Labyrinth

Julian had gotten lost in the maze of life. A labyrinth she’d wandered around in after life misled her far too much. A labyrinth that seemingly had no exit. Not one that she’d seen anyway. She’d wandered around aimlessly. She’d lost track of how many dead ends she’d run into. Nothing ever worked out for her. No matter how hard she tried. It’d been one thing after another. A move that she’d not wanted happening. A new beginning that came from a decision made by her dad she’d no say in. Jobs that passed her by. Countless applications that had been submitted. Applications that were rejected on a daily basis. People weren’t willing to take a chance on her because of her lack of experience. She’d not been given a chance back home for the same reason. She’d found a few jobs in the time she’d been living in South Florida. It was being let go from each one that left her unsure of ever being able to find one while there. She hoped some good would come her way. 

The move back home after four years of life in South Florida had seemed like a welcomed change. Until she saw nothing had changed. Her struggles continued. It was her job as a nighttime Stocker that helped her. She didn’t mind working four days a week. Each shift being eight hours. It meant she had three days to herself. To figure out what she wanted to do when she finally had enough money to leave. She had remembered just how little there was for her. That she’d ultimately go nowhere. She had grown up in a rural area after all. There was nothing to do in the town she grew up in. She knew that there never would be either. 

Julian had gotten rid of nearly everything she owned. Things she’d wanted she realized were things that made her happy for a brief time. Things she thought she wanted that she’d use that she no longer needed. Things she’d never really needed to begin with. She’d found peace in a simplistic life. In a minimalistic life. She’d sold or donated everything when she’d gotten rid of things. She’d saved everything she didn’t spend on the bare essentials. She’d gotten a large suitcase she’d filled with things she’d eventually need when she left. She dreamed of wandering around the U.S. 

She’d left after an argument with Jackson. He’d made hateful comments about the recent Presidential election. About the people who’d voted for the person that had no business running for President. Unnecessarily hateful comments. She’d called him out on all of it. She’d shamed him for not taking care of himself. She’d told him things he needed to hear. Things he didn’t want to hear. She’d packed the rest of her things and left two hours later. She quit her job the following day and booked a room at a hotel near the train station. She’d left for New York the following day. She’d finally found her peace while roaming the streets of New York two days later. 

She traveled around the U.S. before going back to New York. She’d found peace there. She’d gotten a job as a Barista near the extended stay hotel she was staying at. She hoped to find a place nearby. She’d seen a few studio apartments nearby that she liked. One of which she’d fallen in love with. For a decent price. She’d signed the lease, moved in at the end of her stay at the hotel and began her new life. A life far happier than she’d ever been.