A Non-Simple Life Chapter One

Clara had always had a simple life. She lived in a plain white house with her parents, brother and sister, and her dog. She went to school with her friends. She went to prom with her high school sweet heart. She graduated. She had a good average life, but she didn’t want that. On her eighteenth birthday, Clara decided that she wanted more with her life. With that, she packed up her bags, said her goodbyes, and walked out the door.

Chapter One

Clara rode down the highway in her station wagon with her windows down and her music blaring. She tapped to the beat of the music on her steering wheel. She had been in her car for twelve hours and only stopped once at a rest stop to take a two hour nap. She still had about twenty-two more hours to get to her destination, Los Angeles. Sure it was on the other side of the country, but Bowling Green was getting to old. Clara hated Ohio.

Then Clara’s phone rang. She struggled to grab her purse, then her phone, for the first call. This was the fourteenth call she had gotten, so her phone was on the dash board. Clara picked it up; it was Max, her high school sweet heart. “Clara! What were you thinking! Where are you going?” Clara just remembered, she didn’t tell anyone where she was going, oops.

“Max, I’m alright,” She said, “Listen, I need time to myself, I had to get out of Ohio.”

“I’m worried about you, Clara, please come home.”

“Max, I can’t do that, I have to live.”

“Clara-”

“Max, this is what I want to do, if I don’t like it, I will come home.”

“But-”

“I have to do this, bye,” Clara hung up. Sometimes, or most of the time, Max is a goody-goody. He wants a plain simple life, just like Clara’s parents. They want a house, a son, a daughter, and a dog. Except Clara’s parents made one mistake, her.

Clara’s parents were living their plain life with her brother and sister, John and Sarah, and their dog Buddy. Then one day, her mom found out she was having a third child, Clara. From that day forward, Clara was a disappointment. She was never as good as John and Sarah in her grades, her sports, her friends, or anything. The only thing that her parents liked about her was Max, her perfect boyfriend.

Then her stomach started to rumble. Clara realized one flaw in her plan, she didn’t pack food. She kept driving until the nearest exit, a small town called Grinnel, Iowa. She saw a small restaurant called Maggie’s Dinner. Clara parked her car in the small gravel parking lot. She grabbed her purse and walked in, the shoelace from her Converse dragging on the ground. She opened the door and walked in to the smell of fresh hash browns and sweet maple syrup. She walked up to the counter and took a seat on a stool. A lady came up with a grey bun and a name tag that read Maggie. “Hi Darling, what can I get you this morning?”

“Can I have a stack of pancakes?”

“Sure, would you like some bacon on the side?”

“No, I’m a vegetarian,” Wait, Clara thought, Mom and Dad are vegetarians, but I’m not living with them anymore. “Actually, sure, I would love some bacon. Could I also have some coffee?”

“Coming right up,” Maggie gave a toothy grin and left the counter.

‘Well, this is a small little town just like Bowling Green,’ Clara thought. She didn’t want to have to stay here long.

A man sat down at the stool next to her. “Your shoe is untied Ma’am.”

Clara looked down at her untied shoe, “Oh thanks,” She tied it and came back up to a hand.

“I’m Travis,” he said, “I think your new to town, I haven’t seen you around here for the past twenty-one years.”

“No, I’m just coming through to grab something to eat. By the way, I’m Clara.”

“Well, that’s a shame. I’ve lived in Grinnel all my life, and I love it here.”

Clara sighed, “I also come from a small town, in Ohio. I hated it there, so I just left, last night actually, the night of my eighteenth birthday. I’m going to Los Angeles.”

“Happy birthday,” Travis said, “sorry I don’t have a gift.”

Clara laughed, “It’s alright. All that my parents got me was some books, on how to be a better person.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, my parents don’t like me very much, because I’m not as great as my brother and sister. Do you ever feel that way?”

“No, I don’t have siblings.”

Clara was shocked, somebody from a small town that didn’t have a simple life. Then Maggie came back with a plate of pancakes and a mug of coffee. “Enjoy.”

Clara immediately dug into the bacon. When she took the first bite, there was a crunch and a rush of delicious, savory flavor. Clara quickly ate the rest of her bacon. “You seem to like bacon,” Travis said as he got a mug of coffee and toast.

“I guess,” Clara said, “This is my first time having bacon. My parents are vegetarians.”

“You never had any meat until today?”

“Nope, but I apparently love it.”

Travis smiled, “Then my birthday gift to you is your meal, I’ll pay for it.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine, really,” Clara said as she started to eat her pancakes, which were light and fluffy.

