How do I get to Heaven?

Chapter 16- To Infinity

The next morning, I dragged my boys out for breakfast at my favorite diner. Ruth's Kitchen gave me a very "southern home cookin" feel, that I felt Travis would enjoy. My assumption was proven to be true, when the tired look on his face was replaced with pure joy.

"I'm getting six orders of biscuits and gravy and no one can stop me!" He exclaimed, causing us all to laugh. Aiden decided to treat himself to a full stack of pancakes, a biscuit, and grits. I did the same.

After breakfast we piled into our rental car and I took them all over town. I showed them my old school, my job, and favorite places to hang out. They had already wandered around downtown with me last night, so we only had one more stop.

Ten minutes later, we rolled to a stop across the street from a stone, two story home on the corner lot of a large, quiet neighborhood. The sky had grown dark as heavy rain clouds slid their way into town. We could hear thunder in the distance, and the air smelled of rain.

"Where are we?" Travis asked from the back seat of the black SUV we were driving. I had to take a deep breath before saying "This is my house."

The car was silent for ten minutes as we started at the house. No cars were in the driveway, meaning everyone must be at work. My little blue Civic was gone too. I wondered if they had sold it.

Finally, Travis said "Doesn't look like anyone is home. I say we go in."

"Bad idea." Aiden said, instantly.

"But why?" I gasped. Tears were stinging my eyes knowing I was so close to seeing my home again. I needed to get inside.

Aiden took my hand in his and said "You are dead. Think of your family right now. They are hurting terribly right now and if they round the corner and find you standing there? What will it do to their mental state?"

I blinked back more tears, looking back at my home. The white front porch was exactly the same as when I left. Two rocking chairs with a small black table between them sat quietly on the right side. The black front door was over on the left half. The shutters were black to match.

The grass was in need of a cut, which made my stomach clench. Mom hated the way overly long grass looked, so as soon as it got higher than she liked, she had Dad or one of us kids outside cutting it down.

Knowing Mom had let it get this long killed me. Did she just not care anymore? I nodded once and threw the door open, ignoring the protests from Aiden.

Travis appeared on my side as I stalked across the street, right up to the front door. I reached for the black table and lifted the fake potted Lilys up, pulling the hidden key from the pot.

Aiden climbed the stairs just as I slid the key into the lock.

"Rosalie this is a really bad idea."

"Aiden. I appreciate it but I need you to shut up and let me have this." I snapped, pushing the door open. The familiar smell of lemon hit me as we stepped through the door. At least Mom was keeping up with the cleaning. She was a bit of a neat freak.

The kitchen was to my right, and perfectly clean. The black marble counter tops glittered in the sun that poured in from the large window above the sink that overlooked the backyard. The cabinets were light grey, and looked freshly painted. Dad liked to do projects to keep his mind occupied.

To my left was the livingroom. Nothing was different there. Same white rug, same leather couches, same circular glass coffee table in the center with a stack of magazines and the remote sitting on top.