Home is Where the Hearts at

Why do you look like you slept outside

There is always going to be a question that haunts a person. For most that question is 'What If'; that question has haunted me my whole life.

My name is Mia Daniels. I live in the small town of Blue River. Some people say that if you drive through the town, don't blink because you'll miss it. I don't know if this is true i've never left our small town. There was never a reason to. There is a, long rundown, stretch of highway that runs through the middle of this town. It divides the town into two parts the north and the south sides.If the town folk had the choice the north and south sides would be there own towns, cliche right? I honestly don't see the big deal. Both sides are exactly the same. You have the teenagers who already have their bus ticket out of here and the arrogant parents who are blinded by their pride.

I go to school in the north side of town. Sometime in the late 50's the town decided to create another school on the south side. I have to walk home everyday. Today the bright sun beats down as I walk the 2 miles to my house. I live on the north side of town at the end of a gravel road. My house is a white two story house, the paint peeling and the porch is caked in dust. My brothers broken down pick up is parked in the uneven driveway. When I was younger me and him used to work on it, hopeful to get it running. My younger brothers dirt bike is leaning against the side of the house. His helmet strewn on the ground. The screen door creaks when I walk through it, alerting my large German Shepard, Rex, that I am home. I drop my bag bracing my self for his attack. He jumps on top of me pushing me to the ground and licking my face causing me to burst out laughing.

"Honey, is that you? " I hear my mom, Sophie Daniels, shout from the kitchen. My mom is always in the kitchen cooking, cleaning, and reading with a cup of coffee. It's rare when you don't find here in there. "Ya" I call back walking through the entry way to the kitchen. Mom nods and goes back to icing the cake she made. I reach my finger out to get a taste of the sweet butter cream icing only to pull my stinging hand away. I walk over to the fruit bowl on our granite counter top and grab a banana.

"How was school? Anything exciting happen?" She asks me. I look up and laugh at the smear of icing running from here cheekbone to her chin. Once my fit was over a nod and swallow the bit of banana in my mouth before answering.

"Same old same old, aced a math test and turned in my English essay a week early. The only exciting thing, if you could even call it exciting, was when I slipped on a banana peel and fell on my butt." I say causing my mom to giggle. She looks so much younger when she laughs. The creases in her forehead disappear and her eyes twinkle. My mom is so beautiful. She has long wavy brown hair that matches mine and light green eyes that both my brothers share. She's a small woman with a fiery personality that I inherited. After my dad left she hasn't laughed much. I know she won't admit it to us but I know she spends most night crying her self to sleep. She goes back to her cake and I walk up the creaky stairs to my room.

My dad, John Daniels,  left when I was thirteen. My older brother say he left because the town got to him. It is said that our small town can cause a man to go crazy. The nearest city is four hours away and the nearest town is two hours away. Nothing changes in this town it's the same old boring routine. The kids go to school and the adults go to work there boring jobs. Many of the men in the town work in the neighboring fields and the woman gossip in the dainty barber shop. Sometimes I day dream about leaving Blue River but than I laugh at my stupidity. If I left there would be no one to care for our mother and the house. My 15 year old brother Andrew Daniels is constantly being brought home Sheriff Miller and my 23 year old brother Jack Daniels joined the army two years ago. I think my parents may have been drunk when the named Jack.

Jack is coming home in a month. I miss him so much it hurts. He was my best friend, I told him everything from my day at school to my latest crush. He joined the army after my dad left. One day he sat all three of us down and told us that he was leaving for the Afghanistan in two days. My mom was to distraught to drive him to the airport and Andrew was probably to drunk to release jack was gone. I was 14 at the time but I drove him the four hours to the airport. I haven't seen him in two years since the day I dropped him off. I remember hugging him tears spring from my eyes. When I pulled away he just nodded and walked away. Andrew didn't know how to handle everyone leaving him and so he started to get in more and more trouble. I became focused on my academics and my mom did anything and everything to stay busy. Now I am just counting down the days till he comes home.