The evening stars

Rachel

Rachel looked at the overflowing boxes strewn across the living room and felt a slight thrill. The move was inevitable. The room she had spent so many years in now seemed alien, as if memories were disappearing along with the furniture and things that were being boxed away. Moving to Chicago was an important step, a new beginning, and even though it seemed like the right decision, a sense of unease never left her.

She sat on the edge of the couch, holding her phone in one hand and a photograph in the other, an old, faded picture of her and Sophie standing hugging at the prom. They'd been inseparable at the time, sharing all their joys and experiences, dreaming of a future that seemed so cloudless. Rachel then it seemed that her life would develop according to a clear plan: a successful career, family, a house with a white fence. But everything changed when she met Alex.

She smiled, remembering their first meeting. Alex was charming, confident and full of ambition. Their relationship had developed rapidly, and soon after their wedding they had moved to New York City. Here their daughter Samantha, whom everyone called simply Sam, was born, and Rachel felt that her life was taking on a new meaning. She made the decision to devote herself to her family. Alex was not only a husband to her, but a friend, a support in every endeavor. But with the move and the birth of their daughter, their communication with Sophie became rare and superficial.

Moving to Chicago meant returning to her roots, to the places where she had spent her youth. It was a chance to reconnect with Sophie, to be close again to those she loved. But something inside kept her uneasy. Was it anxiety about the future? Or memories of the past that now seemed so distant and out of reach?

"Mommy, I found your doll!" - her daughter's voice snapped Rachel out of her musings. The little girl was holding an old toy that Rachel had kept since she was a little girl.

"Oh, it's so great that you found it," Rachel smiled and took the doll from her daughter's hands. She cradled the toy to her chest, remembering playing with it in her childhood. Those memories filled her with warm feelings, as if the past had returned for a moment.

"Mommy, are you sad?" - The girl asked, looking at her mother curiously.

"No, dear, just reminiscing a little about old times," replied Rachel, stroking her daughter's head. 

"You and I are going on a big adventure, aren't we! We're going to see Chicago, meet new friends, and most importantly, we're going to be together."

Rachel realized that all her doubts stemmed from worries about how they would adjust to the new place, how her daughter would accept the move, how she and Alex would build a life together in Chicago. But she also knew that this change was necessary. It was a chance to start over, to reclaim the part of her life she'd left behind when she'd left for New York.

She stood up, tucked the picture back into the box and, taking her daughter's hand, headed for the door. Soon they would move, and the room full of memories would be left behind. But Rachel knew what mattered was the people around her, the ones she loved. And while change always brought uncertainty, it also brought new possibilities and hope.

"Ready, Sami? We have a lot ahead of us," Rachel said, trying to convey her confidence and positive attitude to her daughter.

They walked out of the apartment and Rachel felt the air fill with a sense of impending change. She knew that they had a new life ahead of them, full of meetings, discoveries and happy moments. And somewhere in the back of her mind she was sure that everything would work out the way it should.