Chapter 1

I didn't recognize the tall black woman shivering at my door until I heard her speak, "Hey Uncle Bruce. Surprise." Before I could respond, she moved forward and gave me a big hug. Near midnight, here was my sister's daughter on my front porch.

"Bethany. Wow." I hugged her back, noting that the coat she wore may have been okay for Texas, but not for winter here in Iowa. With the cold air blowing across my bare feet and up my robe, I quickly pulled her and her suitcase into the house and shut the door.

It had been almost two years since I last saw her. It was hard to believe that this woman / girl was only fifteen. "Wow", I repeated once again. "You have gotten taller" was all I could come up with.

"Yea", she replied as her smile faded slightly as she looked down at her suitcase. Seeing she was uneasy with her new height, I immediately felt stupid for bringing it up, but I was at a loss for words. "I am 5 foot eleven," she was almost whispering.

"Does your mom know you're here?" Her smile completely disappeared when I mentioned her mom. She looked up at me. Those big eyes swelled with tears. "Hey now." It was my turn to hug her. "It's ok. It's great to see you again. I'm just a bit surprised. That's all."

She had her hair in a make-shift ponytail, sticking out the back of an old baseball cap that she had modified to compensate for her thick hair. After the second time getting hit in the face with its bill, I pulled the hat from her head and slide it down her back before it released all that hair. She immediately tried to pull it back, apparently embarrassed. "I haven't had a shower in three days. It's hideous."

When I brushed the hair from her face, I was surprised how soft it was compared to all the other black women I have known over the years. She looked a lot like my sister and mother in the face. Her lips were fuller and her small nose was slightly wider but you could see she was her mother's daughter. Her doe-like eyes were a unique brown speckled with green. The one feature that clearly did not come from our side was her skin color. She was a dark skinned girl.

"Let's just get your coat off and we can go into the living room." I noticed right away that she wore a sweater that I immediately recognized as once belonging to my mom. It was several sizes too big. Her jeans looked uncomfortably tight and worn. She had what appeared to be a pair of men's slipper boots on her feet which had seen better days. Yet, as bad as her clothes were, she still managed to look good.

"How about I make you some hot chocolate? That should warm you up a bit." She followed me into the living room. Even though I bought the house eight years ago, no one from my family had ever visited. When I saw her eyeing the bathroom, I asked "You want to take a shower while I make your chocolate?" Her nod told me she did.

She grabbed my hand and I led her to the bathroom, like when she was three. It was a bit weird now that she stood as tall as I was. "Let me get you a towel and stuff." She smiled when I opened up my stash of hotel toiletries I keep in a basket on the top shelf. I grabbed a small bottle of shampoo and a small soap along with the towel and washcloth. "Here you go."

"Could I ask for another favor?" She forced an even bigger, more fake, smile. "I don't have pajamas. Do you have anything I could put on?"

I took a few seconds to think. I don't wear pajamas. I sleep either nude or in my boxers. Then it hit me. I have a lot of t-shirts I have collected over the years in my travels. "Come with me." I took her hand and led her from the bathroom.

We made our way to my bedroom and walked into my over-sized yet manly closet where I pulled out a rack that had nothing but custom t-shirts. "You should feel honored as I don't let just anyone wear these."

She moved her hand across the hanging garments, reading the logos on the front of each as she looked them over. She tried to look impressed. There were quite a few to choose from. She finally decided on one of the plain white ones that were stuck in a cubby hole. I wore those when I worked out.

When I looked at her like she was crazy, she just laughed. "This will be fine." She buried her face into the shirt I assume to smelled it. I must have looked as perplexed as I felt because she gave me another hug along with a kiss on the cheek before we made our way back to the living room.

Chapter 2 »