A New Change

Suitcase in hand you start to head out the door of the apartment you live alone in. The previous night you heard the upstairs neighbors having such a blast with all their friends from out of town coming over, you saw their guests’ cars parked for miles and miles. As you feel the heat of the sun on your face as you step out the door you realize that you probably overslept. You know that the sun isn’t usually up as far in the sky as it was at 6 am.

As you start to hurry along you hear the birds chirping and singing their songs. You hear the children playing in the park that you pass by, the metal bars glowing off the sun like a flashlight being faced directly at your eyes. You keep your focus and keep pushing forward through the street corner, passing by all the locally owned places you came to love over the past few months. Although you could never imagine life without Riley’s Pizzeria you also knew that you could not stay in this town any longer.

Every place you went to on a daily basis, everyone was really kind and compassionate towards your well-being; there was never any problems with the people. What really had irked you was the government there. You have been crying out for social change for a long time now and the government has always been watching your every move right behind your back, you just couldn’t take it anymore. One day you realized that things had to change and you just couldn’t stand living in a place where everyone around you seemed okay with the “norm.”

You never really went as far as calling yourself a social justice warrior, but you also never felt like you could just leave the problems lingering around when they could be solved. As you kept walking you came up to the spot where the police had encountered you over your peaceful protest outside the barbershop. Did you regret it? No. You just felt like it had to be done.

After a while more of walking you peer out to the distance. Could it be? Could it be that one friend who never stops talking? They start to wave to you and you take a deep breathe out, that is the friend who always annoys you. You realize in this moment if you talk you will surely miss that train. Did you really want to be such an asshole and run away from her and pretend like you just didn’t see her? Before you could answer that question you were already sprinting away from her, like a robber on foot away from an officer.

Sprinting pass that lamppost you shared a kiss with a stranger, pass that mailbox that you dropped a letter into the other day, pass the fire hydrant where you almost crashed your car because you drank too much that night, pass the store where you had thought you found the one, pass- that is when it hit you. You were going in the total wrong direction of the train station. As you turn around you see your friend coming towards you.

Okay, okay, you can handle saying goodbye to your friend who never stops talking. Just one goodbye forever, she never stopped talking before but maybe this time she will just say goodbye and be on her way. Maybe she won’t want to talk about her boyfriend or her dog. Maybe her life is going perfectly and she won’t mention any problems, like that time she dropped her card down a well.

You stand there for a while, watching as everyone else continues on about their days. People walking up and down the corner as you just stand there and wait for your friend. You keep wondering what she has to say and wondering if it’ll be a waste of time or not. You see her getting closer and closer, like a train coming right towards you. As she approaches closer you start to feel like she is the car and you are the deer.

“Hey, so good to catch up to you! I don’t know if you saw me back there or not but once you started to run I knew I had to try and catch up to say hi! You’ll never guess what happened with me and Jack the other day, haha. So-”

“Mary, please. I need to catch a train.” You cut her off before she rambled on.

“But, but… the train station is the other way right? You can’t just leave, we didn’t even get to do anything yet-”

“Yes, yes I know. I wish I had time but after yesterday I passed out right when I got home. I wish you were able to make it to the party but I know things come up.” You started to hope this would end it faster.

“Ya, I guess you’re right. Well, hey, just keep in touch over phone okay? I’ll really miss you-”

“I’ll miss you too. I’ll be sure to keep in touch with you. But I really have to get running to the train station because I must be really really late and have no time to catch the train.” You try to walk past her.

“Late? Hey we can take my car!” Your friend starts to walk back to the direction you ran from.

Oh perfect, is all you can think to yourself. After a while of running you get to her car and hop in. With no time to waste you both were off to the train station. After a brisk 10 minute drive the structure of the station greets you. Last time you were here was when you were getting off the train to enter your new life.

“Well, here we are. I hope you remembered all your bags.” Your friend says as she wipes her face.

“Yep, I have everything right in my suitcase. Travelling light is the best way to travel my father always said.” You say as you get out of the car.

“I won’t hold you up anymore, go out there and show this world what you have!”

You close the door and turn away from the car. There is the train station, just up a giant flight of stairs. The grand clock is standing tall and high above everything else. You take a deep breathe and manage to move one leg. Without too much more effort your other leg moves as well; and then you are off.