Sadie Comes Home: Sadie Series

By LR Hatfield

Sadie returns home after being gone ten years for brother's funeral. Her only plans were to be there long enough for the funeral and leave, but that is thwarted when she learns that her grandma wasn't forthcoming with information.

Not only did Sadie, learn her grandparents were ill and a feedlot was trying to force them to sell their land, but she reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Jason.  All the feelings she tried to leave behind ten years ago resurfaced. It was as if her brother Jake's death brought her home for a reason.

Through feelings of guilt for leaving her family and pressure from her broker, Kevin in California, Sadie must decide whether to stay in Laken and take care of family or return to California.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LR Hatfield
• Release date: Jul 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386735816

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Thank you, Michelle Ritz-Bundy for assisting with edits.

Chapter One

The sound of the train and the thoughts in my head were the only noises I heard, lost in my own world taking in the scenery that I hadn’t seen in ten years. I moved from Laken when I turned eighteen and vowed to never return, but the Universe had other plans for me. Plans I didn’t know I was walking into.

Grandma was my only contact and my rock growing up in a world full of chaos. My younger brother, Jake, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was drunk and took the curb too fast going up suicide hill. A dangerous hill that many accidents and deaths happened on. He went into the gravel on the side of the road, lost control, he and his bike went down a rocky hill and he hit a tree. The coroner said he died instantly when he hit the tree.  Jake was taking me home.

Facing my mother and stepfather was going to be painful. They were the main reason I left in a hurry with no plan in place. The train passed the lake. The rippling, blue water had cottontails sticking out of it.  Memories of parties there with my friends flooded my mind. I saw all the late-night bonfires, friends sitting on coolers, hearing the music and laughter. Smiling as I stared out the window watching it pass.

When the train stopped, I looked out the window and saw grandma waving at me. The years hadn’t been kind to her. The faded sweatpants she was wearing were too big and she wasn’t wearing a bra under her sweatshirt. Her gray hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and looked as if she hadn’t brushed it.

I looked in my purse before getting up to make sure I had my credit cards with me. I did. I knew after seeing her through the window, I would need to take her shopping. I grabbed my duffle bag and rolling suitcase and walked to the back of the train to get off.

Sadie, you’re so beautiful! Did you bring anyone special with you? Grandma asked as she hugged me. She felt frail and thin under my arms.

No Grandma. No one special is in my life. Sorry to disappoint you. I don’t have time, but it’s good to see you.

Your grandpa is going to be so happy to see you.

As we walked to her truck, I asked, How is he doing?

They finally gave us a firm diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. He can’t be left alone now because he’s started wandering. We put more locks on and around the doors so he won’t get out at night.

I stopped in front of grandma and looked into her tired gray eyes, He won’t know me grandma, if he’s at the stage of wandering. Does he know you?

Tears filled her eyes, Some days he does, others, he’s so mean it’s hard to be around him.

Who’s with him now grandma?

Your cousin, Karen. She became a Certified Nurse Aid, so she could care for him and get paid.

Give me the keys. I’ll drive to the trailer. I can’t believe they let her be a CNA. She has a history of drug and alcohol use. Who pays her?

Well, your grandpa and I give her a place to live, food to eat, and pay her a small salary out of our social security checks. It’s not much, because we still have to live also.

Put your seatbelt on, I said rather roughly.

"Sadie, you weren’t here, your mom refuses to help, and I can’t do it all. Don’t be upset. We’re doing the best we can to stay out of the nursing home.

I’m not upset. I can’t believe you haven’t told me any of this, so I could help. Grandma, the struts on this truck need to be fixed. I can barely keep it between the lines of the road. I don’t know how you do it. Why isn’t Uncle Cleave fixing this for you?

You’ve been gone a long time. A lot has happened over the last ten years. He lost the shop and went into a deep depression. Carol left him because she couldn’t stand to see him that way.

Why didn’t you tell me any of this?

What could you have done? It took losing your only brother to get you here.

I’m sorry but staying here would’ve held me back. Grandpa told me to get out. He insisted I leave the sass pool, as he called it. I can’t get along with my mom. Staying wasn’t an option for me.

Silence took over as we drove the rest of the way to the edge of town. I was upset with grandma for not telling me everything that was going on. When I left, mom and I had an argument and I swore I would never forgive her. We haven’t spoken since the night of my graduation. I packed my clothes and left for California. I had the graduation money I received and the money I saved from working at the café’. I had a total of five thousand dollars with me to start out. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get me by for a couple of months. Thankfully, I found a job within a few weeks. One of the waitresses offered me a place to stay until I could afford one of my own.

The only vision I had, was to get my degree in social work and help children in need. Instead, I blew off that degree and became a real estate agent. I had a good income, but it wasn’t my dream job. I work more than I sleep. I have a nice savings account but don’t have time to enjoy the money I’m earning, or the house I bought. I would have sent money home if I had known grandma and grandpa was going through this and paid for private nursing through an agency. I felt my face getting hot and my temples started to throb. I knew my short visit, just turned into a lot longer.

As we pulled up to the old metal siding trailer, grandma asked me, Sadie, why did you take the train when you can afford to fly?

I hate to fly. I refuse to let these feet go into the air.  I looked over at the old farmhouse across the field from the trailer park. Jason’s grandparent’s house is still the prettiest house in town. I always loved that wrap around porch.

Jason lives there now. His grandparents moved into the senior housing on the square. Herb took a bad fall and now walks with a walker. Esther couldn’t take care of the house by herself. He’s still single. You broke his heart when you left without saying goodbye.

Why didn’t he get married?

Come inside and see your grandpa. You can ask Jason later for yourself. He’s coming by to check on Jasper.

That cat is still alive? How?

He’s nineteen. He smells, he pees where he wants now, but he still has the strongest purr in Laken.

Walking into the house, Yeah grandma, I can smell the cat pee. Put that cat to sleep. I’ll replace the flooring. My god, someone could die from that smell.

It’s your grandpa also. He just drops his drawers wherever and pees. He killed all of my houseplants.

"Grandma, it isn’t safe to sleep here. Come on. Pack bags for you and grandpa. We’ll go