| A Second Chance |
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| Three days after Thanksgiving, the cold November rain beat steadily on the windshield of my blue, brand new Ford Focus, as I made the thirty-minute drive from work in the city to my home in the country. Popular music from the nineties played on the CD player as I sang along and navigated the wet highways.
My house was soon visible in the distance and when near enough, I pushed the button to open the garage door. As I put the car in park and the garage door grinded to a close behind me, I killed the engine and sat back in my seat with a sigh. Finally, it was the weekend and I could have some time to myself. I spent sixty plus hours of the workweek helping everyone else and seeing to the every detail of my young yet rapidly growing company. The weekend though, that was for myself. A time to kick back, relax, and focus only on myself rather than on everything and everyone else. Though I loved what I did and felt it worthwhile to help others, sometimes it was important that I helped myself for a while. The weekends were my time of self-preservation. Grabbing my briefcase from the passenger seat I headed inside to greet my babies, Silky and Rip Jr. As always the two of them sat by the door, Rip with his tail wagging as fast as lighting, and Silky padding around, meowing, and begging for his daily treat of a dish of milk. The sound of them barking and meowing made me smile as I walked inside and set my briefcase down in order to shed my coat. I petted them both briefly before heading into the kitchen to make them dinner and then find something for me to eat as well. A romantic comedy played across the screen of the TV as I lounged on the sofa, a blanket I had crocheted over me, and Rip lying on and warming my feet. Silky slept peacefully on my stomach and didn�t stir as I chuckled at a funny part in the movie. As I sat there watching my movie, the phone rang. Wondering who would be calling me at a quarter till midnight, and on the weekend no less, I picked up the cordless and clicked it on. �Hello,� I asked as my other hand picked up the remote and pushed mute. Oh joy, I thought as I discovered who was on the other end. This is exactly the way I wanted to start my weekend, arguing on the phone with an ex-boyfriend. It was Jason, one of the most rude and despicable men you would ever meet. He was a cutie, I had to give him that much, but looks were the only thing he had going for him. What was worse though was that he was convinced that I still loved him and wouldn�t leave me alone. I had considered changing my number or getting caller ID but every time the opportunity arose to do so, something else decided it was more important. �Stop. Just stop Jason. I�ve told you that we�re finished and that you need to leave me alone. If you don�t cut out this childish crap I�ll call the police and let them deal with you,� I said into the phone as I moved Rip and Silky off me. I paced around, listening to his weak ass arguments and wondering what had ever attracted me to him in the first place. It wasn�t necessarily his looks, though they did play a big part. If I had to name one thing though, it would be his intelligence. Or perhaps it was his charm. I never could quite decide which aspect I liked better. I don�t even remember why we broke up, or at least not the real reason. Did it have anything to do with the fact that he was so protective of me? It could have been that. After several minutes of listening to his arguments about me still loving him and trying to tell me why I should get back with him, I couldn�t take it anymore. I had to say something. I cut into what he was saying, �What part of no, don�t you understand Jason? Now give it up and quit calling here. Goodbye!� I clicked the phone off and tossed it onto the sofa, making Rip and Silky jump down and go elsewhere. As I folded up the blanket that I had been using, the phone started to ring again. Knowing it was most likely Jason I ignored it and got ready for bed. Maybe a good night�s sleep was all I needed to help ease my tension. It sure the hell couldn�t hurt. After the house was picked up and locked up I crawled under the covers and curled up, anxious to be rid of the day. Surprisingly, despite all that was on my mind, I fell asleep quickly and easily. I woke up the next morning with the sunlight trying to peak through the blinds into my room and the cold wet nose of Rip, sniffing my face so that I�d wake up and let him outside. Laughing, I ruffled his short, bristly fur, sat up and slipped my feet into my slippers. I followed Rip to the back door, unlocked it, and let him out. To my surprise I was greeted with a crisp, chilly gust of winter wind and a blindingly bright winter wonderland. Smiling, I shut the door and began to hum a Christmas tune while I prepared breakfast. It was nice to know that we would finally be having a white Christmas. There were only two holidays in the year that I really went all out for and enjoyed the most. Those were Christmas and Valentine�s Day. No matter what was going on in my life that might bring me down, such as an ex-boyfriend trying to get me back, nothing could squelch the joy I felt during those two holidays. |