“What’s on your mind? Are you sad that it’s over?”
He nodded, taking a bite.
“What will you do?”
“Same thing everyone else will.” He chewed. “I’ll move on.”
“How? When you love it here so much?”
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s time.”
“How do you know?”
He sighed. “Life plays tricks. Things happen that you don’t expect. And then, one day you just know.”
The words cut deep. I felt them from my throat through my chest, all the way down to my abdomen.
“But how can you be certain?”
He shook his head. “You can’t, really. You’ve just got to trust your gut.”
I chewed a bite of the muffin, its chocolate chips melting on my tongue. I wanted to spill the beans, to tell him everything about the whole sordid affair so I could ask for genuine adult advice. But it wasn’t my news to share. So instead, I just listened as Pat went on.
“You know what I think?” He didn’t stop to wait for an answer. “I think there’s a plan for all of us. We’re too busy fighting fate all the time. If we could just go with the flow, we might come to terms with the fact that the universe knows better than all of us combined.” Pat chuckled. “But, who am I to talk? I’d be the last one to give in to a will that’s not my own.”
“Nah. I’m right there with you,” I agreed.
“Well then, take it from me, kiddo. Time marches on, whether we like it or not. Things change and ultimately, what’s meant to be is just going to be. We’ve got zero control. So, don’t waste your energy fighting life. Let life lead you, not the other way around.”
I took another bite, hanging onto his words.
“But what if life leads me away from Sound Hollow?”
“Then go! See what’s out there. This place isn’t going anywhere. And if you’re meant to come back, you’ll find yourself back here someday. Probably eating muffins with the likes of me,” he chortled.
“Pat?”
“Hm?”
“Thank you for hiring me. It was an honor to work with you this summer.”
“Pleasure was all mine, kid. All mine.”
~
I found Matt at home, folding a clean load of wash.
“Hey,” he said, sitting on the living room floor. “How’d it go?”
“It went well,” I began. Then, out of nowhere, my lip started to tremble.
“What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
You’re doing laundry.I swallowed. “We need to talk.”
“Okay.” He stopped folding. “What is it?”
“They offered me the job.”
