SUMMERS COUNTY W.Va. (Hinton News) – All my life I’ve lived in these majestic West Virginia hills. I vividly recall the first time I traveled very far from hill country. I was with my aunt Ruth and uncle Bob. I was 16 and going to Houston, Texas for the summer. I don’t know if the nerves were more of excitement or total fear at being so far from home for the first time. In school, I remember feeling so cool telling my friends I had an aunt who lived in Houston. Honestly, I think I came across as more of a snob than a proud niece but I was too excited to notice back then.
Finally, the time came when Mom agreed I was old enough to spend the summer with Ruth and Bob. I don’t think it was a coincidence it happened to coincide with my having my first boyfriend and mom thinking I needed space from him. To make matters worse, my Grandpa Abshire passed away the night before I was to leave and I was torn between going to Ohio to be with Dad during this awful time or going on to Texas. Finally, Mom convinced me it would be okay to go because it might be my only chance. sure enough, I still haven’t been back. To this day, however, I still feel twinges of guilt for not going to see my Grandpa for the last look.
Finally, we were off. I was seeing so many things I had never seen before having never been further than North Carolina. Let me tell you, nothing prepared me for Texas. Nothing. We crossed into Texas at Texarkana. We decided to stop and eat at a KFC. A storm was brewing and Ruth needed a break from driving. We had already been on the road for several hours. Have I mentioned yet how I am absolutely terrified of tornadoes? Paralyzing type of fear that keeps you from being able to move. As we were eating I looked out the window of the restaurant and saw something odd in the sky. I asked my aunt what it was to which she replied oh that’s three tornadoes trying to form She said “oh” so casually like she didn’t know I was sitting there about to pass out after I threw up all over myself. Right about then, I was desperately wishing for the hills of good ole West Virginia.
We left the restaurant and kept heading towards Houston. I know this sounds ridiculous, but everything was so FLAT. I was used to my mountains being all around me and obscuring my view of much of anything else. Here, it was like you could see forever if you tried. Somehow it made me feel extremely small and vulnerable. Ruth said when one of her Texas friends came with her to West Virginia she felt claustrophobic among the mountains. I guess it is all a matter of what you’re used to.
Ruth never stopped laughing at how this country girl’s jaw dropped when I saw the traffic in downtown Houston. Four leaf clovers, all the merging traffic was almost too much considering I come from a place where we stop to let cows cross the road. I believe this trip helped me not only appreciate my mountain home more but also better prepare me for traveling more later in life.
As we returned home from my summer in the city, I was never so happy to see my West Virginia hills. It really is true that no matter how far I roam, West Virginia will always be home.
