Page 21 of Aftersome
The day had finally come for me to leave. I thought I had convinced myself enough that everything would be okay and there was no need to worry. I’d been doing fine, with the occasional mixed feelings about it all, but it all seemed to have come to a head this morning. My house was quiet. My candles that I always had burning were sitting untouched, and all the lights were off.
It felt real now.
I was leaving behind everything I’ve known, everyone I loved, and everything that gave me security. To say I was terrified would be an understatement.
The unknown.
The uncertainty.
Even if it wasn’t forever. I’d be in a new state, a new environment, a new home for the next however long it would take.
With all my belongings packed away neatly into my car, I lingered around the comfort of my home for too long when I finally decided it was time to make my rounds of goodbyes. I knew that Alice would already be awake, so within a few shortsteps I was climbing up her front porch and lightly knocking on her door.
Seconds later she answered.
“Leaving already?” She opened her door and stepped outside. Still dressed in her nightgown, my eyes began to tear up a bit.
God, I was going to miss her.
“Yeah, I have to go say goodbye to Greg and Shelia, then get on the road.” I nodded, trying my hardest not to fall apart.
“Okay, well, come here and give me a hug before you go.”
Before she could even finish her sentence, I was already wrapping my arms around her.
“Make sure you have your phone on ringer so you can hear it when I call you.” I sniffled into our hug. “And if you ever need anything, promise me that you’ll call Greg or Shelia, okay?”
She chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know how to work my phone. And I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me, but If I need anything, I’ll be sure to call them,” she reassured me, and already I felt a little better about leaving.
I squeezed her a second longer before pulling away with a few tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I told myself I wouldn’t cry today.” I laughed while wiping beneath my eyes with my fingertips. “And yet, here I am, crying.”
“There’s no need for those tears, sweetheart, we’ll all still be here once you get that man’s head out of his ass.”
I burst out in laughter.
“And don’t forget what I told you. All that a misunderstood man needs in his life is a woman who will do her best to understand.”
As much as I wanted to tell her that in no way did I ever want to understand Mal, I had chosen not to. Saying goodbye was already tough enough, and I didn’t want to leave on a bad note.
So instead, I smiled and nodded.
“I’ll miss you.”
She then gave me her signature half grin that made my heart warm.
“I’ll miss you too. Now, be careful and let me know when you make it.”
I gave her one final hug and tearful goodbye, then we parted ways as I reluctantly got back into my car and drove to my last destination.
The Deckers’.
It didn’t take long before I was pulling into their driveway with sweaty palms and a hammering heart. In the distance I even noticed their silhouettes standing outside on the porch waiting for my arrival.
Once I was parked, I got out of the car and made my way toward them with uneasy steps.
