Daisy Green was anything but fine. Her life wasn’t going the way it was supposed to, and she had no idea what she was going to do next. Everything she’d been fighting so hard for seemed to keep crashing around her, and all she’d ever dreamt about kept getting destroyed. There weren’t even ashes left for her to rise from and take flight.
She was on the phone with her very worried grandfather, trying to hold it together. She was so close to falling apart, unsure what she was going to do. If her gramps knew how bad she felt, his impeccable radar would come out, and Daisy would be smothered. She couldn’t handle that. Right now she had to be strong.
“Gramps, there’s nothing to worry about,” she said for what felt like the millionth time. Though, that saying had always amused her. Did people truly understand how long it would take to say the same thing over and over again a million times? If she wasn’t on the phone, she’d ask Siri that question. Siri, how many hours would it take to repeat a sentence one million times? If she didn’t forget by the end of her conversation with her gramps, she still might ask.
Daisy was sitting in a crowded airport, her steam long gone. She’d spent the last twenty-four hours packing, waiting for public transportation, and then waiting on standby to get out of the country. As much as her gramps drove her crazy at times, she wanted nothing more than to tuck tail and go home. She had to get there first, though. If she fell apart now she’d be a mess the entire way home.
She was luckier than many women in her profession. She still had a home to go back to. Not that any twenty-seven-year-old woman wanted to admit defeat. It was the ultimate shame to return home to her small town, especially having already traveled the world with so many more adventures she wanted to take.
Buying a ticket from Australia to Washington state at the last minute wasn’t an easy task. She’d thought there’d be plenty of open seats with the price of the tickets, but nope, not when she was in a hurry to go home.
“. . . so excited to see you again. And Mary Beth has been reading all of your articles and says you have such a gift. Of course, I’ve known this all of your life . . .” Gramps kept on talking, but Daisy tuned him out. How could she tell him she’d failed at saving yet another historic place? No one wanted to hear about history or how important it was. She kept writing about her adventures, but her articles weren’t getting much traction. What was she going to do? Should she give it up?
As Gramp’s voice continued speaking in her ear buds, she looked at the sea of people surrounding her. There were some weary looking travelers, however most people seemed happy and festive as if they’d had a great vacation. But this was a long flight, and no one in the airport would be doing anything but sleeping for the next fifteen hours. With all of the delays, though, who knew what actual time they’d make it to the States?
“Are you listening to me?” That question came through loud and clear. Daisy must’ve forgotten to murmur or agree with something her gramps had said. She looked at the floor.
“Sorry, Gramps, they were making an announcement,” she said a bit sheepishly. She’d definitely been taught to respect her grandfather, and all of her elders, no matter what. It didn’t matter how old Daisy was; her gramps would still give her hair a good yank if she wasn’t behaving. That made her smile . . . finally.
“I guess you’re pretty busy. It’s just been too long since I’ve seen you, and I’m very excited to have you home. This time, I hope it’s for longer than a few days,” her grandfather chastised.
Daisy had lived with her gramps most of her life. She’d been an only child and hadn’t realized what a blessing that had been. She’d gotten the full attention of her gramps, if not her parents. Sure, he’d had a life outside of her, but he’d also supported her in everything she’d ever done.
Her gramps had attended all of her sporting events, school activities, and every special moment in her life. Considering the many people she’d met since leaving home, she realized what a true blessing that