CHAPTER 23—KYLA
Dear Reader,
I’m alive. That’s always good.
I’m currently on a bus to Florida right now. Page isn’t the kind of town anyone prospers in, so I’ve decided to leave.
When I was younger, I always thought I’d live in Page and die there. But that’s not happening—not to me.
When I first thought about leaving, I was bartending. After I got my associate’s degree at the community college, I went to bartending school. It was only temporary, until I decided what to do with my life. I’d been doing it for about year and I made pretty good money with my tips and all.
I was bartending one night when a stranger came in for a drink. He was pretty good-looking if you ask me.
“Can I have a Long Island Iced Tea?” he asked.
I made him his drink, gave it to him and then tended to other people coming to the counter. About a half hour passed and he was on his third one. The bar area was starting to clear out and more people were starting to get up and dance.
As I was wiping the counter, he asked, “Why are you here?”
I looked up at him, confused. “Excuse me?”
“Why are you here? You look old enough to be doing something with your life.”
I thought about what he said and shook my head. He was drunk anyway. But I was still curious.
“Page is a shit town,” he said. “There are no real opportunities out here.”
I considered what he said. He was right. All of my old friends had gone and they were all doing pretty well from what I was hearing.
“So what do you advise?” I asked him.
He twirled his straw around in his glass. “That you get the hell out of here, find a new place.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why’s that?”
“I can’t just pack up and leave my family.”
“Why not? They’ll still be here whenever you can come back.” Again, he was right. “You have to live your life while you still can. You’re not guaranteed tomorrow.” He paused. “I used to be like you—young and clueless. But then I decided that I wanted to do something. I packed up my shit and went to Miami. It’s a great city, you know. And there’s a bunch of jobs. I moved about five years ago and now I’m the manager of a hotel.”
“So what are you doing here, then?”
“Visiting my brother. He’s still here.”
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Twenty-nine. You?”
“Twenty two.”
“What’s your name?”
“Kyla.”
He nodded and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a card and slid it to me. “You’re beautiful. I’ll be in town for the next week or so. If you want a fresh start, let me know. And if you choose Miami, I can even give you a discount on a room.” Then he winked at me. "You only live once," he said and left.
I looked down at the card, realizing I didn’t even know his name. It’s Evan Coleman.
So, I thought long and hard about what he said. And I realized that I did need to go. I needed a fresh start somewhere. And Florida sounded pretty good to me, with the warm weather and the beaches.
Now I’m on my way to Florida with three thousand dollars in my bank account, two suitcases full of clothes, and Evan’s card. I haven’t even told anyone that I’ve gone except for my parents. I’ll e-mail Mina when I get settled and I’ll let Shane, Ivy, and Sebastian know where I am. I’m sure they’ll jump at the chance to visit and be on the warm Miami beaches.