As Caitlin struggled to zip up her well-worn skinny jeans, she was finally forced to face the grim reality that she may have gained a little weight during her trip to Peru. She peeled the pants off in self-disgust and resigned herself to outfits of loose skirts and dresses for a while. It wasn’t ideal, but there was no way in hell she was going to buy a whole new wardrobe just because she made the mistake of spending her summer in indolence.
An hour later, in an orange skirt that contrasted pleasingly with her long chestnut hair, Caitlin looked for her beach cruiser in the piles of clothes and sporting equipment that had somehow accumulated in the garage. She couldn’t remember this much useless gardening stuff, halloween decorations, or baby clothes. With a frustrated grunt, she finally unearthed the bike from an assortment of picture books.
As she rode by the pier, Caitlin noticed changes everywhere; new restaurants, signs, sidewalks. She realized that even her tiny town was alive, growing and changing.