I will definitely have found something by then!
Her words make me feel lighter immediately. This means I can finally get Faye and Marina to safety, I can also move the pets instead of keeping them in this house, and I can leave this awful job. When Daniel sent me off to find my own path and to make something out of my life, he certainly didn’t mean for me to stick in a small town and live like this.
My animal refugee idea pops up in my mind again. Maybe it’s a silly thought, and I doubt I would ever be able to make it a reality, but it’s the first dream I’ve had that makes me excited and motivated.
Then suddenly, another image pops into my mind of the young man sitting on the beach.
Funny that I keep thinking about him.
I hum slightly while baking pizza for Faye, Marina, and Donna. The latter is going to stay another evening here to look after Faye. I owe her so much already.
Next week, however, her grandchildren will be visiting for a whole month. She won’t be able to look after Faye as often. Even more reason to make sure that I have an exit plan soon. The thought is still scary, especially because Amelia hasn’t provided me with any details yet, but somehow… I don’t really mind.
There is just something bubbling in my chest that makes me happy, and I don’t understand what it is.
“You are in a good mood,” Donna comments. “Did something happen?”
“No,” I say, but smile at the dough I am kneading. It’s so silly, but I just can’t help the warmth spreading through my chest.
“No reason at all?” Donna smiles knowingly.
My thought suddenly goes back to the young man I saw sitting at the beach. The way he was gazing at the sea. He looked so longing and handsome. Just thinking about him gives me a stitch in my chest. The last time I felt like this was shortly after my dad died, and I wasn’t able to truly grasp it. I used to go home and want to do something with him, just to realize he wasn’t there anymore.
I missed him so much. I still do.
This new feeling is similar, just paired with a longing I have never felt before.
Faye comes jumping into the kitchen. “Pizza,” she exclaims happily.
“Yes, you and Donna can eat it later,” I say before turning to Donna. “I have prepared the dough, but it needs to sit a while. There are plenty of ingredients you can put on the pizza, later.”
“Don’t worry,” Donna reassures me. “Ann and I will have fun decorating our pizzas.”
Faye takes Donna’s hand, impatiently tugging at it. “I want to play,” she complains.
Donna laughs. “Right, I promised you I’d bring a new board game along.” When Faye looks at her expectantly, she smiles before grabbing her bag and taking a game out of it. Faye doesn’t know how to play it, but it has unicorns on it, so she is happy.
I make sure to prepare some snacks for both of them and give Faye a big hug. The pets are all cared for – I can’t possibly put that all on Donna – but everything else I leave in her capable hands, and head to the club. I won’t be able to stay a lot longer, so I want to make the best out of the time and earn as much money as possible.
It’s still early evening when I head out for work, meaning I have some time to spare and don’t need to hurry straight to the club. As if on autopilot, I take a detour to the observation deck like I did yesterday. I am not sure what I am hoping for; maybe I want to see the young man again. I don’t know.
Obviously, he isn’t there. It shouldn’t matter, but it still makes me feel disappointed.
There is a tug in my stomach, and my mind is suddenly much more on alert. There is a scent lingering in the air that makes my blood rush with excitement. What is this? Cedar? There are no cedars here. There is also a hint of tangerine mixed in it.
It smells heavenly.
The young man pops into my mind again, the way his wet skin shone under the sun. He looked like he was deeply in thought. I wish I’d known what he was thinking about.
“This is weird,” I mutter. “I am being weird.”
Weirder than usual, I add in my thoughts.
But that scent…
The alarm on my phone vibrates, signaling it’s time for me to hurry to the club. Have I really been standing here for an hour already?
Before I turn around to head to work, I take another deep breath of the scent, wanting to inhale as much of it as possible.
