Buffy's stomach started fluttering about an hour from reaching her hometown and as she got closer, passing by her late mother's best friend's house, it really began sinking in that she was really here, that she was back. Her headlights flashed against the green city limits sign as she passed over the train tracks. Her eyes darted to the right for a moment, looking at her old high school. A banner was hanging over the door, that some giant clock was standing in the front yard to the school, but everything else looked to be the same.
Buffy got to the edge of Dublin Lanes and smiled, the house she stopped at to let traffic pass so she could turn always had the best Christmas lights in town. She'd missed the holiday but could see the last of the decorations that had yet to be put away but more so she just remembered how it felt when she was little, always loving driving past here and seeing all the lights and everything.
After the two cars passed her by, she took her turn. She felt a flood of new memories hit her as she looked at the old houses as she passed them by, the streets she'd grown up knowing so well.
Once crossing the railroad tracks again, she shivered knowing she was almost there. Her childhood home was found in a neighborbood that was basically a little circle, she decided to take the long way around... almost all of the houses on the three streets were empty, neglected. There were three new homes built into what used to be just an open field and each had fences around them, one had a pair of dogs barking at her car as she passed. She could remember how everything here used to look, how it felt, how it smelled... everything felt like it had fallen apart in the years she had been gone.
When she spotted the small white house, Buffy sucked in her breath. A white car she had never seen before was parked in the ditch. The shed that used to sit way back behind the house was now beside it, the house had some wear and tear to it but nothing that drastic, a few lounge chairs and a garden swing sat in the front yard.
Getting out of the car with great mental effort, Buffy frowned as she almost felt. Part due to the shoes she had on and part due to the rocks that filled the driveway. She also frowned at the unkept yard but it really wasn't different than anyone else's as far as she could tell.
Shaking her head, Buffy opened the back door of her vehicle and grabbed out as many bags as she could carry at once then forced herself toward the small house. The concrete walkway out front was the same, the one step the same, the screen door was new but the front door looked the same. The doorbell looked the same.
Buffy stood there, frowning again. She had no idea if she was supposed to ring it or just go in. She could see lights from inside, hear the television. Loud. Very loud. Her father's hearing hadn't gotten any better it would seem. Feeling awkward, Buffy finally pushed the tall, skinny doorbell and closed her eyes to try and listen harder to make sure it even worked.
She had to ring it again before the door opened, revealing her father, Hank Summers. He smiled, something she'd rarely ever seen in her life, then snapped out of it and looked embarrassed as he opened the door. "Come on in, come on in," he told her, still shaky excitement evident in his tone. His hand came out to touch her shoulder, quickly, before it dropped away.
"Hi," she said softly, looking around. "Sorry I was later than expected. I hope you didn't have to wait long or have something else planned."
He shook his head. "No, no. I wasn't doing anything. It's no trouble."
Buffy nodded, feeling rather nervous. She carried her bags over to the side, trying not to wince as she passed the blaring television. Dropping them quietly, she tugged at the hem of her shirt before looking back his way, still not daring to look at his face or meet his eyes. "I, uh, I still have some bags in the car," she said, forcing herself to walk back toward him and the doorway.
"You need any help?"
"It's not necessary," she mumbled but he was already following her out, grunting as he stepped down from the porch to the cold, hard ground. She felt her stomach rolling at the noise. Opening the side door, she reached in for more of her things, watching out of the corner of her eye as her father went around to the other side and did the same.
"This all you brought?" he asked.
She nodded. "It's all that I needed." She grumbled as she reached for her laptop for the third time, bags toppling over on her arms.
"I got it," he said.
She looked up, not looking at him. "Okay. Thanks." And with that, she ducked back out of the car and did her best not to fall over when she almost lost her footing again. She kicked the door closed and gave another quick look back at her only living parent before heading back for the house.
She heard the other door close and then his footsteps as he returned, opening the door and setting her things down on the floor. He held up her laptop in one hand, making sure she noted he had it, she nodded then he put it down in one of the chairs. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, making another grunt-like, cough-like noise, before taking a seat.
