keep this our dirty secret.
Much to my surprise, I saw Chase just about devour me with his eyes. He stepped closer. “Can I help you with something else? Anything. You just tell me what you want,” he said. There was no trace of reluctance in his voice or on his face.
Eyeing him questioningly, I met his gaze, which was insistent. Finally, I gave him a demure smile. “Thank you for everything today,” I said.
He opened the door to leave but paused. “When can I come back?” he asked.
I stood at the door, trying to mask my discomfort. “Ummm, let me think about that one.”
“It was a pleasure to see you, Ms. Lila.” He winked and let himself out the front door. I sighed in relief when I watched him walk toward his truck.
My eyes followed his every move. “Good-bye and thank you, Chase. You made my day,” I said, wondering if it was out of earshot. Then, without another word, he waved and opened the door to his truck. My new house will definitely need a pool.
While I stood on the front porch, watching him climb into his vehicle, I breathed in the humid air. I looked at the cloudless sky, and the blue vastness of it made me think about the endless opportunities that lay ahead for me. Life, I knew, was going to be different now . . . better. I was going to live for today and for the future. Dear past . . . thank you for the lessons. Dear future . . . I am ready.
No, I would not allow the shadows of my past to haunt me. I would look to the future, a better future. At that moment, I removed the handwritten note I had shoved into my pocket earlier and read it: Urgent! Call doctor about scheduling follow-up appointment for test results.
I squeezed the note in my hand, crushing it until my fist turned red. I really didn’t want to know the results from my biopsy or imaging scan. I tossed the crumpled paper into the bushes.
As I watched his truck drive away, I wanted to shout after him, “Thank you, Chase, for chasing away the last hint of darkness in me.”
Chapter 4
And when I sat up in bed the next morning I didn’t realize my entire life as I had known it was about to change.
My morning started out like every other day. Even though I was emotionally drained, I felt determined to overcome any negative thoughts. I jumped out of bed eager to start a new art project . Stained glass would make a perfect gift for Jenny to brighten her stodgy dorm room. Day one of starting a new life.
No, I was not going to sit around waiting for someone to rescue me. Another idea shot through me. I needed to make a list of what I wanted out of life. I should figure out what I would like to do. It was time to start living!
But creating this list of desires was not a simple task. I had so many ideas about the future. What were my dreams? What did I fantasize about? Let’s see, where to begin? Hmm . . .
Just as I was thinking about what adventures I wanted to put on my list, I felt that sharp pain in my abdomen again. The throbbing pain was followed by that sudden surge of uneasiness. Maybe a warm shower would help? It didn’t; something felt terribly wrong.
While getting dressed, I glanced at the window with my decorative glass artwork glistening in the sunlight. I used broken glass to create my craft. Discarded glass . . . considered trash and useless. And that was how I felt for the past year of my marriage separation, like my ex-husband’s trash—used and dumped.
In that same instant, I decided that I valued myself too much to be discarded goods. Enough feeling sorry for myself; I would look at my stained glass as inspiration. Much like fusing broken glass, I could pick up the fragmented pieces of my life and turn them into something beautiful—transform the shattered into something spectacular!
I had given up my career as an art teacher to help manage my husband’s company and raise Jenny. All the while, I dreamed of opening an art gallery to display my creations. Perhaps I could partner with another
Much to my surprise, I saw Chase just about devour me with his eyes. He stepped closer. “Can I help you with something else? Anything. You just tell me what you want,” he said. There was no trace of reluctance in his voice or on his face.
Eyeing him questioningly, I met his gaze, which was insistent. Finally, I gave him a demure smile. “Thank you for everything today,” I said.
He opened the door to leave but paused. “When can I come back?” he asked.
I stood at the door, trying to mask my discomfort. “Ummm, let me think about that one.”
“It was a pleasure to see you, Ms. Lila.” He winked and let himself out the front door. I sighed in relief when I watched him walk toward his truck.
My eyes followed his every move. “Good-bye and thank you, Chase. You made my day,” I said, wondering if it was out of earshot. Then, without another word, he waved and opened the door to his truck. My new house will definitely need a pool.
While I stood on the front porch, watching him climb into his vehicle, I breathed in the humid air. I looked at the cloudless sky, and the blue vastness of it made me think about the endless opportunities that lay ahead for me. Life, I knew, was going to be different now . . . better. I was going to live for today and for the future. Dear past . . . thank you for the lessons. Dear future . . . I am ready.
No, I would not allow the shadows of my past to haunt me. I would look to the future, a better future. At that moment, I removed the handwritten note I had shoved into my pocket earlier and read it: Urgent! Call doctor about scheduling follow-up appointment for test results.
I squeezed the note in my hand, crushing it until my fist turned red. I really didn’t want to know the results from my biopsy or imaging scan. I tossed the crumpled paper into the bushes.
As I watched his truck drive away, I wanted to shout after him, “Thank you, Chase, for chasing away the last hint of darkness in me.”
Chapter 4
And when I sat up in bed the next morning I didn’t realize my entire life as I had known it was about to change.
My morning started out like every other day. Even though I was emotionally drained, I felt determined to overcome any negative thoughts. I jumped out of bed eager to start a new art project . Stained glass would make a perfect gift for Jenny to brighten her stodgy dorm room. Day one of starting a new life.
No, I was not going to sit around waiting for someone to rescue me. Another idea shot through me. I needed to make a list of what I wanted out of life. I should figure out what I would like to do. It was time to start living!
But creating this list of desires was not a simple task. I had so many ideas about the future. What were my dreams? What did I fantasize about? Let’s see, where to begin? Hmm . . .
Just as I was thinking about what adventures I wanted to put on my list, I felt that sharp pain in my abdomen again. The throbbing pain was followed by that sudden surge of uneasiness. Maybe a warm shower would help? It didn’t; something felt terribly wrong.
While getting dressed, I glanced at the window with my decorative glass artwork glistening in the sunlight. I used broken glass to create my craft. Discarded glass . . . considered trash and useless. And that was how I felt for the past year of my marriage separation, like my ex-husband’s trash—used and dumped.
In that same instant, I decided that I valued myself too much to be discarded goods. Enough feeling sorry for myself; I would look at my stained glass as inspiration. Much like fusing broken glass, I could pick up the fragmented pieces of my life and turn them into something beautiful—transform the shattered into something spectacular!
I had given up my career as an art teacher to help manage my husband’s company and raise Jenny. All the while, I dreamed of opening an art gallery to display my creations. Perhaps I could partner with another
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