Immediately her grandparents were swamped with people waving and saying hello. Barbara was flooded with people saying their names and shaking her hand. It was all a blur... until... There he was... she spotted him over in the corner standing with some men. Mike…
Mike??? Grrrrrr... Someone brushed against her. A lady shook her hand and said "pleased to meet you." Barbara nodded to the lady but the time she looked back Mike wasn't there anymore. Maybe she imagined she saw him. There were a lot of men here... She could have easily mistaken one of them for Mike.
Barbara turned back to the women who were talking to her. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to shake the next ladies hand. To her surprise it WAS Mike. He had a nice cup of cider for her. Her face lit up.
"Well helloooo pretty lady. I was hoping I'd see you here tonight. I forgot to tell you about the party when we said goodbye. I had a cab waiting for me and had to leave quickly. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude and leave you alone on the train," he said smiling the whole time.
"It's ok. Mike. I had a feeling we'd see each other sooner or later during my visit. I'd like you to meet my grandparents." Barbara was nervous as she introduced her grandparents to Mike. They all seemed to hit it off nicely. She was happy.
Mike asked her to dance and she happily accepted. She didn't realize some time later that she was actually... Square Dancing! He made it look easy as he twirled her around the dance floor. She saw people watching them. She heard one lady say "Don't they make a cute couple?" to her friend as Barbara and Mike whisked by. This little HOE DOWN was turning out to be a fun party. She didn't know when she had had so much fun. The parties in the big city were different than this... that was for sure.
The evening ended with Mike driving Barbara and her grandparents’ home in his truck. "I have a few things to do tomorrow during the day but I'd like to see you again. Maybe I could take you to dinner" he asked as he walked her to the door? She could see her grandparents peeking at them through the side door window. Barbara blushed. She waved them away from the window and they took the hint and left her alone with Mike.
"I had a great time tonight," she said shyly. "I'd love to see you again too. Dinner would be lovely."
"Great... I'll see you around 6." And with that he gave her a kiss on the cheek and was off in his truck and speeding away down the driveway.
That was the first of many dinners Barbara spent with Mike. She spent most of her vacation with him and they developed strong feelings for each other. Soon it would be time for Barbara to leave. She actually found herself dreading going home. This was the first time ever that she could remember, that she didn't want to leave the country.
Mike showed her the country like her grandparents never could. He showed her its people when she went with him on his deliveries. He showed her the crops in a way that was soooo romantic that how could anyone not love the country. The animals became a whole new world to her. Even their smell for they gave back to the earth vital nutrients that it needs to grow the crops. She saw the birth of a baby goat and it awed her. It soon became her friend and followed her everywhere. Down to the tiniest grasshopper he showed her how to LOVE the country. They even built a scarecrow together in the field. THAT is where he told her he never wanted her to leave. He kissed her... got down on one knee... and proposed. She said "YES" of course.
Now her vacation was over and it was time for Barbara to return to the big city to quit her job and pack up her things to move to the country. She stood there looking at the scarecrow she and Mike had made. A bird landed on the scarecrows hat. It didn't seem scared of her. The goat saw it too and gave out a bleat of approval. The bird sat there on the hat for what seemed like an eternity before it finally cawed and flew off. She gave out a big sigh. She THOUGHT the city was her home but she finally realized what her grandparents were trying to teach her. HOME is in your heart... not a city or a country and she WAS... HOME!
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