“Eli, can you run into town and get us some more milk? We’re running low, and I don’t want to worry about running out before the supper rush tonight,” my aunt Mae hollered at me from the back porch. She was standing at the top of the stairs, her hand on the white, wooden railing that wrapped around the house.
I stood up from my perch in the garden. “Sure, Aunt Mae!” I yelled back to her and watched as she nodded her head and went back inside. Probably to start prepping the kitchen for tonight.
Taking off my glooves, I grabbed the hoe I was using to weed some of the plants and walked everything into the tiny storage shed off the side of the garden. I used my shirt to wipe my brows as I walked off towards the house to wash my hands before I headed into town. My aunt wasn’t in the kitchen like I thought she’d be, so after I washed my hands and face, I made my way into the garage turned diner.
Years ago, they had converted their garage into a dining area like in any restaurant. Marcy, my cousin took the orders, handed the tickets to my aunt and uncle, and they cooked everything in the house. Then it was my job to run the food for them. It was simple and sweet. I had been right. I found my aunt wiping down the tables in the dining area and my uncle was resweeping the floor.
“Anything other than milk that we might need?” I asked as I walked towards the garage door they had left open. In the summer, it was nice to have the garage door open and let a breeze go through. In the winter, it was heated and insulated enough to keep everyone warm, so there was no fear of freezing.
“I don’t think so, Eli. Milk should be all we need,” Aunt Mae replied, pausing momentarily to address me from wiping down one of the tables.
“Hurry back, we’ll be opening in a few minutes. Marcy should be home soon, too. She took Braelyn out for some girl bonding time,” my uncle told me.
I nodded. “You got it Uncle Dylan. Be back soon.” With that, I headed out front and began the trek to the supermarket that was only a few blocks away.
As I walked, I tried to picture Marcy, my sixteen year old cousin, taking her younger, six year old sister out for ice cream or shopping. Marcy wasn’t the most patient, and Braelyn wasn’t always the most well behaved kid when it came to being around Marcy. She liked to antagonize her. But I was glad they were getting along today, at least.
I was just glad I was able to help their family out. They needed someone to watch Braelyn and do odd jobs around the house. Marcy and Braelyn weren’t my aunt and uncle’s real children. They were my aunt’s younger sister’s kids, but she died five years ago, and my aunt and uncle took custody over them. My aunt and uncle were in their fifties now and needed help doing manual labor around the house and run errands for them when they got too busy to do so. I enjoyed helped them out. It was the least I could do for all they had done for me.
The sun shone down on me, warming my skin as I made my way into town, relishing how lucky I was to be with such a caring family.
