Starting Over

I am a Jon girl at heart, but do have a soft spot for Richie. I hope you enjoy this story. Let me know what you think.


Richie pulled up in front of the house and shut the car off. He sat and looked at the house; that is all it is now, just a house. It used to be a home he thought, when Heather and Ava still lived there. Now, there was no noise, no laughter, just a quiet empty house. With a sigh he climbed out of the car and went inside. He threw his keys down on the table in the foyer and walked back toward the kitchen. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, popped the cap and took a long draw. It had been a bitch of a day. Another long draw and he emptied the bottle. He grabbed another. He wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room, picking up a photo of him, Heather and Ava. How did I get here, on the downside of 40 and alone he wondered. He traced Ava’s face with his finger and set the photo down. He turned to go upstairs to wash off the remnants of the day when an envelope on the coffee table caught his eye. Noting the return address, he left it on the table. He didn’t want to deal with that right now. Taking the stairs two at a time he headed for his room.

Leana finished unpacking the last box in the living room and sat down with a sigh. “That’s it, I’m done” she said out loud to herself. She had moved in gradually, over the last few days and was finally finished unpacking. She was glad it was Friday. She didn’t start her new job until Monday so she had the next two days to do absolutely nothing. She took a minute to glance around the room. Cream colored walls, hardwood floor with an oriental design area rug in cream and cranberry tones, natural wood trim around the windows and doors. It was a beautiful room. She would put some of her own touches, framed prints on the walls, maybe a colored throw on the back of the sofa, some colorful pillows. It didn’t really matter right now she thought as she picked up a framed photo. She glanced down at the photo, tracing the man’s face with her fingers. How can 20 years seem like only yesterday she wondered. She could hardly believe it had been that long since she had seen him or talked to him. The anger she had felt toward him had long since given way to a sadness that she still carried. She looked at the photo and wondered about him, wondered what might have been. With a sigh she stood and took the photo to her room. “It doesn’t matter” she told herself. All that mattered now was that she had been given the opportunity to start over and that is what she was doing.

After his shower Richie dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He went back downstairs in the hope of finding something to eat. As he passed through the living room his attention was once again drawn to the envelope on the table. “Shit.” He really didn’t want to look at it yet. Instead of heading into the kitchen, he went out the sliding glass door and onto the deck. He stared out at the water, not really seeing it. He replayed the events of the day in his head. The argument with Heather about his spending time with Ava, the time spent in the studio with the guys, the argument with Jon. It was all weighing on him and now, that damned envelope. Forgetting about food, he walked down the steps to the beach.

Leana was out on her deck arranging the furniture, lighting some candles and getting her grill ready. She had decided to celebrate her fresh start with a nice dinner and grilled steak was a favorite. She went back inside to pour a glass of wine and turn the stereo on. She checked the potatoes, they were almost done, made a salad and got the steaks ready to put on the grill. It was a beautiful evening she thought as she headed back out. The sunset was gorgeous, all pinks, reds and purples. “I could get used to this” she thought to herself. As she turned her attention back to the grill she caught site of someone walking along the water.



Music is the soundtrack of our lives.