Peace... The Village I Stumbled Upon.

Jasmine's phone rang and rang but instead of hearing her best friend's sweet voice, Olivia was met with the rather annoying voicemail tone. " The number you have dialed is currently unavailable, at the tone please leave your message." Click. " Hey my love, it's me. I'm sorry but I won't be able to make it to the airport for our flight tomorrow morning. I know I am disappointing you all again since I was the one who planned the whole trip but I just need the space. I feel so overwhelmed by everything going on at the moment, I..." She paused for a moment trying to hold in her tears so that her friend doesn't have reason to worry by hearing her cry. I just need to be alone for some time. I promise that I'll make it up to you all when you get back from Mauritius okay. Have fun and don't worry about me." She grabbed her bags and made her way out of the office. "l love you, bye."

Olivia was waiting for the elevator to get to the sixth floor but someone seemed to have been holding it at the first floor. She got really frustrated with waiting. "Ding." Messages popped up on her phone and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of seeing Mike's messages. "Where are you?" " You are late!" Her abusive boyfriend had been sending messages asking her why she wasn't at home at such late hours. Her heart started racing and her mind started racing with worst case scenarios of what could happen when she arrived at home. The thought of going back to that place filled her with dread. What will Mike do? Will he hit me? Or will he lock me in the basement this time? Finally the elevator arrived. She stepped in and the silence seemed to calm her down a bit. She took a few deep breaths in and out and for a moment she just forgot about her reality and all her worries.

23:59, Olivia parks her silver grey 2021 SUV Renault Kiger outside her boyfriends house. She had a thing for SUVs, they made her feel like she had everything under control and that she was the boss, she always thought SUVs were classy, she just loved them. And yes she lived with her "abusive boyfriend." Why doesn't she move out and just end the relationship, you might think? Well she hasn't said a word to anybody about the type of monster Mike has turned into. She fears that everybody might judge her. Her only problem is that she is not much of a talker. She does not like to vent out her problems to people, not even her own mother or sister, or her own best friend. She believes that she'll get herself out of this situation someday. Let's hope that day is sooner than later.

Olivia entered the house and was met with the familiar sight of Mike passed out on the couch. Bottles of beer were just strewn across the living area. Olivia just looked at him and disgust washed over her whole body as she made her way upstairs to their bedroom. Well atleast it was still clean, just the way she left it in the morning. She changed into some comfortable lounge wear and went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a packet of potato chips and a fruit and made her way back upstairs. She got into her sheets and immersed herself into a novel she'd started reading not so long ago.

Olivia was really enjoying this book, she had even forgotten about the potato chips that she was going to snack on. A quote caught her attention. "Do something today that your future self will thank you for." These words resonated deep within her and she repeated it to herself again. She finally opened the bag of potato chips and gobbled on them, the crunch of potato chips filled the silence in the room while thinking about this quote. It was demanding her to do something. She gobbled on the potato chips and half way through the bag, she got up and into the walk in closet she went. With a chair, she reached for her suitcases and started packing her belongings. She knew she had to pack every little important thing so that she doesn't set foot in this house again. It was time to escape the reality she endured for way too long.

An hour later, Olivia looked at the empty space of the walk in closet before her. The sweet smell of perfume which lingered in the room brought back a nostalgia of flashbacks. The beautiful tender moments of laughter and passion they had shared in this room rushed through her mind. The horrible scenes of fights and disagreements and minor misunderstandings also flashed into her mind. Tears peeked through her eyes and she started sobbing. "I finally got the courage." She said to herself. And with that she made her way downstairs passing Mike who was still sleeping on the couch and headed to her car. She didn't bother leaving a note or waking him up to inform him that she was leaving. She walked away silently.

She took a long and well needed drive while thinking of where she would sleep for the night. She ruled out going to her best friend's place because her and the other ladies were going to beg her or rather convince her to tag along to the trip to Mauritius. She also avoided going to her mothers house because there were visitors already, extended family who arrived a few days ago for the summer break. It was tempting for her to be around loved ones but she craved some solitude and silence for the time being.

