Inevitable Detour (Inevitability Book 1)(19)

“So, Essa,” he begins, “why Oakwood College for you? Haven told me she was lured by their stellar theater program, but you’re a business major, right?”

“The business program at Oakwood is very well respected,” I spout in a monotone voice. It’s the same rote spiel I’ve uttered a hundred times before. I’ve learned it well from my parents.

Farren glances over. “Hmm, that didn’t sound rehearsed at all.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “I know, right? Let’s just say a business career is my parents’ dream, not mine.”

Softly, Farren inquires, “What is your dream, Essa? What do you want to do?”

I stare out at rain that is lessening to a gentle shower. “Nobody ever asks me that,” I say as gently as the falling rain, “so I don’t really know for sure.”

“You must have an idea,” he says.

I take a breath. Should I dare to share my dream with Farren? Since I have nothing to lose, I go for it.

“If it were up to me,” I say. “I’d choose a major geared to writing. I write for the school paper, and I contribute articles to a monthly business review.” After a beat, I softly add, “And I really enjoy those things.”

“I’m sure Oakwood has a journalism program,” Farren replies matter-of-factly. “You can always switch majors.”

Slumping down in my seat, I say, “No, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” I mutter.

“Try me.”

Farren sounds sincere, so I tell him the truth. “I only have one year left for the business degree. It’s too late to change.”

“Hey,” he says, his tone serious. “It’s never too late to do anything, Essa. You can change majors, start over, do anything you want. You just have to be brave enough to take that first step.”

Farren’s words are passionate, and he makes me reconsider. I’m always doing what my parents want me to do. Always following their instructions on how things are going to go, never speaking up. If that continues, how will I ever find my true calling?

I’m silent, and Farren says, “Do you want to know what I learned after I survived my first day of active combat?”

I nod. “Yes.”

With his eyes on the road ahead of us, he says, “If you’re still breathing, you can change your life. You can always alter your direction, embark on a different route. You just have to be brave enough to do it.” He glances over at me. “You decided to join me on this trip, right? That was pretty brave.”

“I had to, Farren,” I reply. “I had to for Haven.”

But it’s more than that. This is my first inevitable detour. Fate led me here. Maybe I need to let destiny have her chance, let her put me where I need to be. When I head back to school in the fall, I think I’ll change my major. Then again, maybe I’ll really shake things up and apply to a different school, maybe one that’s out of state.

With these thoughts in mind, I say, “I think I may change things up, do some things differently.”

“You should,” Farren replies. “People set limitations on themselves all the time. Everyone makes excuses. Change is scary, I know. It’s hard. But don’t let anything—or anyone—keep you from your dreams.”

Farren is so impassioned, and as we’re leaving Ohio and entering Indiana, I can’t think of anything but where my life is heading. I like this burgeoning change in my thinking. I already took a stand by coming on this trip. I didn’t stay at Oakwood. I’m not enrolled in summer courses, and I’m not planning to be. In fact, I’m not going back to the way things were at all. I don’t think I can.

I share my thoughts with Farren, telling him all of these facts.

He says softly, “Haven told me she invited you to New York this summer. Are you going to come up to the city with her once she’s rescued and things are back to normal?”

I like Farren’s confidence that Haven will definitely be rescued. And I like his softened tone when mentioning me and New York City. “I think so,” I tell him.

“Good,” he says, nodding once.

I stare straight ahead, smiling and feeling empowered. Way off in the distance, across acres of farmland, the sun is melting into the horizon. The sky looks as if someone took a brush and painted it with fiery reds, sharp oranges, and muted purples. The beauty before me has me wishing I could somehow capture this moment—this moment with Farren, this moment in my life. If I had my phone, I could take a picture of the beautiful sunset and have it to look back on and remind me of this talk, this day, these decisions—my decisions.

“I wish I had a camera,” I mumble.

Farren throws me a contemplative glance and then returns to focusing on the road. A few seconds later, we’re slowing down and merging into an exit lane. “Why are we stopping?” I ask.

“We need gas,” Farren says. “And we haven’t eaten for a while. We’ll grab something while we’re here.”

My stomach rumbles at the mention of food. I’m reminded that the energy bar I picked up earlier when we stopped for a bathroom break has long been digested.

“Good plan,” I say.

Minutes later we pull into a parking spot in a rest-stop lot. Farren and I go our separate ways when we reach the restrooms inside, but I rejoin him where he’s in line for fast food a few minutes later.