It was Always You

Running from her past.

It was a warm September mornig in San Diego, California. It was already over 70 degrees at 5am and Hallie was on her morning run on the beach. It was the same route she had always ran for the last 10 years since she had moved out there after she had her son.

Although her pace was a bit slower and sometimes she walked most of it; she got up six days a week and did her morning run. Her kids were still asleep and her husband would greet her with her breakfast ready when she returned. Their house was just two blocks from the beach and Hallie had just stopped working last year to be around more for the kids now. Her son Landon was now turning ten and her daughter Lilly had just turned six.

Hallie stood on the beach an extra minute and took a deep breathe. She heard his voice as she exhaled.
"Everything is going to be fine Hal."

She heard it as if he was standing there whispering into her ear. The warmth of the ocean breeze hit her face and she thought for a second it was his breath. She shook her head and ran back to her car to go home.

Home was a beautiful white beach house that sat in a hill about two blocks from the beach in San Diego. Hallie walked in and just like clock work her husband, Nick was there drinking his coffee and eating his eggs. A plate waited for Hallie next to him at the counter.

"Going to shower quick!" She said as she rushed up the stairs and greeted his cheek with a quick peck.

The rest of the day was a bit like clock work as well. She ate got the kids up and ready for school. Hallie did morning carpool which included picking up her friends kids and bringing them to school as well. It was a simple life but it was what she wanted. Stability and organization is what she thrived on.

She then headed to the store where she picked up things for dinner, or just browsed around. Usually she got home and Nick would be in his office working. She did a load of laundry, dishes, made lunch and brought it to the office for Nick. Then got the kids soccer stuff ready for practice, and started dinner.

Her friend Tiana would drop them off a little after three and then it was usually homework and Hallie took them to soccer practice. When they got home Nick would have dinner on the table and they would eat as a family.

Nick would put the kids to bed and read to them as Hallie cleaned up dinner. She would end every night with a hard seltzer strawberry lemonade flavored on the back porch in her pajamas. Her life was a bit like a vicious cycle, always repeating, consistent. Most days she was happy and some days her anxiety would hit so hard she would try to escape in her dreams.

Some nights she would read books on her Kindle or put her head phones in and watch a show, even turn the fire table on and just soak in the warmth of the fire. But mostly she lived in the past. It felt like yesterday but it wasn't, it was 13 years ago. The summer after high school graduation.