Stumbling back home across the border, 52 years later

They had been meaning to go for a while, show their grandchildren where they came from, let them touch the ground where their mother learned to walk, stumbling up a steep hill.

It had been a long time since the last visit, at least five years; they weren’t sure who was living in the house now. They set off early, daughter and granddaughters in tow, a big plastic file full of documents, the car dressed in new tires, just in case....