PART 2 CHAPTER

36

I HEARD MA’S VOICE CALLING TO MARY AS I MOUNTED THE PORCH STEPS. They were in the

upstairs back of the house, and Ma was asking for help in finding something. For a moment I

remained there quietly, soaking in the hot smell of oak and cedar¹ trees across from the house,

the indigo² hills behind the fields, and the longed-for familiarity of the voices within. I also

needed a moment to rein³ in my feelings before I was swept away by those of my family. Finally,

I opened the door and called out. “Ma? Pa? I’m home!”

Tish was the first to reach the door. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. She called over her

shoulder, “Ma, come quick! It’s Tom!”

Tish threw her arms around my neck, and over her head I could see the others running toward

us. The women smothered⁴ me in hugs, as Pa beamed, waiting for them to finish so that he could

greet me. He sheepishly wiped at the tears rolling down his cheeks. Ma clung to my arm as if I

might run off at any second.

Eventually, Mary said, “We should leave you be for a while. You might like to wash some of

that travel grime away.” Tears filmed her eyes as she smiled at me.

Ma reminded me that my shirts and pants were hanging in the cupboard where I’d left them,

and Pa had an extra pair of boots for my use. They were worn but at least had intact soles. I went

to my room, closed the door, and collapsed⁵ on the bed, where I wept into my pillow like an

infant. During the past year, I’d never thought I would see home again.

While they waited for my return downstairs, Tish and Mary planned a celebration dinner.

Four months after the war’s end, the shelves of Staunton stores were still bare. So my sisters had

set off through the woods with their foraging⁶ basket and returned with their finds. The three

women sauteed mushrooms, boiled dandelion greens seasoned with apple vinegar, and used the

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