Valerie's Homecoming
Valerie was scared. She wanted to run.
She wished she was eighty years younger and still a little girl so she could pull away from these people who claimed to be her children and run far away until she could get back to her Garden of Eden to walk and talk with God. He would comfort her and tell her that everything was all right.
But Valerie could not run so she let the strangers lead her up the walk of an old Victorian house and onto the front porch. One of them carried a suitcase that Valerie recognized as her own.
A woman approached and began speaking to the people who had brought Valerie here. Valerie could hardly make out their conversation because they were speaking in hushed tones, but she caught a few fragments like, "Mom", "living in a fantasy", and "want only what's best for her." Hah! she thought. What do these people know about what is best for her?
Valerie felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that the two people who had brought her here were on the verge of leaving. The woman claiming to be her daughter was now touching her and she was suddenly hugging Valerie and weeping into her shoulder. The man who had driven, the one who claimed to be her son, pulled the woman away from Valerie. Valerie turned away from them and hoped that they would just disappear.
A moment later she heard car doors close and turned to see them driving away. She was now standing on the porch alone with the woman who had spoken to the people who brought her here. Valerie wondered what this woman's intentions were; however, when the woman smiled at her, Valerie felt all of her fears fade away. This woman was at least half her age, yet she seemed somehow maternal.
Valerie, clutching her purse to her chest, allowed the woman, who said her name was Jane, to lead her into the house and down a long hallway. Jane carried Valerie's suitcase in one hand, and gently held Valerie's elbow with the other. At the end of the hallway, Jane set Valerie's suitcase down in front of an ornate wooden door which was engraved with hundreds of tiny vines and flowers. Valerie thought she could detect the faintest hint of jasmine and lavender coming from the door.
Jane told Valerie that she would need to show her the contents of her purse. Valerie did not want to comply, but Jane persisted in a soothing, comforting tone. Reluctantly, Valerie began removing items and placing them into Jane's hands: her tiny compact with its fractured mirror, her wallet and change purse, a small pack of tissues, several butterscotch candies, a hair brush, and a very old looking skeleton key.
Jane peered into the now empty purse. Satisfied Valerie wasn't hiding anything that could be harmful or dangerous, Jane allowed Valerie to place each of the items back into her purse.
Valerie hesitantly reached out a hand and grasped the knob of the door. She tried to turn it, but found it to be locked. She looked questioningly back at Jane who simply smiled and held out the skeleton key which had been in Valerie's purse. Valerie took the key and looked back at the door handle. She was surprised to see that there was now a key hole just below the knob. She looked back at Jane and was encouraged by her smile. Valerie carefully slipped the key into the keyhole. It fit. She turned the key and felt the lock give way. Valerie turned the knob and pushed the door open. Her eyes widened in disbelief and the corners of her mouth turned upward in a wide smile. She looked with disbelief back at Jane who continued to smile and motioned for Valerie to go in.
Valerie turned and walked through the door into the Garden of Eden. Tall trees strained for the sky above and soft, green grass carpeted the ground. The birds sang and the bees hummed and the breeze whispered silently to her. She heard the door close behind her and turned to see God standing there, smiling.
God said, "Welcome home, Valerie. Welcome home."
