The Homecoming

A Short Story by Jeff Michaels

Denise stood in the doorway, pushing her pretty face against the screen door…..leaning sideways…gazing around the countryside. Waiting. This was the day her honey would finally make it back home to her. The light breeze gently moved her hair. She could smell the cooler air of fall moving in.

She wore a short grey t-shirt, jeans, and a red bow on the ponytail in her long dark hair. No shoes…barefoot….just the way he liked her. A cultured country girl with manicured nails and wide open arms, she was dazzling to behold. A lovely young lady with charm and class, but with a rough edge he adored.

Her heart ached, and had been aching for the entire 5 weeks since she’d seen him last. He had to go away for a while, to take care of family issues. But he was coming home to her now, to begin their life together…finally.

She was a curious woman….very detail oriented and interested in all things around her. Everything has a use, a meaning, and a reason for existence. He was the reason for her existence. Nobody before him had ever made her feel the way he could…effortlessly. The way he touched her, caressed her, looked into her, kissed her, spoke to her, and made love to her….MMmmm…yes….it was perfect. It made her feel wonderful just to hear his name spoken out loud. She loved him. Deeply.

Not many people had been let into her little secret. They would not believe that she had finally attracted a man to her who loved her as she is, treated her like a princess, and instilled into her the confidence and self esteem that reminded her daily that she could do whatever she desired in life. She was fed up with others who had always felt the need to make comments and give her advice on relationship or family issues. For once, she was on her own, and needed nobody to reassure her that what she thought and what she did was right or wrong. She no longer cared about what they thought...about anything. But she cared what he thought….about everything.

Her dedication to him and their love was off the scale. Never before had she ever felt that she actually needed someone. She’d always been against opening herself up to examination and judgment, closed to any man who tried to tame her or make a nice little housewife out of her, and worked to remain resistant to any outburst in emotion that might suggest a weakness or vulnerability in her personality. However….in his arms….she became another woman completely. Her fears would drop away as she melted into his arms, and she found her smile and laughter again any time they spoke.

She decided long before this moment that he was her man, and she, his woman. No matter what they might face or struggle with in life, she needed him and accepted him as her other half. She looked up to him as a man, and respected his opinions on everything. She counted the moments until he made her his wife. To her, being happy and complete was only possible with him. She loved him beyond what any word or song or poem could describe.

He loved her too…..with all his heart and soul. Just a mere thought of her made his temperature rise, his heart speed up, and his mind race. When with her, being close wasn’t enough, he needed to be inside her, within her, to be engulfed and surrounded by her. He craved her constantly and longed to be with her every moment of every day. He adored her and respected her…yes...respected her. He hung on every word she spoke, dreamt about her whether awake or asleep, and felt a wretched emptiness in his soul whenever she wasn’t with him. He needed her by his side for the rest of his life as his wife and mate, friend and partner.

The screen made a rippled impression on her face as she rested her cheek on it. It didn’t bother her…she didn’t care. She could stand there all day waiting for him. She looked at her watch, then glanced down the road. Any time now….any time now and my honey will be home. She smiled sweetly. Any time now…..

The shrill ring of the telephone tore her from her thoughts. Her mother….again. She was beginning to be a pain. She kept telling her how silly she was for loving a man from so far away. None of the family had met him or even heard his name mentioned until just a few days ago. But they knew he existed, for they could sense that her mind and her heart were in a distant place, instead of in the moment. They tried many things to bring her out of her slump. Parties, dinners, gifts, outings, they tried anything they could think of….but all she wanted was to be with him.

His presence now out of the bag, she spoke of him incessantly. What he likes, what he would say in this or that situation, the cute way he grins when he’s being ornery, the way his behind looks in those old ragged blue jeans. All the things that make him special, she shared with those around her. She smiled to herself, and looked back at the doorway as her mother yammered endlessly into her ear.

“Yes mom….yes. Nope…no way! Gimme a break. Ok….I’ll call you. Yes mother…I promise….I will call you later. Ok. G’bye.”

She sighed and slowly walked back to the door. The cool breeze wafted in around her. She decided to close it for now to avoid shivering as she waited. Admittedly it was easy to see why her mother and others felt funny about this man. Yes, most girls would introduce her new man to her family, but she just didn’t have the heart to admit to her family that they were a pain. They bordered on trying to control her, constantly commenting and advising her on every aspect of her existence. It just got old, so she purposefully avoided discussing him with them for the several months they’d been courting. She didn’t want to hear it.

Reluctantly, she decided to sit down on the sofa and wait for him there. She glanced at her watch again…2:12pm. She sank down into the cushions and looked around the room, making sure nothing was out of place. Their new home was nice. Very comfy, but it lacked something. Him. She turned and lay down, reaching to drag a pillow over from the chair to put under her head. She looked at the ceiling…..waiting….thinking of what was ahead.

