1 Time to Go

San Diego, California

ANNA

Anna wiped the condensation from the bathroom mirror and gave herself a good stare.

Are you really going to do this? She thought to herself.

She took a deep breath and faked a good smile. Of course she was going to go through with it; if she didn't do it then, she would never do it at all.

It was Anna's last day at work and she felt even more nervous that when she first started. When she handed her two week notice to her manager, John, she felt incredibly guilty. After five years, her co-workers had become like family. John, especially, was the big brother she had always wanted and it broke her heart to hand him her resignation letter.

Naturally, it took him by surprise.

***

"What...you're resigning?" He said, taking the letter, in disbelief.

Anna couldn't meet him his eyes, but eventually had the courage to tilt her head up enough to see half his face. She simply nodded.

"Anna," John shifted in his seat, "Are you...did you find a new job or something?"

Anna shook her head.

"Is someone making you uncomfortable here?"

She shook her head once more, eyes glued to the carpet.

"Then why are you handing me this?" John sighed. He had not expected for Anna to quit.

John had been incredibly careful and mindful to be patient with Anna, it was the first time he had dealt with such a devastating loss within his team and was not quite sure how to handle her returning to work. He always had a soft spot for Anna and when she came back, he catered to her needs – whether it was extra time off, leaving early, or taking breaks throughout the day to collect herself. He thought he had done everything to make her feel comfortable – he did not want her to leave.

Anna finally found the courage to meet John's eyes, "I just need to get away. I need to start over."

John simply nodded – he couldn't possibly fathom the pain and suffering Anna went through after the accident. How could he stop her from wanting to hit the reset button? He couldn't be selfish with her; if she needed space to think about what she wants to do, perhaps it was better to let her be. After all, what was meant to be yours will come back, right?

Two years ago, Anna's world shattered with a phone call. Her husband, Nico, was pronounced dead at the scene of a three vehicle accident on the interstate. He was on his way home when the eighteen-wheeler truck swerved left, into this lane, trying to avoid the speeding car trying to merge into the freeway. Because Nico was in the truck's blind spot, he was hit, crashing into the car next to him. The speeding driver was never found, the trucker survived, the other driver critically injured, but Nico had passed on the road.

Anna completely shut down.

She was in such deep depression, she almost didn't make it to the funeral. She refused to see anybody, rarely left the house, and hardly looked at herself in the mirror.

She also never stepped foot in their bedroom again.

No matter how hard she tried, her knees would buckle in front of the bedroom door. Her eyes would give way to the tears and her chest in such a painful state, it suffocated her.

So, for almost a year, she kept the door closed. The last time she ever saw the bedroom was the morning he died. She woke up to a tight hug and a kiss on the nose. They snoozed their alarms to for an extra ten minutes to cuddle warmly under the duvet.

That is the memory she chose to remember.

***

As Anna walked up to the entrance of her building, she took a deep breath. OK, here we go! She quietly cheered herself on.

Leanna, her best friend, walked up behind her and put her arm around Anna's shoulder.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving!" She cried, scaring Anna.

"Oh my god," Anna panted with her right hand over her chest, "do you even know how to properly say hello?"

Leanna took Anna by the shoulders and spun her around to meet her face, "Are you really going to Spain?"

Anna simply smiled and nodded.

When Anna handed her resignation letter, a lot of people asked what she would be doing. They assumed that she had accepted another job, or taking a leave.

The truth was, Anna had planned to quit a long time ago. She first heard about teaching abroad by eavesdropping on two ladies' conversation while waiting in line for food.

"I am so excited to go! I can't believe I was actually accepted!" Blue-shirt exclaimed.

"I am so jealous! I haven't heard back from the school yet, hopefully they'll accept me." Black-shirt sighed.

"Which country did you apply to again?" Blue-shirt asked.

"Korea."

"Wow, Korea! I'm sure they'll get back to you soon. English teachers are pretty high in demand."

Anna went home after hearing that conversation and curiously researched about teaching English abroad.

How exciting. She thought, and from then she took the necessary steps to look for a country, a school, the certifications she needed, and apply for the visa to work in Spain.

