My Stories
Memories Of The Heart
By Melinda
She sat on her front porch, thinking back. She had done a lot in her life. She thought of her husband which she spent sixty-five years with. He had caught her eye one evening while in the army. She was one of the cooks. Everyday she made sure she was the one who served his food. Always making sure her hair was in place, and her lipstick applied just so, before he came into her view. He was a tall man with dark features. She found him attractive in his uniform. But it were his eyes; there was something about them she couldn’t resist. One day as she served his food, he placed in her hand a chain with a gold heart. He had given to her his very heart. She knew he was the one for her. They made the perfect match. She was just the right height so she could tilt her head slightly to look up at him. Lane and Annie; their names even seemed to go together.
When he was released from the army he took her with him. They promised to love one another in a small church. They didn’t have family that could be there. But that was okay with them; they knew God witnessed their union. A few months after he gave her his name, Mr. and Mrs. Athens moved into the house which he built. It was her dream home. On the outside it was a small white house in the center of the most beautiful land. The inside of the house was much more roomy compared to its outside appearance. Annie worked very hard in decorating it to her taste. Once she finished, the walls had a fresh coat of paint, and the windows had curtains made of lace.
Lane found a job at a shipping plant just 3 miles out of town. The town they lived in was a small one. So small it only had one grocery store. The owner was a gray-haired man who went by the name Lou. He lived on the upper level of the store with his wife of many years. She played a big role in keeping the store running until she passed away. He thought about moving to start a new life. But he couldn’t leave the little store which held their memories as it held the stored goods. Besides, he loved the people of the town, and didn’t want to leave knowing that someone else would have to take over of the store. He knew that whoever took over wouldn’t be as lenient to their needs. The people were aware of this also. There were quite a few women who brought him things in exchange for food to feed their families. It didn’t matter if they gave him a gold watch or a small piece of priceless jewelry, he took it with a smile.
After two years of marriage, the Athens decided to create a family. In the Spring Annie gave birth to a baby boy. He had a head full of black Curls. As they looked at their baby for the first time, they thought of a name. They took one look at him and knew he would be their Bryant. Then came along Mikey, followed by Nina. Bryant was very helpful. Since he was the oldest, the chores were left to him. Mikey was 7, and always into everything. He loved the outdoors, so that’s where he stayed most of the time. Their house revealed his fascination with flowers, for they were in every room. He would pick new ones everyday.
Hannah was the baby of the family at the age of 5. She had long black curls that framed her face which brought attention to her big brown eyes. Annie always had her in the finest dresses. She always wanted her to look her best. The reason was simple, she was her only daughter. She was her daddy’s little girl. The whole family knew she had him wrapped around her little finger, and so did Hannah.
Since they had a lot of land, Annie volunteered to have the church’s picnic at their place this year. The picnic had been a tradition for a half a decade. This was when the town’s people would get together. They used this time to reflect on the past year, and to talk about what they wanted to achieve before the next picnic. Annie was thrilled that it was going to take place at her home this year.
She had lots to do before the day came in 3 weeks. She had to make all the arrangements; which included making sure the tables and chairs were delivered from the church. It was also her duty to ask for lists from the women telling which food each intended to bring.
While she was busy with that, she still had her family to care for. On a typical morning, she prepared breakfast, which was always the biggest meal of the day. Usually consisting of eggs, sauages, pancakes with homemade syrup, biscuit, ham, which sometimes took the place of bacon. When they finished their meal, Lane kissed his family and headed to work.
After Annie put the dishes away, Bryant, Mikey and Hannah gathered around the dinning table for their day’s lessons. Annie taught them from books provided by the church. She wanted to be the one to teach them simply because her mother had taught her. Besides, she wanted to spend as much time with them as she could. “Mom, I know what I wanna be when I grow up!” Bryant said, looking up from his workbook. “What’s that?” Annie asked. “I wanna be a lawyer!” She smiled, “That would be a fine job.”
