Page 49 of Half Blind

Chapter 15-Charm

Helen arrived at Lemon'sFarm in Oxford, Ohio just as the girls Bria and Ayanna were about to load up for school. Helen waved to them as she pulled into a parking space near the home. The girls, excited, bound for the vehicle, grabbing the door to help Helen out.

“Cousin Helen, you're back! We missed you,” Ayanna said.

“Yeah, a couple of things changed around here while you were away,” Bria said. “A lot has changed. Will you be here when we get back from school?”

“Sure will,” Helen replied, adding a soft smile at the corner of her lips.

“Can you make us some meatloaf for dinner? I like meatloaf with mashed potatoes,” Ayanna said.

“So now I'm the cook?”

“No, but you know...she can't do much in the kitchen outside of the pressure cooker thing, sheet pan dinners or the air fryer,” Bria said. “It's nice to have, like, real food.”

“If you learn to cook, you can have real food all the time,” Helen said.

“True, but why do for myself when you do it so much better?” Ayanna retorted sticking out her tongue. “Hey, any word from that dude with the snake on his chest? Is he coming back too, like Mr. Jared?”

“Mr. Jared is back?” Helen said, trying to act surprised.

“Yeah, I'll wait and let her explain it,” Bria said. “Come on, Ayanna, we're gonna be late for school.”

Helen watched the girls drive off. In the back of her car, she had a few thoughtful gifts she’d picked up for each of them, including Colette, who stood on the porch watching the girls drive away. Her blond hair billowed in the wind as she attempted to harness the wispy strands. In Helen's bag, she had hair clamps and pretties for the girl along with a few new easy reading and writing books. Colette’s face lit up when she saw Helen taking her cases from the vehicle. Colette ran from the porch to greet her, stopping short of making physical contact.

“Hey,” Colette said, smiling slightly.

“Hey back. Did you have a good weekend?”

“It was okay. We went to the mall, but I didn’t have enough to really shop,” Colette said, looking down at her feet. “I missed you.”

“I missed you as well,” Helen said. “Would you like a hug?”

The girl looked up and smiled at Helen. “Yes, I would. I would like that a lot.”

“Well, get over here and let's make that happen,” Helen said, opening her arms wide. Colette walked into the embrace and held tightly to Helen. Helen didn't speak as she held onto the child, understanding her need for connection in a time of upheaval in her life. “I brought you a few goodies. Will you help me bring them inside?”

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