***Punky Returns***

Punky stepped off the airplane, made her way to baggage claim and collected her bags, and then stepped outside and hailed a cab.

She had a room reserved at the Hilton, and even though she desperately wanted a shower, she wanted to go somewhere else first.

She had the cab drop her off at the familiar building. It was the place that helped make her into to who she was today- the apartment that she shared with Henry and Brandon.

She put her key in the lock and turned it, opening the door.

Her heart sank as she realized that she wasn't going to hear Henry say "Punky, you're home" like he usually did.

She set her things down, and walked around a bit. Even though she had lived in Los Angeles for a few years now, Henry still kept the apartment the same as when she lived there with him. She walked over to the message machine and listened to his messages.

Hi Punky- it's Cherie. If you hear this before Saturday, just know I'll be there. I love you. Beep.

She felt the tears run down her face as the next message popped up.

Hello, this is Allie McWaters, calling on behalf of Margaux Brantley….she wishes to extend her deepest condolences and she sends her love and thoughts. Thank you.

End of messages.

Punky sat down on the couch and grabbed the jacket that Henry had left on the back of the chair. She smelled it a few times in a row and just tried to remember Henry.

Henry, her dad, was gone.

She had tried and tried but she just couldn't wrap her mind around it. Henry had gone to the market like normal, and while he was reaching for the milk, had a heart attack. He was gone before he ever hit the floor. Thankfully, he had his cell phone with him. He hated new technology and new inventions, but Punky had insisted that he get on board with cell phones. She remembered the conversation very clearly.

Punky: Henry, I'm not going to be here to go shopping with you, or even to go shopping for you. If something happens you'll need to be able to call for help.

Henry: You're moving out, Punky. I'll still be able to scream. I can just scream "help" instead of "punky".

Punky: You know how it makes you feel better when you know I'm safe? Well this will make me feel better. And I'll even pay for it. And I'll set the phone up for you and teach you how to use it.

Henry finally agreed.

Thankfully, someone got his phone and found her name in the contacts and called her.

I'm sorry ma'am, he didn't make it.

And now Punky had to pick up the pieces. Plan his funeral, wrap up his estate, and then go back to her life.

She stared at his photo for a few moments, and then set it back on the table.. It was her favorite photo of the two of them-it had been taken when she was a little girl and had come to live with him, after the courts had finally allowed him to be her foster father.

She was suddenly flooded with a rush of memories. Her getting in trouble at school, her asking him if he was "sinily" and him pointing out to her that the word was pronounced "senile". Her running away when she thought Henry and his girlfriend were going to put her in a boarding school. Memories of her and Cherie and Margaux having a sleepover in the den, and entering the beauty contest. She sat there crying, and laughing too, at some of the memories. Henry Warnamont had left a hole in her life that nobody would ever be able to fill.

After a few more minutes of looking around, she turned out the lights, locked the apartment and took a cab to the Hilton.

*** The Next Day***

Punky went and met with the director of the funeral home and finalized everything.

"Ok, so services will be tomorrow from 11-3. You'll have the entire use of this room."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

She stopped by a florist and purchased some arrangements, and then headed to get something to eat.

Just for old time's sake, she stopped by Punky's Place. As soon as she walked in, her stomach flipped. Henry had sold it years ago, and it was nothing like they had built together. The menu was all different, the décor had been completely changed. She didn't even get a table, she just looked around and then turned around and left.

She spent the rest of the day packing Henry's things, and deciding what she was going to donate and what she wanted to keep.

She selected a few photos to display at the service, and put together a quick video of them through the years.

She was able to get through all of that, but when she sat down and tried to put her thoughts on paper or put a statement together, she burst into tears every time.

She was just about to call it a day when she heard a knock at the door.

The door slowly opened and standing there before her, was Cherie. Her best friend, her person.

"Hey."

Punky couldn't speak, she just went to her and hugged her fiercely.

"He was a good man. He loved you so much."

A few minutes later, Margaux stopped by.

"Hey you two."

"Hey, I didn't think you could come."

"I rearranged a few things, and hopped on a plane."

