Personal Narrative: Aunt Nell's Home

Every kid in the family loved going to Aunt Nell’s house. Who would not want to spend the summer with a huge inground pool, Corvette in the garage, central air conditioning in a red brick house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Cincinnati? Aunt Nell was a sweet, but stern older lady that never missed Sunday church. Her house will go down in our family’s history as being the best places to spend the hot days of summer.

Unfortunately, most of the children in my family suffered abused in one way or another and we all knew that Aunt Nell’s house was safe for all kids. Aunt Nell was my great aunt and her sister is my grandmother Janice. I was raised by my grandmother and she was close to Aunt Nell, so I was luckier than my cousins; getting to visit more often.

The welcoming sight of her red brick house on that big green yard was always exciting for us kids.

We knew that soon her front door would fly open and she would emerge waving us in. As soon as I took one step in the door; the smell of Juicy Fruit gum came rushing to greet me.

Aunt Nell stopped everyone right inside the door for a debriefing of how life was going and to take our jackets or coats. Within minutes we followed her through the living room and dining room, then to an area that connected all the rooms. On the Left you had the guest room or her husband’s bedroom and known as the Blue room. The next-door lead to the basement and the doorway next to the basement door was the Kitchen. To the right was the bathroom and the Red room which was Aunt Nells

bedroom.
In the dining room was a bearskin rug that every kid in the family had their picture made on. Uncle Johnny was a hunter and even went to far off countries and hunted animals to have stuffed and hung on the wall or posed in a corner. Uncle Johnny was from Bulgaria and tons of charm.
Looking out the Kitchen window; the pool covered a good bit of yard, but the grounds were huge and had an old oak tree on the right that could fill a pool with leaves in a afternoon. It appeared that the tree touched the sky and even the heavens, it was so tall. That pool had been a part of every swimming lesson to every kid in the family. Birthday parties specially.
Aunt Nell was an amazing person. She taught ceramics in her basement, ran a catering business, worked for the board of education as a food server, and raised and sent to college a daughter that has been married since young adulthood.
It appeard to most of us kids that Aunt Nell’s house was paradise and a safe haven. It hard to just focus in on one aspect of that house because it was also an adventure.
Things I want to add:
The taxadermied animals everywhere, The antique feather bed in the attic with furniture from the 30’s. The finishd part of the attic where Uncle Johnny put his animals, Aunt Nell loved me and my cousins and made sure we felt safe and had fun.