After almost a decade I'm back to the place where I grew up. Grant Vineyard and Ranch, the place where I was born, learned to appreciate the beauty of nature, where I learned to skip classes just to go swimming in the river. And also a place where I learned to fall in love and get hurt.The very reason why I stay away for long.
As the car passed on the arc sign signaling I'm entering a private road I feel like I can't breathe, my stomach is in knots I cannot explain. I'm hesitating if I should go on or what, so I step on the brake to stop the car. I step out of the vehicle so that I can breathe the fresh air to lessen the heaviness I feel in my chest.
After a short while, two young ladies walk passed by me
"Good afternoon ma'am," they both greeted me and smiled.
" Good afternoon too." I smiled and node to
both of them.
"Are you looking for something ma'am? Did you lose your way?" one of the ladies asked me.
She's a bit smaller than me, about two inches, long black hair kept inside the little scarf from the forehead and bound at the nape of her neck. She's beautiful and tan, I bit due to exposing herself to the sun during harvesting.
"No, I'm enjoying myself some fresh air before heading home," I replied.
"Oh okay, we'll be on our way then."
I nodded and they left.
Her face is somehow familiar but I can not recall who she is.
Looking through the rows of grapevine I was tempted to enter the rows when noticing a luscious bunch of grapes. Humming softly while picking a bunch, it's been a long time since did this, and I've kinda missed it. Picking and eating grapes along the rows of these beautiful vineyards.
"Kenn this is for you," Liam says as he appeared on my side and gives me a small jar with a little hole on the lead. I look through it and saw a beautiful butterfly inside.
"thank you, Liam" as I kiss him on the cheek.
Liam is my best friend, a playmate since we were little.
But as we grow, I started to feel intimate emotions for him, whenever he's around I feel nervous, anxious if I looked good. I always wanted to see him. I love looking into his eyes, beautiful light blue eyes so inviting to stay in there and have a serene life. Like a breathtaking blue sky during springtime. His father works on our ranch and his mother, left them when his 5 years old, so his father always brought him to work aside from the time his in school.
Shaking my head to forget the memory I have recalled. Now is not the time to reminisce.
Gathering myself, I walk back to the car.
Along the way, I noticed the place hasn't changed at all except the trees that grow on both sides of the road have gotten bigger.
A few more minutes past I started to see the two-story bungalow standing in its magnificent midst of the vineyard. It's an old house passed down to my father from his father. My great-grandpa first started this ranch and it was passed down for generations.
The house maintains its glory caused my mother always sees to it that it is well-taken care of.
l park the car under the shadow of the big tree beside the pathway trailing towards the stable.
As I walk my way through the front door, I hear a scream, a voice I know of, and which I miss hearing.
"My baby, your back. Oh, how I missed you." that was my Nana Elaine. She is my nanny since I was born. She is with the family since she's fourteen. She is a close relative of my granny's friend. And when her friend got married and move to another town, granny offered Nana Elaine the Grant home so she had a place to stay, and let her finish school. But Nana never leaves us, even when she is capable enough to support herself, she stayed. She raises us as her own.
"Oh, Nana I missed you much," I say as I run to her, hug her, and pepper kisses all over her face.
"Missed me but never once visited me?" she said with a slight pout across her lips.
"I'm standing in front of you aren't I, Nana?" as I hug her again. I know Nana is hurting when I stay away from home.
"Blair, please bring Kendra's luggage to her room," she told one of the helpers as we went to the living room.
"Nana, how are they?" I ask her after a sat on the sofa, feeling exhausted. She knew whom I am asking her.
"Your father is still in a state of coma, and your mother barely leaves his side, it's been three days now," she tells me, and I noticed her eyes started to get watery, tears rolled down in her cheeks, and her voice cracked up.
"And how about the farm?" I ask. With both my parents unavailable for the moment, I don't know who's looking after the farm.
"The farm is doing just fine, it's better to ask your parents about this. That is not my place to tell," she says without looking at me.
A crest forms in my forehead hearing what she said, but I never enquire anything about it.
"I'll go take a shower and get some nap, Nana, barely got a proper sleep for two days, back to back schedule, and meetings to finish so I could free myself and come." standing and placing a soft peek on her forehead before heading to my room.