Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 71

Saturday morning, three weeks later, Lauren was taking the usual route from her house to Camila's, her red Chevrolet cruising easily along the quiet suburban streets of Miami in the warm spring air. She had her window rolled down and a strong breeze swept throughout the vehicle, tousling her hair as she sang along to the song on her stereo enthusiastically. "Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulders. Don't you know? The hardest part is over. Let it in, let your clarity define you, in the end, we will only just remember how it feels. All lives are made, in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate. Time falls away but these small hours still remain." She sang happily, Rob

Thomas' lyrics making her smile brightly, their meaning now holding much more significance to her then they'd ever had previously. She remembered every single word effortlessly, her memory possessing an extraordinary talent for retaining them despite the fact that she hadn't heard the song for years. Lauren tapped the steering wheel rhythmically with the music as she drove and found herself feeling thankful to the listener who had called the station and requested it, the song matching her mood perfectly. "Let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you. Let it shine, 'til you feel it all around you. And I don't mind, if it's me you need to turn to. We'll get by. It's the heart that really matters in the end. All lives are made, in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate. Time falls away but these small hours still remain." She continued contentedly, her sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose to protect her eyes from the sun, which sat blindingly low in the morning sky. "All of my regret will wash away somehow, but how can I forget, the way I feel right now..." She trailed off, humming along to the tune as the song built up once more to repeat a final chorus. Right now, at this exact moment, Lauren felt blissful. There was no other word which seemed to more accurately describe her current disposition. She was blissful, in almost every way and in every single aspect of her life. For the first time, possibly ever, Lauren was perfectly happy. "When did that happen?" she thought to herself, grinning broadly at the realisation as she turned left onto

a street a few blocks away from Camila's house. It had seemed like only yesterday that the small, troubled brunette had blundered; quite literally, in to Lauren's life and to say that it had been smooth sailing ever since would be nothing but wildly inaccurate. They'd suffered their fair share of difficulties since last fall, Camila's health, both mentally and physically, featuring prominently amongst them. However, ever since she and Camila had sat down with Rachel and put their problematic past behind them, something had changed. It seemed, at last, that the storm truly had started to calm and the sea was once again, not only smooth, but almost serene. The last few weeks had been filled with nothing but good days for the couple, enjoyable dates and comfortable conversations about nothing of any great importance. Evenings were spent lying together on Camila's bed; their arms wrapped around one another's body as they listened to their favourite songs or watched movies which made them burst out in to fits of uncontrollable laughter. Lauren could feel it undoubtedly, that unexpected shift which had taken place, the subtle change of tide. Now every day that passed seemed to bring with it a better view of the horizon, the thick, oppressive fog lifting, and the waves settling, so that she could now see the shore in the immediate distance once again. "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor," Lauren thought, the memory of her and Camila's first date coming

back to her almost instantly, the reflective tone of her girlfriend's voice from that night echoing in her ears as though they were once again sat together alone under the stars. Lauren had never heard that quote before she'd met Camila, but now, it held a special place in her heart alongside her girlfriend, the two things eternally linked together by the significant part they'd played in her life; by her love for them. Lauren's eyes fell reflexively to the promise ring that Camila had gotten for her with the quote engraved inside, the sunlight shimmering off the silver band and into her eyes as she studied it closely. A smooth sea didn't make a skilled sailor. Lauren was almost certain of that. She'd realised over the course of her relationship with Camila that the only way to learn and grow was to face your difficulties, your own personal challenges, with a steely sense of determination, and most importantly, your best possible effort. It would be hard sometimes and you would struggle, you'd flounder until the point of giving up, until you verged on the precipice of defeat, the waves of despair seemingly too high to escape. There would be days that you would fail, where you would allow water to crash upon your deck, where you'd consider just allowing yourself to drown in them. There was no shame in that, in believing a situation to be hopeless, no shame at all as long as you didn't permit it to be, as long as you kept urging yourself forward, as long as you kept trying. A bumpy ride was practically guaranteed but, if you persisted, if you kept your faith that the bad weather