Crap….cobwebs in the corner. She must have missed them during her two day cleaning spree. Figures.

She glanced at the door again, then back to the cobwebs.

“Just relax, you are stressing so bad girl.” She whispered to herself.

A deep breath…then another. She breathed in and out as she tried to wish the cobwebs away. Knowing her luck, she’d be standing on the chair winding them up on the broom when he knocks on the door. She decided he probably wouldn’t notice. Back to looking at the ceiling again. Her eyelids began to drop….

Startled, her eyes opened. “Whoa! No sleeping. He’ll be here in a minute.” She couldn’t believe she was even able to THINK about sleep at a time like this. How embarrassing it would be to greet him with puffy sleep-eyes, an indention from the pillow fringe splayed across her chin. She looked at her watch…..2:17pm.

She rolled to her left side and faced the door. No way was she going to close her eyes again. She looked for more cobwebs as she worked on her breathing some more.

Visions of her bed started to flitter through her mind. It might be much more comfy than the sofa, she wondered. Without another thought she determined that a short nap in bed would not hurt anything. He’d be there soon, but a 15 minute rest might energize her. Only 15 minutes…..not a second more.

One little two little three little Indians…..four little five little six lit…..sheeesh. Hickory dickory dock…I need to buy a clock. Flying through the clouds….looking at the mountains…..she closed her eyelids without even realizing it.

There was a knock at the door. She smiled as she jumped to her feet then trotted to the front room, her heart racing with anxiety and happiness. She recognized that knock. Habitually, she ran a hand over her hair and double checked the front of her clothing once more before opening the door to greet him.

Ahhh…there it was. That feeling she had missed for so long. Her man. His arms wrapped her up in an instant and held her close. She laid her face against his chest and breathed in his scent. She listened to his heart pounding with joy as they embraced on the porch. Once again….finally…safe in his arms, she never wanted to let him go. He ran his strong hands across her back, and gently pulled her tighter yet. He just couldn’t get close enough.

They exchanged greetings and looked into each others eyes for the first time in over a month. Both held back tears of joy and adoration as they kissed and hugged repeatedly. His fingers ran through her hair as he held her against him. He told her over and over how he’d missed her and felt so empty without her. She told him the same then recounted the story of how she’d told her family about him, and how they wanted to meet him, and how she cried every night for him. He kissed her deeply again……then slowly backed away and dropped to one knee.

As she gazed down at him kneeling in front of her…her hands moved to her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes. There in the palm of his hand sat a small maroon ring box. He smiled widely as he offered the box to her. Her hands were shaking as she reached out to take it.

She was frozen for a moment as she held the box. She looked at him again….he motioned for her to open it. As she slowly raised the lid, he asked her the question she’d been waiting to hear since the first time they kissed. He smiled and she cried as the beautiful diamond ring slipped onto her finger. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks as she held her hand up to look at it. Once again he pulled her to him and squeezed her tightly. She felt weak in his arms, yet oh so strong as well. A wonderful mix of love and adoration overtook them both, and it showed more and more with every beat of their hearts.

After a moment, he reached out and took her by the hand, leading her back into the house. As the screen door closed behind them he was eyeing her. When she saw that his desire was starting to grow, she felt moisture begin to gather. As they entered the darkened bedroom, he took off his shirt. The lights were dimmed, then he turned to her.

He wanted her skin against his, and she could see this clearly by the way he approached her now. A tingling began within her womb. The ring glittered with a light of its own as she placed her hands on his chest and felt the warmth of his chest. That feeling of being one with him crept back into her mind. Looking into his eyes, she smiled an evil grin then raised up her top and dropped it to the floor at their feet.

They fell to the bed and he instinctively climbed on top of her. His hands moved over her body as he took possession of his woman. She had waited too long for this moment. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands latched onto his neck. They kissed deeply….tongues mingling and sucking on each other, their needs for each other now changing gears to a new and higher level of awareness and sensation.

As she laid there helpless, her hands held down on the bed, he kissed her breasts, rubbed his face against them, and sucked her soft pink nipples into his mouth. He rolled to his back and removed his pants, then returned to her side to focus on her nipples again. His tongue wrapped around each one as he began playing with, and teasing her body. She felt the tip of his stiff tool poking her side. This sensation shot through her like an electrical shock of pleasure.

