Turning down Keller Street was difficult for Amber Easton. The trees were still green. The bushes were still trimmed. Every lawn, except for Mr. Miller's lawn, was mowed. Mrs. Front was washing her car. Grace Hammond was watering her mother's roses. Everything was perfect. Nothing had changed – if she just ignored her childhood home.

The For Sale sign was finally gone. That only meant someone had moved in. People she'd never met were in her house changing things, removing the things that were important to Amber. With every moment more and more of herself was being erased from her house. It was like being confronted with all her failures all over again. Had she been paying attention when it mattered – no. She wasn't going there again. She forced herself to keep her eyes forward until she turned into her sister's driveway.

Mary was Amber's little sister. She was, in Amber's opinion, too young to be a wife and a mother, but it never surprised her. Since high school, her only purpose in life was to have a man and settle down. Since the age of fourteen, Mary had never been single for longer than two weeks. She went to college and majored in Marriage. She graduated with honors, but no boyfriend. She came home dejected and jobless. Watching her wallow around the house was too much for Amber. She moved out that summer.

Amber found an apartment in the city near her job. It was small, but just enough for her. There was free parking and a gas station close by. She made a trip home at least four times a week. Neither Mary nor her father had steady jobs, but they never could find time to do household chores. They started hiring maids and ate out almost every night. Amber knew they were spending more money than they had and thought coming home to manage things would help them become more responsible. It didn't work. They lost the house within the year. Mary got married shortly after that to their childhood friend and Amber's dad moved in with her.

Before Amber could even get in her sister's home her nephew, Danny, ran right into her legs and held on tight.

"Abbuh!" he cried rendering her paralyzed.

"Danny!" Amber said with equal enthusiasm. Amber dropped all of her bags and reached down to pick him up.

"I missed you," Amber said planting kisses all over his face.

"Stop, Abbuh," he said laughing.

Amber kicked her bags in and shut the front door. "Where's Mommy?" Amber asked Danny.

"She eat ah appo," he said pronouncing each word as best he could.

"Okay," Amber said going into the kitchen.

Mary was sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine. Apple slices lay on a plate next to her.

"Put him down," she said without looking up. "He's too big to be carried."

Amber did as she was told after giving away a few more kisses. He ran off to his toys and Amber sat next to her sister.

"I'm exhausted," she said when Amber was seated. "I'm around the house all day with him. He never stops moving. I'm lucky if he naps for a whole hour."

"Two year olds have a lot of energy."

"Too much energy. And his father won't stay in the house longer than fifteen minutes. If he's not working, he's golfing. That's where he is right now. He doesn't even ask if I need help. I'm so glad you're here. I need a break."

Amber smiled. "I love watching Danny." He was Amber's favorite person in the world. "According to Charlie, he's home all the time."

"When have you talked to Charlie?"

"He brought Danny to the city to see me a few times."

Mary rolled her eyes and took a bite of her apple. "He has time to do that, but he can't take me on date once in a while. I can't remember the last time I've been out of this house."

"Well, I'm here now," Amber said, "Go out now. Go out tonight."

Mary shook her head. "I can't. I'm way too tired." She put her head in her hands. "And the in-laws are coming. I need mentally prepare."

"Oh yeah. When do they get in?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to have to spend all day cleaning. Nothing's ever good enough for Mother Mitchell."

Now Amber rolled my eyes. Mrs. Mitchell was one of the most pleasant people she'd ever met. She was truly looking forward to their arrival.

"And Julia," she continued further exacerbated, "She's turning my house upside down. She's worse than Danny. She just won't sit still. I mean seriously. If she wasn't in summer school I would lose it."

Julia was 21 years old, in college, and the last of three Mitchells. She was beautiful, bright, and full of life. There was never a dull moment with her. She could make the most cross person happy. Although her charms were lost on her sister, Amber loved her. She had to admit that Julia was a little too lively sometimes, but it was a positive contrast to her own family.

When Julia started college her parents moved to Florida because they were sick of the winters. Julia hated Florida, so she spent her summers with her brother and sister in-law.

"Are you being nice?" Amber asked patting Mary's hand.

She pursed her lips. "I'm always nice, but it doesn't matter. She'll still be here."

Danny began ramming his truck into the bottom of the refrigerator. "Danny, no," Amber said firmly.

