Nov 16

Looking longingly into the window of this colorful family scene Abigail ached to get back into their good graces. The beer-loving cougar had replaced her. It wasn't that she too was unmarried—it was her husband who was actually the cause of her untimely removal from the group. There was a time in the not too distant past when she had been embarrassed by them all. She had always dreamed of the chance to be rid of them, just not quite in the manner that it had happened. Now that she was on the outside she missed her old life. She was missing it all. Missing her nieces and nephews growing into adults. Missing her sister's crazy banter. Missing her father's last few days—

Pop's absentminded gaze out the window suddenly caught her attention and she stumbled back into the yard. Several stale fall leaves crunched under her stylish boots as she quickly crouched down. The fear of being observed while observing them never let her stay long. She now only had a few glimpses into her former life. The life that should still be her own today if it hadn't been for him.

Abigail didn't want to think of the many painful things he had convinced her to do. She was often shocked at how susceptible she had been to his charms. She spent many of her waking hours in therapy, trying to come to terms with the person she had become, and often still found it best to attempt to forget. She knew coming here was not the right course of action, at least not as long as she stayed hidden in the bushes. If only she could muster the courage to knock on the front door and be welcomed back into their lives... Her thoughts trailed off as she skulked slowly down the street into the blinding, setting sun.