She took in a deep breath, trying to keep it as quiet and unseen as possible, then took a seat on the sofa. Unable to stop herself, she began looking around the house, feeling so out of place. "It's different," she heard Hank say.
She nodded. "I can see that. You must have done a lot of work to the place."
And she could... the house was mostly empty, no one lived here anymore. It had been fixed up a bit though... changed. The carpet was all gone, replaced with cheap wood flooring. The furniture... a few pieces there were different. The only piece she knew was one of the chairs at the back wall. The other two, the sofa she sat on, the table to the side were new... well, old but new to her anyway. There was a heater she thought she recognized in the corner that was turned on. The air conditioner in the window she knew, the curtains draped around it she did not. There were two stacks of old records on the floor to the side. She knew those. Random things on the table she knew, most she didn't. Many things on the wall she knew, some she didn't. The blaring television sat on top of another, a very, very old and large set. The bottom one she knew. There was a DVD player next to the smaller tv that sat on top, their remotes laying on there too. There were speakers strung up and mounted in the corners of the room. There was one bookcase to the right of the television and by the door. A few knickknacks she knew. It was mostly empty though. It had some VHS tapes set on it, some DVD's laid out carelessly too.
It looked different. It felt different. This wasn't her house anymore.
"If you plan on staying you might want to call and get the gas hooked back up. There's some electric heaters around the house but you might need more if the winter keeps raging on like it has been."
She nodded. "I'll do that. The electric and water should be good for now though, right?"
"Yeah, we always have those running... just in case. Come out here sometimes, still working on redoing the place and all."
She nodded again, her fingers twitching in her lap.
"There's a bed in the back room."
"Okay."
"There's a dresser and mirror in there, too. A small table, chest and some other littler things... I don't know what all..." he mumbled off.
"That should be fine. In the back bedroom you said, your old room?"
He coughed. "No, I meant the other one..."
"Oh, off to the right there?"
"Yes."
"Oh, okay. Should be great."
"That room is just filled with a few junk things. Been working on fixing it up when I have the time and money to spare."
"Okay."
"Then the other one, your old room, it has another couch in it... a few tables too. The washer and dryer are still in the utility room. There's a few fresh towels in both bathrooms, some soap and shampoo and all that. I think there's a hair dryer under the sink in the bathroom, the full one, you know."
"Thanks."
An uncomfortable silence fell between them for several moments. "Did you eat?" he asked.
"Hmm? Yes, I stopped a few times on the way."
"I didn't know what to get you, what you like these days but I put a little bit of food in the fridge. It's not a lot... just some drinks and fruit mostly. There's a few microwavable things I just grabbed up. I'll have to bring you by a microwave tomorrow though, I forgot we had to switch ours out with the one we had out here a few months back. Think you'll be okay until then?"
"Yes, I will be fine," she promised.
"There's, uh, there's a list of some numbers I put on the fridge too. Just for Casey's or Crossroads if you want to order something or ask them something before you go up there, if you want. They're still in business though many others have come and gone. There's a fairly new place out by, uh, out by Tommy's... you remember Tommy..." Buffy nodded. "Out by his house. Forget the name but they have pretty good deals out there. Used to work with the owner many years back, guess he chose a new direction."
Silence.
"Owns it there with his son."
Silence.
She honestly had no idea what to say to him.
Buffy felt her phone vibrate and grabbed into her pocket for it, pushing the top up so the screen would brighten. She smiled down at it, reading her text message from one of her friends from back in NC who were wondering if she made the trip in one piece. She hurried to text back, letting the worrywart know she was perfectly fine.
Even if she wasn't.
"Who's your phone with?"
Buffy fought not to jerk at the sudden reappearance of his voice. "Sprint."
He nodded. "They any good?"
"For the most part. On the drive was in and out in certain areas of course, but yeah. I like them. Had them for a number of years now."
He held up his own. Buffy felt odd. Her father had a cell phone. Weird. "Ours we can't get any service most the time, especially out there at the house. Here it does pretty okay but not worth a thing out there. I left my number, both this one and one for the house, on the fridge too. If I'm at the house I can't use this thing."
