Page 21 of Lucky Mother Pucker

Lucy

Twenty minutes later, I pull into my old neighborhood. I take in the street lined with trees, the way the leaves are turning every shade of red, orange, and yellow. I spot the playground my dad used to take me to when I was a little kid. The swing set he used to push me on.

A sob lodges in my throat. Tears fill my eyes. I miss this place so much.

I turn left at the end of the block, and my house comes into view. My breath catches when I pull up and see the state of it. A few of the siding panels have fallen off. The Gerbera daisy bushes at the front of the house are wilted and brown. He just left those to die? My dad planted those bushes for my mom. She loved Gerbera daisies. They were her favorite flower.

When I see the pile of cardboard boxes and a table sitting at the curb, I throw the car in park and jump out.

My heart aches when I see the old coffee table from our living room. The one my dad built for my mom when I was a baby.

I turn it over and see our initials on the underside. He carved them into the wood.

EB + MB = LB.

My trembling mouth curves up in a smile. Those are our names. Edward, Myra, and Lucy.

I brush my fingertips over the carvings. My eyes blur with tears. But for once, they’re happy tears. I never thought I’d see this table ever again. I thought Richard threw it out. Thank god he didn’t.

I quickly open the boxes. I see piles of my mom’s old clothes. When I breathe in a lungful of her scent, I almost pass out. It’s the smell of rose oil and her favorite vanilla lotion. A sob falls from my throat.

“Oh, Mom.” I close my eyes and bury my face in one of her old sweaters. I inhale as deeply as I can. My heart shatters in my chest at how comforting it feels to be surrounded by her scent now. How much I miss her. So much, it’s hard to breathe.

“Lucy?” a soft voice behind me says.

I twist around and see Mrs. Poulos, my old neighbor from across the street.

I stand up, surprised to see her. She pulls me into a hug.

“Oh, honey. You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she says, her voice shaky.

I let out a soft chuckle at how hard she hugs me. She’s barely five feet tall, yet somehow she gives the most powerful hugs.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” I say with a small smile.

When she finally lets me go, she turns around to her open garage. “Dimitri! Come see who’s here!”

A head full of salt-and-pepper hair pops up from behind their parked van. Her husband squints at me, then the biggest smile splits her face.

“Is that little Lucy Bailey?”

He walks over and hugs me.

I’m smiling so hard, my cheeks ache. “It’s me.”

When he lets me go, he holds me by my shoulders. “We’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”

“Richard said you moved out,” Mrs. Poulos says.

I shake my head, confused. “He didn’t tell you the full story?”

Mrs. Poulos shakes her head. “He sure didn’t.”

“He kicked me out after my mom died.”

Both of their jaw fall to the ground. “What?” Mrs. Poulos’s voice is a hair below a shout.

I’m quiet as I nod.