Free Living with Love (Lessons in Love) by Clarissa Carlyle Page B

As she sat in her small trailer, talking to her daughter in New York City, Jackie Heron felt happy and at peace. For her, it had all been worth it. Working two jobs to make ends meet, never being home, being forced to live in a trailer and give up all her worldly goods, all that had come good because her children were doing well, and that was all that she cared about.
     
    ****
     
    Alex signed off another call to her mother with a heavy heart. With the call concluded, she went and stood in the window of her apartment, looking at the street beyond.
    When she was at college, she didn’t really get homesick. Having Ashley there with her kind of felt like being with family , so Alex never felt alone or lonely. But in the city, it was different. Alex spent so much of her time working that she didn’t really get the opportunity to make friends, and most of her colleagues were older than her anyway, so they didn’t have much in common.
    Alex missed being surrounded by familiar faces. She was even beginning to miss Woodsdale, the small hometown she’d been so eager to leave. Everything seemed so simple back there. The pace of life was slower ; there were fields and wide-open roads.
    In New York, space was at a premium, and everything felt crammed together. At first Alex didn’t mind, but now as she walked through the city, she’d look up and feel claustrophobic when she saw the steel giants of skyscrapers bearing down on her.
    The air always smelt of car exhausts and fried food. Alex longed to inhale fresh, clean air. When she caught sight of her reflection, she noticed how pale and withdrawn she looked , a product of existing mainly indoors. Even commuting to work, she was mostly indoors, doing the majority of her travelling beneath the city on the subway.
    Absence seemed to have truly made her heart grow fonder as she thought about parts of Woodsdale that she missed, even the loathed trailer park was now not without its charms. It was at least open and full of clean air.
    Groaning, Alex moved and lay down on her bed, reaching for her iPad. She needed to take her mind off thoughts of home. She considered watching a film or television show , but it was never the same without someone to share it with.
    Living alone was taking its toll on Alex. She even started going to the office seven days a week just to avoid being alone for prolonged periods. But Jeff had noticed and called her into his office.
    “You’ve been putting in a lot of hours lately,” he noted, nodding to himself.
    “I’m just eager to get the work done.” Alex smiled nervously across from him in the black leather chair she was sitting on.
    “And that’s great . I appreciate all the extra effort.” Jeff smiled back, but then the smile fell away slightly. “It’s just that here at Goldstone, we believe in a work life balance, and we try and uphold that as best we can. Since you’ve been working so much, you’ve earned yourself a week off.”
    “But I don’t want a week off!” Alex protested, her eyes widening with fear.
    “Look, I know the city can be a scary place when you’re alone,” Jeff said knowingly, his tone soft and kind. “But maybe use the time to make some new friends, go out to places and meet new people.”
    Alex knew that Jeff was just looking out for her , but she didn’t have the heart to tell him that the thought of going anywhere alone, like the cinema or a club, was utterly terrifying. She missed the constant support of having Ashley around. Or even Oscar or Mark. Despite living amongst millions of people, Alex had yet to meet anyone she felt that she really connected with.
    “I’ll try to meet some new people,” Alex lied.
    “Good .” Jeff smiled warmly at her.
    Alex didn’t tell her mother that she had a week off work . She knew there would be an expectation for her to return to Woodsdale, and she couldn’t afford it as she already had to save for the train fare to go back over Christmas, which was ridiculously