Cinnamon Apple Pie

There was no point in delaying it any longer. Callum didn't know exactly what to expect from life or where to go from here, but he was certain of at least one thing. He wasn't ready to leave. Determined to stay in town, he woke up early in the morning and headed straight to Dr Clark's clinic, ready to take on the offer and his new position.

"We're very happy to have you, Dr Grant." Dr Clark said as he gave Callum a handshake, unable to contain the excitement of having finally convinced the young doctor to work at his small clinic. "What made you make up your mind if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm really enjoying it here and the truth is, I'm just not ready to leave so soon." As Callum said these words, he found himself thinking about Faith's adorable smile and cuke freckles.

"Well, whatever than means, I'm thrilled you're staying."

"When can I start?"

"Would Monday work for you?"

"I'll be here, Dr Clark. Thank you so much for the opportunity."

As he stepped outside of the clinic, Callum suddenly felt the autumn breeze, and as the cold hit him, so did reality. He had just signed a new contract. He wasn't going to work at the Peterson farm anymore. He wasn't going back to his old job at the hospital. This meant that his old life was now truly behind him. It was a bittersweet realization. Even though staying felt like the right choice, it wasn't the life he had planned for himself. Callum followed the footsteps of his parents and his older brother and went through medical school, despite of knowing he wasn't cut out for it. Study and hard work got him through it, and in the end, he found a specialization that felt right for him. Managed to get a good job at a decently sized and important hospital, and life was going well, until it wasn't anymore.

At first glance, Callum was a successful doctor in his early thirties. He had it all. Good career, nice apartment, a beautiful girlfriend, a great best friend, and an amazing family. But things aren't always what they seem. Distance and time made him realize how unhappy he was at times. At his job, he loved helping kids, but seeing families suffering was taking a toll on him. For weeks in a row, he would only stop by his apartment to shower and sleep, barely having time or energy to do anything else. Despite being fortunate enough to have a loving family, Callum wasn't seeing them as much as he would like to. And his ex-girlfriend Alice, and his ex-best friend Ben, had been drifting away from him for months without him even realizing it.

What Ben and Alice did was unforgivable, but Callum spent a lot of time wondering if he wasn't to blame for not seeing it earlier. He hadn't been around as much as he should've. There were probably a lot of signs that he missed. They didn't have an affair just once or twice. It had been a recurring thing, for at least a few months prior to Callum seeing it with his own two eyes. How blind was I? The three of them had known each other for over a decade. They met during their first year of university and embarked on the journey of getting their medical degrees together. Halfway through their journey, Alice and Callum started to date, and Ben had always been extremely supportive of them. Their friendship, all the good moments and all the hardships they faced together, made it a lot more difficult to understand the betrayal. Was it my fault? Did I do something wrong? Every time he found himself thinking about this, Callum couldn't help but to wonder about the role he had played in all of it and wonder if he could've done something to prevent this outcome.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing in his pocket. "Hi, Zack." Callum sighed as greeted his brother.

"You don't need to sound so excited to talk to me."

"It's not that."

"Caught you at a bad moment?"

"No. Not at all. I wanted to call you, anyway. Just signed the contract with the clinic I told you about."