CAMBRIA

FOUR

As time went on, Cambria felt herself getting more comfortable in Pine Hills. The streets that once confused her she now understood. She had become familiarized with the coffee shop down the street from her building, using this as an excuse to get out each morning.

And each morning, she would think the same thing: This is my life now.

That night at Theo's didn't go quite as she expected.

They talked well into the early hours of morning, drinking up each other's words. He was just as enthralled by her as she was with him. But around five a.m. when she returned from the washroom, he was sound asleep on the couch.

She covered him with a blanket, then did her best to tidy up the mess, moving their half empty glasses and still-full bowl of chips into the kitchen. She took one last glance at him before slipping out, just as the sun was beginning to rise.

It wasn't until she was down the street, trying to navigate her way home, that she realized two things. The first was that she didn't have a clue where she was or how to get home. The second was that she had no way to contact him.

They never exchanged numbers.

The most perfect night, and that would be the end of it.

As she made her way home that morning, something on the ground caught her eye. She reached down and picked it up, inspecting it between her fingers. It was a man's ring, plain gold band, with a date engraved on the inside: IX. XXIII. MCMLVIII.

She looked up and surveyed the area. The streets were desolate at this time. Nobody was scouring the ground, searching for a ring.

Not wanting to just leave it there, she pocketed the ring, hoping she could eventually find whoever it belonged to.

Her weekend consisted of running errands. She stocked the fridge with fresh produce. She took the bus downtown and found a furniture store, buying herself a new lamp and coffee table. She cleaned her apartment, took out the garbage. She even went for a jog down at the lake.

It was as she was here, taking in the view, that she felt herself missing home for the first time.

Cambria had, for her whole life, relished in being near water. Like a homing pigeon, drawing her back to that same spot. No matter where she went, she would always find herself back here inexplicably.

Her mind flashed to a time of the past: running across the beach, stripping off their clothes, diving in head-first, her body fully submerged beneath the icy waters.

She closed her eyes and felt the breeze on her skin. There was a calming presence, being here. When the silence is so loud it screams at you. When the only noise you hear is the waves crashing into shore.

She'd choose this over the city life any day.

Monday morning arrived like a breath of fresh air, and Cambria was eager for this new beginning.

Only a twenty-minute bus ride from her apartment, Hargrove & Swanson's Pine Hill location was smaller than she imagined it would be.

It was still glorious, nonetheless. Four floors of office space, as well as the manufacturing factory. Her itinerary began with a complete tour of the building. She, along with the rest of the new hires, attended an introductory session on the inception of Hargrove & Swanson. It was after this that they were shown to their departments to begin training.

Back at home, Cambria worked as a bookkeeper at the library. It was the first job she could find after graduating university two years prior. And while she had no complaints, she also knew that it wasn't sustainable.