Hope and Faith

SEVENTY-ONE: FAITH

Finally, after weeks of putting it off, she went to visit her father. She and Mike left early on Saturday morning and arrived just after eleven a.m. Faith was planning on spending the weekend taking it easy and catching up on some reading, while Mike planned to look at apartments in the city. The weekend was dreary and damp, a sign of things to come for fall.

Although life was getting back to normal, Faith was still feeling the remnants of her summer with Hope. Everything had once been so good for Faith, despite all of the tragedy that was happening in her life. Hope was the one good thing that she could look forward to. The one thing in her life that wasn't terrible.

Faith wondered if she had made a mistake. She wondered what would happen if she returned home to Meadow and went directly to Hope. She could apologize, tell her how stupid she had been. Would Hope forgive her? Accept her into her arms willingly? Or had the damage already been done?

Faith sighed and buried her face into the pillow. No amount of sulking and thinking of what ifs was going to change anything. The past was in the past. She needed to move forward and continue on with her life.

She just didn't know how she was going to be able to do that without Hope.

______

That night, William took Faith and Mike out for dinner. They talked about new films that had just been released, as well as upcoming plans for the fall.

"Your mom tells me you were really into photography for a bit," William said, cutting a piece of his chicken.
"A bit, yeah," Faith said, moving her food around her plate but not eating it.
"What stopped?"
"I ran out of film."
"But we got some more," Mike added.
"Yeah. But I guess I just grew tired of it."
"I can get you more film if you'd like."
"That's okay. Thanks though."
"You alright?" her father asked. "You seem a bit blue."
"It's just this weather," she sighed. "Makes me feel crappy."
"I hear you on that one," Mike said, biting into a French fry. "I miss the summer weather already."
"Did you find any potential places today?" Faith asked, turning the attention to her brother.
"Maybe. Everything is so expensive down here."
"Welcome to the city," their father joked.
"I have one or two in mind though," Mike said. "It will be rad, living out here on my own."
"And it will be pretty shitty without you at home," Faith admitted.
"Don't be too sad, squirt. I'll still come visit."
"More like I'll have to visit you," she said. "Get me the hell out of Meadow."
"I thought you were enjoying it there?" William said.
"I was. Sort of. But things change."
William and Mike exchanged a glance. Both of them knew not to pursue the topic further.
"Well, what else did you want to do while you're in the city?" William asked Faith.
"Nothing."
"Come on, there must be something."
She sighed again. "I don't know. I'll figure it out tomorrow."
"Okay," he said, staring at his daughter, but not having a clue as to how she was feeling. "We can talk in the morning."