Well, it's been over a year since I first published this story. But even though I may have waited a bit to long, I have always wanted to return to this story. I really appreciate all those who take the time to read my work and I hope that the next few drabbles will meet up to your expectations haha.

This is a frightening time for me as I plan to be finishing college this winter, after which I need to start seriously thinking about my life. This story is for those like me who need to prepare themselves for facing the world. I hope you enjoy.

1996

"May!" laughed old Barley, following his young granddaughter along the eastern streets of Mineral Town. "Don't run too far out of my sight!"

May laughed in her adorable little way. "Don't worry Grandpa! I've been walking around here ever since I was a kid!"

Barley let out a loud laugh at his young granddaughter's remark. "You're still are a kid! You're only four years old!"

May gave an annoyed look. "C'mon Grandpa."

The trees were budding anew as spring had set in over Mineral Town. Barley had seen many a spring in his past, but there was just something wonderful about being able to walk along this road with May, as he had done with his daughter, Joanna, so many years before. He loved watching the energetic young girl run and play, climbing trees, turning over stones, and, of course, falling down.

Barley gave a loud, long sigh. "Youth is so wasted on the young."

"Hurry up Grandpa! Or else I'm going to win!" May stood along the road waiting for Barley to catch up. "If I make it to the Town Square first, you have to buy me ice cream!"

Barley smiled at the bright innocence in the girl's face. "And what do I get if I win?"

May gave a large smile, showing the gap of a baby tooth. "Don't worry about that. You won't."

Barley raised an eyebrow, surprised at the girl's cheeky comment.

"Well," laughed Barley, "if that's the way you want to play it."

He walked next to the young girl and got in a readied stance.

"Ready," said May, bubbling with excitement.

"Get set."

"Go!" May shouted at the top of her lungs, taking off a little before she said the word.

"No fair!" laughed the old man, chasing his granddaughter, "you're cheating!"

May laughed as she ran as fast as she could, the old man huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up. Sure he was a little out of shape, but what could he do? He was old! Plus, he had just finished work on his farm, which given his advanced age, was bound to take a toll on the old man.

As Barley walked briskly on the road toward the square, he watched the little girl skipping in front of him, laughing to herself in good fun. Before she got to the Square, May stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixated off the road. Taking it to his advantage, Barley continued his brisk pace until he stood at the outer rim of the Town Square.

"I win, May! You shouldn't get distracted next time!" Barley turned around, slowly, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"May? Are you there?" He asked, noticing the silence.

Confused, Barley began to walk back along the road, wondering why the peppy young girl had lost to an old geezer like him. As he walked along the road, he found May still standing in the place where she had stopped earlier, staring intently at a collection of trees. Confused, Barley walked next to her and lowered his head to her level so that he could see what she was looking at.

"What are you looking at, May?" asked Barley.

May walked off the road, stepping on the verdant grass toward a tree. Reaching up she moved her fingers along a carving of a heart that was engraved on a tree. As she traced the heart shape with her finger, she looked intently at the engraving, as if she was trying to read some words within the carving.

"That's been there for years," said Barley. "Actually, it's been there as long as I can remember."

"Mommy said," spoke May as she touched the carving. "Mommy said that she would love me as long as the heart is on this tree."

"Well," said Barley giving his granddaughter a small smile, "she chose a good symbol. That heart's been on that tree as far back as I can remember."

Despite Barley's friendly sentiment, May's face fell slightly, a look of depression drawn on her face. Barley's eyebrows rose in surprise at the sudden change in countenance. His hand jumped from his side to his chin as he began to rub his beard, trying to think of something to say in order to make his granddaughter feel better.

"May?" asked Barley cautiously, "what's the matter sweetheart?"

Tears began to form in the little girl's eyes. The little water droplets slid down her face to her chin. She continued to clutch the tree, not bothering to wipe the irritating tears which were painting her face in its watery coating.

"Grandpa…" began the little girl, her voice barely carrying the words that came from her quivering lips, "Does Mommy not love me anymore?"

"What?" asked Barley, shocked at the sentiments coming from the still small girl. "What are you talking about May!" Barley said gently, "you know your mother loves you with all her heart!"

"Then why did she leave me!" said May, tears forming in her eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Tears forced their way into Barley's eyes, running town his face to his beard.

"May…" said Barley trying to hold back the heavy feelings in his heart. "Don't even think that! It was never your fault!"

The little girl bit her lip as she hid her trembling face into her red hands. "Then why doesn't anybody want me?" May squeaked. "Mommy said that Daddy was a bad man. That he left because…well…because he was a bad man. Then…then she said she wouldn't leave because she wasn't bad like Daddy…"

May's tears began to flow through the cracks in her fingers, the water droplets falling onto the dry earth below her. The darkening puddle grew richer in her tears as the air over the grandfather-granddaughter pair grew thick with heavy emotions.

"But…" May continued to cry, "Mommy did leave…"

Barley could not help but cry as well. His heart grew heavy with the sentiments coming out of the mouth of such a young and innocent girl. Well, perhaps innocent isn't the best word. May was still innocent in many regards, but her parents had ripped away that inherent trust that children have for their caregivers.

