At first, Liv couldn’t tell if there was much difference to the place as she came up the off-ramp from the interstate. There were images in her peripheral vision that occasionally made her double take, but she wasn’t sure if it was just because she hadn’t been there in so long, or if something had actually changed. She thought one of the hotels at the beginning of the outskirts might have been new, but it might just have been a remodeled version of the old one.
As she got further into the city limits, she became more nervous, more aware of her surroundings. She started to pass restaurants that she’d been to, gas stations she’d stopped at for late night necessities, like caffeine, when staying up all night studying, and after a few minutes she reached the houses and then the middle of town. Here the memories started to get overwhelming. Doing her best to breath deeply and slowly, not wanting to hyperventilate, Liv turned right at one of the stoplights, and made her way toward Broad Street, and what she called the “student district.” Not that it was a part of town delegated for the college students of course, but if one were to spend the day away from campus you would see more students on this street than any other. The post office, the bank, a few apartments, a good but inexpensive Chinese restaurant, and of course the favorite coffee shop- Saint’s Rest.
Here, finding an open space in front of the local library, Liv parked her little blue Corolla and stopped. She kept her hands on the wheel, the engine was still running, her seat belt still pressed uncomfortably against her collarbone. The radio played, she had it on classical, the soothing strains of a Chopin piano piece doing nothing to calm her, nor could they hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill out ever since she had signaled her blinker after finally seeing the sign for Grinnell on the interstate. Liv gasped one, two, three and four times, then finally with a quiet wail she slumped forward and let her head fall onto the top rim of the steering wheel. Whimpering, her dog Merry pushed slightly against the crossed wires of it’s travel kennel, surprised and concerned at Liv’s sudden outburst. This noise seemed to draw Liv back into herself a little bit. She continued to sob as she unbuckled herself, but she turned around to the backseat to liberate Merry from his temporary prison.
Getting out of the car after a few minutes of more calming down, and much nose blowing and eye wiping, Liv stood on the sidewalk holding Merry close to her. The little puggle looked around with interest at the new town, but didn’t struggle. Liv was on the opposite side of the street to the cafe, which she stared at for a few minutes. It was nearing the end of summer, so it wasn’t as busy as it would be in a few weeks when the students started arriving in town. Saint’s Rest was still getting more than enough business for a Saturday, but it was mostly towns-people; young to middle aged women pushing strollers and buying iced coffees for themselves and italian sodas for their kids; grandparents treating grandchildren to the fresh cinnamon rolls; teenage boys trying to look cool and collected as they were lightly dragged along by girlfriends; business men and women sitting by themselves in the chairs outside the cafe, reading newspapers and news magazines. Liv smiled slightly at the signs of a small Iowa town at peace, but she could only assume that there were also professors from the college who frequented the cafe during the summers as well. She wasn’t ready to meet any Grinnell College people yet.
By this time, Merry had started to struggle. He’d been cooped up for a while and was itching for some unimpeded movement. Turning left, Liv walked down the sidewalk toward a little park on the next block, next to where the Farmer’s Market was held every weekend. She’d already attached Merry’s leash to his collar, so as soon as they reached the grass she put him down, and walked him as he did his business and explored. She talked to herself as they walked, the solitariness and shade of that unoccupied corner of the park lulling her and calming her into temporarily letting down her personal barriers.
“Well, my legs hurt. I never want to drive that long again without stopping at a hotel. I know, I know, you had it worse than I did. I could at least move around more. I let you out often enough though didn’t I? You never had an accident. And face it, you at least could sleep while I was driving. Good thing you don’t realize exactly how far away from Boston we are.”
Liv’s talk continued in that vein for a few more minutes, as Merry continued to amuse himself with exploring. A large group of families, presumably for a picnic, arrived at the park though, and Liv began to feel uncomfortable again. Looking at her watch, she surprised that it was already after 5pm, they’d been wandering in the grass for longer than she’d thought.
“Come on, Merry. Time to go. I know I know, we have to get back in the car. Not for long though. The apartment isn’t to far from here I think. We can come back here tomorrow.” Liv walked back to her car, Merry trailing behind on his leash, stopping to smell everything he could before he was pulled along again. Broad Street was much quieter now, as the bank and the library had closed and everything else would be closing soon. She’d forgotten how little night life Grinnell offered. That might be a good change though, Liv thought to herself.
Merry protested, but finally consigned to being put back into the travel kennel when Liv tossed a treat for him inside. He deserved it, he’d been a trooper during their two-day almost non-stop trip. Liv herself stepped into the car, not stopping this time to look around. She was fatigued and aching in every part of her body, and she wanted to hurry and get unpacked into her new apartment as soon as possible. She didn’t want to think anymore, she just wanted to rest. To cuddle with her dog, watch some mindless television, and fall asleep in a bed. A real bed. She’d come back to Broad Street tomorrow, try the coffee, walk around, and hopefully not run into anyone she knew. That would happen eventually, it was a small town, but she would need time. Hopefully, she bought herself enough of it.
