It's Not That Hard [Fiction]

They say it's not that hard. But Lauren has doubts, her heart racing as she catches a glimpse of her future stretching out ahead of her. It seems vast and unknown, uncertain even. The long stretch of monotonous days feels like standing at the edge of an empty field with no clear path.

She prefers certainty, having her life planned out. The divorce disrupts the seamless flow. To start over is not as easy as they make it sound.

She twists her fingers, turning slowly in a circle to take in her new apartment. The mansion was hers but it held too many memories. Unsettling ones. She wants a new start—a new place. The smell of fresh paint and cleaning fluids reminds her it's time to make the place hers.

She sets her keys on the kitchen counter as the silence embraces her. It's new and different but soothing.

She moves to the window and looks out. The street is fairly busy. A woman walks a dog while on her phone. A few cars drive by without honking. It's a quiet neighbourhood that has not registered her arrival yet.

She moves to where her suitcases lay on the floor, opened. The urge to unpack and set her things in order is strong but another part of her, faint and unyielding, beckons she does...nothing. Just simply be.

She sits, then lies back on the rug, eyes fixed on the patterned ceiling. A sense of freedom runs through her like a shudder, goosebumps rising along her arms.

She feels different, and on a new path. Her former self is gone, turned over like an ended chapter in a thick book. Yes, the book is thick and there have been many journeys.

A new one begins, quietly. It's time to know exactly who she's becoming.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "it’s not that hard".

Thank you for visiting my blog.

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