By the time I finished the year-end projects, every ticket home had already been sold out. I sat in the underground parking lot for a long while before finally starting the engine.
I drove over a thousand kilometers, leaving after dark and arriving when the sky was beginning to brighten.
The wind at the entrance of the town blew through the car window, carrying the smell of cooking smoke and damp soil. I turned off the engine and stood outside the gate for a long time, unsure what kind of expression I should have when I opened that door.
After my career had taken off, I asked my grandmother several times to move to Avermont City with me. She refused every single time. With no way to persuade her, I paid for the entire renovation and restored the old house from the foundation up.
Whenev
