Amelia

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So in order to get ready for Ophelia’s big day I did the only thing I knew how to do, if I didn’t want to freak out and cancel last minute.

I prepared a schedule for everything I needed done before I left, even if it was jut for a day, organized my entire apartment one room at a time, meaning my books, clothes, shoes, towels, plates, everything by size, color and if I could by brand.

I was desperate, hoping and finding anything I could do to just keep my mind from the fact that I’d be going to back home in a matter of days.

“Days!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, how had I convinced myself it was a good idea, I was just going to get an anxiety attack on the plane if I kept going at this rate.

I decided to take a pause, poured myself a glass of wine and sat on my bed. I spent the night watching romcoms on Netflix and falling asleep at the crack of dawn.

The next morning I was feeling a little better though it was still unsettling me the thought of reuniting with some people from my past, so as a way to make things easier I texted my ex-lover.

We never dated but we did fool around a lot and ended things in good terms when I decided to move far from home. We still talked from time to time so it wasn’t like an awkward ‘hi. how have things been for the past 3 years? wanna be my date for a friends wedding?’ kind off text.

Me to Lyla: “Hi Lyla, how have you been?

I’m going to be attending a wedding back home this weekend, would you like to be my +1?”

She texted me back almost immediately.

Lyla to Me: Yeah Sure!

Things have been great with the flower shop btw :)

I smiled and checked another item off my list of things to do for the day.

In no time it was already time for me to head to the bus station. I checked for the millionth time to see if I had everything I needed for the weekend and called the cab to see if they’d arrived.

-

The ride wasn’t that bad, the bus had aircon, it was equipped so I could charge my phone and it also had Wi-Fi which was excellent. No more than 7 hours later I was back in town.

I texted my mom to see if she could pick me up at the bus stop closest to home. My luggage wasn’t heavy but I wasn’t feeling like walking several blocks.

She got there on time as I stepped down the bus.

“Hey mom” I said with a sheepish smile, I knew the moment she saw me my mom would jump to hug me and that she did.

It was sort of suffocating but loving at the same time, “I’ve missed you” I said kissing her cheek.

“Well you wouldn’t have to miss me if you called more often” she snarked back at me as she took my luggage off my hands and dropped them carefully in the back of the car.

Mom drove quietly, but I knew it wasn’t because she valued privacy. She was probably waiting until we got home were there was no way for me to escape and my dad’s puppy eyes would make me be nice to her and answer most of her questions.

We were home in no time and wow had things changed in the past 3 years since I’d last been home.

Mom had redone the garden and now had a special area were she grew her own fruits and vegetables, like she’d always dreamed on doing. I took the opportunity to move the subject from me to her.

“Mom! Oh my god” I hugged her as I walked over to her beautiful work, “these look amazing! Did you grow all this?”

She blushed and smiled widely, “just like you always dreamed about, I’m so happy mom” I hugged her and moved on to ask what each one of the plants were and if I could try them for our meal that afternoon.

-

Later that night I decided to go check out the neighborhood, nostalgia hit me right in the face as I walked through the same streets I used to as a kid, but they were completely different now. There used to be rows and rows of houses and small plazas but now there were only buildings and lots of strangers I had never seen before in my life walked down the streets without greeting me.

I felt strange.

So much had changed after I left, I begun to wonder if I had changed.

Maybe change was for the best.