Julia sat overlooking the city. This new city she had now committed her life to. Thoughts raced through her mind faster than the blood pumping through her body after the long jog ascending the steep hill. ‘This city is unsullied by my past mistakes, by past memories, by past hurts,’ she mused, ‘Let’s see how long I can keep it that way. It’s all up to me, no one else’s responsibility.’

Her only regret was that she had to leave her mother. They had a particularly strong bond. Both had been through similar, difficult personal situations. Her mother was the only one who never judged her, who always spoke kindly and told her that she had whatever strength she needed within her. ‘Always believe in yourself. Never listen to people who criticise you for the sake of hurting you; they don’t care about you.’

It was her mother’s words incessantly going through her head that were instrumental in her having the strength to physically leave her past behind even though, it wasn’t easy. Emotional ties are the hardest to sever, even if they betrayed you.

‘Always remember, my darling girl,’ her mother always added, ‘You must take opportunities life gives you, no matter how out of left field they appear. They can come in the strangest way.’

Remembering those words made Julia smile. ‘I’m always her “darling girl”.  I know she’s sad that I’ve left but, she knows, I had to go. She understands. She’s the only person I can rely on to always love me, to always listen to me, and who will always support me. I love her so much.’

As she looked out at the sunrise that awakened the city scape, and the sun that highlighted the river which glistened as a result of its power, she became aware of the dreamy silence surrounding her. She realised how at peace she felt and basked in that.

Suddenly, she sensed she was not alone. Her muscles tightened, she didn’t move but stayed en garde. It was still early in the morning and she hadn’t passed anyone on her trek up the hill. She waited and listened.

Without warning, she was bowled over by a 50 Kilogram, blond Labrador who started kissing her with his sloppy tongue.

‘Hey, Sam, stop. Sam, come back here, come here!’ a male voice called in vain. The dog’s enthusiasm was unable to be curtailed. He was so joyous.

Julia struggled to get on her feet and caught hold of the spotted lead hanging from the exuberant dog’s neck. It was all she could do to stay standing between the dog jumping and her laughing.

Finally, the dog owner was able to grab the dog’s lead off her and, simultaneously, with the other hand, hold Julia by the arm to stabilise her.

‘I’m so sorry, so sorry,’ he spluttered and puffed as he was out of breath. To the dog, he scolded, ‘Sam, naughty boy. Stop! Stay! Heel!’

At the commands, the dog immediately obeyed and looked lovingly up at his owner as he sat with his body vibrating with excitement and happiness.

The owner collected himself and said, ‘Hello, I’m Tom. I’ve no idea what came over him. He doesn’t usually do that. He’s normally so well-behaved but, as soon as he saw you, he bolted with glee.’

Still laughing and attempting to pat Sam who clearly could still not contain himself, she said, ‘Hi, I’m Julia. That’s okay. I was just surprised. I love dogs and Sam is a cutie.’

‘Aren’t you a frisky fellow this morning,’ she addressed the dog who seemed to be smiling from ear-to-ear, as though he was saying, ‘Aren’t I a clever boy!’

‘Hey, there’s a coffee shop just around the corner on this path. Can I buy you a coffee to make up for my dog knocking you over?’ Tom suggested.

Julia thought for a second and replied, ‘Sure, that would be nice.’

Then her mother’s words came to her, ‘You must take opportunities life brings you. They can come in the strangest way.’

A grin lit up on her face and there was a skip in her step, in time with Sam’s prancing.

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QUESTIONS FOR YOU

  1. Describe Julia’s mood as she sits on the hill.
  2. Describe Julia’s relationship with her mother.
  3. What do you think is the moral of the story?
  4. Describe Sam.
  5. What was your favourite part of the story?