They shared a long hug.

"I'm so sorry, Punky. Mr. Henry was so kind and loved you so much."

For the next three hours, they sat on the couch and reminisced.

"So, what are you up to these days, Punky?"

"I live in Los Angeles. I'm in advertising. I work at a firm called Powers, Markwell and Burns."

She grew quiet for a few moments.

"He was supposed to come visit me next month. I bought a house last year, and he hadn't seen it yet. He was all set to come out."

Cherie squeezed her hand.

Punky wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and looked at Margaux.

"What are you doing now?"

"Well, my husband and I have 4 children. Our oldest, Ava, is almost 10. And then we have our twins, Nathan and Sophia, who are almost 8 and then we have our youngest, Olivia, who just turned 4. My husband is a very successful orthodontist and I stay home with the kids."

"How lovely. Motherhood certainly agrees with you. How are your parents?"

"They're great. They're living in Europe. We will see them at Christmas. Boston is fun, but my parents love Europe a lot more."

Margaux turned to Cherie.

"Are you still in New York?"

"Oh yes. Manhattan is definitely home to me. There are plenty of nursing jobs in Manhattan, thankfully."

"I think it's great that you became a nurse like your grandma. She would be so proud of you."

"Thanks. My mom was a nurse too. Nursing keeps them close to me."

"What are you going to do with this place, Punky?"

"Well, I'm going to say goodbye to Henry, and then pack up his stuff. And then I'm going to either sell it or donate it or keep it, and then, as much as I hate to do it, I have to let his apartment go. I may have to hire a management firm to do it for me, because I have to get back to California. My boss can't go more than a couple of days without seeing me."

"It's so strange to think about never being here again. I mean, all of us grew up in this place, in one way or another."

"Yeah. Henry had an impact on all of us, whether he wanted to or not."

*** The Next Day ***

Punky arrived at the funeral home and went inside. The room was set up just the way she wanted- flowers neatly spread across the room in shades of white, yellow and green. Pictures of Henry and pictures of the two of them mixed in. Front and center, a picture of Henry and Punky the day he officially became her adopted father sat in the middle of a floral arrangement. The flowers, picked by Punky, were of course, rainbow. She had told the florist she wanted a rainbow of colors in a diagonal pattern, and it took some convincing, but the florist finally agreed. Seeing that arrangement meant everything to Punky.

Cherie and Margaux showed up soon after, and Punky was very grateful for the support. A few other people that Henry saw on a daily or weekly basis showed up as well. The guys from his stamp collecting club, and some former employees from Punky's Place. It wasn't as packed as Punky had hoped, but the truth was, Henry Warnamont had outlived almost all of his friends.

They were just about to start the service when someone walked in the back. Punky turned around, saw him and gasped.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she made her way to him.

"Allen. It's so good to see you."

"I just couldn't stay away. I'm so sorry about Mr. Henry, Punky. He was such a tolerant man."

"That he was."

They shared a long hug and then walked over to Cherie and Margaux.

"Hi guys."

"Allen? Is that really you?"

"The one and only."

They all shared a hug and then sat down on the pew to talk.

"What are you up to now, Allen?"

"I live in Denver. I'm an accountant. I'm not married, but I have a girlfriend and I'm thinking of making things more permanent in a couple of months."

"That's wonderful."

"Any of you guys live near Denver?"

"Los Angeles."

"Manhattan."

"Boston."

"Wow, we are really spread out."

"I always thought we'd all stay in Chicago. But not living in Chicago seems right too."

They were just about to leave when someone else walked in.

Punky stood up when the door opened and turned around.

She instantly knew who it was as soon as they made eye contact.

"Susan…Susan Brewster."

"Punky? Is that you?"

"You have a hell of a lot of nerve showing up here, especially today."

"Punky, let's go somewhere and talk."

"No way."

Punky grabbed her things and walked out.

*** Two Hours Later***

Punky disappeared before the others could catch up to her.

Margaux and Allen volunteered to drive around looking for her.

Cherie had another idea.

"Ok guys, here's my cell. Call me if you find her."

