The Rest of a Life

Chapter 4

The first morning on her own in Los Angeles, Jo felt some mixed emotions: She felt that she was going to discover something beautiful, but at the same time she was afraid of what she was going to meet and scared to leave behind what she knew. She could not sleep all night, not because she was anxious but because she was excited to dive into the vast ocean in front of her, the Seaside practice.

She spent the night watching movies in her room overlooking the ocean. In the early morning, she settled down to drink coffee on her terrace. She closed her eyes, listened to the soft music of the waves, and fell asleep peacefully. The young woman was woken up an hour later by Addison, who tapped her gently on the shoulder.

"Have you actually slept here? This is pretty weird." Addison continued as Jo woke up and got up. "Are you aware there's a bed upstairs?"

"I came here an hour ago to have coffee and look at the ocean, but then I fell asleep." Jo answered with a smile. "To be honest, I couldn't sleep all night being so excited about my first day at the office."

"I had the same feeling on my first day in Los Angeles, so I completely understand how you feel right now. That's why I came here this morning, to share this very special moment with you."

"Well, thank you. Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee?"

"Don't you worry Addison," Addison replied, indicating to her friend to stay where she was, "I know this house so I can make one."

Addison went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Afterwards, she returned to the terrace and the two women both began to look out over the ocean.

"That's weird," Jo said as she continued to stare at the ocean, "I have never liked nature, I have always been mostly attracted by the incessant hustle and bustle of the city, probably because I lived in my car for a long time. But nothing and no one has ever fascinated me as much as this ocean. It's just dazzling, magical and mysterious."

"I agree, I can spend hours and hours looking at this peaceful spot of water without looking away. Maybe I'm trying to uncover the mystery of the ocean, maybe I'm waiting for something to smash the skyline and come to me, maybe it's the sound of the waves that draws me to look."

"The view is certainly its main asset. I needed a fresh start and I needed to experience something new. I had never lived in front of the ocean before, and the sound of the waves changed my life."

"Let's hope it changes mine, too."

"It's going to change your life somehow. I don't know if it's going to change your life as much as it changed mine, but this will change yours."

"You know, when I was living in foster care, on Christmas morning, I always woke up with the desire to know what I was going to get. I feel the same way this morning because I don't know what's going to happen, but I know it's a gift."

"I will do everything to make this experience and this gift the best it can be. You know, I recognize myself in you a little bit, but I could never know what happened in your life. You deserve to be happy, so I'll do everything I can to make you happy."

"I hope one day I will have the career level you have reached, the serenity you show and the family you have built."

"One day you'll have all these things because you deserve them. You've been in a dark forest for a long time, but don't worry, you'll soon be in a clearing and everything that was dark will become light."

"I hope I can at least find out when I'll be in the clearing, after spending so much time in the darkness."

"Don't worry, you'll know when you get there."