ALL CHAPTERS & FRAGMENTS

Persephonè felt herself unraveling. The fears she tried so hard to bury were beginning to surface in ways she no longer recognized. A visit with her sister, though, would come to push her over the edge. Katrina was trying to tell her to leave Matthias due to his drinking. She understood the concern, but maybe the issue would correct itself with time. Did her sister really expect her to go through this all alone? She didn't understand why she was doing this now. Katrina

Persephonè wanted to believe her fears about Katrina were only ghosts from her first marriage. Yet, the same behavior she emitted around men surfaced. Overly loud giggles, unusually positive and bubbly behavior. She was married now and it seemed inappropriate so it surprised Persephonè that this game would even be played. She started to become paranoid of Katrina's actions to Matthias. Worse, she noticed the positive response he returned back to her. Matthias didn't react

Growing up seemed to happen in jumps instead of steps. Persephone still felt like she had barely graduated high school, yet five years had passed her by. She looked the same, but who she used to be was gone. It was like she had tucked her true identity away into some fold of her heart to protect it from getting lost, and then forgot where she put the key. Katrina had a lot going on in her life during all these years too. The same life events unfolded for her. Looking ba

The time had finally come. Persephonè had reached the top of the list for low income housing. She and Anne were moving into their new apartment! It was in the big city too. Far enough from the people she knew to feel anonymous, yet close enough to make visiting family an easy drive. It was located downtown, surrounded by shops and restaurants. Driving by, nobody would have even thought there was housing there. The fact that her apartment was above a theater made her fe

It was bittersweet going back home to her parents. The energy was different, or perhaps she was the one who had changed. She couldn't tell if the home didn't recognize her or the other way around. The house felt caught between remembering her and letting her go. Persephonè was welcomed back with an air of supportiveness and a touch of silence. It felt as though there was some fine print she might be missing. Waiting for that moment of 'I told you so' to emerge to kick her

Time has a way of healing things and Persephonè always felt like she was waiting on time. Luckily, her father-in-law had a tendency to feel like everyone was using him, so he was just gone one day. No heads up or notice. She realized that maybe it was better that way. She could actually respect him for that. It was clean. This gave some much needed fresh air to their home and Persephonè felt comfortable to roam the house freely again. And even though the pressures were r

When people visit other lands, they often talk about 'culture shock'. A term people use to describe that odd feeling of realizing that people live much different than what you consider normal. Normal is another relative thing. Persephonè, trying to be accepted for who she was in Mitch's world, didn't really feel like she could put her experience in the same arena as culture shock. She had a sense that this was a bit...darker. It felt more and more like they were moving i

Time is a weird construct. Looking back, there are stretches of life that seem mathematically impossible. You know years passed because the calendar insists they did, but in your memory they collapse into a single breath. This was the start of one of those seasons. The season of Mitch. After their wedding, Mitch and Persephonè went on their honeymoon of course. The normal thing people do. Persephonè was fully aware that this was supposed to be a highly exciting event.

At this point in Persephonè's life, a numbness had settled over her that she wasn't even aware of. Like someone had put her on cruise control, leaving her with no command of her ship. Yet, storms only happened sporadically, and the ocean was beautiful, so her current perspective was pretty positive. She was more isolated, yes. But she was happy people didn't think she was a 'loose' girl who got around. It was not that she cared what people thought. If they didn't like h

Persephone was beginning to suspect that happiness had less to do with circumstances and more to do with what you knew. Looking back, she sometimes missed the girl who understood less. Ignorance really could be bliss. She was becoming even more of a loner than she already was, but this time, it was not by choice or character. Now that college was over, she had work and her relationship. It seemed her life was getting smaller, but somehow felt like it was swelling. She w