TyAnn Allyson Benjamin let the wooden screen door slam behind her as she hurried outside. She jumped down the two porch steps and came running down the sidewalk in front of the house after her older brother and hollered, Wait for me, Bubby! Her brown eyes glistened as she scrambled toward the seven-year-old brother she idolized. Big brother Robert Lee Benjamin stopped and turned around. He set his Zorro lunchbox on the ground. TyAnn, you need to stay home, he told her when she caught up to him. Bubby, I want to go with you!
I have to go to school. You need to stay home and help Mommy.
Will you be gone all day? Can’t you come home for lunch? Robert dried the tears running down her cheek. If it’ll make you happy, I’ll tell Mrs. Heaton that I have to come home for lunch. You can see the school from the backyard, and I will wave to you when I get there, okay?
Promise? TyAnn’s lip quivered. You won’t forget, will you?
Yes, Tanny, I promise. So begins a fictionalized account of life in a small town from the author. The story spans over sixty years in the lives of the Benjamin family, their friends, relatives and their hometown. Joys, heartbreaks and humor fill their existence. If you enjoy eating homemade ice cream fast enough to get a brain-freeze, come along for the ride.