He unbuttoned her jeans and reached down inside her panties. His finger parted her slippery lips and sunk itself into her body. She moaned and rejoiced at the invasion of her most private and personal place, for he was her man, and he had the freedom to do whatever he wished to her and with her. She loved that openness, and if he wanted to bury his fingers in her as he kissed and held her in their bed, so be it. She spread her legs to give him better access to her body. He responded by sliding a second finger into her now steaming hot wetness.

She sat up and pulled her pants and panties off. The sweet scents of their two bodies mixed in the air, their breathing became more intense. She lay back once more and spread her legs far apart for him. She moved over a bit so he was sitting between her knees. He took advantage of this position and dove head first into her warm flower.

His tongue found her labia and sucked them both into his mouth at once. He tugged and nibbled on them, as his fingertips dug into her hips. He held her tightly as he dined on her body. Her eyes rolled back in her head with pleasure, her breathing became loud and raspy. She moaned his name over and over, as she felt his tongue sliding in and out of her sweetest spot. He sucked her clit in between his lips and massaged it repeatedly with rhythmic waves of love from his tongue.

His hands moved to her breasts. As she felt her small pink nipples being rolled between his fingers and thumbs, her body jerked in reaction to his attention. She gripped the bed sheets with one hand, and ran her other hand through his hair and held him tightly to her, keeping the pressure firm against her mound. Short high pitched gasps and yelps escaped her lips as he licked and sucked on her body’s most tender and sensitive place.

Her orgasm was a glorious splintered explosion with colors and light from inside her soul. Her back arched uncontrollably and her body rose from the bed as he took her over the edge. Her entire being shook and vibrated from within, her juices flowed freely across his face, and her toes and fingers tingled wildly. Then she rested…..feeling her mind and spirit slowly return back to the here and now.

Finally she pried herself from his clutches and jumped to her knees.

“It’s MY turn now!!” she growled with a smile.

He grinned widely as she forcefully pushed him to his back. Her scent drove him wild and he felt her desire for him being eclipsed by her animalistic urge to claim him. She mounted his body…sliding herself down onto his member….plunging it forcefully deep within her womb. She felt it hit the back of her body then rose to slide it up and down over and over.

Her hips bucked forward and backward as she worked to grind her body against his. He loved that position for it provided him with perfect access to her soft and luscious breasts. He grasped her tightly as she went into a hypnotic state of ecstasy. His hips were pushed upwards to meet her as she rode him into the sunset. His member was thrust to and fro as she pleasured herself on him, and he loved every second of it.

She once again felt the wondrous orgasmic sensations start to build inside her. She focused and pressed down even harder onto him. He buried his fingers into the soft flesh on her chest, and she moved herself up and down on the rock hard stiffness he provided for her.

The feverish warmth of chemicals firing to life within her veins told her that she was nearing an epiphany of joy and harmony with the universe. Her heart pounded wildly, her fingernails dug into his shoulders. She closed her eyes awaiting the explosion inside her….

Then the phone rang.

She stopped dead and looked at it sitting there, blinking on the dresser. Frustrated and angry that her mother had ruined her moment, she started to get up to answer its repeated ringing.

He grabbed for her arm….”No, let it ring baby…just call her back later!” He beckoned from the bed. But she was already moving across the room, determined to give her mother a piece of her mind.

She picked up the phone and almost screamed into it “What is it that simply could not wait??!!”

As she listened to the voice on the other end, the light in her room became brighter.

“What?? I told you this morning mom, he drives a dark blue BMW….why? What? That’s horrible……No mom…listen to me….he’s here now. It wasn’t him. He is fine. Oh yes…..I’m sure. Here…I’ll let YOU talk to him.”

Denise turned to hand the phone to him. “Mom says there was a car like yours in an accident down by Smith’s Creek and she thinks it was….” Her voice dropped off into silence as she stared at her empty bed. He was gone. The bedding was barely disturbed.

The voice on the phone nudged her back to her senses.

“Mom. I……I don’t get it. He was just here. Hang on.”

She threw the phone on the bed and ran down the hallway. Glancing rapidly in every direction around the house, she looked for him. Frantically, she searched every room, the yard, the closets, the driveway. His car was gone. As she ran around, tears began streaming down her face and she chanted..”No no no no NO NO NO!”

Her head swam in a dizzying array of confusion and disbelief. The walls spun around her as she dropped down onto the living room floor. Her heart was racing with adrenaline, and she half started to hyperventilate.

“No…this can’t fucking be happening. This can’t be fucking happening to me!” She wailed out into the silence.

She looked at her body and saw that she was still fully clothed. She was amazed and simply stunned beyond belief.

“Don’t tell me all that was a dream!!” She screamed out as she stomped back to the empty bedroom.

She hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone, composed herself a bit and tried to get her wits back about her.

