Across the Hall

Present Day

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked myself out loud. 

Two weeks ago I had gotten a letter in the mail saying I'd been accepted to a writing seminar. I'd been dreaming of it for almost a year now and it was finally coming true. However, there was a catch. I had to move to Chicago for a whole year. 

12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 8760 hours. 525600 minutes. You    get the idea. The point is, thats a long time for me to be away from home. I always have had a thing about leaving places I've become attached to. I guess that has something to do with my childhood that I don't remember too well. People change and life goes on. 

I looked myself up and down in the mirror. "You can't make these decisions on your own." I said out loud again. Inside, I knew how ridiculous I was being. It was a way to kick off my dream job and I've wanted it ever since I saw the email sitting in my spam folder last January. This could be huge for me and I decided to make a pro/con list. It's been sitting on my desk blank for these past weeks and I knew I had to send my acceptance in soon.

Pro:

-Big City 

- More opportunities/internships/etc.

-Less driving

-Much needed experience

-I already have a roommate lined up (Mom's best friends daughter or something. I know we've met a few times. Who cares, I don't have to be alone.)

Cons:

-Cost (Expensive...obviously.)

- ?

That was all I had. Pro's did outweigh the con's by a lot. I sighed. This was crazy but it had to be done. I convinced myself after a lot of internal arguing that I can't let a once in a life time chances pass by like this. Not at this age. Without thinking twice, I jumped up from my desk. I knew where all my information, papers, everything was and it needed to be sent. I marched downstairs in my bunny slippers and slid the envelop through the mail slot. It was the best decision I'd made all week. 

***

A month later, after Christmas, approaching New Years

Everything was packed and ready. I triple checked my suitcases and purse, then checked it again. Everything was great. I didn't need anyone to watch my house because I didn't have any pets or plants. I doubt anyone would try to rob me. If they did they'd be horribly disappointed with an old couch and 20 dollars worth of coins. 

Why was I doing this again? Career wise of course. It's not like me to just pack up everything and leave. Like I've mentioned, I don't like leaving. I've grown to like Perth even though it was extremely hot all the time. The people were nice, the food was great, it wasn't something I ever thought I would love. Within these 13, almost 14 years, it began to feel like home.

A loud car horn shook me from my thoughts. "Let's go! Need help with your bags?" Mom yelled out her window. "It's only three suitcases." I rolled my eyes jokingly and loaded them into the trunk. "Do you have everything" She asked as I slammed the door shut. "Yes I have it." I said. "Your passport?" She glanced at my overflowing backpack. "Yes I have it." I said again. "Do you have your work documents? Your keys? The address to Violet's apartment?" She pressed on with the questions until I snapped. "YES MOM I HAVE EVERYTHING!" I yelled. The car went silent with the exception of the occasional pothole being hit. 

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm just scared." 

"Why are you scared? You're 26 years old." She reminded me as if I totally didn't know my own age. "I just don't know. I'm sorry." I apologized again. "If you're not going to put your whole commitment into this then don't go." She pulled up to the departure area and turned off the engine. "It's not like that." I whispered. "Then what is it like? I'm at the point where nothing I do or say helps you anymore. You need to come to an age where you're making your own choices." She adjusted her body so she was facing me. I couldn't force myself to meet her steely gaze. I wondered how long she'd been waiting to say that to me. 

We used to be so close. I remember when we first moved here everything was perfect, until it wasn't. The first problem in the long chain of events was money. Mom's new job wasn't paying as much as they'd promised. Dad wasn't much of a help. He'd stay out late spending all of our money on gambling or alcohol. Everything seemed to be falling apart. One night I woke up because of the fighting. I climbed out of bed as quietly as I could and snuck downstairs. I waited on the bottom step, listening.

"What did you expect Kathrine? If it wasn't for you we'd be fine right now!" Dad slammed his fist on the kitchen counter. "So the answer is drinking? Really? You have children! Do you want Kara to look up to a alcoholic?" Mom had her back to me with her arms up in frustration. "I'm not drinking!" He yelled. "Then where do you go every night?" She demanded in a voice I'd only heard used when I got in trouble. It sent a shiver down my spine. He stayed silent. "Where do you go? You come home broke every night smelling like a cellar." She demanded again in the same tone. "Don't worry about it." He replied. "Tell me now." She growled. I felt tears well up in my eyes but managed to keep silent. 

"You know what? I don't need this! I know she'd keep me happy anyways." He grabbed his coat off the hook, sending the rack tumbling to the floor with a crash. Who could make my dad happier than us? He always seemed happy when we colored together. He would take me to the playground and push me on the swings until dinner was ready. He would help me with my homework while mom worked. He never let it show to me that someone else made him happy too. 

"If you leave you can't come back!" Mom yelled after him. "Good." Was his last remark before the door slammed behind him. It shook the entire house. Mom collapsed onto the couch and I could tell she was crying. What just happened?

The next morning mom sat down with me and explained that they were going to separate. "Where will dad live?" I asked. "I don't know." She shrugged. "Is dad going back to Winnipeg?" I asked in a scared voice. We'd only been here a few months. "I don't know." She repeated. For every question I had she didn't have an answer. It didn't seem to get easier from there on. Things seemed awkward between us and I began to think this was my fault. We still could joke around but it wasn't the same. 

"I have to go." I stepped onto the concrete and walked towards the trunk. I took my bags out, setting them on the sidewalk. I didn't think about how heavy it was. I slung my backpack over my shoulder. "Kara wait!" Mom called after me. I looked back. "What?" 

"Call me when you land. I love you." She called out. I nodded in reply. "Love you too." I turned away for the final time and went inside. 

Hey everyone! This chapter was incredibly long but I hope you guys liked it! This was a special New Years eve update, I originally didn't plan to update today. If you guys are liking it so far please let me know in the comments and same goes for if you didn't like it. The feedback makes it easier to write! I hope everyone has a great new year - Dev :)