"Okay." Another bout of silence. A few text messages came. One call she didn't take. "I guess you're probably tired."
"It was a long drive."
"I should probably be getting back anyway." He sat for another bout before pulling himself out of the chair. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out two keys and walked over to Buffy, handing them out to her. "Had to get these made, didn't see a point but she did so..."
Buffy forced a smile and reached out to take them from him. They'd never once locked the house up in all the times she'd lived here.
Yep. Things had changed.
"I'll probably stop by in the afternoon tomorrow, maybe around one or so."
"Alright."
"You remember how to use the heater? Is it going to be enough? There's some extra blankets in that bag," he pointed to a large white bag in the green chair she knew from childhood. "Along with a few pillows underneath."
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
His hands went into his pockets and he scuttled back a few feet. "Well, um, I should get going. I try not to drive at night."
"I'm sorry I was later than expected," she told him again.
He started to say something but then just shook his head. "I'll be by tomorrow."
Buffy swallowed, watching him take the last few steps to the door. His hand was reaching out to it when she cleared her voice. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I do appreciate it."
He turned his head and Buffy finally looked at him. He'd aged but still looked the same for the most part. His eyes met hers and she forced herself to hold it, for a whole second, before quickly looking away. "It's your house," he told her before leaving.
She sat there, listening for the sound of his car, watching the headlights come on, then the sights and sounds of his driving away and leaving her alone. "No," she whispered, "Dad, it isn't."
OoOoO
Buffy stared at the closed door, which she now noticed had been painted on the inside, for several moments. She did her best to remain calm, listening to her breathing. Given the paperthin walls of the house, it wasn't all she heard but it's what she focused on for a long while. Rubbing her eyes, Buffy stood up and took the few steps toward the resting remotes and first turned the volume down a few dozen notches, then fumbled with them until she got both the DVD player and television turned off. Next, she sat them both back down, took a deep breath, then looked around the small living room.
It still didn't feel real to be here. And it certainly didn't feel comfortable.
Buffy scratched a hand lightly through her hair and began to mentally imagine things as they used to be, how she remembered, how she left them. She pictured the old couch instead of the one now in its spot, the painting that used to hang above it, the hanging oil lamp that her mother had loved that was off to the side. Buffy remembered the collection of antique clocks that used to be scattered around the room, the large coffee table that she'd stubbed her toe on so many countless times. She thought of her grandfather's barber chair that had sat in the corner until it had been moved to the garage, the photos that used to set on shelves and stands, knickknacks that took up all this empty space, the tan chair that used to sit beside the front door, her parents marriage certificate that was mounted above it, the old computer desk that rested across the way...
Making her way into the kitchen and dining room area, Buffy's eyes widened. It was tragically empty, more so than the living room. The walls had been painted, a flowery design edging the tops. There were new curtains on the two windows. There was a nice amount of wall decor in the two rooms, some things she noticed, most she didn't at all.
It made her feel all the more out of place.
The title floor was gone along with the carpet, wood everywhere. The refrigerator was the same, ugly as ever. It didn't have the tiny decorative towel wrapped around the bottom handle anymore. She glanced at the side of it, seeing the pages her father had mentioned and feeling like she'd just been punched in the stomach when she saw that they were held up by two magnets she couldn't help but recognize. They were dalmatians, cartoons from 101 Dalmatians. She couldn't remember anything about where she'd gotten them, any memory with them, but they struck home. One hand came out to run across them, feeling sicker by the moment. She swallowed, opening the doors to check inside. There wasn't much in there, as expected, but that wasn't a big deal. Closing them back, she walked farther into the room.
There was some alphabet magnets on the other side and a trash can and a toolbox on the ground. That was it. The stove, oven, cabinets and everything else was the same.
