Current mood:	exhausted
Entry tags:	detour to destiny

Detour To Destiny- Episode 1



After visiting with her mother for awhile, Paige excused herself. She needed to go upstairs to rest. Standing in her old room seemed strange after being away for so long. It seemed as though time stood still as she surveyed the room. Nothing had been moved. It was as though she had never been away.



She propped herself up on her pillow and rested her exhausted body. Paulette had informed Paige that Riley had planned a special night out for the three of them that evening. He wanted to take them to a restaurant in the city for a celebration dinner. It was about a thirty minute drive to the nearest city, and their reservations were for 8:00 p.m. so Paige didn't have enough time to take a nap. A short rest would have to suffice before she took a much needed shower and changed into something more appropriate for the evening. Her thoughts began to wander as she allowed herself to relax. The hectic pace she was so used to keeping faded into the sweet calm of familiar surroundings and she nearly fell asleep. Only her mother's voice drifting up the stairs aroused her from her musings. Paulette was nearly finished getting ready and Riley had already arrived to take them to dinner. Paige didn't realize that she had been resting that long. She hurriedly changed into a dress that she had brought with her.


Paige had known when she left Simcinnati that she would probably need a dress for a family dinner or outing. Without a shower and a few touch ups to her face and hair, she was ready to go. She rode in the back of the car on the way to the restaurant, leaving her mom and Riley to cast loving glances at each other in the front. Paige hadn't been around her mom enough to notice the difference in her demeanor since she met Riley. Paulette had softened considerably. Paige realized that this wedding was going to be a wonderful new beginning for her mother.


When they finally arrived at the restaurant and were seated, Paige began to relax and actually enjoy the evening. She didn't usually like stuffy affairs where she had to dress up and act the part of a lady. But as she sat across from the engaged couple, she took great care to watch how Riley treated her mother. He was very considerate of her feelings, and even let Paulette look at the menu before he did. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see how much in love they both were.


When the waitress came to take their orders, Riley again let Paulette go first, then Paige, and lastly he ordered for himself. Paige was more amazed every minute that she could have been so wrong about Riley. She loved her father but he had never been this gentle or caring with Paulette. It seemed that this time around, her mother would find the happiness that she deserved. It made Paige a bit uncomfortable to realize that she was actually jealous of the love that the couple shared. It brought into stark contrast what was sorely lacking in Paige's life. She had tried to convince herself that taking care of someone else's children would fulfill her desire for her own family. But it hadn't. The more she hugged and nurtured Jonathan and Sarah, the more Paige wanted children of her own.


As the waitress finished taking their order, Paulette turned to Paige and began to ask about her job. Paige was so caught up in her own thoughts that her mother had to repeat her question again before she got an answer. Paige told her about the sweet twin toddlers that she took care of and about the rest of the family that she lived with. She loved the kids and missed them even though she had only been gone one day. But Paige needed a break. She had been working night and day teaching them to walk and talk. They were also both teething and that condition led to a lot of sleepless nights for Paige. Their parents worked a lot and so it fell to Paige to take care of them completely. She couldn't remember the last time she had more than just an afternoon off. Their mother had informed Paige right before she had left for Fidelity that the twins needed to be potty trained. So Paige knew that she had better enjoy her visit back home as she would have even less time to herself when she returned to Simcinnati.


Paige casually changed the subject to the wedding which brought Riley into the conversation. He excitedly told Paige that her brother Chase was going to be filming the wedding. Chase was an amateur videographer and was hoping to get a job working for a local television station. Paige was glad to hear that her brother was helping out as money had been tight for the wedding. Paige had bought her own dress and now Chase was doing the video work for free so the strain on the couple's finances was not as great as Paige had previously thought.


Paulette put her hand on Riley's and whispered something that Paige could not hear. The couple then started talking quietly to each other and Paige's mind started wandering yet again. She had such a yearning for a loving husband, and eventually, a family of her own. She wondered if she could make a man happy after being a part of her parent's shipwreck of a marriage. Paige didn't really like who she was as a person. She felt that her eyes were too plain and her figure too full. It didn't help that Chase, her older brother, had told her that she was fat and ugly her entire childhood and early teen years. That fact alone made Paige's confidence level dangerously low. It was also one reason she wanted to lose herself in the crowded streets of a large city, where everyone was too busy to notice who was passing by on the sidewalk. She didn't even realize that she had picked up the dessert menu before dinner had even been served.


Paige slowly came out of her reverie and started to notice her surroundings. She quickly put down the menu and looked around. The restaurant was pleasant, dimly lit and teeming with mouth watering aromas. Her stomach began to growl as she noticed their waitress heading toward their table from the corner of her eye. She also noticed that Paulette and Riley were staring at her. Paige hoped that she hadn't been so out of touch with reality that she had missed one of them talking to her. When no one said anything right away, Paige broke the silence with a compliment for her mother on the lovely necklace that she was wearing. Paulette admitted that it had been an engagement present from Riley.


Paige breathed a sigh of relief that neither Riley nor Paulette had noticed her staring off into space for several minutes. They were too busy watching each other and the waitress as she approached their table. As the woman served their dinner, Paige's mouth began to water as the fragrance of her meal caressed her nostrils. She was famished and she now knew for a fact that it was not very smart to have skipped lunch. They all three immediately began to eat the succulent offering on the table in front of them.




Thanks for reading episode one. I will have some outtakes up soon and will be hard at work on episode two. I appreciate your patience as I finished my move. I now have my own office where I have a quiet atmosphere in which to write. ^__^