(My attempt at writing fiction furiously fast with the above picture as inspiration)

The quiet sleepy village she left under a cloud of regrettable hurt and resentment had barely changed. As she walked hesitantly yet purposefully towards the quaint yet cozy cottage she once happily called home it was as though time had stood still – time had meted out punishment by casting a magic spell whereby remaining exactly the same was the penance. But then again, remaining exactly how she remembered it when she left was mercifully what she needed right now to make it easier to heal old wounds.

She remembered the looks of disapproval and bitter disappointment from her father and mother when on the eve of her wedding to Luke, she announced that she had called off the wedding and that she would be leaving the next morning to fly out to Australia to her friend Erin’s place a base from which to pursue her dreams. Everyone was shocked at how last minute this appeared to be and yes it was. The invitations had gone out months prior, RSVPs had come in and the guest list finalized. The stunning three tier wedding cake and the three course sit down wedding celebratory lunch menu was all locked it. The wedding rehearsal for what would be a morning wedding service to be held in a small chapel was due in a couple of hours. She felt nauseous with anxiety. A sinking feeling took hold in the pit of her stomach and the realization that she could not proceed became very real. It was at that point she mustered every ounce of courage she had to first have a very raw, painful and difficult conversation with Luke and thereafter with her parents. Now looking back, she realized she was escaping and she regrettably left one too many a human casualty in her wake.

When she met Luke through mutual friends, he was the sweetest most genuine human she had encountered in a long time. They dated for a year and were very happy and she believed that he was ‘it’ – that she was meant to marry him and have babies with him and live a life of contentment filled with marital bliss. He proposed on their one year anniversary at sunset on the Brighton pier. It was magical and she said yes. Plans started immediately for a big wedding. Family from across the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe and America were invited. She did not have any family in Australia – just a pen friend Erin who she had corresponded with since year six. They had kept in touch regularly and the lure of Australia was always ever present. She had pitched the idea of going to Australia for their honeymoon to Luke but he had other plans. He wanted to go to the South of Spain instead and in order to please him she agreed with his choice.

Erin lived in Byron Bay. She would write about endless summers and time spent on the beach, swimming, snorkeling, surfing, fishing and watching humpback whales frolic in the ocean. Erin’s family ran a popular local cafe and she often helped her parents in the kitchen in between school commitments and trips to the beach. Erin’s idyllic life captured her imagination and she longed to have adventures with Erin but her life in this sleepy village in Brighton was worlds away from Erin’s. Brighton was this beautiful seaside town but she did not appear to enjoy the same freedoms that Erin did and quietly resented her parents for it.

The more she put Luke’s wishes ahead of hers believing this to be noble and her duty as his soon to be wife, the more she seemed dissatisfied with her life. It was as if her dreams were taking a regular backseat and her joie de vivre for life was fast evaporating. She started to get increasingly resentful towards Luke and her parents and she could see how she had gradually became sad and depressed. She knew she could not go on feeling this way and even though she sometimes felt pangs of guilt for wanting to pursue her own dreams she knew that something had to give.

That was twenty years ago and oh how much her life had changed. She went on to become an entrepreneur, find love and built a life she was exceedingly proud of especially since it was done with her being entirely true to herself. She was now returning to attend her parents sixtieth wedding anniversary. After her abrupt departure to foreign shores, her parents stopped keeping in touch. She had left them broken hearted and they could not forgive her for her decision to leave. So when the invitation came via the post, she sensed that her family was ready to reach out to her with love and forgiveness and she felt ready to reciprocate. As her tentative footsteps brought her closer to the family home, she was resolute in her intention, for many reasons, to commit to the process of healing old wounds.