I hadn't seen Aunt Linda in close to 10 years. Looking back that seems such a short time, actually, but it was a world of difference to me. I mean, a decade one way or the other isn't much when you're over 30, but at 18 it's a lifetime. It's a world of difference in emotional and biological shifts. So, while I always had a soft spot for Linda, she was just meeting the 'adult' me. She hadn't changed a jot in my mind, but I was a world of growth spurts gone.
I'd come to her place as a bit of a graduation present. She'd always looked out for me and after high school graduation she wanted to show me around my new stomping grounds. The college I had gotten into was a short 20 minute drive from my Aunt's place. Honestly, I'd lost touch with where she was living years ago. She tended to move around and was certainly the family wanderer. But when she asked where I was headed after graduation on a recent phone call, we were all pleasantly surprised to find that she was in the neighborhood.
Mom agreed that I should take a week off of my summer job to visit with Linda and learn the lay of the land before moving into my town. I'd be living on campus, but I would definitely need a part time job while going to school, so this seemed like a good time to make my way on a trial run.
Linda met me at the airport. I spotted her right away. She hadn't changed a jot. Not in 10 years. What a lovely lady. She was just the other side of 40, but the right side of gorgeous. She was barely 5 feet tall, but curvy in the way of my mother's side of the family. She was a bit on the busty side, though certainly nothing cinematic, pixie-ish dark hair, a bit too much makeup for my taste (though perhaps not for everyone) and a lovely set of hips that got my attention right away in jeans that were, perhaps, painted on. Wow. What a lovely sight. And yet, she didn't even look at me twice.
"Aunt Linda?" I asked as a form of introduction.
Slightly taken aback she blurted, "Bobby? No way. Little Bobby?"
"Well, it has been 10 years Aunt Ell."
"Huh... well, then you are way overdue for a welcome to town hug. C'mere, not-so-kiddo." And she crushed me in a bear hug far disproportionate to her size. I mean, I'm no goliath at 5'11", but I must admit that I was aware of how she fit against me. Her hug was a long way from the careful, polite arm-wrapping of the ladies at Mom's Bunko night. Linda was affectionate, demonstrative, and smelled ... great. I felt welcome, comfortable, and then just a bit awkward. A bit too close. This hug went a little longer than I could justify, before we began the customary backslapping end to an overlong soon to be awkward hug.
"Honey, you are ... well, you are something. I knew you were grown... well, I mean, I knew it on the calendar, but for me you're still that kid who did cannonballs into my pool for 3 hours straight."
"Well, I definitely learned my lesson then, Aunt Ell. I mean, wow. The only thing worse than the bruises from that day was the sunburn. I reeked of Old Spice cologne -- Dad's special trick for taking out the sting of a sunburn and, I'd guess, for driving off any hope of dating for a decade- and couldn't walk normally for a week. It made an impression."
"Sounds like. But, mostly I just remember the joy. You were running, screaming, diving -- and I use that term loosely, dear- and having the time of your life. I always loved that memory."
"Well, that's nice to hear. I've always had a soft spot for you, too."
"Well, let's see about that," she said with what might have been a smirk.
"Sorry?"
"Oh, nothing... Let's just see about getting you home. I think you'll like the new place. We'll get you set up, rested, fed, and plan out your vacation. It'll be a blast. I took off time from work, for at least a couple of days, and so you'll get my undivided."
"Sounds great, Aunt Linda. I could definitely use that snack. Airplane peanuts were just not getting it for me."
The ride home was chatty and warm. Aunt Linda was instantly comfortable with me, a virtual stranger, in a way that made me comfortable with her. And, honestly, it's rare that a beautiful woman is that talkative with me. I'm not a hermit, certainly. But, it's also true that I'm no ladies' man. The teen years are not kind to men as they develop social skills. But with Linda everything was easy. She had read books that I had just discovered, seen bands in concert that I'd only ever heard on Pandora, and gone places I had only dreamed of. I'm close to my Mom, but her older sister was fascinating. While Mom was raising my sister and I, heading to PTO meetings, and packing school lunches, Aunt Ell was backpacking through Italy. What a different life.
We arrived at my aunt's place in short order. It was a nice middle class ranch on a quiet street. Lots of trees and landscaping surrounded the house and she pulled her Toyota into the two-car garage.
Piling out, I shouldered my bags and headed into the kitchen behind my aunt. She dropped her keys on the counter and turned to grab one of my bags, "Here, kiddo, hand it over and I'll show you your room."
Sloughing off my backpack I hobbled along behind her under a bit less weight. As we went from kitchen to dining room, we passed a glass patio door that looked out on a beautiful backyard deck and pool.
