I’ve dropped down to living in a camper. I used to have a large house, pretty much an estate. I inherited it from my grandpa. He always liked me best. But long story short, my siblings kept badgering me. Constantly telling me they would take me to court. Saying I maliciously stole their inheritance, by tricking the man. All lies obviously. I was being strong. I was going to hold onto that house because my grandpa wanted me to have it. But it got so bad, that I got permission from my grandma to let it go. She told me, that my grandpa didn’t want me to have the house, he just wanted me to have an investment that I could sell to be taken care of for life. So with the help of a lawyer I traded the house, to my siblings, for the fair market value of the house. Which my lawyer assured me it was a great deal, since the house value was the highest it had ever been.

So within a few months of my grandpa passing away I had been a home owner, and now I was a multimillionaire. It was weird.

I’m a twenty year old with no clear path. I’m living in a camper since my job is remote. I write short stories for a daily magazine. I just move to new places as I want.

And I’m a responsible multimillionaire. I’m not just wasting the money away. With the help of that lawyer, I have a few investment properties and I have invested in a few raising companies. So that I can stay a multimillionaire, but a silent one.

Because you guessed it. As soon as I gained all this money I became the person everyone wanted to be friends with. Such a bother. My grandma was actually the one to tell me to leave and to keep my new wealth a secret. She knew how it felt, because she and grandpa had made the mistake in their younger years to announce their wealth. Still, I used a portion of my wealth to set my grandma up for life. Grandpa had left her a large sum to take care of herself, but I wanted that to be her fun money. Also I felt better leaving knowing my grandma was taken care of.

But all this to say, because I now live in a camper. Currently next to a beach, and I’m not very good at this whole drifter lifestyle.

Most drifters I’ve met are chill and go with the flow type people. Never stuck in a schedule. Whereas me, I like to have a schedule. I like to spend some days just writing in my camper and never going outside. I like being alone. I don’t need to be constantly social. Or so I thought.

My life changed Friday, June 13th, 2025 at 7:40am. There was a knock on my camper door, and when I opened it there was no one. Thinking it was a ding dong dasher I started to close the door again and then I heard a flapping sound. There was a flyer of some sort stuck to my window.

It read, “Party at #2 camper. Enjoy booze, drinks, music, and food at 7pm-1am. Come to party!”

Not really my thing. Just because I usually enjoy my quiet nights. I curl up with a crossword puzzle book and a cup of hot chocolate and I usually fall asleep there. ‘Not the best habit.’ But it was my new thing. But I scanned to the top of the camper park to see where camper #2 would be. I was at spot #42. And like in a story I locked eyes with the owner. He was beautiful…no not beautiful, handsome. Handsome is a better word. Haha! He was tanned, he was toned but not like steroid muscles; he was smiling at me. ‘He’s smiling at me!!’ I ripped my eyes away from him. I had been staring at him. All these sweet romance stories I write having the women be calm and collected is so phony now. I see a cute guy and I become a puddle of awkward goo.

I sneak a glance back towards his camper and he is no longer around. Thankfully. I can scan the scene to know if I’m going to want to go or not. There were streamers and ice chests filling the small grass area in front of the camper. So when they say drinking they meant it. There were lots of girls swarming around. All dressed appropriately for going to the beach, but not for being at a party. I’ll just say, more skin, less clothes. And they were already blasting music. It was that angry rap stuff. So based on my gaze of what was being prepared I could assume that this was not going to be my type of party. I don’t drink, I like more clothes and less skin, and I prefer country music. So dead giveaway that I would not fit into that crowd.

Looks like it was going to be a day full of chilling by myself. Maybe I would just sit in a chair and watch the festivities happen. It might give me an insight into that world for future stories. I head back inside my camper, I get dressed for the day, and I leave to go grocery shopping.

…

They were not kidding about a party. The party was huge! I wasn’t just in spot #2, it had morphed down to spot #22. So they were closely coming nearer to my space. Which made it harder for me to be sneakily siting in a lawn chair and watch the festivities happen. But I still did it, because the owner had called me and said they would not go past #30. So I would still have a good size buffer from them.

