Chapter 1
Laura
"Why do I need to do that?" I groaned at my mother during our phone call. This was the precise reason that the festive season is so stressful it's loving mothers like mine that add more pressure than any person needs. She means well and I love her more than words can show but somedays it is just too much for any person to handle.
"Are you still there?" my mother's voice rang in the background as I let my thoughts drift to a time when my life was simpler.
"Mum, I am on my way home can I call you before I head out tomorrow? I love you, bye" I released the sigh my body had stored. Yes, I am very well aware that I am blessed to have a mother that cares deeply for me but ever since it happened I would just like a little breathing space.
The December air was crips against my skin as I made the walk from my work to my car parked outside in the parking lot, I savored the cold it reminds me that the wheel is ever turning and that this is just another season that will come to pass. There was a time in my life when I thought that the only season that I could sense was winter. I've have shed my cocoon and evolved to realize that there is beauty in each season.
On the drive back home, I stopped at the traffic light taking a glance around me seeing happy families walking on the sidewalk, laughing and chattering about. I felt a pang in my heart, the guilt starting to seep and spread throughout me.
I shook my head and cleared my mind to make the long drive home, I had to pack and take care of a few things before I will be heading out to my parents for the holidays. It is the one time of the year that I welcome their presence to wrap around me like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. Traffic was moving slow during peak hours, but the radio had me singing and moving in my seat along to Adele.
Unlocking my door and walking in is a stark reminder of living alone, I make it a point to always leave the lights on that way it makes me feel like I at least have someone leaving a light on for me even if that person is myself. Lame I know but it's the small things that keeps us sane. After a shower and dinner, I was ready to tackle the tasks that lay ahead, finishing the load of laundry unpacking the dishwasher, I don't want to come back to a house that isn't immaculate because after the trip back home my mental capacity to clean is limited to ordering food only.
I completed my tasks and got some much-needed rest before I would be driving home to the beautiful Spark falls, the place I knew as my home for most of my life and the place I have so many memories I would be reliving very soon. But that will be a battle I will fight tomorrow for now my mind is drifting off into dream land.
