Searching for Purpose (Twenty One Pilots)

3. Blushing Kangaroos

Light was just beginning to shine through the windows of Tyler’s room when he woke up. He was bent at an awkward angle, half-spooning his laptop with one leg tucked under the rest of his body. Surprisingly it was one of the less strange positions Tyler had woken up to in the morning. The most questionable of them being the time when he woke up under his bed with his right hand between the mattress and the box frame. Even he wanted to know what had happened that night.

His knees popped as he stood up and walked over to his backpack. He put his laptop back inside and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes. After slipping on a jacket and grabbing his wallet, Tyler headed out of his room and down the hall, trying to find the source of smell of bacon.

When he passed the other doors he first smiled at the thought of the father reading to his kids, but the shuddered as he remembered who had been just across the hall. Hopefully he wouldn’t run into them this early in the morning.

Upon reaching the main level of the Forest Inn, Tyler saw a sign advertising breakfast and an arrow pointing down another hall. The smell of bacon grew stronger as he walked on and it dawned on Tyler just how hungry he was. Hopefully they made enough for food for the other guests as well.

The breakfast buffet was set up in a large open room with some tables and chairs opposite the wall with the food. There were a few guests already sitting down and enjoying their meal when Tyler walked in. He saw a family of four sitting at one table, with the kids being no older than nine, and he guessed that they were the ones he had heard giggling. Then table next to them was occupied by an older lady and someone who looked to have been her daughter. The older lady was going on and on about some political scandal, and from the way the daughter was staring off into the distance, Tyler guessed that this hadn’t been the first time they had had the conversation. Tyler almost felt bad for her.

After he had grabbed a plate and filled it with everything he wanted, Tyler looked for a place to sit down. The room he was in was nice, but he wanted some place a bit quieter. He spotted an open door in the corner of the room and squinted to read the sign in from of it. Tyler smiled when he made out “Patio Seating” and walked over.

The morning air was a bit chilly but it felt good in comparison to the almost stifling breakfast room. It also had the most amazing view of the forest that Tyler guessed the inn was named after. The trees stretched into the sky and looked to be about hundreds of years old. They were practically begging to be climbed, but Tyler had made his dad a promise. Well, kind of.

“Good morning!” said a voice from behind him. Tyler turned in his chair to see the lady who had been at the front desk last night, Amanda. “I hope you slept well and are enjoying your breakfast.”

Tyler smiled at Amanda. She seemed kind. “I did, and this food is really great.”

“Well I’m glad. So, what’s a young thing like you traveling out here all by yourself?”

Tyler guessed anyone else would have been slightly taken aback by Amanda’s forwardness, but he had grown up in a smaller town, much like this one, and his mom had taught him to practice good manners.

“I’m driving down to college.”

“Oh, well isn’t that fun!”

“I guess.”

“Oh, now don’t you frown. You’ll end up with lines on your face like me, and trust me, these aren't from laughing too much. College will be fun. An adventure! Great place to find your purpose in life as my mother used to tell me.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

And with that Amanda said goodbye, walking back into the inn. Tyler sat once again in the peaceful quite of the outdoors, listening to the morning birds chirp and the sounds of the town slowly waking up. He thought about what Amanda had told him and tried not to let his thoughts turn into worry, but it was hard. Nearly impossible. That just wasn’t how Tyler was. He was always worrying, whether he wanted to or not.

With a sigh he stood up and put his plate in the bin by the door. Check out wasn’t until noon, which left Tyler around three hours to kill. Making his way to the front desk, Tyler decided that he might as well spend that time exploring.

“What can I do for you?” a girl asked. It wasn’t Amanda for sure; she was younger, maybe more around Tyler’s age, and slightly taller, but she looked related to her in some way. The blond hair was the same.

“I was wondering if there were any places that you would recommend seeing while I’m here,” Tyler said. He hoped there was something to do. Going back to his room and waiting didn’t sound very fun, even if the inn had free wifi.

“Yeah, sure,” the girl smiled. She ended up giving Tyler a list of things to see, explaining how they were all within walking distance from the inn. Tyler thanked the girl and walked out the front doors. When he looked down at the paper to see where he wanted to go first, Tyler noticed a small note written in the corner. The girl had given him her number.

He blushed and shoved the paper into his pocket. Were people always that forward? Did people really do that?

Three hours later, Tyler had packed up everything into his backpack and was standing at the front desk for the second time that morning. The girl that had given him her number was still there, and every time she made eye contact with him, he’d blush. Situations like these were the reasons he preferred to keep to himself. He didn’t know what to do.

“Come back soon,” the girl said as Tyler turned and began walking out the front doors. Still practically drowning in awkwardness, Tyler tripped on his own feet and stumbled into the door frame, causing the girl at the desk to giggle. His face heated up more and he walked out as quickly as he could.

Once inside his car, Tyler plugged in his music and sent a quick text to his parents to let them know where he was. He probably didn’t need to, but it’s what his mom wanted. He wanted her to worry as little as possible. God knows he worried enough for everyone.

“Here we go,” he sighed to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot. "I wonder if this is considered running away. I mean, I am trying to get away from everything, just not necessarily from home. Well, yeah. Home too. But everything else first."

Tyler shook his  head as he drove down the main street and passed the real estate office he had seen last night. "Talking to yourself again, Tyler," he mumbled. "People are gonna think you're even more crazy."

Tyler got back onto the highway and immediately his mind began to wander. The thoughts weren’t violent this time, though. He was busy planning music videos in his head for the songs he was quietly singing along to. That, of course, led him to thinking how practical it would be to train a kangaroo how to tango. It was probably impossible, but that didn’t stop Tyler from thinking about it.