6 A New Beginning
1741 Words
Haley’s POV
I bought a new phone as soon as I landed in Seattle. My old phone was in the dumpster at O’Hare airport. I knew that Nate wouldn't call or search for me, but I didn’t want to risk anything. I needed a new start and that meant leaving everything behind me.
I couldn't leave Alice, though. She was my best friend and I couldn't let her worry. I had to let her know that I was okay.
I wrote her number on a piece of paper before I got rid of my phone. I sat down on one of the benches in the airport terminal and dialed her number.
“Hello?” she answered after a few rings.
I could hear the confusion in her voice. She didn’t recognize the number.
“Hi, Alice,” I said softly.
There was a moment of silence before she gasped loudly.
“Haley!” she screamed. “Oh, God, Haley, where are you?!”
I had to remove the phone from my ear.
“What the f**k happened?!” she continued yelling. “Janice told me that you quit your job. What the hell, Haley?! Why would you do that?!”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“I would tell you if you let me speak,” I mumbled quietly.
I heard Alice sigh. I could imagine her rubbing the back of her neck. She always did that when she was stressed.
“Where are you, Haley?” she asked quietly.
I gulped and took another deep breath. I felt like crying again. I could already feel the tears forming in my eyes.
“I had to leave, Alice,” I mumbled, trying to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. “I couldn't take it anymore. I had to let him go.”
Alice was quiet. I could only hear her breathing.
“I will start from the beginning,” I continued. “I will forget about him and start fresh. I had to do it. I had to leave. Staying in that house would kill me.”
Alice sighed quietly.
“I know,” she mumbled. “But what about your residency? What about everything you’ve built here? Couldn’t you have stayed in the city?”
I thought about that, but it would be too hard. Everything there reminded me of him.
“It would be too painful, Alice,” I said. “I would probably run into him and I wouldn't be able to forget.”
“Do you really think that you will ever forget him?” she asked, her voice breaking a little. “I’ve never seen two people love each other so much. How will you ever forget that, Haley?”
I wouldn't. I would never forget him. It was impossible for me to forget him. He would always be a part of me. My heart would always belong to him.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled as I gulped down the lump in my throat. “I probably never will, but it will be easier now when I am far from him.”
Alice sobbed a little.
“Where are you, Haley?” she asked, her voice quiet and laced with pain.
My heart broke for her. I wished that I could be there and hug her. I hoped that she would come to visit once I settled in somewhere. I hoped that we would see each other soon.
“Seattle,” I said. “I won’t stay here, though. I want to settle in a small town and start from there.”
“Seattle?!” Alice exclaimed. “That’s so far away!”
That was the point.
“It’s not that bad,” I said, trying to lift the mood a little. “The plane ride was quick.”
Alice sighed and I could imagine her frowning.
I heard shuffling and chair scraping.
“Is that Haley?” I heard Blake’s voice.
“Yes,” Alice mumbled.
“Where the hell is she?!” Blake asked and I could hear the worry in his voice.
“Seattle,” Alice mumbled.
“Seattle?!” Blake exclaimed.
I could hear shuffling again.
“What the f**k are you doing in Seattle, Haley?!” Blake asked, his voice more clear now.
He took the phone away from Alice.
“I had to leave, Blake,” I said. “I couldn't stay there anymore.”
Blake was silent for a moment. I could only hear his deep breaths.
“I am going to kill him,” Blake mumbled quietly.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.
“Blake…,” I spoke, but he interrupted me.
“No, Haley, I am going to punch the living s**t out of him,” Blake said angrily. “You have to come back. You can’t throw everything away because of that fucker.”
My heart clenched painfully. I knew that my friends had a good reason to be mad at him, but every time they spoke badly of him it felt like I was being punched in my gut.
Both Alice and Blake knew Nate before the accident. Both of them adored him and thought that Nate and I were made for each other. The four of us used to hang out together a lot. We would go on trips and hikes and we were really close. All of that made it even worse for Alice and Blake after the accident happened. Both of them started hating Nate when he refused to go to his neurologist and work on his memory.
“I will build it all again, Blake,” I said quietly. “I couldn't stay there.”
“f**k, Haley,” Blake mumbled, his voice muffled.
I imagined him with his head in his hands.
“Everything will be okay, Blake,” I said, trying to sound brave and confident. “I will settle somewhere and I will be okay. I will continue my residency after a while. I will find a job here. You will be able to come to visit me. We can hang out like we used to. Washington is amazing. We can hike and explore nature. It will be great.”
I was rambling and I didn’t even know who I was trying to convince him or me.
Blake sighed again.
“I don’t give a s**t about that,” he mumbled. “I know that you will be okay. You are the strongest person I know. Alice and I will come to visit all the time. None of that is an issue, Haley. I am pissed as f**k because you had to leave your whole life behind just because of that stubborn idiot.”
I gulped and took a deep breath.
“I had to do it,” I repeated for like a hundredth time.
I heard Alice sniffle again. I tried to hold back my own tears, but it was hard.
“I need to ask you a favor,” I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
“Anything,” Alice mumbled quietly.
“Don’t tell him where I am,” I said as I felt a hand squeezing my heart.
He wouldn't ask and search for me, but I still had to make sure that everyone kept quiet about my whereabouts.
There were a few moments of silence before Alice spoke again.
“What if he remembers?” Alice asked quietly.
I closed my eyes and felt warm tears fall on my cheeks.
“I hope that he won’t remember,” I mumbled quietly, making Alice and Blake gasp.
“What?!” Blake exclaimed. “Why?!”
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. My vision was blurred with my tears.
“I don’t want him to suffer,” I said. “He will be so hurt if he remembers and I don’t want that. I want him to be happy.”
“Oh, God, Haley,” Blake mumbled quietly.
Alice sobbed quietly.
“He will want you back after he remembers,” Alice mumbled through her tears. “He will do everything to get you back.”
My heart raced. My stomach twisted painfully. I didn’t know what I would do if that happened. I couldn't even let myself go there. It was just too painful.
I took a deep breath and looked around. My eyes fell on the Rent-A-Car sign at the end of the terminal.
“I have to go,” I said quietly. “I will call you soon, okay?”
“Go where Haley?” Blake asked. “Will you stay in Seattle?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head even though they couldn't see me. “I will let you know when I settle somewhere.”
“f**k,” Blake mumbled quietly.
“I will talk to you soon, okay?” I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the Rent-A-Car sign.
“Be careful, Haley, okay?” Alice said.
“Call us in a few hours so we know that everything is okay,” Blake added.
“I will,” I said as I stood up and picked up my bag. “Goodbye.”
“Bye,” both Alice and Blake said at the same time.
I could hear the sadness in their voices. I gulped and hung up the call.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and grabbed the handle of my suitcase. I started walking toward the Rent-A-Car counter, pulling my suitcase behind me.
That was it. I was starting a new life. I would be okay. My heart would heal. I would make new memories. I would be okay. I would put everything that happened behind me. This was my new start. This was my new beginning.
It hurt so much to leave everything behind me. It hurt so much to leave Nate. I never thought that I would do that. I never thought that I would divorce the love of my life. I never thought that I would be forced to forget him. I never thought that I would have to let go of all the treasured memories I was keeping.
But I had to do it. I had to let go of the memories and make peace with the fact that I would never see Nate again. I would never see the love of my life again.
- Writer
