Finding Home

Long Night

Elyse

I’m sitting in the break room with five minutes left on my break, when my coworker sticks her head in. I sigh internally, it’s not like I am doing anything exciting with my break but I don’t want to deal with whatever customer Jessica has waiting for me out on the floor. Jessica does a good job managing customers, so when she asks for help it’s usually someone particularly difficult.

I can tell whoever is, is a pain in the ass when Jessica pulls a face before she starts talking. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but could you come talk to this lady? She keeps asking me if she can stack the sale with different coupons. I tried to tell her our policy, but she is demanding to speak with my supervisor.”

“Yeah, let her know I’ll be out in a minute.” I need to mentally prepare myself. The couponers are the worst when it comes to not getting their way and I’ve been barely hanging on a thread between work and my last semester of Nursing school.

I stand up, stretching my arms above my head and rolling my neck, before I shove my phone in my pocket and walk out of the break room. Thankfully, tonight is the last shift I work before heading home for the weekend. I tell myself that we close in an hour and once I deal with this customer, the rest of the night should run smoothly.

After the shift ends, Jessica and I count the tills and lock up the building. We head our separate ways in the parking lot. When I pull out of the lot, she follows me to the bank to witness the nightly deposit. Once I drop the bag of cash and checks into the slot, I give Jessica a quick wave and drive back to my dorm building.

All the lights are out and it’s quiet when I open the door to our common area. I let out the breath I was holding, thankful that my roommates have already left for the night. They are what you might call party-people and I’m the opposite of that. It doesn’t stop them from trying to drag me to a party at least once a week, though.

I can hear the bass from a stereo on the next floor as I walk to my room. Our dorm comprises a double room, two single rooms, two bathrooms, and a shared living space with a kitchenette. My bedroom is a single, so it’s tiny but private. I shut the door behind me and flop down on the bed to look through my phone for a few minutes to decompress.

I drag myself off the bed and empty my backpack. I don’t need to pack much since I have a full wardrobe and almost everything I need back at home. I settle for packing my toothbrush, my favorite hoodie, and a couple of textbooks so I don’t fall behind on reading for my classes. I may have gotten out of my Friday clinical and Monday’s lectures but I won’t get any special treatment if I fall behind this semester.

With my clothes for tomorrow laid out on the back of my desk chair and my backpack next to the door, I change into a big t-shirt and some sweats. I snuggle under the covers and check my phone one more time. I have a few notifications from the Nursing Association f*******: page and a text from my mom.

Mom: I can’t wait to see you this weekend. Don’t forget to text me when you get on the road. Love you, Ellie xo

Me: I’m glad to be coming home. I’ll be getting there just before the party on Saturday.

Truthfully, I plan on leaving here at 6 am tomorrow, which means I’ll be arriving at noon, a day early. I feel guilty for lying to mom but I want to surprise my parents by getting there early. Ignoring that feeling, I send a text to Thea, my sister-in-law.

Me: Hey Thea, I should be there at 12:30pm. Does that still work?

Thea: Of course! My doctor’s appointment isn’t until 2 pm and J is going to meet me there. Thanks for watching Juniper for us. Your brother is going to be excited when we get back and he sees you!

Me: Of course, I miss her! I can’t wait to see everyone!

I pull up the meditation app on my phone, select one for sleeping, and try to turn off my mind. At first I feel wide awake, hearing every word the recording says but in a matter of minutes I’m fully relaxed and fall asleep. I wake up a few of times throughout the night but when my alarm goes off; I feel more energized than I have in weeks.

I start the car to warm it up while I get ready and eat a small breakfast. By the time I’m done with that, the ice on the windshield has melted and the inside of the car is a comfortable temperature. I scroll through my Spotify playlists and select one for the drive.

When I stop for gas, I’m surprised how quickly time has passed since I left the dorm; I’m only an hour away from my childhood home. Winter break was only a month ago, but I’ve been missing my family and my best friends like crazy. As I get closer, I get more excited to see everyone this weekend at the big 21st anniversary party.

My three best friends’ and my parents all got married within a year of each other, so we are celebrating their wedding anniversaries together in one big party. My parents are very close with the other couples they are celebrating with. My mom and dad were already friends with Lena’s and Merit’s parents before they got married, but they formed an equally strong relationship with Cait’s parents when they met at a car seat safety class before we were born.

The last hour of the drive seems to be over in the blink of an eye. I pull into the driveway and Thea has obviously been waiting for me, since Juniper runs out of the door in all of her winter gear. She runs straight at me and jumps into my arms, knocking the wind out of me.

“She wouldn’t sit still until I let her get ready so she could run outside and be the first person you saw!” Thea laughs.

“Auntie Elle! I’m so excited, come see all my new toys.” Juniper wiggles out of my arms and grabs my hand to pull me toward her room.

“Hold on, let me take off my boots and say hi to your mom,” I say to Juniper.

I turn to Thea and give her an awkward hug, trying not to squish her pregnant belly too much. “Is the plan still on for dinner?”

“Yeah your brother took the rest of the day off and your sister told me she’ll be there early at 4 pm, too.” Thea says with a smile. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“No, I’m fine. Is there anything you need me to do while I’m here?” I ask.

Thea shakes her head. “Just keep Juniper and the house in one piece while we’re gone.”

“I think I can do that.” I wink at her before Juniper pulls me out of the living room.

A couple of hours later, I hear the garage door open. Juniper curiously looks over at me from her dollhouse. “I think that’s your mom and dad,” I tell her. She immediately tosses the doll she was holding into one of the rooms of her dollhouse and pushes off the ground. We race down the stairs and into the kitchen just as the door to the garage opens.

Thea comes in first, then my brother. His face lights up when he sees me. “Elle! You’re here early!” He pulls me into a big bear hug.

“Okay, calm down. It hasn’t been that long, Jerrod.” I shove him with a laugh.

“Get ready, mom and dad are going to be so much worse!” Jerrod teases.

“Daddy, daddy!” Juniper cries. “What about my hugs?”

I get jealous watching Jerrod and Thea with Juniper. I know I’m still young, but from where I sit, they have the perfect life and I can’t help but want that for myself.