Cherie was about to get into the car when Susan Brewster caught up to her.

"If you find Punky, can you give her my number? I still want to talk to her."

"I can give it to her, but I can't promise she'll talk to you."

"I don't want to hurt her, I just want to talk. So what if you call me when you find her?"

"No, I refuse to betray her like that."

"Look, I booked a room at the Marigold Hotel. If she wants to talk to me, I'll be there through Monday."

"I will pass along the message if we find her, but I won't force her."

"I understand."

Cherie thought about it for a moment and then realized she knew exactly where Punky was.

She drove straight there, parked and headed to the courtyard.

Sure enough, Punky was up in the treehouse.

She climbed up and sat next to her.

Punky was holding Henrietta, the Butter Lettuce doll that Henry had gotten Punky after he accidentally threw away her doll, My.

"I remember when I came to live with Henry. I had Brandon with me, and I had My. And then he threw My away, and we never found her again. He bought another doll, but it wasn't My. And then he bought me a butter lettuce doll and you and Margaux and I fought over it, and I won, and I named her Henrietta. And then eventually, we got past it and everything got back to normal. And now Henry is gone, and my mom is back and I don't know what normal is anymore."

Cherie pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Margaux and Allen.

She's in the treehouse.

They arrived a few minutes later.

"Punky, your mom asked me to tell you that she took a room at the Marigold and she'll be there through Monday. She just wants to talk to you. She says it's your choice."

"I can't believe she thought I would want to talk to her."

"Punky, my parents died. And I know it's not the same. But I would give anything in the world to be able to talk to them again. Now you may not like what she has to say, but you can at least hear her out and then head home with some closure."

"I wouldn't know what to say to her."

"You don't have to say anything to her. Just ask her why she left you and then listen to her reasons."

"There isn't anything she can say to justify leaving me in a supermarket."

"You're right, there's not. But at least you'll know why she did it. And that's more than you know right now."

"If Henry were here, he would blast her into outer space for leaving me like that."

"Yeah, he would."

They all stayed up there a little longer and then headed down.

"Thanks for coming guys. I really appreciate it."

"We love you, and we loved Henry. And we would have never missed this, for anything in the world."

"Yeah, she's right. Missing this would have been grosseroo."

They all chuckled.

"I can't get over seeing you all in black, Punky. You've never just worn one color in your life."

"Want to know a secret?"

They all nodded.

Punky lifted her pants leg to show them she had on rainbow socks.

"That's our Punky."

"If you guys want to go hang out in Henry's apartment, I think I'm going to go talk to Susan."

"Do you want one of us to come with you?"

"No, I need to do this alone. But thank you."

"We'll wait for you in Henry's apartment."

She handed Cherie the keys and then took a cab to the Marigold.

She walked up to the front desk, and asked for Susan Brewster's room.

"She's in room 428."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, Punky was knocking on her door.

Susan's face brightened up as soon as she saw her.

"Hi, come on in."

Punky stepped inside and began to look around. It was a typical hotel room. 2 double beds, a nightstand, a lamp, a tv and a bathroom.

"Thank you for coming."

"I only have one question for you, so this won't take long. Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you abandon me at the super market? And why are you back now, after all this time? And yes, I know that's more than one question, but I don't care."

"Punky, your dad and I met when were 15 years old. We ran off and got married at 17. You came along just after my 18th birthday, and then your dad left before my 19th birthday. I was 23 years old and I had no idea what to do with you, or my life. And I was very overwhelmed and I just needed a break. And I was hoping that someone would take you and give you a loving home and then when I got my life straight, I could come back and get you. But when I came back, you were with Henry and he loved you so much and you were so happy."

"How do you know this?"

"I watched you. I would park my car outside the school and watch you at recess. And one day, I saw you and Henry at the mall. I contacted the Department of Children's Services and inquired about you, and they told me that he had taken you in."

"And how did that make you feel?" Punky gave her a very cold, hard stare.

"Relieved, that you were being taken care of. Sad at the thought of possibly never seeing you again. And mad at myself for letting you go and at your father for abandoning the both of us."

