Summer Time

It was the summer of 85, it was gonna be a summer that would change my life forever but I didn't know what was gonna happen. I was on my way to spend the summer with my Grandma, my Uncle David, Aunt Brenda and my cousins Trina and Little David...we call him Bubby. They all live on the farm with Grams but in their own house of course.

I was so excited, I love it there, Kentucky is so beautiful, the mountains hold so many secrets. I couldn't wait to see my friends Gary Lee, Shelia and her sister Rhonda, Cricket, (yes that's her real name) we always have a blast running up and down the road, playing ball, Frisbee, swimming in the creek and at night we would make a fire and roast marshmallows to make smores or we would make puggie pies, I like them best.

Well as we get closer my excitement is rising and when we turned onto that dirt road my heart was pounding and I was ready to jump out the window of the car!! As we drove on down the road my friends were waiting, standing there with signs that said "Welcome Home" and "It's about time ya came back!" and I just laughed...they started running down the road behind us to meet me and Granny's.

Well we FINALLY get to Granny's and as I get out of the car i'm met by King and Brownie, Granny's dogs, and getting licked like crazy..I love these dogs! Then I'm getting tackled with hugs by my friends and the laughing and happy tears are flowing every where, even Gary Lee was in tears but of course he tried to play it of as dust in his eyes from the car that just passed.

After I got settled in we sat on the front porch and was catching up on things, we write each other but ya can't get every thing in a letter...after all it's been a year since we seen each other. I could smell the food cooking on the grill, Burgers and dogs, all the fixings for them, salads of all kinds, lemonade, soda, beer and whiskey...everyone was there to welcome me back, I guess ya could say I have to two families. My friends parents are the best and always welcome me with open arms. But there was one person missing, Joe wasn't there...Joe is so cute, blond hair, blue eyes, and the cutest smile, I hoped he would be there because I have the biggest crush on him and he owes me a ride on his motorcycle!

Well while eating I hear that motorcycle echoing through the holler, and the nervousness take over...he is coming...do I look ok? do I have food on my face? Then there he is...He is saying hi to everyone then he walks my way...I run up and give him a big hug, so he gets some food then comes and sits with us and we all sit there till almost midnight just talking and laughing and having a good time, man do I miss this, I wish I never had to leave. As they are leaving Shelia says she has some folks for me to meet tomorrow, cool more friends!

Morning is here and I'm bursting with excitement for getting to hang with my friends all day! Granny is fixing breakfast, biscuits and gravy, bacon...yummy, and she makes the biscuits from scratch!!

Little did I know that when Shelia came over today I would meet someone that would change my whole summer, my life. I'm sittin on the front porch waiting for her and then here she come with a couple of guys and Gary Lee. Well they all get there and they introduce themselves, brothers Robert and Ashford...I felt an instant connection to Ashford. As we planned out what we were gonna do for the day my cousins joined in, We started the day with a game of baseball, then the guys played some basketball while us girls laid out in the sun, we got fried!! After the guys got done playing b-ball they did some target practice with the guns and bow and arrows, then we decided that we were gonna go play in the creek, we loved that creek..We would take a running start and slide down the creek into the big water hole, And we spent hours playing in that water hole!

Ashford and I sat on a rock talking a lot of the time, we connected on a level I never knew was there. I couldn't stop looking into his eyes and he had this cute crooked smile. I never knew that day would change everything for me and would make this summer one I will never forget!

After dinner everyone came back down and we sat around a fire just talking and laughing and have a good time, I loved this life and wanted to live this forever. Ashford asked me if I wanted to take a walk so we did. He took my hand and held it so tight, my heart was pounding so hard and I hand a feeling come over me that I never felt before. We walked to the end of the road, I can't believe we walked that far..it's 3 miles. At the end of the road is an old abandon shack and we went and sat on the porch for a minute, we talked a while then he kissed me...I didn't want that kiss to ever end, and that moment changed my whole summer, I had a boyfriend as he said Ashford said I was the prettiest girl he had ever seen! We spent so much time together and I fell in love with him.

The summer was coming to an end and was gonna have to be going back to Indiana soon, man I wanted to stay there, stay with Ashford. He asked me to marry him so I would never have to leave...That's when I got scared...I was 15 and had a lot of things I wanted to see and do if I got married that would never happen, I couldn't marry him but I didn't tell him that. I loved Ashford so much and I gave him something that I could never give anyone else, I gave him my virginity.

The day I left to go back to Indiana they all were standing on the side of the road to say goodbye. I had my dad stop so I could say bye to all of them, lots of hugs and tears, Ashford didn't want to let go and I didn't want him to. I told him I would talk to my parents about the marriage thing on the way home and call him that night.

I cried most the way home, I talked to my folks about getting married and they were not happy. Dad said no, not until I finished high school. Well as soon as we got home I called him and told him what dad said, he said I could finish school there and I knew that but my parents were afraid that wouldn't happen but with my Uncle David living down the road it would happen! I just wish that I had known that would be my last summer I would ever go to Kentucky.

Now back to the future...About 5 years ago my Aunt Brenda passed away so I'm in Tennessee for the funeral and Gary Lee and Robert comes and I kept looking for Ashford but he never came in. I was sitting in a room talking to the boys and I asked about Ashford and the they just looked at each other and Gary Lee tells me that he had married a girl from the holler and he had passed away a couple of years ago, I asked what happened and Robert refused to talk about it and walked out of the room.

Gary Lee took me outside and told me that the circumstances around Ashfords death is fishy...I'm like what are you talking about? It turns out that his family and him thought his wife was cheating on him and the story told was that he came home early from work one day and found him and her together, a fight happened and the dude left. Ashford and his wife fought and then Ashford got his pistol and went outside and shot himself, committed suicide. But this is where things get fishy. The Family says he was murdered by the wife's boyfriend, because the police report said the way the bullet went in would be hard to do by yourself and didn't show that it was shot from a close distance. There is a lot of unanswered questions.

I miss him so much, and all I think about is if I had married him would we still be together? Would he be alive today?