Strings

Chapter 20

Avery

I sat on one of the abandoned swings in this abandoned playground where Dad used to take Olivia and I every weekend. Back then it used to be a bustling place where people of all ages would come to relax, do yoga, watch over their kids, have picnics, you name it.

Olivia didn't like coming here all that much since she didn't like all the old people who'd come there for their evening walks. She was quite stubborn and naughty like that. So when Olivia turned 10, we stopped coming here altogether because of all the tantrums she would throw and before we knew it Dad's business  saw a hike in clients and we moved higher upstate.

I wished we didn't have to move and I wished we kept coming to this little garden. I loved it so very much and some of my happiest, most care-free memories from my childhood hail from this very place.

Now abandoned and forgotten this place stays in its hidden corner deserted. Quite like me, I realize and laugh cynically at the thought.

The sun had just set and I realized its been quite a while since I stormed out of Hayden's office. I had to, I hope he can understand that.

Now much calmer than I was this morning my head starts racing again. Something is obviously going on and it is very well hidden. And since I cant count on anyone to tell me the truth about what's going on, I'll have to find it myself.

How was I to do that I had no idea. But I just had to try. For my sake.

Before I would've straight up marched to Olivia and demanded answers to everything that's bothering me and if she wouldn't have caved like she usually doesn't, I'd seek out Shelly's help to find out the whole story. The thought makes me sad. I missed Shelly so much and lately we hardly had anytime to hang out.

We had resolved to texting everyday as meeting up was clearly out of the picture since she moved to Chicago for work almost immediately after my wedding, but even that had gotten sporadic. If Shelly were here, her and I would figure things out in no time at all, I just know it. We were the dynamic duo of detectives. The thought makes me warm all over as I recall how much fun we had stalking and going all Sherlock Holmes on all of Shelly's love interests. All of whom she claimed to be the 'greatest loves of her life', with not one of them lasting for more than 3 months. I chuckle softly at the memory.

A lone tear makes its way down my face, as I am hit with an intense wave of nostalgia from a time when my biggest fear was making sure Shelly got to our dorm room safe after she had run off drinking again. If Shelly were here she would've known exactly where I was at and would've come straight to this very swing. But she wasn't here and I was all alone in this little park and I doubt anyone even noticed that I was gone.

How could they? They'll have to check on me to know that and literally no one in my life does that. Only Hayden knew I had dashed out and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even bother to look for me. He was a busy man after all. And amongst everyone who's been lying and hiding things  from me, I blamed him the least. He was the one stuck with me after all while everyone else continued to play their nasty games.

Not being able to take it anymore I drop my head into my hands and weep softly. This is not how I imagined my life to go like. And I didn't even know what to do or where to even start from.

As I sit there wallowing in my despair I suddenly just can't shake the feeling that I am being watched from behind me. I stand up and look around, trying to spot the source of my sudden unease but my eyes see nothing but the abandoned playground basking in its own loneliness. I shake my head at the unusual feeling and resume my spot at the swings trying to come up with a game-plan of what I am to do next.