“Aren’t you gonna ask me what I wanna be?” Mikey asked from across the table. “Yes dear, what do wish to be?” “I want to be a doctor so -- so I can help people! Is that a fine job too?” “Of course! You will make a great doctor!” “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I wanna be someone who works with flowers!” “Oh of course. You can’t leave your love for flowers out, now can you?” Annie smiled. Then, she reached over and stroked Hannah’s hair playfully. “And what are you going to be?” She looked up from her notebook in which she was learning how to write her name in, “I’m gonna be a writer!” Her mother laughed and said “That’s wonderful sweetie.”
Later that day, they went out to play. Annie was sitting on the porch watching them. Bryant played with his dog. Lady was a collie that Lane bought when Bryant was born. They played now; Lady was chasing him. There wasn’t a place on the land the two hadn’t explored. Mikey had a woven basket that he carried to put his picked flowers in. Hannah played with her favorite doll. She had mud all over herself from making mud pies for her doll. Annie laughed, these were the moments she loved.
Weeks flew by, the picnic was soon to be underway. At precisely 12:00 noon the place was filled with people young and old. Everyone came with something. There was more than enough food. It took two tables to hold all the BBQ Chicken, potato salad, baked beans, candied yams, and an assortment of pies and cakes. Everyone knew that the desserts came from Mrs. Sawyer. She had owned a bakery for as long as anyone could remember. Whenever someone was in need of cakes, especially for birthday parties, they knew where to go.
The grown-ups participated in a dance they had each year. It was always so much fun. Lane took Annie’s hand, and escorted her to the dance floor, which was a piece of plywood. While they danced, they looked into one another’s eyes. She felt a connection when she looked into those eyes.
The children roamed every inch of the place. Once they were out of view from the rest, they pretended to be in some far off land where no one had ever been. Eric has always thought the place was cool. Eric was a friend of Bryant’s. They first met when Eric’s family moved to town four years ago. They have been best friends ever since. So they took the others to see where they liked to hang out.
Once they reached the site, they were amazed. There was a little building, it had Bryant’s and Eric’s things inside. “My dad put this here for my brother and I just two weeks ago.” Bryant explained. They all were excited. They wished they had something like it. “Can we go inside?” a boy named Tony asked. Bryant motioned everyone inside. Mikey took his place on a rug on the wooden floor. The walls were covered with pictures of sport cars. They had all they needed; a flashlight, and a few snacks.
“Hey Bryant, we should make a club!” said Eric. “Yeah, and we can meet here to have meetings!” Bryant liked the idea. So did the rest. They continued to talk about the idea, making their plans. “I can’t wait!” a girl said. “No, no girls allowed!” said a boy who spoke for them all. “Why not?” Amy demanded. “You all know we aren’t gonna be able to keep the girls out. Come on. You girls can be in the club.” Bryant said. “Yeah, you’re right...So I guess they can.” Billy sighed.
They heard cars leaving, so they knew they had better get back. On their way, they made a pact to always come back to their club. When the last guest left, Annie knew it had been a success. It had been a fun-filled day.
A chirping bird made her aware that she was still on the porch. She glanced around her land. “I remember everything so clearly as if it were only yesterday.” she said to herself. Oh how she wished she could live her life again. But if she could have this wish, she knows she would have done it exactly as she had. She watched the blue bird perched on a branch of the tree that Lane planted many years ago.
“What are you doing Daddy?” asked 13 year old Hannah. “I’m planting this tree, and someday it will be taller than our house.” he replied. She rushed to her mother’s side when she came out to tell her about the tree. “Yes, in a few years it will be beautiful and tall.” Annie said as she passed out glasses of lemonade. With Lady following behind, Bryant and Mikey came walking back from their club-house just in time to get their share of the cool drink.
Later that evening, Annie called everyone in for dinner. After they had blessed the food, they filled their plates with Annie’s special casserole, which was Lane’s favorite dish. Dinner time was when the family bonded the most. They used this time to talk about whatever was on their mind. “The club is going to be so much fun!” Bryant talked about it all through dinner, he was so excited he almost forgot to eat.
Before they turned in for the night, they gathered around while Lane read from the Bible. This was always a peaceful time. The Athens couldn’t think of a better way to end each day. After he had read several passages from the Book of Psalms, it was time for bed.
