Peach Cobbler

Pack up, we're leaving!

It was a cold, rainy afternoon in the city, a bustling day as it normally was this time of day. Bailey was walking home leisurely from her shift at the flower shop, apron tucked neatly over her arm. She took a rather big messy bite out of a muffin she had snagged from her families bakery on the way home, barely containing the soft baked goodness to the confine of her cheeks. She brushed a few stray crumbs from the corners of her lips as she approached her home, unlocking it and slipping quietly inside. To her surprise, there were packed boxes askew on the floor, along with a large stack of unused boxes.

Slowly and carefully she climbed over the boxes and made her way into the kitchen where she found both of her parents hastily packing things from their cabinets, all the dishes wrapped and the counters barren.
"Uh... Is there something you guys want to tell me? What is all this?" She asked nervously, combing her fingers through her mane repeatedly as she tried to soothe her anxieties. They hadn't previously mentioned moving anytime soon, so this had her filled mixed emotions. She looked to them, hoping they would reassure her this was nothing but the beginning of remodeling their old rickety house.

The room seemed to become colder and Bailey just knew something wasn't right. Her mother and father looked at each other in a moment of silence, exchanging something before turning their attention to their poor anxious daughter, Bailey, who was currently on the verge of crying, frantically combing through her hair and biting her bottom lip.Her father stood up and gently pulled her into a comforting embrace, stroking her mane.

"Pumpkin... Your Mema passed away this morning while you were at work. She put the estate in our name, so we need to move down to her farm in Texas to care for her animals and plan her funeral. I know this is a lot and it all happened so fast, but we need you to stay strong, pack up your things and load them into the van." He said as softly as he could, readjusting his glasses.

Bailey tentatively took a step back and took in a slow, deep breath, attempting to compose herself. She wiped away her tears with her handkerchief and nodded slowly. "O-okay, Papa... I'll start packing." She managed to choke out with a soft sniffle before she ascended up the staircase to pack her things. Once she had reached her bedroom and her door was closed behind her, she plucked her plush from her bed and let out a muffled sob into the rag doll horse plush with yarn hair that was handmade with love by her grandmother.

A few hours had passed since Bailey had made her way to her room to pack and it was practically barren besides her bedframe and few boxes that still needed to be hauled out to the van. Her dainty finger tips traced the old creaky wood that framed the widow of her childhood house. This was the place she grew up in, it was familiar, old and painfully bittersweet now that she had to say goodbye. The house was falling apart, so this was likely the last time she would ever see it again.

Bailey reached into her book bag and pulled out an old instant camera, looking around her barren room before holding the camera up to her face. She captured the old, creaky window in stop motion, childhood doodles on the wall, the secret hiding place in her closet. She photographed everything she knew she would miss the most. The last picture was taken outside, the tall, weathered house, Bailey perched on the porch step with her 17-year-old cat Mitzi, just as she once had as a child.

With that, they were all packed up and pulling away from the house she had grown so fond of. Life was about to change for her forever whether it were for the better or worse. This was reality now.

The car ride wasn't so bad, she supposed. Her parents took the scenic route so they were able to see mountains, great lakes, an animal preserve and stopped at the occasional retro dinner for food. But they drove all the way there otherwise, so stopping for hotels. Once they were about halfway there, the only stops were the occasional gas station and by this time, Bailey was bored and sleepy. She took a good look at the sunset mountain through lidded eyes, tracing their shape on the window as they passed by before slipping into blissful unconsciousness, her hand lightly falling to her side. The last thing she remembered hearing was the hushed sweet voices of her parents and the hums of traffic.