The For Sale sign had fallen to the ground the grass had grown knee high, but the old rocking
chair where they sat in the evening stood firm.
The warn foot path had grown up the curtains now dry rotting still the same as the day her mother walked out. Their house was the only house in the neighborhood that hadn't changed.

Tisa's father had passed she was there to settle his affairs. A father that she barely knew the man that abused her mother, him that she once called daddy. He wasn't a bad man but as she remembered wasn't a good one. As she recollect the memories that she had of him is that he would always belittle her mother.
She remembered how he would say things just to hurt her feeling. And how her mother wouldn't say anything back to him she would just look at him with an,
'I feel sorry for you look on her face.
Really there was no reason for him to be fussing
at her other than he would come home already mad.
Tisa's parents lived together but there was no love in the house for them. She could still hear the screams from her mother as her father beat her. She still heard all the name calling the belittling and her mother's face after the beatings.

The board creeked as she stepped up on the porch some were too weak for her to step on her being a somewhat heavy lady so she backed back down the steps.
May I help you, the voice from behind her said,
she turned around.....

Tisa dropped her head 'no thank you.....
she hurried to her car so fast she didn't even see the man that was talking to her.
But the voice creeped all up around her neck down her back and gave her one of those shakes
you know one of those that you have to shake off. She went back to her hotel her spirit was stirred all those old thoughts that she had as a kid returned. She could feel herself getting depressed, the things that she spent years getting over were resurfacing.

Monday morning she called her job to get more time off,
this is going to take more time than I expected she told her boss. At 12oclock she had to meet with a Mr.Carson at her dad's place as his bank had foreclosed on the property. When she arrived she noticed that someone had placed new boards on the porch as a walk into the house.

He was a kinda older man in his late 50s early 60s nicely dress with a look of money about him
very neat.
Miss Everly, he asked holding out his hand to shake hers.
Hi I'm Ben Carson from the bank, we foreclosed here because your dad didn't repay the loan he borrowed from us. We contacted you because he willed everything to you.
Miss Everly I'm the trustee over your dad's will because he didn't have a lawyer. The things that we need to talk about will take a few days if you have the time.
Tell you the truth Miss Everly the property is more valuable than the money your dad borrowed he said still holding her hand in his.
My condolences, I knew your dad I knew him well he was his own man.
Tisa kinda knew what he meant and she agreed
nodding her head, yes he was.

His hand were soft and warm his eyes a lighter brown than most brown eyes that held hers until she pulled her hand away.
This could be a valuable piece of property with a little bit of money spent on it Ben said.
Excuse me she said, how much was the loan?
The original loan was for 5,000 but with the interest it's up to 7,500 as of yesterday.

Tisa sat down and wrote out a check for
$7,500 to The bank of Trust handed it to Ben, thank you Mr. Carson.
I hardly knew my father I hadn't seen him since I was 7.
They walked throughout the house as they talked it wasn't very big quite small in fact.
This would be a nice beginner or rental home for someone he said.
Your father had started the renovations that was his reason for borrowing the money.

He handed her one of those tote bags with handles consisting of her dad's ashes.
He was cremated as stated in his will Miss Everly he asked me to take care of things for you I hope you don't mind.
No... I don't thank you.
I need to get back to the bank he said, we'll talk more tomorrow but here's my card if you need anything.

After seeing the place Tisa went to collect her things from the hotel she decided to stay and get her dad's place in order.
The back room almost full of materials the he bought to do the renovations.
The bed were she slept as a child had the same ole sheets and covers. The bath wasn't too bad torn linoleum a rocky toilet it was outdated but nothing unusual.

The kitchen was her happiest memory she'd come home from school and her mom would sit her at the table with some chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of chocolate milk.
The masters was the last to view, still the same as she remembered. The faces in the pictures had no smiles made a big statement to Tisa.
Their wedding shots had smiles which made her wonder where and why did those smiles go.
She looked at all the pictures and they went from big happy teeth showing smiles to just a close mouth smile to no smiles at all. That showed her about the time line when their feelings for each other started to change.
She wondered did they really loved each other or was it just lust for them and the lust finally faded what happened.
She wondered if her parents knew what love really was and what a gift it is to be in a true loving relationship.
Oh well their both dead now so it doesn't matter not any more she said out loud.
Tisa changed the sheets and covers on their bed where she would sleep while she was there.
Tisa tossed and turned all night not getting comfortable enough to sleep well so she got up the next morning to start working.
She started by cleaning out the closets she started a fire in the back yard of his clothes putting on a few more as the burned.
The neighborhood wasn't a bad one it was nice and quiet it being a Saturday. When she got back to the front Mr. Carson's car was in the drive parked behind hers.
" Come on in I'm just doing some cleaning.
Good morning Miss Everly,
what is your name?
Tisa she said, Good morning Tisa.
She was dressed in sweats a big baggy tee shirt and with her hair in a do rags.
Is there anything that I can do to help?
Tisa just stopped and looked at him.
It's Saturday why are you here Mr. Carson.
Ben, and I live just two houses down the street on the left. I told you I promised your dad that I would help you.
So y'all were friends,
I wouldn't say friends your dad wouldn't let nobody get close to him but I did care about him.
Tim came to me after he was diagnosed with cancer to help him get his things in order.
Well I told him to come to me if he needed anything and he did we would talk about you and your mother that's all he wanted to talk about. So if you can call that a friendship then yeah we were friends.
His biggest regret was letting you go....
and your mother, he told me that he rather you and your mother leave than him putting you all through what called hell that he was putting y'all through. He admitted that he was sorry for abusing you and your mother the way he did he was old and lonely.
My dad is dead so I just looked at him as sort of another man.
Coffee?
I'll get it Ben said I know were everything is I spent many evenings in that kitchen with your dad,
come to think of it now we were friends.
They went to the kitchen while Ben got coffee Tisa put more of her dad's clothes on the fire.
You have some of your dad's ways you know?
Excuse me Tisa said!
I don't mean anything bad I just mean you have that quiet kinda cold feel about you that he had.
I don't think that, that's hereditary why are you so cold?
I don't think that I'm cold or act cold
it's experience, see over the years I've learn that you can't love a person that refuses to learn what love is like my father. And.... you can not argue or fuss with a fool. And... I've also realized that a jealous person of you is jealous of you only because they know that you're a better person than they are....

Look, I don't know you to me you just somebody trying to be noisy. I don't have some sob story about being abused it happened and I've learn that abuse don't hold on to you you hold on to the abuse. I've let all that years back stuff go, I'm just glad that my mom had sense enough to leave him , that she wasn't stupid enough to stay with somebody that belittled and beat the hell out of her and called it love.
And no I'm not holding on toany grudges I don't have to get revenge that belongs to the Lord.
Anyway what does anything in my life has anything to do with you just leave go take care your family I'm nothing to you.

No....
you're not really but a promise is a promise...
and I promised your dad, I keep my promise.
I sat right here and talked to your dad just like I'm talking to you now and made a dieing man a promise.

I know that you said that my dad ask you to help me but you don't have to, there's not much that I can do here...

He said that you wouldn't want to let me help
you he said you would try to run me away.
Tisa I can help you get this place in good shape we could work on the weekend and before you know it'll be a good home for somebody.
I'm gonna go, let you cool off you have my number call me if you want my help.

As of his death that house was now Tisa's problem the house the land the taxes all hers now a decision had to be made.



© sky