THE SUN BEAT DOWN on Aura as she walked up to the rundown house in the familiar street. Her father marched to the front porch, puffing his chest as if he was at the top of the world. It was his childhood home after all. Her mother laughed at his antics as Aura rolled her eyes.
She was not happy to be back in New Jersey.
The wooden door opened to reveal the owner of the house: Grandma Ruby.
Her smile was wide as she opened her arms, welcoming her son back to Cornelius. She wore a red apron over her loose shirt and skirt, already smudged with food stains. She had gained a few pounds since the last time Aura saw her, but her radiance continued being the same. Although years had piled up on her, she only had a few wrinkles present in her dark skin. Aura got her love for anything beauty from someone.
Her father stepped into her arms then, melting into her hug.
"Ma, it's so good to see you," he said, pulling away.
"Oh, baby, it's about time you get yourself back here," she teased. She looked over at Aura's mother, and ran to her with open arms.
The pair hugged each other for a few minutes, exchanging pleasantries and promising to do a few things before the summer was over. Aura crossed her arms wondering when she'd be able to get some peace and think about what she was going to do to fix her future.
She wanted to scream realizing she had no future. She needed to create a new one.
Would she have to go back to college?
"Well, if it isn't my grandbaby! Aura, my how you've grown. Give your grandma a hug."
Aura turned to her, and felt her annoyance ease a little.
"Hi, Grandma," she said, hugging her carefully.
"That flight must've been long, right? We've got to get some food in all of you." She turned to her son. "Austin, check the stove. I had something cooking for y'all."
"Ma, you're not supposed to be in the kitchen anymore," her father retorted.
"Excuse you, are you my father? No. I make the rules around here." Grandma Ruby pointed an accusing finger to her child, before turning back to Aura with a smile. "He acts like I'm about to drop dead at any second."
"Oh, Grandma." Aura chuckled.
"Wow, Ruby, this all smells amazing," her mother commented once she stepped inside the house. "You've always had a way with cooking."
"It's the practice," Grandma Ruby replied with her signature cheeky smirk. "Come on now, I gotta check if it's ready. I almost forgot y'all were coming and started late, but don't tell your father that." She winked at Aura before turning towards the kitchen.
"Austin, go get settled. Let me finish cooking."
"Ma, I can handle this."
"To your room with Eliza!"
Her father placed the wooden spoon back onto the counter and picked up his bags. He pointed to her mother to follow him, and they started getting settled into the small house.
Aura immediately felt suffocated, standing in the middle of the living room. How her grandmother had raised five children in that small house was beyond her.
"Go on, baby, put your bags in one of the rooms. Dinner will be ready soon," Grandma Ruby said, urging her to leave her at peace in the kitchen.
Aura nodded and made her way to the tiny hallway. Flashbacks of her chasing her cousins all around the house flooded her mind as she struggled to hold onto all of her bags and suitcases. Back then, this house was heaven for her. Now it was more like a trap.
YOU ARE READING
Forever Glamorous
General Fiction"I put on makeup to express myself. I could care less about my so-called insecurities." Aura Chandler was so sure she had her life figured out. After securing a photoshoot gig with up-and-coming musician Lacey Redd, she was convinced she would get d...
