Evergreen

Chapter 20

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere – Dr. Seuss

*

With a new day came a new perspective. Yesterday, Amelia had been bitter at the prospect of delivering newspapers to a million homes but today, she saw it as an opportunity to take in the fresh morning air and greet some neighbours. The increase in temperature might've had something to do with this change in attitude, for Amelia loathed being cold. Whatever the reason, Amelia jumped out of bed with a willingness to get on with the day.

"Paper round again?" said Dad, brushing his long black hair.

"Yep. I'll probably be doing the main road again." Greenling was such a small village that most people lived along the main road, including the Oddoni family. It was a place where everyone knew everyone, and she loved it.

"Okay. Have fun!"

"I will!" she replied, leaving the house with a blue hoodie and a goofy grin.

*

"Good morning, Kevin," said Amelia. Kevin, the newspaperman, stopped filing his paperwork to greet his favourite employee.

"Good morning, Amelia. I've got something a bit different for you today."

"Really? Am I going to be delivering to Springfield Avenue? Or has Doris decided that she wants to read newspapers after all?"

Kevin laughed; it was common knowledge that Doris detested newspapers. "That would be news indeed, but no. The Ferndale paper girl has phoned in sick, so you're going to have to do Greenling and Ferndale. I'll pay you extra. Is that alright?"

Amelia was taken aback. Ferndale? She barely even knew the place, save for Everett's house. Plus, she had to go to school later, so would she have time? But extra money sounded good, especially as she was saving up for a new phone.

Seeing that the clock said 5:55 am, she accepted her mission. Three hours would be plenty of time to deliver the papers and get to school. She started on Greenling's main road, delivering to all the usual customers: Basil, Rosemary, the Potters, the Martins, etc. She stopped for a chat with Jack the Fisher, who cheerfully told her all the details of his latest catch. As usual, he offered to take her fishing, but she politely declined the offer. Fishing was not her forte at all; the last time she did it, she'd fallen out of the boat trying to haul her rod in.

Once the main road was done, she embarked on the walk to Ferndale, breathing in the warm air that smelled like lavender. Today would be a great day to fly a plane, she thought: the wind wasn't too strong, the sun not too blinding and the temperature just right.

People often asked her why she had a job while most people of her age were hanging out with their friends in the park or binging Netflix shows. The answer she gave them concerned money and job satisfaction, though she knew the main reason was to see people. Being an only child could get lonely, and even at school, she sometimes felt left out as her voice got easily lost in a crowd. Hell, the whole reason she'd left her previous RAF cadets troop was that she hadn't made any friends there.

So, yeah, being out and about and talking to random strangers boosted her social confidence. That sounded weird to say aloud, but it was true.

She searched for Pear Tree Avenue, the first road she intended to go down in Ferndale, but it was nowhere to be seen. Asking a random stranger, she learned that it was on the other side of the village and she'd be better off starting on Apple Tree Lane. Why were all these roads named after fruit trees? It wasn't like she could see any fruit trees anyway -