I WANT TO GO HOME

“Mommy, I want to go home.” Billy was standing a little behind Mommy and tugging on her dress.

Mommy looked down, surprised. Billy had come into the room so quietly that no one had noticed. She smiled, reached down and tussled his hair. “We’ll be going home first thing tomorrow morning, Billy.”

“I want to go home NOW!” There was no question about that.

“We can’t go home now; we’re still visiting Grandma and Grandpa.”

“I want to go home now.” Billy sounded like he was trying very hard not to cry.

Grandpa was listening to this with both ears. He nodded his head and said, “I think something’s wrong. Has something happened, Billy? Something you feel bad about?”

Billy nodded and sniffled a little bit.

“Well, let’s see what it is,” Grandpa said, “We can probably fix it.”

So, Grandpa picked Billy up, hugged him very tightly and put him on his shoulder as they walked out to the garden.

Billy pointed over to the chicken coop, and then kind of hid his head under Grandpa’s beard.

There weren’t any chickens in the chicken coop. The door was open, and the chickens were running all over the yard, flapping their wings and squawking at the tops of their voices. Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!”

“What in the world have you done with Grandpa’s chickens?” Dad sounded a little angry.

“I’m sorry,” Billy said, trying not to cry.

But Grandpa just laughed a great big laugh. “Ho, Ho, Ho, Look at those chickens!” Then he hugged Billy again and asked, “Would you like to help me get them back in the coop”“

Billy nodded, jumped down, and in just a few minutes, all the chickens were in the coop, with the door tightly closed.

Billy smiled and hugged Grandpa. “I love you, Grandpa.”

Grandpa smiled a big smile. “I love you too, Billy.”

Then they all went back into the kitchen for a delicious snack of broccoli cookies and asparagus ice cream.