“Seriously, Clara, I have to make up for what your parents did.”

“Fine,” Clara said with a grin on her face.

Clara and Travis talked for the next hour sharing stories and getting to know one-another, when Clara saw the time. “Oh great, I wasted an hour! I should almost be out of Iowa right now!” Clara said.

“It wasn’t really wasted, was it?” Travis sadly asked. He had enjoyed his time spent with Clara.

Clara picked up her things, “Thanks for the meal Travis; it was so nice meeting you. It was definitely not wasted time.”

“Call me up sometime,” Travis handed her a slip of napkin with a phone number written on it.

“Bye!” Clara said as her and Travis walked out opposite doors.

Clara walked to her car and got in. She put the key in the ignition, but the car wouldn’t turn on. “No, no, no,” Clara panicked.

She ran back inside the diner, Travis was gone. Clara went up to the counter. Maggie came up to her, “Did you lose something dear?”

“No, it’s not that,” Clara said, “My car won’t start, is there somebody who can help me?”

“Don’t worry dear, down the street there is Steve’s Auto Repair, he can help you.” Maggie pointed to the left. “It is a little ways down, do you need a ride?”

“No, but thanks,” Clara ran out the door and down the street to the left. After running a block, she saw Steve’s Auto Repair. She crossed the street and walked in.

The shop smelled of gas and metal. Steve, a bald man with a greased smudged face, was at the counter. “What do ya need?” asked Steve who was chewing gum.

“My car-” Clara heaved, “It’s broken- and won’t start.”

“That don’t sound good.”

“It isn’t, can you help me? My car is parked at Maggie’s diner.”

“I know Maggie; she’s nice, and pretty.”

“Cool, can you help me?” Clara pleaded.

“Of course,” said Steve.

They walked down to Maggie’s Diner and Steve looked at Clara’s car. “Your oil tank is busted,” Steve said as he took off his baseball cap and wiped the sweat off of his bald head.

“Is it fixable?”

“Yeah, what kind of car is this, a 1970 Oldsmobile station wagon?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Clara said, she hoped this wouldn’t cost much.

“It’s going to cost about $250.”

“I don’t have that kind of money, and I have to get to LA!”

“I can bring it down to $200,” said Steve.

“Fine,” Clara snipped as she grabbed her purse and pulled out her wallet, which only had her driver’s license and $71. “I only have $71 dollars.”

“If you pay me this now, you can pay me the rest back later,” Steve offered.

“I don’t have a job!” Clara yelled.

“You’re going to have to find one,” Steve said as he took Clara’s money and then he called a tow truck.

Clara got everything out of her car and watched her car get towed away. Then she realized that she had nowhere to stay. ‘Wait,’ Clara thought. She pulled a napkin out of her pocket and got out her phone. She went to call, but it seemed her parents cut her line off, great. Clara walked into the diner and saw a payphone on the wall. She pulled two quarters out of the bottom of her purse and dialed the number. Clara hoped he would pick up. “Hello?” Travis asked.

“Travis,” Clara was so relived.

“Hey Clara, what’s up? Are you in Nebraska now?”

“No actually I’m still in Grinnel,” Clara said. She explained the whole story to him.

“Oh my God!” he said. “That’s terrible, Clara! Do you need a place to stay?”

“Yeah, actually, I was wondering if I could stay with you.”

“Of course, I’ll be there in a minute,” he hung up.

Clara waited on a bench outside of the diner and waited for Travis. Then a big yellow truck pulled up and Travis came out. Clara ran up to him and hugged him. He put her things in the truck and they hopped in. They pulled out of the diner and started driving down the street. “Why did you call me on the diner phone?” Travis asked.

“My parents cut off my line.”

“That’s terrible, but from what I’ve heard, it sounds like them.”

“Yeah,” then Clara realized that now nobody could contact her, including Max. “Um, can I borrow your phone?”

“Sure,” Travis said.

Clara dialed Max’s number, “Who is this?” Max asked.

“It’s me Max,” Clara said, “Mom and Dad cut off my phone.” Then Clara explained the whole story to him.

“You’re in Grinnel? Where the heck is that?”

“It’s in Iowa,” Clara said.

“Do you need me to pick you up?”

“No, I’m staying with a friend.”

“Ok.”

“I have to go Max, love you.”

“I love you too,” he said.

Clara hung up. “I thought you said your brother’s name was John,” Travis said.

“That wasn’t my brother,” Clara laughed, “That was my boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Travis laughed, but in reality, he was upset.