As she stood by the open door she could hear the hammering of the workmen next door. Somewhere down the road a dog was barking and she heard a child crying in the distance. She walked through the door and down the path, dishcloth in hand and sniffed the brisk air. When she came to the bus stop, she climbed on board and sat by the window gazing mindlessly out as the bus drove past the corner shop and carried on out of the village.
She didn't remember how long she sat on that bus. Eventually it came to a final stop and she climbed off. She looked around and saw a strange place, unfamiliar and different. Across the street she saw a small boarding house and, feeling in her pocket for her purse, she slowly walked across the road.
That night as she lay in the small hard bed, the realisation of what she had done came over her. Here she was, a stranger in a strange place with no money, no clothes and no family nagging and demanding her time. A smile slowly spread over her face - free at last! Free to choose her own path and to follow her own dreams. In the morning, she quietly thought, I must look for a job and buy some new clothes!
