The Return Journey

When Tessa accepted a temporary job in her home town, friends abroad assumed she was moving back for good. Friends at home assumed she had finally realised what she had been missing. Neither version felt quite right.

She had left eight years earlier because she wanted new experiences. She returned partly because her mother needed help after an operation and partly because the temporary contract interested her. There was no single explanation that fitted comfortably into a brief conversation.

At first, familiar streets made the town seem unchanged. Then Tessa noticed a language school where her favourite cafe had been, and a cycling club meeting in the old bank. People she remembered as teenagers were running local businesses.

She also missed things from her life abroad: a particular tram journey, a friend who lived upstairs, the freedom of not knowing everyone's history.

Near the end of her contract, her manager offered her a permanent position. Tessa asked for a week to decide. She spent the weekend making two lists, but they were not lists of advantages and disadvantages.

One described the life people expected her to choose. The other described the ordinary days she actually wanted.

She had not bought another ticket by Monday. For the first time since returning, however, she knew which list should guide the decision.