On My Own

Chapter 3 Road Trip

Natalie's POV

I drive for who knows how long alone down the dark open highway. This highway is around a lot of smaller towns, so it's never really busy in the first place, let alone at this time of the night. So I'm literally driving by myself on this long, dark, lonely road.

I have just been driving in silence letting my mind run over every little detail about what happened today.. I'm still in shock that I actually had the spine to leave my family.. But just that thought alone gets my heart racing with a tinge of confidence.

I turn on some music to take my mind elsewhere to try to help me relax before I start to cry, getting all kinds of emotional once again.

I sing to the music, letting the music do what it does best, calming myself down at the first note. Music is and always will be my calming savior. Anytime I needed something to make me feel better, and I didn't have anyone to help with that, I always had music to take me away. I get lost in the music as I drive for a little while longer.

I feel myself getting even more tired the longer I drive. The adrenaline is wearing off from everything earlier and now the exhaustion is hitting me like a brick wall to the face.

My eyelids are getting heavy and my eyes keep opening and closing so slowly. So many yawns escape my mouth as I finally give it to the exhaustion, pulling over slowly. I park my car just on the side of this completely empty highway.

I shut off my car, got out and went directly to my trunk, pulling out my blanket and pillow. After shutting my trunk, I climb into the backseat of my car and lock the doors once I'm in.

I set an alarm on my phone because I don't think it's safe for me to stay here too long, particularly in an area I don't know as well as I would like. I have been over here before but just not very many times, especially at 2 in the morning.

I'm just going to have a short nap anyway, giving me the strength and awareness that I need to continue on.

So I bundle up under my cozy blanket relaxing on the soft pillow until who knows when, but I let the long day and emotions completely consume me as I drift off into a much-needed sleep.

----- 4 hours later-----

I hear my alarm with my favorite song playing, waking me up in a better mood than when I went to sleep. I stretch and yawn, shutting off my alarm. I give my eyes a minute to adjust to the new morning light starting to come out from behind the mountains but only slightly.

The sky is still dark, but you can see the light starting to shine across the horizon slowly coming out from behind everything. The sun is taking just as much time as myself to get up and get going to shine bright.

Once I'm awake enough, I climb across the front seat and into the driver's seat, buckling up and turning on the car. I pull back out onto the highway to continue my soul-searching adventure, a little slowly since I'm still waking up.

I drive for a while again, maybe around an hour or so, and now I can really see the sun coming out over the tops of the mountains. I watch the different shades of yellows and oranges cascading across the now exposed environment around me. I keep driving until my heart starts to race again. I can see the state line sign coming into view.

I slow down until I have an area to pull over right by the sign. I put my car into park but left it running because it wouldn't take long, but I'm happy I got to see this sign. I know it doesn't seem like much to some. But this, for me, is a big step because this is the farthest I have ever gone by myself.

Once I pass this state line, this will be the farthest I have ever been from home.. and to say I'm nervous about that thought is a complete understatement.

I got out of my car and slowly made my way to the sign, in shock and awe. I'm doing this.. I'm actually doing this like I always dreamed. I can do this, I know I can.. And I have to, but not to prove anything to anyone.. I just have to do this for myself alone.

Whether my art career works out or not, I have to make sure I can just make it, because I know I can do this no matter what anyone else thinks because I don't need anyone to take care of me. I'm going to make sure I'm a completely capable, independent woman.

I pull my phone out and take a picture of me smiling right by the big sign, in memory of this huge step for myself.

I got back into my car, pulled back onto the highway and drove past the state line. I drive for hours on end, until my stomach starts to growl so much that it's almost going with the beat to the song playing. It sounds like the background base needed for a great tune. I think about it and realize I didn't eat anything last night at work or even before everything happened at the house, so of course I'm starving at this point.

I pulled over into the next town that I could easily access and to the first restaurant I saw that looked open. It ends up being an old-fashioned 50s-looking diner.

I pulled into a parking space and parked as I made sure I had my cash on me along with my phone. I slipped my shoes and jacket on before exiting my car to head into the diner.

Once I walk in, I see a sign saying, 'Seat yourself.'

