Here With Me

The top was down on the 1971 Impala. The turquoise paint was slowly chipping and fading away with every passing mile down the highway. It was an old thing, her Chevrolet. The motor made a lot of noise, it wailed and it sputtered underneath the hood but it still worked.

Along the way she hoped the damn thing would suddenly blow a gasket or the worn down tires would give out and leave her stranded. It never happened. Though the car looked ready to break down at any second and be sent to rust away at some dump, it never gave her trouble. The beat up convertible was able to make it through the long drive.

She drove 15 miles under the speed limit at 45 miles per hour. The newly installed satellite radio was the only new addition to the car. It was tuned to her favorite station and she hummed along to every song.

She was in no rush to get to her destination.

She thought about running away and driving down an unknown road to somewhere far off. No map, no direction, no destination - just the open road. Maybe she’d end up travelling west. She heard Colorado was lovely and the waves on a California beach where a sight to see. But she never followed through on her plans of escaping. They were just half-hearted ideas anyway. They gave her something to think about on her trip.

But after taking the scenic route were she made many stops along the east coast of Florida – Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Daytona - Lilah Ansley was finally home.

The Welcome to Camden sign was perched on the roadside. The small and simple town on the east end of the state of Georgia was right on the border of South Carolina, separated by the Savannah River and a sparse forest. There wasn’t much to it; just the kind of town one would pass through without a second glance.

Lilah had left and she traveled down south to Naples, Florida and lived with her aunt Lyndsey right on the coast where the ocean and sky seemed endless. In the few years she spent in Naples, Lilah had made a new life, one that she was fond of. Now she had left that life and packed all that she could in the trunk of her car – not including her prized surf board. If only there was a way to take the sand and sunshine with her.

She missed her aunt, the small villa she lived in, the palm trees, the old antique store by the sea, the tropical wilderness, the sunny weather and the beautiful boy who taught her how to surf. But what she missed more than anything was the beach. The seashells she collected that hid in the hot sand, the ocean breeze, the scent of the salt water clinging to her body, the seagulls that flew gracefully over the blue water, the waves thrashing against the shore, the feel of sand sticking to her skin and the sight of a dolphin leaping above the ocean surface.

Those where the things Lilah lived for but they were far down the highway, a hundred miles back.

Lilah felt like the sun didn’t shine as bright in Camden. Or the sky wasn’t as blue as it was in Naples. And she knew that sounded silly because no matter where she went the sky would be same but that’s how she felt. Everything was better in Florida and she missed it.

She didn’t want to leave but there wasn’t much she could do. Maybe she could’ve gotten a job or something. She could’ve worked at the surf shop or been a lifeguard. Now that she had graduated high school, she had nothing but time. Time to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. But she would have two months to think about it. Her eighteenth birthday came in July and until then she was in the care of her parents. And as her father had bluntly stated over the phone: Georgia was where she belonged.

In between collecting seashells and building sand castles, Lilah had little time to miss Camden - sometimes but not often. She didn’t communicate with anyone while she was gone and she took nothing with her except a few pieces of clothing. She was happy by the beach, she didn’t want to ruin her time there by being reminded of her hometown constantly. So Lilah left behind everyone and everything along with a swirl of memories. She rarely revisited memories of home but as she drove through town, those memories where all she could think about.

Driving down - cleverly named - Camden Town Road, Lilah saw old familiar places. Bruster’s Ice Cream shop on the corner, the general store, the empty bookstore, the arcade where she played Pac Man for hours. The 20th century movie theater that only played classic films and the coffee shop ran by old lady Hadswell. Everything in Camden was exactly how she left it, not even phased by time.

Lilah ignored all the curious faces that peered at her from the sidewalks. Her brightly colored car was sure to attract attention. She just knew that she would have to deal with a lot of people, asking a lot of questions. She would have to face the whole town. She would have to adjust to a different lifestyle again and get reacquainted with everyone.

Before Lilah could dive too deep into old memories she focused again on maneuvering through the streets of Camden. She turned down a street she knew all too well, where every house looked the same. They were all big red brick southern colonial styled homes with either forest green or navy blue shutters on every window, four great white columns on each porch, neat lawns, and flowers well in bloom.

She pulled the Impala in front a house with navy blue shutters and an American Flag hanging proudly from the wraparound porch. 2349 Tankersley Road was once Lilah’s home, but on most days the thin white walls would hold her captive like steel bars would hold a prisoner.

She pushed her floral print Ray Bans to the crown of her head before she glared at the house. She should just leave now. No one would even know she was here and no would care that she left. But her parents were already furious with her for turning a 10 hour drive into a five day adventure across state lines. Having her father yell at her again wasn’t something she wanted.

Lilah inhaled deeply and removed the keys from out the ignition. Effortlessly she hoped over the car door and opened the trunk pulling out her belongings. She walked up the narrow walk way lined with her mother’s favorite flowers, Peonies. Under the Home Sweet, Home mat she found her key and unlocked the front door with ease.

It wasn’t like she expected the welcome wagon with balloons and streamers included, but it would have been nice if her parents at least tried to acknowledge her arrival. Maybe tried to be home when she showed, but as she closed the door with an audible click, the house was completely silent. Nobody was home to greet her.

Lilah was aware that she was being selfish. Her parents had lives to live. Her mother, Meredith, was a grade school teacher and her father, Caleb, owned his own mechanic shop. Today was Wednesday; a working day. If she would’ve arrived on Saturday - like she was supposed to - then perhaps Lilah would’ve been comforted by their presence, but for now she would have to settle in on her own.

Was it too late to leave? Lilah asked herself as she climbed up the stair case, luggage in hand.

In the villa back in Florida, Lilah’s room was painted a pale yellow color that reminded her of the sun. There were posters of surfers and bands stapled to the walls. Her bed was covered with one bright blue quilt that was hardly visible through her assortment of pillows. She had clothes spilling out the draws of the dresser, thrown around the floor and her closet was used to hold her wetsuits and other miscellaneous objects that belonged on the beach and had no business being in her closet.

But here, the closet was empty and the chest of drawers would be filled with her useless swimsuits and beach wear. The walls were bare, nothing but white paint. The bed was covered in white sheets with two white pillows. The only thing interesting about the room was a lavender colored rug.

It was all dreadfully plain.

How long would it be before she was on the beach again? Sand stuck to her feet, sun on her cheeks. She moved to the window where the sun shined through the sheer curtains. It was hours before sundown but the sun sat low behind the rows of houses.

Lilah couldn’t help but glance. Her curiosity got the best of her and she laid her eyes on a house with green shutters, four houses down. Was he still there? Was Wesley Holden still living in that house?

They were once good friends, but the bond they shared deteriorated with the miles that kept them apart. Lilah wonder if he would embrace her with open arms or wrinkle his nose at her sudden appearance in town?

She could only imagine the hurt Wesley endured after he figured out she was gone. And if Lilah ever considered how he felt then she would have never left. She would have never seen the beach or the seagulls flying in the sky because she would’ve stayed for him.

But that all didn’t matter now. Nothing did. Camden, her parents, and Wesley Holden had no place in her life anymore. It was a sad revelation but it was true. This wasn’t home anymore. Lilah would wait it out until the end of the summer and then it was back to life by the sea.