Elnora Sandy opened the door to her condo exactly one hour after she had left. One hour is all it took for her to quit her job that morning. She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and turned on her Keurig. Coffee was step one. She knew eventually she would have to pull out her cell phone and face the fire. You don't walk off the job after thirty years without someone calling. You certainly don't walk out of teaching without questions. She couldn't think of it. Coffee. That was step one.
As the sound of perculation pitched out of her Keurig, she stood in front of the fridge and read the letter taped on the front. It was from a local realty company. They were buying out the condos in her building and offered her a pretty nice chunk. She had scoffed at the letter when she first received it. Elnora loves her little condo on the lake and had no intention to sell. She also figured if it had doubled in value since she paid it off, maybe it might triple one day. She wasn't much of a gambler but she wasn't a push over either.
Today, however, the letter took on a new meaning. After all, Elnora had just walked out of her career. By noon, she will have faxed a resignation and apology to her local school board. She had a pension to call about and papers to sign. This letter gave her some security.
Elnora knew she was going to make it through this rough spot. She prayed during her drive home. Each time her mind flashed a worry, she prayed. When she worried about the fact that she quit her teaching job right in the middle of state testing lockdown, she prayed the Lord's Prayer. When she rolled down the car windows and breathed in the morning air, she knew she was ready to move on from teaching forever.
This letter hanging on the fridge brought Elnora to tears. She knew she had money tucked away to get her through until she figured out her next job, but this condo sale was more than just a coincidence. It was a perfectly timed miracle. This would allow her to retire altogether. El had wanted to retire for years. She wanted to write a book for almost a decade. She looked up, saying out loud, "Thank you, Lord."
She turned and looked around her condo. She adored her space. With both her daughters graduated and moved away, she had the place to herself for the last few years. She had painted every room a different bright color. Elnora made friends with every duck on the lake outside her window, too. It seemed funny to her but leaving the ducks was probably going to be the hardest part.
All of sudden she breathed in deeply and felt full of confidence. She wiped the tears and said out loud again, this time to the world: "I can go anywhere. Anywhere." Her mind raced the possibilities. She had no husband. She had one child in New York City and one in Boston. North seemed the logical answer. Elnora sipped her coffee and that answer settled firmly in her mind. She would take a road trip.
North.