A year after the divorce was when she met Hank. It was all an accident, and it was the best accident that ever could have happened to Emily. That accident saved her life. It was supposed to be a blind date set up by her best friend, Kate. She still remembered the smell of the sweet pink Moscato she was sipping at the bar. She still remembered the feeling of watching the old clock on the wall, the hands moving faster and faster with every glass she finished.
He never showed.
And that’s when she met Hank. Both of them, the only ones left at Willy’s Bar. Both of them stood up. She liked his smile and his sense of humor, the sweet smell of his cologne, and the way his right eye closed slightly when he laughed too hard. They shut the bar down that night. And then she woke up with him the very next day as the morning light shimmered through the curtains, illuminating the night’s mistake that slept next to her. Little did she know that the mistake that her arm was draped across would be the best mistake of her life. He walked her through recovery. He held her hand through the nights of tears and anger and rage. He held her in his arms when all she wanted was to taste the liquor on her lips and the warm glow in her chest.
She would never heal.
She would never not be an addict.
It would always haunt her. But Hank was the water that tamed the fire burning in her. He kept her demons locked up, secured tightly in the cage hidden behind her heart. They would always be there calling her name. But Hank knew their language, and he knew how to talk them down.
But no one could ever stop them. Not even Emily herself.
Emily turned her wheel to the left, pulling into Kate and Greg McCallister’s driveway. Emily stared forward as she eyed Kate’s white minivan parked in front of the garage. Emily pushed her door open and stepped out of her car, her flats clicking on the concrete as she made her way to the front porch. She glanced back, eying her own home across the street, the small, gray two-story Victorian she bought after the divorce. She had met Kate two years ago when she and Greg moved to Elwood. Of course, they bonded over wine and, soon after, Kate discovered that Emily’s love for wine was much more than a hobby. But she never judged Emily. She never talked down to her about her addiction and her afflictions. And that bought Emily’s loyalty. In this day and age, it’s hard to find people like Kate and Greg. Their hearts, open and honest and full of compassion.
Emily shuffled up the creaky front porch steps and reached forward, wrapping her hand around the golden doorknob, and turned. The white front door sounded off on its hinges as Emily peeked inside, eying the messy foyer. Emily stepped inside, carefully moving around the numerous toy cars scattered along the gray hardwood.
“Kate, are you home?” Emily called out, closing the door behind her.
“In the kitchen!” Kate called out.
“If this is a bad time? I can just call you later!” Emily said as she stepped to the right, making her way through the kitchen doorway.
“No, it’s always a bad time. There is no such thing as a good time in this house.” Kate giggled. Emily’s eyes settled on Kate McCallister as she slowly walked from the refrigerator in the corner, her large baby bump pressed tightly against the front of her white floral blouse.
“How are you feeling? Still dealing with the morning sickness?” Emily asked as she moved toward Kate and gently placed her hand against the hard bump.
“I swear, it was not this bad with Eli. This baby is determined to kill me. It never wants me to eat ever again,” Kate said as she pulled her long black hair behind her shoulders, tying it up in a high ponytail.
“It’s weird how you’re still getting sick. It usually ends after a couple of months,” Emily said as she walked to the coffeemaker on the counter and poured herself a cup.
“It did with Eli.” Kate sighed heavily as she sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Emily turned, sipping the hot coffee, as her eyes scanned the stack of dirty dishes piled in the sink. “Please don’t mind the mess. Greg was supposed to do those last night, but he coincidentally had to work late at the office.”
“That’s original.” Emily chuckled as she cupped the warm mug in her hand and sat in the chair beside Kate.
“So, how was Blair?” Kate asked as a big grin spread across her face.
“She was great. You have no idea how happy I am that she’s finally back. I just missed her so much,” Emily said, sipping from the mug as the steam filled her nostrils. “It’s a struggle. As a mother, you never want your kids to leave you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kate joked as she smirked, rubbing her hand along her large stomach. “You could have borrowed Eli for a year.”
“Is he still acting up?”
“Look at this house and you tell me,” Kate said, shaking her head. “He’s already so jealous. He threw the biggest fit at the store when we were picking toys out for the baby. It’s like he doesn’t understand. He thinks there’s only enough attention in this house for him and him alone.”
“That’s normal. I mean it’s a big change for him, too. But I’m sure when the baby gets here in
