| P I can tell you like it was yesterday the first time I met him. I can tell you what he wore, what he said and even where he was coming from. He said his name was Nick. He smiled and winked at me, and that was all I needed before I fell� hard. It wasn�t only that he was drop dead gorgeous, but he made me laugh too. He asked me out on that first day and I was quick to say yes. I remember the first time he kissed me. It was everything I expected it to be. Full of wonder, hope, excitement, desire, nervousness� all the elements of a great kiss. His lips were so tender against mine, and even though it was short, it still haunts me to this day. I can close my eyes and feel that kiss over and over until I�m numb with passion for him. I remember the first time we made love. Never in my life had I experienced something so powerful, and I knew I�d never feel that with anyone else again. But it wasn�t so much the physical part of it (although that had a lot to do with it) as much as just being near him. Nick exuded a kind of presence that made you want to be near him no matter what. He was strong and caring, funny, smart- the whole package. I felt truly loved when I was in his arms. I remember our first fight. It was over something stupid, and Nick apologized profusely afterwards, even bringing himself to tears. He�d gotten me one of those big teddy bears, a box of candy and 2 dozen long stemmed roses. He sat on my doorstep all day waiting for me to return from work and when I got home, there he was on his knees� begging for my forgiveness. That was also the first time he�d hit me. One Have you ever noticed how all train stations look the same? Seriously. The floors are all tiled in that dull brown, that small diner off to the side of the check in couther, where there�s always that one old bag lady is sipping on her morning coffee. Coffee. Nick burned me with hot coffee once. Of course, he apologized after and cried. And I forgave him, it wasn�t a serious burn, after all.. And he said he loved me. I shook my head furiously, hoping to clear my head of any thought of Nick Carter. That was, after all, why I was sitting here in this station. It was time to leave. I was leaving Nick in my past and starting over. The only problem was I didn�t know where I was going. All Shandi had told me was to be here by 8 am and wait. Shandi. There was a piece of work. How she managed to keep her identity a secret was beyond me, cause when I met her she was far from a quiet person. I met Shandi when she held a meeting at our library on Domestic abuse. She spoke of ways to get help and if anyone needed help to call her hotline. There were about 20 women there, including myself, but I was working that night. She passed out business cards to everyone and even left some at the front desk. That was where I snagged mine. So now I sit here waiting for some kind of direction. Waiting for Shandi to show up or call, maybe. Hoping Nick doesn�t call and realize I�m not there. After sitting for almost thirty minutes, I rose to go find the bathroom. Looking for some kind of sign, I bumped right into someone. � I�m sorry,� I said. � It�s still a bit early for me,� The man smiled. � It�s alright. But I think you dropped your papers,� I glanced down on the floor, and saw a long white envelope. I looked back up at him. � Oh, no those aren�t-� � Ma�am, You dropped your papers,� He repeated, more sternly. He turned and walked away. I bent down and picked up the envelope, quickly thumbing through it. My tickets, new I.D., social security card, plus my new home address and house key were in there. Katherine Lauser. Kathy. Kate. Katie. That was my new name. As of right now, Heather Carter no longer existed. I read my train ticket. Boston. Katherine Lauser of Boston Massachusetts. |