Coming Home-(Complete)

Myra- Post Drop-off

The hotel reeked of sewage. One day down, only thirty more to go. At least the bed was nice. Four weeks of vacation wasted. Four weeks to just hide out in hotels or at an old friend's house. No family. No special retreat. Nothing to do in the town she so eagerly left.

I pulled a picture out from her wallet. It was from senior prom. It was mine and my almost-husband's last big event together. On the back, written in Caleb's handwriting, "Forever and always." It was all my fault. I never should have visited that summer after moving away. There would be no child. No planes. No avoiding a custody battle. Maybe we would have a happy long-distance relationship. My head throbbed.

It was only two in the afternoon, but it already felt like hours since dropping my sweet baby off. How could I even think of life without that smiling face? Through it all, she was the one thing that made life worth living. My little reason.

There was a knock at the door. Ignored it at first, still choosing to hold the picture close to my heart. The knocking became louder.

"Stranger danger!" A familiar male voice shouted.

"Troy!" A female scolded him probably for shouting that in a hotel. Knowing who it was, I quickly jumped off the edge of the bed, hid the picture in the end table drawer. From habit, and sheer surprise that there was a peephole, two of the best two familiar faces stood on the other side. Troy and Emily had been my best friends for over nine years. Suddenly, things felt fine.

Upon opening the door, Troy's bear-hugs and helium balloons suffocated me. After escaping his embrace, I hugged Emily. She held a pink-wrapped box that was obviously for Makayla. "How are you, hun?" Emily let out a squeal of excitement.

Puzzled by the balloons and surprise company. I asked, "How did you find me?"

"Wow, the Western politics did corrupt your brain-" Troy stated, "-you told us last month you would be staying here. Plus, the receptionist had no problem providing your room number."

"That's disturbing. Come on in"

"So where is she?" Emily looked around at the four off-white walls.

"Oh. She's with Caleb already."

"No fair! Why does he get to see her first? We are the cool family anyways" Troy had a point. Maybe I was too anxious to get the pain of the drop-off over with. Obviously, other people would want to see her.

Emily broke the silence. "Well, maybe we can treat you two to a lunch tomorrow."

Troy set the balloons on the corner chair then threw himself onto the bed. "So. How's the hooker life? The fame. The fortune. The stars?" Typical of him to joke like that. Emily rolled her eyes, per usual.

With a chuckle. I responded, "All is well. I have a one-bedroom not too far from work. Work takes up a lot of time, but we manage." The smile faded, well internally it felt that way. The truth was that life was boring. Bills were barely paid. I did everything possible to ensure the health and happiness of my daughter remain the utmost priority. The only existing social life was through a five-year old. Ever since the end of senior year, life had never been the same. Life consisted of stress, boredom, Makayla, and a lingering black hole.

Emily scoped the room out more. Devotedly focused on the nature painting above the bed. "You should use this time to get out. Think about it. No kid for four weeks. Paid vacation."

"I-I'm not so sure" I stumbled on the words. A sudden jolt of anxiety filled every each of my body. "Where would I even go?"

Troy shot up off the bed like a bolt of lightning. He stuffed Myra's room key in his back pocket, grabbed both, mine, and Emily's hands, then practically pushed us out of the room. "We are going to lunch for starters".

Hallie -The Next Day

The next morning Hallie entered the kitchen to find the two talking about dance class and life at the kitchen table.

"Good morning!" They chimed together. In Hallie's eyes, Makayla was the child she would love to have. Her freckled face lit up whenever she smiled. It accented her cherry-red bob perfectly. Even though she was the age of constantly asking "why", her bubbly personality made up for it.

Caleb got up, then went up to his wife. He gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek before asking how she had slept.

"OK. I suppose." She stated flatly. He gave a half-hearted grin before turning back to his daughter. A knot filled her heart. She started to pull ingredients to make breakfast. Her husband seemed more and more distant since the pregnancy announcement. Life appeared great but they were young still. People change.

After a few moments, she set the bowl of pancake batter down. "Makayla, honey. Do you mind if I talk to your dad alone, please?" She looked up with a huge smile then nodded her head with exaggeration. With a little hop off the chair, she went to the living room.

Caleb got up from the table to get closer. Before he could take a single step, Hallie raised the whisk at his face, then at the chair he just rose from. Very sternly she demanded, "Sit."

Caleb's face went pale.

"I want answers." She was never stern. The rush of emotions filled her with instant regret, but she knew this needed to happen. "It just doesn't make sense to me. All I want to know is why. I feel bad you know-"

"Hallie-," he tried to break her rant.

Ignoring his attempt to stop her, she continued, "You two were high school sweethearts. What? Middle school throughout all of high school? That's rare." She grabbed the bowl of batter again, then whisked some more, while facing Caleb, "You have a beautiful daughter. From my understanding, there is no real reason that you two aren't in this position. Why me? Why not her?"

In a very defensive manner, he stood up from the chair. "Just stop!" His volume increased. "Just stop bringing it up!" Right before he turned the corner, Hallie whispered, "you do still love her."