foundation {dustin}

[lionel estrada d5 ᥫ᭡ kiah]

♫ ♫ ♫

There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust
This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home

♫ ♫ ♫

The foundations of a friendship that will last a lifetime. 

[lionel estrada d5 ᥫ᭡ kiah]

This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home

16~

The sky above them dark, little lights blink down on them, providing enough light that when he turned his head he would see the twinkle in her eyes. The chill of the winter had faded, the touch of summer dancing over his skin as a warm breeze brushes over them. He preferred the summer. He loved the way the sun felt again his skin, warming him to his very soul, it felt so welcoming compared to the way the icy winds would slam into him, causing his teeth to chatter.

Tonight was the night the lights would dance across the sky, trails of burning lights following as they faded into darkness, only to be replaced by another streak of light across the sky. Once a year he would beg Nan to sit with him, watching the display, long after the sun had settled beneath the horizon. He liked to think of it as a tradition for them, every year since he could remember she would lay next to him, brown eyes turned towards the stars falling from the sky.

She had done so much for him over the last year. A shoulder to cry on, carried the burden of his grief and pain. Listened when he had no one else. Sat with him on nights when he had needed it, without a word, in silence, a comforting reminder that he was not alone. Not when in came to her.

She had convinced her family to give him a place to live- a place that felt like his home, more than his house ever had, even if it was just a barn behind the house. It was his home.

"Nan," he started quietly, rolling to the side to face his friend. "Thank you," he smiled, hoping she understood the weight behind the two words. "What wish are you going to make this year?" he asked, watching as star after star fell from the sky above him.

“I’d wish that we were never apart," her voice is as gentle as the warm breeze that caresses his skin . "And that you would be happy."

"Hey, Nan! You know the rules, only one wish," he said lightly, trying to figure out why her words caused goosebumps to dance along his skin, for him to hold his breath for a moment longer than necessary.

"Then I just wish for you to be happy."

Nanette Emsworth, always putting Dustin Carter before herself. Smiling slightly his eyes continue to examine the sky, his wish this year was easy:

Each day he would do one thing to make her smile.

Each day an attempt to earn her kindness.

DUSTIN CARTER