He stopped and rolled his truck behind Mary's chair. "He never listens to me to like that."

"That's because you let him do what he wants so he'll leave you alone."

She took a deep breath. She started to say something but changed her mind.

Mary resolved that she was tired enough for a nap, leaving Amber with the baby. Amber and Danny played for an hour until Danny started rubbing his eyes. Five minutes later Danny was sleeping soundly in his playpen.

Amber cleaned up their mess and ordered a pizza for dinner. Around that time Charlie came in from the garage through the side door noisily chatting on his phone. Amber all but tackled him at the door to keep him quiet. Charlie smiled and gave her a hug, even after she snatched the phone and ended the call.

Being a father had taught Charlie that if he had to be quiet in his own house that could only mean little Danny was asleep. So without asking questions he led Amber out the back door where he sat at the patio table.

A fence of bushes bordered the largest backyard on the block. There were two trees, one with a tree house and one with a swing. Amber knew the yard well. She'd spent many a day playing with the older two Mitchells. Helen was oldest and Charlie was second.

Mary was only two years younger than Amber, but was never fond of playing outside. So Amber spent a lot of time entertaining herself. One day, when she was playing kickball with the side of her house Helen was walking past. She'd seen Helen before, but they never talked. That day Helen was crying and Amber was curious. She walked up to her and asked what was wrong.

Helen just stared at her. Helen didn't know the girl, but she knew she must be younger. She was so much shorter. How could she ever help a big girl like Helen? But she was desperate. She explained to the little girl that her brother had taken her favorite doll and wouldn't tell her where it was.

Amber patted Helen on the shoulder. "Where is he?" she asked.

They found her brother and some other older boys in Helen's backyard playing soccer. Immediately Amber noticed the tree house. "What's in there?" she asked pointing to it.

"I'm not allowed in there. Boys only," she said the last part mockingly.

Amber nodded indicating that she understood. She walked right over to the ladder of the treehouse and started to climb up. All the boys started yelling and running after her. Amber climbed faster, but she wasn't high enough. Someone pulled her down and she fell on her back. "No girls! No girls!" They all chanted obnoxiously. She jumped up instantly and kicked the first person she saw in the leg and punched the second person in the gut.

She went for the ladder again but this time five or six hands pulled her back to the ground. She squirmed and kicked and was eventually set free only to be caught by another set of hands. She continued to struggle, never screaming, but the boys were relentless. Then one by one they let her go and went after something else. Helen was on the ladder. The boys pulled her down too, but now Amber had an opportunity. She raced to the ladder and made it too far up before they could catch her.

"Mom!" she heard Helen yell. "Hey, watch out!" she shouted to Amber.

Amber looked down and saw one of the boys at her heel. She moved quickly and the boy almost caught her ankle. When she made it to the top, she took a quick survey of the treehouse and found the only girly item among balls and cars. She grabbed the doll and turned back to entrance. The boy was already in.

"That's not yours," he said coolly.

"It's not yours either," Amber said. She went to one of the windows and held the doll out to drop it. "Hey!" she called. Everyone stood under the window and looked up.

"That's it!" Helen replied.

"Don't let her get it," the boy shouted to his friends.

Amber pulled the doll back and stuffed it in her pants. She turned back to the boy who was still guarding the entrance. "You're not getting passed me," he said folding his arms across his chest.

Amber shrugged and climbed out the window. She shimmied down the large branch that held most of the treehouse. Then, holding on to the bottom of the treehouse, she climbed around until she reached the ladder. When she was at the bottom she looked up at the boy and smiled. He stared awestruck.

Helen ran over to Amber and gave her a long hug. She took the doll. "Wanna jump rope with me?" she asked enthusiastically.

Amber nodded. The boys silently watched them walk away.

"It looks so small now," Amber said laughing at the memory. She was referring to the treehouse.

Charlie nodded. "Feels like a hundred years ago. I gotta fix it up for Danny."

"Mary won't like that," Amber said sitting across from him.

Charlie ignored her. "How long have you been here?"

"Since noon," she replied. "I ordered pizza. Your treat."

"Cool, I'm starving."

"Is there enough room for me this weekend?"

"There's always enough room for you," Charlie said. "Mom and Dad can sleep in our room. You can sleep with Julia. And me and Mary'll probably sleep with Danny."

