MY FOREVER LOVE

Zoe stepped into one of the yellow cabs waiting outside of the Toronto airport. With such an array to choose from, she decided to go with the only cab on the far right-hand corner of the departure lane. She wasn't in the mood to fight for a ride, and she wanted to avoid the crowds of people off to the left-hand side. There were people talking, laughing, and reminiscing about their trips. All Zoe could think about was how she nearly made the worst mistake of her life. This mistake could have caused her years of unhappiness. Zoe's mind attempted to process what had just happened. She felt like her life was falling apart, and she wasn't sure how to put back the pieces. Sometimes when things were broken, there wouldn't be an easy fix. As she got into the back of the cab, she knew the first stop she would have to make was to go back to her apartment. She would start there. “Please take me to 17 Dufferin Street," Zoe asked the driver politely. The driver nodded in response but said nothing. As Zoe stared at the back of his seat, she allowed herself to sink into the chair. A few tears dropped from the corner of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She had cried enough for a lifetime, and she didn't want to allow herself to break down at this moment. She had so many things to handle over the next short period while attempting to put the pieces of her life back together. She needed strength now more than ever, but she wasn't sure how to gain this much needed strength. As the driver arrived at her building, Zoe heard him pop open the trunk. As she got out of the cab, she began to tug on her luggage. Luckily, she only had one large suitcase, rather than four or five suitcases which would have been normal for someone making such a large move from Toronto to Manitoba. As she struggled to get the suitcase out of the trunk of the car, she looked longingly at the building before her. Mid-rise, only ten stories in the sky, but the most beautiful view of the city. It was one of the only buildings in the area with an unobstructed view. Despite the overwhelming sadness she was feeling, something inside of her inspired hope. She knew that within time, everything would turn out for the best. She lugged her suitcase up the stairs to the front door, and used her old key to open it. Luckily the locks had not been changed, and she took that as a positive sign that things were going to end well. As she entered the elevator and hit number ten, she hoped that she would find her apartment empty, available, and free. As the door opened on the tenth floor, Zoe stepped out and made her way to her apartment. Apartment 1005. There were only five apartments on the tenth floor and she had the corner unit. As she once again took out her key and inserted it into the lock, it opened. Zoe was thankful because this had meant that the landlord had not rented out her apartment to someone else as of yet. She had lost nearly everything else that had meant anything to her, but the worries about losing her apartment were now fading away. She sighed, feeling hopeful and sad all at the same time, allowing a few more tears to fall from her eyes. The apartment was empty, as she had sold most of her furniture. There were only a few items that remained including utensils in the kitchen, her furniture out on the balcony, and luckily her bed in the master bedroom. These items had come with the apartment when she had first rented it, so they were the only items she didn't sell or move out when she had decided to leave. No new furniture had been moved in, another positive sign that the apartment was still vacant. For now, she only needed her bed. At least until she was able to get in touch with her landlord about taking back her apartment. She wanted to be sure her name was on the lease before anyone else had a chance to take it over. She would call him today and ask him to take it off the market. If he hadn't found someone to take it over by now, chances are she could sleep for a few hours and allow her body and mind to rest. As she made her way past the second bedroom, she opened her bedroom door. She pulled her suitcase behind her, pushed it off to the side, and shut the door behind her. She took a minute to wander around the room and look at her surroundings. She knew she had many things to take care of, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything. She stared outside at the city skyline set out before her. As she ran her hands along the windowpane, she wondered how she ever considered leaving. What could have been more important than her happiness? There was no place in the world better than Toronto to Zoe. She may not be well-traveled, but from the places she had seen, there was no other city for her. If only she had considered her own happiness she might not be in this situation. Feeling defeated, she looked around the empty room towards the bed. She had been awake for far too long. The chores of the day would be there to greet her once she was rested and truly able to deal with her anxieties. So, she pulled back the covers of her bed and tucked herself inside. As she let out a loud sigh, she closed her eyes praying for sleep. What she had just been through had been the most devastating experience of her life. She forced herself to sleep, hoping to forget the events of the day. Unfortunately, her dreams had other plans.