The Echoes of Solitude

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

"I need like a second or two to rest," Cora whined loudly as she leaned back, her hands resting on her hips as if it would help her breathe. "I'm actually so unfit, this is so much harder than I remember it being."

"We are less than a hundred meters away from the viewing point," I stated with a laugh, "See," I said as I pointed to the viewing post that overlooked Swansea, it was just a little further ahead of us, almost within our reach.

"Well, I'm exhausted." She argued with a huff, "We aren't doing this again."

She was a few paces behind me and was dressed 'out to the nines' in her active wear. She wore her black lycra pants, a bright yellow sports bra, and a white t-shirt which was tied up and resting over her abdomen, showing off her flat and tanned stomach. She had her blonde hair pulled back which was settled behind her cap and she had a pair of sunglasses resting on her nose.

I kind of hated the fact that she could look so fashionable and so good while working out.

Cora was more equipped for our adventure than I was. As a young child, she and her family would do monthly walks at national parks around the surrounding towns of Swansea. Growing up, I had no experience with adventures. I never got the chance to go camping, never got to spend the day at the beach with friends, and I never got to go on road trips, this walk was the first time that I had ever had the chance to have a normal adolescent experience.

When I arrived home from work yesterday evening, I sat down with Mrs Webber and talked about the walk that Cora and I had planned. Because, finally, after five days of working we both had a day off. And since both of us were stuck inside for those five days, we decided to become one with nature. Or something like that.

After dinner, Mrs Webber had rushed up the stairs and barrelled into my room when she heard my annoyed, distressed scream. Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the discarded clothes that were thrown around my room. She moved from the doorway and settled herself beside me on the edge of the bed with me. Her face filled with worry as I panicked, asking her what I should wear, asking her what the normal attire for something like this was, I mean, I didn't even know if I owned the right sort of clothes. I had a minor panic attack, and I think she could tell straight away that it wasn't just choosing what to wear that had set me off.

After Marie managed to calm me down and I got my breathing and heart rate back to a regular pace, she went and got me a hot cup of tea. We both ended up sitting on the wooden floor in my room, with our backs resting against the bed and our ankles crossed over out in front of us. And, for a few minutes, we sat in silence, as I silently sipped from my cup and felt myself begin to relax.

The silence allowed me to gather my thoughts, and after a few moments, we began to talk and discuss the cause of my freakout.

"Ally, my dear. Is it the fact that your parents aren't here to see you make all these new memories?" Mrs Webber asked, her voice soft and nurturing. She placed her soft hand on my left one that was resting on my thigh, "It is perfectly fine if it is."

The thing about Marie was that she had this ability to make you trust her. She just had that soft and calming aura about her that compelled you to her. She made me feel safe and secure, something I hadn't felt in years.

I could feel the moisture slowly build up behind my eyes. I tipped my head back and blinked, trying to keep the tears that I knew were coming, at bay.

"I guess so," I sniffed and wiped at my eyes, hoping to quickly wipe away the few tears that had slipped. "I, I just feel like I have missed out on so much in my life. I mean what teenager hasn't gone on a massive walk or gone to the beach with a friend? I'm seventeen and I'm only just beginning to have normal experiences." I croaked, unashamed at the crackling in my voice. "It just makes me think about how different things would have been if my parents were here. Would I have had a normal childhood growing up? Would I have had friends throughout my transition from elementary to high school? Would it have been Mum or Dad who taught me to drive? Would it have been Mum holding me after my first heartbreak...?"