So I keep walking until I sat down at the first available table with a booth seat. I need something a little more comfortable than my car seats.

I make eye contact with a cute little old lady who almost prances her way to me. I smile and wave at her, and she reciprocates my friendly gesture. She gets to my side still smiling, "Well, aren't you just a stunning ray of sunshine on a cloudy day! What may I get for you to drink sunshine?" She asked this with a strong country accent, not anything I was expecting from this area for sure.

"Good morning, May I please get a water and a lemonade?" I reply, still smiling up at her as she nods and wanders off to get me my drinks. I take a look at the menu, skimming over everything to try to figure out what I want to eat before I really get down to business.

Once she returns with my drinks and sets them down carefully onto my table in front of me...she asks, "what may I get for you to eat sunshine?"

I opened the menu again, pointing at it before I answered, "I would love the number 4 please with bacon and sausage. Thank you."

She smiles and nods as she walks away across the room to put in my order, I'm assuming.

I opened the screen on my phone, pulled up an app. It's used for looking at local real-estate listings. So I am directly looking at places around the Art Institute that I will be attending. That's in my price range.

I have to get a place of my own because I'm too old to be staying on campus in the dorms and I won't be taking a bunch of classes just enough to keep me busy but not overwhelm myself, because I will need to be able to do school and keep a job.. I don't want to overload my schedule and set myself up to fail.. I have to play all this smart if I want to succeed.

I search through a bunch of listings but most of them are just renting rooms with other people and honestly, I don't trust that idea.. I don't know who these people are, and I don't want to jump into a place with a whole bunch of strangers. I want a place on my own if anything.

I kept searching until I find a listing for a tiny little 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom house with a tiny backyard, and it looks like it's in a pretty nice neighborhood which can't be said about the other places I was looking at. I click on the number right away, so my phone automatically dials and calls it.

I hear the phone ring once then twice, before I hear the call being picked up and an older woman's voice on the other end, "Hello?"

"Hi my name is Natalie. I found your listing for this place, which's located on Elmer Street. I was interested and hoping it's still available?" I ask sweetly, keeping my fingers crossed, but just getting straight to the point.

"Well, you sound young, so I have to warn you that there's no smoking inside, no dogs and no parties allowed.. Do you think you can abide by this rules? Because if any of these rules are broken, we have the right to cancel the lease at anytime." She says this with such a stern tone, making me feel nervous, but I don't have an animal, I only smoke weed. Besides, I'm always outside when I do that, and I have never had an actual party.

"Yes, of course I can abide by those rules!" I agree with so much excitement in my voice.

"Ok then I will have to get more information from you, making sure you check out and if you do, then the place is all yours." She says this to me as I started answering all her questions and giving her all the information she needed to know.

"Ok Natalie, I will call you back in a couple of hours at least to let you know either way."

"Ok thank you!" I say with so much excitement, hanging up the call.

At some point in that conversation, the waitress brought my food so I start to really dig in because I'm literally starving right now.

I'm enjoying this amazing meal as I get into the school's website confirming and paying for everything I need. I get signed up for my classes that I want to take, and hopefully they all get approved. I'm so happy feeling so productive about everything I have accomplished in this short period of time.

The next thing I need to do is get a job, so I don't run out of funds. I do have plenty of money saved up since I have been wanting to do this for so long. But I don't want to use all of it if I don't have to. This money is just to help me get started.

I just hope I can get a job at some restaurant that's near my house if I can help it. I can easily get hired at restaurants because I'm actually superb at that job and the cash on hand is always nice. So I figure that's at least a good place to start.

I finished all the food on my plate and it was so amazing I even considered licking the plate. I won't, but it was considered.

The nice lady handed me my bill as I hand her enough cash for the bill and a very nice tip since I stayed there longer than planned and because she did a great job. "Thank you so much for the amazing meal, I hope you have a wonderful day." I say this to her as I practically skip out of the diner and back to my car.

I climb into my car getting comfortable again because I still have about 10 hours left until I get there... maybe even more because I will have to make some pit stops along the way as well.

