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Jude didn't expect to have such an intense reaction at seeing her godfather's house, but she couldn't help shedding a few tears. It had been so long since she'd last been here, and when she had decided this morning that she wanted to visit, she thought it'd be quick, innocent. But here she was, sitting in her car with the air conditioner blasting, wiping at the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
The house was exactly how she remembered: a cottage-style home with Southern flair. Yellow shingles, white paint-chipped roof, with two wind chimes by the door. An old brick path led to the front door, where a Virgin Mary statue was situated next to the wind chime on the right. Unlike her parents' house, the front lawn was slightly more watered, more green than yellow. There were even some dandelion patches sprouting in a few places.
It took a lot of courage to walk up the door. Jude didn't know if she was ready to see Aunt Peggy again. But as soon as she was sure the tears had ceased, she realized she couldn't just creepily watch the house from her car forever. So she walked out into the late-morning sun, Daisy Duke shorts clinging to her hips and an oversized Fleetwood Mac tee draped over her torso, and then padded up the path. Her busted-up Adidas crunched over every old brick, and she found herself hesitating to knock.
But then the door was opening, and she was greeted by Aunt Peggy's wrinkled features.
"Willodean," she said with a smile, and Jude didn't have the heart to correct her. "You're home."
Jude lifted her sunglasses to her hairline, studying her. Her aunt had always been beautiful. Not even wrinkles or smile lines could dull her beauty. Her long, white hair was tied into a braid, and her wide blue-green eyes were shining in the morning light. Her skin was dotted with freckles and age spots from years of tanning in the sun; her lips were permanently stained a pretty pink from whatever Mary Kay product she'd gotten at a party in the '90s. She'd gained some definition since she'd last seen her – her arms had gotten a little more muscled. Probably from all the yard work she liked to do.
