Chapter 2

This place is very beautiful. I'm driving slow as I approach the beginning of the small town so that I won't get another ticket for speeding from that jerk back there. When I look around, I can't help but think that this is exactly why I decided to come live here: the little town is filled with family-owned businesses that line the streets.

Rocking chairs and book shelves can be found inside the windows of a bookstore called Bookland. It sounds like a great idea to curl up in a chair with a good book, and I wouldn't mind doing that at all right now.

When I drive by the flower shop called Sweet Stems, I receive a strong whiff of all the flowers since they are displayed in pots that are hung all around the outside of the shop. They have such a pleasant aroma. Even though I'm sitting inside my car, I can still smell the roses, tulips, and sunflowers.

I adore little communities much like this one. Everyone is familiar with one another, and the majority of the time, everyone behaves cordially with one another. You might think that after living in a little town for so long, I would be sick of the atmosphere. Everyone was aware of the affair between my boyfriend and my closest friend, and some people even directly asked me about it. To put it mildly, it was an embarrassing experience.

While I'm driving down the road and taking in as much as I can, I've noticed that a number of people, both male and female, have been giving me curious looks and waving at me. That is going to be the primary challenge, which is earning everyone's trust. Its actually a really hard thing to do in a small town.

The only thing that can be seen by them at this moment is a weird woman who is driving a car that is completely stuffed with boxes in the back seat. When I checked in the rearview mirror, I noticed that the officer had pulled up to the police station in his vehicle. I am wondering if I will need to go there in order to submit my application for a job.

When I lived in my old town, the 911 operation building was right next door to the police station. I suppose that would be a good place to stop and ask questions, but I will worry about that tomorrow. I have to get home as soon as possible and begin unpacking all of these boxes, and to be honest im exhausted.

I cried through the night, not because I was afraid of moving, but rather because I was leaving the place where I had spent my childhood. I made careful to pack up anything that I wanted from my parents, and I gave the remainder of their belongings to the salvation army this morning.

It was time for me to start a new life, and I decided that this location would be ideal. My anxiety levels are through the roof because residents of small towns typically have a negative attitude toward strangers. I have high hopes that, given enough time, everyone will become accustomed to my presence and will eventually warm up to me.

Moving to a new location where you do not know anyone can be challenging, but I find that it has been a welcome change for me. Nobody is going to know what happened to me, and nobody is going to look at me as if they feel sorry for me, and that is exactly what I want. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me.

Nobody will find out that my boyfriend has been cheating on me.

There will be no witnesses to the betrayal that my childhood best friend committed against me.

Nobody will ever know the tragedy that occurred when I simultaneously lost both of my parents in the same night.

Noone will no anything about me unless I choose to tell them.

Whenever I think about Officer Chandler, my thoughts wander for a few minutes. He is really handsome while yet being a complete jerk. It's not like I was trying to get out of trouble from speeding; well, I guess I was, but it's not like I was trying to get out of trouble by speeding intentionally. Before he pulled me over, I honestly had no idea that the speed limit had been reduced.

After what seems like an eternity, I'm finally rolling into the driveway of my new home, and I can't help but break out into a huge smile. It is stunningly beautiful in every way. It is a two-story house made of grey brick and has a fence surrounding both the front and back yards. It is a complete mystery to me what the interior looks like; all I know is that the previous owners sold everything along with the house. They included the dining room table, the couches, the televisions, and everything else in the house, including the mattresses and dressers.

I sat in the car for a few minutes, taking in the houses that were all around me and noticing how my new neighbors had stopped what they were doing in order to stare at the new woman moving in. One of the men stopped tossing a football with his son, and now both of them are looking in my direction. I can feel the beginning of nervousness starting to spread throughout my body.

Everyone's attention is focused squarely on me. Because I am most definitely not dressed in a manner that is going to impress anyone right now, I truly do not want to step out of this car. I wore a long grey t-shirt and red leggings, which are appropriate clothing for traveling. I had not anticipated that everyone would be outside when I pulled up because I was concerned about maintaining my comfort while driving for so many hours.