"Thanks for having me," Amber said.

"Our reasons are selfish," he began looking at Amber from the corner of his eye. "We're having a barbecue tomorrow…"

"And Mary wants me to help clean and set up," Amber finished for him.

He shrugged. "She thought you'd say yes if I asked."

Amber sighed. When it came to house work she was as inept as Mary was. Amber was also very lazy. It was a battle every day trying to wash her own dishes or clothes or clean her own apartment. Mary was right though. Amber rarely said no to Charlie about anything.

"Fine, what do you need?"

Charlie shelled out a laundry list of chores. Tables needed to be set up on the patio. The grass needed to be mowed. The grill needed to be washed (which Amber refused to do). The kitchen needed cleaning. Grocery shopping had to be done. Side dishes had to be made. Amber promised to do it all under the condition that she would never do any cleaning in that house ever again.

Danny and Mary emerged from the house both smiling at Charlie.

"Daddy!" Danny said excitedly jumping into his lap.

"Are you ready to see Grandma and Grandpa?" Charlie asked Danny who was now climbing over his shoulders.

"No," Mary mumbled. Amber laughed.

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and Julia came in the house in much the same way as Charlie had done earlier. Amber heard them before they even came through the door. They were shouting at each other all at once, but it wasn't arguing. They burst into the house basically tumbling all over each other. Bags fell on the floor people were tripping and falling. Everyone was laughing. Mary delayed her entrance apparently to avoid the stampede. She was holding Danny in her arms as if to protect him.

When they got control of themselves and were all on their feet they noticed Amber watching and attacked.

"Amber," Mr. Mitchell said with a bear hug.

"I love your hair," Julia said hugging her from behind. "I'm so glad you're here." Amber was trying a mini afro versus the bun she usually wore. Julia noticing the change was appreciated.

"Me too," Mrs. Mitchell said pulling her husband away so she could have her turn.

Even Charlie who was caught up in the excitement said, "I'm so glad you're all here." He wrapped his arms all the way around Julia, Mrs. Mitchell and Amber. There was still one Mitchell missing, Helen, who had probably purposely delayed her arrival.

After Mary and Danny went to sleep, the adults stayed up talking for hours. Julia went on about summer school and how the classes were okay and the people were nice, but there were absolutely no attractive men. Charlie talked about golf. Mr. Mitchell talked about football. Mrs. Mitchell talked about her garden. Amber just listened. She asked the occasional question or gave a short answer to an inquiry about herself. Otherwise she just listened and watched.

Only minutes before sunrise the Mitchell family finally went to sleep. Amber elected to stay on the couch claiming she didn't want to put anybody out. The real reason was that Julia snored.

At about noon Mary took Danny to Mrs. Front's house for the day. Charlie and Mrs. Mitchell were up starting to cook. Julia and Mr. Mitchell set up games in the back. Amber helped where she was needed.

The barbecue was more of an event then Amber was led to believe. Everyone on the block, every family member within 100 mile radius, Julia's friends, Mary's friends, Charlie's friends, Charlie's coworkers, Helen's friends, and even Amber's friends were invited. About 80% of these people showed up. And since the entire block was in attendance there were no complaints about noise.

"I'm so glad you're here to help," Mary kept saying to Amber every time someone entered the gate into the backyard.

Amber only started enjoying herself when Helen showed up. They laughed and talked like they were little girls again. They talked regularly on the phone or through Facebook, but there was nothing like being together. In the time between their meetings Amber often forgot what it was like to have someone truly interested in what she had to say.

Helen would ask a regular question. "How's work?" Amber would shrug and say, "Good." Helen would narrow her eyes and stare until it made Amber uncomfortable. "Good," Amber would repeat. Helen would continue to stare. Then Amber would let every little detail spill out about absolutely everything. Helen made Amber feel like she had purpose even if work had really just been, "Good."

The party went on strong. People were still arriving all the way up until midnight. Another neighbor, more of Mary's friends, random people who heard the noise and just joined in. At around 11:15 Amber found a group of women, including all of the Mitchells, talking secretively near the food table. Occasionally one would look or point towards the gate. Amber joined them.

"Who are they now?" Julia asked straining to see past Helen.

"They bought your house," Helen said hitting Amber on the shoulder.

"What?" Amber mimicked Julia. All she saw was a bunch of people she didn't know. "Which ones?"

