Coming Home

BECCA

I was sitting in the car with my dad on our way home. He had picked me up from the airport with a huge bouquet of red roses. It was a lovely gesture, considering that my father thought that flowers as a gift were a complete waste of money.

He wanted to congratulate me on landing a job and also just to cheer me up. Dad never asked for details, but he knew every important thing about my life, and he knew that going back to Lily’s hometown would be hard on me.

“Say, Rebecca, how do you feel about your new life in New York? It took you six months to get used to your life in Miami. So I am kind of worried.”

“Thanks to Chase and Jenny, everything is so much easier. They support me and help me with all of my antics and issues. Without them, I would have been lost in that town and probably would have never even tried to find a job there.”

“Chase is a very nice young man. There were times when I thought that you would be with him.”

“Dad! I never thought about him in that way. Never! Yeah, I was once in his bed, but after that—we were just friends.”

“But you were very close to him. All of your boyfriends were jealous of your friendship with him—even the last one. Cody knew Chase in person, and he knew Jenny, but still. He even asked for my advice. What should he do about your closeness?”

“What?! I…”

“You never thought that men saw Chase as a threat? Rebecca, sometimes you are too naive. For example, the disappearance of your necklace in the midst of the lake.”

“That happened not because Logan was…”

“Logan? I always thought that it was Drew.”

I fell silent. I had said too much. No one knew about what had happened that night at the lake. No one. Just Logan and I. It was the end, the final nail in the coffin of our friendship and I never mentioned the reasons, because I had no idea what they were.

I didn’t tell anyone about the person responsible for that. I bit my lower lip in annoyance with myself.

“Baby girl, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. There is no pressure here, and I won’t say anything to your mother, because she won’t let you off the hook until she knows everything.”

“Thank you, Dad. I appreciate it.” I smiled at him. He slightly turned his head to look at me, and I saw a small smile on his lips. It didn’t reach his eyes. He was sad.

The rest of the ride, we made small talk. We talked about our family’s friends and other relatives. I also told him more about my future job and my responsibilities. When the car stopped near the house, I saw Dad hesitating. I turned my head and stared at him.

“Rebecca, I said earlier that you don’t need to tell me anything. But I think that you need to get it off your chest. It’s bugging you. It is preventing you from living life to the fullest.”

“You sound just like Chase now. Yesterday, he reminded me about our talk a few days ago. He also told me that I need to make peace with my past. He even said that I am a mere copy of myself.”

“Did he?” Now, Dad’s smile was genuine. He was glad to hear that I had this kind of support from my friend. It was vital for him to know that there are people who care about his daughter.

“Uh huh.” I realized that I was smiling at my dad.

“Remind me to call him and thank him. And his wife.” Dad opened the door, and I followed suit. “You look better now, I can tell. But what he said about the mere copy… Maybe he just meant your hair color? Because I don’t like it. You were so beautiful with your natural color, and now these platinum blond strands. They confuse me.”

“Not you too.” I slightly pushed Dad, and he laughed. He wound his arm around my shoulders, keeping me close to his side. “Is it really that bad?”

“Rebecca, you are my daughter. And I love you no matter what. I always thought that you were gorgeous, but with this new color… You just don’t look like yourself. I think I need time to get used to that, that’s all.”

We walked to the porch, and Dad opened the door for us to go inside. I sniffed the air and realized that my mom had made something very delicious based on this rich aroma of mushrooms. I loved her cream soup with mushrooms, and I hoped that my guess of what I was smelling was right.

“I will take your suitcase to your room while you go and greet your mother. She must be in the kitchen.”

I nodded at Dad. He was right; my mom was in the kitchen. She was in an excellent mood, dancing on the spot while cutting vegetables.

I leaned on the doorframe and smiled. Mom was in her element. She was a very cheerful person; she laughed a lot and was always easy to talk to. Sometimes, even too easy.

She taught me to use my beauty to my advantage, while Dad balanced this by saying that I also needed to use my brains if I wanted to achieve something. They were complete opposites, so I even wondered how they got married. It must be love and respect for each other.

“Oh my God, Rebecca!” Mom squealed and rushed to hug me. I hugged her back, inhaling her familiar perfume. Dear God, how much I missed this feeling. I closed my eyes and realized that I had no desire to let her go. “Honey, I need to check on the chicken...”

I sighed and stepped aside. Mom hurriedly went to the oven, glanced inside, and turned to me with a satisfied grin on her lips. Then her eyes went up and down on me, and I saw a deep wrinkle appear between her eyebrows.

“Sweetheart, you look so fragile now. I can’t even say why I think like that... I know that my daughter is the strongest person I’ve ever met in my life. You are not afraid to follow your dreams!”

“When I was your age, the thought of moving to a big city hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was afraid of new beginnings, well... and I had already met your dad and…”

“And then there was me. I know, Mom. Sorry that I am still not married and don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“I am not worried about that. The right time will come, and you will meet your Prince Charming.”

“Lydia, I thought we agreed that our daughter is a brilliant and intelligent girl, and she doesn’t need a prince for her life to be amazing.”

Dad walked into the kitchen. He had already changed and was now in his comfy clothes. I decided to use this opportunity and sneak to my room. I desperately wanted to take a shower.

“Mom, Dad, I’m going to go upstairs. I need to wash my face and change my clothes. What time were you planning to have dinner?”

“In an hour,” Mom said, not averting her eyes from the knife in her hands. She was uncomfortable after Dad’s remark.

“Okay.” I kissed my dad on the cheek and went to my room.

Everything was just like I remembered: my king-size bed in the middle of the room, a bookcase, a table with a stool, and a loveseat near the window. I loved to spend my time in that loveseat with a book in hand, looking from time to time through the window.

I could easily see Kate’s room from here. It was dark and so empty. She moved to her husband’s hometown without any regrets. She left behind her parents and her home. I did the same, I know, but it felt different.

Maybe because of her marriage to Tim, she distanced herself from her mom and dad. She was like Tim’s shadow, and I honestly was afraid that he would get bored with her.

Fortunately, I was wrong, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to see them together for almost a year. I hoped that everything was going well between them.

I hopped into the shower, and when I was back in my room, I changed into my dress for home and started rubbing my hair with the towel. A few minutes later, I realized that I was standing near my bed and staring at the photos on my bedside table.

There were photos from my childhood, with Kate and me happily laughing in one of them. There were photos from college when our whole gang was together. It was the happiest time for me, my second year, and pictures from Miami with my colleagues. My whole life was in front of me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Chase and Dad were right. I needed to talk about it. To try to understand myself and my reactions because it wasn’t normal. I am perfectly aware of it.

My sadness and anger toward Logan had no logical explanation. But when I think about it, our whole relationship had no logic.

How we reacted to each other since the moment we saw one another for the first time. How the tension between us built until it exploded in his room when I convinced him to cheat on his girlfriend with me.

How we started our friendship and had this undeniable understanding. He was my best friend, and he promised to be there for me forever. Yeah, I was too naive, thinking that he would keep his promise.

I shook my head. I will talk about it with someone. Maybe I will call Chase and Jenny. Or I could talk to Mom. I didn’t want Dad to know about it. I wanted to stay his little girl for him, as I was when I was a child. I didn’t want to make him worry.

Mom was stronger, and she had this willingness to understand me no matter what. I was afraid that Dad would be ashamed. If he knew about my visit to Logan’s room the first time I was at their house, he would be embarrassed for sure.

Mom knew, and she didn’t judge. Yep, I would talk to her tonight. I felt that I was ready.