However, given that it is a warm Saturday afternoon, I really ought to have known better. On such a lovely day, I should have thought about many families with young children outside. I take a long breath in through my mouth before pressing the button to turn off my car and then opening the door very carefully.

Lord, Even when I participated in school talent events, I never once felt the pressure that comes with being the center of attention. Before, I wasn't even close to being as anxious as I am right now.

As I step out of the car, I deliberatively consider whether or not I should give them a wave. I'm trying to give off the impression that I'm friendly because I am, but I'm not sure whether they'd like it if I acknowledged that they are all watching me.

What should I do?

As I carefully move my body to glance around, I am surprised to realize that everyone is still focusing their attention on me.

My next-door neighbor, an elderly woman, was weeding her flower bed when she saw me and immediately stopped what she was doing, looking up at me. I thought she may be approachable, so I put my hand in the air and waved at her in the hopes that she would do the same. If she did not acknowledge my wave, that would be really awkward. I can't help but feel anxious as I watch her face gradually break into a small grin, and then she waves at me while still holding the weeds in her hand.

Thank goodness.

I muster up what little bravery I have, digging deep within myself to find it, and force my trembling legs to carry me across my yard and into the yard of the older lady. I notice that she is carefully watching me, with a strange look flashing across her face, but she is still smiling, and that provides me with the strength to keep my legs moving till I am a few feet away from her.

"Hello. My name is Avery Scallon. I'm moving in next door, well I am sure you noticed that. Anyway, I just wanted to come over and introduce myself," I tell her softly her while extending my hand to her in order to properly introduce myself.

"Hi sweetheart. My names Margie. Margie Walker. It's nice to know that someone has brought that house. I've been saying that it's too lovely to be abandoned for so long," she gives me a broader grin as she holds up her hand extended to shake mine.

Thats a good sign.

I believe we are making progress here. If she finds that I am nice enough, there is a chance that the others will too.

At the very least, that is my expectation; I wanted to say hello for two different reasons. Two reasons: first, because she is my neighbor, and introducing yourself to your neighbor is always a good thing to do, and second, because it will help others see that I am a friendly person.

"Yes. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had no choice but to take it," I cracked a grin and moved my attention to the direction of my brand-new home. To put it simply, it had everything a person could want in a brand new house, at least from the outside.

I have no idea what the interior looks like, but I'm crossing my fingers that it's not too terrible. Even though it might be a little rough around the edges, I am not afraid of putting in some hard work, and I will have my new home in tip-top shape in no time at all.

"It was unfortunate to see the Jones family move away, but it was the right decision. Because she was showing signs of dementia and her husband was no longer able to provide the level of care she required, they decided to move closer to their son. The poor things. The son's primary goal was to make a quick profit and get the house sold as soon as possible," she spoke softly while yanking a handful of weeds out of the ground with a grunt.

I was surprised when she told me the whole tale so quickly, but I guess that's to be expected in a tiny town where everyone knows everyone else's business. People in these places aren't intentionally spreading gossip; they're just too sociable and like to chat to each other.

"Well, I hope that they are both happy with their son, and that it was great of him to move them closer to him," I mumbled not really sure what to say as I had not known them.

"He did it because he was obligated to. As soon as he reached 18, he packed his bags and left this town, never truly intending to return. He would only come back here for Christmas once every few years," she gave a huff and threw the weeds, which were now in pieces, onto a pile.

"That happens sometimes. I'm going to go inside and get started on unpacking my things. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Margie," before going back into my yard, I pleasantly murmured while smiling and waving at her one more.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. It makes me happy to learn that a kind person would is moving in next door to me," she flashed a grin.

I went back to my car and left her to get back to her yard work. After forcing open the passenger-side door, I reached over and grabbed a box before heading to the entrance to my house.

This is it. I can not believe I actually am doing this.