
The Return Home
Leaving her beloved city with lights dancing on the sidewalk was tough, but going home was tougher.
“Who says you can’t go home?” Abigail said to herself, as she rode the train.
“Me, that’s who.”
Following her mother’s death her father began to decline rapidly. None of her siblings were any help, or even interested in helping. Abigail was the eldest daughter and felt like the second mother. So, home she went.
When she arrived at the train station, she searched with hopeful anxiety as she scanned the crowd. Ah, there she is. Helen, Abigail’s best friend, appeared as a couple parted. Helen’s face broke into a wide smile.
“You made it!” Helen said.
“Barely,” Abigail said, with trepidation.
“Let’s get out of here. Coffee?”
“You know me,” said Abigail.
They drove in the fog to the quaint coffee shop just down the road from Abigail’s childhood home. As they walked inside, Abigail smelled the roasting coffee beans and her worry lifted, if only for a moment. She looked around the coffee shop and could see the ghosts, the memories, of her teenage years.
Over there, she sat in the corner booth with Scott when they were young and in love. They couldn’t go anywhere else, so the coffee shop was where they always landed. Too young to go anywhere, but too old to sit at home with their parents.
And then that table in the center, she sat there with Helen when it all fell apart.
She gasped as she saw Scott walk across the coffee shop.
“You’re home. I wondered if you would make it back here. Right where you belong,” he said.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Abigail said, trying not to sound cold in her obvious surprise.
“I own the place now. Too many good memories to let this place go.”
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Hi Anna, welcome to Voice.club. It’s so nice to see so many new faces! Yes, going home can be tough, especially if you have unhappy memories, and that comes across well in your story. I’d much rather go for a cup of tea though ????. Nicely done.
Thank you, Carrie!
Hi Anna. Good to see you here. I thought your story painted a great little scene and had a nice twist at the end, tho’ I did end up feeling sorry for Abigail meeting her ex under such circumstances and only after just setting foot back in her home town. Did her friend set her up? Is there going to be a re-blossoming of romance? Good to have unanswered questions to leave the reader guessing!
You are very perceptive, Paul! 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment, glad to be here!
Hi Anna – Welcome to the Voice Club! I enjoyed your story above, as it reminded me of my own journey home to the USA after living a decade in the Far East.
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Thanks so much, Chris!
Welcome to voice club, Anna. It is a nice build-up of your story, from the beginning to the end. It’s like I’m watching a scene from a movie. You deliver the feelings very well. Nicely done.
Thank you so much, Lotchie!
You’re most welcome, Anna.
Wow! A nice story with an emotional pull. Welcome to voice.club.
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Thank you so much, Thompson!
Welcome to Voice Club, Anna! You’ve described Abigail’s feelings so well. I agree with Lotchie, it felt like I was watching a scene from a movie! Like Paul, I’m also wondering if Helen had anything to do with Scott being there. I presume she knew he owned the place, but she didn’t mention it to Abigail. Since Scott also had great memories of the place, I am inclined to think that he might have asked Helen to bring her there. This is a great story and I would love to know what will happen next!
Thank you, Marianna. You and Paul are correct. I should write follow-up so we can all (myself included) find out what happens between Scott and Abigail! Helen knew what she was doing.
Please let us know if you do write a follow-up, Anna! I would love to read more!