"May…" said Barley trying to be comforting, "it's not your fault. That had nothing to do with you…"

"But why Grandpa! Why did they leave me!?" May yelled as she cried into her hands. "Don't they love me? Is there something wrong with me?"

May's eyes widened as she suddenly found herself wrapped in her Grandfather's arms. Barley's tears fell on May's shoulder, making her dress a little damp.

"Don't you ever think like that, May. Don't you ever think like that."

May didn't know how to respond as her grandfather sobbed on her. It actually made her feel better since she could feel the empathy coming from the old man.

"Grandpa…Why did they leave me?"

Barley looked down sadly at May. "They made a mistake. They acted like kids when they should have been adults…"

1994

A young woman walked down the dark road swiftly, doing her best to lift the heavy suitcase in her hand. Rushing through the dark rural road, she pursued the way toward the dock where she had called a boat. Walking by the dark trees which had seemed to exist since the beginning of time, her feet tapped against the cobblestone street, paved after the long years of simply being a dirt road.

By all accounts, she was lovely. Her long brown hair was tied up and her face, while growing a little more full, was still striking, with her best features exemplified by the makeup she used. She dragged her suitcase with her as she made her way down the road, doing her best to reach the dock before anyone found her.

"And what do you think you're doing, young lady?" asked a husky voice that boomed down the quiet road.

The woman stopped in her tracks, surprise and guilt emanating from her face. She pretended not to know, but she knew who it was.

"Well, Joanna?" asked the voice again, "aren't you going to explain yourself?"

Joanna, the woman, took a deep breath and turned around to find Barley staring angrily at her. Seeing the old man's face Joanna pouted and tried to avoid eye contact with her father's sharp eyes which seemed to press up against his spectacles.

"Honestly Joanna," said Barley, "I thought for sure that I had raised you better than that." His voice sounded tired. The sound oozed with the annoyance, anger, and hurt that was manifesting in the old man's heart. Sure there were times that Joanna had seemed trapped by the confines of the village, but he had never expected her to run away in the middle of the night. He was sure he and his wife had raised their only daughter to know better.

Joanna shook her head as she picked up her suitcase again. "I have to go Dad," she said silently, "I can't stay here anymore."

Silence engulfed the late autumn night that were surrounding the father-daughter pair. Neither of them really knew what to say. This was not an encounter that either had hoped, let alone expected, would ever happen. As the silence continued, the sounds of small animals began to fill the environment around them which was eventually joined by Barley's disappointed sighs.

"Joanna…" said Barley softly, "go back home…we will talk about this in the morning."

"No Dad," Joanna said firmly. "I'm leaving. I cannot handle it here."

"Joanna…" Barley said again, holding back the building storm that was building inside of him. "I'm not going to say it again…It's late. We have work to do tomorrow. Listen to you Father and go back to bed."

"NO!" shouted Joanna as she turned her back on the old man. "I can't stay here anymore!"

"JOANNA!" shouted Barley as he caught up with the young woman, grabbed her by the shoulder, and turned her around so that they faced each other. They looked at each other's eyes and found that tears were forming in both of their faces.

"What in the world do you think you're doing!" yelled Barley, "leaving in the middle of the night! Not even giving May an explanation as to why you're leaving! What would your mother say?"

"Dad!" Joanna yelled back, "You don't understand! I can't take it! This little girl! This life here! Everything! I can't do it!"

"What are you blabbering about!" replied Barley, "when I brought your mother here after the war, she managed to…"

"Shut up Dad!" shouted Joanna, "I'm not Mom, okay! I'm not like her! I can't raise a child by myself! I'm not ready for this! I'm still young! I have to enjoy life!"

"Joanna!" Barley said, disgusted by his daughter's reasoning, "What kind of talk is that? Do you even know how young your mother was when…"

"Dad!" shouted Joanna exasperatedly. "Are you even listening to me? I'm not Mom! I'm not great like her! I know the story! I know that she was a war bride who left everything behind! I know that she had to work on the farm and raise me for ten years until you came back from working in the city. I know that she sacrificed everything for this family. I get it!"

Joanna gasped for breath as she shook her head. "But that's the thing. I'm not her. I'm not a superwoman. I am just a human being! And this time…I don't have the luxury of knowing that my husband will come back."

Barley blinked as he saw his daughter move away and sit down on the curb of the road. She put her head in her hand and shook her head. Many emotions flashed through Barley's eyes. A thought of his now deceased wife flashed in his brain and remembering the face of that strong woman made Barley sympathetic to his daughter. Then, a memory of Joanna as a child came into his mind, and seeing the face of the young girl who had grown into this woman, Barley began to remember how important Joanna's happiness was to him. However, the memory of Joanna as a child began to shift, and soon the youthful image of a toddler Joanna was replaced with the image of May running around the farm. As the image of his granddaughter filled Barley's brain, his declining anger emerged again.

