Page 7 of Snowflakes and Ice Skates

“Harlow, sweetie, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been years.” I smiled, and air kissed our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Barker.

“It’s good to see you, too.” It was. Her house was the best. She always had brownies or cookies fresh out of the oven waiting for me and the other neighborhood children to come over for a visit. She became a widow at a young age and never remarried. I think she liked our company as much as we liked her treats.

“Your mother told me you’re here to stay but I told her not to hold her breath.” She winked and walked past me. At least there was one person who understood.

I repeated this process until eight, when Mom finally let me join the rest of the party. Steven was surrounded by a group, talking animatedly with his arms waving in the air. He always was the life of the party.

I grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and looked for someone to talk to.

“You really can’t stand the thought of living here?”

I turned to find Vince standing behind me. Much closer than necessary. I looked up to him. His eyes hadn’t lost the sparkle from before, but he looked a little sad.

“No, I can’t.”

I moved out of the way of a passing group and found a nice spot against the wall to take up residence.

“Would it really be so horrible?”

He was standing so close to me. Closer than he ever had before. What was going on with him?

“It’s fine for everyone else, but not me.”

“Why?” He looked genuinely curious.

I’d answered this question a dozen times already tonight. I didn’t want to go over my normal speech about making a name for myself and needing to spread my wings. That answer seemed to placate people.

“It’s what everyone expects me to do.” I took a sip and hoped that would be enough.

“Have you ever thought about why they do?”

I looked up to him and paused. I guess I hadn’t. “It’s what everyone here does. No one ever leaves.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true. Plenty of people leave.”

I shrugged. Fine. I might be exaggerating everyone leaving. In all honesty, quite a few ended up in Chicago.

“I think they expect you to stay because they know how much you love it here. How much this place means to you. You have no reason to get away. You have an amazing family that loves you and wants you to succeed. It’s not like you have anything to run away from.”

He was right.

I hadn’t thought about it like that. I was too focused on not being one of those girls. I didn’t want to stay here, marry my high school sweetheart, and live the same life as all my neighbors. I wanted something more exciting.

But he had a point. Why was I so set on leaving? I didn’t have anything forcing me out. There were opportunities here for me. I didn’t need to live in my parents’ house. I didn’t need to get married and settle down.

I shook my head. “Living and working in the city has been my dream since I was a little girl.”

“Back when you wanted to be a prima ballerina.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “How did you know about that?”

“You forget I went to almost every recital. Your parents made Steven go and since I was always with him, I was there too. It was all you cared about.”

“I was ten.”

“Yet your dream of running away has stayed the same.”

I looked out at the party. I’d known most of these people my entire life. They were my teachers, my coaches, my church leaders. They loved me. They all wanted the best for me. Why did I want to leave them?