The Whistle

Chapter 5

Hope's Story pt. 1

November 7th, 1970: Friday 6am

I sleep soundly in bed to the sound of light rain gently pressing against my window. I dream of my home, a large blue craftsman bungalow with a large wooden patio adjacent to a large oak tree. The song of birds carry through the wind, inviting the tall grass to dance. Dew drops rest on the petals of vibrant colored flowers. I imagine one of the drops land on the petal; drip to the stem and then slowly disappear in the soil. I dream of the sun gently rising in the sky, my body resting in its warm embrace. I dream of my mom making eggs and bacon downstairs in the kitchen as the aroma filled the air. I can hear my father whistling in the kitchen while he sits at the table and reads the newspaper. I can hear the tear of the paper and its crunch as he shuffles the corner to separate the pages. My door creaks open and my hazel eyes open slightly; the bright light from the window burning my eyes forces me to rub them. I sit up to face my mom peaking in from the ajar door.

"Good morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?" She asks with kind hazel eyes; her long auburn hair twisting down her right shoulder.

"Yes," I say with a smile, "I dreamt of our house!"

"Did you?" She says with an eye smile, "did you dream of a rainbow?"

"The garden was the rainbow! There were so many colors!" I yell bouncing in my bed while her gentle laugh fills the small room. She enters my room and approaches the side of. My bed. Scooping me up into her arms; she lifts me swinging me around planting kisses on my cheek; each kiss purposely getting louder. I giggle as she swings me around the room, exposing my drawings along the wall behind me. Some of the drawings were of my family. Three stick figures were always present in the drawings. They depict my mom, my dad, and I. Sometimes I draw rainbows in the sky; sometimes I draw ponies. It always depends on my mood and what I want to draw. She places me down on the floor in front of the Hope sign on the wall.

"You know, my little bug, you've overslept?" She says with a sassy tilt of her head. I tilt my head and give her some attitude.

"A princess needs her beauty sleep" I smile and flip my messy long brunette hair. My mom bends down to my height.

"What do you want to wear today?" She asks with a smile. I ponder, humming while looking around my room to my dresser.

"My favorite dress!" I jump up in excitement, "with my favorite red bow!"

"Sounds like a fit for a princess," my mom says with a smile.

She helps me get into my favorite dress; a plaid red-orange knee length gown. She buttons the back of it as I twist the ends of my brunette hair. She hands me white stockings and my brown buckled shoes. I sit on the ground with my back facing her and begin to pull my white stockings over my feet and up my legs. As soon as my stockings are snug tight, I place my shoes over my feet and buckle them. My mom brushes my hair pulling it out of my face with my favorite large red bow. Once I am ready, she takes my hand as we join my father for breakfast downstairs.

Placing one foot after the other, we head down the hall toward the kitchen. We turn the corner where the living room and kitchen are. The living room is an open concept with large windows in the back next to a large stone-wall fireplace. A large, tan carpet rests along the wooden floor with a brown leather couch on top. The design creates a warm and inviting atmosphere to the living room. A few indoor plants are also in the living room; which my mother calls her 'babies'. On the coffee table rests a Chinese Evergreen and in the corner of the room is an Areca Palm. The kitchen is on the opposite side of the living room and features a large cutout between the wall and the granite countertop; which my mom calls a 'serving window'. She sometimes hands us our food through the space. I look over to see my dad sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. He is reading a comic from the newspaper and chuckles.