"The old lady in the yellow shirt and the man standing next to her in the baseball cap."

Once Amber spotted them she locked her gaze. They seemed normal. They stood with their arms interlocked. She seemed pleasant. Amber liked the way her mouth moved when she talked. It was like she was pronouncing every word deliberately. Her face had a lot of wrinkles. They made her look more wise than old. He was a big, brawny man. His face wasn't shaved and he didn't smile as much as his wife, but Amber didn't see anything wrong with him either.

Seeing the purchaser of her house made the situation feel real. Her home was gone. Her place on Keller Street was gone. Mary would always have hers and their father was ready to move on, but Amber didn't belong anywhere anymore.

"They seem nice," Amber finally said.

Helen could hear the shakiness in Amber's voice. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Amber replied. Her voice was high and squeaky. She cleared her throat. "Why are you guys staring?"

"They brought their superhot grandson," one of Julia's friends said.

"He is gorgeous," Julia gushed. The rest of the group agreed. They were watching shamelessly now.

Amber looked again for the superhot grandson. At first all she could see was the back of his head. "What's his name?"

"We don't know," said Mrs. Mitchell who seemed just as eager as the younger girls.

Amber looked again. Charlie was chatting the guy up. Amber knew it was going to be a while before he stopped talking so she took a seat on the grass.

Helen joined her with a grunt. "I'm getting old," she said.

Amber smiled. "You should stay the night."

"With my entire crazy family?" Helen said. "Absolutely not."

"You're no fun."

"I mean I'll stay until the party's over," she continued shaking her head, "But that's all I can take for the rest of this month. I honestly don't know how you do it."

Amber shrugged. "I missed Danny and Mary asked me to stay for the weekend."

Helen rolled her eyes. She was not fond Mary. "You're a good sister."

"Look, Amber," Julia screeched pulling Amber to her feet.

It took a minute, but she finally saw him. The grandson was not a stranger.

"Derrick Walker," she mumbled.

"What?" Julia said.

"His name," Amber said a little louder.

Before Julia could say more, Amber darted around the table and into the house. There was a window over the kitchen sink that looked out into the yard. She drew the curtains and left a slit. She positioned herself to watch leaning over the counter.

"It really is him," Amber said to herself. He looked the same except he lost the boyishness in his face. He may have been a little taller, but those eyes, that walk, that smile… She closed the curtains all the way. She dropped her head into the sink.

"What is wrong with you?" she heard Helen say.

Amber could only manage a moan.

"What are you doing?" Helen pulled Amber so she was standing up straight.

"I'm fine," she replied. She couldn't handle the lie and collapsed back into the sink.

Helen started laughing. "You can go to sleep if you're tired, crazy."

"I'm not tired."

"Then what's wrong?"

"The grandson."

"What about him?"

Amber turned her head so Helen could see her face. "You don't recognize him?"

"No. Am I supposed to?"

"Derrick Walker. High school. Anything?"

Helen stood over Amber and opened the curtains. After a few seconds she leaned over the sink with Amber. "Your Derrick?"

Amber nodded.

"When's the last time you've seen him?"

"A couple of years ago at birthday party. He didn't see me though."

"Do you still have feelings for him or something?"

Amber turned back into the sink. "I don't know and I don't wanna find out."

"It was almost ten years ago when you broke up."

"When I broke up with him."

"What's the difference?"

"Nothing."

Helen rubbed Amber's back and smiled. "It'll be easier to just talk to him."

"I'm not doing that."

"Alright, Amber," Helen said standing up. "Carry on." She returned to the barbecue.

Amber had done a good job of blocking out the memories. With time the gaping, bleeding wound healed and Amber could sleep at night. Occasionally he would cross her mind, but she would brush it off. It was high school. Nothing serious ever happens high school. She didn't even know what love was then. She couldn't possibly have been feeling it.

When she saw him at one of her coworker's birthday party she couldn't control herself. He was with some gorgeous girl and he was gorgeous and they looked perfect together. Amber left immediately. She told herself she was just avoiding an awkward meeting and that she didn't actually care about him. She convinced herself that it was true and went back to sleeping at night.

That's what she did the night of the barbecue. She decided that she was tired and seeing Derrick would've been too exhausting. So she went to her couch and forced her eyes closed. He would be gone in the morning.