Page 9 of Three Not-So-Little Words
When my sister-Liz-graduated high school, she ran away to Los Angeles to get away from this place. She only came back when her life fell apart. It just so happens that she found happiness while here.
My story looks a little different. I didn’t leave because I was miserable. I left merely because I wanted to have adventures. I wanted to see all the beauty on Earth. But I always got excited when it was time to come home.
Lilly Leaf Falls was a great place to grow up. It’s the kind of place, not only where everyone knows each other, but where everyone cares about each other. People truly look out for one another. Traveling can get lonely at times–no matter how many guys I take to bed–so, having a homebase like this to come back to is comforting.
We drive through the center of town, and I look at all the shops. It’s not anywhere close to Christmas time, but most of them have twinkle lights lining the outside of the buildings. With evening turning into nightfall, it makes everything look even more idyllic.
I love it.
A few minutes later, we pull into Liz’s driveway. Well, I guess it’smydriveway now.
Man, that’s fucking weird to even think about.
Dad puts the truck in park. “I’ll help you take your stuff inside, but then, I have to get back to your mom. She’s in full wedding planning mode. I need to make sure she eats.”
“I get it, Pops. I’ll probably pass out early anyway.”
He helps me get my bags to the porch, but I assure him I can take it from here. With a quick hug, we say our goodbyes, and I tell him I’ll see him tomorrow for family dinner.
I dig into my purse and grab my keys. Pulling them out, I flip through and find the key that Liz had made for me.
After unlocking it and walking inside, I pause for a moment. This is it. My firsthouse.Sure, I’m just renting it.
From my sister.
It’s not like I have a mortgage.
Eh, close enough.
Kicking off my shoes, I take a deep breath.
Alone in my own home.
A creaky floorboard snaps my attention to the hallway. Liz comes walking out of one of the bedrooms.
We spot each other and immediately scream bloody murder. I fall back against the door while all the sheets that were in Liz’s hands go flying into the air.
“Jesus, Liz, what are you doing here?” I cry.
“I forgot that I didn’t change the sheets on the bed.”
“And you had to come over rightnowto do it?”
With my hand still over my chest, I manage to regain some of my composure.
Liz and Jack decided to buy all new furniture for their new house, so they kept this place practically the same–which is great for me because I have practically nothing.
“Liz, while I appreciate the furnished rental, I don't know that I need you to be a maid.”
She simply nods, trying to catch her own breath.
“Come here, you fucking weirdo,” I say as I walk over to give her a hug.
Liz and I have always been fairly close since we’ve been adults. A six-year age difference as kids is huge, but grown up, it seems like nothing.
We had a shared interest in seeing the world. Most of our family resented Liz when she got the hell out of dodge. But not me. I understood it.
When we step back from our hug, she says, “Man, can you believe this? Both of us back in Lilly Leaf Falls. Me with a kid and getting married. You finally putting down some roots.”