I drive for hours, not taking too many breaks at all.. Mostly just stopping to get gas and go to the bathroom because of all the energy drinks I'm drinking to make sure I stay awake for this long trip.

I have about 4 hours, maybe a little bit more left at this point. My phone has started to echo so loudly in my car from its ringtone since I'm now getting a call. I just reach for it putting it onto speaker as I answer the call. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Natalie?" The woman who I talked to before about the place, asks me this. I can feel my heart race in anticipation of what she is going to say.

"Yes this is her!" I answered this with too much excitement in my voice, but I'm trying hard to not get my hopes up just in case I get turned down.

"Oh hello. I just wanted to call and let you know that everything went through and you are approved for this place for a 1-year lease." She says this to me, making me so excited and smiled from ear to ear.

"Really? That's amazing, thank you so much!" I say to her as she responds right away. "Of course, Natalie, now when can we meet up at the place, so you can pay and sign these papers and I can of course, give you your keys?" She curiously asks me awaiting my answer. I look at the GPS on my phone, and it tells me about 4 hours from there.

"Well, I don't live in that state yet, and I'm currently driving there now.. My GPS says I have a little over 4 hours left, so I could meet you at the place in about 4 and a half hours if that works for you?" I respond shyly.

She laughs lightly replying back, "Well, how about we make it 5 hours, just so you don't have to rush since you don't know your way around town yet. So I'll see you in 5 hours on Elmer Street. Safe travels Natalie, see you soon." I hear the call end. As I set my phone down, screaming in even more excitement!

Now I'm so anxious to get there. I wish the 4 hours would just fly by! I couldn't be happier I got my schooling figured out, and my place officially figured out!

-----4 almost 5 hours later-----

I'm so anxious to get there now that I don't take any more breaks, I just want to get there ASAP to mostly get out of this car I have been cooped up in for too long! It's right about dinner time, and I'm starving, but I can take care of that stuff when I get everything signed and paid for. I have gotten a little lost in the city a couple of times, from the GPS because of construction and wrecks, so the streets were blocked, but I slowly figured out how to get around all of it.

I weave in and out of the city traffic. Luckily for me, it's not a huge city because I think that big of a change would be too overwhelming right now... Maybe a new change of pace after I graduate, but not right now.

It takes me a couple of wrong turns until I think I finally get on the right street. I drive down the street slowly, trying to figure out if I'm in the right area, because it's getting too dark, so it's hard to see the addresses. I get so excited when I see my new home for the next year at almost the end of this little cul-de-sac. I pull up on the side of the road since a car is already parked in the small driveway.

I got out, staring at the house for a moment as I saw an older woman get out of the car in the driveway extending her hand to me saying, "You must be Natalie." I smiled, taking her hand and shaking it as I replied, "Yes, but you can call me Nat if you would like.. Thank you for meeting me so late here. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all, it's not like this out of my way or anything and the signing only takes a minute, so no bother at all I swear." I sign a check for her and handing it to her quickly as she hands me the paperwork and telling me what it all means before I sign. We get everything signed as she turns to me with an even bigger smile on her face.

"The lease is for a year. Unless you want to extend it, then we will have to remake a new contract. If you have any problems, call me and I'll be there. Welcome to town Nat."

I shook her hand again, then pulling her into a hug, shocking her instantly as I say, "Thank you so much."

I separated from her, letting her out of my excited death grip. She hands me the keys as I take them and run up the stairs on the porch and to the front doors, opening them. I set the house keys down on the counter along with my phone. I turned on the front patio lights, leaving the front door open. I waved goodbye as I watched her backing out of my driveway and out of the cul-de-sac.

I prance down with so much pep in my step to my car as I use my keys to open my trunk, as I quickly make my way back and forth into my new place with my small amount of bags I brought with me.

Once everything is out of my car and into my place. I shut the door, getting into my car and re-parking it into the driveway. I get out locking my car.

I take a second to just enjoy this moment for myself, staring at my new home for the next year. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in as I climbed the small amount of stairs to my patio. I take a look around as I reach out to my front door as I try to turn the knob.. But it won't turn.. It's locked.