As she drives on through the night, Missy cannot stop the memories from flowing. The bright stars and warm air surround her. Each curve in the road is familiar to her, etched in her mind as if they are part of her. This is her home. The small winding roads of the country, the total darkness you can only find in a small town. The light of the moon and the stars is the only natural light, her headlights guiding the way for her.
Missy drives on, lost in thought. Sweet music plays from the radio. She has chosen to listen to songs of her youth while making this journey home. Each song brings back a memory, some wonderfully happy and others that are not so fond. She recalls the freedom she enjoyed as a senior in high school and the reckless fun of her college years. Each landmark she passes seems to hold a memory. She slows to take in the scenery, the memories. She knows that she does not have to worry about her safety. The only cars she is likely to encounter this late at night are those of today’s carefree youth. Youngsters who, like she and her friends in their day, are out late spending time with friends. In this small town, the recreation is limited to parties in the fields or a small group of friends parked along the road. She recalls all the wild nights of drinking with her friends, staying out all night… just being free.
As Missy drives further into the night, she lets the feelings flow over her. She relaxes in the comfortable feeling of being home in her environment, away from life’s busy hustle. She has been away for over five years now. She fled the small town when she graduated college, like so many do, in search of something more. She also left to get away from the memories. Memories of her love. Mark.
As the music plays on, she is drawn into the past. The first time they kissed, the passion that they shared. They were high school sweethearts. She learned about love from Mark, about the expression of love. He taught her the joy of making love and of being in love. She never dreamed that they would not be together today. Like most first loves, however, they were taken in different directions. Somehow lost in the transition. She went off to college, and he joined the military. In some ways she never forgave him for that, for leaving her. He could have gone to college with her, they could have been together. But, he had dreamed of the military for years. Nothing could change that need inside of him. Even back then, she knew that what they shared could not take away his need to follow in his father’s path. He dreamed of making his father proud, to somehow feel a connection with his father who had passed away when Mark was a boy.
As Missy pulled herself from the fog of her past, she took notice of where she was. The night had called her here, to the old cabin by the river. It had been abandoned for years. It was a special place for her and Mark. They used to escape here, to be alone. Not many people knew about this place. Mark brought her here so many years ago. The cabin was part of his family’s property, somehow lost in the generations.
