Ten Visits, One Path Found

Synopsis

I had a dreadful sense of direction. Even a place I'd visited ten times could leave me completely lost. So Lucas Reed spent an entire week drawing a hand-drawn map of every street around our campus. There were no compass directions marked on it, only handwritten notes such as "the convenience store with a yellow dog outside," and "the old man with the terrible sushi stall". He ruffled my hair and said, "What would my girl do without me to look out for her?" Then my best friend, Sophie Lane, returned from overseas. During our graduation trip, Lucas told me to get out and check if the car had broken down. The moment I stepped outside, before I could steady myself, the car pulled away sharply. He sent me a text: [There's a rest stop three kilometers ahead. Sophie and I will wait for you there. Sophie is right. If we do not push you, you will never learn to find your way.] I walked for an hour in the pouring rain, drenched and disoriented, before Lucas sent a second hand-drawn map. It had arrows marked on it, with a cute smiley face drawn beside them. [Follow this map. You will arrive in twenty minutes.] My calves throbbed with every step, and I wandered further and further off course until I found myself in a dead end. I called Lucas, but Sophie's bright, lilting laugh came through the line instead. She trilled, her voice thick with smug delight, "Anna, congratulations on missing the turn. "Lucas and I made a bet on whether you'd notice he had purposely drawn the arrows backward. "I bet you wouldn't, and I was right. I know you better than he does." "So for the rest of the trip, Lucas gets to spend time only with me," she went on breezily, no trace of guilt in her tone. "Bringing you along is far too much trouble, after all." Then Lucas's indulgent chuckle came through from beside her. "A bet's a bet. You call the shots." Relying on someone came at a steep price. The moment they withdrew their support, you were left adrift, with no direction to hold onto. I brushed the tears from my cheeks. This time, I would find my own path.