The door out to the garage still had a splash of white paint across it. She thought about looking out there, took a step, but then changed her mind. Instead, Buffy paced the small kitchen, running her fingers over the counter. In her mind she saw the long table that used to take up the room, the ugly green leaf designed chairs that had sat around it. The dining area was empty besides the stuff on the walls and a stack of old newspapers. This area had once held that very table but later would become her mother's day room. There had been a sofa moved into it, pushed against the wall where she would often sleep. The only time she'd sleep in her own bed was at night. There had been another heater in there, a small table, maybe two, one had held a small television set and where she'd rest her books on. There'd been a tray that held one of the phones and an answering machine. It was often littered with snacks.
The hall felt lighter, less daunting. And again, smaller. So very much smaller than she remembered. There was a key hook that was on the wall, she recognized it, but it was in the wrong place. At least she thought it was. There had never been much set in the hall so seeing it empty wasn't that big of a deal, the feeling or lack of on the other hand... She walked over to the thermostat and frowned. At least it was the same, too. Even if unhelpful and not working.
Going back down the hall, she opened the closed door to the utility room. She opened the closet door inside seeing a few towels and washcloths, laundry detergent, a few candles, matches and a few things she didn't even know what were.
Closing the door softly, she looked at the furnace, then the old washer and dryer. There was a back door in this room, the curtains it once wore no longer there, no replacements either. There were steps on the other side, formally a fence. It was too late and dark to see what all was out there now so she made a note to check into that tomorrow.
The door to the half-bath was open so she peeked inside. It was newly painted, whites and pinks, flowery too. The toilet and the sink looked the same, the mirrored medicine cabinet too. Everything was pink. There was a toilet brush holder on the floor next to a small wastebasket, a towel hung in the new metal ring on the wall. There was some soap seated on the side of the sink. Looking inside the cabinet, Buffy found an unopened toothbrush, some Advil and some floss. Not much had changed here, some things taken away, some things added, but nothing was drastic. Maybe the lack of clothes... but other than that...
The two bedrooms on the right had their doors open, the master bedroom which was located at the end was shut, the bathroom which was all the way at the end on the left was open as well.
Making a stop inside the first door on the right, which was formally her bedroom, Buffy flipped on the light. Off in the right corner was the couch her father mentioned pushed along the wall. It had a few pillows on it, a few blankets folded on top of it as well. There was a nightstand at both ends of it. On the one in the far corner, she found two penny banks in the form of ET. One had "Buffy" written on it, the other "Summers." There was an old clock at the very back and there was an old photo of her in a frame on the small table as well. She lifted it up, studied it for several moments before putting it back down. On the wall there was another clock in the corner by the nightstand, then two long mirrors she'd never seen before placed around an old painting she did know very well.
On the other wall, there were a few grouped items, most she recognized, some which had been there when she'd left even. Back by the door, there had been a tiny shelf which was filled with old bottles she remembered always being in her room. Walking over to the closet, Buffy found it empty besides a few empty hangers, a pair of her fathers, she assumed, boots and an umbrella from when she was much younger.
Buffy walked back over toward the door, sighed and leaned against it. Again, her mind went back in time. She saw the red carpeting to this room instead of the wood, she saw the red curtains and drapes, not the white ones the windows wore now.
The next bedroom over, which apparently was her new room, had the bed as promised, complete with pillows, sheets, blankets. There was a nightstand on the far side, a bookshelf, dresser and mirror and a wooden chest inside. On the nightstand rested a lamp but nothing else. The shelf had the box set of Little House on the Prairie books, a Worlds of Fun lava lamp type hourglass thing with purple goo inside, a few figure decoration things, fake flowers... little nothings. Inside the closet she found a few old trucker hats, another pair of boots, some of her fathers belts, and a few more empty hangers.
Another far cry from what it used to be.
This room used to have blue carpeting, two twin beds, a number of small end tables, and nightstands. There'd been the largest possible shelf that ran from one end of the room to the other. On it... was everything you could imagine. There'd been books, movies, cd's and tapes, records even, baseball cards, dolls, action figures, collector's plates, trophies, photographs, footballs, baseballs, autographs, pictures, vases... everything. She wondered how they'd even got that damn thing out of here.
