Completely unedited. I'm going to gut this with a machete later and fix the timeline, as well as the ages, but for now enjoy this chapter in its beta stages!
Heidi didn’t say a word. How could she? She’d dedicated ten years to this man. Loved him wholeheartedly. Sacrificed so much for him. Birthed, and raised their boy.
And today he was leaving for good. For Forever.
They had separated with the intention of getting back together. That they’d take some time to heal themselves, and then come back, and love each other again.
And that had been several months ago. And then He called, and said he had moved on. That he found he did not love her, and to save the good, he was going to leave.
He’d found someone new, and hoped Heidi would be able to do the same. Raise their boy up right., and unspokenly, added that wouldn’t be there to help.
And Heidi didn’t try to change his mind.
She was tired… Too tired to try and fight anymore.
He came, with that horrible truck, parked in their driveway for everyone to see, and packed up everything he wanted. The divorce would finalize in March. And Heidi said nothing. She closed the blinds, hoping her poor son wouldn’t see his Daddy leave. But he did; He smiled, and took Mommy’s hand and pulled her outside.
Oh, he was so excited to see the big orange and white truck. A real live truck, in his driveway. He begged, and begged, and being the Daddy’s boy he was, he sat behind the wheel, and pretended to drive.
And it was so bittersweet Heidi had to turn away so her boy wouldn’t see her happy/sad tears.
And then he left. And never came back.
They soon found they could no longer afford their big house.
It was the end of July when Heidi found her checkbooks, and bank accounts did not match her quickly piling bills.
She looked, and looked, and slashed the budget, and gave up everything she could.
It wasn’t enough. She always came up short somewhere.
It was her mother’s decision to move. Heidi had called home one day, needing the support only a mother could give, and her mother, being filled with the infinite wisdom she had, suggested getting a new job, and moving into a smaller house.
And that was exactly what Heidi needed to hear.
She changed her last name back to Hansen, finally freeing herself from her Ex-husband, and slowly got her son to do the same. Moving was a bigger challenge. Upstate New York wasn’t the cheapest place to live in, and though Heidi had decent pay, a new house was going to cost a lot.
But somehow, after about three months of driving her poor boy back and forth to possible houses after school, hoping to scout a house they both could tolerate, they finally found it.
It was a relatively rich neighborhood, and that had very much surprised Heidi because the house wasn’t at all as expensive as it looked, or as expensive as the houses around were.
It had a big blue door, all the houses in the neighborhood had bright, and colorful doors, and tall windows. It had two stories, the second was a slightly different shade of pale yellow, almost as though it hadn’t been given a new coat before going on the market. It, along with the other houses in the neighborhood were all in colonial revival style, so there were large, dramatic gables, and pointless dormers that Heidi fell in love with instantly. It had two big trees that grew in the front yard, and the little seven-year-old loved that the towering White Oak tree in the backyard had a treehouse, and a tire swing.
There wasn’t anything that the two Hansen’s hated about the house. In fact, her son was the most positive about this house than the others they’d been touring. He loved the fact his room was so big, and on the second story, overlooking the tiny backyard. Heidi saw how much her little boys lit up at the house, and after coming back the next day, she decided to tell the seller she was interested in negotiating.
Heidi Hansen is a lot of things, and a good haggler was definitely one of them. She managed to get the seller to lower the price three grand, which definitely helped, however Heidi didn’t really have $200,000 to spend. But it was cheaper than keeping their current house, and it’s mortgage, and, if their house sold for that it was listed for, they would have a nice padding inside their bank account to help support the neverending monthly payments. She signed the contract, paid the hefty sum, and smiled tightly as she told the seven-year-old that they were moving.
“Don’t look so sad honey! You’re not going to me changing schools. It’s that yellow house with those big trees. You loved it so much, why aren’t you thrilled to live there?”
“Because it’s not our house.” He whined, “Daddy hasn’t been in it. What if he never finds us again.” and then he looked up at her, and there was something odd in his eye, “And the neighbors are scary.”
Heidi, at the time, didn’t understand what her son had meant. He had always been very timid, and anxious, and thought that he was just having his usual scared-of-new-people funk he hadn’t seemed to outgrow yet. She assured him that there were kids on the cul-de-sac, and he’d probably end up being close friends with them.
She couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
One day after the decidedly not U-Haul moving truck had come by the new Hansen household, Heidi was startled by the ringing of the doorbell. She was alone-It was a school day after all- and she was blasting her old rock music while unpacking the few belongings she and her son had.
A moderately tall red headed woman was at the door with a plate of what looked like chocolate chip cookies, but Heidi had a strong suspicion that they were oatmeal raisin, based on the demographic of the neighbourhood.
“Hello! Welcome to the neighbourhood! I’m Cynthia Murphy; I live next door.” She gestured to the house to the left, a light grey two-story with a bright red door. Heidi smiled, although it was more out of politeness than of actual pleasure.
“Heidi Hansen. Nice to meet you! Won’t you come in? I’m sorry my house isn’t very organized, me and my son just moved in yesterday.” Heidi said, forcing a little chuckle.
“Oh, that’s okay. I’m glad someone finally moved in here. It’s been for sale for almost a year now. It’s nice to have people.” Cynthia said. Heidi actually laughed. She was likeable, even though she had that “Ignorant Rich Wife” to her. “You said you had a son?”
“My boy, Evan. He’ll be eight in September.” Heidi said, turning to a box on the nearby sofa, and pulling out a small, recent photograph of the two of them at Ellison State Park from last month. It was a fun trip, the two had taken a Junior Ranger class on drawing and painting watercolor landscapes.
At this, Cynthia smiled. “I have two kids, my daughter Zoe, who’s six whole years old, but acts too much like a teenager for her own good, and my son, Connor. He’s quite a handful,” She laughed, smiling fondly. “But I guess young boys are.” Heidi nodded, giving her a knowing smile. They certainly were. “He turned eight in January.”
“We should have them meet sometime.” Heidi said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. She paused, and then explained her enthusiasm. “I love my son very much, but he’s very shy and has difficulty making friends.” Cynthia nodded thoughtfully.
“Oh, it’s the same here. Zoe is such an extrovert; Always saying hi to strangers, always smiling, always playing with friends. Connor doesn’t really like any of that. He loves jokes, and superheros, and being as hyperactive as a little boy can be, but not really when he’s around other people.” Cynthia paused, and looked around the bare living room. “I don’t mean to pry, it isn’t my business, but is there a Mr. Hansen?”
Heidi stiffened, but took a deep breath. “No. My husband and I divorced a few months ago.” A wave of emotion crossed Cynthia’s face. It was complicated, and looked like a mix of sympathy, understanding, and something unreadable that Heidi felt she could relate to too much for her own good.
“Don’t be. Everyone’s much better off separated.” Heidi didn’t even try to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She quickly changed the subject, much to both women’s relief. They discussed the local schools, and they were pleased to know that their boys were in the same class.
Cynthia left a few hours after she arrived. Heidi was very glad she had come over. She was a kindred spirit, and Heidi knew in no time the two would end up becoming very close friends. She hoped that Connor boy would be a good fit. Her son only had one friend, and that was the son of Heidi’s best friend. They hadn’t been in touch as much as they had since the divorce, and Heidi couldn’t help but think that was hurting the boys’ friendship.
Things were going to get better. Heidi was exceptionally hopeful. They both could use a good year for a change. (1567 words)
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