| Chapter 3- Caleb |

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| December 19, 2017 |

I'm legit going to have to find two specific days to update officially here but until then, enjoy my whacky updates xD

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| Chapter 3- Caleb |

"Did you hear? There's a new resident in town," the voice of Mrs. Reed, the town's gossip, explains to the woman next to her. I tune them out, not interested in anything but a nice cup of coffee after the restless night I've had.

"The usual, Caleb?" Robin, the manager of this diner, asks me. He knows my answer but I still nod. I have a killer headache and I think he knows this because he also hands me a couple of aspirins without my asking. My restless night was that visible today it appears. I attempt a smile of appreciation. I don't think it works since he just pats my hand.

I drink the pills with the hot coffee, nearly crying out because of the unexpected temperature. I didn't think the coffee was straight out of the pot. Usually it isn't. I scrunch my face up before releasing a sigh. The burn would go away, unlike the scars on my soul.

"I heard she was wearing atrocious clothes. Tights that showed her lower half and a man's shirt!" exclaimed the woman next to Mrs. Reed.

"And there was also a baseball cap. Women shouldn't wear caps. If they want their hair up, keep it in a sophisticated bun," Mrs. Reed adds with a solemn nod as she brings her coffee closer to her lips, her own bun sitting atop her head. I can't recall a day she hasn't had her hair up like that.

"And if we're really saying what women should or shouldn't do, then women should learn to close their mouths again," I find myself snapping at them while staring down at my coffee.

I'm not sure what brought that out. Maybe it happened because Kaleigha would say something like it. She was a woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I've been on the other end of it more times than I'd like. And it hurt sometimes.

The diner grows quieter and the women stare at me with wide eyes. I stand up, slap the money due down, and stock out of the diner without a glance at them. Fakes, the lot of them. Only good for gossiping and never doing anything else unless they benefit from your services too. Lord help the poor woman who decided it was worth moving here in this crappy town.

I shuffle down the sidewalk, enjoying the crisp winter air that surrounds our town during the fall and winter seasons. Kaleigha used to get the Christmas decorations up as soon as the cold front blew in. I would laugh at her and tell her that Halloween hasn't even passed yet. She would just wave me off and stare with pride at the decorations loitering our living room.

I blink out of my flashback when a small body crashes into mine. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" a high pitched voice exclaims as she looks up at me. At least she didn't fall. 

I take in her appearance. She's small with a thin frame. However, with her tight black shirt, I am able to see the toned muscles on her arms. She is in running attire. Her face is flushed, her curly red hair is up in a messy bun with a headband pushing her bangs back. Even while standing in front of me, she's still jogging her feet in place, earphones in her hand when she must have taken them out to address me. 

"Are you okay sir?" she asks, her voice shaking with her movement.

I nod abruptly and make my way past her. I feel her bright blue eyes on my back before I hear her feet carrying her further away from me. That has to be the new girl the old gossips were talking about. She really does seem peculiar. Who wears a thin long sleeve in this weather? Or rather, what girl runs in this weather? I shake my head and get lost back in my thoughts about my life with my wife, the only one who was able to understand me. 

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Okey dokey. Short but here's a bit more into Caleb's life. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Lemme know what you think by commenting and voting! Till next time!

 Lemme know what you think by commenting and voting! Till next time!

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