After a whole hour of driving Olivia comes across a billboard just outside her home town. "Welcome to THE VILLAGE... feel at home and relax, take a break from your busy life." She pulled over and took out her phone. She started googling the place just to make sure it was legitimate. Convinced that it was legitimate, she took a few deep breaths. "Well I guess this will be my home for the next two weeks." She proceeded to the entrance where she was met with a security guard in a crisp uniform, clean and neat. He lead her to an empty parking space and helped her with her luggage. She was then escorted to the reception area.

She was booked in and was led to her room. The ambiance took her breath away. Morden and classy but it really did give the essence of being in the villages. The stainless steel cups and plates added a touch of nostalgia in the kitchen. The bedroom was combined with the lounge area, then the bathroom and toilet were on the other room. Clean and neat, just how she likes her own space to look and feel. She took it all in and was glad to see that she didn't pay a whole lot of money for nothing. Everything was perfect. Exhaustion caught up and she surrendered herself to a well deserved rest.

"Ding, ding, ding"...Her phone was buzzing when she switched it on. Endless messages and missed calls from her friends who were furious at her sudden disappearance. Missed calls from Mike also showed up but she felt no inclination to indulge in his concerns. To keep her mind at peace she decided to switch the phone off. The thought of opening her laptop was just as equally daunting, she would be bombarded with a load of work. She decided against it and calmed herself with a few deep breaths and began her day. The digital world would have to wait until she got back to reality.

Olivia decided to embark on a trip around the Village. The architecture took her breath away. The buildings were designed in a rustic, Cape Dutch style, with earthy tones and wooden accents. The pond being the centre piece of it all, it was surrounded by an array of boutiques, a string of fancy restaurants, art galleries and thrift stores. The best part? The absence of crowds, Olivia found peace and tranquility.

Olivia started her exploration at the boutiques, she loved shopping. She really loved the jewelry and gowns she saw and decided to pick a few items to gift the ladies when they came back from the vacation. She then decided to visit the coffee shop and treated herself with a delicious slice of chocolate and caramel cake. It was so good it felt like all her burdens and worries melted away with every bite. Caramel and chocolate cake at the same time? Too much sugar don't you think? She just missed her best friend Jasmine and decided to have her favourite slice of chocolate cake just to feel like she was there with her. But if there was one thing she really wanted to do, it was to visit the art galleries and maybe, just maybe she could make herself her own piece of art work. She reserved that for another time though, she still has a lot of time in this place.

The next couple of days Olivia continued with her exploration of the village. She found joy being here. She visited the library and borrowed a few books to indulge in while she was here. She visited some of the restaurants and enjoyed some traditional cuisines, she even collected recipes to try back at home. She's not much of a cook but she was willing to try. She spent hours in the community garden and she planted a few vegetables as well. She made sure to water it every day, she treated those vegetables like her little babies, they were even starting to show some life. Gardening really calmed her soul and mind and on the bright side she had discovered a new hobby. Yay.

As Olivia's stay at the Village drew to a close. She felt quite sad, but she was happy she had a bit of healing and self introspection all on her own. With only three days left before she goes back home, she had to tick the last thing off of her to-do-list. She found the best art gallery, CraftYourOwn Art Gallery where she could work on her own piece of artwork, something she's been wanting to do for a very long time. So here she was seated before a canvas with all her paints and other materials ready. No, she couldn't paint but her drawing skills kept her determined to unleash her creativity.

Olivia gazed at the blank canvas for a good 30 minutes. Her mind drifted somewhere else. She shed some tears when she finally came back to her present moment. She wiped her tears and started stroking the paint brushes on the blank canvas. Up and down, left and right, circular motions. The tears came back and she let them fall freely while the memories of everything she went through flooded her mind The abuse she endured, the work load from her job and the constant social facade. Flashbacks of the moments she spent here at the village brought a smile to her face. As she continued to stroke the brushes, the colours combined together harmonically.

When she was done she looked at the work that she produced before her eyes with pride. She captured all her emotions, pain, happiness and joy, healing and growth. The canvas painting captured who she was, what she has been through, her healing journey and who she was becoming.A testament of her whole journey. It was a captivating piece of art, a true treasure to behold. This piece of art allowed her to release all her burdens and forgive herself for going through it all. At the end, all of those painful encounters shaped her and led her to this peaceful sanctuary... The Village.