As they began walking Jill explained that she lived with her Grandma and that it wasn’t very far away so they could just walk there if he didn’t mind. She seemed a little nervous talking to him at first but soon warmed up as the conversation started flowing. Surprisingly she thought almost all of his jokes were funny and agreed with him that there was definitely something strange about Tommy’s death. Almost as soon as that subject came up Jim steered the conversation to something else. It was the first of what he hoped might be more dates and he didn’t want to ruin it by talking about his dead friend. Jim missed Tommy, but he was sure he’d understand.
They slowly strolled down the street towards the edge of town talking and laughing like old friends. Jim was actually surprised how well they were getting along. He usually did abysmally when it came to talking to the other sex. He was mostly glad he hadn’t put his foot in his mouth.
A lot of the houses belonged to one of the two main developments the town boasted but there were a few that had been built off by themselves. These were set closer to the edge of the town, almost in the woods. They stood like lonely sentinels guarding the inhabitants from unseen horrors that might at any minute swoop down and devour them. At least that was how Jim always thought of them. Many of the old places were left over from the original families that had settled here and eventually helped the town grow into what it was today. The developments were added later on after others families who wanted to get away from the big cities began moving to the area.
Sadly the town council in its infinite wisdom did nothing to keep the lonely, old guardians intact. For the most part they were run down, barely standing shacks. Some actually had fallen into nothing more than heaps of old rotten wood waiting for a well placed lightening strike to finally end their misery. They’d been built well all those years ago but since they were no longer occupied by anything other than an animal or two they’d fallen to disrepair. There were no families moving to the town anymore that wanted the problems that went along with owning one of the old places. Jim briefly entertained the idea of buying one and fixing it up back to the state it had once been but then his reality reared its ugly head. There was no reason for him to do something like that. He had no life here. He had his mom sure, but that was about it plus he hadn’t been back in years. The idea died before it’d really taken any shape. Glancing at Jill, he thought maybe there would be another reason for him to stay soon.
A small smile spread across his face as they turned down a road he recognized. He knew it almost as well as the one leading to his house. It went to the only school in town. The one he went to when he lived here. Jim didn’t know if it was still in use but since the road wasn’t overgrown with weeds and trees he assumed it was. Not that he’d seen many kids around since his arrival. Parents were probably keeping them close to home after what had happened to Tommy.
Trying to distract himself from morbid thoughts he pointed out different birds and trees he saw to Jill. He’d spent so much time in the forest as a kid he couldn’t help but learn what certain things were. Jill asked how he knew so much which eventually led to stories about all the mischief he’d gotten into as child growing up here. It amazed her that one kid could get in so much trouble. She had thought the town dull and boring but he seemed to open her eyes to how much there actually was to do there. At least if you were a kid.
They soon found themselves at the end of a dirt road that branched off from the main one that in turn led to a small house set slightly back near the wood line. Jill walked confidently down the road and Jim followed to what was apparently Grandma’s house. Following closely behind Jill he had to stifle a laugh at the thought. When Jill looked questioningly over her shoulder he had to explain that he couldn’t help but think of the old Christmas carol. He whistled a few note and by the time they were half way down the path they were both laughing so hard their faces were red and Jim’s eyes were watering. He didn’t know what was so funny about the whole thing and he didn’t really care. He just liked hearing Jill’s laughter.
“I used to think the same thing,” she said after catching her breath and opening the door of the porch. As they’d walked up and before the unexpected bout of singing he’d seen the house and found it to be what he would expect a lady like grandma to live in. Thinking back over the years to the days when he’d rode the bus this way he remembered passing the dwelling many times but not thinking about who had lived there. They’d passed by the little house everyday on the way to and from school, but he’d never really noticed it before. He knew it was there but he never really looked at it.
The house was a typical one story that had obviously been built a long time ago but for all its age it still looked ok. Just like he imagined Grandma would when he finally saw her again. Grandma had most likely lived most, if not all, of her life there and taken care of the place through the years. There was evidence of a few minor modifications here and there that had been made, the most prominent of which was the porch they were now entering. It was in much better shape than the rest of the house. He wasn’t sure but it stood to reason that it must have been added after the original house was built. The small enclosure ran the length of most of the front of the house almost reaching all the way around to the side. Big screened in windows gave an unobstructed view of the road and surrounding forest. The wood it was constructed of was stained dark so that it would match the house as close as it possible but the constant exposure to weather gave it away. The wood paneling on the house itself was just a slight bit lighter than the porch. The hinges of the door only squealed a little as it slammed shut behind them. If nothing else somebody took care of the door. Jim could imagine Grandma sitting on one of its three chairs watching the kids pass by in the morning on their way to school with a big smile on her face.
He felt like a bit of an intruder walking into the house but the feeling quickly disappeared when he beheld the homey environment he’d entered. If there was any other place in the world that made someone feel as welcome he couldn’t think of it. The inside just seemed to take your hand and whisper in your ear that you were considered family and to stay as long as you wanted. Everywhere he looked were pictures of people he knew. Not that he knew Grandma’s family but then again looking at the pictures he did. The faces looking back at him were filled with smiles and laughter. They were picture of all of his childhood friends. Here he saw the little girl that used to live down the street from him eating an ice cream cone, there he saw the bully that used to pick on all the smaller kids reading a comic book then he came to a picture that just about took his breath away. Stepping closer he saw faces he knew as well as his own. A picture of Rob, Tommy, Pete and himself was nestled between two of other kids he vaguely recognized. He actually remembered when it was taken. The four of them were sitting outside Grandma’s store with their arms around each other making weird faces at the camera. Grandma had come outside one day while they were there and snapped it for what she said was her family photo album. When they all protested saying they weren’t in her family she just smiled and told them they may not be flesh and blood but they were still her boys.