Challenge 37: Simplicity
[Fabrevans]
Quinn liked simple things now more than ever. She was used to glamour, glitz, and the world of being a rich man's daughter, but simplicity seemed to catch her eye more than anything else had. When she was younger, she'd stand at her bedroom window and watch cars and pedestrians pass by the black iron gate in front of her house. Everybody who crossed the path in front of her house had a story, a purpose. More often than not she'd make them up; a family on their way to a reunion, a happy couple coming back from a first date. None of them were ever alone like she was, but that only made her feel worse.
Simplicity caught up to her in the form of an average sized blonde. He was her reality check. In a world where all she'd wanted was to have a simple life, his had been ripped from him in a few months of hell. He'd gone from being happy with the necessities to craving them daily. He'd been given the challenge of sucking it up and living in happiness, becoming more of a father to his siblings than he'd ever had to be in his whole life. He'd gone from a simple two story house in a suburban neighborhood to a cramped motel room off of a main road. Sam Evans craved simplicity more than ever because his had been ripped from him. The life he'd known had disappeared in a cloud of confusion and sadness.
It had been so long since she'd had him, since he'd held her in his arms and told her he'd love her forever. She'd made the same promise, and then everything slipped away. He'd gone back to Tennessee, met a girl, and now they were probably in love with no turning back. Quinn thought about him often, mostly looking out her window at the waves crashing against the shore. Her rich-girl lifestyle had bought her the simplicity she'd needed; A well-paying, simple job and seclusion near the ocean in a cabin she'd picked herself. Its exterior was that of a fairy tale cottage with an inside to match, everything she'd wanted as a little girl. Only now she had no one to share it with.
She'd probably forgotten him by now, even though he'd told her again and again that she was the one he'd wanted to marry. He was probably rich, their little family living in an upstate New York mansion. He pictured her hair short again-she'd always said long hair was a hassle with kids. He pictured her at home with her baby while her husband worked in an office to provide for their family, never really there to see the family he was providing for. In each aspect of her life he pictured, everything was the exact opposite of himself. He'd chosen a job geared toward himself, selling music and giving lessons at a store downtown, right in the heart of the town he'd grown to love. He hadn't known why he'd picked Brimington, it'd just happened. There was a glow about it that seemed oddly welcoming, as if it was already his home before he'd even unpacked.
She was slow coming home from work the next day. The elementary school where she'd been teaching first grade was right near the center of town, which was filled with little shops and restaurants she frequented often for lesson ideas. Today was no exception, and Quinn, in her long cotton dress and sunhat, ventured into town straight from school, deciding that next week's lessons could wait a while longer. She window-shopped in delight, giving a friendly wave to some of her passerby's. Some were students of hers while others were neighbors, but what Quinn adored most about being in town was that she could identify most by name. It wasn't as if she hadn't lived in a small town before-Lima's population wasn't exactly that of New York City- but the feel of the two towns were different. It was as if she had been allowed to move to a grown-up town, one full of accepting people as well as having the small-town feel she'd most craved after the seclusion of her bedroom.
She was still new, exploring with the hesitant curiosity of children the age she was teaching. She'd been in her usual shops; A little coffee place she frequented on her way to work, a clothing store where the clerk knew her by name, and an antiques shop run by one of her student's parents. As she turned a corner she discovered a whole new square, three or four shops outlining it and turning it into a dead end. Across the street, at one side of the incomplete square, a smaller store was the first to catch her eye. A large treble cleff dangled from a rod next to its door, rocking in the breeze. She could easily see a row of electric guitars lined up in its window and watched in amusement as a gaggle of younger boys stood in front of it to ogle them. She laughed a light, tinkling giggle as she recognized one from her class and made her way over, eager to see the shop.
"Hi Landon! What are you boys doing?" The boy in question turned in shock, recognizing the voice immediately. His smile grew immensely and he ducked to hide behind one of the other boys, an older version of him with the same dark hair and bright blue eyes.
"Landon, say hi, don't be shy!" He tried to pry the boy from his legs and finally, after much effort from the older, freckled boy, the younger came to the front and waved to Quinn shyly, his head still ducked. "I'm his brother, Justin."
"Well it's nice to meet you. Is this shop new? I haven't really been down here before."
"Not really, it's been here a while. Since before you came, I think. The owner's really nice, just moved here too. We've been in a few times looking at the music. I take guitar lessons with him."
"Oh, well that's nice. So it's worth going in and checking it out then?" Justin smiled, loving the enthusiasm of his timid little brother's new teacher. With hair the color of sunshine, she looked as though she belonged more in a magazine than she did teaching first graders. The other boys smiled politely and dragged their friends along, the brothers giving Quinn a quick goodbye and waving past her before running off, letting off another quick hello. She turned to enter the shop and was met head first with a soft sort of force, one that still seemed to be strong enough to knock her to the ground. Before she could even begin to hit the brick sidewalk, though, a strong pair of arms pulled her back and she could hear the voice belonging to it gasp in surprise.
"Whoa, careful there Miss. Are you alright?" Their eyes met at the same time, and in an instant they were reconnected to their pasts, back to Lima Ohio and long, lustful Spring days. They were transported to a time when they were the only thing that mattered; when they could just be them and everything would be ok. Quinn gasped and clutched at the ring on her finger, concealing it from his view. She didn't want to turn him away from her, especially since it had been so long. He noticed, though. He noticed everything about her, a skill he still held after all of these years.
He said nothing, only glanced down at the hand she had hidden in the pockets of her dress. He didn't want to think that his reality had come true, that she really had married someone else, far better off without him. His little store was probably nothing compared to the big city law firm her husband made his living at. She followed his glance and swallowed nervously, hers traveling to his bare left hand. In a moment of rediscovered confidence she pulled her hand from her pocket and held it out to him, gold hearted ring still in perfect condition on her finger, nervous eyes and shaky smile saying everything she'd wanted to from the day they'd let each other go.
"I've missed you, Sam." His breath caught in the back of his throat at her voice, leaving him without any sort of reply. Instead, he pulled her back into his embrace and laid his head on hers. They still fit perfectly together, like a long-loved puzzle passed down from parent to child, survivors of rough weather and hard emotions. When she began to pull back he held her at arms length, greedily taking in her appearance with a warm, welcoming smile.
"I've missed you too." He let her go but still held her hand in his, unwilling to let her go after all of the years he'd just barely lived without her. Reaching inside the door of his shop, he flipped the small, black sign to closed and gave his employees a break. Her smile grew wide as they began to walk and she swung their hands, a happiness she could barely contain growing deep inside of her. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. She'd always liked simplicity.