Bon Tempt. A town so small it was scary. If you were gonna get out you did it straight out of highschool. And if you planned bigger things for your life, you stayed away. That was the plan behind Haley Babineaux leaving after graduation. And that was the goal behind her staying gone for three years. She'd gone to college, studied hard, and spent her summers traveling to all the places she had dreamed about as a kid. And then life happened back home, her Grams had passed away. She had been raised her whole life by her dads mom, Olivia Babineaux, or Gram, as Haley had grown up calling her.
Haley's parents had run off shortly after her birth, so Gram was all the family she'd known. It was to Haley that Gram had left everything she had, her savings, home, and beat up truck. So Haley had packed up her tiny apartment and left her new home in California for a quiet life in Bon Tempt. She owed it to her Grams to take care of the home she'd been raised in, the home Grams had spent her whole life taking care of.
The contents of her life in California had all been packed away before she left, and been shipped back to her Grams house. It wouldn't arrive for a few days, so she'd crammed her duffel bag full of the necessities until then. As she drove her little Volkswagen back into town and could feel the change. It was like life moved faster before, and now that she was back she could relax.
Her Grams house was a little ways away from town. Her closest neighbor was the Stackhouse's. There homes were separated by a thick line of trees. It had once been solid trees, but Adele Stackhouse had been one of Olivia's best friends, so they'd spent a large portion of their younger years getting husbands to cut down a few trees, and pull a few weeds. Not there was a small clearing, with two sturdy wooden chairs to relax in separated by a small table. You could turn one direction and see the sun rise, the other direction had a sunset.
It was there in that clearing that Haley had met Sookie and Jason, and there that Sookie had become one of Haley's best friends. Haley thought about that clearing as she passed the Stackhouse home. A little further and she took a turn down a gravel road, driving more slowly for a few minutes before pulling into the driveway of the Babineaux family home. She turned off the engine and stared up at the two story house. All the windows were closed, and the curtains drawn. It was the weirdest thing. Her Grams always had the windows open and curtains pulled wide to let all the sunlight inside. The flower beds were still thriving, and Haley guessed that Adele Stackhouse was the one watering them.
Getting out of the car she slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and headed towards the large steps that led to the huge porch. There was an old patio set that her grandfather had made, and potted plants spread out everywhere. Haley suddenly worried that she'd end up killing these plants and made a mental note to pick up a gardening book.
Finding the house key on her messy key ring, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. it was so hot, the air felt heavy. Dropping her bag as soon as she stepped in, she moved around the living room, opening the windows and turning on the ceiling fan. Once there was air moving in the room she looked around and smiled slightly. Nothing had changed since she'd left, the same creamy colored furniture with faint roses, the smell of wood polish hung to the dark coffee table. The small TV looked like it hadn't been used in years, but the book shelves all looked well loved. There were the classics, with delicate pages and covers, and then there were the various newer titles. They ranged from a good mystery, to romance, and then the more easy to reads.
Haley moved around the first floor, from the large living room into the kitchen, there was a small dining area where Haley could remember eating every morning, and decent sized room with a washer and dryer and tiny bathroom. Then past the kitchen was the formal dining room, where every saturday Haley could remember her grandmother having her closest friends over for tea and good conversation. Once you left the dining room you were back in the little foyer with a staircase leading upstairs. At the top of the stairs there was her old room, with everything as she'd left it. To the left was her Grams room. To the right was a large bathroom and past that was the guest room.
Tossing her duffel bag onto her old bed she made quick work of stripping out of her jeans and t-shirt, opting instead for some worn out cut offs and a cute floral and lace tank top. Slipping on a pair of flip flops and stuffing her pockets with her keys, phone and wallet, she went back downstairs and into the kitchen. It was as empty as she'd left it thee weeks ago after the funeral. Deciding that grocery shopping was in order, she locked up the house and got back into her car.
It was odd, but Haley was looking forward to a new start in her old life. She had missed the sticky heat and faces of Bon Tempt, and suddenly wished she hadn't left home all that time ago. Things had been hard on her own, and she'd missed the simple way life worked back home. A warmth spread through her body, and it was more than the heat, as she thought about how happy her Gram would be at her moving back. She only wished she was still here with her.
Stomach grumbling, Haley pulled into the parking lot of Merlotte's. It was no good shopping on an empty stomach.
AN- I havent done much writing in forever, so please be kind! Reviews are much appreciated!