"You know what…" said Barley, "you really are a stupid girl. Do you really think that your mother was some sort of superwoman? She was a normal woman just like you. She did extraordinary things because it was required of her and because she believed it was the right thing to do. The fact that you're failing to do the same just shows that you're a child running away from your problems."

Joanna pulled her head out of her hands. Her brow was furrowed and she looked angrily away from her father.

"Fuck off Dad. This is the first time I've finally decided to do something for myself."

"If you truly believed that," said Barley, "you wouldn't have brought back that loser from college."

"Look Dad, I know this makes our family look bad, but…"

"Do you think I care about what this town thinks about us!" shouted Barley, "this isn't about something stupid like reputation! This is about your daughter!"

Joanna stood still for a while. "Dad…"

"Joanna!" shouted Barley, "ever since you had your daughter, you were not just yourself anymore! You cannot just think about you! You have to think about her too! Do you think I wanted to stay in the city those ten long years? Do you think your mother wanted to stay out here alone on the farm for all that time? Raising you alone until I earned enough to come back?"

Barley grabbed his daughter's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "No! We did it because it was required of us! We did it because it would be best for you! We did it because sometimes the easy way isn't always the right way! We did it because your mother and I weren't children anymore. We did it because we are adults. This is what adults do, give up what they want for the sake of someone else."

Barley let go of his daughter's shoulders. "And until you do that, you're just a child."

Joanna's face, which had been mesmerized in awe from her father's short speech was again ruffled in anger at her father's last line.

"You know Dad," said Joanna, "the things you say would have a lot more impact…if you would stop treating me like a child!"

Barley scoffed and turned his back. "I'll treat you like a child until you stop acting like one!"

"You know what Dad!" shouted Joanna, "You say that I should act like an adult, but you act like you think I can't!"

Barley, at a loss for words, did not say anything.

"You always say to be an adult, but you know what, I don't think you're an adult either! All you do is call me names and yell at me until I do what you want! Maybe you have good reasons, but that doesn't change the fact that you still think I'm a child! And until I can get the respect I deserve, I can't stay here."

Barley turned his head angrily. "Respect! You think you can get respect by demanding it! Let me tell you something missy, respect is something you earn, not something you deserve!"

"Well you know what Dad," said Joanna as she grabbed her suitcase, "you don't deserve it either."

Joanna continued walking down the dark road toward the dock leaving an angry Barley alone with his thoughts. In that autumn night, Barley cried. He cried for his wife as he realized that he had failed doing their best to raise Joanna right. He cried for Joanna as he knew that his daughter was lost and did not know the right path to take. He cried for May, who would grow up knowing her mother had left her. Finally, he cried for himself. He cried as he realized that he had failed, and that the reason he had failed was because he had not spoken the right way. Joanna was right, what respect did Barley deserve. All he had done was shout like a child for her daughter to follow his way, and all he had to show for it was an angry woman who was now leaving the village.

"Sometimes…" said Barley to May who was still crying in the old man's arms, "adults can be a little childish. They only think about themselves without thinking about the things that are really important."

May looked up at her grandfather's face. "You mean…" said May, "some adults never grow up?"

"Exactly!" said Barley, as he cuddled May close to his body. "But, we have to have faith, because time and tide wait for no man and someday, even they will be forced to grow up."

May sighed as she heard her grandfather's heart beating against her ear. "Why can't Mommy be as grown up as you Grandpa?"

Barley blinked, shocked at what May had said. He looked over the few feet away where he had spoken with Joanna before she left. As he saw the curb where Joanna sat and the spot where he had stood, the memories of that night returned to his head, and upon remembering, Barley's head hung low.

"Oh May…" said Barley, "growing up is something that we all have to work on. Even me."

May blinked. She didn't really understand what her grandfather was trying to say, but honestly, she wasn't even really looking for any answers like that. With those words, May looked up into her grandfathers eyes and gave a soft smile.

"Well," said the little girl, "I don't really like to work on stuff. But if we work together…well…maybe it'll be alright."

A large grin appeared on Barley's face. He knew that May didn't realize the deep thoughts that she had just shared, but it still filled his heart with admiration.

"You are an amazing girl May."

May looked at her grandfather with a soft smile which had slowly begun to transform into a grin. With that she let go of her grandfather and wiped off the dust from her knees.

"Well Grandpa…" said May, "let's go to town."

The little girl gave a large smile showing a gap in her teeth. Her eyes were still red from the tears and were puffy. The sadness and loneliness were still apparent in her face, but through some sort of extraordinary strength far ahead of her time, May continued to smile.

"Besides," the little girl tried to laugh as hard as she could, "you won, so I owe you ice cream."

Barley could not help but smile at the little girl's words. Standing up from his crouched position, Barley took May's hand. Together, the two of them walked back the road toward the town, breathing in the new spring air.

"I'll treat you this time," Barley smiled as he tried his best to fight back the tears.

Well, I must admit, it's really good to be back. I hope you enjoyed this story and I hope to get another chapter produced soon.