Dating : She Was Ready to Stop Running

Fiction Friday

She wanted to put down roots.

Something heavy, metal, and dangerous hit the kitchen floor. The crash echoed through the house.

“Can she get out of it?” Haley’s mother’s voice carried into the front room.

“Cathy, she bought a house. It’s not a can of beans.” Her father’s voice rumbled long-suffering patience.

“Stu, that girl has never stayed in one place since she was born. She’s a natural traveler.”

“People change, Cath. Maybe she’s done traveling and wants to settle down. Have a relationship, get a real job.”

“You might be right,” said her mother in discussion-ending fake agreement.

Their voices fell into worried companionable chatter. Haley knotted another bag of tenant rubbish and added it to the pile at the front door.

She missed the spellbinding azure and emerald of Bali. The Camino de Santiago would be treacherous beauty this time of year. She yearned to harvest grapes in New Zealand.

Buying a house was stupid. When would she accept she wasn’t like other people? Why couldn’t she admit she didn’t want to live in one place where she knew everyone and they thought they knew her?

Buying this house was even more stupid. It needed a ton of work and sucked up all the money she had. Nothing worked right. The furnace guys were coming tomorrow to make sure there was heat. And a tree guy was going to deal with trees growing out of the chimney. Without her parents, she wouldn’t know what to do first.

When she closed the door behind her parents later that night, she felt strange. Was she coming down with something?

The house was totally silent like it was waiting for her to do something.

“Hello. I’m Haley. I love you. You’re beautiful and I am so lucky to be here with you.”

She lowered her head and listened.

The quiet felt like welcome, like she was home and didn’t have to keep running to find her right place.