01. Welcome Home
The loud music was at first soothing, but now for some reason the constant bass drew up anxiety within me, the more the beat thrummed the faster my heart pounded.
“Can you please lower the music.” I snap, holding onto my head.
“Shit Corrie, I’m sorry.” Thomas utters glancing behind his shoulder at me briefly, before reaching over to turn the music down.
Sandra, my bestfriend and the wife to Thomas comes out of the back of the small caravan to give him a playful slap on the shoulder, but turns to me and gives me a wink.
“Why would you do that Thomas?” Sandra scoffs as she walks away, but in my peripheral vision I saw her lips twitch up into a smirk.
I stifle a laugh and feel a surge of happiness flow through me as I watch Thomas jerk the wheel to the side and fly to the shoulder of the road, he parks and shuts the van off with a smirk.
“Just for that, you’re going to get it extra hard.” Thomas says as he runs towards a retreating Sandra.
They both thankfully slept upstairs, it was a small caravan, but there was a small staircase and about a five foot high second floor that angled down as you get closer to the bed.
I shake my head as small giggled come tumbling out, “Gross.” I say hearing muffled giggles and sounds I would very much not think too much about.
My phone begins to ring on the small table in front of me and when I pick it up to see who it was, the anxiety within me seemed to get worse as I struggled to breathe a little, my lungs felt uncomfortable at this point and I knew I needed to get fresh air.
I felt my stomach flop and the tears begin to start, I pick myself up and run to the door throwing it open and as the anxiety reaches its climax and I throw it up all over the dirt on the ground.
“Fuck.” I curse and spit the throw up out of my mouth and cringe as my seven year old german shepard comes running out of the bus to see if I was okay.
My phone begins to ring again and this time I do pick up the phone and answer my mothers facetime call.
“Hey Corals.” My fathers deep voice filters through the phone making my eyes focus on my phone screen.
“Hey dad.” I greet with a small smile as I start to walk around the outside of the caravan, noticing but not acknowledging the fact I cold see the caravan begin to sway left and right fast.
“What time are you getting here, everyone is just about already here and now we are just waiting for a couple more people to arrive and you guys.” My mother begins to interject and the camera pans around the room to my mothers taunt face.
My mother was wearing a red checkered apron, a light red shirt and dark blue jeans, her light blonde hair was pinned up on her head, flour clung to her face showing she had been cooking all day. She always goes all out on Thanksgiving.
“I’m about tenminutes away.” I reply and to prove my point, I pan my phones camera around to behind me, the towns sign hung high up in the air to let people know you were entering Mount Pethmore Falls.
′Entering Pethmore Falls′
“See.” I say.
“Well then, why are you not on the road?” Dads voice interjects.
“Um, well Sandra and Thomas needed a minute, apparently.” I say rolling my eyes.
My parents faces both screw up in disgust, “I’ll be there soon, okay?” I laugh as I begin to reach my thumb up to the red ‘end’ button.
“Alright. Bang on the sides if need be to speed things up.” My mothers grumpy voice snips through the phone.
“Can’t rush perfection mom.” I defend in amusement.
“Ah! Hurry up!” My mother shrieks.
“Mom, the real dinner is in four days, why go all out before?” I turn to the side and lift my head up to feel the cool but beautiful breeze.
“You know me babygirl, plus, the entire family is coming this holiday, your cousins, aunts and uncles will be here tonight, but your grandparents will be here tomorro-ow-Charles!” My mom yells on the other end of the line.
“You always have the gift of gab my darling...See you Corals!” My father says with a chuckle and ends the call before I could.
I burst out laughing and notice Jack, my german shepard was still waiting beside me outside, “I know buddy, soon we’ll be back inside.” I say and turn towards a large field that meets my eyes, the sun beginning to set over the horizon turning the sky and the surrounding land a deep orange hue.
Sandra and Thomas have been married for five years. I would have been married for the exact same time, but my marriage didn’t go over so well. Yeah, I am twenty-six years old and already I am divorced.
My now ex-husband and I were married for three years, Cameron and I had gotten married the same day Sandra and Thomas got married, we had a double wedding but sadly my relationship had ended a long time ago. I have been divorced from Cameron for two years, this fall is actually the second year I have been an officially single woman.
I left the day my divorce became finalized with Sandra and Thomas, traveling the world and trying like hell to heal my very damaged heart, my empty soul and my mourning the end to my entire future as I saw it.
I miss my hometown though, I miss my parents, I miss my siblings and most of all, I miss the way home used to make me feel, I hzve tried to heal on the road, now I just need to be home and try to figure out what I want to do with my life now, and possibly find a stable job. Jack depends on me.
Yeah, that’s the reason why my marriage failed just to let you all know. Cameron is a cat person and had three, I am a dog person and have my german shepard by my side. Cameron eventually had, had enough of all the dog hair everywhere, the constant mud, the destroyed socks, slippers and furniture and had given me an ultimatum. Him or Jack. Of course I chose Jack, I had give a full year before Cameron and I had gotten married and six months before we met.
Ten minutes had gone by and thankfully Sandra and Thomas were done ad we were on our way to my parents lakehouse. Thomas pulls into the driveway of my parents house after another ten minutes of fast driving, for some reason the entire time we were on the road and even when we pulled into the driveway, the anxiety I was feeling never went away.
Sandra and Thomas leave the caravan and walk up to my parents porch, but for some reason, I had stayed in the caravan, mostly just stalling time as the feeling of doom never left my body.
A sharp knock on the caravans door had me startled, “Um, yeah?” I call out dumbfounded.
The door swings open and in walks the last person I expected to see.
“Hey Corrie.” Cameron greets sheepishly as he nervously brings a hand up to scratch his neck, his tense green eyes narrow in on me, his light blonde hair tousled on his head. A pressing dizziness started as my eyes take in Camerons form.
“Hi.” I say, not really out of disrespect, but just because I didn’t really know what to say.
“Welcome home.”
