Willow spent most of the journey catching up on reading, which she hadn’t managed to do for so long. There was one romance book that she had been meaning to start for months but hadn’t gotten around to yet – a kind of ‘will they, won’t they, should they’ book. It was fun and full of the usual tropes and Willow soon became swept up in it. Fortunately, her train car was quiet, so it was easy to concentrate. An older lady sat opposite her, engrossed in her own reading and a couple of younger women were sitting across from her, excitedly chatting about their travel plans. The mood in the car was a positive one and Willow was able to really sit back and relax, loving how the city views soon cut away to more rural scenes.
At one point the older lady opposite struck up conversation with her.
‘Going anywhere nice?’
‘Oh.’ Willow suddenly felt shy. ‘I’m actually going home. To Honey Springs, by the mountains.’
‘I’ve heard of that. I’ve never been though.’ The old lady had smiled. ‘Hasn’t it got that incredible waterfall? I always wanted to see it.’
Willow nodded, feeling a sense of home pride fill her. ‘Itis beautiful. So high, and fairly secluded because not many people know about it. I used to hang around there all the time.’
She thought back to the long summer days they had spent as children sitting alongside the water’s edge. When she was younger, it was mainly Lucas she went there with. Her grandma and Lucas’s mom were friends and so it was natural for Willow and Lucas to hang out together. It was so much easier back then. Lucas was so much fun, and hilarious too. They spent their days making up adventures and sharing their dreams. It was all so innocent and sweet.
Of course, that all changed as they got older. Willow met Jake, and she and Lucas drifted apart. Sometimes she even wondered if he pushed her away. Thankfully, she still had Jenn and Jake to spend time with. It was hard to think back to those days and not feel a twist of sadness. How could a friendship as strong as theirs have slipped away so easily?
Maybe that was a sign it wasn’t really a friendship at all. Or maybe they simply grew up?
‘It’s nice to go back to special places,’ the old lady said, breaking her thoughts. ‘I live near Port Angeles, have done all my life, but I’ve just been in Seattle visiting the hotel where my late husband took us for our wedding night.’
‘That must have been very emotional,’ Willow replied.
‘It was.’ The lady’s eyes twinkled. ‘It reminded me what was important. That we should never let go of those memories.’
She settled back with her knitting and tutted softly under her breath. ‘And it also reminded me that we miss those that we have let go of.’
‘I guess we’ll just have to work on making new memories,’ Willow replied.
And that’s exactly how she felt now, as she moved towards the exit with her minimal collection of luggage. Everything felt familiar, and yet it was so different – so much had changed in five years.
She had changed.
She only hoped that Honey Springs would still have enough of what she needed, and that it would accept her for who she was now.
She was no longer the scared eighteen-year-old, nearly nineteen-year-old, who left all those years ago.
She was a scared twenty-four-year-old, clinging to a dream.
‘Willow! Willow, over here!’
Willow turned towards the loud voice and spotted a woman frantically waving at the back of the parking lot. Her hair was an array of bright-red, springy curls piled into a mess on her head and her wide, infectious smile was impossible to miss. She was dressed in sun-yellow overalls and what looked like purple Doc Martens.
Some people never change!
‘Jenn!’
Willow rushed over to her and within seconds she was encased in the biggest hug ever. Jenn smelled of apples and fresh grass. Her soft hair bounced against Willow’s. Jenn pulled away, as if she had to get a really good look at her.
‘You look so glam!’ she exclaimed. ‘And your hair is different.’
Willow touched it self-consciously. She had spent a fortune on these honey highlights and had to admit she hadn’t been sure about them afterwards, even though Jake had assured her that she looked much better and wanted her to get more. Then again, Jake had always had a ‘thing’for long bleached platinum hair and Willow’s brown locks had never really fallen into that category.
‘I guess I’ve changed a bit,’ Willow admitted, staring down at herself. She was just wearing jeans and a plain sweater, but they were designer, and she knew they hugged her figure just right (they had to for that price!). When she left Honey Springs, she had been wearing the most basic of clothes, including a knitted sweater that her grandma had made. Jake had helped her create a wardrobe that was both simple and expensive – after all, they wanted to set their standards high in the city, even if it meant maxing out their credit cards.
Her mind began to wander. Oh how she loved that shabby old sweater. What had happened to it? She frowned, knowing that Jake had never been a fan. Had it fallen victim to one of his major purges?
Jenn was full of chatter as she picked up Willow’s cases easily, despite her tiny frame, and slung them into the trunk of her old car.
‘Don’t you love this? The old Billy Buick? Well, to be honest, it’s not really mine. I’m just borrowing it. But the old boy needs a spin. It never gets used otherwise.’
