Sari gripped the wheel tighter as she pulled onto the freeway and headed
south. As she merged into the early morning traffic, she reached down to
search through the radio stations. It was going to be a long drive, she
wanted something interesting to listen to. Bypassing the music, she opted
for a morning talk show, something that would stimulate her brain and make
her think.
All her life, she'd been a very analytical person. Always asking questions and trying to find solutions to problems - her own, and those of her friends and family. It was her compassion and thinking style that had led her to a career in relationship counseling. She had helped many couples successfully mend their relationships, friends patch up differences and families close gaps. All of it was ironic considering Sari, herself, had had very little success in the way of romance.
Ryan, her first serious boyfriend, had been wonderful, until he ran off with her best friend after just a year and a half together. The worst part was the guilt Sari felt for not seeing the truth sooner. Ryan and Jana had been sleeping together for nearly a year before Sari caught them. She'd returned home early from a seminar to find them naked on the living room floor. Subsequently, Sari went through a variety of emotions, from anger to sadness to pity as she worked to regain trust in friends and men.
Then there had been Seth, who had helped her rebuild that trust. Their relationship might have worked had he not decided to move across the country to L.A. to chase his acting dreams. In their two wonderful years, Seth had been a passionate man who'd taught Sari a lot about love - feeling it and making it. He'd been her first, and for that she would never forget him.
Her most recent disaster had been with Ben, which had ended just two months prior. Even though he'd been 27, five years her junior, he was in a rush to walk down the aisle. Even at 32, Sariana Colter did not yet feel ready for marriage, particularly not with someone she'd only been dating for four months. He had been incredibly sweet, even down to the night he proposed, and Sari felt like a bitch for shooting him down. Even though she cared about him deeply, she simply wasn't ready, and he wasn't willing to wait. So, he'd moved on, and Sari was back to square one.
Sari sighed as she passed familiar landmarks, indicating that she was approaching her destination. Home, she thought. She hadn't been there in ages, and wouldn't even be going today if it hadn't been for her mother's insistence. It wasn't a special occasion, Anna had simply requested that all the family get together for the weekend. Grudgingly, Sari had taken Friday off to make the four hour drive from her home in Grand Prairie to her little podunk hometown, a place she had run from the moment she'd had the chance.
Even though she loved her family with all her heart, the quiet town of Nealy, Texas, held memories she didn't care to have around her. She hadn't been particularly popular in high school, but she'd had plenty of friends. It had simply been a boring place. She'd never had any interest in any of the guys at Nealy High School. Those she hadn't been related to were either repulsive or rooted in Nealy, determined to stay there, which made them just as undesireable. Sari had bigger dreams and plans and didn't ever want to let any guy stand in the way of that. She'd watched many of her high school friends settle down and stay in Nealy after high school. Due to that, Sari had lost contact with them, and hadn't spoken to anyone in the town, with the exception of her family, in nearly 10 years.
As she turned her silver Lexus onto the street she'd grown up on, Sari took in a deep breath. It all looked the same. When she'd pulled to a stop, she stepped out of her car and took a good look around. Everything was the same as it had been when she left, and everything fit. Except Sari and her car. This was a blue collar town; those considered wealthy here drove Dodge and Chevy, not Lexus and Mercedes.
Sari shook her head as she grabbed her suitcase out of her car and headed for the door. It was odd being home after so many years away. She didn't really feel any sense of nostalgia, only that of suffocation. Had she stayed in this town, Sari would have gone crazy. Her dreams had been much too large for this place. She knew her departure had broken her mother's heart, but Sari knew she had to live her life for herself, and not for anyone else. Selfish as it may sound, Sari rationalized that she had to live with herself the longest and it was important for her to be happy above anyone else. If that made her selfish, then so be it. That's who she was.
All her life, she'd been a very analytical person. Always asking questions and trying to find solutions to problems - her own, and those of her friends and family. It was her compassion and thinking style that had led her to a career in relationship counseling. She had helped many couples successfully mend their relationships, friends patch up differences and families close gaps. All of it was ironic considering Sari, herself, had had very little success in the way of romance.
Ryan, her first serious boyfriend, had been wonderful, until he ran off with her best friend after just a year and a half together. The worst part was the guilt Sari felt for not seeing the truth sooner. Ryan and Jana had been sleeping together for nearly a year before Sari caught them. She'd returned home early from a seminar to find them naked on the living room floor. Subsequently, Sari went through a variety of emotions, from anger to sadness to pity as she worked to regain trust in friends and men.
Then there had been Seth, who had helped her rebuild that trust. Their relationship might have worked had he not decided to move across the country to L.A. to chase his acting dreams. In their two wonderful years, Seth had been a passionate man who'd taught Sari a lot about love - feeling it and making it. He'd been her first, and for that she would never forget him.
Her most recent disaster had been with Ben, which had ended just two months prior. Even though he'd been 27, five years her junior, he was in a rush to walk down the aisle. Even at 32, Sariana Colter did not yet feel ready for marriage, particularly not with someone she'd only been dating for four months. He had been incredibly sweet, even down to the night he proposed, and Sari felt like a bitch for shooting him down. Even though she cared about him deeply, she simply wasn't ready, and he wasn't willing to wait. So, he'd moved on, and Sari was back to square one.
Sari sighed as she passed familiar landmarks, indicating that she was approaching her destination. Home, she thought. She hadn't been there in ages, and wouldn't even be going today if it hadn't been for her mother's insistence. It wasn't a special occasion, Anna had simply requested that all the family get together for the weekend. Grudgingly, Sari had taken Friday off to make the four hour drive from her home in Grand Prairie to her little podunk hometown, a place she had run from the moment she'd had the chance.
Even though she loved her family with all her heart, the quiet town of Nealy, Texas, held memories she didn't care to have around her. She hadn't been particularly popular in high school, but she'd had plenty of friends. It had simply been a boring place. She'd never had any interest in any of the guys at Nealy High School. Those she hadn't been related to were either repulsive or rooted in Nealy, determined to stay there, which made them just as undesireable. Sari had bigger dreams and plans and didn't ever want to let any guy stand in the way of that. She'd watched many of her high school friends settle down and stay in Nealy after high school. Due to that, Sari had lost contact with them, and hadn't spoken to anyone in the town, with the exception of her family, in nearly 10 years.
As she turned her silver Lexus onto the street she'd grown up on, Sari took in a deep breath. It all looked the same. When she'd pulled to a stop, she stepped out of her car and took a good look around. Everything was the same as it had been when she left, and everything fit. Except Sari and her car. This was a blue collar town; those considered wealthy here drove Dodge and Chevy, not Lexus and Mercedes.
Sari shook her head as she grabbed her suitcase out of her car and headed for the door. It was odd being home after so many years away. She didn't really feel any sense of nostalgia, only that of suffocation. Had she stayed in this town, Sari would have gone crazy. Her dreams had been much too large for this place. She knew her departure had broken her mother's heart, but Sari knew she had to live her life for herself, and not for anyone else. Selfish as it may sound, Sari rationalized that she had to live with herself the longest and it was important for her to be happy above anyone else. If that made her selfish, then so be it. That's who she was.