Even when everything was changing, many things remained the same.
When the dome fell, Barbie and Julia left Chester's Mill as soon as they could. To live in such a place with as many memories as it had would be hard on both of them. They needed a fresh start. So they packed what little belongings they had left, said their goodbyes, and bought a small beach bungalow in Key West. After being in the cold Maine for months, the warmth of Florida was very appealing.
They drove down in Julia's car. It had taken them almost two days, and by the time they got to their small white bungalow, their energy seemed to have been drained. But seeing it replenished their energy. They unpacked most of the first floor and got the bedroom set up by the end of day one. By the end of the month, they had finished unpacking everything. Everything was smaller in the bungalow, but to them, it was cozy.
Instead of the street having houses lined up perfectly next to one another, the shacks were haphazardly placed. There were still the sounds of life, people talking, cars going places, barbecues taking place. But here, the energy was different.
In Key West, everything was different. New, clean. It felt better to live down there. Julia wrote a column every month for the local newspaper, and Barbie decided to become a bartender. They were happier with their quiet lives. In Chester's Mill, people looked to them, needed them to survive. Here, the people could go on without the columnist and the bartender. In a way, it was a wakeup call that they were just background people, only to be noticed if needed. The months when the dome was present, they were always noticed, always needed.
Though that had changed, they remained the same. Barbie still got up at five am sharp, no matter the amount of sleep he'd had, because the military stuck with him - even when he came back home at ungodly hours from bartending. Julia still made breakfast with bananas - no matter what it was that they were having: pancakes, cereal, yogurt, et cetera. They still watched crappy reality tv and Rizzoli & Isles, still ordered Chinese when they were stressed, still went on runs when they were angry at the world.
They had their world ripped out from under them when the dome made its appearance. But they kept themselves intact when they decided to trust and love one another.
So on one hazy morning when Julia woke up before Barbie, and traced patterns into his palm, she knew that even if the world stopped spinning and the sun burned out, they'd be alright because they had each other, and that was enough.
It was more than enough.
Some things never change.