best you've ever had, I bet."

I sit down at the round table in their kitchen and she brings me a plate with pancakes on it. I take a bite and I can't stop. They're the most delicious pancakes I've ever had. 

"Wow!" I say.

"Told you," says Callie from across the room. She smiles at me and heads back out to the horses.

I think I might stick around here a little longer.

Author's Note

Short, but I really wasn't feeling creative today.

Reviews

[DRAGO]

very fun read______________

[barleygirl]

I like a little vignette like this that leaves the reader with a place to launch various possibilities. Your overall storytelling is strong with good use of dialogue & good pacing. There are a few bumps in the construction of some lines, but nothing too distracting. I get the idea you weren't in the mood to tighten up the structure, but it's interesting & true-to-life, either way.

[Quinn W]

Thank you!! I just wasn't having a "good writing day" that day. I might extend the story, I don't know. I've been messaging my friend about it.

[moonlit_cove]

I like it! I think it's very creative. The atmosphere is really well described, and I was drawn deeply into the scenes. I was actually sad that it ended, as I was getting excited to find out what would happen. This would be a great jumping-off point for a larger story! Well done!

[Quinn W]

Thank you!!!