The Girl in room 307 Pt. 2

Carlie finally made it to Springsdale and with her mom's warm embrace she felt her anxiety subside little by little, the tight band that was around her started to unravel. She finally caught her breath for the first time since the breakup. That night was the first time she really slept, until she started thinking about reality and her future. Sitting in room 307 all alone, with the quietness around her closing in. The thought of people in her small town finding out about the breakup taunted her. Phrases such as "there are plenty of fish in the sea," "you were way better than him anyway," and "being alone is a good thing." All of these words swirled around in her head and made her physically ill. She did not want to hear these words and she wanted to figuratively strangle the next person who said something. Carlie was a different type of girl, instead of wanting to talk about her feelings she kept them in, not forever but just for a while. It was too painful to talk about what happened, or to say the name of her now ex boyfriend. Saying his name felt like a knife stabbing her over and over again. She knew she would finally get to a point where she could say his name without vomiting but right now that point felt like lightyears away.

She was so happy with him and with the divorce of her parents and other family drama going on he was all she had. Once again life had to flip her upside down, with no remorse. She knows there is a God, but she questioned why He would let this happen to her? Why now? Why not when her life was back together fully from her other problems? She is also a firm believer on everything happens for a reason but finding a reason for this situation felt like a needle in a haystack.

The next day came and as Carlie drove through the streets of Springsdale, windows down, with the smell of fresh, crisp, and earthy mountain air filled her car and engulfed her. She gazed at the mountains in front of her; snow covered, in the middle of June. There was something so mesmerizing about this Colorado mountain-city. The sun beamed into her car, warming her face as she drove through each stop light, looking at all of the people riding their bikes without a care in the world. People walking across crosswalks hurrying to their next destination, people...people everywhere. She closely studied each one, wondering where they were going, what they did for a living. She also wondered what problems they might be facing, if any. There were so many people here and it took Carlie a good while to soak it all in.

When she finally snapped back into reality, she grabbed her phone and thought of a store to go to, just something to get her mind off of things and do what she did best... shopping! she typed in one of her favorite childhood stores into her GPS, in her Buick and away she went. That was the beauty of Springsdale, you have the whole world at your fingertips, and the opportunities are endless. She couldn't remember the last time she was in an that old beloved store, but it had to have been when she was 6 years old. When she walked through the doors, the smell of new clothing hugged her nose. The statues of plastic dogs were at the end of every rack, and the sound of people's feet clicking and clacking on the dark brown hard floor took her right back to that 6 year old little girl, tugging on her mother's jeans, asking if she could go pet the friendly plastic dog. The sound of an associate asking if she was finding everything alright, snapped her back into today. She replied; "just looking thank you."

This was only the beginning she told herself, that other store could she think of? Oh, that's it! Kholts she thought. But this was not any ordinary Kholts, this department store had a Sefona makeup store inside! The closer she got the more excited she became. She finally arrived, as she walked in, the bright fluorescent tubes lit up the clear glossy floor, making it look as if the tiles themselves were glistening. The sight of fantastic colors and attractive shades caught her eye, until the smell of fresh floral scents tickled her nose. She followed the scent, into Sefona and was awe struck at the beauty that was raveled up in such a tiny store...inside of another store. As she looked around, the makeup stands were lit up like the Fourth of July, as if the makeup itself could light up. She then understood by the engineers thought of the light aspect of things because it made her want to put one of each item in her well-used, tattered-cloth shopping bag. Once she finally made herself leave the tiny immaculate store, she made her way to the colorful clothing that first caught her eye. This was a girl who grew up in a small town, that had no problem getting down in the dirt, riding horses, and her ultimate favorite, fishing! However, she also enjoyed feminine clothes. There was something about putting on that name-brand apparel and feeling the soft new clothes feeling hug her skin. Some people in her hometown would often judge Carlie and take her as "high maintenance." Those people clearly did not know Carlie well at all because little did they know Carlie loved to thrift and find her name-brands, at a discounted price! She also enjoyed the Thrift stores and the smell of old books and greasy wool, with stained carpets, and lets not forget the flickering bulbs on the ceiling.

Carlie always had a sense of style; ever since she was in high school. She loved looking nice and presented herself well. A lot of folks in her hometown never understood her classy and retro style, but that never seemed to bother her, but when she would visit Springsdale, she would always seem to fit in just fine. It was such a nice break to go into a store and see people walking in and out, not giving a darn who you are. They just came to get their stuff and get out.

As she walked out of the double doors with big metal handles, reaching to the very top of each door, she carried her bags out into the parking lot. The sounds of her plastic shopping bag rustling in the wind, and the overwhelming smell of hot tar, as the sun beat down onto the pavement relentlessly. Each step she took, she could not wait to get into her air-conditioned car. She typed in her moms address, took one last look at the store and hit the road. On the drive she started to pray "God please help me," she cried. Comfort me and give me a sign. Little did Carlie know, she has grown closer to God over the past couple months and she was at the point to where she could feel Him again, and did not need a "sign."

As she prayed about Springsdale she felt free, happy, and calm, and the feelings of the black empty hole inside of her started to close. She knew at that moment what her answer was. She then said out loud "Thank you Jesus, I am coming home...to the beautiful Springsdale.

To Be Continued....

end of part 2