Chapter 30 Back to Hometown with the Two Treasures
Madison spent nearly a week gathering all the materials for handmade sewing. Rachel had also found suitable fabrics to start manufacturing. The handcrafting step would still take some time, so Madison planned to visit Quentin and Hannah in her hometown. She had left in a hurry back in the day without saying goodbye, and with the two children, she hadn't had the chance to return before. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit her grandpa’s grave.
That evening, Madison spoke to Rachel in advance, "Rachel, my hometown is not far from Horizon. Since there's still some time left for the hand-sewing, I'm considering taking Quentin and Hannah back to visit."
"Of course, that's a good idea, Madison. Are you sure you'll be okay with taking them yourself? Do you want me to come with you?" Rachel was surprised to learn that Madison's hometown was near Horizon City.
"It's fine. The clothes-making needs supervision. I'll only be away for two days, and then I'll be back. I'll have to trouble you during these days."
"Okay then, call me if anything comes up." Rachel thought the gowns were very important and needed close attention, so she did not insist on accompanying Madison back home.
Madison returned to her room to book the train tickets on her phone and prepared to bathe Quentin and Hannah. Quentin bolted into the bathroom first, closing the door behind him. "Mom, I'm bathing myself today. I'm a big boy now and can wash on my own."
"All right, just be careful," Madison replied, trusting her son's abilities and judgment. She let him bathe alone.
About thirty minutes later, Quentin emerged in his pajamas, announcing, "Mom, I'm all done. You can take Hannah for a bath now."
"Okay, Quentin, go get under the covers in bed to stay warm," Madison advised as the bed was already made.
Leading Hannah by the hand to the bath, Madison was met with, "Mom, Hannah has grown up, too. I want to wash by myself."
"Hannah, let Mom help you today. When the weather heats up, you can try bathing yourself, okay?" Madison seemingly planned to wait until summer's peak heat for more independence in their baths.
"Fine," Hannah grumbled, a tad upset. It seemed the liberty her brother enjoyed extended to bathing, and she was dissatisfied with being excluded.
However, once in the bathroom and spotting her beloved tub, she forgot all about her discontent, overjoyed to soak in her favorite bath.
After they were done with their nightly routine, the family of three lay in bed together. "Quentin, Hannah, tomorrow I will take you to my hometown to pay respects to your great-grandpa."
"Mom, what's a 'hometown'? And who is great-grandpa?" Hannah asked innocently.
"Hometown is where I grew up, and great-grandpa is Mom's grandpa," Madison explained patiently.
"Does paying respects mean great-grandpa has passed away?" Quentin, the more knowledgeable child, asked.
"Yes, great-grandpa was my only relative, and he's no longer with us," Madison said, her tone tinged with sadness.
"Don't worry, Mom. Now you have Hannah and me," Quentin comforted her quickly, spotting the sorrow in their mom at the mention of great-grandpa.
"Yeah, Mom, you've got us, two treasures," said Hannah, hugging Madison to offer comfort.
"Mhm, thank you, heaven, for these two little angels, and thank you, my darlings, for choosing me to be your Mom," Madison said, hugging her children tightly.
"Go to sleep now, kids. We'll get up and pack in the morning and head out by noon. Goodnight," Madison said, kissing Quentin and Hannah each of their cheeks before settling down to sleep with them both.
"Goodnight, Mom," the two little ones said in unison, also kissing their mother.
*
Madison took the two kids on a train to town the following afternoon. They then took a cab to the village. The village had undergone a lot of changes the roads had been repaired, many families had built new houses, and, with the development of tourist attractions, lots of households had started bed and breakfasts and agritourism farms. Despite it getting dark, the streets were brightly lit, and every house was warmly illuminated.
Madison was surprised at how much the village had developed over the years. Worried that the old family house might no longer be habitable after such a long time, she decided to go straight to a bed and breakfast and planned to stay there these two days.
Luckily, there were vacancies, and it wasn't the peak tourist season. At the reception, Madison asked for a large double-bed room.
Unexpectedly, she ran into someone she knew, "You're Madison, right?"
Madison looked up to see the owner, "Yes, I am. And you are?"
"Oh my, it’s really you! You haven't been back for years. I'm Unity, Audrey's daughter-in-law, and your neighbor. You might not remember me since I didn't stay home much with my husband, Gavin. It was always Audrey at home. Last time I saw you, you were just a young girl," she said, turning to see Quentin and Hannah. "Oh my, these must be your children. I remember when your grandpa passed away, Audrey told me you'd gotten married and moved to Horizon. It's amazing how big the kids have gotten now."
Madison finally remembered that after being prompted by the owner, she recalled her neighbor. "Did you and Gavin come back to settle here?"
"Yes, Nicholas has teamed up with the village president to develop tourism, and many young people have returned to the village. Some have opened restaurants, run bed and breakfasts, and sold local specialties. With the influx of tourists, everyone is doing quite well!" Unity said with joy and pride.
"That's wonderful, Nicholas is still so impressive," Madison said sincerely.
"Did you come back by yourself? Your husband didn't come back with you?" Unity asked casually and warmly.
"Yes, I came back by myself," Madison replied, not going into detail. After all, being divorced and a single mom isn't exactly a matter that deserves to be shared.
"You can go to your room first, put your things away. You haven't eaten, right? I'll go to the kitchen and whip up a few dishes for you. Come down for dinner later."
"That's so kind of you, Unity."
"Don't mention it, we're neighbors. I've got to cook anyway. You must be tired from the trip. Here's the room key. Turn left upstairs, first door. You and the little ones go rest. I'll call you when it's time to eat." Unity said before heading to the kitchen.
"Okay, thank you, Unity." Madison went upstairs to the room with Quentin and Hannah. The room was spacious, clean, and tidy, with a large lake visible through the window, and upon opening it, one could see a dark night sky dotted with a few stars.
"Mom, it's beautiful here," Quentin and Hannah exclaimed happily, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Yes, it is beautiful," Madison responded, smiling at her two treasures.
"Tomorrow morning, Mom will take you to see the house where I grew up as a child, and then we'll visit Grandpa."
"Yay!"
Madison looked up at the night sky of her hometown, “Grandpa, I've come back.”
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