The party was like I had assumed. Lots and lots of drinking happening. Girls wearing pretty much nothing. Guys shirtless. Music so loud that I could hear the lyrics all the way down here. Definitely not my scene.

“You don’t want to come up?”

I jumped at the voice. I pulled the headphones from my ears and saw the cute guy from earlier standing just outside my camper space. “What!?”

He smirked and laughed, “I asked if you wanted to come up or not?”

“Oh! Oh. No. I wasn’t planning on coming. I don’t really think it’s my type of party.” ‘I’m sure I sounded like a goof.’

“I can get that. The party grew way bigger than I had expected. May I?” He mentioned to the second lawn chair.

“Oh, sure. Here,” I pulled my laptop bag off of the seat next to me. I didn’t like it that he was so calm and confident and I was falling all over myself.

“Thanks. He sat down next to me. He seemed confident. That he knew his place in the world. “So why didn’t you come up?”

“Oh. Umm, I’m not really that type of party person.” That was a stupid excuse. “I don’t really know. I’m just comfortable here where…I have no clue.” My face was getting hot.

He laughed. Not a I’m making fun of you laugh, but you are funny laugh. “You are making no sense, but strangely I understand you. But come on. You need to experience some new things in life,” he stood and offered me his hand.

‘What?! I’m not ready to go anywhere. I’m not dressed to go to that type of party. I guess I was. But I didn’t know if I wanted to go or not.’ But I still reached out and grabbed his hand. I grabbed my keys, threw my laptop inside, locked my camper door, and turned ready to follow this guy.

“I didn’t think you would actually want to go,” the guy was smiling but I could see a hint of surprise.

“I’m surprising myself. But I guess I should experience a party like this once in my life. And it helps that I trust the one taking me. I mean, no. I meant….do you know what I mean?” Why was I such a doof and around this guy?

“Haha! I know what you mean let’s go!” He reached down and grabbed my hand and started to pull me up to the party.

I could feel my face warming up because of his touch, but I felt safe with him. So I wasn’t truly fearing going to this party.

…

‘Oh. I was so wrong!’ Not about the guy I was with, but that I should have probably stayed at my camper. There was much more happening at this party that was not visual back at my camper. There was a “dance space” going on. But it was pretty much…a…very uncomfortable sight to see.

I don’t know why I did, I stopped suddenly, reached out and grabbed the arm of the guy towing me, he spun around to face me, and hid my face into his chest. I was so embarrassed by what I was seeing. The warmth was reaching my ears.

He just chuckled. He wrapped his other arm around my shoulders and he carefully walked me around the outside of the dance space. Keeping a hand up to block my side profile view, of the dancing next to me.

I trusted him. I didn’t know why.

But we finally made it to the top of his spot. There were less people up here. There were just a few stragglers, probably the guys that couldn’t find a girl to go to the dance space with. The guy I was with, gestured to the several ice chests. There was beer is most of them, waters, and sodas. I chose a coke, because water seemed like a lame option. But amazingly enough to me, the guy grabbed himself a water.

“Hey Jackson! Where did you disappear off to?” A guy from group of stragglers, ran up and fake strangled him from the back.

‘Jackson. His name was Jackson.’

“I didn’t disappear. I just wanted to invite our neighbor.” He grabbed my hand again and pulled me towards him. He once again drooped his arm around my shoulders. “This is…actually I don’t know your name?”

“Sally. My name is Sally Anne Marck. Nice to meet you,” I nodded my head to the guy in front of me.

“Nice to meet you Sally, I’m Matt,” he reached his hand out.

But before I could accept his hand, Jackson held his hand instead. “No touching needed,” Jackson said.

I laughed quietly. I thought it was cute.

“Dude. It’s not like I’m going to try and take her. You walked all the way down there to get her. And you’ve been looking at her these past few…” Jackson harshly nudged Matt in the side to shut him up.

‘Looking at me these last few what!?! Hours? Days? Weeks?’

“Please ignore Matt. Anyways. Sally. What are you doing in this area? Visiting family? Friends?”