Buffy headed across the hall to the bathroom. More new paint. New shelves, new space saver, new bathtub and shower set up even. Gone was the ugly green tub, in was a lovely white porcelain one, glass doors for the shower, a steel shelf holding soap and hair products in the corner. There were towels, paper towels, toilet paper, washcloths, so forth laid out. Soaps, toothbrush holders, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash. Not a lot going on in here. There had formerly been a white shelf that sat across from the toilet, it held more little knicknacks and doohickeys. Books had set upon it, held the lotions and make up, hair rollers. There'd been a small table that formerly had set between the sink and commode, now just a wastebasket laid there to the side, which used to have an electric heater setting on top of it as her mother loved taking baths but hated getting out to cold air. It was a habit Buffy had found she'd taken with her. Buffy pulled open the sliding drawers, checked under the sink. She found a few unopened toothbrushes, some brushes and combs, cleaning supplies, hair products including the dryer she'd been told about.
With shaking hands, Buffy reached for the closed door to what used to be her parents bedroom. On the walls there was a number of old paintings, all of which Buffy knew well. Stuff was piled on the floor, a few tools, books, car magazines, wood pieces, junk. Stuff that would certainly belong to her father. It was kind of messy in here. She didn't recognize much of anything, certainly not the room.
Gone was all the junk from the closet, the large pillows, clothes, bean bags, stuffed animals. Gone was the long table that rested over there, it'd held the alarm clock, later another television, some clocks, photos... There'd been a smaller table on the other side of the room that held more photos, including some of her all time favorites which were now lost. Gone was her parents' huge waterbed, which wasn't surprising given it'd been moved out of there about a year and half before all hell broke loose anyway, but it never seemed the same. When the waterbed had remained, there'd been a huge, huge headboard that had three sections of shelves to it. Books had filled the spaces, books and random photo albums, old letters... Later, a smaller, regular bed had taken it's place, a few dressers added, a comfy regal looking chair...
Buffy stared at the space where the bed, the second one, had once been. She pictured it, clear as day. Pictured the two dogs they'd had at the time, that included the mean one who'd tried eating down the door, having moved in here at the end. How they knew something was wrong, guarded and protected. Never left Joyce to be lonely. She pictured the bed, she pictured her mother. The last time she'd seen her mother in this house, last time she'd ever heard her voice was in this room, in that spot, in that bed. She hadn't been coherent, had no idea probably what she was saying, but Buffy remembered and it shook her to the bones. Even now, she found herself shivering. Buffy blinked the tears out of her eyes and gave the room one last eye sweep before hurrying out, closing the door behind her.
After taking her walk down memory lane, Buffy returned to the living room where she locked the door and then started gathering up her things. She decided she'd unpack tomorrow and just changed into sleep clothes, took care of her nightly business, then crawled into bed and hoped for sleep.
It didn't come easily though. It was too damn quiet. And the silence, the random sounds of nature, was too loud. She missed the never ending sounds of cars on the highway, a lullaby she'd come so used to over the years. She heard a train blow by, but it wasn't the same and had been so long since she'd even heard one. It excited her, this familiar sound from her childhood, but it wasn't the same.
OoOoO
Buffy woke up to the sounds of people talking, doors opening and closing, cars. Not a mass of cars driving on the highway a good distance away, no, a single, very loud, car starting across the street.
Again, yay for paperthin walls.
And noisy, noisy neighbors at ungodly hours. Kids were screaming, laughing, running around. A baby next door was crying. It seemed her old neighbors had moved on, replaced now with these people. Buffy pulled pillows and the covers over her head to try and block all the noise out, which worked at least for awhile, then more people started their morning and she knew she was doomed so gave up.
Buffy went through her bags, grabbing out some clothes and such and headed for the bathroom where she took a long, hot shower.
She took her time drying off, no help from a warm heater, and getting ready. She carried in a few bags when she'd come over and had some stuff laid out here from last night. She'd mostly just bothered with her basic toiletries last night but began to organize a few other products as she went about getting dressed and fixing her face.
Buffy had no idea how long she was planning on staying here so wasn't sure how comfortable to get just yet, not that that seemed like something bound to happen anytime soon anyway. But she was trying.