"So why come back now?"

"I wanted to pay my respects to the man that raised my little girl. I was never able to give him a proper thank you."

"I see."

"I never stopped loving you, Punky. I never stopped caring about you or thinking about you. You are my only child and if I could go back-"

"You can't go back! And if you could, what would you do then? Toss me in a dumpster?"

"No, I wouldn't. I would do what I should have done, which is anything I had to in order for you and I to survive."

They were quiet for a minute.

"Do you live around here?"

"No. I live far away from Chicago."

"Where do you live?"

"On the West Coast. Where do you live?"

"I live in a small town in Missouri."

"Interesting. Well, this has been fun, but I have to go. Thanks for coming back after all this time."

"Punky-I'm sorry. I truly am. And If you are willing, I'd like for us to start again. If you don't want to, I understand. But if you do, I'm here."

"I don't know what I want. I have to figure out if I can even trust you again."

"We can take things as slow as you need to."

"Do I have any other family?"

"My parents passed on a few years back. You don't have any siblings that I know of."

"What do you know about my dad's family?"

"Just that his parents disowned him when we got married. I heard that his dad died a while back. His mother's name is Ruthie Grace Brewster. She lives in Hillsboro, North Carolina. And you have an aunt that lives there too, named Michelle. Your father's name was Mark."

"I see."

"Punky, I realize that I made a lot of mistakes. Including one colossal one, and I can't change what I did, but I can do better moving forward. I hope that you will give me a chance."

Punky wiped the tears away from her face.

"You know, you could have called the police and asked them how to turn me over to the authorities. You could have found a friend and asked them to take me. You could have gone to Ruthie and asked her to take me. You could have done a lot of things, but instead, you abandoned me and my dog at a supermarket. I was 5 years old. I could barely tie my shoes. I couldn't even write my name. And you just left. You just up and left. You have to realize that's more than a mistake. The Titanic was a mistake. A car accident is a mistake. You made a choice. And what it came down to was that you didn't want me. So, give me one good reason why I should want you now?"

"I can't. I understand how you feel and I don't blame you. Like I said, I can't change what I did. But I can do better going forward."

"Well, I hope that you do just that. I have to go, I've stayed too long as it is."

"You don't have to go."

"Yes, I do. I have to finish packing Henry's place, and then I have to go back home."

"Thank you for coming to talk to me. And I'm very sorry about Henry."

"Thank you. Have a good night."

Punky left, and left Susan behind at the hotel.

***Henry's apartment***

Punky went and picked up some pizzas and then came back to Henry's apartment. Margaux, Allen and Cherie were packing up Henry's things.

"You guys are the best."

"Punky! How did it go?"

"It was…strange. I wasn't as angry as I thought I would be, and I wasn't as forgiving as she thought I would be. Apparently, I have a grandmother and an aunt in North Carolina."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's what she said. She gave me their names and everything."

"Wow!"

"Did she tell you why she abandoned you?"

"She was overwhelmed. I don't buy that, though. Like I told her, she could have done about 1000 other things besides just leaving me and Brandon at a supermarket. And the thing is, she never really abandoned us. She told me how she parked outside the school and watched me at recess, and how she saw me and Henry at the mall a few times."

"Wow."

"How much did you guys get packed?"

"All of the kitchen. We cleaned out the fridge. And packed up the appliances and everything. We made you a box of pictures. And Allen got Henry's clothes packed. We saved you one of his jackets and some of his scarves."

"Thanks guys. There's no way I could do this without you."

They pigged out on the pizza and then decided to get back to work, and packed till almost 11.

"Where are you guys staying?"

"I'm at the Hilton, at the airport. I have a very early flight tomorrow, so it made sense."

"Bummerroo, Allen."

"I'm at the Waldorf."

"Me too."

"Me three."

"Share a cab?"

"Absolutely."

They said goodbye to Allen, and turned out the lights to Henry's apartment.

Punky took what she wanted, and made a mental note to call a management company to do the rest.

She put the key under the mat for the last time.

As she closed the door, she whispered, "Goodbye Henry. I love you…forever."

The End