She didn't know much Spanish at all, and didn't know anyone living in Spain either. But she thought that is what she needed – somewhere far, somewhere unfamiliar, to get her interest in life back again.

Little did she know, her wish for an adventure was going to stir up her life in ways she did not anticipate.

"But you don't even know Spanish!" Leanna cried, her eyes pleading Anna not go.

Anna laughed, "I'll learn."

"From who? You don't even know anyone there!"

Anna started to walk to the door, laughing on the way into the building, "I'll be working at a school - I'm sure I'll meet some nice people who'll help me."

Anna sounded confident, but in truth, she was wavering inside. She was never the social type; it had always been hard for her to open up, let alone make new friends.

But there was something different this time. She felt...bold.

When she reached her desk, she found her whole team surrounding her area as if waiting for someone to arrive.

"What are you all doing?" She asked, walking to her workstation.

"Oh, Anna!" Pam, the team secretary, ran up to her and gave Anna a hug, "My schedule is pretty packed, so I wanted to see you before I started my day."

Anna smiled, Pam was the bubbliest woman she had ever met. "Thanks Pam, I'll miss you loads."

"Anna, we were thinking of going out to dinner after work – kind of a goodbye party. What do you say?" Simon piped. Simon was the type of person who would find an excuse to have a party.

"Oh, I don't want to keep you all – you should head home. It's a Friday." Anna smiled. Truthfully, she would love a last dinner with her team. She didn't know when the next time she would see all of them again.

"But that's exactly why we should go out for dinner and drinks! It's a Friday night – perfect for a party!" Pam clasped her hands, "Please Anna? Let us have one last team dinner."

"Dinner is on me," a voice said form behind Anna. She turned around to see John smiling, his hands on his hips.

The team started to cheer and clap; Anna couldn't say no.

"You're going to regret offering to pay for dinner," Anna whispered to John.

"Nah, the team deserves it." He laughed, "Besides, I wouldn't offer for just anyone."

Anna raised her right brow at him, signaling to John to explain what he meant. He simply smiled and announced to the team that everyone would be getting off early for dinner.

Anna had a suspicion that John might have taken a liking to her, but she was never able to confirm it. It wasn't like it was going to work out anyway, he was her manager after all. Even if it were true, she did not feel the same way.

Sure, he was handsome and extremely compassionate. At thirty years old, he's one of the youngest in the company to lead a team – and a team of six people. John stands tall at six feet and with his broad shoulders, it's hard to miss his authority. His dark blue eyes seemed like an endless ocean, you might drown if you weren't careful.

But Anna viewed John more as an older brother and nothing more.

The work day came and went, much to Anna's surprise. She had anticipated for her last work day to go by in slow motion, as if to signal to her that there was still time to revoke her letter and re-think Spain. But as she looked at her watch, it was already four o'clock and the team had begun packing their things to head to the restaurant.

Before heading out, she stopped by John's office. He still hadn't shut his computer off and was scribbling something.

Anna knocked on the open door, "Hey, you heading out soon?"

He looked up, "Ah, is it time already? I'll head there in a bit, find us a table."

Anna smiled and nodded. It didn't miss her that John looked strained; his smile was not genuine, as if he was struggling to even meet her eyes.

She shrugged it off, it couldn't possibly be because she was leaving. Right?

Luckily for the team, there was an open section in the restaurant to accommodate all seven people.

Pam, the most lightweight of the group, was two drinks in before standing up to make a toast.

"Eh-body," she slightly slurred, "I...I wan' make a toast. To Anna, you have been thuch amazing cor-worker and I wis' you al'best."

Everyone cheered, clinking each other's glasses. It was a fantastic team dinner and Anna couldn't have asked for a better way to end the day.

"And let's not forget John for treating us to dinner and drinks tonight!" Simon, the heaviest drinker cheered.

Laughter filled the room and Anna found herself laughing along. She hadn't felt such a relief in a long time, it felt foreign.

Happiness, genuine happiness, was a feeling that Anna had suppressed for a long time. It was partly because she was mourning, and partly because she didn't know if it was okay to feel happy at all. But that evening was the beginning of a new side of Anna. She didn't know it then, but she was on her way to rediscover herself through experiences she wouldn't have imagined.