Buffy grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen before returning to the bedroom where she began to put away some of her clothing, set a few things up in the room. She did her best to keep busy, her mind on what she was doing, not what all had happened, not on what would be.
She hadn't been home once in the past six years, hadn't spoken to most anybody either. It came with some dread. In some cases: excitement, overall: dread.
OoOoO
When she got tired of unpacking, Buffy did as she promised the night before and checked out the backyard. It was kind of messy, unkept. The dog fence was gone, there were two junky cars parked out there, metal and wood stuff kind of scattered about. It was better taken care of from the others she saw around though, had that going for it. The couple with the baby right next door had a huge fence and some mean looking dogs in it.
Buffy padded down the hall, back to the kitchen to slice up some fruit and make a quick snack for her breakfast. Having no other choice, she ate in the living room, the makeshift bowl, as there was none in the house, sitting in her lap. She'd brought with her a notebook and pen and while she nibbled, Buffy began making a list of what supplies she'd need to go out and buy. Next, she made a list of what tasks she needed to at the very least get started on. Then a list of people she needed to contact back home.
By the time she was finished, so was her meal.
OoOoO
When Hank showed up, Buffy had just finished writing another quick e-mail on her laptop. She padded back out of the bedroom to greet him, seeing him carrying in the promised microwave and setting it up for her. "I also brought you by a coffee maker and juicer, I know you never liked coffee but... anyway..."
Buffy smiled softly. "I still don't," she told him, "but thank you. It comes in handy. I can go out and get them if you'd like..."
He looked her over for a moment then handed over the keys, finishing up working on the new appliance already in the house, making sure it worked properly. He did the same with the others as well. All for which Buffy thanked him. And meant it. "Are you hungry?"
"I had some fruit earlier but I was thinking about going into town or something."
"Can I take you to lunch?"
Buffy chewed on her lip, fighting down her nervousness before nodding. She didn't know how good of an idea this was going to turn out to be but she decided to go with it. "Let me just go get my jacket."
OoOoO
Buffy was a bundle of nerves as she rode in the passenger's seat of her father's car, worse when they got to the "family" Mom & Pop joint in town. She tugged on her jacket as they walked toward the door, opening the first, then the second, then waiting for a waitress or waiter to take them over to a table.
The owners had changed, probably more than once, and Buffy didn't recognize their names nor their faces, and the woman behind the front desk didn't seem to recognize her any either. There wasn't much of a crowd in there, least not yet, and at first glance, as far as she could see anyway, Buffy couldn't say she spotted one familiar face. Then, the waitress came out, and that was the start of it.
Within seconds, she was being gushed over, being told a million things and asked twice as many. Getting shown to their table, a few others spotted her, knew her from way back when, and the same cycle. Those who didn't know her, well, now they did as she was introduced and then spoke of and to non stop. By the end of the day, if not only the hour, Buffy was sure the entire county would have caught wind of her return. Buffy had known it was bound to happen, it had to, but that didn't mean she liked it. Nor was she truly prepared for it.
OoOoO
Hemery was no home to any mall, any known retail location. There's no Walmarts here, no McDonalds, no Starbucks. There's no movie theaters, bowling alleys, no arcades. The closest thing to having anything mainstream hit this town was several years ago Pizza Hut used to park a trailer out in a almost always abandoned parking lot on a weekend every once in awhile. You could drive out there, get in line, order and then come back to pick it up in an hour or so. After that, really the closest second place were the Family Dollar, Dollar General and formally a Dollar Store. The Dollar Store had since burned down. The other two were the only place in town where you buy many objects, and it was way beyond annoying.
The heart of the town rested in one stretch of land, though using either term "heart" and "town" were usually pretty 's series of old run down buildings on either side of the road out there, most are empty, sometimes one will open up but new businesses never last so they're gone before you even known it around here.
