Sunny Came Home
Pulling the wad of magazines and bills from the mailbox, Kat noticed a kelly-green motorcycle in her neighbors’ driveway. The color seemed even brighter against the pale wood of the Reynolds’ house. What made the picture even stranger were the two large suitcases strapped down to the bike with bungee cords.
Inside, Kat deposited the mail on the table and asked her mother about it.
“A motorcycle? I never knew Jane Reynolds was a biker chick.” She giggled at her own joke. “Honestly, I don’t know, Kat. Probably some crazy relative in town.”
Kat wouldn’t let it rest at that. The green bike was so out-of-place in their tidy, suburban neighborhood that she had to find out where it had come from.
So she went to the source.
Kat had brought the garden hose nozzle that her father had borrowed from Mr. Reynolds last week as a reason as to why she had come. She figured that on the subject of lawns, she could bring up the bike. Preparing her conversation, she went to knock.
The door opened before her fist even touched the door, and a tall, thin girl barreled into Kat, nearly knocking her off the step.
“Whoops! Sorry, I—“ the girl stood back to look at Kat, and broke into a wide grin. Kat knew why; there was no mistaking her.
Mr. And Mrs. Reynolds had a daughter five years older than Kat. Sunny. She used to baby-sit Kat years ago. Kat loved Sunny; she was wild and funny and the coolest person Kat had ever known. In their world of suburbia, Sunny was as prominent as a flamingo among ducks.
Unfortunately, the Reynolds’ didn’t see Sunny like Kat did. They fought all the time, and one day, when Kat was eleven, Mrs. Reynolds called their house. Sunny was gone.
Kat could only imagine it broke the Reynolds’ heart when the only news they heard from their daughter for two years was a postcard on Christmas and Easter. They knew Sunny was alive, but never knew where she had gone or how she was. Gradually, talk of Sunny decreased in the neighborhood until she wasn’t mentioned at all.
And now Sunny was standing three feet from Kat.
“Kit-Kat!” Sunny’s hug was a sproingy as the dark curls escaping from her French braid. “Look at you! Only two years and you’ve grown like bamboo!” Kat smiled and gaped at her at the same time. While Sunny’s smile was at it’s usual magnitude, her makeup was dried and smudged, and her clothes looked wrinkled and slightly dirty. She also looked exhausted, but Kat passed off some of that to age, but thinking Sunny was now eighteen was like imagining her grandma in a bathing suit.
“I can’t believe it!” Kat managed to say, as she helped Sunny untangle the suitcases from what Sunny said was a Vespa, not a motorcycle. “Where have you been all this time?”
“Seattle, baby!” Sunny winked with a goofy grin. "I took a bus to Seattle, moved in with a friend, got a job at a bookstore, and lived! Yeah, life was crap at first, but I got promoted and saved up my money. Got Clover here,” she nodded to the Vespa, “as a result of blowing off two month’s rent, which believe me, did not please my roomie.” Kat laughed, struggling under the heavy suitcase.
“And then . . . I decided to come home.” Sunny did not elaborate, and Kat didn’t ask. Thanking her for her help, Sunny took the hose nozzle, saying this would only improve her dad’s day.
“He cried when I came in,’ she said with a small smile. “My mom got watery-eyed, but girl, my dad bawled like a baby.” And she disappeared inside.
But Sunny’s return was only a small flower in the ton of junk Kat got from her parents the rest of that week. Her mom was especially on her case, badgering Kat about the tiniest things. And her dad disapproved of her spending time with Sunny. He said she was a bad influence.
It all came to a climax one night, when, angry at finding a soda can in Kat’s room, her mother fought with her.
"Look at you! You're no good! You're just so lazy all the time and never care for anyone else!"
When Kat yelled back at her, her father told her she was being disrespectful.
"You'll turn out just like Sunny Reynolds," he said. "and she's going in no good direction."
Early the next morning, Kat packed a bag and took a bus headed 150 miles north from Cadence.
The coffee shop was dirty and full of flies, but at least it was air-conditioned. Kat sat in a booth, poring over the free map she’d gotten at the Portland bus station. But soon, she just let her head fall down onto the greasy table. What could she possible do now? Where could she go? Unlike Sunny, she didn’t know anyone in Seattle. She didn’t know anyone who lived outside of Cadence besides her grandparents, and they’d just take her back.
After the fight, she felt like she hated her parents. But her head was cooler now and Kat felt that it could've gone a lot better if she hadn't been so worked up. Maybe she'd be in her own house by now.
Kat was at a loss at what to do. She folded up her map and left the shop.
Finally, Kat came to what she was looking for: a payphone. Inserting her quarters into the slot and dialing the number took a great number of deep breaths. Her heart pounded frantically as the phone rang three times before being picked up.
“Yo, it’s the Reynolds,” Kat nearly wept with relief at hearing the familiar voice.
“Sunny, it’s me,” she whispered. “Please don’t say anything.”
“Who? Is that you, Kat? Kat! Don’t worry, don’t worry; the mom’s out shopping and the dad’s mowing the lawn.” There was a pause. “What’s up? Your parents are nuts. Where are you?”
Kat sighed. “I can’t tell you, Sunny. I’m really sorry.”
More silence. Then Sunny sighed, too. “I kinda knew this would happen. Only a matter of time before I became a bad influence to the neighborhood children.”
Kat chuckled feebly, but deep down she felt horrible. Of course her parents and the Reynolds would think Sunny had influenced her. And if they found out about the phone call . . . She didn’t want Sunny to be blamed.
“Listen, Sunny, I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this. I have one question, and then I have to go.”
“Shoot.”
“Why did you come home?”
Sunny took a long pause. Kat hoped she’d asked the right question.
“I guess I had to. Y’know, the whole time on my escape from parental territory, there was something missing. Seattle, no matter how free, was a foreign city, and I was a dumb kid who didn’t know her way around. I missed Cadence and my family and my parents and my friends. I missed being home. So I went back.” Kat could practically feel her smile through the phone. “I’m glad I did.”
Kat felt a tear slip down her cheek. “Thanks, Sunny,” she whispered, and hung up.
Kat stood in the front lawn. It was well past midnight, which made her want to go inside, but memory of the fight made her want to take another bus far, far away. As she debated with her two instincts, she glanced at the Reynolds’ driveway, where Clover the Vespa sat, reminding her of how Sunny said her dad cried, so overjoyed to have his daughter back. Sunny had been welcomed in, every past mistake forgotten, and the Reynolds' had fought a lot more than Kat and her parents had. She looked back at the front door and made up her mind.
Sunny came home, she told herself as she stepped up to the door. So can I. Kat raised her fist to knock.
The door opened before her fist even touched the door.
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