One Moment In Time

Dandelion (Unedited)

Dandelion

It's hot outside, the sun is high in the sky and blinding. Ten minutes off of the bus in Oklahoma and I'm already grumbling about how my stupid aunt and uncle Fray don't have a car.

It's an hours walk from the bus stop to the farm. A walk that I wish I didn't remember so it wouldn't be a lie if I never showed and blamed it on getting lost for a whole week.

But it's too engrained in my feet. I could close my eyes and still make it there.

Aunt and uncle Fray used to be my favorite aunt and uncle. Back when I was ten and didn't realize that the town gossip about my aunt and uncle was true.

They were a nut case.

Aunt Fray was always on the front porch humming a tune off key petting the air, literally. She would cup the air with one arm and pet over it like there was a cat there. Maybe there once was, but I never remember one.

And Uncle Fray?

He would stand at the forest edge and go on and on about leaving his 'damn crops alone!'

Neither one ever left the farm. Therefore there was no use of a car. And frankly, I think that the town was grateful that they weren't behind a wheel.

Back then, I was just a child who didn't know any better. But in three days, I would be seventeen. I grew up, I'm not a naive little girl anymore.

I had a life at home. One my parents didn't seem to think was important enough to skip staying with aunt and uncle Fray for a week.

"Stupid mom, stupid dad!" I kicked a rock along the dirt road already three-fourths of the way to the crazies. The rock ricocheted off a streetlight shooting out of sight into the tall grass along the road.

"Dandelion?"I turned when a hand caught my wrist startled at the sudden unexpected contact. The man in front of me blinked as if he saw a ghost and was trying to figure out if it was real or not.

"Let go of me." I tugged at my arm but his grasp was tight. "You've got the wrong person." He blinked a few times more then his eyes darkened as if he just woke up from a nightmare.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone I used to know." He let go and turned away without saying anything else. I watched him fade away into the forest line confused at what just happened.

I shook my head at the strange guy turning around to face a whole week of my life wasted.

Aunt Fray was sitting on the porch in her rocking chair as usual fast asleep, and Uncle Fray wasn't to far behind her in his seat.

"Melissa!" Uncle Fray stood up as soon as he saw me engulfing me in a tight hug, the smell of sweat making it hard to breathe.

I pushed away from him counting how many germs were now clinging to my skin. "Adylan, uncle Fray, Melissa is my mother." I reminded him not for the first time, and neither the last.

"You don't say." He stepped back to look at me his brows drawn together trying to piece together a puzzle he couldn't quiet get to fit together. "Melissa has a daughter, how old are you child?" I stood there blinking at my uncle, he knew I was coming, right?

"Stop antagonizing the poor child Pete, Melissa sent word for her weeks ago." Aunt Fray was now awake scolding her husband and gesturing for me to come closer to her.

I set my bags down and reluctantly let her arms wrap around me and kiss my cheek. I smiled even though my skin was crawling and I quickly wiped my cheek with the back of my hand. "You're looking more and more like my sister every time I see you child. You could be her twin."

I rolled my eyes and sighed picking my bags up again. "I'm gonna go put my bags  in my room." I mumbled heading inside the overly hot shack they called a home wishing I had gotten kidnapped along the way here.

I guess that's the thing about wishes though, just because you wish it, doesn't mean that it's going to happen.