Lance and Annie made their rounds. First to Bryant’s and Mikey’s room. Annie reminded them to say their prayers. Then they kissed the two goodnight, and made sure they were tucked in tight. When they reached Hannah’s room she was knelt beside her bed saying her prayers. Once she finished thanking God for everything from her family to her favorite doll, her mom helped her into bed. She placed the covers just the way Hannah liked it, and kissed her. “Goodnight my angel.” her dad said just before he kissed her cheek. Once the light was out, Hannah was fast asleep.
Years went by and times had changed. One thing didn’t change though. Lane and Annie still lived in the same place they called home all their lives. Now days they had it to themselves. Bryant had went to lawyer school for several years. Now he was a big time lawyer which made him a busy man in another town. Mikey received the education he needed, and became a surgeon. Even Hannah had kept her word; she was a writer. She had had some of her work published, and was working on her first novel.
Besides having careers, they had families of their own. Bryant fell in love and married Mariah, a lady whom he met in college. They had 2 twin boys named Allex and Allan. Mikey made Farrah his wife. He met her one day while in an art museum. She was admiring a painting of a field of flowers. She knew every flower by its name. He soon asked her to marry him. They had a little girl that they named Nina; she had bright blue eyes like her mother’s. Hannah fell in love with a guy in one of her writing classes. They married and had a boy and a girl; Deven and Heaven. Mr. and Mrs. Athens were very proud of what their children had accomplished. They were also proud to be grandparents.
Lane aged with the years. He no longer worked at the plant, because he hadn’t the strength in which the job demanded. He spent most of his time in the shed which was located behind their house. There he carved pieces of wood. He found pleasure in doing this, and it kept him busy. He made lots of things. One of the best things he made, he made for Annie. It was a rocking-chair that he placed on the porch so she could have a place to sit while watching the birds.
Now that she didn’t have her children to care for, Annie had time on her hands. She spent most of her time in the kitchen. She loved to cook. So she cooked and cooked; she made up her own recipes. She always made more than enough. So whatever she and Lane couldn’t eat, she took to Lou. He gave it to whoever he thought needed it. Since Annie did this weekly, there were many who benefited from her generosity.
As time went on, what little strength Lane had failed him. He now spent his time in bed. Annie did the best she could in taking care of her husband, but she couldn’t do it all on her own. She didn’t have to. The members of the town did their part to help. A couple of ladies made dinner for them each night. While a few more took turns making sure the house stayed tidy. For this, Annie was thankful. She didn’t know what she would have done without them.
One evening she sat beside him on the edge of the bed, feeding him some soup. while she fed him, she talked to him. She told him how their grandchildren were. That they were doing well in school. “That’s nice.” he said in a tired voice. Then he managed to say, “I’m so thankful for the family God gave to me. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.” he paused, “I love you my Annie.” She looked into his eyes. She now knew what she had always seen in them, and it was there now. When looking into his eyes she saw his very soul. “I love you too.” She said with a tear, knowing it was the last words they would exchange. Then, he closed his eyes.
Her thoughts were interrupted by cars pulling into the drive. The three cars carried her children and their families. All at once, Annie was surrounded by kids. All wanting her attention. Once she had hugged all 5 of them, she went inside to make up a snack. Annie served everyone on the porch. While eating cookies and drinking lemonade, Hannah said “You were right Mom.” “About what?” she asked. Hannah looked at the tree, “It is beautiful and tall.” They both smiled.
“Dad, where’s that club-house you told me about?” asked Alex. “Oh yeah, the club-house!” Bryant remembered. So the 3 that owned it took their kids to see it. When they reached the spot, they found it just as they left it years ago. “Wow this is neat! We could make our own club!” said Allen. “Yeah!” cried Heaven. “No way! No girls!” said Deven. Hannah looked at her brothers in remembrance. They broke into laughter.
Soon they were on the porch once again. As night took over day, stars begin to fill the dark sky. Nina was sitting in her grandmother’s lap, rocking in the aged chair. “Where did you get this Gandma?” she asked playing with the necklace around her neck. When she saw that it was the heart necklace that Nina was asking about, she smiled. Her eyes lifted and the ache in her heart disappeared. Then she said with a sparkle in her eye, “Your Grandpa’s heart.”
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