That is where most of the permanent fixtures of the town lie though. There's down at the end The Burger Stand's building, the fairly new Daycare center... then cross over the tracks and there's MOCA on one side, a never open fabric shop but it remains... there's two banks a good enough distance from one another on this stretch of land, there's the Post Office, a hardware store that often changes hands, a few bars, the library, the office for the main real estate family in town, the pharmacy... there's a tire shop, across from it the main mechanic and tow shop, the other two gas stations other than the former Texaco, again close by not a few buildings in between them, there's the Mom & Pop restaurant suited for families her father had taken her to, the only one where you can actually sit and have the meal at... there was the hotel next door to it, the police station, a hair salon, laundry mat, the local newspaper's office, a few churches, the town florist. If you wanted to count it, you could even bring in the second and main funeral home.
That was basically "town."
Of course, there was also the fact that the train tracks run from one end to the other in a horizontal line near the North end of the town was there too.
Other elements of the town included the Elementary and High School. You have the park, nothing special about it, the town swimming pool and baseball field. There's a small clinic then another doctor who's willing to go out for house calls or to let anyone drop in if they need to, and there's also a nursing home. The town has one grocery store, then one deli and the gas stations. There's a bird feed store, another of those that you never really know if they've actually truly been open before. There's a few churches, cemeteries, the fire department, and even a vet way outside of town. There's two former Lee's Jeans factories, both of which have been shut down for many, many years. One was turned into a factory for water sports, though who knew if it was actually ever in business either. There seemed to be a lot of that going on. The other had been turned into a number of things, these days it was supposed to be some window and glass plant. That was the last Buffy heard of it anyway.
There was a few smaller real estate people trying to make a buck, starting up a small business, seeing what happens. Also a new barber shop was in town, a few insurance businesses, a tax adviser and there was a small antique shop ready to open its doors soon. None of which had any real hope of making it, but people kept trying. Hemery, according to Wikipedia, had a population of 1,805 as of the 2000 census. The total land adding up to 2.3 miles. It's not hard to understand why things are the way they are.
OoOoO
Buffy really didn't feel like driving any further than she had to, so she did her best to complete her shopping in town, even if it would have been more emotionally relaxing if she had. Countless people continued to spot her, come over, and try and catch up and pry into her life.
She understood it, but again, didn't have to always like it. But, Buffy smiled and answered and listened, she engaged in the annoying conversations and tried to remain positive, even in her pissed off mind.
As different as her house had become, everything else seemed to have remained exactly the same. Every time she went in somewhere, it was exactly as she remembered for the most part. The only real shocker came over at the Pit Stop station where she found the wall of VHS movies had been taken down. Other than that, everything was right where she remembered it.
After loading up on a lot of snacks and junk food throughout her day, Buffy decided she'd head over to the grocery store to pick up some more healthier food to stock up on. She was a little surprised to see the new paint job, but other than that, all the same. Inside, she knew her way around, it flooded back to her the second she walked in. Pretty soon, though if she hadn't been stopped time and time again it would have been a lot sooner, she was back up front pushing her cart in line at the checkout.
OoOoO
After having put the groceries and other supplies away, after she made a few phone calls and even watched a movie, Buffy slipped her shoes back on and decided to walk down the street to see if her uncle was home just down the road. She had a flood of memories hit her as she walked up the driveway and porch, coming to knock on the front door.
She heard a dog barking, followed by a second one, and soon found the little pooches' heads as they tried peeking out the window, making a terrible mess of the blinds as they did. After another knock, she heard a bird chirp loudly and chuckled to herself. She always hated that damn thing. She knew it had to be the same parrot too, they hated the thing as well so surely wouldn't have went out and got a new one. Other than that though, no noise, no people coming to the door. Buffy tried a third time before giving up.
She'd planned to just head back to the house and see what else there was to be done, but instead she found one of her few remaining neighbors running toward her when she'd turned around. Buffy smiled and did her best to brace herself for the monster of a hug she received, and to remember to respond to it.
For almost two hours, Buffy ended up on the old woman's porch, just yapping away about life. She did her best to avoid talking about herself, as she often did, certainly anything that had to do with why she was back. She danced around it, and was noticeable about it too it seemed, it was mentioned but she never pressed.
