Home

Everyone needs a home. "A home is where love is."

The rain poured mercilessly. The girl just sat there, shivering on the side walk. Her bags beside her, soaking up heaven's tears and making all her belongings soggy. The evening was fading into darkness and even now, the street lights seemed so lonely that they looked as if they were almost bending to meet each other's heads. She sneezed. It did not help at all that the night air was chilling her bones. The street was empty, dark and quiet. It was not the place for a young girl like her. The tears now flowed freely, sadness that had burst the seams of the heart and now escaping her lips like the whimpering of a puppy. She was so absorbed in her self pity that she did not notice that the rain had stopped seeping through her clothes. That there was someone holding up an umbrella, building a sanctuary from the heavy rain. He squatted in front of the girl.

"Lela, I'm here now," the boy said, his right arm opened up, exposing the curve of his shelter to let her in. Immediately, she thrust herself forward. This time, wailing into his shirt.

"Michael, I h-h-ave no wh-where to g-g-go."

Gently, his palm landed on the crown of her head, his princess was back again. Stroking her messy brunette hair, he whispered into her ear, " Lela, you are home."

He hoisted her up, making sure she did not fall over from exhaustion and as she leaned on him, he dragged her belongings into the house, balancing two heavy suitcases on one side and a very wet girl on the other.

As she stepped into the warm house, Lela realised. She never actually was home, where she was before was actually just a place where people whom she was related to by blood gathered and hit each other until they bleed and paramedics came. A home is where love is. At Michael's, she was always loved. Lela knew, that as his mother sat her down with a cup of hot chocolate, that finally, she had a home. This time, as tears escaped her again, it was not because she was kicked out, it was because finally, she found what she was searching for.