Broken Strings

Three

After weeks of listening to her friends contemplate their futures, Ginger had headed for the bus stop. She'd made it as far as Ardmore and had purchased a ticket that would take her to Oklahoma City. Ginger never intended to stay there long but figured it would be the perfect place to start. From there she'd have more options and routes to take.

Perhaps she'd go to New York or Los Angeles, or maybe to the airport and get on a plane for the first time in her life. She'd always wanted to go to Europe. Maybe she'd start in Paris or Vienna or Munich. She didn't have a lot of money but she was smart and resourceful. She could get a job in a café or bistro. Ginger didn't care. As long as she could go, she'd figure the rest out.

But as she'd waited for the bus, her duffle bag packed and ready at her feet, Ginger began to think of her parents. Drake and Heather Lacroix who had raised their daughter to be smart and thoughtful – who would be disappointed at the fact that their daughter had left without saying so much as a goodbye to them. That she wasn't leaving for college like the rest of her friends but rather into the unknown without a plan.

So, instead of catching the Greyhound, Ginger had caught a different bus that took her home.

It had been nearly four years since then and Ginger was no closer to leaving than she'd been on that day. Now, it felt even more complicated. Not just because of her parents but also because Ginger was starting to feel as if she were putting down roots in Tishomingo. Real roots. Ones that excited her as much as they terrified her.

Like at the diner. Ginger had been working at Annie's Diner since she was fifteen. First as a dishwasher and then a waitress. In the last year, she'd been promoted again to a manager, which basically meant that she was still waitressing but had the added duties of supervising the new hires and making sure that stock got ordered when they were low. While she loved the diner, it didn't make her heart sing. She was never excited about going to work. It was just the place that helped to pay the bills.

Annie's wasn't the only root she'd thrown done. There was also Travis, though Ginger hadn't quite yet figured out how much that root had grown. Their relationship was still in a seedling stage, new and confusing. But, she liked it.

Liked him.

"Have you given any more thought to what you want to do?" Heather asked, drawing her daughter back to the conversation.

College. Right.

"Doesn't matter. I've missed all of the deadlines for the fall, mom. You know that."

Which meant Ginger was stuck in Tishomingo for at least another year. Not that her lack of direction for her future had been the sole reason she hadn't left for college or some other adventure earlier. There was also the funding aspect of it.

The money she'd made at the diner had given her enough funds that, if she so chose, she could go to college. She'd have to work in between classes, of course. And find a cheap place to live. But if she was frugal and smart with her money...She could do it. Perhaps she could apply for a scholarship, to ease that financial burden.

"There are winter acceptances," Heather said. "You could start in January if you wanted."

"I know."

"Or you could just sign up at Murray State for a couple of classes. Test out the waters a bit. Explore your options."

Murray State College was the local community college, located right in Tishomingo. It served ten counties in Oklahoma and featured a variety of programs – none of which interested Ginger in the slightest.