“Okay.” I nodded and followed her as she walked towards the door.
“You’ve only got two cigarettes left.” I looked in the pack as she opened it once we were away from her house. “Are you sure you want to waste one of them on your mother’s nonsense when she’s only been here a couple of hours?”
“She’s going to drive me crazy!” Melanie lit the cigarette and exhaled with an angry grumble following the smoke.
“You knew she would…” I chuckled under my breath.
“Yeah, I know.” She sighed and shook her head.
Melanie vented her frustrations and I listened, just like I used to do when we were teenagers. It was strange to see Melanie revert back to the same girl I knew in high school after only being around her mother for a short period of time. Some things definitely didn’t change. After she finished her cigarette, she doused herself in perfume and headed back home. I told her about my discussion with Hudson and asked her if she would be okay for a little bit, so I could go see my foster parents. She was reluctant but understood. I grabbed my purse, along with the list of apartments I wanted to check out. I hoped to swing by a few of them after the visit with my foster parents. I needed to at least check out the neighborhoods they were located in. Some of them were decent when I was younger, but I wasn’t sure if that was still the case, and if I could at least lay eyes on the locations, it would help me narrow down my decision without meeting with a bunch of landlords.
“Eliza? Oh my goodness!” Linda threw open the door and immediately hugged me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call first.” I leaned into her embrace.
“Nonsense, you’re always welcome here. Come inside.” She took a step back and motioned towards the living room. “Do you want anything to drink? Tea perhaps?”
“I’m okay.” I smiled and followed her into the living room.
“When did you get back in town?” She sat down and looked up at me.
“I’ve been back for a couple of weeks.” I sat down across from her. “I would have come by sooner, but I’ve been busy helping Melanie with her wedding.”
“I saw the announcement in the paper.” Linda smiled warmly. “I wondered if that would bring you back to Andalusia.”
“It did.” I nodded and looked around inquisitively. “Is Mr. Fowler here?”
“No, he’s at work right now. He’ll be late, but I know he would love to see you. Why don’t you come by for dinner one night before you leave?” She tilted her head to the side.
“I’d like that—but there’s no rush. I don’t think I’m leaving this time.” I felt a smile form on my face as I said the words—a strange feeling considering how much I was looking forward to leaving the instant I arrived.
“That’s wonderful!” Linda’s face lit up with delight. “I always hoped you would come back one day.”
“I didn’t think I would, but you know why…” My words trailed off.
“Yes, sometimes I regret telling you to follow your heart.” She nodded, and her smile faded.
“It wasn’t bad advice—far from it, actually. Some of the things I thought I knew when I left didn’t turn out to be as true as I believed them to be.” I leaned back against the couch.
“I guess that means you’ve reconnected with Hudson?” Her smile returned. “He always seemed like such a nice young man—and he’s a firefighter, right?”
“He was.” I nodded quickly. “Now he’s planning to run for mayor.”
“Against Mayor Stevenson?” Linda’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I don’t want to discourage anyone from pursuing their dreams, but…”
“Yeah, it’s not going to be easy.” I sighed and nodded in understanding. “He wants to try and made a difference in Andalusia though, and Mayor Stevenson is the biggest obstacle out there.”
“Yes.” Linda exhaled sharply. “He is. I’m not sure the town really cares though. People hate change, even when it could be for the better.”
“Some people have to care.” I leaned forward. “You cared—even when you didn’t have to. I know it wasn’t easy taking care of an angst-ridden teenager.”
“No, but you needed some stability. I knew how hard it was for you growing up being bounced around from one foster home to the next.” She sighed and shrugged. “We were just happy to be able to provide that for you.”
“I’m eternally grateful.” I felt tears start to well up in the corner of my eyes. “More than you’ll ever know.”
The conversation shifted to t
he foster system and Linda told me some of the horrors that she had seen over the years. She thought that it was an excellent platform for Hudson as he began his campaign. The people in Andalusia understood that things were fundamentally broken with the way the town was run, but nobody had the individual strength to do anything about it. She promised that she would talk with some of the foster parents in her network and was pretty sure they would be responsive—especially the ones that weren’t just in it for an extra paycheck. We said our goodbyes after talking for a couple of hours, and I promised that I would come by for dinner, so I could see Mr. Fowler. They would never be the parents I lost, but they were the closest thing I had, even though I had only spent a couple of years with them before I left Andalusia.