OoOoO
It was just starting to get dark outside when she finally returned back to the house. She waved at the male from next door as she walked inside, trying to determine who he was... he looked familiar but she couldn't seem to place him. She flipped on the lights which were now needed and plopped down on the couch, picking up the phone she'd left behind and groaning at the number of missed calls and text messages. One of them however ended up being her long, lost friend, Willow Rosenberg. Buffy felt her entire face light up when she heard her friend's voice.
For many years she had lost contact with the dear red haired girl, but then they'd randomly come back into contact, speaking in various ways online or on the phone. She hadn't seen her since about a month or so since she'd moved and they were both extremely excited for their reunion. Which, was apparently what Willow had called to ask about, wanting to work out a time they could get together.
Buffy went through the rest of the messages before rushing her fingers to dial Red up.
The two girls chatted in pure excitement for hours, talking about the past, the present, the unsure future. They made their plans to get together the following night, spoke some about their lives these days. They joked and laughed. "It'll be so good to see you again, Buffy."
The blonde smiled. "You too," she answered, finally meaning it for once.
OoOoO
Buffy went to bed earlier than what she found in the realm of normal, because she was still quite sleep deprived and also because she knew she'd be up early again, which she was, thanks to her loud neighbors and their own morning routines. She showered, ate a small breakfast, dressed and did her best to wake up and prepare for the day. When she felt good enough about it, Buffy went out to her car to head back into town.
Knowing she was going to need work around here until, and if, she headed back, Buffy decided to try applying just about everywhere around town. Most, of course, were not hiring but she'd go in, see, and end up chatting for an average of thirty five minutes at each stop. Tomorrow she planned to branch out into close-by cities, but it didn't hurt to get this over with here already she figured.
Buffy avoided certain buildings, at first anyway, until she finally dragged her feet into them, just in case. The job market around these parts wasn't exactly booming after all.
With a loud sigh, she hurried out of the tire and muffler shop and jogged across the road to the mechanic. She waved at one of her old classmates who was discussing something or other with one of the few employees and ducked into the tiny shed-like building. She couldn't remember actually having ever come in here before so quickly looked around, taking it in.
"Can I help you, Miss?"
Buffy turned and smiled at the grease-covered man. "Hi, I'm Buffy Summers," she said, holding out her hand. He wiped his off on a blue towel before taking hers. "I was wondering if you were possibly hiring right now? I just moved back to town and am trying to get set up..."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
She almost laughed. "I was thinking... maybe answer phones or something? I don't know," she drew her eyebrows together and gave her best pathetic look his way.
He chuckled after a moment. "See those boots sticking out from under that car?" he asked, pointing a finger out of the window toward the lot. Buffy side stepped to see since a tower of supplies were in her way and nodded. "Check with him."
"Oh, okay, thanks," she said as cheerfully as she could. He shook his head but said nothing more. Buffy swallowed and cleared her throat as she made the short walk toward the car the booted person was lying under. "Excuse me?" she called out, her head tilting on instinct.
She heard a thud. "Yeah?"
"Um, hi, I was told to come out here and talk to you about..."
"What can I help you with?"
"Um, well I was wanting to see if you were currently hiring? Maybe like a secretary or something? I brought a resume with me if you'd like to see it... or if I could even just leave it with you to keep on file or something, that would be great…"
She heard a few clunks, metal hitting metal, a few muttered words she couldn't make out. It seemed he was just planning to ignore her though. She looked around wearily for a few moments before giving up. She glared at the boots then had just walked around them when he came sliding out from underneath the Pontiac.
Buffy's eyes widened as his brown eyes met hers then he gave her a one over before standing. She felt all the air sucked from her lungs, and then complete and utter embarrassment when she ended up taking a step back and tripping over some weird looking contraption and landing hard on her ass.
Angel grabbed the clipboard from the tray nearby and looked it over, flipping over the page he eyed her, watching as she stood back up before finishing it.
Buffy was pretty sure she had never in her life been so embarrassed. She honestly wanted nothing more right than the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
She'd just started to turn when she heard him. "You're hired. Come by sometime in the morning and we'll get you set up."