AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty
“Now don’t give me that look, Kylie,” Kylie’s mother said, spearing her fish stick with more force than necessary.
This was the longest Kylie had seen her parents since she got back to Camden, so of course a fight had broken out. Her parents had started asking Kylie questions about her plans as soon as they’d sat down for dinner. Brad had told them about the job offer, and they were keen to get an answer out of her. She mentioned how she could use a little support from them right now, but that was difficult given they were never home for her to talk to.
“Now sweetie,” her father took her hand across the table, “you know we will always support you and want to help you anyway we can.”
“It’s just that after you and Brad left home, we developed our own social lives and our own hobbies,” her mother added. “We usually put our plans on hold whenever you tell us you’re coming home to visit, which frankly isn’t often, but you kind of dropped in on us with very little notice this time. We have schedules and plans.”
Kylie understood. She really did. Her rational brain told her that of course her parents had lives of their own. It wasn’t like she imagined they went into hibernation when she wasn’t around, but still this was a time in her life when she really needed them.
Then she realized something, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it in the past ten years. They were hurt. They were hurt she didn’t visit more. How had it taken her so long to figure that out? She really had been living in a self-absorbed bubble all this time. The guilt of it threatened to choke tears out of her.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, her head bowed. “You’re absolutely right. You’ve got your own lives and just because I made a mess of things, doesn’t mean everyone else’s lives are on hold. I’m sorry for being so bad about visiting. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to see you. I guess it got easier to forget the longer I was away.”
Her mom got up from her seat and moved to a chair beside Kylie. She put her arm around her. “Maybe we could’ve been around more when you first came home. We’re here now. No judgment, just talk to us. What’s going on?”
Kylie couldn’t hold it in anymore. The guilt of how she treated her parents stung the back of her throat. On top of her confusion and general self-pity, her stomach churned so much she might lose her supper.
“I’m such a selfish person.” Kylie sniffed through the tears that fell freely now. “I left home and for what? To go live a big city life I couldn’t afford, following around a bunch of people who were never really my friends. I’m such a fool.”
“Hey now.” Her dad moved his chair closer to also put his arm around her. “It’s not foolish to chase your dreams. I think maybe you got sidetracked and lost sight of what your dreams really are.”
Kylie nodded while her mom tugged a napkin out of the holder on the table and handed it to her to wipe her eyes and nose. After a few moments her mother said, “We’re so impressed by all the work you’re putting into this fair idea and helping Derek. And Sandy raves about what a great employee you are. You have to know Brad wouldn’t have offered you that job if he didn’t think you’d be great at it.”
“Thanks,” Kylie said in a low tone.
“Are you going to take the job with Brad?” her dad asked.
“It’s a great job. I’m not sure I could say no, especially after Brad is giving me a chance like this.”
“Ky-bear,” he said gently. “You know just because something was your dream once, doesn’t mean it has to be your dream forever. Do you even want to work for a tech company?”
She sighed. “No, not really.”
“What is it you want to do?” her mom asked.
“I don’t know,” Kylie said. “What I really loved about my old job was that I got to create content, and I felt like I was making a real difference at the hospital. I mean, I wasn’t performing surgery or anything, but I did so many fundraising and awareness campaigns. I got staff who normally wouldn’t be in the spotlight recognized for the important work they do. All of that was really good. I like playing that supporting role, I guess.”
“Kind of like how you’re planning an entire fair to help Derek talk to the townspeople?” Her mother lifted an eyebrow.
“I guess so. I mean I started doing that to prove to Brad I could handle the job opening, but I’m also really enjoying it. It’s a lot of the parts I loved about my old job. Maybe the job with him will be a good jumping off point. Once I’m back in Toronto, I can start looking for another job similar to what I had. Working with him will get me closer to those interviews and give me money to save up in the meantime. Not to mention it will beef up my resume.”
“That’s all very true.” Her mother’s measured tone suggested there was something she wasn’t saying. “You haven’t got much time to figure it out though, since your brother will be back from Japan in a few days.”
“I know.” Kylie slumped in her chair.
After their talk, she helped to clean up the dishes then went up to her room to try and sort out her mess of thoughts. A pro and con list about taking the job with Brad helped a bit, but she had a hard time focusing. There was a piece of information missing, something she wasn’t considering, and the feeling was gnawing at her.
She went downstairs and threw on her dad’s plaid jacket and her mom’s wellies. She snagged the leash off the hook and called Captain to the front hall. Maybe some fresh air would help.
It was dark out by then. She didn’t have a destination in mind, so she let Captain’s nose lead them. They wandered around the football field and wound up at the public beach. There weren’t any lamp posts at the beach, but some light glinted off the water from nearby homes and the grocery store on the other side of an inlet. She unhooked Captain’s leash so he could roam around the water’s edge sniffing for fish to his heart’s content.
Sitting down on one of the picnic tables, she wrapped her dad’s jacket tighter around herself as the night’s chill settled in. The jacket smelled of car engine and campfire. A few stars were peeking out from around clouds, but there was no moon.
Kylie had always loved the sound of the lake. The gentle lapping of low waves against the shore and loons calling to each other eased her anxious mind. Frogs croaked from the nearby boat launch surrounded by shallows and reeds. It was never this quiet in Toronto, and she supposed that had allowed her to ignore some of her more ashamed thoughts about the person she’d become. Maybe the city had never been good for her, or maybe she would’ve turned out as thoughtless if she’d stayed in Camden.
What would her friends in Camden have done if she’d lost her job and her apartment? She imagined Audrey giving her some straight talk about why she lost the job, but instead of judging her, Audrey would cheer Kylie up and challenge her to do better. Steph was the logical thinker; she would’ve helped her formulate a plan to get back on her feet. Jillene probably would’ve baked cookies and given her lots of hugs, which was one of the reasons Kylie thought Jillene would make an excellent mother.
