Page 15 of Home Field Advantage
After I spent the last couple of days getting everything unpacked and putting together Sage’s room, this place isstarting to feel a bit more like a home, and Sage is falling in love with every aspect of the house. Especially since she got the bedroom she’s always dreamed of. My daughter wanted a princess theme set up, and who am I to tell her no? She now has a room with light pink and light purple scattered around every square inch.
Waiting for Sage, I make my way to the back sliding door to look outside.
The sun is over the mountain, illuminating the sky. A bright blue looks painted across the mountain backdrop. This property doesn’t have a single tree on it compared to other houses around us, only expanding on the views in every direction. It’s taking some getting used to as opposed to the congested city views I’ve been used to.
At first, I didn’t know how I’d feel living in a small ranch-style home located on, what appears to be, a quiet street, but this morning I woke up and a sense of calm and acceptance washed over me. Maybe it’s that everything is done, minus the grocery shopping, and it hit me hard that this is really happening. Sage seems happy already, and that alone makes me happy.
“I’m all ready,” Sage announces, entering the kitchen.
Turning around to face her, I smile. Her light blue eyes, which she got from me, shine in the dimly lit kitchen; her dark brown hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail.
“Let me fix your hair quickly.”
She groans. “It’s fine, Daddy. Besides, you don’t know how to braid it.”
“I’m going to learn, bug. I promise.” And I mean that. I’ve known for years that she prefers her hair in a braid. Since I never had her for long stretches, I never had enough of a chance to practice and really learn. “But for now, let’s fix the ponytail.”
This, I know how to do. I pull the band from her hair gently, raking my fingers through to flatten the flyaway hairs. Scooping it in my hands and replacing the hair tie in the same spot she had it before.
Her hands come up to feel my work, and she nods in approval. “Perfection. Where are we going again?”
“The grocery store. We need to get you snacks and lunches for when you get home from Mom’s. You start school on Monday.”
She jumps up and down. “I can’t wait for school! Do you think I’ll make all the new friends? Bestest friends?”
I laugh. “I have no doubt. You’re the coolest kid in the world.”
She smiles proudly. “All right, let’s go get all the snacks.”
“And food.”
“Whatever you say.”
She loads herself into the Tahoe, and we take the short drive to Main Street, where Nan said everything is located. This town really does have a charm to it. It’s the kind of quiet magic you don’t notice at first, but grows on you fast. When you make eye contact with someone walking on the sidewalk, they smile and lift their hand in a wave. Every single person I’ve come across makes you feel like you matter, even if you have never said more than three words to them.
There’s a type of rhythm to this small-town life.
It’s slow, but steady.
It hits differently here, in a way that you don’t get lost in the crowd. You don’t feel like an outsider. It’s a place that makes you feel like you belong.
Even if it’s only for a short time.
Parking my truck, we make our way into a place called the General Store. It’s enormous and expands almost the whole street. From the outside looking in, it feels like a one-stop shop for everything we’re going to need.
“Do you think they’re going to have ice cream here?”
“Probably,” I answer, making our way inside.
“I hope they have gallons of it. A full tank.” I bark out a laugh at that. “Oh, and what about my favorite cereal with those colorful marshmallow pieces?”
“I’m sure they do.”
Grabbing a shopping cart, we begin making our way through the produce section. I grab some fresh fruit and vegetables. Sage loves fruit, mainly with a side of whipped cream, but vegetables? Nope. She won’t touch a leafy green—typical kid.
As I move down the aisles, I skip the one filled with candy, but when my eyes scan the aisle, I have to do a double-take. Because the strawberry blonde hair I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since our run-in at the coffee shop is scanning the shelves.
She captured my attention in a matter of minutes, and I couldn’t bring myself to look away.