“Mom…” She started. “Did you see the accident…did you see the car? Are you sure it’s a dark blue BMW? Dad stopped and talked to the deputy?….well ask him if he is positive. I guess I was dreaming mom.” She sobbed into the phone….now losing control of her emotions. “I thought he was here!!”

The reality of her worst fear ever came crashing into her thoughts.

“What’s he saying? …I can’t hear him! What was the guy’s name in the car?.....Please tell me it wasn’t….Oh my god…NO NO NO!!” The phone bounced off the dresser. Now paralyzed with utter despair, she collapsed to the bedroom floor. No sounds could escape her lips as she rolled into a ball. The weight of a horrible nightmare-come-to-life engulfed her entire world.


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It was evening on the third day after the accident. She sat at the kitchen table staring at a warm glass of tea in front of her. Long since melted, the ice created a mirage effect of different hues of brown within the glass. It was dark at the bottom, more clear and colorless toward the top. She’d worn nothing but her old red flannel pajamas since that day. Nothing could make her feel better, but the pajamas were comfy and kept her warm.

She felt as useless and watered down as the tea. Nothing tasted right, and her head continued to swim, making her feel ill with dizziness. The house hadn’t been touched since she cleaned it for his arrival. It was so empty, so quiet, and so completely cold now. All her preparations were for nothing. It did no good to live her life right….to think right and live right and work her ass off to make her goals come true.

For weeks they looked for just the right house to make their home. The colors were right, the size was perfect, the location was excellent, and the price was exactly what they wanted to spend. Everything was finally becoming what they both had always sought and dreamt about. But now…..the hope was all gone.

She found her feet and slowly walked to the bedroom. Stopping at the doorway, she leaned against the wall and looked at the bed….remembering how they made sweet love there in her dream. That god damned dream…..its dreadful deception haunted her every thought.

She sat on the bed, her face resting in her hands. The tears were nearly all cried out.

Scooting up toward the headboard, she grabbed the pillow from his side and gently ran her fingers across it.

An idea crossed her mind…..

Quickly, she turned, jumped up from the bed and pulled a white men’s T-shirt from her top dresser drawer. She lovingly placed it against her cheek and sampled its scent, then crawled back onto the bed….placed it over the pillow…and buried her face in the shirt.

It was his t-shirt. He had left it at her apartment 2 months earlier…so she never washed it and instead saved it for times….like…when she missed him most. It was all she had left of him. That, and his memory.

She sobbed uncontrollably, his scent all around her. She breathed him in and reached out with her mind, trying to send him a message wherever he might be. She felt her soul dying inside.

Emptiness and pain were what made up her world now. There would be no more smiles, no more happiness, no more anything worth anything.

She cried and sobbed…..and breathed him in some more. As she lay there in the semi-darkness, she closed her eyes and tried to picture him. She looked for him within her mind….and cried….and looked some more. Finally…….she slept.

The loud knocking woke her with a start. She sat up quickly, trying to get her bearings. She shook her head, and then noticed it was now daylight outside. She must have slept all night and into the morning.

Once again….the knocking at the front door shook her from her daze.

“Ok….ok….I’m coming.” She mumbled under her breath.

Though she really wasn’t in the mood for guests, she resigned herself to be as pleasant as possible. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she entered the living room. After checking her hair and straightening her clothes, she reached for the front door knob.

Suddenly she found herself frozen in place. Her gaze eerily moved back down to her chest and legs. She stared in amazement and disbelief, for she was now wearing the grey shirt….and her blue jeans. Her heart skipped a beat. The nails on her bare toes glistened with the color he’d requested the day before he was to arrive.

She looked back to the door……then slowly opened it with a shaking hand. The door swung open. She was overcome with shock with what she saw.

There he stood…..her man….tall and handsome….a wide smile across his face.

She screamed with joy. The blood left her face as she fell down to her knees in the doorway. The tears flowed….and he watched her reaction with surprise.

He rushed forward to help her, but she got back to her feet, leapt into his arms and latched onto him for dear life, nearly knocking him down. He’d never been hugged so tightly, for so long. She sobbed deeply, but only for a moment, then managed to find some calm within her wonder.

“I thought…..but….I thought….you….” She cried into his chest between breaths.

“You thought what baby? Am I late? I’m, sorry if I had you worried.” He explained.

“No….” She sniffed as she looked at her watch…which read 2:35. “You are right on time.”

She happily wiped the tears from her face and finally kissed him. Her salty tongue tasted good to him, for he had been away from her for way, way too long.

Anxiously, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house. She watched his reaction to her decoration of their home. He looked around the room then grinned at her. “I love it baby….it looks fantastic!”

Pleased…she smiled, hugged him again and whispered….”Welcome home honey.”

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