What's in a Nook?

It was her first vacation since her mother had passed away, though she hated that phrase. What does it mean, anyway? Not that there's any phrase that made it better. Going back to college the previous January was a hard decision. Her mother had died shortly before New Years, and she worried about her dad. But he'd insisted and, looking back, she knew that college life had been a great distraction and her professors were not only supportive, but also helpful through her grieving. She dove deeply into the many activities and ministries that surrounded her at college and, most of the time, managed to keep any deep thought away from her brain. Her friends were also busy, though some had voiced concern that she wasn't doing anything to truly have fun. How could I have fun? she would mentally respond, though she hadn't the courage to voice her so-called logic. It was bad enough to keep on going through life, chasing after the same goals as before without her mother, but to enjoy it? To smile and laugh knowing Dad was home suffering alone? What did he have, afterall, to distract him from the emptiness in his house and heart?

Now she was home and she wondered if her presence made any difference after all. Dad seemed okay. Perhaps he had worked through his grief. Maybe he was just trying to make her vacation a vacation. Lily, however, felt the emptiness and grief wash over her again as soon as she walked through the door. It almost paralyzed her, and she certainly stumbled as she tripped back into her  father, who was walking through behind her. It was normal for him to drive the ten hours to pick her up. It was not only an excuse to see Lily's grandparents, aunts and uncles, but it gave them lots of quality time on the drive home, something both of them treasured. Perhaps that's why Lily loved traveling so much-- just as much for the journey as for the destination. This journey, however, was to a destination Lily didn't realize she didn't want to face. But walking through that door, seeing the small changes in just a swift glance around. She wasn't prepared. She made excuses to her dad that she was exhausted and wanted to take a nap before some of his church friends brought dinner, and swiftly slid up the stairs, through her bedroom door and into her sacred place.

She browsed the books at the foot of the nook for an ideal destination and decided to go with one she never tired of-- Persuasion. Of all Jane Austen's books, it certainly didn't make the biggest of splashes in the movie theaters, but it was Lily's go-to book for all moods. Granting she didn't want to delve into deep philosophical studies (which, after finals, was out of the question), it was a book that took her somewhere and made her feel part of herself at the same time. She sighed as she read the first lines.