Page 7 of The Scars I Bare
Whatever. At least I can do this in my pajamas.
Anyway, hi. My name is Cora Carpenter, and I’m creating this blog because I thought it sounded like a great way to stay in touch with my family and friends back in Texas and document this part of my life.
You see, I just moved halfway across the country to take a job.
I guess that’s what you do when you’re a young professional, but it’s still scary.
I’m a Texas girl, but don’t let that fool you. I grew up in Austin where we like things weird. No, literally, the city’s motto is Keep Austin Weird, and my family is no exception to that rule. And I love them for it, but sometimes, a girl just needs to step out and explore.
So, that’s what I did. Rather than taking the safe path, I stepped onto the old beaten one and took a chance.
So, yeah, this is my blog and the life I’m about to embark on as a nurse in Virginia Beach.
Here goes nothing.
Be safe. Tell Lizzie I love her. Let me know when you’re settled.
With one last look at the text on my phone and everything it represented, I stepped out of the car and took a deep breath as the ferry left the dock.
Does the air here in North Carolina smell sweeter than Virginia?
I smiled, peeking over at the sleeping child in my backseat, looking adorable in the pink summer dress I’d picked out for her at one of those tourist-trap places along the coast.
No, it wasn’t the state line we’d crossed hours ago that caused the air to shift and my body to calm. It was the feeling of freedom.
Today was the start of something new and real.
Just the two of us from now on.
Here’s to starting over.
Again.
“First time going to Ocracoke?” an old man asked, leaning against the car next to mine.
His question made me jump, but I immediately calmed when I saw the pleasant-looking old man standing before me.
“Sorry, dear, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he added, his hands out in front of his body like he was attempting to tame a wild animal. “It’s just that you seemed so in awe of it—the water and the boat. I think I even caught a deep breath of happiness.”
I smiled—a faint one but a smile just the same. “Yes,” I finally answered. “First time. You?”
He shook his head, a real smile spreading across his face. How I longed to remember what that felt like. A real, honest-to-God smile. One that stretched your face and made your muscles ache from the weight of it.
“No,” he replied. “We come every year.”
“We?” I asked, looking around and in between the other cars until my eyes spotted an older woman at the rail, taking in the scenery with several other passengers.
“The Mrs. and me,” he explained, pointing to the same woman I’d suspected he would.
Both white-haired and in casual khaki shorts, they somehow just fit together, like puzzle pieces. Even down to the nearly matching Hawaiian tops.
“We’ve been visiting here since our honeymoon eons ago. Growing up, our kids took trips down to the island, and now, it’s just us again.”
“It must be a special place,” I said, noticing the way his eyes lingered on his wife.
“Oh, it is. You’ll see.” He stuck out his hand, assuming I’d travel the distance to offer mine. “Thomas Lovell,” he greeted.
I looked at the outstretched hand, knowing there was nothing but the warmth of a gentle-natured old man, but I couldn’t.