‘Keep answers short. I wanted to be acknowledged for me and not my money.’ “I’m actually taking a bit of time to travel. Just seeing new sights. I ended up here by accident actually.”

“So…do you…umm?”

“What my friend is trying to ask, is do you have a boyfriend?” Matt called out over his shoulder while he got another water.

I know my cheeks became pink. But as I snuck a glance at Jackson and he became flush too. “Umm…no. I’ve never had a boyfriend.” ‘Why did I say that? I could have said I don’t have one. Not make it totally clear that I have zero experience.’

“Really?” Jackson grabbed my hand once again.

“Really,” my face became warm.

“Sweet,” Jackson pulled me a little closer to his side.

I liked it there. I strangely I still felt safe. Matt was just staring at us nodding his head. Approving on what was happening.

‘What was happening? Was something happening? Would something happen?’

“Well, since you two are now together, I’m going to try my luck at meeting someone on the outskirts of the dance space. See you two love birds later,” Matt waved as he walked away.

“He’s an idiot but a good guy,” Jackson said as he watched Matt walk away.

I just nodded. I was still processing everything. ‘I was standing next to the cute guy. He was holding my hand. Jackson’s best friend just said we were together, but was that actually real? Or was he just kidding?’

I looked up at Jackson, he was just looking off towards the dance space. He was smiling. I looked down at our hands and he was still holding mine. But what did that actually mean? “Hey Jackson, what does this mean to you?” I held up our hands. ‘What am I doing? I just asked him directly!?!’

“Hmm?” His eyes came back around to me. His smile suddenly disappeared and he dropped my hand.

That wasn’t the reaction I wanted. My hand felt so empty now.

“I’m sorry. Did I overstep? I just having been watching you for a few days now and I’ve been curious about you. I threw this party to have you come and to get to know you. But when I saw you at your camper still, I decided to go meet you myself. Then you decided to come and I was ecstatic! You were so cute when we walked up to the dance space. Not only did I pull you into my arms to hide you from the dancing, but I wanted to let all the other guys around, that were checking you out, that you were taken. Matt is an idiot, but he did help me ask you if you had a boyfriend. I was surprised you said you’ve never dated, because you are gorgeous. So I guess…I mean…I thought we could be together now. But if I’m way off base, I can totally back off.” Jackson started to back away from me.

I instantly grabbed his hand back. I wanted to be with him. And him exploding his confession was so cute. I knew I was falling in love with him. “I want you too!”

He stopped at my touch and smiled at me, then at our hands. “I guess I should have verbalized this earlier. Sally. Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

‘Yes!’ “Yes!” I blurted out. I probably looked like an idiot in love.

Jackson chuckled. He pulled me to his side. Instead of holding my hand, he brought his other hand around my waist. He just held me there. We stood there together staring off into the chaos of the party. Only paying attention to our touches.

…5 years later…

So Jackson and I are married now. We dated for about 1 year. Not really doing much of anything. Talking about life, family, goals, etc. Walking on the beach, staying in the camper, surfing, snorkeling, hiking. Just living life.

The talk about my money did eventually come up. And it wasn’t anything big. Jackson was surprised at first, but wanted to continue the secret of it all. He didn’t want to be know for money, but for our own accomplishments. However, the only large sum he used was to help Matt start up his camper site business. Which I fully agreed with, since Matt was a main reason for us starting to date. He convinced Jackson to throw the party to give himself the opportunity to meet me.

We are still living in a camper. We thought it would be good to travel around and figure out where we wanted to end up before having kids. Which we actually need to decide pretty soon, since I’m actually expecting our first little boy. Little Jacob Tomas Gallagher. Named after Jackson’s grandpa and my own.

Which I believe it was my grandpa and God that led me to Jackson. It was an accident me stopping at that beach. I originally had planned to stop about thirty miles farther. But the exit was called Tomas St. My grandpa’s name. In the town of Martha; my grandma’s name. Seeing those two things made me want to stop, but then God speaking to me, ‘Stay a while,’ was all I needed. I pulled off the highway and found the camping site. How peaceful it was, I could see that this place was a great spot to stop. And it was.

.-.-.-.-.-.