One

Alexis never felt she was destined for anything great, she dreamed, definatly, and as long as she was going to be dreaming she dreamt big. But she never really believed, deep down, that her hopes would be realized. And as she sat, on the rotting stairs, pulling chips of dark green paint away with her fingernails, she wondered, at everything that had put her where she was. She felt the sun, beating down on her in a desperate attempt to drive the stubborn winter away. The heat, and peaceful light washed over her, overwhelmingly pulling her heart upwards. She leaned her shoulder against the house, pulled another long piece of paint off of the steps and played with it gently between her forefingers before flicking it away. She let her mind wander as she watched a pair of finches playing in a pool of rain left from the recent winter storms. Spots of light played and danced on the surface of the water as they splashed about, fluttering their feathers, then smoothing them out again. A deep sigh filled her lungs, and as she lifted her face up into the light, a gentle smile pulled at the corners of her lips. For now, she was content to sit, and soak in the warmth that savagely beat its way through the winter cold, yet tenderly caressed her nose, cheeks and her eyelids.

He stood watching her from the kitchen window. Slowly he rolled his mug of coffee between his hands trying to warm himself against the cool of the house. The fragrant steam rose and warmed his face as he pulled in a long drink. It had been tough for them, and as he watched her soaking in the early morning sun he thought of the times that had passed between them. It had been some time since he had considered the path that had brought them together. But as he watched her peeling the paint off of their front deck in long strips, her belly beginning to swell beneath her dress, he couldn’t help but remember. Was it all really behind them now? It had been so much harder to leave everything than they had thought. His deepest fear was bringing new life into the world that they had grown up in. As much as they tried and worked toward the new life they had made, there was still that lingering fear, that maybe, their efforts weren’t enough. The sudden clicking sound of Jasper’s feet snapped Chase back to the present. The dog stopped halfway across the kitchen and sat, suddenly, his head tilted to the left. Chase couldn’t help but laugh.

“You poor mutt.” He muttered as he scooped food into the dog’s dish. He smiled as he watched Jasper greedily inhale the food, and he felt sudden relaxation, and contentment in the normalcy of it all. But as Chase sat down to his breakfast his chair rocked a little, on one shorter leg. He looked out over the table, in the middle of his empty kitchen, it was old, stained with meals and who knew what else, from past lives. The wood had deep gouges and scratches all over it. His eyes travelled to the bare walls, devoid of photos, the old world wallpaper was peeling, greasy and badly off coloured. There was a few bright spots along the wall where photos of previous owners had hung, and as he followed a deep crack in the wall he saw the windows, covered in a layer of dirt and dust, suddenly he felt nothing but deep shame. Chase sighed deeply as he remembered how she was when they met. She had so many hopes and dreams, he knew that this was not the life she had envisioned for herself. Perhaps not the life he had envisioned either. Did he really want to bring his child into this lifestyle? Did he have a choice?


Well now, what do you think? Feel free to leave a note! Have any guesses as to where its headed? Would you even glance at a chapter two?