Young Tamsin Caddel escapes an abusive father in a search of a happy place, a place she could call home. On her way to contentment, she meets strangers and each of them gives her a long-lasting impact by telling her stories about their life. Stories...
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It was around 19:30 when Tamsin entered the gas station. She was starving. Her hands were shaking and her posture was rigid, but she quickly straightened her back and tried to look as calm as possible. Even after eight days on the road, she couldn't deny that she was becoming agitated every time the sun began setting. As a teenager, no matter how much sleep she got, she was up no later than seven in the morning. She was definitely a morning person, never much of a fan of darkness.
Tamsin's eyes landed on the magazine and newspaper section. There were a few books thrown between the journals and a small, handwritten sign that said "SALE" was put on top of the shelf.
"Dubliners" by James Joyce was the first book she noticed. it was her and James' favourite read back in year ten. The whole class had to write an assignment in English class about it.
"Which was your favourite story and why? What did you feel while reading it, did you resonate with any of the characters? No less than five pages, 1900 characters per page!" Tamsin always questioned Mr. Wren's presence in her school. He was way too good to be teaching in a small, forgotten town like this. He had so much potential, why was he here? Nonetheless, Tamsin was grateful that she was able to experience the art of his teaching, she liked him a lot, maybe even too much. The occasional stares they threw each other in the halls gave her butterflies, whenever he touched her shoulder or called her name, she would shiver and close her eyes, cherishing these short moments. She started developing deeper feelings for him in year eleven, but before she could even process her emotions, he was fired. Tamsin couldn't wrap her head around it. Why would they fire the most intelligent, kind and caring teacher? She never found out.
Tamsin grabbed the ice cream and the ice-cold water and left the empty gas station. She spotted an empty bench not far away from where she was standing. The last time she slept on a bench, her back hurt for the next three days. Seeing as there wasn't another option, she put her brown blanket on the cold bench and sighed. Another sleepless night it is.
