Chapter 1 #3
Michelle nodded, looking glum. “I lost my job,” she said, her voice barely over a whisper. “I called them out on some of their unethical practices—you know, all that stuff in the fine print about vacation perks not actually being free even though they’re advertised to be—and they fired me.”
Audrey sucked in her breath. Michelle had been working at a travel agency for the past few years, and she’d loved her job.
She’d talked often about how much joy she got out of helping people choose the place that best suited their personalities and interests.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know how much that job meant to you. ”
Michelle nodded. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now.
I’ve got that expensive apartment in the city because I didn’t want to have to commute so far to work.
Now my lease is ending and I don’t think I want to renew it if I don’t have any reason to be there.
No job to commute to means no reason to be living in the middle of all that stress and noise.
Can I run away with you, Mom, to wherever you’re going? ”
Audrey laughed, knowing that her daughter had meant her words as a joke, but feeling her heart rush with happiness at the thought of it. She loved the idea of herself and Michelle starting over together. “Honestly? As soon as we can figure out someplace to move to, I am more than fine with that.”
Michelle offered her a big smile and then stood up. “Come on,” she said, tugging her mother to her feet. “This night calls for dessert. I’m going to order some brownie fudge explosion ice cream and some strawberry cheesecake.”
“Order? You mean, it will come to the door like pizza?” Audrey was surprised. She didn’t think you could order dessert like that.
“Yup, we should definitely move somewhere together, Mom.” Michelle said. “There are so many wonders of the modern world that I need to show you, clearly.”
Audrey laughed. “I guess so. Are you going to call them?”
“No, I’m going to order on the app on my phone. But while we wait, we’re going to clean up the kitchen and make ourselves some tea.”
Audrey smiled at her daughter, feeling a sweet ache in her chest. It meant a great deal to her that Michelle knew just what would make her feel better.
Half an hour later, they’d finished cleaning up the kitchen, and Michelle had insisted on rearranging some of the décor.
“You’re starting a new life,” she said firmly. “Changing your space will help your mind move forward.”
Audrey nodded, feeling another wave of sadness.
She didn’t want to leave behind the home she’d loved, but she knew in her heart that she couldn’t stay there.
Not after what Clark had done. And she had to admit that she loved the idea of going somewhere new.
For a long time, she’d felt a little stuck, trying to be content with the idea of her life never truly being exciting ever again.
She’d expected to wake up and do the same mundane things every day for the rest of her life, all while living with a husband who was acting more distant and preoccupied all the time.
This is a little more excitement than I bargained for, she thought, but at least I won’t feel as alone anymore. Even if I set off totally by myself, I won’t be as lonely as I was in this house.
It had been the absence of Clark that made her feel lonely, since his emotional distance had meant that he wasn’t truly there with her in the way he used to be.
Before long, the dessert arrived, and Michelle and Audrey curled up on the couch together to eat it.
Michelle put on one of their favorite comedies and poured them both glasses of wine.
Audrey had to admit that the sweetness of the cheesecake and the ice cream helped soften the rawness of her emotions, and spending time with her daughter bolstered her spirits even more.
Late in the evening, Michelle finally left and made her way home, after giving her mother an enormous hug and promising to call her in the morning.
Audrey watched her daughter’s car pulling out of the driveway, smiling and waving. As soon as Michelle’s headlights were out of sight, however, Audrey’s smile faded.
Now what? she asked herself, heading back to the couch and curling up on it again. What’s my next step?
Her first thought was that she should go to sleep, but she felt restless.
Besides, she wanted to ponder her situation for a while.
Michelle had done an excellent job of distracting her from her grief, but Audrey wanted to face the music now.
If she really was going to change her life, she needed to think about what she was going to do.
She thought about her part-time job at a craft shop in town. She loved her job, and she would be sad about leaving it, but it wasn’t enough to keep her living there. Besides that job, what else was keeping her from going somewhere else?
Just Michelle, she thought, shaking her head, and she just said she wants to come with me. I wonder if she really means it?
Audrey lay down on the couch, leaving the lights in the living room on.
She hugged a pillow and stared up at the ceiling.
She knew one thing for sure, and that was that she couldn’t stay in her house anymore, not after her life had been shattered.
She needed to start somewhere fresh, where she could make new memories and heal.
She fell asleep, and her dreams were filled with images of sunlight on the ocean, and the smell of flowers and baking bread.