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Hope got an unforeseen call that changed her life forever.

 “Good evening, am I speaking with Ms. Ellis?”

 “Yes, this is Ms. Ellis. Who may I ask is speaking?”

“This is Mr. Whittaker from Gregory Whittaker & Associates. Are you able to speak at this moment? And do you have some where you can have this conversation in private?”

As soon as Hope heard the voice and the introduction of his name she knew.

“Yes, I have some time now to speak?”

Hope had just gotten home from her two-week trip to beautiful Scotland and was unpacking her belongings when she got the call. She stopped unpacking and moved to the living room and took a seat.

“I am listening” she responded.

“I have been trying to reach you for the past two weeks, but it has been with great difficulty. I would prefer to do this in person, but time is of the essence. Your presence is needed in Hickory Grove. I regret to inform you of the passing of your father, Mr. Dominic James Ellis. I am the executor of his will and will need to go over with you his final wishes and the details of your hereditament. When do you think you will be able to come to Hickory Grove?”

The blood that ran through Hope’s body became cold as ice and she was numb. Hope was without words and stayed silent processing the details she had just received. Her father was devoid of life. She could not comprehend nor assimilate the information that was made known to her.

“Ms. Ellis, Hope, I know I just disclosed some unsettling news right now and please accept my deepest condolences. I have known your father for many years since you left home, and he spoke highly of you. Take some time to process and collect your thoughts and call me tomorrow so we can finalize the details.”

Hope hung up the phone and stayed in a state of shock and disbelief. With one phone call her life has been shattered to pecies.

It was a Friday afternoon, Hope got into her rental car and put in the address 6091 Peachtree St, Hickory Grove, SC 29717. She has not been back to her small town of Hickory Grove, South Carolina with a population size of 459 people for about a decade. She left home to explore what the world had to offer and never looked back. This visit was not by choice but by obligation. Hope went home to settle her father’s affairs. It pained her to return in such circumstances. She thought she had time. Hope had plans to return home and when she did she would regale her father with her adventures and life experiences, but life rarely turns out the way you plan.

Hope's father passed away suddenly, and she had to return home to settle the estate. Since Hope was the only child, she had to decide what would happen next. Hope reached the place she once called home for two decades of her life. As she drove the car to the front of the house, she was not surprised to see nothing had changed. She walked up the three steps to the light blue painted wooden front porch with the two-seater swing adjacent to the front door. It was just as she remembered. She sat down and slowly swung while she took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. As the swing started to glide back and forth, she was suddenly transported to a simpler time when she was a child sitting on her father’s lap as they both swung on the porch on a hot summer afternoon. He told her of the big world outside the town of Hickory Grove and that his dream for her was for her to go out and conquer it.

 "Go and see the world Hopscotch" her father told her.

"Don't let your fears stop you. Love life and live it."

Hope gently rested her head on her father's shoulder as she listened to him tell her stories of faraway places. Suddenly Hope found herself back to the present slowly swinging back and forth on the two-seater swing but painfully reminded that she would never hear his voice again. Her tears slowly dripped down the sides of her face, Hope finally broke down. She sobbed with her face in her hands. As long as she could remember it was just her and her father. They were "two peas in a pod." They did everything together so when Hope got a full four-year scholarship to Stanford University for Archeology, it killed her to separate from him, but he encouraged her to go. She fondly remembered the day she was leaving, and her father told her "Hopscotch, I gave you your wings now it is your time to fly. Love you more than words." Now his absence was truly felt by Hope, and she wondered how she would be able to go on. She felt alone in this world.

Hope got up from the swing and headed to the front door. She put the key in the keyhole and turned the knob and pushed the door open. She entered the house. She stepped into the living room and the memories flooded her. She saw her father running after her around the coffee table and catching her while they both fell on the couch bursting with laughter. Hope stood frozen in time. She once again returned to the present and her heart sank. Hope stood in the silence until she drew enough strength to take another step. This will be harder than I thought Hope told herself. Every room transported her to a brief moment in time she knew only existed in her memory. Seconds turned into minutes, into hours, into days.

Hope had been home for the past seven days, cleaning and discarding while she figured out her next course of action. She finally reached her father’s room. As she started to throw things out, she pulled open the last drawer on the nightstand and she found an oversized package envelope. She opened it and pulled out what seemed to be a manuscript. It read "Come see the world with me" by Dominic James Ellis. Hope took a few steps back and slowly sat on the side of the bed speechless. The dedication wrote "No amount of explorations can compare to the privilege of being your father. You have been the adventure of a lifetime. This book is dedicated to my fearless daughter Hope Anneliese Ellis." Those were not just stories her father created but he was an actual traveler Hope told herself. It was an autobiography not only of the vast countries he visited but detailed accounts of his ventures. Hope read the manuscript with eagerness and fascination. Who was Mr. Dominic James Ellis? Hope internalized. He wasn't just her dad nor the quiet man with an active imagination, but he too loved life and lived it. She could not believe what she was reading. The words just jumped off the page. The manuscript was not only an account of his explorations but a love story to life.