34 Seconds Read Online Free PDF Page A

holding me in his arms. I felt so safe.
    “Yes, Daddy, they flew in with me, but they wanted to go see Natalie and the kids. I think they’ll be here in about an hour.” Natalie was my older sister by four years. She had three kids, all boys and all under the age of six. Their oldest was almost six years old, and the twins were four years old and were the best surprise for our family. I’m not sure my sister and her husband always agreed, but like all children, they were instantly in love once they arrived. They continued to surprise us all each day, and my kids adored them. Emily was always talking about how much they looked alike but were not the same person at all. It was fun to see the world from the eyes of a three year old; especially since they didn’t look much alike at all. One was very blonde; the other had very dark, almost black hair. It was even more fun to see two little people who looked so different, but were the same size and same age, shock and confuse a little three year old who was trying to learn about the world around her. I knew soon enough she would understand just how different they were and just how much they were alike as well. Natalie was always telling stories of how one would do something crazy like climb on the roof just to pee off of it, and she and her husband didn’t bother trying to stop him. They could only focus on getting the other boys to not climb on the roof and pee off it. I couldn’t imagine having my own babies climbing a roof at all, but Natalie said they would do anything their big brother could con them into doing. She also said I’d understand it more if I had boys. Natalie once told me boys were different from girls because you could give them the same toy, and a boy would take it apart, put it back together, and maybe even pee on it before he was done playing, but a girl would give it a name, a blanket to keep it warm, and tuck it in at night with butterfly kisses. I guess I still had a lot to learn about parenting altogether. Each year my only hope was that we could continue to come home often, so they would remain in our lives. Anytime I felt overwhelmed with parenting, I called my sister and laughed until I cried. She taught me so much about motherhood; when to take it seriously and when to relax.
    Walking inside Dad’s house was usually exciting. My eyes first found the picture of my sister and me hugging before school one day when we were very young. Then I noticed change again. A knot formed in my chest. I felt myself start to cry again. The baseboards were almost yellow. There were cobwebs in the corners and on picture frames. The once blue carpet was now a dull gray. The house looked tired, and I was saddened by this. But I knew I was not the little girl who used to live there anymore. Many years had passed, and things had aged. I’d aged, but this would always be my home. It was home. Not my home, but it was a place where my heart still dwelt.
    “The phone has been ringing off the hook, Nik. I guess word got around you’d be coming home. You know it’s been a year already. Amy and Eliza have called three times looking for you. They both seemed surprised you are going to Will’s wedding,” Dad said with a smirk on his face.
    I don’t think anyone was really surprised I decided to go to Will’s wedding, but many, including my father, were not exactly happy about it. He never liked Will. Once Will and I broke up, Dad told me he’d always thought something was off about “that boy.” I always figured it was because he was from Richmond and only came to town to visit his grandfather before he moved to Deltaville permanently. I never thought Dad minded the fact I dated a boy from the big city as much as he was bothered by the fact it was a boy from the big city who came to our town to visit. He never much liked the tourists who came to town every summer. But I never really knew why Dad never clicked with Will. Maybe as a strong adult male who had lived