It is 7 in the morning and all the luggage was put in the car trunk. I was staring at my house when my mom came and wrapped her arms around enveloping me in her warm embrace. “It’s time honey”. I sighed and took one last departing look and sat in the car. All the way to the airport I was looking out of the window taking in every bit of this place that I can see. I’m going to miss Manhattan.

It was a 5-hour journey from New York to Portland. We got a car there and it took us about 4 hours to reach La Pine. The drive to La Pine was very excruciating. It took every ounce of my self-control not to breakdown. It was dark by the time we reached our house. Though it is all dark I liked the outlook of it. It is surrounded by a garden and is adjacent to the woods. It is quiet and peaceful. The packed boxes were awaiting us as we went in. It is a two-storied house. There is a big living room, a dining hall, kitchen and one bedroom downstairs. There are two bedrooms and a beautiful balcony upstairs. It was beautiful and cozy. I took the bedroom upstairs with the balcony overlooking the woods. We had our dinner quietly and I went off to sleep.

I woke up to my alarm in the morning. I finished my morning routine, took a shower and put on khaki shorts and a black tank and went downstairs. The school wouldn’t start in about 2 weeks and it might be enough for me to get acquainted with the town and my top priority is to find a bookstore. Thinking about all the possible ways to spend my remaining vacation, I went into the kitchen to fix myself breakfast when I caught a note stuck on the fridge.

‘Kia, had to go to work early. Meet you tonight.

Love you. Mom.’

I sighed. I got back to fixing breakfast when I realized that the cabinets were empty. I made a mental note to go grocery shopping. I ate snickers I had in my backpack and started to unpack stuff. It was one in the afternoon by the time I finished arranging everything. My stomach started to growl. I called my mom “Hey mom, there’s no food in the house so…” I trailed. “Yes, I know Kia, so I left you a car. The keys are on my dresser and you’ll find a map there. Go out and enjoy”.

“Thanks, mom. Bye.” I hung up. Sometimes my mom is really thoughtful. I smiled and changed into black jeans and grey blouse. I took the keys and the map and headed out.

I found La Pine to be very beautiful and quiet while I was driving around. It is green and lively. I stopped at a restaurant that I came across while driving to the grocery. It is beautiful and cozy just like the rest of the town. I saw an elderly woman at the counter. She gave me a warm smile when I came in.

“How can I help you dear?” she enquired. She sounded really kind.

“Can I get a medium chicken burger with French fries and coke please” I responded.

“Right away dear” she said and went inside. I sat in the first booth and awaited my order. She came with the tray in 10 minutes. I started to eat.

“So you must be new to the town. ‘M Grace by the way” she introduced herself.

“Oh I’m Kiara Jackson and yeah, I and my mom just moved in” I replied. We had quite a talk and she told me about the town, the people and the traditions. She even told me where the different stores were. I thanked her and set out on my ‘journey’ to the grocery store. I started loving this place more than I thought I would. The people were really nice and kind. I chuckled at the thought of me mingling with the people and continued driving.