Chapter 18
Jenna walked up the porch steps as her mother continued to stare at her. Her daughter had changed over the last eight years. Her long brown hair was lighter and shorter; it framed her now grown up face. Her brown eyes looked scared. She was thinner now also. As Jenna made up the steps and finally stood eye to eye with her mother, she pulled her daughter in for a hug, squeezing tightly. It had been so long since she had seen. She started crying when she remembered why Jenna had left and never came back. She had run off and married that Runnels boy on her 18th birthday against their wishes. Jenna's mother let go of her, and held her at arm's length, taking her all in. She wiped the tears from her face and said, "Come on in the house. Your father is not going to believe that you are actually here." Jenna followed her mother inside the house and sat down at the kitchen table. Her mother went off to find her father.
Jenna took this time to look around her childhood home. Nothing had changed. The walls had been painted, but still the same color. She wandered into the living room. There were still a million photos of her hanging on the wall. She was an only child and her parents had doted on her. It was safe to say that she had been very spoiled growing up. How she was brought up and given everything and anything she wanted was why Cody called her 'The Princess' when they would fight. Jenna found herself smiling as she wandered over to the wall and saw a photo of her in her high school cheerleader uniform. She had been captain of the squad. She looked so young and full of hope in that photo.
"Jenna Kay Andrews. I didn't think we'd ever see you again," she turned as she heard her dad call her name.
"Hey, daddy," she said softly as she went to give her father a hug.
Jenna had finally called home after four years of being away, but the phone calls were very few after that first one; she called home on Christmas and Mother's Day. The phone calls were a painful reminder for Jenna of the life she left behind in Georgia.
"Come, sit," her mother pointed to the sofa. "This is such a surprise, Jenna. What brings you home?"
"I was in the area and that I'd surprise you both," she said quietly. Her mother silently noticed that her only daughter's soft southern accent had faded over the years.
"Well, we're definitely surprised. Are you in town long, where are you staying?" her father asked.
"I got in a few days ago, I've been staying in Atlanta."
"Oh. You could have stayed here. Are you here on business or did you come back to see Michelle and Jack's new baby?" her mother asked.
"Michelle had a baby?" Jenna was shocked. She hadn't spoken to her best friend in probably six years. She was too busy hiding from Cody.
"Didn't you know? I thought for sure you and Michelle would have kept in touch; you two were such good friends."
"No, I didn't know. Maybe I'll look her up tomorrow before I take off again."
"So, you're not staying in Atlanta long?" her father asked, a sad look crossing his face.
"Actually, no I think I'm headed off to Tampa tomorrow..." she trailed off.
There was an uneasy silence in the room. Jim and Alice wanted to know why their daughter had finally come home after making it a point to stay away for so long. "Jenna, we want you to know that it's so good to see you and that we've missed you very much. But, we wonder, did something happen that caused you to finally make the trip back down here?"
"Something did happen, I guess. Um. So, you know how I left Cody and made my way up to Minnesota to live with Auntie Jane while I went to school?" Her parents nodded. "I never filed divorce papers on Cody when I left. I figured we would eventually work things out and get back together. But that never happened. So, a few months ago, I started getting serious with this guy that I had been dating, Andrew, and I decided that I had better file the paperwork so in case he did propose, I would be able to say yes," Jenna said in a rush.
