“I am home.”

AN exhilarating feeling filled Amber’s being as she stepped out of the car and looked at the small house where she had lived as a child.
It did not look old and worn; it was just the same beautiful little house that she had never stopped thinking of over the years she had been gone, as though it was waiting for her.
Her uncle, who had brought her from the airport, unloaded her bags, and she looked at him and asked quietly, “How?”
He smiled and answered, “You have been helping the family a lot from overseas, and since we know how much this house means to you, I decided to care for it for you.”
Tears misted in Amber’s eyes, and she smiled, “Thank you so much.”
She took a deep breath as she walked up the steps, remembering the simple life there in the countryside, the laughter and joy. She had held on to those memories since the day she left with her mother to live overseas, looking back one last time at the little house and her tearful grandmother.
“I will be back,” she had cried quietly.
She had been ten years old then, cared for by her grandmother since she was two, when her mother had left to seek a better life in America.
“Some bonds are never meant to be broken,” she stated to herself with an intense feeling.
A new home, a new school, and a new life were a tough transition for her, but she was a strong-willed girl who believed in herself and worked hard towards her goals. She graduated from high school with top honours, then attended college and university, and finally joined a law firm.
She had often sent money home to her grandmother for her upkeep from the part-time jobs she had worked while at college, because she knew she would return home one day.
And today was that day.
Her mother had tried to persuade her not to return home to Guyana, but to stay and build a more promising future in New York, but Amber had made plans years ago to return because of her deep love for her country and home in the countryside.
She opened the door and inhaled the aged aura. But the homeliness was still there, with the quilted sofa coverings and a floral vase on the centre table, just waiting for a bunch of fresh flowers. On the wall was a framed picture of Buster, the pet dog, and Spice, the cat. Grandma had two faithful companions who stayed with her until they grew old and crossed the ‘rainbow bridge’. Not long after, she had left too for God’s home.
Amber stood there in front of the portrait on the wall of the beautiful woman with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes.
Tears welled in her eyes again as she looked at her, and touching the portrait, she said quietly, “You were supposed to wait for my return.”
But she had passed away peacefully one night when Amber was in the middle of exams. It had grieved her heart deeply that she could not be there to pay her respects to the woman who meant so much to her.
“But I fulfilled my promise, I came back.”
She slept that night in the house in her old room, in blissful sleep, in the embrace of so many fond memories.
The next day, she visited her grandmother’s grave in the churchyard, placing a bouquet of carnations on her grave.
“Your legacy, I will keep alive in my heart,” she said to her. “And I will establish a charitable organisation in your name to help the poorer class of people.”
As the days and weeks went by and she settled down, family members who came to help her urged her to pull down the old house and build a new, modern structure that would suit her status as a young lawyer.
She always shook her head with a patient smile. “If I do, then I’ll lose all of the precious memories.”
In the months that followed, she travelled to different parts of the country, and she saw everywhere beautifully designed houses, from moderate to posh, charming and elegant, but what she loved most, the ones that spoke to her heart, were the small, neat houses that embodied cosiness and warmth.
The rainy nights she loved the most, snuggling between the soft, fragrant sheets and being lulled to sleep by the gentle sounds of wind and rain. In the morning, a hot cup of coffee sent warmth through her body, and she sighed with satisfaction.
The simplicity of life.
Her mother, who had come to visit to see how she was doing, had prepared a light breakfast that Amber ate before getting dressed for work. She had quite a few cases in different courts today. She had gained a reputation as a brilliant young lawyer and was becoming recognised for her social and charitable work. She became a role model for young girls and reached out to help troubled teenagers and single mothers.
Some days she felt so tired that she barely managed to take a refreshing bath before stumbling into bed.
One night, as she was relaxing in front of the TV, watching one of her favourite series, her mother asked, “Well?”
Amber looked at her a bit inquiringly.
“Well, what?”
“Have you met anyone interesting as yet?”
“Oh, Mom,” she groaned. “Are you going to start with that again?”
“Yes, because you’re giving so much of yourself to helping others and not keeping a little of yourself for you.”
“Don’t worry,” she said with a teasing smile. “Maybe one day he will walk into my life.”
Her mother shook her head in mock frustration.
Amber stayed up late watching TV because the next day was a holiday, and she snuggled against the cushions with a tired sigh.
“I guess I should really take a day off for me.”
She awoke late the next morning and had a leisurely, hearty breakfast. An hour later, one of her friends, Ashley, called to invite her out for lunch in the city with two other friends.
“I just wanted to relax at home today,” Amber excused herself.
“No,” Ashley insisted. “You need a little outing, which would be relaxing. I’ll send my driver.”
“Darn,” Amber expressed to herself.
But the day turned out fine and quite enjoyable at the Marriott. After lunch, they sat at the bar having a couple of drinks, enjoying girl talk and quietly laughing when Brianna, one of the friends, exclaimed, “Oh, wow.”
“What?” the other women looked at her.
“Three guys with classic good looks and awesome bodies just walked in.”
“Here we go,” Amber said with a little laugh because Brianna had an affection for good-looking guys with great bodies.
She and the other friends gave the guys at the other end of the counter glances, and they all agreed with Brianna.
Amber did not show interest because she did not want to be approached by anyone.
“I like my quiet and peaceful life in my little house,” was her thought. “Maybe sometime later I can show some interest in someone.”
“The one at the end has been looking your way,” Brianna told her. “I think he likes you.”
Amber turned to look and, surely enough, his eyes met hers. It was a brief moment as he raised his drinking glass to her with a casual smile, a brief moment that told her these kinds of things do happen when a stranger walks into your life.
She sighed, knowing she was not ready.
“I’ll wait for that day so that it can be perfect. For now, it’s my job, social work and my little house.”

Fables