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It might as well have been stitched onto my mother’s forehead. It was her mantra. The thing she would say to try to make herself, as well as me, feel better about the blows life had thrown.
“My mother would say that to me often.”
A sad expression moved over her face. “Have you lost your mother?”
That same weighted-down feeling in my chest hit me. “Six months ago.”
“I’m so sorry, dear.”
“Thank you.”
The seat belt signs went off when the plane came to a halt at our gate. Quickly standing, I reached for my small bag above and grabbed my purse. My eyes stayed focused on the line of people in front of me.
I felt a tap on my arm. When I turned to look back at the older woman, she handed me a card. Glancing down, I silently read it.
New Hope.
“New Hope?”
She nodded. “We work with a lot of women who are…starting over.”
A rush of panic washed over me. The familiar feeling when it felt like someone was getting too close to the truth. To the dirty little secret I’d worked so hard to hide. I was honestly exhausted from all the lies.
“You misunderstood me.” The line in front of me started to move. Handing her the card back, I smiled. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”
Rushing to the baggage claim, I tried not to look around for the woman who’d been sitting next to me. In the last ten years, I’d kept the truth from everyone. Mostly out of fear and keeping my mother happy. One conversation with a stranger on a plane, and she’d somehow figured it out. Or thought she had.
It’s over. Done. Time to move on, Emma. Time to build a new life.
By the time I grabbed my suitcase and made my way to a cab, I felt like I could relax again. In fact, as I made my way out of the airport, I smiled.This is it.The beginning of a new story. I stood in line and waited for a taxi. When it was my turn, a driver pulled up, got out, and flashed me a bright smile. “Where to?”
I returned the smile as I handed him my one suitcase and replied, “The Honda dealership on Colfax. I need to buy a car.”
He looked surprised, but held the back door open for me to get in.
The traffic in Denver was insane. I silently thanked the heavens above I’d decided not to settle in the city.
“Here we go. The Honda dealership.”
I climbed out and exhaled a nervous breath as I waited for him to hand me my luggage.
Handing him a tip, I said, “Thank you so much.”
He looked nervous as he glanced around, then back to me. “You’re sure you don’t want me to stay for a bit? In case you don’t find what you want?”
I gave him a reassuring grin. “For once in my life, I know exactly what I want.”
He nodded as the corners of his mouth rose. “Good luck, then, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
A salesman approached, looked at the luggage and then me. “Do you travel a lot or something? Looking for space for your suitcase?”
I laughed. “I only just arrived in Denver.”
His brows drew down in confusion. “Your first stop was a dealership?”
With a nod, I replied, “It was indeed. I need a Honda Pilot.”
