The Small Town

Chapter 2

SKYLAR LEWIS MARSHAL

I woke up next morning as the ray of sunshine reflected on my face.

My body was begging for more sleep but my tummy roared in hunger.

Hence, tummy won.

'Hehehe'

I glanced on the clock by the bedside table and it was already noon.

'gosh'

I slept like a log.

So I took a shower before going down.

"How was your sleep, Sky?" Sarah asked as soon as I was treading down the stairs.

"Don't you have work?" I asked instead of answering.

"I took a leave of absence today."

"I plan to take you around the town."

I smiled.

I could tell the excitement and pride lingering in her voice.

'Hmmmm'

The town of Verona.

It seems like I knew the town in the back of my head even if I've never been here before.

I was sixteen when Sarah started to work for me. We really did not get along the first month—

'Cause I was a bitch.

Ah no—

I'm a free spirited person that got to do everything I want in my life.

The unconditional support of my father took a huge part in that and has molded the person that I am today.

And Sarah was the one who lasted the longest of all the personal assistant I've ever had. We'll she's more on something like a manager though.

She was different, kind and she has tamed me in ways she doesn't know.

Though she really can't do anything about my life of fornication—,

Yeah, again I was a bitch.

My life was more on fooling around and sleeping around at such young age—,

… but I do appreciate Sarah's nagging and rebuking in the last three years.

She may not able to control me on that aspect: my fooling around, but she has tamed me in the other aspect of my life…

…that all the rebukes, instructions, corrections and heartfelt advices reached the deepest part of me but I am too prideful to acknowledge it nor to admit it.

I think if I do, I'm showing vulnerability in which— that's the last thing I want anyone to see in me.

Then one night, I don't know, I just felt empty all of a sudden.

'Till I found myself thinking—

Just what really matters in this life…

I've never had a mother to look up to. I never had that chance. She died when I was seventh month old.

My father was twenty one at that time and—

'Wow'

... he raised me up alone as a single dad.

'Salute to my father'

'Salute to the single Dads'

And with Sarah, she has become a really important family to me: a big sister as I don't have one but she has that line drawn as an employee and an employer should have… in which I can't really cross even if how hard I tried.

'Tsk'

Even so, Sarah and I got along after some time.

She has this love and passion everytime we talk of her hometown, Verona. That I think I have learned to love the place from her tales.

Hence, when it got to the point that I was reevaluating my life; that I suddenly got tired and unfulfilled; unhappy and lost.

With all the right timing in the world, my cousin, Andy visited me and suggested an idea that got me here now.

To live simply…

… away from the chaos, noise and fake people.

That's how she quote it.

Well, I fairly knew my cousin, I even called her ridiculous for moving outside the city and live like someone who doesn't have money when we have tons of it.

Yet, here I am now, embracing her idea… even living with it.

'gosh'

So I think I can also be called ridiculous now but this isn't so bad.

I'm feeling positive with this.

'Hehehe'

[***********]

So after our lunch, Sarah drove me around the town.

She took me where the nearest grocery store, bookstore, park , their little gymnasium, the only college in town—

'gosh'

It was really just a small town. There isn't even a mall, or a bar nor a high rise building like those in the city.

Looking back on my trip: riding that public utility bus, I could only see towering mountains in the way, acres of rice field, rivers and lakes— evergreen fields.

Am I going to be an hermit now?

A smile curved at my lips and I giggled a little on the car seat.

This is really new to me.

So, I'm now looking forward to roam around this small town in the coming days.

'Hehehe'