Heading Home Again

“Yes, Mom,” I said as I threw a pair of yoga pants into my duffle bag. “I know, Mom. Okay, Mom. Yeah, I’ll be there.”

I was half listening to my mother’s ranting while trying to make sure I didn’t forget to pack anything for my weekend home. I was trying to make sure I had everything I needed for a few days in the cold state of New York.

When Anna told me she was engaged over FaceTime, I almost dropped my phone as I jumped up and down. “That’s so exciting,” I said to her before she started telling me the details about how her now fiancé proposed.

Charlie and Anna had been dating for roughly two years when he popped the question. They were walking his dog in a park when he pointed out a piece of paper taped on a bench. Charlie asked Anna what it said so she walked over to it and saw that it simply read, “Turn Around.” When she did, he was down on one knee.

Anna had been in a lot of crappy relationships and dealt with a lot of heartbreak over the years, so I was really happy that she had finally found a guy who not only treated her right, but also really seemed like a perfect match for her. It was inspiring, too. A short time ago, Anna was in the same place as me. Maybe I’d meet my Charlie soon!

I was due for a trip home anyway, so I decided to go for Anna’s engagement party. It wasn’t going to be anything huge, but it’d be a perfect opportunity for me to see all my close friends from home in one shot. Then I’d spend some time with my family before hopping back on a plane. It was going to be a short trip, but with the way things were going at work, I wasn’t about to take any vacation days.

On my way to the airport, I received a text from Tom. “Have a great trip home. I’ll miss you!” He added a kissy face emoji on the end of his sentiment. I smiled at the text and promptly texted him back that I’d miss him, too.

I arrived in New York super late Friday night and crashed immediately. When I woke up Saturday morning, I went downstairs where my mom was making breakfast.

Sometimes, I get uneasy when my mom asks me about my love life, but as I ate her amazing pancakes, I was happy that I finally had some good news for her. I told her I had just started seeing Tom and that things were going pretty well.

“I’m glad, sweetie,” she said refilled my coffee cup. “I worry about you out there.”

“I have a life, mom,” I responded as I rolled my eyes. “But I know you worry.” I could always tell my mom was concerned about me when we spoke on the phone, but I tried to calm her nerves by telling her about all the fun stuff I was doing.

“So,” she began as a mischievous look crept across her face. “No chance you’re going to move back home?”

I tilted my head down and gave her a look. “The more you prod me, the less I want to come home. Besides, I told you, I have a life there!”

I hadn’t told my mom about all of my work drama. It was the last thing she needed to worry about and I didn’t want her to get her hopes up that I’d possibly move home if things didn’t work out with my job.

So, Saturday afternoon I met up with Darlene and Jessica to browse around the mall for a possible engagement gift for Anna and Charlie. I knew we’d probably end up getting them a gift card somewhere, but it was nice to walk around the mall that I used to wander around when I was in high school. Plus, I could use some new shoes.

I caught up with Darlene and Jessica a little bit while shopping. Neither of them were seeing anybody, but they were going out a lot and really happy with their respective jobs. I actually felt like an outsider walking around with them. While I still continuously texted them both along with Anna in a group chat, I had no idea how much more connected they were to each other than to Anna or me. It was still an enjoyable afternoon, though.

“So, how’s everyone else?” I asked as I picked up a cool soap dish in Target. There was one person in particular that I wanted to know about but couldn’t ask directly about.

“Pretty much the same,” Jessica replied. “You know, all the guys are moving in with their girlfriends and I’m sure this engagement party is the first of many we’ll have over the next couple years.”

I laughed. “Well, I’ll probably miss some of those. Between engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and then the actual weddings, I have a feeling I’m going to miss out on a lot of it.” I let out a quiet sigh. It was kind of sad that I couldn’t have my life in California while teleporting here for the important stuff.

“Yeah, the other night we were all hanging out and we started talking about how weird it is that you’re across the country now,” Darlene said as she pressed a pillow against her face.

“Oh, yeah?” I curiously asked. “Who were you with?”

“You know,” she responded with a shrug. “The usual. Anna, Tom, Tom, Moose, Billy.”

My heart actually skipped a beat at the sound of Moose’s name. “So, how are all of them?”

Jessica and Darlene rambled on a bit about what everyone was doing. None of the information was that interesting or new to me until they finally got to Moose.

Turns out, he was newly single again and he would be at the engagement party.