Chapter 1

Coming back home

I pull into the driveway in my Ford pickup with my trailer. I can't believe I'm back here. I never wanted to come back here. But I don't have any choice in the given situation. I sigh, turn off the engine, and step out of my car. It's still the same 2 story house it was when I left six years ago. The living room bay window, the white door with fading paint chips, even the little holes in the porch no one bothered to fix. I walk up the steps and open the door. 

"Hello?" I call out. The inside is still the same too. Same coat rack and shoe tray, same welcome mat that I always thought was tacky, even the family photos of me and my parents, decorating the walls. I hear the click of heels and I see a woman come toward me from the hall leading to the kitchen. She has raven black hair in a bun, a pinched face, and brown eyes. I sense an air of impatience from her, and my thought about her is conformed when she talks in a snobby voice, 

"Finally, your here. I thought I'd be waiting forever for you. Let's go into the kitchen. That's where all the paperwork is." she walks away and into the kitchen. 'Are you serious? surely this isn't the woman mum hired to take care of her will.' 

I follow the woman into the kitchen; where she has a bunch of paperwork sitting on the table. She motions for me to sit, but I don't, knowing full well that she can't control me since I'm in no way related to her. She just shrugs and says, 

"Now, Ms. Bridget; I know this may be a difficult time for you, what with your mother's sudden death and all, and no one else to take care of the house, I'm here to assure you that as the woman your mother chose to be her executor, I can promise you 100% that I'll try and make this easier for you. You have my word-" I interrupt her by saying, 

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"Pfft. yah right" I say. She sputters and says, 

"Excuse me?" she says, shocked. But I can tell when someone is truly shocked and when they aren't. So I say to her, 

"Look,...?" I don't know her name so she tells me it.

"Barren, Sandy Barren," she says. I say to her

"Look, Ms. Barren. My mother may be dead, and I may be an only child, but I'm not distraught or whatever you think I am. She was my mother, so of course, I cared about her. But this is life. Besides, I've already had relatives die around me. I've gotten used to it. Now, can we please get the paperwork done and sell the house to whoever wants it so I can leave? pretty please miss?" I say those last three words mockingly and in a little kid's voice. Sandy Barren stands there, appalled at my attitude but says, 

"O-oh. Umm, there's a slight problem with that," she says. I look over at her and say, 

"A problem? what sort of problem?" I ask her. She takes a minute to try and form her response carefully, then says, 

"Well, when your mother was creating her will, she pulled some strings when It came to the house. She said that when she died, she wanted you, her only child, to live in it for a year, then the house could be sold or whatever was chosen to happen. I'm really sorry-" I cut her off, saying, 

"Are you kidding me?! I don't want to live here for a year! I promised myself I'd never come back here-" I sigh, trying to control my frustration at hearing this. I take a minute to breathe and calm down. When I do, I look over at Sandy Barren and say to her, 

"I'm sorry. Look, I know it's not your fault I'll have to live here for a year. I just never wanted to come back here. Specific reasons are all. Is there a paper I have to sign for temporary ownership or something?" I ask. She nods her head and hands me the paper.