BY: Alba1971


Part 1

I was somewhat hesitant when I got the call from my sister in law about taking in my niece for the summer. I mean, my wife Lisa had passed five years earlier and I had been on my own since. The thought of having my niece crowding me at every turn in my condo wasn’t one that I relished. But she was insistent that she needed to get Amber out of their tiny little town for a bit due to some “problems” she was having. Great … strong selling points. In the end though, I agreed. Likely due to some of the guilt I felt about ignoring my wife’s family since she had passed. So I lined up a summer job for Amber in my office doing odd jobs and prepared for the upcoming loss of freedom associated with having my niece living with me for a couple of months.

The last time that I had actually seen Amber was almost ten years ago and, at the time, she wasn’t what most would describe as a cute kid. At eight years old, there was just an odd look about her and I remember almost feeling sorry for her, wondering how she’d manage through high school. Her mother had emailed me a more recent picture but it was from a few years back and pretty grainy. I figured she knew what I looked like and, worse case, she’d find me at the airport if I didn’t spot her right away.

The day of her arrival, I stood at the luggage area, watching as the arrivals entered and regretting my decision, wondering if I could somehow just toss her back on a return flight. Deep in thought, I didn’t even notice Amber walk up behind me until she gave me a quick poke in the side and said “Hello Uncle Bill”. As I turned around, I’m sure she noted my shock. I didn’t think about it at the time but looking back now, it was clear that this wasn’t the same gangly eight year I had last seen years ago and that Amber had blossomed into a beautiful young women.